julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Primary Malignant Sarcomas of the Heart and Great Vessels in Adult Patients — A Single-Center Experience
2007-09-01

Abstract Background. Sarcomas arising in the heart or the great vessels are rare entities. The prognosis of the patients is dismal. Methods. Between January 1993 and September 2006, of 1,429 patients registered to the Sarcoma Center, 14 had a primary sarcoma of the heart or large vessels. Results. Tumors were located in the left ventricle (n = 3), left/right atrium (n = 2/3), pulmonary artery (n = 2), and ventricular septum, aorta, pericardium, and inferior vena cava (n = 1 each). The most frequently encountered histologic subtypes were leiomyosarcoma and angiosarcoma. Six patients presented with distant metastases to the lungs (n = 5), lymph nodes (n = 2), and liver (n = 1). Eight patients had localized disease. Six of them underwent resection with curative intent. Of those, two developed local recurrence within 2 and 10 months from surgery. Eleven patients received palliative chemotherapy, seven of those as initial treatment. Eight patients attained a response to treatment, two had disease stabilization for 6 and 12 months. After a median follow-up of 14.5 months (range, 2–156), three patients were alive with no evidence of disease 11, 52, and 156 months after diagnosis. Two patients were alive with disease and nine patients had died. Conclusions. Patients with primary sarcomas of the heart and the large vessels were of a young age, and more than half of them presented with advanced disease. Given the promising response to chemotherapy, an optimized treatment approach including neoadjuvant chemo-/radiotherapy in patients with locally advanced disease should be pursued.
``It's My Body'': Does Patient Involvement in Decision Making Reduce Decisional Conflict?
2007-09-01

Objective. This study explores how much people with HIV/AIDS wanted and how much they actually perceived being involved in the decision to take or not to take antiretroviral treatment (ART). The congruence between desired and perceived decisional involvement was also related to decisional conflict. Method. Cross-sectional (N = 79), the Control Preferences Scale assessed patients' preferred versus perceived role in treatment decision making. The Decisional Conflict Scale measured patients' perceived difficulties in decision making. Results. Although a minority of patients (32%) perceived their role as shared decision making, the majority (59%) preferred shared decision making. Some did not desire shared decision making, with 28% preferring to decide on their own versus 13% wanting their physicians to decide for them. Overall, 58% did not feel they had achieved their desired role in decision making (half of whom perceived more control and the other half less control than preferred). Participants declining ART felt more pressure to decide alone compared with those taking ART (P &lt; 0.01). Decisional conflict was expressed by 53% and was highest when physicians unilaterally made decisions about ART for patients who preferred shared decision making (P &lt; 0.001). Conclusions. In this study, most physicians do not meet their patients' desired roles in decision making. One-third of people taking ART feel less involved than they desire. More critically, half of those declining ART feel pressured to decide alone, suggesting that physicians should remain involved in the decision to reject treatment, as this requires careful monitoring and periodical revisiting. Because lack of shared decision making is related to decisional conflict, physicians may reduce decisional conflict by meeting patients' desires for shared decision making.
A Newly Designed Amplatz Sheath Decreases Intrapelvic Irrigation Pressure During Mini-Percutaneous Nephrolitholapaxy: An in-Vitro Pressure-Measurement and Microscopic Study
2007-09-01

Newly designed nephroscope sheaths with an open proximal end, such as the one described here, decrease the intrapelvic pressure compared with a closed outflow system. As a result, strict fluid control during the intervention is not necessary.
Malaria in Pregnancy Before and After the Implementation of a National IPTp Program in Gabon
2007-09-01

Intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) with sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine has recently been adopted by many African countries to reduce maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality associated with malaria in pregnancy. We assessed the impact of a newly established national IPTp program on maternal and neonatal health in Gabon. Data on prevalence of maternal Plasmodium falciparum infection, anemia, premature birth, and birth weight were collected in cross-sectional surveys in urban and rural regions of Gabon before and after the implementation of IPTp in a total of 1403 women and their offspring. After introduction of IPTp, the prevalence of maternal Plasmodium falciparum infection decreased dramatically (risk ratio 0.16, P &lt; 0.001). Whereas only a modest effect on the rate of anemia in pregnant women was observed, there was a marked benefit on the prevalence of low birth weight and premature birth for women adhering to national recommendations. These effects were most pronounced in primi- and secundigravid women.
Coincidence of mutations in different connexin genes in Hungarian patients
2007-09-01

Mutations in the GJB2 gene are the most common cause of hereditary prelingual sensorineural hearing impairment in Europe. Several studies indicate that different members of the connexin protein family interact to form gap junctions in the inner ear. Mutations in different connexin genes may accumulate and, consequently lead to hearing impairment. Therefore, we screened 47 Hungarian GJB2- heterozygous (one mutation in coding exon of the GJB2 gene) patients with hearing impairment for DNA changes in two further connexin genes (GJB6 and GJB3) and in the 5' non-coding region of GJB2 including the splice sites. Eleven out of 47 GJB2-heterozygous patients analyzed carried the splice site mutation -3170G>A in the 5'UTR region of GJB2. One out of these 11 patients showed homozygous -3170G>A genotype in combination with p.R127H. Next to the GJB2 mutations we noted 2 cases of deletion in GJB6 [Delta(GJB6-D13S1830)] and 3 (2 new and 1 described) base substitutions in GJB3 [c.357C>T, c.798C>T and c.94C>T (p.R32W)] which are unlikely disease-causing. Our results suggest the importance of routine screening for the rather frequent -3170G>A mutation (in addition to c.35delG) in patients with hearing impairment.
SMARTCLASSYSURV - a smart camera network for distributed tracking and activity recognition and its application to assisted living
2007-09-01

Western societies are aging rapidly. According to [1] the US population over age 85 will triple from 4.5 million in 2003 to 14.2 million by 2040. Automated 24/7 surveillance to ensure safety of the elderly while respecting privacy becomes a major challenge. As a first step, we present a fully distributed system and architecture based on a network of smart cameras to perform geo-referenced tracking and activity recognition. Additionally an intuitive visualization is presented, where all information is integrated in one world model that is available ubiquitously. At a real world installation in an assisted living home, we demonstrate first results regarding falling person detection as one major activity for assisted living systems.
New Cortinarius species associated with Quercus and Comarostaphylis in Costa Rica
2007-09-01

Ten new species of Cortinarius are described from Costa Rican neotropical montane forests based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic data. Morphological features of the basidiomes and nuclear rDNA sequence analyses place these species in the following clades: Anomali ( Cortinarius sericeolazulinus ), Cotoneus ( Cortinarius aureopigmentatus ), Limonii ( Cortinarius aurantiobrunneus ), Lustrati ( Cortinarius comarostaphylii , Cortinarius comparioides , Cortinarius ovreboi ), Myxacium ( Cortinarius costaricensis ), and Telamonia ( Cortinarius carranzae , Cortinarius quercoarmillatus , Cortinarius savegrensis ). Species delimitations, diagnostic characters, sequence pair wise comparisons, and affinities to closely related species are included for each species. These Cortinarii occur with several species of Quercus with the exception of C. comarostaphylii, which is associated with Comarostaphylis (Ericaceae) in the páramo and in mixed forests with Quercus and Comarostaphylis.
Conjugative DNA transfer in Streptomyces: SpdB2 involved in the intramycelial spreading of plasmid pSVH1 is an oligomeric integral membrane protein that binds to dsDNA
2007-09-01

In the current model of conjugal plasmid transfer in mycelium-forming streptomycetes, plasmid transfer by the FtsK-like TraB protein is followed by the subsequent spreading of the newly transferred plasmid within the neighbouring mycelial compartments. Several plasmid-encoded Spd proteins are involved in the plasmid spreading by an unknown mechanism. spdB2 of the conjugative pSVH1 plasmid of Streptomyces venezuelae was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli and Streptomyces lividans, with a C-terminal His-tag-encoding sequence. Induction of spdB2-His expression affected viability in both species. The integral membrane protein SpdB2-His was eluted from the membrane fraction of S. lividans with Triton X-100, and purified as a soluble protein by Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. Cross-linking experiments with glutaraldehyde showed that SpdB2-His formed oligomers. SpdB2-His had a nonspecific DNA-binding activity: while all types of dsDNA were bound, single-stranded M13-DNA was not recognized. The spd genes of the spdB3-spd79-spdB2 operon of pSVH1 were simultaneously expressed in E. coli with different affinity tags. While expression of StrepII-SpdB3 was not detected, Spd79-flag and SpdB2-His were localized in the membrane fraction of E. coli. In the absence of SpdB2, most of the Spd79-flag protein was found in the cytoplasmic fraction, indicating that SpdB2 affects localization of Spd79. Pulldown assays with StrepII-TraB protein of pSVH1 demonstrated that TraB interacted with SpdB2, suggesting that the septal DNA translocator TraB is also involved in intramycelial plasmid spreading.
Impact of Different Fat Depots on Insulin Sensitivity: Predominant Role of Liver Fat
2007-09-01

Background: Overall obesity and, as it is increasingly appreciated, body fat distribution and ectopic fat deposition in liver and skeletal muscle, determine insulin resistance in humans. However, little is known about the independence of these relationships. Therefore, we determined the impact of different fat depots as well as fat accumulation in ectopic tissues such as liver and skeletal muscle in the prediction of insulin resistance in healthy humans. Methods: Visceral and subcutaneous abdominal fat were determined by magnetic resonance (MR) tomography and liver fat and intramyocellular fat in the tibialis anterior muscle by 1 H-MR spectroscopy in 220 subjects. Insulin sensitivity was estimated from the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and measured by a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp in a subgroup ( n = 157). Results: Insulin sensitivity estimated from the OGTT correlated negatively with total body fat ( r = −0.27, p &lt; 0.0001), subcutaneous abdominal fat ( r = −0.35, p &lt; 0.0001), and visceral fat ( r = −0.43, p &lt; 0.0001). Furthermore, insulin sensitivity correlated negatively with liver fat ( r = −0.53, p &lt; 0.0001) and intramyocellular fat ( r = −0.26, p &lt; 0.0001). In multivariate regression models, high liver and visceral fat emerged as the strongest predictors of low insulin sensitivity. Conclusion: Among various fat compartments, high liver fat and high visceral fat are the strongest determinants of insulin sensitivity in humans.
Active Camouflage with Lichens in a Terrestrial Snail, Napaeus (N.) barquini Alonso and Ibáñez, 2006 (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Enidae)
2007-09-01

Napaeus barquini Alonso and Ibáñez, 2006, from La Gomera, Canary Islands, lives most commonly on open rock faces covered with crustose lichens. In living specimens, the surface of the shell is covered with a lichen layer that is arranged in the form of protuberances, thereby considerably altering the appearance of the shell. Some of these protuberances may even extend beyond the tip of the shell. The way that these lichens are positioned on the shell and the manner in which they adhere were investigated. The snail grazes lichen material from the substrate and applies it to the surface of its shell in a standardized pattern of movements. The snail uses its mouth to place the moist material onto the shell and to form it into protuberances that adhere as they dry out. To do this, Napaeus barquini extends its body far beyond the shell margin so that it can reach the entire outer surface of the shell and cover it with protuberances, presumably as camouflage.
Syncretism in the Mediterranean: Universalism, Cultural Relativism and the Issue of the Mediterranean as a Cultural Area
2007-09-01

In this article we re‐examine notions of relativism and universalism in the history of anthropology through a re‐appraisal of anthropological research in the Mediterranean. In view of the fact of ongoing, public debates on how to bring about a new world order, we trace the notion of a clash of civilizations in intellectual history and depict early attempts to shed light on cultural techniques of exchange and cohabitation. By examining the material basis of all culture and the body‐techniques of visionary experiences, we will argue that creative human beings are apt to develop social and individual strategies for dealing with one’s own cultural heritage and with Otherness and its various transformations. Following Foucault and Deleuze we concentrate on different modes of “folding”, i.e. subjectivations, along which outside experience is transformed into inside experience and vice versa in order to explore the cultural basis on which resistance as well as any commitment to a “clash of civilizations” is negotiated. In the words of Marcel Mauss, “underlying all our mystic states are corporeal techniques...[and] biological methods of entering into communication with God” (Mauss 1979), and we argue that these have always had the potential to challenge dominant cultural politics and ideologies.
Emergence of an Epidemic Clone of Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Panton-Valentine Leucocidin-Negative Staphylococcus aureus in Cystic Fibrosis Patient Populations
2007-09-01

The article by Moroney et al. (3) documents the increased prevalence of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) strains in different patient populations. Most of the CA-MRSA strains characterized by carriage of staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type IV were also positive for the Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL) gene 1 (2). However, this gene association is not necessarily indicative of CA-MRSA strains. We analyzed the prevalence and molecular epidemiology of MRSA from the airways of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients in an Italian multicenter study. One hundred eighty-one (7.6%) out of 2,362 CF patients attending 9 Italian CF centers were infected with MRSA. A high prevalence (36%) of SCCmec IV (suggestive of CA-MRSA strains) was found (5). Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis showed a single MRSA clone colonizing 31 patients in 6 centers. Twenty-four out of 31 strains (77.4%) revealed SCCmec type IV, mostly associated with CA-MRSA. All the SCCmec type IV MRSA isolates belonging to the epidemic clone were negative for the PVL genes, as reported by other authors (4). The high prevalence of MRSA strains, suggestive of CA-MRSA in a patient population considered at risk for hospital-associated (HA)-MRSA acquisition, is worrisome evidence supporting current opinions that CA-MRSA strains are replacing HA-MRSA strains in health care settings (1, 6). The interesting question of whether the CA-MRSA clone infected the CF patients in the community or whether the patients acquired the clone in the hospital which they attended regularly is unclear and needs to be further studied.
Epilepsy in an elderly patient caused by Hashimoto's encephalopathy
2007-09-01

ABSTRACT Late‐onset seizures are frequently caused by cerebrovascular disease, head trauma, degenerative disorders or CNS tumors. In one‐third of cases, the etiology remains obscure. In only 60‐70% of adult‐onset epilepsy is antiepileptic drug treatment successful. Although seizures are a well‐known symptom of Hashimoto's encephalopathy, it is rarely taken into consideration as differential diagnosis in epilepsy. We describe a 74‐year‐old patient with seizures and slowly progressive cognitive deterioration. Previous therapeutic attempts with carbamazepine, lamotrigine and topiramate had not been effective. We suspected Hashimoto's encephalopathy, which was treated with prednisolone 100 mg/d over 6 months. This regimen led to a cessation of the complex partial seizures and cognitive improvement. We conclude that Hashimoto's encephalopathy is a possible differential diagnosis in epilepsy in the elderly. Glucocorticoid treatment should be considered if there are no important contraindications. Key words: Hashimoto's encephalopathy, epilepsy in the elderly, glucocorticoid treatment, cognitive impairment
A study of fetal sympatho-vagal balance at various gestational periods using the length transform on magnetocardiographic data
2007-09-01

In this paper we characterize fetal sympatho-vagal balance by studying the correlation, time shifts, and ratios, between very-low-frequency (VLF), low-frequency (LF), and high-frequency (HF) components in heart rate (HR) variability over time. The HR is obtained from fetal magnetocardiographic (fMCG) recordings at various gestational periods. The frequency components are separated from the HR signal and pre-processed with the Length Transform (LT). The LT represents a temporarily smoothed time course of the data and has the property of highlighting the variability information of the signals over fixed-length windows. Therefore, we compute the correlations, time shifts, and ratios using the transformed data in order to avoid miscalculations and provide accurate quantitative measures. Our results show accordance with previous studies in sympathetic and parasympathetic control systems, and have the potential of characterizing fetal development.
Twin Deficits, Openness and the Business Cycle
2007-09-01

In this paper, we study the co-movement of the government budget balance and the trade balance at business cycle frequencies. In a sample of 10 OECD countries we find that the correlation of the two time series is negative, but less so in more open economies. Moreover, for the US the crosscorrelation function is S-shaped. We analyze these regularities taking the perspective of international business cycle theory. First, we show that a standard model delivers predictions broadly in line with the evidence. Second, we show that conditional on spending shocks the model predicts a perfect correlation of the budget balance and the trade balance. Yet, the effect of spending shocks on the trade balance is contained if an economy is not very open to trade.
Selected groundwater studies of EU project AquaTerra leading to large-scale basin considerations
2007-09-01

Several local groundwater studies within the EU project AquaTerra in the Basins of the Meuse, Elbe point at significant influences of groundwater on surface water, while the Brévilles Catchment shows a distinct problematic of pesticide loading to groundwater. Further modeling studies are currently being developed. In the Danube Basin no specific groundwater studies were carried out in the framework of AquaTerra. However on larger scales geochemical proxies such as strontium isotope ratios can give an insight into groundwater contributions to the river that reflects an integral signal of the environmental status of the Basin. Future local groundwater studies should be further correlated to the environmental status of rivers nearby.
Effects of autologous translocation of the choroid and retinal pigment epithelium on the retinal light response in patients with neovascular age‐related macular degeneration
2007-09-01

Abstract Purpose: The aim of the present study was to evaluate potential electrophysiological changes after autologous translocation of the choroid and retinal pigment epithelium for subfoveal choroidal neovascularisation in patients with age‐related macular degeneration. Methods: A consecutive series of 20 patients suffering from subfoveal choroidal neovascularisation secondary to age‐related macular degeneration underwent autologous tranlocation of the choroid and the retinal pigment epithelium The ERG was recorded one day prior to the translocation surgery and no earlier than 4 weeks after the silicone oil removal. Results: The ERG amplitudes were significantly reduced after translocation surgery. The mean b‐wave amplitude reduction of the scotopic ERG was 36,1%. The a‐ and b‐waves of the saturating light response decreased significantly by 42.9 and 43.1 %, respectively. The photopic a‐ and b‐wave amplitudes were significantly lower after the translocation surgery resulting in a mean reduction of 23.7 and 40.1 %, respectively. Furthermore, the mean amplitude of the flicker ERG showed a mean decrease by 26.2%. Conclusions: The present study indicates that a significant electrophysiological decrease is caused by autologous translocation of the choroid and retinal pigment epithelium. However, this surgical procedure proved to substantially reduce the neuroretinal trauma when compared with the ERG data of historical controls that underwent 360° retinotomy and macular translocation.
Effects of (‐)bicuculline and gamma‐aminobutyric acid on the NiCl2 mediated stimulation of the ERG b‐wave amplitude from the isolated superfused vertebrate retina
2007-09-01

Abstract Purpose: NiCl2 (15 μM) stimulates the b‐wave amplitude of vertebrate retina, up to 1.5‐fold through its blocking of E/R‐type voltage‐gated Ca2+ channels. Assuming that these channels may trigger the release of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, we tested the effect of (‐)bicuculline and GABA itself. Methods: We have used a superfused vertebrate retina assay, testing retina from bovine (Lüke et al., 2005: Brain Res Brain Res Protoc 16 : 27‐36). The retina was separated from the underlying pigment epithelium and mounted on a mesh occupying the center of the perfusing chamber. The electroretinogram was recorded in the surrounding nutrient medium via two silver/silver‐chloride electrodes on either side of the retina. The recording chamber containing a piece of retina was placed in an electrically and optically insulated air thermostat. The retina was dark‐adapted and the electroretinogram was elicited at intervals of five min using a single white flash for stimulation. Results: (‐)Bicuculline increased the b‐wave amplitude to a similar extent as observed in parallel recordings for low NiCl2 (15 μM). The GABA effect was biphasic, and let to a transient stimulation after NiCl2 application. Those retina segments which did not respond to NiCl2 (15 μM), also could not be stimulated by bicuculline and vice versa. Conclusions: The stimulatory effect of NiCl2 on the ERG b‐wave amplitude is mediated by a NiCl2‐sensitive, probably Cav2.3 / voltage‐gated Ca2+‐channel triggered GABA‐release, and GABA itself may act on at least two different receptors.
Die Kristallstruktur der 5-Bis(thiomethyl) methylenmeldrumsäure [1] / The Crystal Structure of 5-Bis(thiomethyl)methylene Meldrum’s Acid [1]
2007-09-01

The crystal structure of 5-bis(thiomethyl)methylene Meldrum’s Acid (2) reveals a zwitterionic nature of the compound apparently influenced by both steric and electronic factors (triclinic space group P1̄, Z = 2, a = 5.489(1), b = 7.402(2), c = 14.329(3)Å ; α = 82.25(3), β = 82.08(3), γ = 78.59(3)°; V = 561.7(2) Å 3 ).