Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Survival of very-low-birth-weight infants according to birth weight and gestational age in a public hospital.

OBJECTIVES To determine the survival rates for infants weighing 500 - 1 499 g according to birth weight (BW) and gestational age (GA). DESIGN This was a retrospective cohort study. Pregnancy and delivery data were collected soon after birth and neonatal data at discharge or at death. SETTING Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital (CHBH), a public-sector referral hospital, affiliated to the University of the Witwatersrand. SUBJECTS Live births weighing between 500 g and 1 499 g delivered at or admitted to CHBH from January 2000 to December 2002. OUTCOME MEASURES BW and GA-specific survival rates for all live infants born at CHBH and for those admitted for neonatal care. RESULTS Seventy-two per cent of infants survived until discharge. The survival to discharge rate was 32% for infants weighing < 1 000 g, and 84% for those weighing 1 000 - 1 499 g. Survival rates at 26, 27 and 28 weeks' gestation were 38%, 50% and 65% respectively. Survival rates for infants admitted to the neonatal unit were better than rates for all live births, especially among those weighing < 1 000 g or with a GA < 28 weeks. There was a marked increase in survival between the 900 - 999 g and 1 000 - 1 099 g weight groups. Provision of antenatal care, caesarean section, female gender and an Apgar score more than 5 at 1 or 5 minutes were associated with better survival to hospital discharge. CONCLUSION Survival among infants weighing less than 1 000 g is poor. In addition to severe prematurity, the poor survival among these infants (< 1 000 g) is most likely related to the fact that they were not offered mechanical ventilation. Mechanical ventilation should be offered to infants weighing < 1 000 g as it may improve their survival even in institutions with limited resources.
Potent Inhibition of Human Enterovirus 71 Replication by Type I Interferon Subtypes

Background Enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection can induce a series of syndromes including herpangina, viraemia, hand-foot-and-mouth disease and even death. Outbreaks of EV71 infection have been reported periodically over the world and have caused a great number of casualties and a high medical expenditure. Some interferons (IFNs) have been used for the treatment of viral infections for decades; however, conventional IFNs only display mild anti-EV71 activities. No effective drug is currently available for the treatment of EV71 infection. Here, we aimed to investigate whether some IFN subtypes display potent anti-EV71 activities. Methods The antiviral activities of 17 type I IFNs were assayed in Vero cells using the cytopathic effect method. Cells were incubated with different concentrations of type I IFNs before or after virus infection. Viral replication was determined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The expression levels of IFN downstream antiviral genes were also measured by qRT-PCR. Results Out of 17 type I IFNs, 4 IFNs (IFN-α4, IFN-α6, IFN-α14 and IFN-α16) displayed potent antiviral activity. Compared with conventional IFN-α2a, IFN-α14 displayed approximately 20x higher antiviral activity. The superior antiviral effect of IFN-α14 was caused by a strong induction of the downstream antiviral effectors. Conclusions IFN-α14 and three other IFNs could be considered for the treatment of EV71 infection.
microRNA-1 regulates sarcomere formation and suppresses smooth muscle gene expression in the mammalian heart

microRNA-1 (miR-1) is an evolutionarily conserved, striated muscle-enriched miRNA. Most mammalian genomes contain two copies of miR-1, and in mice, deletion of a single locus, miR-1-2, causes incompletely penetrant lethality and subtle cardiac defects. Here, we report that deletion of miR-1-1 resulted in a phenotype similar to that of the miR-1-2 mutant. Compound miR-1 knockout mice died uniformly before weaning due to severe cardiac dysfunction. miR-1-null cardiomyocytes had abnormal sarcomere organization and decreased phosphorylation of the regulatory myosin light chain-2 (MLC2), a critical cytoskeletal regulator. The smooth muscle-restricted inhibitor of MLC2 phosphorylation, Telokin, was ectopically expressed in the myocardium, along with other smooth muscle genes. miR-1 repressed Telokin expression through direct targeting and by repressing its transcriptional regulator, Myocardin. Our results reveal that miR-1 is required for postnatal cardiac function and reinforces the striated muscle phenotype by regulating both transcriptional and effector nodes of the smooth muscle gene expression network. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.01323. 001
Correlation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and vascular endothelial growth factor expression with malignancy in patients with astrocytic tumors.

PURPOSE Many characteristics of malignant brain tumors (increased vascular permeability, vasodilatation, neovascularisation and free radical injury to the tumor and adjacent normal tissues) are believed to be mediated by nitric oxide (NO) synthetized by endothelial NO synthase (eNOS). Overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is associated with several central nervous system (CNS) diseases and tumors. Our aim was to study immunohistochemically the coexpression of eNOS and VEGF in astrocytic tumors and to analyse their possible correlation with tumor grade, angiogenesis and proliferation index. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sections from 120 randomly selected patients with supratentorial astrocytic tumors [38 glioblastomas (GB), 22 anaplastic astrocytomas (AA) and 20 low-grade astrocytomas (LA)], also including oligodendrogliomas (n=20) and mixed oligoastrocytomas (n=20), were immunostained with monoclonal antibodies for eNOS and VEGF using the avidin-biotin method. The proliferative potential was assessed as the MIB-1 staining index for tumor cells. RESULTS There was positive correlation between eNOS and VEGF expressions and histological grade (p<0.05) in terms of intensity and extent of immunoreactivity distribution. Oligodendrogliomas showed significantly less VEGF and eNOS immunoreactivity compared to pure astrocytomas (p<0.05). CONCLUSION Overexpressions of eNOS and VEGF in astrocytic tumors were significantly correlated with histological grade, proliferative potential and malignant transformation. The expression of VEGF in a necrotic and ischemic tumor such as GB is more intense and diffuse than low-grade astrocytomas. These findings suggest that eNOS overexpression in tumor vasculature would be precipitated by transformation into an angiogenic phenotype in the process of neovascularisation in astrocytic tumors.
Echocardiographic imaging of anomalous origin of the coronary arteries

Abstract In the past, coronary arterial anomalies have been difficult to diagnose by non-invasive methods. Identification of coronary arterial origins is now a routine part of the standard paediatric echocardiogram. Anomalous origin of a coronary artery from the pulmonary trunk is an extremely important diagnosis to make. Many echocardiographic features are not directly related to the visualisation of the coronary arterial origin. Left ventricular dilation and abnormal ventricular performance are common, along with mitral regurgitation and evidence of collateralisation of the flow from the coronary artery that has an aortic origin. In some cases, the anomalous coronary artery can be seen to arise directly from the pulmonary trunk. Congenital atresia of the main stem of the left coronary artery has a similar echocardiographic presentation, except that its aortic origin is not determined. Anomalous aortic origin of the coronary artery has important implications, as the first presenting symptom can be sudden death. With meticulous attention to the origins of the coronary arteries, echocardiographic diagnosis can also be achieved. In contrast to the anomalous origin of a coronary artery from the pulmonary trunk, ventricular performance is usually normal. Whenever there is doubt as to the definition of the origin of the coronary arteries and, indeed, when there is serious clinical concern that a coronary artery has an anomalous origin, other testing, such as cine-computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or cardiac catheterisation may be indicated for confirmation or to provide greater anatomic detail.
Blinded by magic: eye-movements reveal the misdirection of attention

Recent studies (e.g., Kuhn and Tatler, 2005) have suggested that magic tricks can provide a powerful and compelling domain for the study of attention and perception. In particular, many stage illusions involve attentional misdirection, guiding the observer's gaze to a salient object or event, while another critical action, such as sleight of hand, is taking place. Even if the critical action takes place in full view, people typically fail to see it due to inattentional blindness (IB). In an eye-tracking experiment, participants watched videos of a new magic trick, wherein a coin placed beneath a napkin disappears, reappearing under a different napkin. Appropriately deployed attention would allow participants to detect the “secret” event that underlies the illusion (a moving coin), as it happens in full view and is visible for approximately 550 ms. Nevertheless, we observed high rates of IB. Unlike prior research, eye-movements during the critical event showed different patterns for participants, depending upon whether they saw the moving coin. The results also showed that when participants watched several “practice” videos without any moving coin, they became far more likely to detect the coin in the critical trial. Taken together, the findings are consistent with perceptual load theory (Lavie and Tsal, 1994).
Effect of an Epineurial-Like Biohybrid Nerve Conduit on Nerve Regeneration

A novel approach of making a biomimetic nerve conduit was established by seeding adipose-derived adult stem cells (ADSCs) on the external wall of porous poly(D, L-lactic acid) (PLA) nerve conduits. The PLA conduits were fabricated using gas foaming salt and solvent–nonsolvent phase conversion. We examined the effect of two different porous structures (GS and GL) on ADSC growth and proliferation. The GS conduits had better structural stability, permeability, and porosity, as well as better cell viability at 4, 7, and 10 days. The epineuriallike tissue was grown from ADSC-seeded conduits cultured for 7 days in vitro and then implanted into 10-mm rat sciatic nerve defects for evaluation. The regeneration capacity and functional recovery were evaluated by histological staining, electrophysiology, walking track, and functional gait analysis after 6 weeks of implantation. Experimental data indicated that the autograft and ADSC-seeded GS conduits had better functional recovery than the blank conduits and ADSC-seeded GL conduits. The area of regenerated nerve and number of myelinated axons quantified based on the histology also indicated that the autograft and AGS groups performed better than the other two groups. We suggested that ADSCs may interact with endogenous Schwann cells and release neurotrophic factors to promote peripheral nerve regeneration. The design of the conduit may be critical for producing a biohybrid nerve conduit and to provide an epineurial-like support.
The association of CTLA‐4 and CD28 gene polymorphisms with idiopathic ischemic stroke in the paediatric population

Autoimmune vasculitis is believed to be a critical factor in the development of idiopathic childhood ischemic stroke. The association of polymorphisms in CTLA‐4 and CD28 with some immune vasculitides, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Behçet's disease has been reported. The aim of the present study is to investigate the association of the genetic variants in the CTLA‐4 and CD28 genes of children who suffered idiopathic ischemic stroke using a case–control design. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CTLA‐4 gene and an SNP in the CD28 gene were genotyped in 51 patients who suffered idiopathic ischemic stroke, and in 74 healthy controls from mainland China. An SNP, CTLA‐4+49A/G located in exon 1 of the CTLA‐4 gene, showed nominal association with the disease (P = 0.012, odds ratio (OR) = 2.09, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.17–3.73) using allele‐based analysis. Homozygous carriers of the G allele of this SNP were more common in the patients than in the controls (P = 0.008). The CD28IVS3 +17TT genotype was found to be more common in the patients than in the controls (P = 0.039, OR = 2.96, 95% CI = 1.02–8.58). No correlations of at‐risk genotype (G/G) of CTLA‐4+49A/G and genotype (T/T) of CD28+17T/C with the main clinical features of idiopathic childhood ischemic stroke were observed. The results suggest that polymorphisms in the CTLA‐4 and CD28 genes may contribute to the increased risk of idiopathic ischemic stroke.
Vinculação aos pais e ao par romântico em adolescentes

Based on Bowlby’s and Ainsworth’s attachment theory, ando n Bartholomew’s conceptual and methodological approach, this paper adresses parental and romantic attachment representations of late adolescentes. Using a cross-sectinal research design, the study examines (a) continuities and discintinuities across relational domains, and (b) diferences in attachment representations as a function of adolescent’s and parental gender. Two coded semistructured interviews (Family Attachment Interview and Peer Attachment Interview de Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991) were administrated to a sample of 82 late adolescentes. Results indicate the presence of regularities in the attachment representations of both domains, evidenced in the thematic and content recurreces of the narratives’ organization. Albeit the moderate magnitude of the values observed, adolescentes with secure attachments to parents tend to relate in a more secure way to their romantic partners, presenting more positive representations of self and others. No gender diferences in attachment patterns were observed, although attachment to mother was classified as more preoccupied for boys and girls, and attachment to father as more dismissive only for boys. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.17575/rpsicol.v20i1. 379
Cost Efficiency of Anticoagulation With Warfarin to Prevent Stroke in Medicare Beneficiaries With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation

Background and Purpose— In controlled trials, anticoagulation with warfarin reduces stroke risk by nearly two thirds, but the benefit has been less pronounced in clinical practice. This report describes the extent of warfarin use, its effectiveness, and its impact on medical costs among Medicare patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Methods— Using claims from >2 million beneficiaries in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 5% Sample Standard Analytic Files, we identified patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation from 2004 to 2005. Warfarin use was inferred from 3 or more tests of the international normalized ratio within 1 year. Incidence of ischemic/hemorrhagic stroke and major bleeding was evaluated. Adjusted risk was calculated by Cox proportional-hazards regression. Medical costs (reimbursed amounts in 2006 US dollars) were estimated by multivariate linear regression. Results— Of patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (N=119 764, mean age=79.3 years), 58.5% were categorized as warfarin users based on the study definition. During an average of 2.1 years' follow-up, the rate of ischemic stroke was 3.9 per 100 patient-years. After multivariate adjustment, ischemic stroke incidence was 27% lower in patients taking warfarin than in patients not taking warfarin (P<0.0001), with no increase in hemorrhagic stroke and a slightly elevated risk of a major bleed. Use of warfarin was independently associated with lower total medical costs, averaging $9836 per patient per year. Conclusions— These results indicate that 41.5% of Medicare patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation are not anticoagulated with warfarin. The incidence of stroke and overall medical costs were significantly lower in patients treated with warfarin.
Expression of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) ligand superfamily co‐stimulatory molecules CD30L, CD27L, OX40L, and 4‐1BBL in murine hearts with acute myocarditis caused by Coxsackievirus B3

Antigen‐specific T‐cells infiltrate the heart and play an important role in the myocardial damage involved in acute myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy. To investigate the roles of the co‐stimulatory molecules CD30/CD30L, CD27/CD27L, OX40/OX40L, and 4‐1BB/4‐1BBL, which belong to the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor/ligand superfamily, in the development of acute viral myocarditis, the expression of these molecules was first analysed in the hearts of mice with acute myocarditis induced by Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) in vivo. Secondly, the induction of these molecules was evaluated on cultured cardiac myocytes treated with interferon (IFN)‐γ and the interleukin (IL)‐6 production by cultured cardiac myocytes was analysed by stimulation with monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against these molecules in vitro. Thirdly, the effects of in vivo administration of anti‐CD30L, anti‐CD27L, anti‐OX40L, or anti‐4‐1BBL MAb on the development of acute viral myocarditis were examined. CVB3‐induced myocarditis resulted in the induction of CD30L and 4‐1BBL on the surface of cardiac myocytes, confirmed by treatment with IFN‐γ in vitro. CD27L and OX40L were constitutively expressed on cardiac myocytes in vivo and in vitro. Anti‐CD30L and anti‐4‐1BBL MAbs stimulated IL‐6 production by cardiac myocytes in vitro. Furthermore, in vivo anti‐4‐1BBL MAb treatment significantly decreased the myocardial inflammation, whereas the other MAbs did not. These findings suggest that TNF ligand superfamily co‐stimulatory molecules, especially 4‐1BBL, play an important role in the development of acute viral myocarditis and raise the possibility that immunotherapy with anti‐4‐1BBL MAb may be of benefit in acute viral myocarditis. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Transfer Learning for Material Classification using Convolutional Networks

Material classification in natural settings is a challenge due to complex interplay of geometry, reflectance properties, and illumination. Previous work on material classification relies strongly on hand-engineered features of visual samples. In this work we use a Convolutional Neural Network (convnet) that learns descriptive features for the specific task of material recognition. Specifically, transfer learning from the task of object recognition is exploited to more effectively train good features for material classification. The approach of transfer learning using convnets yields significantly higher recognition rates when compared to previous state-of-the-art approaches. We then analyze the relative contribution of reflectance and shading information by a decomposition of the image into its intrinsic components. The use of convnets for material classification was hindered by the strong demand for sufficient and diverse training data, even with transfer learning approaches. Therefore, we present a new data set containing approximately 10k images divided into 10 material categories.
Altered probabilistic learning and response biases in schizophrenia: behavioral evidence and neurocomputational modeling.

OBJECTIVE Patients with schizophrenia (SZ) show reinforcement learning impairments related to both the gradual/procedural acquisition of reward contingencies, and the ability to use trial-to-trial feedback to make rapid behavioral adjustments. METHOD We used neurocomputational modeling to develop plausible mechanistic hypotheses explaining reinforcement learning impairments in individuals with SZ. We tested the model with a novel Go/NoGo learning task in which subjects had to learn to respond or withhold responses when presented with different stimuli associated with different probabilities of gains or losses in points. We analyzed data from 34 patients and 23 matched controls, characterizing positive- and negative-feedback-driven learning in both a training phase and a test phase. RESULTS Consistent with simulations from a computational model of aberrant dopamine input to the basal ganglia patients, patients with SZ showed an overall increased rate of responding in the training phase, together with reduced response-time acceleration to frequently rewarded stimuli across training blocks, and a reduced relative preference for frequently rewarded training stimuli in the test phase. Patients did not differ from controls on measures of procedural negative-feedback-driven learning, although patients with SZ exhibited deficits in trial-to-trial adjustments to negative feedback, with these measures correlating with negative symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS These findings support the hypothesis that patients with SZ have a deficit in procedural "Go" learning, linked to abnormalities in DA transmission at D1-type receptors, despite a "Go bias" (increased response rate), potentially related to excessive tonic dopamine. Deficits in trial-to-trial reinforcement learning were limited to a subset of patients with SZ with severe negative symptoms, putatively stemming from prefrontal cortical dysfunction.
Leaf silica concentration in Serengeti grasses increases with watering but not clipping: insights from a common garden study and literature review

Grasses (Poaceae) lack the complex biochemical pathways and structural defenses employed by other plant families; instead they deposit microscopic silica (SiO2) granules in their leaf blades (i.e., phytoliths) as a putative defense strategy. Silica accumulation in grasses has generally been considered an inducible defense; other research suggests silica accumulation occurs by passive diffusion and should therefore be closely coupled with whole plant transpiration. We tested the hypothesis that grasses increase leaf silica concentration in response to artificial defoliation in a common garden study in the Serengeti ecosystem of East Africa. Additionally, a watering treatment tested the alternative hypothesis that leaf silica was largely driven by plant water status. Leaf silica content of two dominant C4 Serengeti grass species, Themeda triandra and Digitaria macroblephara, was quantified after a 10-month clipping × water experiment in which defoliation occurred approximately every 2 months and supplementary water was added every 2 weeks. Themeda had greater silica content than Digitaria, and Themeda also varied in foliar silica content according to collection site. Clipping had no significant effect on leaf silica in either species and watering significantly increased silica content of the dominant tall grass species, Themeda, but not the lawn species, Digitaria. Our data, and those collected as part of a supplementary literature review, suggest that silicon induction responses are contingent upon a combination of plant identity (i.e., species, genotype, life history limitations) and environmental factors (i.e., precipitation, soil nutrients, grazing intensity). Specifically, we propose that an interaction between plant functional type and water balance plays an especially important role in determining silica uptake and accumulation.
Radical Reflections: Passionate Opinions on Teaching, Learning, and Living

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