Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of controlling atrial fibrillation on outcomes relevant to the patient: focus on dronedarone

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a substantial cause of mortality and morbidity in the Western world. It is a massive burden on health care systems, and its prevalence is expected to double over the next 20 years. Trials evaluating antiarrhythmic drugs or catheter ablation have focused on recurrence of arrhythmia, perhaps neglecting outcomes relevant to patients, such as symptoms, need for antiarrhythmic drugs, need for hospitalization, and rates of stroke and death. An association has been demonstrated between sinus rhythm and survival in several studies, and there is evidence emerging that successful catheter ablation may reduce rates of stroke and death. Similarly, dronedarone has been shown to reduce hospitalizations and death in patients with paroxysmal AF or persistent AF of recent onset, although it may cause adverse events in permanent AF. New antiarrhythmic drugs are a welcome addition to the armamentarium, since there are limitations to current antiarrhythmic drugs. In particular, sotalol, flecainide, and propafenone cannot be used safely in those with structural heart disease, and amiodarone has important adverse reactions that limit long-term use. Indeed, the use of conventional antiarrhythmic drugs may negate any survival benefit derived from maintaining sinus rhythm. Although dronedarone appears promising with respect to hard endpoints such as stroke and death in certain patients, it may not be safe for those with heart failure or those with permanent AF. Furthermore, the trials suggesting that dronedarone may impact on these endpoints were compared with placebo rather than with an active comparator group. Further “head-to-head” comparisons between dronedarone and other antiarrhythmic drugs are needed to determine whether this property is unique to dronedarone alone.
Function Words Constrain On-Line Recognition of Verbs and Nouns in French 18-Month-Olds

In this experiment using the conditioned head-turn procedure, 18-month-old French-learning toddlers were trained to respond to either a target noun (“la balle”/the ball) or a target verb (“je mange”/I eat). They were then tested on target word recognition in two syntactic contexts: the target word was preceded either by a correct function word (“une balle”/a ball or “on mange”/they eat), or by an incorrect function word, signaling a word from the other category (*“on balle”/they ball or *“une mange”/a eat). We showed that 18-month-olds exploit the syntactic context on-line to recognize the target word: verbs were recognized when preceded by a personal pronoun but not when preceded by a determiner and vice-versa for nouns. These results suggest that 18-month-olds already know noun and verb contexts. As a result, they might be able to exploit them to categorize unknown words and constrain their possible meaning (nouns typically refer to objects whereas verbs typically refer to actions).
Is sex categorization from faces really parallel to face recognition?

According to a classical functional architecture of face processing (Bruce & Young, 1986), sex processing on faces is a parallel function to individual face recognition. One consequence of the model is thus that sex categorization on faces is not influenced by face familiarity. However, the behavioural and neuro-psychological evidences supporting this dissociation are yet equivocal. To test the independence between sex processing on faces and familiar face recognition, familiar (learned) faces were morphed with new faces, generating facial continua of visual similarity to familiar faces. First, a pilot experiment shown that subjects familiarized with one extreme of the face continuum roughly perceive one half of the continuum (60 to 100% of visual similarity to familiar faces) as made of familiar faces and the other part as unfamiliar. In the experiment proper, subjects were familiarized with faces and tested in a sex decision task made on faces at the different steps of the continua. Subjects were significantly quicker at telling the sex of faces perceived as familiar (60-100%), and the effect was not observed in a control (untrained) group. These results indicate that familiar face representations are activated before sex categorization is completed, and can facilitate this processing. The nature of the interaction between sex categorization on faces and familiar face recognition is discussed.
A double-hexameric MCM2-7 complex is loaded onto origin DNA during licensing of eukaryotic DNA replication

During pre-replication complex (pre-RC) formation, origin recognition complex (ORC), Cdc6, and Cdt1 cooperatively load the 6-subunit mini chromosome maintenance (MCM2-7) complex onto DNA. Loading of MCM2-7 is a prerequisite for DNA licensing that restricts DNA replication to once per cell cycle. During S phase MCM2-7 functions as part of the replicative helicase but within the pre-RC MCM2-7 is inactive. The organization of replicative DNA helicases before and after loading onto DNA has been studied in bacteria and viruses but not eukaryotes and is of major importance for understanding the MCM2-7 loading mechanism and replisome assembly. Lack of an efficient reconstituted pre-RC system has hindered the detailed mechanistic and structural analysis of MCM2-7 loading for a long time. We have reconstituted Saccharomyces cerevisiae pre-RC formation with purified proteins and showed efficient loading of MCM2-7 onto origin DNA in vitro. MCM2-7 loading was found to be dependent on the presence of all pre-RC proteins, origin DNA, and ATP hydrolysis. The quaternary structure of MCM2-7 changes during pre-RC formation: MCM2-7 before loading is a single hexamer in solution but is transformed into a double-hexamer during pre-RC formation. Using electron microscopy (EM), we observed that loaded MCM2-7 encircles DNA. The loaded MCM2-7 complex can slide on DNA, and sliding is not directional. Our results provide key insights into mechanisms of pre-RC formation and have important implications for understanding the role of the MCM2-7 in establishment of bidirectional replication forks.
Postpartum Depression Screening: Importance, Methods, Barriers, and Recommendations for Practice

Background: Postpartum depression occurs in 10% to 20% of women who have recently given birth, but fewer than half of cases are recognized. The purpose of this review is to discuss the potential benefit of mass screening for improving postpartum depression recognition and outcomes. Methods: A review of the literature was conducted by searching MEDLINE, using the key words “depression,” “postpartum depression,” and “mass screening. ” The Cochrane database was also searched for reviews on depression and postpartum depression. Results: Opportunities for routine postpartum depression screening include mothers’ postpartum office visits and their infants’ well-child visits. Although several depression screens have been used in postpartum women, additional studies using large representative samples are needed to identify the ideal screening tool. Depression screening plus “high-risk” feedback to providers improves the recognition of depression. However, for screening to positively impact clinical outcomes, it needs to be combined with systems-based enhanced depression care that provides accurate diagnoses, strong collaborative relationships between primary care and mental health providers, and longitudinal case management, to assure appropriate treatment and follow-up. Conclusions: Postpartum depression screening improves recognition of the disorder, but improvement in clinical outcomes requires enhanced care that ensures adequate treatment and follow-up.
The metabolic N-oxidation of carcinogenic arylamines in relation to nitrogen charge density and oxidation potential.

The N-oxidation of carcinogenic arylamines to form N-hydroxy arylamines has long been regarded as a necessary metabolic step for conversion to proximate carcinogenic derivatives. In contrast, arylamine ring-oxidation has been generally considered to be an important detoxification mechanism. Both enzymatic reactions are carried out in the liver and usually involve the cytochrome P-450 monooxygenases. Studies on the metabolic oxidation of certain arylamines have indicated that the relative charge density on nitrogen versus ring-carbon atoms for a nitrenium/carbenium ion-enzyme intermediate correlates with the relative proportion of N-versus ring-hydroxylated products that are formed. A further examination of this approach now shows that positive charge density on the nitrogen, as estimated by Hückel molecular orbital calculations, is consistent with the formation of N-hydroxy arylamines from aniline, 4-aminoazobenzene, 2-naphthylamine, 4-aminobiphenyl, 2-aminofluorene, and 6-aminochrysene, but not from 1-naphthylamine, 1-aminopyrene, 6-aminobenzo[a]pyrene, or 7-aminobenz[a]anthracene. Since greater positive charge on the arylamine nitrogen implies a greater charge localization during the transition state of the enzyme-substrate complex, we envisioned that higher oxidation potentials for arylamines, which might be expected to correlate inversely with the ease of total oxidation, would instead be predictive of the relative extent of N-oxidation. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Influence of Urban Immigrants on Outdoor Recreation and Land Use in Teton Valley

Reverse migration (urban to rural) to areas rich in outdoor recreation amenities has created a cultural phenomenon with serious implications for parks and recreation administration in the United States. The influx of ex-urban immigrants to rural areas creates unique challenges for parks and recreation managers. To understand and address these challenges managers need a detailed understanding of how exurban migrants change local socio-demographics and outdoor recreation demands. In this paper we use a case study in Teton Valley to address this need. Three hypotheses were tested related to the wildland urban interface: 1) ex-urban immigrants bring higher education levels, higher incomes, and more liberal political stances to their new communities; 2) ex-urban immigrants participate in more appreciative outdoor recreation activities (e.g., birding, hiking, camping) and fewer non-appreciative activities (e.g., hunting, fishing, all terrain vehicle [ATV] use) than natives and more rural immigrants; and 3) ex-urban immigrants threaten the ability to meet recreation demands by being more likely to build or buy their home in wildlands than natives or ex-rural immigrants. The survey results (n = 416, sampling error ± 4.8 percent), generally support these hypotheses. Ex-urban immigrants had significantly higher education levels than all other groups (H = 36.17, p < 0.001). Ex-urban and ex-town immigrants were nearly twice as likely to be Democrats (ex-urban = 36 percent, extown = 28 percent), and half as likely to be Republicans (ex-urban = 29 percent, ex-town = 29 percent), as natives and ex-rural immigrants (natives = 14 percent Democrat, 47 percent Republican; ex-rural = 14 percent Democrat, 43 percent Republican). Ex-urban migrants participated more in appreciative recreation (e.g., birding, hiking), and less in non-appreciative recreation (e.g., hunting, ATV use) than natives and immigrants with rural backgrounds. Ex-urban immigrants were almost twice as likely (37 percent) as other groups (ex-town immigrant = 21 percent, ex-rural immigrant = 21 percent, native = 18 percent) to build or buy a home in wildlands that controlled access to outdoor recreation areas (e.g., adjacent to public land or rivers). These results suggest parks and recreation managers face an ironic challenge: ex-urban migration to the wildland urban interface represents increased political will for publicly funded efforts to preserve open space and protect access to recreation areas, and the greatest threat to those objectives. Managers have several tools available to protect open space and access to recreation areas in these contexts including zoning changes, land trusts, and transferable development rights.
Reconstructed storm tracks reveal three centuries of changing moisture delivery to North America

Multicentury reconstruction of Pacific storm tracks shows recent changes were influenced by underlying multidecadal variability. Moisture delivery to western North America is closely linked to variability in the westerly storm tracks of midlatitude cyclones, which are, in turn, modified by larger-scale features such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation system. Instrumental and modeling data suggest that extratropical storm tracks may be intensifying and shifting poleward due to anthropogenic climate change, but it is difficult to separate recent trends from natural variability because of the large amount of decadal and longer variation in storm tracks and their limited instrumental record. We reconstruct cool-season, midlatitude Pacific storm-track position and intensity from 1693 to 1995 CE using existing tree-ring chronologies along with a network of newly developed chronologies from the U.S. Pacific Northwest, where small variations in storm-track position can have a major influence on hydroclimate patterns. Our results show high interannual-to-multidecadal variability in storm-track position and intensity over the past 303 years, with spectral signatures characteristic of tropical and northern Pacific influences. Comparison with reconstructions of precipitation and tropical sea surface temperature confirms the relationship between shifting drought patterns in the Pacific Northwest and storm-track variability through time and demonstrates the long-term influence of El Niño. These results allow us to place recent storm-track changes in the context of decadal and multidecadal fluctuations across the long-term record, showing that recent changes in storm-track intensity likely represent a warming-related increase amplified by natural decadal variability.
Multi-antenna transmission using ESPAR with peak power constraints

Electronically steerable parasitic array radiator (ESPAR) technology provides multi-antenna transmission with a single radio frequency (RF) unit. In order to achieve stable transmission using an ESPAR antenna (EA), two approaches have been proposed in literature. One is to increase the self-resistance of an EA, the other is to transmit signals closely approximating the actual signals that keep the EA stable. In both approaches, no constraint on the transmission power of an EA was considered. This is not the case in actual systems, as the practical power amplifier normally has limited peak power. Taking into account the limited power availability, an optimization problem is formulated with the objective to minimize the MSE between the currents corresponding to the ideal and the approximate transmission signals. The non-convex problem is solved analytically by coordination transformation and a novel algorithm is proposed. It is shown that the system employing the proposed transmission scheme gives similar performance to that of a standard multiple antenna system, especially at low SNRs. In addition, it is shown that increasing the self-resistance of an EA to achieve stability is highly power inefficient.
An Examination of the Mechanisms Involved in Secondary Clinical Failure to Adalimumab or Etanercept in Inflammatory Arthropathies

BackgroundBiological therapies against tumor necrosis factor &agr; have revolutionized the treatment of several inflammatory rheumatic diseases. However, 30% of responders will present a clinical failure after having controlled the disease for at least 6 months (secondary clinical failure). Biological therapies may induce an unwanted immune response, which may alter the bioavailability of the drug causing a loss of clinical response. ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to assess the correlation between secondary clinical failure (based on Disease Activity Score in 28 Joints or Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index) and the type of mechanism involved in failure (based on drug levels) in patients with inflammatory arthropathies treated with anti–tumor necrosis factor &agr;. MethodsDrug and antidrug antibodies (ADAs) serum levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay immediately before drug administration in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and psoriatic arthritis who presented secondary clinical failure after at least 6 months of treatment with adalimumab (ADL) or etanercept (ETN). ResultsThirty-six patients with secondary clinical failure were recruited: 63.88% had rheumatoid arthritis, 22.22% had psoriatic arthritis, and 13.88% had ankylosing spondylitis; 58.33% did not respond to ADL, whereas 41.66% did not to ETN. None of the patients treated with ETN showed either subtherapeutic drugs levels or ADAs (failure due to a primary mechanism) whereas it was found that 23.80% of the patients treated with ADL had subtherapeutic drug levels for reasons attributable to immunogenicity (failure due to a secondary mechanism; P = 0.000048). ConclusionsWe suggest the utility of measuring drug and ADA levels in patients with secondary clinical failure to ADL for a better optimization and rational use, but not in patients who fail to ETN.
Iot based patient monitoring and diagnostic prediction tool using ensemble classifier

The ubiquitous growth of Internet of Things (IoT) and its medical applications has improved the effectiveness in remote health monitoring systems of elderly people or patients who need long-term personal care. Nowadays, chronic illnesses, such as, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases are major causes of death, in many parts of the world. In this paper, we propose a patient monitoring system for stroke-affected people to minimize future recurrence of the same by alarming the doctor and caretaker on variation in risk factors of stroke disease. Data analytics and decision-making, based on the real-time health parameters of the patient, helps the doctor in systematic diagnosis followed by tailored restorative treatment of the disease. The proposed model uses classification algorithms for the diagnosis and prediction. The ensemble method of tree-based classification-Random Forest give an accuracy of 93%.
Angiopoietin/Tie2 Dysbalance Is Associated with Acute Kidney Injury after Cardiac Surgery Assisted by Cardiopulmonary Bypass

Introduction The pathophysiology of acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiac surgery is not completely understood. Recent evidence suggests a pivotal role for the endothelium in AKI. In experimental models of AKI, the endothelial specific receptor Tie2 with its ligands Angiopoietin (Ang) 1 and Ang2 are deranged. This study investigates their status after cardiac surgery, and a possible relation between angiopoietins and AKI. Methods From a cohort of 541 patients that underwent cardiac surgery, blood and urine was collected at 5 predefined time points. From this cohort we identified 21 patients who had at least 50% post-operative serum creatinine increase (AKI). We constructed a control group (n = 21) using propensity matching. Systemic levels of Ang1, Ang2, and sTie2 were measured in plasma and the AKI markers albumin, kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) were measured in the urine. Results Ang2 plasma levels increased over time in AKI (from 4.2 to 11.6 ng/ml) and control patients (from 3.0 to 6.7 ng/ml). Ang2 levels increased 1.7-fold more in patients who developed AKI after cardiac surgery compared to matched control patients. Plasma levels of sTie2 decreased 1.6-fold and Ang1 decreased 3-fold over time in both groups, but were not different between AKI and controls (Ang1 P = 0.583 and sTie2 P = 0.679). Moreover, we found a positive correlation between plasma levels of Ang2 and urinary levels of NAG. Conclusions The endothelial Ang/Tie2 system is in dysbalance in patients that develop AKI after cardiac surgery compared to matched control patients.
Effects of the bronchoalveolar lavage procedure on lung function in horses with clinical exacerbation of recurrent airway obstruction.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) alters respiratory mechanics of horses with recurrent airway obstruction (ie, heaves) over a 48-hour period. ANIMALS 6 horses affected with heaves. PROCEDURES Horses were subjected to a complete BAL procedure, which included sedation with xylazine and butorphanol, intratracheal administration of lidocaine, and instillation and aspiration of two 250-mL boluses of saline (0.9% NaCl) solution through an endoscope (study 1). To evaluate the effects of saline solution, horses were subjected to the same procedure without saline solution instillation and aspiration (study 2). Lastly, the endoscope was similarly introduced into the lower airways, without sedation or saline instillation and aspiration (study 3). Respiratory mechanics were performed at baseline (time 0) and at 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours after each procedure. RESULTS In study 1, BAL induced a significant decrease in pulmonary resistance lasting up to 6 hours. This may have resulted from clearance of mucus in large airways. We also observed a significant increase in lung elastance and transpulmonary pressure at 12 hours after BAL in all 3 studies, which may be attributed to a circadian effect. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Our results indicate that the temporal effects of BAL procedures on lung mechanics should be taken into account when designing research protocols involving horses with heaves. Future studies should address the immediate effects of BAL on lung function.
Birth weight and cognitive function in the British 1946 birth cohort: longitudinal population based study

OBJECTIVE To examine the association between birth weight and cognitive function in the normal population. DESIGN A longitudinal, population based, birth cohort study. PARTICIPANTS 3900 males and females born in 1946. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Cognitive function from childhood to middle life (measured at ages 8, 11, 15, 26, and 43 years). RESULTS Birth weight was significantly and positively associated with cognitive ability at age 8 (with an estimated standard deviation score of 0.44 (95% confidence interval 0.28 to 0.59)) between the lowest and highest birthweight categories after sex, father's social class, mother's education, and birth order were controlled for. This association was evident across the normal birthweight range (>2.5 kg) and so was not accounted for exclusively by low birth weight. The association was also observed at ages 11, 15, and 26, and weakly at age 43, although these associations were dependent on the association at age 8. Birth weight was also associated with education, with those of higher birth weight more likely to have achieved higher qualifications, and this effect was accounted for partly by cognitive function at age 8. CONCLUSIONS Birth weight was associated with cognitive ability at age 8 in the general population, and in the normal birthweight range. The effect at this age largely explains associations between birth weight and cognitive function at subsequent ages. Similarly, the association between birth weight and education was accounted for partly by earlier cognitive scores.