Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evidence of nutrition transition in Southern Africa

Nutrition transition is characterised by shift to highly refined diets high in fat, salt and caloric sweeteners and low in fibre in rapidly growing economies. Dietary shifts occur almost concurrently with demographic and epidemiologic shifts, urbanisation and industrialisation and together contribute to increased prevalence of nutrition related (NR)-non-communicable disease (NCR). The emergence of nutrition transition in Southern Africa countries (SAC) was examined using anthropometric, NCD prevalence, and food consumption data. The findings reveal growing prevalence of overweight and obesity (OWOB) across SAC, with national prevalence estimated between 30 and 60 % in all but two SAC. Overweight prevalence in excess of 60 % has been reported in some sub-population groups. Hypertension prevalence of at least 30 % has also been reported. Further, the prevalence of OWOB and hypertension in many SAC exceeds that of HIV and is often at par with stunting in children. NCD are equally serious public health problems as stunting and HIV. Collectively, NR-NCD explain 20–31 % of mortality for Botswana, South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique and Zambia. At least 72 % of adults in SAC have fewer servings of fruit and vegetable servings daily than recommended. Additionally, adults in SAC do poorly in physical activity; 31–75 % do not exercise regularly. Not surprisingly, 15–40 % of adults in SAC have at least three risk factors of CVD. SAC are grappling with NR-NCD which threaten to surpass infectious diseases burden. SAC are at various levels in interventions for moving their populations to stage 5, but there is room for much improvement.
Scleromyxedema: A Case Series Highlighting Long-Term Outcomes of Treatment With Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG)

Scleromyxedema is a rare disease characterized by mucin deposition in skin and other organs and the production of a monoclonal IgG protein. Herein we describe our experience with a series of patients with this condition and specifically focus on the use of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) for long-term management. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical manifestations of 10 patients evaluated at our center, highlighting the potential organ involvement. We found that systemic manifestations of the disease are common and often mimic those seen in systemic sclerosis. Eight of the 10 patients were treated with IVIG with a 100% complete or partial response rate. Treatment was initiated at a dose of 2 g/kg (total dose, divided over 2-5 days) for 6 months of initial therapy. In each case where IVIG was used, maintenance infusions are required to preserve disease control. We highlight the long-term use of this medication in several cases. We discuss the potential therapeutic benefit of IVIG in this condition, where the pathophysiology of the disease is poorly understood, and underscore new data on the potential mechanism of action of IVIG therapy. Abbreviations: CPK = creatinine kinase, CT = computed tomography, DLCO = diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide, EEG = electroencephalogram, FEV1 = forced expiratory volume in 1 second, FVC = forced vital capacity, ITP = idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, IVIG = intravenous immunoglobulin, MRI = magnetic resonance imaging, RVSP = right ventricular systolic pressure.
Empathic Humans Punishing an Emotional Virtual Agent

Virtual agents have quietly entered our life in diverse everyday domains. Human-Agent-Interaction can evoke any reaction, from complete rejection to great interest. But do humans implicitly regard virtual agents as pure machines, or beings on an anthropomorphic level? We asked participants to train an erroneous virtual agent on a cognitive task and to reward or punish it. The agent showed human-like emotional facial reactions for the experimental but not for the control group. We expected participants from the experimental group to give less harmful reinforcement and show more hesitation before punishing. Additionally, we hypothesised that participants with higher empathy show more compassion towards the agent and therefore would give more positive reinforcement and feel worse when punishing. The results indicate that the agent’s expression of emotionality is not the relevant factor for showing compassion towards it. Conversely, human empathy seems to be an important factor causing compassion for virtual agents.
The structure and hydrocarbon geology of the Romanian East Carpathian border from seismic data

In the Romanian East Carpathians overthrust relations between the Tarcau, the Marginal folds and the Subcarpathian nappes and the Moldavian and Moesian platforms have been deduced from seismic profiles and confirmed by wells. The down steps of the platform, under the nappes, have created many faulted blocks. South of the Trotus Valley, the Pralea-Focsani Depression has developed on the platform basement. Between the Slanic and Dambovita valleys, in the Mio-Pliocene zone, the Subcarpathian nappe, the diapir folds and the Oligocene deep structure have been delineated on seismic profiles. The presence of all the conditions for oil generation and entrapment encourages new investment in geological and geophysical exploration.
Dietary plant extracts modulate gene expression profiles in ileal mucosa of weaned pigs after an Escherichia coli infection.

This study was conducted to characterize the effects of infection with a pathogenic F-18 Escherichia coli and 3 different plant extracts on gene expression of ileal mucosa in weaned pigs. Weaned pigs (total = 64, 6.3 ± 0.2 kg BW, and 21-d old) were housed in individual pens for 15 d, 4 d before and 11 d after the first inoculation (d 0). Treatments were in a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement: with or without an F-18 E. coli challenge and 4 diets (a nursery basal, control diet [CON], 10 ppm of capsicum oleoresin [CAP], garlic botanical [GAR], or turmeric oleoresin [TUR]). Results reported elsewhere showed that the plant extracts reduced diarrhea in challenged pigs. Total RNA (4 pigs/treatment) was extracted from ileal mucosa of pigs at d 5 post inoculation. Double-stranded cDNA was amplified, labeled, and further hybridized to the microarray, and data were analyzed in R. Differential gene expression was tested by fitting a mixed linear model in a 2 × 4 factorial ANOVA. Bioinformatics analysis was conducted by DAVID Bioinformatics Resources 6.7 (DAVID; National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases [NIAID, NIH], http://david.abcc.ncifcrf.gov). The E. coli infection altered (P < 0.05) the expression of 240 genes in pigs fed the CON (148 up- and 92 down-regulated). Compared with the infected CON, feeding CAP, GAR, or TUR altered (P < 0.05) the expression of 52 genes (18 up, 34 down), 117 genes (34 up- and 83 down-regulated), or 84 genes (16 up- and 68 down-regulated), respectively, often counteracting the effects of E. coli. The E. coli infection up-regulated (P < 0.05) the expression of genes related to the activation of immune response and complement and coagulation cascades, but down-regulated (P < 0.05) the expression of genes involved in protein synthesis and accumulation. Compared with the CON, feeding CAP and GAR increased (P < 0.05) the expression of genes related to integrity of membranes in infected pigs, indicating enhanced gut mucosa health. Moreover, feeding all 3 plant extracts reduced (P < 0.05) the expression of genes associated with antigen presentation or other biological processes of immune responses, indicating they attenuated overstimulation of immune responses caused by E. coli. These findings may explain why diarrhea was reduced and clinical immune responses were ameliorated in infected pigs fed plant extracts. In conclusion, plant extracts altered the expression of genes in ileal mucosa of E. coli-infected pigs, perhaps leading to the reduction in diarrhea reported previously.
Lymphangiectasis of lower limb

bony lesions and extension into pelvis and retroperitoneum. [4] Lower limb lymphangiomatosis with soft tissue involvement alone has been described where the age of onset was 11 and 12 years in two cases. [5] In our case, the age of onset was 12 years. At 20 years he presented to us with elephantiasis of the right lower limb. A rare form of giant congenital lymphangiomatosis of the lower limb with ostolytic lesions in femur and tibia on roentgenographic skeletal survey has been reported but without any systemic involvement. [6] In this case, the limb bones were spared. During last 40 years, in our lymphoedema clinic, we have managed a large number of secondary lymphoedema of various grades involving the lower limb. A majority of them were of filarial origin. However, we never found such variation of clinical presentation. The free flow of large volume of lymph from one area to another has never been reported. All the components of clinical features were unique. Even vascular malformation could not be ruled out. Thus, it posed difficulty in diagnosis and management. Since clinical evaluation did not lead to the exact nature of the lesion, we subjected him to detailed investigations that proved to be very useful to ascertain the definitive diagnosis of lymphangiectasis. Since no definitive surgical procedure is described for such a lesion, we planned staged excision. On exploration, the extensive dense lymphatic network soft in consistency was a remarkable feature in contrast to the secondary lymphoedematous tissue that is very firm due to fibrosis following repeated infection. However, it could be easily excised along with excess skin. The primary suturing followed by pressure dressing led to primary wound healing. Encouraged by result of the first stage, we excised the upper thigh lesion after 6 months that also proved very satisfactory. We have followed the patient for more than 3 years now and the initial good result still persists without any evidence of recurrence.
HeidelTime: High Quality Rule-Based Extraction and Normalization of Temporal Expressions

In this paper, we describe HeidelTime, a system for the extraction and normalization of temporal expressions. HeidelTime is a rule-based system mainly using regular expression patterns for the extraction of temporal expressions and knowledge resources as well as linguistic clues for their normalization. In the TempEval-2 challenge, HeidelTime achieved the highest F-Score (86%) for the extraction and the best results in assigning the correct value attribute, i.e., in understanding the semantics of the temporal expressions.
What is known about unit cubes

Unit cubes, from any point of view, are among the simplest and the most important objects in n-dimensional Euclidean space. In fact, as one will see from this survey, they are not simple at all. On the one hand, the known results about them have been achieved by employing complicated machineries from Number Theory, Group Theory, Probability Theory, Matrix Theory, Hyperbolic Geometry, Combinatorics, etc.; on the other hand, the answers for many basic problems about them are still missing. In addition, the geometry of unit cubes does serve as a meeting point for several applied subjects such as Design Theory, Coding Theory, etc. The purpose of this article is to figure out what is known about the unit cubes and what do we want to know about them.
An analysis of Australian seasonal rainfall anomalies: 1950–1987. II: Temporal variability and teleconnection patterns

A detailed examination of the variability of Australian district rainfall of seasonal time-scales over the period 1950–1987 is described. In Part I, S- and T-mode rotated principal component analysis (RPCA) was used to obtain a compressed representation of Australian district rainfall anomalies on seasonal time-scales. In this paper, the temporal variability of these spatial patterns is examined, and their relationship to some large-scale circulation indices, such as the Southern Oscillation (SO) and Pittock's L index. The S-mode components show large intercomponent correlations as a result of the rotation of the principal components, although much of this is due to a common relationship to the SO. The T-mode components are less strongly interrelated and only the first two show large correlations with the SO. The relationship with the SO and the L index are consistent with previous studies. Spectral analysis shows that most components do not have any dominant periodicity. Two distinct biennial tendencies are identified; in the north-east associated with the SO, and in the south-east associated with the L index. The large-scale circulation anomalies associated with both the S- and T-mode patterns are examined using the Comprehensive Ocean Atmosphere Data Set (COADS) and a network of rawindsonde stations over Australia and the South-west Pacific. Three dominant teleconnection patterns are identified; the well-known Southern Oscillation anomalies associated with the dominant T1 pattern of continental-scale rainfall anomalies, a predominantly winter season Indonesian-Indian Ocean pattern previously documented by Nicholls, and a spring/summer south Tasman Sea pattern. The evolution of these patterns is examined through composites, and the physical mechanisms for the initiation and maintenance of the anomaly patterns are discussed. In the latter two cases both the rainfall and SST anomalies appear to be driven by anomalies in the large-scale mid-latitude circulation.
Reclassification of aggressive adenomatous mastoid neoplasms as endolymphatic sac tumors

The emerging concept that aggressive adenomatous tumors of the temporal bone arise from the endolymphatic sac and constitute a distinct clinico‐pathologic entity merits wider recognition. These tumors share a common clinical pattern and exhibit consistent imaging and histopathologic features. Endolymphatic sac tumors (ELSTs) have been mistaken for other neoplasms such as paragangliomas, adenomatous tumors of mixed histology, ceruminomas, and choroid plexus papillomas. A review of the literature shows similarities among case studies of these aggressive adenomatous lesions. An analysis of the data supports the endolymphatic sac as an origin for these tumors. This report also presents an additional case of a less differentiated variant of this rare but important clinicopathologic entity.
No) Eternal Inflation and Precision Higgs Physics

Even if nothing but a light Higgs is observed at the LHC, suggesting that the Standard Model is unmodified up to scales far above the weak scale, Higgs physics can yield surprises of fundamental significance for cosmology. As has long been known, the Standard Model vacuum may be metastable for low enough Higgs mass, but a specific value of the decay rate holds special significance: for a very narrow window of parameters, our Universe has not yet decayed but the current inflationary period can not be future eternal. Determining whether we are in this window requires exquisite but achievable experimental precision, with a measurement of the Higgs mass to 0.1 GeV at the LHC, the top mass to 60 MeV at a linear collider, as well as an improved determination of αs by an order of magnitude on the lattice. If the parameters are observed to lie in this special range, particle physics will establish that the future of our Universe is a global big crunch, without harboring pockets of eternal inflation, strongly suggesting that eternal inflation is censored by the fundamental theory. This conclusion could be drawn even more sharply if metastability with the appropriate decay rate is found in the MSSM, where the physics governing the instability can be directly probed at the TeV scale.
Effect of Hydrogen Peroxide on Interleukin-8 Synthesis and Death of Caco-2 Cells

Intestinal epithelial cells can secrete interleukin-8 (IL-8), among other substances in response to different stimuli, which plays an important role in mucosal immune response. Above a certain concentration range, hydrogen peroxide causes cell death by necrosis or apoptosis. We investigated the time- and dose-dependent induction of IL-8 by hydrogen peroxide in the human colon adenocarcinoma cell line Caco-2. In addition, the changes of transepithelial electrical resistance and cell death induction in response to hydrogen peroxide were studied. Nonfilter-grown and filter-grown Caco-2 cells were employed in our experiments. Interleukin-8 synthesis was measured by ELISA. Necrosis was determined by DAPI staining of cells, apoptosis by measuring caspase-3 enzyme activity or annexin V staining. In nonfilter-grown Caco-2 cells, 1 mM of hydrogen peroxide induced the highest level of IL-8 production 24 hr after treatment. In filter-grown Caco-2 cells, IL-8 was produced only on the apical side in response to 1 mM of hydrogen peroxide. This level was 10-fold lower than that measured in nonfilter-grown Caco-2 cells 24 hr after the treatment. In filter-grown Caco-2 cells 10 mM hydrogen peroxide induced the highest IL-8 level on the apical as well as basolateral side. Transepithelial electrical resistance decreased markedly upon application of 40 mM hydrogen peroxide. Late effect of hydrogen peroxide was observed in nonfilter-grown Caco-2 cells, as 1 mM hydrogen peroxide caused necrosis after 24 hr while early-necrosis induction occurred in filter-grown cells exposed to 40 mM of hydrogen peroxide after 1 hr. Filter-grown Caco-2 cells were less sensitive to hydrogen peroxide than the nonfilter-grown ones.
Reflex Cardiovascular Effects of Epicardial Stimulation by Acetylstrophanthidin in Dogs

Application of 25 to 100 μg of acetylstrophanthidin to the epicardium of the left ventricle of anesthetized and unanesthetized dogs caused hypotension and bradycardia without signs of discomfort. The response developed after an average latency of 8 seconds and lasted up to 12 minutes. Cooling the cervical vagi to 8 to 10°C or prior application of 0.1% procaine hydrochloride to the epicardium of the heart blocked the response. The response was, therefore, a reflex; the sensory receptors were located in the surface layers of the left ventricle. Electrophysiological recordings from single and multifiber preparations of the right recurrent cardiac nerve showed that the receptors for this reflex were mechanoreceptors whose fibers belonged to the C group. The sinus bradycardia caused by digitalis glycosides may result partly from excitation of these receptors.
Cytokines, pregnancy, and bacterial vaginosis: comparison of levels of cervical cytokines in pregnant and nonpregnant women with bacterial vaginosis.

BACKGROUND Pregnancy has been considered to be a time of relative immune compromise. Lower-genital-tract immune response appears to be influenced by pregnancy. The objective of this study was to compare, in pregnant versus nonpregnant women, endocervical proinflammatory-cytokine expression in response to bacterial vaginosis. METHODS Endocervical levels of interleukin (IL)-1 beta , IL-6, and IL-8 in 99 pregnant and 99 nonpregnant women, all with bacterial vaginosis and without concurrent sexually transmitted infections, were assessed by ELISA. Vaginal flora was characterized on the basis of quantitative vaginal cultures. RESULTS Women in the 2 groups differed with respect to smoking status and microbiological constituents responsible for bacterial vaginosis. When the data were stratified by these potential confounders, the levels of all 3 proinflammatory endocervical cytokines were significantly higher in pregnant women than in nonpregnant women. CONCLUSIONS The proinflammatory cytokine milieu in the cervix is enhanced in pregnant women with bacterial vaginosis, compared with that in nonpregnant women. The notion of pregnancy as an immune-compromised state may be anatomically compartment specific.
The Essen Stroke Risk Score Predicts Recurrent Cardiovascular Events: A Validation Within the REduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) Registry

Background and Purpose— Predictive scores are important tools for stratifying patients based on the risk of future (cerebro)vascular events and for selecting potential prevention therapy. Recently, the Essen Stroke Risk Score (ESRS) was derived from cerebrovascular patients in the Clopidogrel versus Aspirin in Patients at Risk of Ischemic Events (CAPRIE) trial. We aimed to validate the ESRS in a large cohort of outpatients with previous transient ischemic attack or stroke from the REduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) Registry. Methods— We included 15 605 outpatients with a qualifying stroke or transient ischemic attack and with clinical follow-up at 1 year. Patients with atrial fibrillation were excluded. We stratified 1-year cumulative rates for fatal and nonfatal stroke as well as combined major cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke) by the individually calculated stroke risk profile according to the ESRS and compared it with the 1-year event rates in the CAPRIE data subset of 6431 cerebrovascular patients. Results— The 1-year rate for recurrent stroke (or combined cardiovascular events) in the stable outpatient population of REACH increased steadily and significantly from 1.82 (2.41) in patients with ESRS 0 to 6.84 (11.48) for ESRS >6. The overall as well as stratified risk of recurrent stroke and cardiovascular events was lower than for cerebrovascular patients in CAPRIE. Conclusions— In outpatients with previous stroke or transient ischemic attack, the ESRS accurately stratifies the risk of recurrent stroke or major vascular events. Patients with a high ESRS should be candidates for intensified secondary prevention strategies.
Elevated Plasma Marinobufagenin, An Endogenous Cardiotonic Steroid, Is Associated With Right Ventricular Dysfunction and Nitrative Stress in Heart Failure

Background—Plasma levels of cardiotonic steroids are elevated in volume-expanded states, such as chronic kidney disease, but the role of these natriuretic hormones in subjects with heart failure (HF) is unclear. We sought to determine the prognostic role of the cardiotonic steroids marinobufagenin (MBG) in HF, particularly in relation to long-term outcomes. Methods and Results—We first measured plasma MBG levels and performed comprehensive clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic assessment in 245 patients with HF. All-cause mortality, cardiac transplantation, and HF hospitalization were tracked for 5 years. In our study cohort, median (interquartile range) MBG was 583 (383–812) pM. Higher MBG was associated with higher myeloperoxidase (r=0.42, P<0.0001), B-type natriuretic peptide (r=0.25, P=0.001), and asymmetrical dimethylarginine (r=0.32, P<0.001). Elevated levels of MBG were associated with measures of worse right ventricular function (RV s′, r=−0.39, P<0.0001) and predicted increased risk of adverse clinical outcomes (MBG≥574 pmol/L: hazard ratio 1.58 [1.10–2.31], P=0.014) even after adjustment for age, sex, diabetes mellitus, and ischemic pathogenesis. In mice, a left anterior descending coronary artery ligation model of HF lead to increases in MBG, whereas infusion of MBG into mice for 4 weeks lead to significant increases in myeloperoxidase, asymmetrical dimethylarginine, and cardiac fibrosis. Conclusions—In the setting of HF, elevated plasma levels of MBG are associated with right ventricular dysfunction and predict worse long-term clinical outcomes in multivariable models adjusting for established clinical and biochemical risk factors. Infusion of MBG seems to directly contribute to increased nitrative stress and cardiac fibrosis.