Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is laparoscopic donor nephrectomy the new criterion standard?

HYPOTHESIS The posttransplantation renal function outcomes between consecutive open donor and laparoscopic donor nephrectomies (LDNs) are similar and affect living donation. DESIGN Using the medical records of renal living donor-recipient pairs, 36 consecutive open donor nephrectomies were compared with the subsequent 100 LDNs. Data collected on donor characteristics included demographics (age, race, sex, weight, and height), renal vascular and ureteral anatomical features, surgical information (blood loss, number of blood transfusions, operating time, warm ischemia time, and renal injury), complications, and length of hospital stay. Recipients' data also included renal function information (serum creatinine level on postoperative days 7 and 30) and ureteral complications during the initial hospital stay. SETTING A not-for-profit tertiary care teaching hospital in a metropolitan area. PATIENTS Adults who had end-stage renal disease and received a living donation kidney. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Operative time, warm ischemia time, blood loss, and posttransplantation serum creatinine level. RESULTS Patient characteristics were not significantly different between the open donor nephrectomy and LDN groups. No right kidney LDNs were done because of the shortness of the right renal vein; and, after the initial experience, left kidneys with more than 2 arteries were excluded. Warm ischemia time was recorded only for LDN, and it was found that a warm ischemia time of 10 minutes or longer was associated with difficulty in extraction and was uniformly associated with elevated mean serum creatinine levels on postoperative day 7. CONCLUSIONS The length of hospital stay was decreased and cosmetic result enhanced. The number of living donors has increased from 28 in 1997 to 53 in 1998 and to 63 in 1999 at our institution. The length of hospital stay, incidence of complications, and comparable kidney quality indicate that LDN should be the initiating procedure for most patients.
Prevalence of urinary incontinence and probable risk factors in a sample of kurdish women.

OBJECTIVES The most common manifestation of pelvic floor dysfunction is urinary incontinence (UI) which affects 15-50% of adult women depending on the age and risk factors of the population studied. The aim of this study was to determine the probable risk factors associated with UI; the characteristics of women with UI; describe the types of UI, and determine its prevalence. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted between February and August 2011, in the Maternity Teaching Hospital of the Erbil Governorate, Kurdistan Region, northern Iraq. It included 1,107 women who were accompanying patients admitted to the hospital. A questionnaire designed by the researchers was used for data collection. A chi-square test was used to test the significance of the association between UI and different risk factors. Binary logistic regression was used, considering UI as the dependent variable. RESULTS The overall prevalence of UI was 51.7%. The prevalence of stress, urgency, and mixed UI was 5.4%, 13.3% and 33%, respectively. There was a significant positive association between UI and menopause, multiparity, diabetes mellitus (DM), chronic cough, constipation, and a history of gynaecological surgery, while a significant negative association was detected between UI and a history of delivery by both vaginal delivery and Caesarean section. CONCLUSION A high prevalence of UI was detected in the studied sample, and the most probable risk factors were multiparity, menopausal status, constipation, chronic cough, and DM.
Race and Ethnic Differences in Hope and Hopelessness as Moderators of the Association Between Depressive Symptoms and Suicidal Behavior

Abstract Objective: The authors examined trait hope and hopelessness as potential moderators of the association between depressive symptoms and suicidal behavior. Participants: A diverse sample of 372 college students. Methods: Depressive symptoms, hopelessness (Beck Hopelessness Scale), trait hope (Trait Hope Scale), and suicidal behaviors were assessed. Trait hope is defined as confidence in the ability to identify and attain goals, whereas hopelessness encompasses future attitudes and motivation loss. Results: In independent models, low hopelessness buffered the association between depressive symptoms and suicidal behavior for our whole sample, blacks, and whites, whereas trait hope buffered for Hispanics and whites. Examined simultaneously, hope remained a significant moderator only in whites and hopelessness only in blacks. These findings suggest that etiological and outcome correlates of hope and hopelessness may differ by ethnicity. Conclusions: These findings may have implications for development of culturally targeted interventions for college students that strive to simultaneously reduce hopelessness and bolster hopefulness.
Intakes of Dietary Fiber, Vegetables, and Fruits and Incidence of Cardiovascular Disease in Japanese Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE Foods rich in fiber, such as vegetables and fruits, prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) among healthy adults, but such data in patients with diabetes are sparse. We investigated this association in a cohort with type 2 diabetes aged 40–70 years whose HbA1c values were ≥ 6.5% in Japan Diabetes Society values. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In this cohort study, 1,414 patients were analyzed after exclusion of patients with history of CVDs and nonresponders to a dietary survey. Primary outcomes were times to stroke and coronary heart disease (CHD). Hazard ratios (HRs) of dietary intake were estimated by Cox regression adjusted for systolic blood pressure, lipids, energy intake, and other confounders. RESULTS Mean daily dietary fiber in quartiles ranged from 8.7 to 21.8 g, and mean energy intake ranged from 1,442.3 to 2,058.9 kcal. Mean daily intake of vegetables and fruits in quartiles ranged from 228.7 to 721.4 g. During the follow-up of a median of 8.1 years, 68 strokes and 96 CHDs were observed. HRs for stroke in the fourth quartile vs. the first quartile were 0.39 (95% CI 0.12–1.29, P = 0.12) for dietary fiber and 0.35 (0.13–0.96, P = 0.04) for vegetables and fruits. There were no significant associations with CHD. The HR per 1-g increase was smaller for soluble dietary fiber (0.48 [95% CI 0.30–0.79], P < 0.01) than for total (0.82 [0.73–0.93], P < 0.01) and insoluble (0.79 [0.68–0.93], P < 0.01) dietary fiber. CONCLUSIONS Increased dietary fiber, particularly soluble fiber, and vegetables and fruits were associated with lower incident stroke but not CHD in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Cancer Therapy With Tetrathiomolybdate: Antiangiogenesis by Lowering Body Copper—A Review

A new anticopper drug, tetrathiomolybdate (TM), developed for Wilson’s disease, is a very promising antiangiogenic agent. Copper levels lowered into an antiangiogenic window by TM have shown efficacy against cancer in a variety of animal models as well as in patients. The only significant toxicity so far results from over treatment and excessive bone marrow depletion of copper. The resulting anemia and/or leukopenia is easily treatable by dose reduction or drug holiday. The underlying concept for TM efficacy as an anticancer agent is that when the body’s copper status is in the window, cellular copper needs are met and toxicity is avoided. Copper status is relatively easily monitored by following serum ceruloplasmin, a copper-containing protein secreted by the liver at a rate dependent upon the amount of copper in the liver available to incorporate into the protein. The authors speculate that the copper level is a primitive angiogenesis and growth-signaling regulator that has been retained throughout evolution.
Involvement of the spore coat in germination of Bacillus cereus T spores

Bacillus cereus T spores were prepared on fortified nutrient agar, and the spore coat and outer membrane were extracted by 0.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate-100 mM dithiothreitol in 0.1 M sodium chloride (SDS-DTT) at pH 10.5 (coat-defective spores). Coat-defective spores in L-alanine plus adenosine germinated slowly and to a lesser extent than spores not treated with SDS-DTT, as determined by decrease in absorbance and release of dipicolinic acid and Ca2+. Spores germinated in calcium dipicolinate only after treatment with SDS-DTT. Biphasic and triphasic germination kinetics were observed with normal and coat-defective spores, respectively, in an environment with temperature increasing from 20 to 65 degrees C at a rate of 1 degree C/min. Therefore, the physical and biochemical processes involved in germination are modified by coat removal. The data suggest that a portion of the germination apparatus located interior to the coat may be protected by the coat and outer membrane or that the coat and outer membrane otherwise enhance germination in L-alanine plus adenosine. When coat-defective spores were heat activated with the dialyzed (12,000-Mr cutoff) components extracted from the spores, germination of the SDS-DTT-treated spores was enhanced; thus, one or more components located in the spore coat or outer membrane with a molecular weight greater than 12,000 were essential for fast germination.
An Examination of the Role of Local and Distant Knowledge Spillovers on the US Regional Knowledge Creation

This article examines the role of academic and private R&D spending in the frame of a knowledge production function estimated across 3,109 US counties. We distinguish the role of local, face-to-face, knowledge spillovers that are determined by geographical proximity from distant spillovers captured by a matrix of patent creation–citation flows. The advantage of the latter matrix is its capacity to capture the direction of the spillovers. We control for the spatial heterogeneity between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties as well as between states. Our empirical results show that spillovers due to private knowledge contribute to higher returns in metropolitan counties than in nonmetropolitan regions. On the other hand, knowledge created in the academia leads to spillovers displaying spatially homogeneous returns. Our results imply that future innovation policies need to grasp more fully the role of distant knowledge spillovers, especially those generated in the academia, and recognize better the presence of heterogeneity in the sources and location of knowledge creation.
Structural separation logic

This thesis presents structural separation logic, a novel program reasoning approach for software that manipulates both standard heaps and structured data such as lists and trees. Structural separation logic builds upon existing work in both separation logic and context logic. It considers data abstractly, much as it is exposed by library interfaces, ignoring implementation details. We provide a programming language that works over structural heaps, which are similar to standard heaps but allow data to be stored in an abstract form. We introduce abstract heaps, which extend structural heaps to enable local reasoning about abstract data. Such data can be split up with structural addresses. Structural addresses allow sub-data (e.g. a sub-tree within a tree) to be abstractly allocated, promoting the sub-data to an abstract heap cell. This cell can be analysed in isolation, then re-joined with the original data. We show how the tight footprints this allows can be refined further with promises, which enable abstract heap cells to retain information about the context from which they were allocated. We prove that our approach is sound with respect to a standard Hoare logic. We study two large examples. Firstly, we present an axiomatic semantics for the Document Object Model in structural separation logic. We demonstrate how structural separation logic allows abstract reasoning about the DOM tree using tighter footprints than were possible in previous work. Secondly, we give a novel presentation of the POSIX file system library. We identify a subset of the large POSIX standard that focuses on the file system, including commands that manipulate both the file heap and the directory structure. Axioms for this system are given using structural separation logic. As file system resources are typically identified by paths, we use promises to give tight footprints to commands, so that that they do not require all the resource needed to explain paths being used. We demonstrate our reasoning using a software installer example.
A Pharmacogenetic Approach to Identify Mutant Forms of α-Galactosidase A that Respond to a Pharmacological Chaperone for Fabry Disease

Fabry disease is caused by mutations in the gene (GLA) that encodes α‐galactosidase A (α‐Gal A). The iminosugar AT1001 (GR181413A, migalastat hydrochloride, 1‐deoxygalactonojirimycin) is a pharmacological chaperone that selectively binds and stabilizes α‐Gal A, increasing total cellular levels and activity for some mutant forms (defined as “responsive”). In this study, we developed a cell‐based assay in cultured HEK‐293 cells to identify mutant forms of α‐Gal A that are responsive to AT1001. Concentration‐dependent increases in α‐Gal A activity in response to AT1001 were shown for 49 (60%) of 81 mutant forms. The responses of α‐Gal A mutant forms were generally consistent with the responses observed in male Fabry patient‐derived lymphoblasts. Importantly, the HEK‐293 cell responses of 19 α‐Gal A mutant forms to a clinically achievable concentration of AT1001 (10 µM) were generally consistent with observed increases in α‐Gal A activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from male Fabry patients orally administered AT1001 during Phase 2 clinical studies. This indicates that the cell‐based responses can identify mutant forms of α‐Gal A that are likely to respond to AT1001 in vivo. Thus, the HEK‐293 cell‐based assay may be a useful aid in the identification of Fabry patients with AT1001‐responsive mutant forms. Hum Mutat 32:1–13, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cleft Lip and Palate : Etiological Factors , A Review

Congenital cleft-Lip and cleft palate have been the subject of many genetic studies, but until recently there has been no consensus as to their modes of inheritance. Infact, claims have been made for just about every genetic mechanism one can think of. Recently, however, evidence has been accumulating that favors a multifactorial basis for these malformations. The purpose of the present paper is to present the etiology of cleft lip and cleft palate both the genetic and the environmental factors. It is suggested that genetic basis for divers kinds of common or uncommon congenital malformations may very well be homogeneous, while, at the same, the environmental basis
Selection for Simple Major Surface Protein 2 Variants during Anaplasma marginale Transmission to Immunologically Naïve Animals

ABSTRACT Anaplasma marginale, a rickettsial pathogen, evades clearance in the animal host by antigenic variation. Under immune selection, A. marginale expresses complex major surface protein 2 mosaics, derived from multiple donor sequences. However, these mosaics have a selective advantage only in the presence of adaptive immunity and are rapidly replaced by simple variants following transmission.
Experimental Demonstration on 2.5-m Spatial Resolution and 1 $^{\circ}$C Temperature Uncertainty Over Long-Distance BOTDA With Combined Raman Amplification and Optical Pulse Coding

The combination of Raman amplification and optical pulse coding (OPC) is proposed to reduce the frequency uncertainty in a long-distance Brillouin optical time-domain analyzer (BOTDA) under higher spatial resolution. The experimental characterization of temperature sensing with measurement accuracy ~ 1°C under ~ 2.5-m spatial resolution over a whole length of sensing fiber is demonstrated. The sensing fiber is composed of 49.6-km fiber at 10.8-GHz Brillouin frequency shift (BFS) and 25-km fiber at 11.005 GHz.
Antiaging Properties of a Grape-Derived Antioxidant Are Regulated by Mitochondrial Balance of Fusion and Fission Leading to Mitophagy Triggered by a Signaling Network of Sirt1-Sirt3-Foxo3-PINK1-PARKIN

It was proposed that resveratrol, a polyphenolic antioxidant and a calorie restriction mimetic could promote longevity but subsequent studies could not prove this. The original proposal was based on the fact that a grape-derived antioxidant could activate the antiaging gene Sirt1. Most studies agree that indeed grape activates Sirt1, but a question remains whether Sirt1 is the cause or consequence of resveratrol treatment. Subsequently, mitochondrial Sirt3 was found to be activated. The present study on ischemic reperfusion (I/R) in rat hearts demonstrates that Foxo3a is activated subsequent to Sirt3 activation, which then activates PINK1. PINK1 potentiates activation of PARKIN leading to the activation of mitochondrial fission and mitophagy. Confocal microscopy conclusively shows the coexistence of Sirt3 with Foxo3a and Foxo3a with PINK1 and PARKIN. Mitophagy was demonstrated both by confocal microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Western blot analyses data are consistent with the results of confocal microscopy. It appears that the grape-derived antioxidant modifies the intracellular environment by changing the oxidizing milieu into a reducing milieu and upregulating intracellular glutathione, potentiates a signal transduction cascade consisting of Sirt1/Sirt3-Foxo3a-PINK1-PARKIN-mitochondrial fusion fission-mitophagy that leads to cardioprotection, and paves the way to an anti-aging environment.
How sensitive (second-generation) thyroglobulin measurement is changing paradigms for monitoring patients with differentiated thyroid cancer, in the absence or presence of thyroglobulin autoantibodies

Purpose of reviewTo discuss new insights regarding how sensitive (second-generation) thyroglobulin immunometric assays (Tg2GIMAs), (functional sensitivities ⩽0.10 &mgr;g/L) necessitate different approaches for postoperative thyroglobulin monitoring of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), depending on the presence of thyroglobulin autoantibodies (TgAbs). Recent findingsReliable low-range serum thyroglobulin measurement has both enhanced clinical utility and economic advantages, provided TgAb is absent (∼75% DTC patients). Basal [nonthyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) stimulated] Tg2GIMA measurement obviates the need for recombinant human TSH stimulation because basal Tg2GIMA below 0.20 &mgr;g/L has comparable negative predictive value (>95%) to recombinant human TSH-stimulated thyroglobulin values below the cutoff of 2 &mgr;g/L. Now that radioiodine remnant ablation is no longer considered necessary to treat low-risk DTC, the trend and doubling time of low basal thyroglobulin values arising from postsurgical thyroid remnants have recognized prognostic significance. The major limitation of Tg2GIMA testing is interference by TgAb (∼25% DTC patients), causing Tg2GIMA underestimation that can mask disease. When TgAb is present, the trend in TgAb concentrations (measured by the same method) can serve as the primary (surrogate) tumor-marker and be augmented by thyroglobulin measured by a TgAb-resistant class of method (radioimmunoassay or liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry). SummaryThe growing use of Tg2GIMA measurement is changing paradigms for postoperative DTC monitoring. When TgAb is absent, it is optimal to monitor the basal Tg2GIMA trend and doubling time (using the same method) in preference to recombinant human TSH-stimulated thyroglobulin testing. When TgAb is present, interference renders Tg2GIMA testing unreliable and the trend in serum TgAb concentrations per se (same method) can serve as a (surrogate) tumor-marker.
Pharmacokinetics and Safety of Golimumab, a Fully Human Anti‐TNF‐α Monoclonal Antibody, in Subjects With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Golimumab is a fully human antitumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α) monoclonal antibody that is being developed for intravenous and subcutaneous administration. To assess the pharmacokinetics and safety of the intravenous formulation of golimumab, 36 adult subjects with rheumatoid arthritis were randomly assigned to receive a single infusion of placebo or golimumab (0.1, 0.3, 1, 3, 6, or 10 mg/kg). Serum concentrations of golimumab were determined using a validated enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay method. In addition to the noncompartmental analysis and compartmental modeling, a population pharmacokinetics analysis using NONMEM was also conducted. Both the maximum serum concentration and the area under the serum concentration‐time curve appeared to increase in a dose‐proportional manner. The median half‐life ranged from 7 to 20 days. A 2‐compartment population pharmacokinetic model adequately described the pharmacokinetics of golimumab. The following pharmacokinetic parameters (typical value [% coefficient of variation]) were estimated from the population pharmacokinetic model: clearance (CL: 0.40 [10.1%] L/d), volume of distribution in the central compartment (Vc: 3.07 [6.4%] L), intercompartmental clearance (Q: 0.42 [15.5%] L/d), and volume of distribution in the peripheral compartment (Vp: 3.68 [11.8%] L). Interindividual variability of the pharmacokinetic parameters was quantified for CL (44.3%), Vc (25.5%), Q (44.6%), and Vp (44.6%). Residual variability was estimated to be 15.0%. Body weight was found to be an important covariate on Vc. Golimumab was generally well tolerated. The pharmacokinetics of golimumab appeared to be linear over the dose range evaluated in this study.
Skin microbiome in melanomas and melanocytic nevi

BackgroundHigh-throughput DNA sequencing has shown that the cutaneous microbiome varies due to different exogenous and endogenous factors.ObjectivesTo characterize the microbiome of cutaneous melanomas and melanocytic nevi.Material and MethodsNon-invasive swab specimens were taken from 15 cutaneous melanomas and 17 benign melanocytic nevi. Partial sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene was carried out on the 454 GS-FLX Titanium platform and the resulting sequence data was analysed by bioinformatics and statistical methods.Results95% of the OTUs (Operational Taxonomic Units) belonged to four phyla: Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. The genus Propionibacterium was overall the mostcommongenus, followed by Staphylococcus and Corynebacterium. Statistical analysis showed no significant differences in the relative abundances of bacterial genera or bacterial diversity between the patient groups. Melanoma samples showed a marginally decreased cutaneous microbial diversity.ConclusionOur data suggests that the skin microbiome may not be a useful diagnostic tool for melanoma and melanocytic nevi.
Analytical calculation and analysis of electromagnetic torque for a skewed brushless DC motor with Halbach array

The Halbach array is applied in the skewed brushless DC motor for improving electromagnetic torque. The paper analytical calculate the open circuit field and the armature field in the motor with Halbach arrays. There are two types in the Halbach arrays, one is each pole with two segments of magnet(1P2s) and another is each pole with three segments of magnet(1P3s). The electromagnetic torque is calculated by integrating the Maxwell stress tensor inside the air gap. Then, the Halbach arrays are optimized using the analytical method in order to improve the electromagnetic torque. The correctness of the torque analytical calculation is verified by the torque measure experiment and the finite element method (FEM). The optimal magnetizing is obtained by using the analytical calculation method in the skewed BLDC motor with the Habach arrays.