Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prescribing practice for antibiotic prophylaxis for 3 commonly performed surgeries in a teaching hospital in Brazil.

BACKGROUND The contribution of antibiotic prophylaxis to reduce surgical wound infection for some procedures is well known. In spite of extensive knowledge about the effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis, its administrative regimens are often inappropriate. METHODS Antibiotic prophylaxis was evaluated in a university-affiliated community teaching hospital. Data were collected from medical records of patients undergoing cholecystectomy, hysterectomy, and herniorrhaphy during a 9-month observation period. A total of 598 procedures were observed. Data were collected about the patient, the surgery, and the antibiotic prophylaxis. RESULTS Based on the existing guidelines, the choice to use the prophylactic antibiotic was correct in 75% of the cases. Of these cases, only 3% of the patients received the recommended regimen according to the proposed procedure. It was verified that antibiotic prophylaxis was performed more frequently in patients undergoing open cholecystectomy than laparoscopic cholecystectomy (P =.004). In 46% of the cholecystectomies, more than 4 doses were administered. In hysterectomy, a single dose was used in 54% of the patients, and the antibiotic was administered preoperatively in 80% of the cases. Prophylactic antibiotics were used in 47% of herniorrhaphies. CONCLUSION The surgeons infrequently met the hospital guideline for antibiotic prophylaxis, and compliance varied by type of procedure.
Laminin-10/11 and Fibronectin Differentially Regulate Integrin- dependent Rho and Rac Activation via p130Cas-CrkII-DOCK180 Pathway*

The α5 chain-containing laminin isoforms, laminins-10 and -11 (laminin-10/11), are the major components of the basement membrane, having potent cell-adhesive activity. We examined the cell-adhesive and integrin-mediated signaling activities of laminin-10/11 in comparison to fibronectin, the best characterized extracellular adhesive ligand. We found that laminin-10/11 are more active than fibronectin in promoting cell migration and preferentially activate Rac, not Rho, via the p130Cas-CrkII-DOCK180 pathway. Cells adhering to fibronectin develop stress fibers and focal contacts, whereas cells adhering to laminin-10/11 do not, consistent with the high cell migration-promoting activity of laminin-10/11. Pull-down assays of GTP-loaded Rac and Rho demonstrated the preferential activation of Rac on laminin-10/11, in contrast to the activation of Rho on fibronectin. Activation of Rac by laminin-10/11 was associated with the phosphorylation of p130Cas and an increased formation of a p130Cas-CrkII-DOCK180 complex. Cell migration on laminin-10/11 was suppressed by the expression of either a dominant-negative Rac or CrkII mutants defective in p130Casor DOCK180 binding. This is the first report demonstrating a distinct activation of Rho family GTPases resulting from adhesion to different extracellular ligands.
Regulation of PDGF‐stimulated SHIP2 tyrosine phosphorylation and association with Shc in 3T3‐L1 preadipocytes

In 3T3‐L1 and human preadipocytes, insulin results in the isolated rise in phosphatidylinositol (PI)‐3,4,5‐P3, whereas PDGF produces PI(3,4)P2 in addition to PI(3,4,5)P3. SH2 domain‐containing inositol 5‐phosphatase 2 (SHIP2) converts PI(3,4,5)P3 into PI(3,4)P2. PDGF, but not insulin, stimulates SHIP2 tyrosine phosphorylation and its association with Shc in human and 3T3‐L1 preadipocytes. We now demonstrate that SHIP2 tyrosine phosphorylation and association with Shc in PDGF‐treated 3T3‐L1 preadipocytes was reduced by bisindolylmaleimide I (BisI), an inhibitor of conventional/novel protein kinase C (PKC). However, the production of PI(3,4)P2 and PI(3,4,5)P3 by PDGF was unaffected by BisI. Activation of PKC by 12‐O‐tetradecanoylphorbol‐13‐acetate (TPA) was not sufficient to induce SHIP2 tyrosine phosphorylation. Furthermore, we identified threonine 958 (T958) as a novel PDGF‐responsive SHIP2 phosphorylation site. Mutation of T958 to alanine reduced PDGF‐stimulated SHIP2 tyrosine phosphorylation and association with Shc, but did not alter its anti‐proliferative effect on preadipocytes. This study demonstrates that SHIP2 tyrosine phosphorylation and Shc association can be regulated by serine/threonine signaling pathways, either indirectly (via PKC), or directly (via T958). Interestingly, the anti‐proliferative effect of SHIP2 T958A, as well as another SHIP2 mutant (Y986F, Y987F) that also displays defective tyrosine phosphorylation and Shc association, does not depend on these molecular events. J. Cell. Physiol. 211: 598–607, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Altitude Adaptation: A Glimpse Through Various Lenses.

Simonson, Tatum S. Altitude adaptation: A glimpse through various lenses. High Alt Med Biol 16:125-137, 2015. --Recent availability of genome-wide data from highland populations has enabled the identification of adaptive genomic signals. Some of the genomic signals reported thus far among Tibetan, Andean, and Ethiopian are the same, while others appear unique to each population. These genomic findings parallel observations conveyed by decades of physiological research: different continental populations, resident at high altitude for hundreds of generations, exhibit a distinct composite of traits at altitude. The most commonly reported signatures of selection emanate from genomic segments containing hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway genes. Corroborative evidence for adaptive significance stems from associations between putatively adaptive gene copies and sea-level ranges of hemoglobin concentration in Tibetan and Amhara Ethiopians, birth weights and metabolic factors in Andeans and Tibetans, maternal uterine artery diameter in Andeans, and protection from chronic mountain sickness in Andean males at altitude. While limited reports provide mechanistic insights thus far, efforts to identify and link precise genetic variants to molecular, physiological, and developmental functions are underway, and progress on the genomics front continues to provide unprecedented movement towards these goals. This combination of multiple perspectives is necessary to maximize our understanding of orchestrated biological and evolutionary processes in native highland populations, which will advance our understanding of both adaptive and non-adaptive responses to hypoxia.
Localization of the effect of acetylcholine in regulating intestinal ion transport.

1. The location of the site involved in the secretory response of rat jejunum and colon to ACh was investigated by selectively damaging either the villi of the jejunum and the surface epithelium of the colon or the crypts. 2. The secretory response induced by ACh was measured both in terms of changes in electrical activity and chloride fluxes. 3. Exposure of the mucosa to 2 M‐Na2SO4 for 30 min selectively damaged the jejunal villi and colonic surface epithelium but did not reduce the increased potential difference and current generated by ACh. 4. When resistance changes were taken into account the colonic response was markedly increased after Na2SO4 treatment although the jejunal response was unchanged. Under control conditions ACh reduced net Na absorption and stimulated Cl secretion by the colon. After exposure to Na2SO4 only the Cl secretory component of the ACh response remained, thus accounting for the enhanced effect. 5. Cycloheximide, administered I.V. at a dose of 12 mg/kg, damaged the crypts after 2 hr without affecting the villi of the jejunum or the surface epithelium of the colon. After cycloheximide treatment the increased potential difference, current and net Cl secretion induced by ACh were significantly reduced. 6. The crypts therefore appear to be the site primarily involved in the secretory response of rat jejunum and colon to ACh, although in the colon an inhibitory effect on the Na transport process located in the surface epithelium was observed.
Free energy for blue copper protein unfolding determined by electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry.

An electrospray ionisation (ESI) mass spectrometric method for the determination of the free energy (DeltaG) of unfolding of proteins is described. The method was tested using three blue copper proteins: wild type azurin, Cys-3Ala/Cys-26Ala (C3A/C26A) azurin mutant and wild-type amicyanin. The time course of the denaturation process of the proteins dissolved in methanol/water (50:50, v/v, pH 3.5) was followed by recording ESI mass spectra at time intervals. The spectra showed two series of peaks, corresponding to the native holo-protein and the unfolded apo-protein. From the intensity ratio of these two series of peaks at increasing time and at equilibrium, the free energy for the unfolding process for the three proteins could be determined. To evaluate the reliability of the thermodynamic data obtained by the ESI mass spectrometric approach, the denaturation process was followed by UV-VIS spectroscopy. The two sets of data obtained by these independent methods were in good agreement indicating that the ESI-MS approach can be used to obtain reliable quantitative information about the protein unfolding process. In principle, this approach can be applied to other proteins and requires very low amounts of sample, due to the intrinsic sensitivity of mass spectrometry. This may prove particularly useful when the amount of sample available prevents the use of current methods.
High-Throughput Phenotyping of Plant Height: Comparing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Ground LiDAR Estimates

The capacity of LiDAR and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to provide plant height estimates as a high-throughput plant phenotyping trait was explored. An experiment over wheat genotypes conducted under well watered and water stress modalities was conducted. Frequent LiDAR measurements were performed along the growth cycle using a phénomobile unmanned ground vehicle. UAV equipped with a high resolution RGB camera was flying the experiment several times to retrieve the digital surface model from structure from motion techniques. Both techniques provide a 3D dense point cloud from which the plant height can be estimated. Plant height first defined as the z-value for which 99.5% of the points of the dense cloud are below. This provides good consistency with manual measurements of plant height (RMSE = 3.5 cm) while minimizing the variability along each microplot. Results show that LiDAR and structure from motion plant height values are always consistent. However, a slight under-estimation is observed for structure from motion techniques, in relation with the coarser spatial resolution of UAV imagery and the limited penetration capacity of structure from motion as compared to LiDAR. Very high heritability values (H2> 0.90) were found for both techniques when lodging was not present. The dynamics of plant height shows that it carries pertinent information regarding the period and magnitude of the plant stress. Further, the date when the maximum plant height is reached was found to be very heritable (H2> 0.88) and a good proxy of the flowering stage. Finally, the capacity of plant height as a proxy for total above ground biomass and yield is discussed.
Multipermeability Inductors for Increasing the Inductance and Improving the Efficiency of High-Frequency DC/DC Converters

Distributed air-gap inductors such as iron powder chip inductors and low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) inductors have the advantage of low-fringing effect loss. However, the flux density nonuniformly distributes in the magnetic cores, which results in the magnetic material closer to the conductor becoming saturated while the magnetic material further away from the conductor is still not fully utilized. This paper proposes a multipermeability distributed air-gap inductor structure to increase inductance without the necessity of increasing the inductor volume. The best discrete permeability value is investigated. Based on the best discrete permeability value, inductance as well as the inductance density trends is calculated by varying the number of permeability layers under the condition that thickness for each layer is constant. Also, the inductance variations versus the number of permeability layers are also obtained under the condition that the inductor thickness is constant. A three-permeability inductor and a single-permeability inductor are fabricated to evaluate the proposed method. The measured results show that the three-permeability inductor has a much higher inductance than the single-permeability inductor for the entire load range. Both inductors are tested in a 5-V input, 3-V output dc/dc converter to compare their performances. The results show that the three-permeability inductor can further improve the efficiency of high-frequency dc/dc converters.
Postoperative Effects of Intrathecal Morphine in Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

To determine whether intrathecal morphine is effective in decreasing analgesic and antihypertensive drug requirements after coronary artery bypass (CAB) surgery, a prospective, randomized, double-blind study was designed. Approximately 30 minutes before induction of anesthesia with IV sufentanil and diazepam, and 2 hours before heparinization, one group of patients (n = 16) were given morphine 0.5 mg, while the control group (n = 14) were given placebo intrathecal injections through 22- or 25-gauge lumbar puncture needles. Intraoperatively, there were no differences in the numbers of patients requiring vasodilator drugs or volatile agent titration. During the postoperative period, the treated group required significantly less (P < 0.05) IV morphine compared with the placebo group, during the first 24 hours (1.8 ± 0.7 vs 5.4 ± 1.5 mg) and 30 hours (2.4 ± 0.8 vs 8.3 ± 1.9 mg). The treated group also required significantly less (P < 0.05) sodium nitroprusside in the first 24 hours (58.1 ± 29.0 vs 89.1 ± 18.4 mg). There were no differences in pain scores, and the only complications (itching, nausea and vomiting) were infrequent. It is concluded that an intrathecal dose of 0.5 mg of morphine is efficacious in reducing analgesic and antihypertensive drug requirements afterCAB surgery. Whether these results are clinically important enough to warrant the theoretical risks of postheparinization lumbar hematoma is a topic for further investigation.
Prophylactic IM small-dose phenylephrine blunts spinal anesthesia-induced hypotensive response during surgical repair of hip fracture in the elderly.

UNLABELLED In a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized study, we evaluated the effect of prophylactic IM phenylephrine at doses of 1.5 and 3 mg on hyperbaric tetracaine spinal anesthesia-induced hypotension in 90 normotensive and hypertensive patients aged >65 yr undergoing surgery for hip fracture. Thirty normotensive patients received 1.5 or 3 mg of phenylephrine IM (N/P-1.5 and N/P-3.0 groups; n = 15 in each), whereas controls received saline (N/C group; n = 15), and 45 hypertensive patients were treated in a similar manner (H/P-1.5, H/P-3.0, and H/C groups; n = 15 in each). All groups had a peak sensory block height of T9, with a range of T8 to T10. The incidence of hypotension (>25% decrease in mean arterial blood pressure [MAP] from baseline) was significantly lower in the patients who received phenylephrine 1.5 or 3 mg than in the controls, both in the normotensive and hypertensive groups (P < 0.01). The N/P-3.0 and N/P-1.5 groups and the H/P-3.0 group had significantly lower percentage reductions in MAP (P < 0.05) and required significantly smaller doses of rescue IV ephedrine (P < 0.05) than did the N/C group or the H/C group. The H/P-1.5 group also required significantly less rescue IV ephedrine (P < 0.05), although it was not sufficient to significantly attenuate the percentage decrease in MAP compared with that in the H/C group. Bradycardia (heart rate <50 bpm) as an adverse effect after IM administration of phenylephrine was not observed in any of the groups. Hypertension (MAP >20% increase from baseline) after medication occurred in the N/P-3.0 and H/P-3.0 groups, but not in the N/P-1.5 and H/P-1.5 groups. We conclude that prophylactic IM injection of 1.5 mg of phenylephrine is a safe (defined as the inhibition of bradycardia and hypertension) and effective means of reducing the incidence of hypotension associated with spinal anesthesia in normotensive and hypertensive elderly patients. IMPLICATIONS We evaluated the efficacy and safety of small-dose IM phenylephrine for prophylaxis against spinal anesthesia-induced hypotension in normotensive and hypertensive elderly patients. Phenylephrine 1.5 mg IM was effective for reducing the incidence of hypotension and avoided adverse effects.
Selection of aptamers for signal transduction proteins by capillary electrophoresis

High‐affinity aptamers for important signal transduction proteins, i.e. Cdc42‐GTP, p21‐activated kinase1 (PAK1) and MRCK (myotonic dystrophy kinase‐related Cdc42‐binding kinase) α were successfully selected in the low micro‐ to nanomolar range using non‐systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) with at least three orders of magnitude enhancement from their respective bulk affinity of naïve DNA library. In the non‐SELEX procedure, CE was used as a highly efficient affinity method to select aptamers for the desired molecular target through a process that involved repetitive steps of partitioning, known as non‐equilibrium CE of equilibrium mixtures with no PCR amplification between successive steps. Various non‐SELEX conditions including the type, concentration and pH of the run buffer were optimized. Other considerations such as salt composition of selection buffer, protein concentration and sample injection size were also studied for high stringency during selection. After identifying the best enriched aptamer pool, randomly selected clones from the aptamer pool were sequenced to obtain the individual DNA sequences. The dissociation constants (Kd) of these sequences were in the low micromolar to nanomolar range, indicating high affinity to the respective proteins. The best binders were also subjected to sequence alignment to generate a phylogenetic tree. No significant consensus region based on approximately 50 sequences for each protein was observed, suggesting the high efficiency of non‐SELEX for the selection of numerous unique sequences with high selectivity.
Phytochemical residue profiles in rice grains fumigated with essential oils for the control of rice weevil

In the present study, we investigated the fumigant potential of five edible essential oils (EOs) against Sitophilus oryzae and their phytochemical residues in treated grains. Among the tested EOs, peppermint oil proved significantly effective (P ≤ 0.05) on S.oryzae at 400 μl/L air concentration, inducing 83 and 100% mortalities in with-food and without-food conditions respectively over 72 h exposure. In addition, it was also observed that the binary mixtures of peppermint + lemon oil (1:1 ratio) produced an equivalent effect to that of peppermint oil alone treatments. The phytochemical residue analysis by GC-MS revealed the presence of six compounds upon 72 h exposure to EOs. Further, the analysis of physico-chemical properties of the compounds indicated a positive correlation between polar surface area (PSA) and its residual nature. The residue levels of eugenol were significantly elevated corresponding to its high PSA value (29) in clove and cinnamon oils. On the other hand, the compounds with zero PSA value imparted very less or no (D-Limonene, caryophyllene, pinene and terpinolene) residues in treated grains. With respect to the most active peppermint oil, L-menthone, menthyl acetate and eucalyptol residues were at 67, 41 and 23% levels respectively. The outcome of the present study indicate the peppermint oil as a potent fumigant against S. oryzae, and although the residues of phytochemicals in treated grains is higher; they belong to the generally recognised as safe (GRAS) status leaving no harmful effect.
The Effect of Pelvic Septic Complications on Function and Quality of Life after Ileal Pouch-Anal Anastomosis: A Single Center Experience

Ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) has become the procedure of choice for surgical treatment of intractable ulcerative colitis (UC). Surgical complications occurring in the short-term, like pelvic sepsis, are responsible for pouch dysfunction. We prospectively evaluated 118 patients with IPAA for UC operated on between 1987 and 2002. Follow-up intervals were at 3, 6, and 12 months in the first year, then every year for at least 5 years. Patients answered a questionnaire 1 and 5 years after ileostomy closure. One hundred and seventeen patients completed the early follow-up. Nine patients developed early pelvic sepsis (7.69%); six required pouch salvage procedure. In about 33.3 per cent of cases more than one procedure was necessary. Eighty-eight patients were available for 5-year functional evaluation. Patients developing early sepsis (n = 9) showed worse long-term functional results compared with the remaining study population (n = 79): stool frequency; night evacuation; perfect day/night continence; discrimination; antidiarrhoeals need; pad usage; and sexual restriction were significantly different (P < 0.05). Quality of life and satisfaction after surgery were good in all patients. This observation did not correlate with function. Eighty-eight and 97 per cent would undergo IPAA again and would recommend it to others respectively, in septic group and controls. Functional outcome after IPAA may be influenced by early septic complications. Overall quality of life and satisfaction with surgery are comparable with those of controls.
Effect of upper airway anesthesia on obstructive sleep apnea.

We hypothesized that upper airway mechanoreceptors contribute to the arousal stimulus that occurs with upper airway occlusion in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). If so, upper airway anesthesia (UAA) should reduce the arousal stimulus and impair the arousal response. To test this hypothesis, we studied the effects of UAA on apnea duration and the esophageal pressure deflection before arousal in a group of patients with severe OSA. On two study nights separated by one week, subjects were monitored for 2 h after lights out. They were then awakened and either 5 cc of 4% lidocaine or saline (random order) was dripped into the upper airway via the nose over 10 min. Another 2 h of monitoring was then performed. Variables on the first and second parts of the control (C1 and C2) and lidocaine nights (L1 and L2) were compared during non-rapid eye movement sleep using the analysis of variance. With lidocaine, the mean (+/- SEM) apnea duration increased from 24.2 +/- 2.6 (L1) to 30.7 +/- 2.3 (L2) s but with saline the apnea length was unchanged from 23.3 +/- 1.5 (C1) to 23.4 +/- 1.6 (C2) (L2 > [L1, C1, C2], p < 0.01). In addition, the maximum esophageal pressure deflection (cm H2O) before arousal increased after lidocaine from 63.6 +/- 14.5 (L1) to 84.1 +/- 14.7 (L2) but after saline was unchanged from 62.1 +/- 15.4 (C1) to 60.0 +/- 15.2 (C2), (L2 > [L1, C1, C2], p < 0.05). We conclude that UAA impairs the arousal response to airway occlusion. This suggests that input from upper airway mechanoreceptors during obstructive events contributes to the total arousal stimulus in patients with OSA.