gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Assessment of fetal fibronectin in cervical secretion in cases of equivocal rupture of the membranes at term (1996)

Determination of fetal fibronectin in cervical secretion with the present method is of limited value in the clinical management of patients with equivocal rupture of the membranes.
A new device for in vivo measurement of nasal transepithelial potential difference in cystic fibrosis patients and normal subjects (1997)

Measurement of transepithelial potential difference (PD) on the nasal mucosa has been proposed to test for defective ion transport in cystic fibrosis (CF), and its possible correction after gene therapy or other treatments. The "classical" method records nasal PD under the inferior turbinate, with the disadvantage that the tip of the electrode is not seen by the operator. We have developed a purpose-designed perfusion electrode for PD recording on the visible, medial/posterior aspect of the turbinate. We wanted to determine whether such PD recordings adequately discriminate between CF patients and normal subjects. Measurements of baseline PD and response to a standardized perfusion protocol were performed in 20 normal subjects and 12 CF patients. Solutions of amiloride, with or without low chloride buffer were applied for 3 min. Increased baseline PD and depolarization after amiloride discriminated CF patients from normal subjects. Only one CF patient overlapped with the normal range. Superfusion of low chloride buffer with amiloride and terbutaline caused repolarization in 18 out of 20 normal subjects (90%), consistent with physiological Cl- secretion process, but in none of the CF patients. We conclude that measurements of potential difference on the medial/posterior aspect of the turbinate can discriminate between cystic fibrosis patients and normal subjects. At this site, visual control of the measurement is possible, and the mucosa is easily accessible for subsequent cytological sampling or biopsy.
An intelligent business forecasting system (1993)

The main objective of this paper is to explore the possibility of the integration of expert systems technology with a forecasting decision support system. A prototype of an intelligent business forecasting system, called IBFS, has been developed by the authors. Like general DSS, IBFS has a relational database, a model base that contains most of the forecasting models provided in the many commercial forecasting packages, and a user interface. The main feature of IBFS is that a rule-based expert system is integrated to assist the user in selecting appropriate models based on the user's requirements and data patterns. The system also assists in performing, graphing, evaluation, combining and monitoring the models in a systematic fashion.
B-SPLINE SIGNAL PROCESSING: PART II-EFFICIENT DESIGN AND APPLICATIONS (1993)

This paper describes a class of recursive filtering algorithms for the efficient implementation of B-spline inter- polation and approximation techniques. In terms of simplicity of realization and reduction of computational complexity, these algorithms compare favorably with conventional matrix ap- proaches. A filtering interpretation (low-pass filter followed by an exact polynomial spline interpolator) of smoothing spline and least squares approximation methods is proposed. These tech- niques are applied to the design of digital filters for cubic spline signal processing. An efficient implementation of a smoothing spline edge detector is proposed. It is also shown how to con- struct a cubic spline image pyramid that minimizes the loss of information in passage from one resolution level to the next. In terms of common measures of fidelity (e.g., visual quality, SNR), this data structure appears to be superior to the widely used Gaussian/Laplacian pyramid.
Clinical drug development: an analysis of phase II trials, 1970-1985. (1987)

We examined the activity reported in phase II trials for all cytotoxic drugs introduced into clinical trial by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) since 1970. For each drug in each tested tumor type we derived a response rate from the pooled data of all trials reported either in the literature or to the NCI. We rated a drug active if the lower 80% confidence bound of the response rate was greater than 10%. Of the 83 drugs developed and introduced by the NCI, there are 47 which we considered evaluable. Of these drugs, 24 were rated active in at least one cancer type, of which ten were analogs of drugs in wide clinical use. Diseases most commonly responsive include lymphoma (74% of the tested drugs rated active), leukemia (35%), urothelial cancer (29%), small cell lung cancer (29%), ovarian cancer (22%), cervical cancer (22%), and breast cancer (18%). For colon cancer and melanoma, only one of 42 and two of 30 tested drugs rated active, respectively. We also examined the completeness of clinical testing: among the 47 drugs there were 20 tested in greater than or equal to 14 patients with leukemia, 23 tested in patients with lymphoma, and 18 tested in patients with small cell lung cancer; whereas 34 drugs for breast cancer, 42 for colon cancer, and 33 for non-small cell lung cancer were more completely evaluated. Considering the "clinical panel" of seven cancer types (breast, non-small cell lung, small cell lung, colon, melanoma, leukemia, and lymphoma), drugs were tested in greater than or equal to 30 patients in a median of four tumor types. Testing in this panel failed to detect activity in only one drug found active in another tumor, although testing in diseases other than this clinical panel was even less complete. Phase II testing should emphasize completion of minimum accrual goals, testing in patient populations with minimum prior therapy, and evaluation in a minimum set of tumor types.
Worse Outcome in Primary Glioblastoma Multiforme With Concurrent Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor and p53 Alteration (2009)

Primary glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), in contrast with secondary GBM, has been associated with the presence of EGFR amplification and absence of p53 mutation. In this study, we analyzed relevant molecular and clinical variables in 194 primary GBMs and tested them for survival analysis. Although most of the tumors showed a mutually exclusive pattern, concurrent alterations of EGFR and p53 were detected. Survival analysis of CDK4 amplification revealed a highly significant association with a worse clinical outcome (P = .01), whereas MDM2, CDK6, PTEN, and p21 were not associated with patient survival. Multivariate analysis including the significant clinical and molecular variables revealed CDK4 amplification, age, and radiotherapy to be markers with independent prognostic value. In addition, the primary GBM tumors showing simultaneous EGFR and p53 alterations were significantly associated with worse survival (P < .01). These results highlight the prognostic value of CDK4 amplification and of simultaneous EGFR-p53 alterations in the clinical outcome of patients with primary GBM.
A new transform for the analysis of complex fractionated atrial electrograms (2011)

The new transform is able to efficiently identify CFAE features using DF calculation and by discerning morphologic differences. Unlike the Fourier transform method, it does not distort CFAE signals prior to analysis, and is relatively robust to jitter in periodic events. Thus the ensemble method can provide a useful alternative for quantitative characterization of CFAE during clinical study.
Cold Chain Logistics: A Study of the Department of the Defense OCONUS Pre-Pandemic Influenza Vaccine Distribution Network (2007)

The purpose of this MBA project is to suggest a standardized distribution process for the DoD of the Pandemic Influenza vaccine, filling an existing void in the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza. Also, this project is intended to foster the communication and planning process for vaccine distribution between all stakeholders, including the DLA, COCOMs, and regional commanders. Currently, no DoD pre-pandemic vaccine distribution plan exists. This project identifies the essential infrastructure assets needed to develop a cold-chain distribution network for vaccine in a military application. Furthermore, the key communication and transportation elements needed for successful execution of this network are identified, including a discussion on information and vaccine flow through the distribution network. These ideas are organized into a model to provide an easily usable decision-making tool for cold-chain network design. Finally, an example using the model is provided, with PACOM as the example area of operation.
Effects and mechanisms of a microcurrent dressing on skin wound healing: a review (2014)

The variety of wound types has resulted in a wide range of wound dressings, with new products frequently being introduced to target different aspects of the wound healing process. The ideal wound dressing should achieve rapid healing at a reasonable cost, with minimal inconvenience to the patient. Microcurrent dressing, a novel wound dressing with inherent electric activity, can generate low-level microcurrents at the device-wound contact surface in the presence of moisture and can provide an advanced wound healing solution for managing wounds. This article offers a review of the effects and mechanisms of the microcurrent dressing on the healing of skin wounds.
Mitochondria: a historical review. (1981)

Known for over a century, mitochondria have become during the last three decades an important subject of research within several disciplines of experimental biology . For the cytologist, they represented the ideal test objects for applying electron microscopy to the exploration of cellular ultrastructure and for the elaboration of tissue-fractionation techniques with the aim of isolating cytoplasmic organelles. For the biochemist, the identification of mitochondria as the site of cell respiration and respiration-linked phosphorylation implied a decisive step towards the resolution and reconstitution of these processes at a molecular level and the elucidation of their relationship to cellular membranes. For the physiologist, mitochondria afforded the first opportunity for an experimental approach to structure-function relationships, in particular those involved in active transport, vectorial metabolism, and metabolic control mechanisms on a subcellular level. And for the molecular biologist, the discovery of mitochondrial DNA and protein synthesis and the study of mitochondrial biogenesis opened up a new chapter of eukaryotic gene expression .
The Use of Antibiotic-Impregnated Polymethylmethacrylate Beads to Prevent the Evolution of Localized Infection (1992)

The effect of antibiotic bead chains on the evolution of infection cannot be studied entirely in man due to the ethical problems of obtaining valid controls. Therefore, a model of musculoskeletal injury was devised in rabbits by making a paraspinal wound, fracturing a spinous process, and contaminating the wound with 1 x 10(4) colony-forming units/ml of Staphylococcus aureus. These contaminated wounds were treated with tobramycin-containing polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) beads. Control rabbits were either treated with PMMA beads that did not contain antibiotic, treated with IM tobramycin, or left untreated. At 5 days, six of eight animals treated with antibiotic-impregnated beads had no recoverable organisms. Six of eight rabbits receiving IM tobramycin had wound infections, and five of five in whom non-antibiotic-containing beads had been implanted had significant wound infections, with one of the five dying of sepsis on the 3rd day of the experiment. The clinical course of infected controls was the same as the course of those animals receiving IM antibiotics and the same as those in whom beads without antibiotics were implanted. That is, the rabbits had grossly infected wounds and the organisms recovered were of the same type as those implanted. This research shows a highly statistically significant effect of tobramycin-containing antibiotic beads in retarding the evolution of an experimental Staphylococcus infection in rabbits.
A study of glass surfaces in optical contact (1936)

Abstract It is known that two very flat glass or silica surfaces can by suitable manipulation be brought into "optical contact", contact so close that the reflexion at the interface, if any, is very small. The most important practical application of this principle lies in certain cases of optical construction initiated by Messrs. Adam Hilger, Ltd. The plates of transmission echelons are "contacted" in this way to avoid loss of light by reflexion. The same applies to the right- and left-handed halves of Cornu quartz prisms, and to Lummer cubes used in photometry. More recently, Mr. E. J. Williams has applied the principle to the construction of his reflexion echelons. In this latter case the advantage lies not in transparency but in the accuracy with which the parts can be put into their proper mutual relations. The distance apart of the "contacted" surfaces is definite to within a small fraction of a wave-length. At the same time they are held together by considerable force, so that their relative position is well secured, even without clamping. Little seems to have been done in the way of studying this optical contacting process for the sake of its own inherent interest, apart from the application. The present paper is a step in this direction.
T Cell Activation in Six Dimensions (2002)

What are T cells doing deep within the recesses of the lymph nodes they inhabit? In his Perspective,
 von Andrian
 discusses the findings of several studies that use two-photon and confocal microscopy to illuminate (literally) the private lives of T cells.
Characterization of Helicobacter pylori Bacteriophage KHP30 (2013)

Helicobacter pylori inhabits the stomach mucosa and is a causative agent of stomach ulcer and cancer. In general, bacteriophages (phages) are strongly associated with bacterial evolution, including the development of pathogenicity. Several tailed phages have so far been reported in H. pylori. We have isolated an H. pylori phage, KHP30, and reported its genomic sequence. In this study, we examined the biological characteristics of phage KHP30. Phage KHP30 was found to be a spherical lipid-containing phage with a diameter of ca. 69 nm. Interestingly, it was stable from pH 2.5 to pH 10, suggesting that it is adapted to the highly acidic environment of the human stomach. Phage KHP30 multiplied on 63.6% of clinical H. pylori isolates. The latent period was ca. 140 min, shorter than the doubling time of H. pylori (ca. 180 min). The burst size was ca. 13, which was smaller than the burst sizes of other known tailed or spherical phages. Phage KHP30 seemed to be maintained as an episome in H. pylori strain NY43 cells, despite a predicted integrase gene in the KHP30 genomic sequence. Seven possible virion proteins of phage KHP30 were analyzed using N-terminal protein sequencing and mass spectrometry, and their genes were found to be located on its genomic DNA. The genomic organization of phage KHP30 differed from the genomic organizations in the known spherical phage families Corticoviridae and Tectiviridae. This evidence suggests that phage KHP30 is a new type of spherical phage that cannot be classified in any existing virus category.
Architecture of an Object-Oriented Expert System for Composite Document Analysis, Representation, and Retrieval (1986)

The CODER project is a multi-year effort to investigate how best to apply artificial intelligence methods to increase the effectiveness of information retrieval systems when handling collections of composite documents. In order to ensure system adaptability and to allow reconfiguration for controlled experimentation, the project has been designed as an expert system. The use of individually tailored specialist experts coupled with standardized blackboard modules for communication and internal and external knowledge bases for managing effective knowledge allows for quick prototyping, incremental development and flexibility under change. The system as a whole is structured as a set of communicating modules, designed under an object-oriented paradigm and implemented under UNIX&tm; using pipes and the TCP/IP protocol. Inferential modules are being coded in MU-Prolog; non-inferential modules are being prototyped in MU-Prolog and will be re-implemented as needed in C++.
Undirected single-source shortest paths with positive integer weights in linear time (1999)

The single-source shortest paths problem (SSSP) is one of the classic problems in algorithmic graph theory: given a positively weighted graph G with a source vertex s , find the shortest path from s to all other vertices in the graph. Since 1959, all theoretical developments in SSSP for general directed and undirected graphs have been based on Dijkstra's algorithm, visiting the vertices in order of increasing distance from s . Thus, any implementation of Dijkstra's algorithm sorts the vertices according to their distances from s . However, we do not know how to sort in linear time. Here, a deterministic linear time and linear space algorithm is presented for the undirected single source shortest paths problem with positive integer weights. The algorithm avoids the sorting bottleneck by building a hierarchical bucketing structure, identifying vertex pairs that may be visited in any order.
Transient stimulation of the c-Jun-NH2-terminal kinase/activator protein 1 pathway and inhibition of extracellular signal-regulated kinase are early effects in paclitaxel-mediated apoptosis in human B lymphoblasts. (1998)

We demonstrate here that paclitaxel exposure to RPMI-1788 B lymphoblasts caused a dose- and time-dependent increase in nuclear factor activator protein 1 (AP-1) DNA binding activity. The basal DNA binding activities of nuclear factors NF-kappaB and Ets were not affected by paclitaxel. Consistent with these biochemical events, paclitaxel stimulated AP-1-dependent chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene transcription in vivo, as directed from a tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate-inducible promoter. AP-1 binding activity of nuclear extracts isolated from paclitaxel treated cells was reduced following immunodepletion with antibodies directed against individual Jun family proteins, whereas anti-cFos, anti-Fra1, and anti-FosB antibodies were not inhibitory. Paclitaxel caused a rapid and transient increase in c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) activity, a proposed mediator of stress activation pathways. By contrast, exposure to paclitaxel produced a transient reduction in the extracellular signal-regulated mitogen-activated protein kinase 2 (ERK2) activity, a proposed mediator of growth factor-stimulated proliferation pathways. Transient activation of the c-Jun-NH2-terminal kinase/AP-1 pathway, together with down-regulation of ERK2 activity, may be a key event in the early response of RPMI-1788 B lymphoblasts to paclitaxel exposure.
Effects of Autonomic Interventions on Atrial Restitution Properties (2010)

The maximal slope of APDR curve alone does not fully account for the changes of AF inducibility and duration induced by autonomic interventions; instead, the spatial dispersion of the APDR kinetics may be an important determinant for susceptibility of AF.
Caspase-3 controls both cytoplasmic and nuclear events associated with Fas-mediated apoptosisin vivo (1998)

Both caspase-1- and caspase-3-like activities are required for Fas-mediated apoptosis. However, the role of caspase-1 and caspase-3 in mediating Fas-induced cell death is not clear. We assessed the contributions of these caspases to Fas signaling in hepatocyte cell death in vitro. Although wild-type, caspase-1(-/-), and caspase-3(-/-) hepatocytes were killed at a similar rate when cocultured with FasL expressing NIH 3T3 cells, caspase-3(-/-) hepatocytes displayed drastically different morphological changes as well as significantly delayed DNA fragmentation. For both wild-type and caspase-1(-/-) apoptotic hepatocytes, typical apoptotic features such as cytoplasmic blebbing and nuclear fragmentation were seen within 6 hr, but neither event was observed for caspase-3(-/-) hepatocytes. We extended these studies to thymocytes and found that apoptotic caspase-3(-/-) thymocytes exhibited similar "abnormal" morphological changes and delayed DNA fragmentation observed in hepatocytes. Furthermore, the cleavage of various caspase substrates implicated in mediating apoptotic events, including gelsolin, fodrin, laminB, and DFF45/ICAD, was delayed or absent. The altered cleavage of these key substrates is likely responsible for the aberrant apoptosis observed in both hepatocytes and thymocytes deficient in caspase-3.
Synthesis and Functionalization of Germanium Triphenylcorrolate: The First Example of a Partially Brominated Corrole (2007)

Abstract Ge complexes of 5,10,15‐triphenylcorrole were prepared in refluxing dry DMF using GeCl 4 as the source of Ge. Chromatographic separation of the crude reaction mixture afforded the μ‐oxo dimer 1 and the methoxy derivative 2a . The corresponding chloride 2b can be obtained by treatment of 1 or 2a with HCl. The reaction of 2a with Br 2 in CHCl 3 /py afforded the hexabromo derivative 3 as the main product, giving the first indication of the regioselective substitution of pyrroles B and C on the corrole ring. The fully brominated open‐chain tetrapyrrole 4 was also characterized as a reaction by‐product. Different partially brominated Ge complexes 5 and 6 have been obtained by variation of reaction conditions, while the heptabromo derivative was obtained in a mixture with the corresponding fully brominated Gecorrole. Photophysical characterization of Ge corrolates confirmed the high fluorescence quantum yield of such complexes, and also led to the first observation of phosphorescence emissions from corrole complexes. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH &amp; Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2007)
Effects of atorvastatin on the HDL subpopulation profile of coronary heart disease patients (2002)

We investigated the effects of atorvastatin on the lipid and the apoA-I-containing HDL subpopulation profiles in 86 patients with established coronary heart disease (CHD). The entire drug treatment period lasted 12 weeks (4-week periods of 20 then 40, then 80 mg/day). Each dose of atorvastatin treatment resulted in significant reductions in plasma total-C, LDL-C, and triglyceride (TG), and non-significant increases in HDL-C levels compared with placebo treatment. ApoA-I levels did not change significantly during any of the treatment periods. Despite the modest increase of HDL-C (6%, 7%, 5%) and no change in apoA-I levels, the distribution of the apoA-I-containing HDL subpopulations changed significantly during each treatment period. There were significant increases in the concentrations of the large LpA-I alpha-1 (24%, 39%, 26%) and pre alpha-1 (51%, 61%, 63%) subpopulations at the expense of the small lipoprotein LpA-I:A-II alpha-3 subpopulations which decreased on all doses, and the decreases were significant on the 40 and 80 mg/day doses (6%, 5%). Atorvastatin influences the lipid-related risk for CHD in two ways: first, it significantly decreases LDL-C and TG levels while increasing HDL-C, and second, it significantly shifts the HDL subpopulation profile of CHD patients toward that observed in subjects without CHD.
TSG-6 Transfers Proteins between Glycosaminoglycans via a Ser28-mediated Covalent Catalytic Mechanism (2008)

Studies of the interaction between Bikunin proteins, tumor necrosis factor-stimulated gene-6 protein (TSG-6), and glycosaminoglycans have revealed a unique catalytic activity where TSG-6/heavy chain 2 transfer heavy chain subunits between glycosaminoglycan chains. The activity is mediated by TSG-6/heavy chain 2 and involves a transient SDS stable interaction between TSG-6 and the heavy chain to be transferred. The focus of this study was to characterize the molecular structure of this cross-link to gain further insight into the catalytic mechanism. The result showed that the C-terminal Asp residue of the heavy chains forms an ester bond to Ser(28) beta-carbon of TSG-6 suggesting that this residue plays a role during catalysis.