Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical validity of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes analysis in patients with triple-negative breast cancer.

BACKGROUND Although tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have been associated with a favorable prognosis in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients, this marker is not currently considered robust enough for entering the clinical practice. In the present study, we assessed the clinical validity of the guidelines recently issued by the International TIL Working Group in a large retrospective series of well-annotated TNBC patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS TILs were evaluated in all the full-face H&E sections from 897 consecutive TNBC (i.e. tumors with <1% of ER and PgR immunoreactivity and absence of HER2 overexpression or amplification) patients diagnosed and treated at the European Institute of Oncology between 1995 and 2010 (median follow-up 8.2 years, range 6 months to 18 years). All mononuclear cells were evaluated in the stromal area within the borders of the invasive tumor, reported as a percentage value and treated as a continuous variable in survival analysis. RESULTS The median percentage of TILs was 20%, and 21.9% of the cases had ≥50% (lymphocyte predominant breast cancer, LPBC) TILs. At univariable survival analysis, TILs were a significant predictor of better disease-free survival (DFS), distant disease-free survival (DDFS) and overall survival (OS) (P < 0.0001). Multivariable analysis confirmed that each 10% increase in TILs strongly predicted better survival, independent of patients' age, lymph node status, tumor size, histological grade, peritumoral vascular invasion and Ki-67 labeling index. Patients with LPBC had a 10-year survival rate of 71%, 84% and 96% for DFS, DDFS and OS, respectively. Stratified analysis revealed a positive correlation between TILs and OS across all the subgroups analyzed. CONCLUSION Our data support the analytical validity of the recently issued TILs evaluation guidelines in the clinical practice.
Fuzzy rule-based modeling of machining parameters for surface roughness in turning carbon particle-reinforced polyamide

Carbon particle-reinforced polyamides (PAs) are finding increasing applications in many engineering fields. Machining of these materials is needed for obtaining near net shape and precision fit. In this work, application of fuzzy logic technique along with the Taguchi’s orthogonal array is used in turning of PA6 to develop a model for predicting surface roughness. There are many factors affecting the surface roughness. Among these factors the machining parameters that play a dominant role are cutting speed, feed, and depth of cut. The adequacy of the fuzzy rule-based model is verified through coefficient of determination. The correlation that exists between the experimental value and the fuzzy model is on the higher side; hence, the fuzzy logic technique can be effective when estimating the surface roughness in turning of PA6.
Influence of Honey on the Suppression of Human Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) Peroxidation (In vitro)

The antioxidant activity of four honey samples from different floral sources (Acacia, Coriander, Sider and Palm) were evaluated with three different assays; DPPH free radical scavenging assay, superoxide anion generated in xanthine–xanthine oxidase (XOD) system and low density lipoprotein (LDL) peroxidation assay. The dark Palm and Sider honeys had the highest antioxidant activity in the DPPH assay. But all the honey samples exhibited more or less the same highly significant antioxidant activity within the concentration of 1mg honey/1 ml in XOD system and LDL peroxidation assays. The chemical composition of these samples was investigated by GC/MS and HPLC analysis, 11 compounds being new to honey. The GC/MS revealed the presence of 90 compounds, mainly aliphatic acids (37 compounds), which represent 54.73, 8.72, 22.87 and 64.10% and phenolic acids (15 compound) 2.3, 1.02, 2.07 and 11.68% for Acacia, Coriander, Sider and Palm honeys. In HPLC analysis, 19 flavonoids were identified. Coriander and Sider honeys were characterized by the presence of large amounts of flavonoids.
Androgen Deprivation Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Since 1941, when Huggins and Hodges proved the favourable effect of surgical castration and oestrogen administration on the progression of metastatic prostate cancer (PCa) (1,2), androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) became the mainstay of management of advanced PCa till now. They demonstrated for the first time the responsiveness of PCa to androgen deprivation. ADT effectively palliates the symptoms of advanced disease, significantly reduces tumor growth, but there is no conclusive evidence at present that it prolongs survival. Moreover, significant amount of data report that ADT is associated with several adverse effects. The most prominent include: loss of bone mineral density (BMD), which leads into increased fracture risk (3), induction of insulin resistance (4), unfavorable changes in serum lipid profile (5), changes in body composition (6) which can lead into increased cardiovascular morbidity (7) and changes in cognitive functions (8). The aim of ADT is to cause severe hypogonadism, and adverse effects of ADT clearly demonstrate the essential and pluripotent role of male s most important androgen – testosterone (TST).
Contribution of PD-L1 to oncogenesis of lymphoma and its RNAi-based targeting therapy

Abstract Lymphomas are common malignancies that are prevalent worldwide. In recent years, some types of lymphoma have become curable, but relapsed and refractory lymphomas remain common and challenging. Impaired host immunity and therapeutic resistance are thought to play pivotal roles in the pathogenesis and progression of lymphomas. PD-L1 (programmed death ligand 1) is a newly discovered member of the B7 family of molecules, and its receptor is PD-1. It is known that the costimulatory signal of PD-1 and PD-L1 can help tumor escape from cellular immunity. However, little is known of the impact of PD-L1 on tumor cells, especially lymphomas. Our investigation shows for the first time that: (1) PD-L1 has a vital role in lymphoma oncogenesis; (2) the down-regulation of PD-L1 combined with chemotherapy can significantly suppress lymphoma growth, promote antitumor activity and prolong the survival rate; and (3) targeted therapy of PD-L1 may provide a new and promising approach to the treatment of lymphomas.
Vaginal sacrospinous colpopexy and laparoscopic sacral colpopexy for vaginal vault prolapse

Background. Vaginal sacrospinous colpopexy (VSC) and laparoscopic sacral colpopexy (LSC) both correct vault prolapse. The present study compares the perioperative course and long‐term results of VSC and LSC. Methods. This retrospective study of post‐hysterectomy vault prolapse involved 111 patients operated with either VSC (n = 51) or LSC (n = 60). The median time for the postoperative follow‐up visit was 33.6 (range: 13–60) months for the LSC group and 38.4 (range: 7–108) months for the VSC group. Prolapse grade as well as the patient's satisfaction was recorded at the follow‐up visit. Results. Operation time was significantly shorter in the VSC group (median: 62 min) compared to the LSC group (median: 129 min). The rate of perioperative complications was low in both groups. There were 3 laparotomies in the LSC group, due to perioperative complications. The inpatients days were similar, with 3.7 days (1–18) and 4.0 days (2–21) in the VSC and the LSC group, respectively. Surgery for the recurrence of vault prolapse at any time before the follow‐up visit did not occur in the VSC group, but occurred in 7 patients in the LSC group. At the follow‐up visit, there was no recurrence of vault prolapse in either group. The subjective success rate was 82% in the VSC and 78% in the LSC group. Conclusions. This study indicates that VSC and LSC are two equally effective surgical procedures to correct vaginal vault prolapse, but the LSC technique requires a longer operating time.
Long-term assessment of percutaneous stereotactic thermocoagulation of upper thoracic ganglionectomy and sympathectomy for palmar and craniofacial hyperhidrosisin 1742 cases.

OBJECTIVE We sought to determine the long-term outcome of percutaneous stereotactic thermocoagulation for upper thoracic ganglionectomy and sympathectomy in patients with palmar and craniofacial hyperhidrosis with the use of a three-dimensional system of coordinates for the location of the T2 and T3 ganglia on the basis of the findings in a cadaveric study. METHODS From November 1986 to May 1998, upper thoracic ganglionectomy and sympathectomy with the use of percutaneous stereotactic thermocoagulation were performed in 1688 patients with palmar hyperhidrosis and 54 patients with craniofacial hyperhidrosis as outpatient surgical procedures based on a three-dimensional coordinate system for determining the location of the thermocoagulation point, which was developed by the authors in a cadaveric study. The technique requires only local anesthesia. RESULTS After initial thermocoagulation, sweating stopped in 3465 (99.5%) of 3484 sides. Hyperhidrosis recurred within 2 to 59 months of treatment in 268 procedures. All patients in whom hyperhidrosis recurred were retreated successfully, resulting in a final success rate of 99.9%. Complications of treatment included pneumothorax in seven procedures (0.2%) and partial Horner's syndrome in five procedures (0.15%). Decreased plantar sweating was noted during follow-up in 92% of patients. CONCLUSION The results of this study indicate that upper thoracic ganglionectomy and sympathectomy performed with the use of percutaneous thermocoagulation are a very effective treatment for palmar and craniofacial hyperhidrosis that provides excellent immediate and long-term results as well as a low complication rate. The method is also effective as a retreatment for recurrences. Our data also suggest that performing ganglionectomy and sympathectomy in both T2 and T3 is unnecessary, because the procedure had equal long-term effectiveness when performed in T2 alone.
Preparation and characterisation of antibacterial silver-containing nanofibres for wound healing in diabetic mice

Impaired wound healing is a common complication of diabetes mellitus. Nanofibre can be served as powerful tools in advanced wound care management. The aim of this work is to evaluate the role of antibacterial nanofibres by incorporating silver nanoparticles into celluose acetate nanofibres as wound dressing on excisional wound healing in diabetic mice. Celluose acetate nanofibres were prepared by electrospinning technique. The prepared nanofibres were characterised using scanning electron microscope (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometer. The antimicrobial activity was tested against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. A full thickness of the excision wound of circular area 95 mm2 and 2 mm depth was created. Wound dressed by silver containing nanofibres, the wound closure rate were assessed, skin wounds were processed for histopathological examination and comparing the mechanical properties of healed skin. It was found that, wounds dressed with silver containing nanofibres showed marked increase in collagen production which improve the skin mechanical properties.
Measurement of Cancer Cell Growth Heterogeneity through Lentiviral Barcoding Identifies Clonal Dominance as a Characteristic of In Vivo Tumor Engraftment

Advances in the fields of cancer initiating cells and high-throughput in vivo shRNA screens have highlighted a need to observe the growth of tumor cells in cancer models at the clonal level. While in vivo cancer cell growth heterogeneity in xenografts has been described, it has yet to be measured. Here, we tested an approach to quantify the clonal growth heterogeneity of cancer cells in subcutaneous xenograft mouse models. Using a high-throughput sequencing method, we followed the fate in vitro and in vivo of ten thousand HCT-116 cells individually tagged with a unique barcode delivered by lentiviral transduction. While growth in vitro was less homogeneous than anticipated, we still find that 95% of the final cells derived from 80% of the original cells. In xenografts, however, 95% of the retrieved barcoded cells originated from only 6% of the initially injected cells, an effect we term "clonal dominance". We observed this clonal dominance in two additional xenograft models (MDA-MB-468 and A2780(cis)) and in two different host strains (NSG and Nude). By precisely and reproducibly quantifying clonal cancer cell growth in vivo, we find that a small subset of clones accounts for the vast majority of the descendant cells, even with HCT-116, a cell line reported to lack a tumor-initiating compartment. The stochastic in vivo selection process we describe has important implications for the fields of in vivo shRNA screening and tumor initiating cells.
[2017 ESC/EACTS Guidelines for the management of valvular heart disease].

Authors/Task Force Members: Helmut Baumgartner* (ESC Chairperson) (Germany), Volkmar Falk* (EACTS Chairperson) (Germany), Jeroen J. Bax (The Netherlands), Michele De Bonis (Italy), Christian Hamm (Germany), Per Johan Holm (Sweden), Bernard Iung (France), Patrizio Lancellotti (Belgium), Emmanuel Lansac (France), Daniel Rodriguez Mu~ noz (Spain), Raphael Rosenhek (Austria), Johan Sjögren (Sweden), Pilar Tornos Mas (Spain), Alec Vahanian (France), Thomas Walther (Germany), Olaf Wendler (UK), Stephan Windecker (Switzerland), Jose Luis Zamorano (Spain)
Development of Capillary Electrophoresis as An Alternative to High Resolution Agarose Electrophoresis for the Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract The presence of oligoclonal bands in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is used as a diagnostic indicator of multiple sclerosis (MS). These bands, γ-globulins thought to result from a restricted antibody response directed against autoantigens or viral antigens, are consistent with CSF-specific immunoglobulin synthesis when observed in the spinal fluid and not in the serum. Current methodology commonly involves electrophoresing concentrated CSF with high-resolution agarose gel electrophoresis (HRAGE) followed by protein staining in order to visualize the oligoclonal bands. Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was evaluated as an alternative method. Separation of CSF and serum proteins from 54 patients in a bare silica capillary containing a high pH borate buffer allowed for resolution of the five major zones including the γ-region and showed a 90% concordance with the results from HRAGE banding studies. Since a simple borate buffer did not provide adequate resolution of the oligoclonal bands in the γ-region, the separation buffer was augmented with polyethylene glycol (PEG) which provided a significant enhancement in resolution of proteins in this region (24 patient study). In addition to obtaining banding information from electropherograms obtained with these separation conditions, it was feasible to calculate a CSF Index which compared favorably with the results from nephelometry. Finally, we show that zwitterionic additives such as O-phosphorylethanolamine may further enhance resolution and that capallary electrophoresis (CE) may allow oligoclonal banding information to be obtained directly from CSF without concentration.
New parameters for childhood ventilator associated pneumonia diagnosis

Our aim is to determine whether the presence of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells‐1 (s‐TREM‐1) of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), serum procalcitonin levels (PCT), and Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score (CPIS) have diagnostic value in children with VAP.
The Mechanosensory Role of Primary Cilia in Vascular Hypertension

Local regulation of vascular tone plays an important role in cardiovascular control of blood pressure. Aside from chemical or hormonal regulations, this local homeostasis is highly regulated by fluid-shear stress. It was previously unclear how vascular endothelial cells were able to sense fluid-shear stress. The cellular functions of mechanosensory cilia within vascular system have emerged recently. In particular, hypertension is insidious and remains a continuous problem that evolves during the course of polycystic kidney disease (PKD). The basic and clinical perspectives on primary cilia are discussed with regard to the pathogenesis of hypertension in PKD.
Some Improvements of the Fast Marching Method

The fast marching method published by Sethian [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 93 (1996), pp. 1591--1595] is an optimally efficient algorithm for solving problems of front evolution where the front speed is monotonic. It has been used in a wide variety of applications such as robotic path planning [R. Kimmel and J. Sethian, Fast Marching Methods for Computing Distance Maps and Shortest Paths, Tech. Report 669, CPAM, University of California, Berkeley, 1996], crack propagation [M. Stolarska et al., Modelling crack growth by level sets in the extended finite element method, Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Engrg. , to appear; Internat. J. Numer. Methods Engrg. , 51 (2001), pp. 943--960; N. Sukumar, D. L. Chopp, and B. Moran, Extended finite element method and fast marching method for three-dimensional fatigue crack propagation, J. Comput. Phys., submitted], seismology [J. Sethian and A. Popovici, Geophysics, 64 (1999), pp. 516--523], photolithography [J. Sethian, Fast marching level set methods for three-dimensional photolithography development, in Proceedings of the SPIE 1996 International Symposium on Microlithography, Santa Clara, CA, 1996], and medical imaging [R. Malladi and J. Sethian, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 93 (1996), pp. 9389--9392]. It has also been a valuable tool for the implementation of modern level set methods where it is used to efficiently compute the distance to the front and/or an extended velocity function. In this paper, we improve upon the second order fast marching method of Sethian [SIAM Rev., 41 (1999), pp. 199--235] by constructing a second order approximation of the interface generated from local data on the mesh. The data is interpolated on a single box of the mesh using a bicubic approximation. The distance to the front is then calculated by using a variant of Newton's method to solve both the level curve equation and the orthogonality condition for the nearest point to a given node. The result is a second order approximation of the distance to the interface which can then be used to produce second order accurate initial conditions for the fast marching method and a third order fast marching method.
Annotea: an open RDF infrastructure for shared Web annotations

Abstract Annotea is a Web-based shared annotation system based on a general-purpose open resource description framework (RDF) infrastructure, where annotations are modeled as a class of metadata . Annotations are viewed as statements made by an author about a Web document. Annotations are external to the documents and can be stored in one or more annotation servers . One of the goals of this project has been to re-use as much existing W3C technology as possible. We have reached it mostly by combining RDF with XPointer, XLink, and HTTP. We have also implemented an instance of our system using the Amaya editor/browser and a generic RDF database, accessible through an Apache HTTP server. In this implementation, the merging of annotations with documents takes place within the client. The paper presents the overall design of Annotea and describes some of the issues we have faced and how we have solved them.
Cooperative gestures: Effective signaling for humanoid robots

Cooperative gestures are a key aspect of humanhuman pro-social interaction. Thus, it is reasonable to expect that endowing humanoid robots with the ability to use such gestures when interacting with humans would be useful. However, while people are used to responding to such gestures expressed by other humans, it is unclear how they might react to a robot making them. To explore this topic, we conducted a within-subjects, video-based laboratory experiment, measuring time to cooperate with a humanoid robot making interactional gestures. We manipulated the gesture type (beckon, give, shake hands), the gesture style (smooth, abrupt), and the gesture orientation (front, side). We also employed two measures of individual differences: negative attitudes toward robots (NARS) and human gesture decoding ability (DANVA2-POS). Our results show that people cooperate with abrupt gestures more quickly than smooth ones and front-oriented gestures more quickly than those made to the side, people's speed at decoding robot gestures is correlated with their ability to decode human gestures, and negative attitudes toward robots is strongly correlated with a decreased ability in decoding human gestures.
Associations between Prenatal Exposure to Black Carbon and Memory Domains in Urban Children: Modification by Sex and Prenatal Stress

Background Whether fetal neurodevelopment is disrupted by traffic-related air pollution is uncertain. Animal studies suggest that chemical and non-chemical stressors interact to impact neurodevelopment, and that this association is further modified by sex. Objectives To examine associations between prenatal traffic-related black carbon exposure, prenatal stress, and sex with children’s memory and learning. Methods Analyses included N = 258 mother-child dyads enrolled in a Boston, Massachusetts pregnancy cohort. Black carbon exposure was estimated using a validated spatiotemporal land-use regression model. Prenatal stress was measured using the Crisis in Family Systems-Revised survey of negative life events. The Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning (WRAML2) was administered at age 6 years; outcomes included the General Memory Index and its component indices [Verbal, Visual, and Attention Concentration]. Relationships between black carbon and WRAML2 index scores were examined using multivariable-adjusted linear regression including effect modification by stress and sex. Results Mothers were primarily minorities (60% Hispanic, 26% Black); 67% had ≤12 years of education. The main effect for black carbon was not significant for any WRAML2 index; however, in stratified analyses, among boys with high exposure to prenatal stress, Attention Concentration Index scores were on average 9.5 points lower for those with high compared to low prenatal black carbon exposure (P 3-way interaction = 0.04). Conclusion The associations between prenatal exposure to black carbon and stress with children’s memory scores were stronger in boys than in girls. Studies assessing complex interactions may more fully characterize health risks and, in particular, identify vulnerable subgroups.