Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cytokine and Chemokine Profile in Individuals with Different Degrees of Periportal Fibrosis due to Schistosoma mansoni Infection

Periportal fibrosis in schistosomiasis has been associated to the host immune response to parasite antigens. We evaluated the immune response in S. mansoni infected individuals with different degrees of periportal fibrosis. Cytokine and chemokines were measured in serum and in supernatants of PBMC cultures stimulated with the soluble adult worm (SWAP) or egg (SEA) antigens, using a sandwich ELISA. The levels of IL-5 in response to SEA were higher in individuals with moderate to severe fibrosis (310.9 pg/mL) compared to individuals without fibrosis (36.8 pg/mL; P = 0.0418). There was also a higher production of TNF-α in cultures stimulated with SWAP in patients with insipient fibrosis (1446 pg/mL) compared to those without fibrosis (756.1 pg/mL; P = 0.0319). The serum levels of IL-13 and MIP-1α were higher in subjects without fibrosis than in those with moderate to severe fibrosis. However a positive association between serum levels of IL-13, TNF-α, MIP-1α, and RANTES and S. mansoni parasite burden was found. From these data we conclude that IL-5 and TNF-α may participate in liver pathology in schistosomiasis. The positive association between IL-13, TNF-α, MIP-1α, and RANTES with parasite burden, however, might predict the development of liver pathology.
On Ω 1 -categorical but Not Ω-categorical Theories

1 ABSTRACT By generalizing to model theory notions connected with dimension, it is shown that certain theories categorical in uncountable powers have countably many de-numerable isomorphism types which are arranged in an ω + 1 sequence under the ordering of the possibility of elementary imbedding. It is also shown that any countable elementary extension of a denumerable saturated model of a theory categorical in uncountable powers is saturated. PREFACE This thesis should be readable by anyone with a little background in logic; an excellent place to get such a background is the expository paper [7] of R. L. Vaught. Professor Vaught pointed out an error in a preliminary version of this paper and made several useful suggestions about how to proceed. Professor M. Morley in letters and conversation was most helpful and, in particular, pointed out to me a theorem which is implicit in [3] that turned out to be the key to applying the results of Chapter 1 of this thesis to theories categorical in ω 1 but not ω. I would like to take this opportunity to thank both of these men. I would like to thank my advisor, Professor Donald Kreider, who was more than generous with his time and help.
Metastatic neoplasms of the brain stem.

THOUGH the literature of the past 50 years abounds with reports dealing with intracranial neoplasms,118 specific attention to involvement of the brain stem is lacking in most. The authors who do mention such involvement list a frequency rate ranging from 2.8 to 17.6% of cases, with an overall average of 81%^8'*' i2, is, i<7,19-21 Although these statistics confirm the presence of metastases at the time of death, it is a clinical concept that symptomatic brain stem metastases are so rare that they virtually never occur. Our review of metastatic neoplasms of the brain stem, from both the pathological and clinical points of view, was prompted by autopsies, within a very short period, on three patients whose primary neurological disorder was due to metastatic carcinoma of the brain
Active Tuberculosis Is Associated with Worse Clinical Outcomes in HIV-Infected African Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy

Objective This cohort study utilized data from a large HIV treatment program in western Kenya to describe the impact of active tuberculosis (TB) on clinical outcomes among African patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART). Design We included all patients initiating ART between March 2004 and November 2007. Clinical (signs and symptoms), radiological (chest radiographs) and laboratory (mycobacterial smears, culture and tissue histology) criteria were used to record the diagnosis of TB disease in the program’s electronic medical record system. Methods We assessed the impact of TB disease on mortality, loss to follow-up (LTFU) and incident AIDS-defining events (ADEs) through Cox models and CD4 cell and weight response to ART by non-linear mixed models. Results We studied 21,242 patients initiating ART–5,186 (24%) with TB; 62% female; median age 37 years. There were proportionately more men in the active TB (46%) than in the non-TB (35%) group. Adjusting for baseline HIV-disease severity, TB patients were more likely to die (hazard ratio – HR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.18–1.47) or have incident ADEs (HR = 1.31, 95% CI: 1.19–1.45). They had lower median CD4 cell counts (77 versus 109), weight (52.5 versus 55.0 kg) and higher ADE risk at baseline (CD4-adjusted odds ratio = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.31–1.85). ART adherence was similarly good in both groups. Adjusting for gender and baseline CD4 cell count, TB patients experienced virtually identical rise in CD4 counts after ART initiation as those without. However, the overall CD4 count at one year was lower among patients with TB (251 versus 269 cells/µl). Conclusions Clinically detected TB disease is associated with greater mortality and morbidity despite salutary response to ART. Data suggest that identifying HIV patients co-infected with TB earlier in the HIV-disease trajectory may not fully address TB-related morbidity and mortality.
Millimeter wave properties of photo-illuminated Double Drift indium phosphide IMPATTs at elevated temperature

The millimeter-wave properties of double drift region (p+ p n n+ type) InP IMPATT diodes are studied for the first time at elevated junction temperature. The study indicates that the device is capable of generating a CW power of 427.0 mW and 358.4 mW at 95 GHz and 145 GHz frequencies respectively. The effects of optical-illumination on the high frequency properties of the device are investigated through a simulation technique. The study reveals that the photo-generated leakage current reduces the RF power output and negative resistance of the devices along with an upward shift of operating frequency. The effect of illumination on the millimeter-wave properties of the diode is found to be more pronounced at higher window frequency (140 GHz) than at lower window frequency (94 GHz).
Endocytosis of VAMP is facilitated by a synaptic vesicle targeting signal

After synaptic vesicles fuse with the plasma membrane and release their contents, vesicle membrane proteins recycle by endocytosis and are targeted to newly formed synaptic vesicles. The membrane traffic of an epitope-tagged form of VAMP-2 (VAMP-TAg) was observed in transfected cells to identify sequence requirements for recycling of a synaptic vesicle membrane protein. In the neuroendocrine PC12 cell line VAMP-TAg is found not only in synaptic vesicles, but also in endosomes and on the plasma membrane. Endocytosis of VAMP-TAg is a rapid and saturable process. At high expression levels VAMP-TAg accumulates at the cell surface. Rapid endocytosis of VAMP-TAg also occurs in transfected CHO cells and is therefore independent of other synaptic proteins. The majority of the measured endocytosis is not directly into synaptic vesicles since mutations in VAMP-TAg that enhance synaptic vesicle targeting did not affect endocytosis. Nonetheless, mutations that inhibited synaptic vesicle targeting, in particular replacement of methionine-46 by alanine, inhibited endocytosis by 85% in PC12 cells and by 35% in CHO cells. These results demonstrate that the synaptic vesicle targeting signal is also used for endocytosis and can be recognized in cells lacking synaptic vesicles.
Rapid determination of quetiapine in blood by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Application to post‐mortem cases

A simple, fast and sensitive method for the determination of quetiapine in human blood has been developed and validated. The method involved a basic liquid–liquid extraction procedure and subsequent analysis by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, previous derivatization with bis(trimethylsilyl)‐trifluoro‐acetamide and chorotrimethylsilane (99 : 1). The methods of validation included linearity with a correlation coefficient > 0.99 over the range 0.02–1 µg ml–1, intra‐ and interday precision (always < 12%) and accuracy (mean relative error always < 12%) to meet the bioanalytical acceptance criteria. The limit of detection was 0.005 µg ml–1. The procedure was further applied to post mortems from the Institute of Legal Medicine, University of Santiago de Compostela. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
SOX2 and PI3K Cooperate to Induce and Stabilize a Squamous-Committed Stem Cell Injury State during Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma Pathogenesis

Although cancers are considered stem cell diseases, mechanisms involving stem cell alterations are poorly understood. Squamous cell carcinoma (SQCC) is the second most common lung cancer, and its pathogenesis appears to hinge on changes in the stem cell behavior of basal cells in the bronchial airways. Basal cells are normally quiescent and differentiate into mucociliary epithelia. Smoking triggers a hyperproliferative response resulting in progressive premalignant epithelial changes ranging from squamous metaplasia to dysplasia. These changes can regress naturally, even with chronic smoking. However, for unknown reasons, dysplasias have higher progression rates than earlier stages. We used primary human tracheobronchial basal cells to investigate how copy number gains in SOX2 and PIK3CA at 3q26-28, which co-occur in dysplasia and are observed in 94% of SQCCs, may promote progression. We find that SOX2 cooperates with PI3K signaling, which is activated by smoking, to initiate the squamous injury response in basal cells. This response involves SOX9 repression, and, accordingly, SOX2 and PI3K signaling levels are high during dysplasia, while SOX9 is not expressed. By contrast, during regeneration of mucociliary epithelia, PI3K signaling is low and basal cells transiently enter a SOX2LoSOX9Hi state, with SOX9 promoting proliferation and preventing squamous differentiation. Transient reduction in SOX2 is necessary for ciliogenesis, although SOX2 expression later rises and drives mucinous differentiation, as SOX9 levels decline. Frequent coamplification of SOX2 and PIK3CA in dysplasia may, thus, promote progression by locking basal cells in a SOX2HiSOX9Lo state with active PI3K signaling, which sustains the squamous injury response while precluding normal mucociliary differentiation. Surprisingly, we find that, although later in invasive carcinoma SOX9 is generally expressed at low levels, its expression is higher in a subset of SQCCs with less squamous identity and worse clinical outcome. We propose that early pathogenesis of most SQCCs involves stabilization of the squamous injury state in stem cells through copy number gains at 3q, with the pro-proliferative activity of SOX9 possibly being exploited in a subset of SQCCs in later stages.
Effects of intracoronary autologous bone marrow cells on left ventricular function in acute myocardial infarction: a systematic review and meta-analysis for randomized controlled trials

BackgroundExperimental and clinical studies have suggested that intracoronary infusion of bone marrow-derived stem/progenitor cells (BMC) may improve left ventricular function after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the efficacy and safety of BMC therapy on global left ventricular function in AMI. MethodsA systematic literature search of MEDLINE, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, EMBASE, Science Citation Index, and PUBMED from their inception to March 2007 was conducted using specific search terms. Reference lists of papers and reviews on the topic were further searched. Finally, six randomized controlled trials that comprised 517 patients were eligible for further meta-analysis. We used a standardized protocol to extract information on the included studies. ResultsCompared with the control groups, BMC therapy produced a slight improvement of the follow-up left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) [2.53%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.67–4.39, P=0.008] between 3 and 6 months. Similarly, BMC therapy also significantly improved the LVEF change from baseline to follow-up [2.88%, 95%CI: 1.69–4.08, P=0.000] compared to control groups, and the heterogeneity across the studies with regards to the follow-up LVEF (P=0.696) and the LVEF change (P=0.179). Major adverse cardiovascular events, including ventricular arrhythmia, rehospitalization for heart failure, and the composite of other cardiovascular events (cardiac death, recurrent myocardial infarction, infarct-vessel revascularization procedure, and stroke), were not significantly different between BMC therapy and control groups [relative risk (RR): 1.19, 95%CI: 0.68–2.06; RR: 1.79, 95%CI: 0.62–5.17; and RR: 1.05, 95%CI: 0.81–1.35, respectively]. ConclusionOn the basis of present evidence, intracoronary BMC infusion in patients with AMI seems to be safe and associated with slight improvement of the left ventricular ejection fraction at 3–6 months' follow-up.
A Case of Anterior Chamber Cholesterolosis Due to Coats' Disease and a Review of Reported Cases

Purpose: To present the case of an 18 month old boy with Coats' disease who was found to have anterior chamber cholesterolosis. Methods: Case presentation and review of reported cases. Results: An 18 month old boy presented with unilateral stage 3B Coats' disease without other clinical findings. Two weeks after presentation he returned with xanthocoria due to anterior chamber cholesterolosis. He subsequently developed hyphema, neovascular glaucoma, and was enucleated. His case is compared to all previously reported cases of Coats' disease leading to anterior chamber cholesterolosis. Conclusion: The presentation of anterior chamber cholesterolosis in Coats' disease can range from the incidental finding in an asymptomatic patient to acute angle closure glaucoma with pain and acutely decreased vision. Clinicians should be aware of this potential complication of Coats' disease as it denotes a poor visual prognosis.
Building Primary Care Practitioners’ Attitudes and Confidence in Mental Health Skills in a Post-Conflict Society: A Cambodian Example

Our program attempted to integrate community mental health in primary care settings in Cambodia and to evaluate the effects of training on local providers. The training program underwent an extensive evaluation to determine its impact on the mental health knowledge, confidence in performing medical and psychiatric procedures, skills and attitudes of its trainees. One hundred four Cambodian primary care practitioners (PCPs) were trained in a primary care setting in Siem Reap, Cambodia, over a 2-year period. There was a significant improvement in PCPs’ confidence in all clusters of medical and psychiatric procedures (counseling, medical evaluation, prescribing medications, psychiatric diagnosis, assessing risk for violence, traditional treatments, and treating trauma victims) comparing baseline to posttraining and baseline to 2-year follow-up (p < 0.05). Only confidence in prescribing psychotropic medications improved from posttraining to 2-year follow-up. This study supports the feasibility of training PCPs in a culturally effective manner in a postconflict society.
Operational matrices of Bernstein polynomials and their applications

The Bernstein polynomials (B-polynomials) operational matrices of integration P, differentiation D and product Ĉ are derived. A general procedure of forming these matrices are given. These matrices can be used to solve problems such as calculus of variations, differential equations, optimal control and integral equations. Illustrative examples are included to demonstrate the validity and applicability of the operational matrices.
Differential interactions between Notch and ID factors control neurogenesis by modulating Hes factor autoregulation

During embryonic and adult neurogenesis, neural stem cells (NSCs) generate the correct number and types of neurons in a temporospatial fashion. Control of NSC activity and fate is crucial for brain formation and homeostasis. Neurogenesis in the embryonic and adult brain differ considerably, but Notch signaling and inhibitor of DNA-binding (ID) factors are pivotal in both. Notch and ID factors regulate NSC maintenance; however, it has been difficult to evaluate how these pathways potentially interact. Here, we combined mathematical modeling with analysis of single-cell transcriptomic data to elucidate unforeseen interactions between the Notch and ID factor pathways. During brain development, Notch signaling dominates and directly regulates Id4 expression, preventing other ID factors from inducing NSC quiescence. Conversely, during adult neurogenesis, Notch signaling and Id2/3 regulate neurogenesis in a complementary manner and ID factors can induce NSC maintenance and quiescence in the absence of Notch. Our analyses unveil key molecular interactions underlying NSC maintenance and mechanistic differences between embryonic and adult neurogenesis. Similar Notch and ID factor interactions may be crucial in other stem cell systems. Summary: Computational analysis of transcriptome data from neural stem cells reveals key differences in the synergistic interactions between Notch and inhibitor of DNA-binding factors during embryonic and adult neurogenesis.
Application of Harmony Search to Vehicle Routing

A phenomenon-inspired meta-heuristic algorithm, harmony search, imitating music improvisation process, is introduced and applied to vehicle routing problem, then compared with one of the popular evolutionary algorithms, genetic algorithm. The harmony search algorithm conceptualized a group of musicians together trying to search for better state of harmony. This algorithm was applied to a test traffic network composed of one bus depot, one school and ten bus stops with demand by commuting students. This school bus routing example is a multi-objective problem to minimize both the number of operating buses and the total travel time of all buses while satisfying bus capacity and time window constraints. Harmony search could find good solution within the reasonable amount of time and computation.
Multicenter phase II trial of temozolomide in patients with anaplastic astrocytoma or anaplastic oligoastrocytoma at first relapse. Temodal Brain Tumor Group.

PURPOSE To determine the antitumor efficacy and safety profile of temozolomide in patients with malignant astrocytoma at first relapse. PATIENTS AND METHODS This open-label, multicenter, phase II trial enrolled 162 patients (intent-to-treat [ITT] population). After central histologic review, 111 patients were confirmed to have had an anaplastic astrocytoma (AA) or anaplastic mixed oligoastrocytoma. Chemotherapy-naive patients were treated with temozolomide 200 mg/m(2)/d. Patients previously treated with chemotherapy received temozolomide 150 mg/m(2)/d; the dose could be increased to 200 mg/m(2)/d in the absence of grade 3/4 toxicity. Therapy was administered orally on the first 5 days of a 28-day cycle. RESULTS Progression-free survival (PFS) at 6 months, the primary protocol end point, was 46% (95% confidence interval, 38% to 54%). The median PFS was 5.4 months, and PFS at 12 months was 24%. The median overall survival was 13.6 months, and the 6- and 12-month survival rates were 75% and 56%, respectively. The objective response rate determined by independent central review of gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging scans of the ITT population was 35% (8% complete response [CR], 27% partial response [PR]), with an additional 26% of patients with stable disease (SD). The median PFS for patients with SD was 4.4 months, with 33% progression-free at 6 months. Maintenance of progression-free status and objectively assessed response (CR/PR/SD) were both associated with health-related quality-of-life (HQL) benefits. Adverse events were mild to moderate, with hematologic side effects occurring in less than 10% of patients. CONCLUSION Temozolomide demonstrated good single-agent activity, an acceptable safety profile, and documented HQL benefits in patients with recurrent AA.
Achieving Optimality and Fairness in Autonomous Demand Response: Benchmarks and Billing Mechanisms

Autonomous demand response (DR) programs are scalable and result in a minimal control overhead on utilities. The idea is to equip each user with an energy consumption scheduling (ECS) device to automatically control the user's flexible load to minimize his energy expenditure, based on the updated electricity pricing information. While most prior works on autonomous DR have focused on coordinating the operation of ECS devices in order to achieve various system-wide goals, such as minimizing the total cost of generation or minimizing the peak-to-average ratio in the load demand, they fall short addressing the important issue of fairness. That is, while they usually guarantee optimality, they do not assure that the participating users are rewarded according to their contributions in achieving the overall system's design objectives. Similarly, they do not address the important problem of co-existence when only a sub-set of users participate in a deployed autonomous DR program. In this paper, we seek to tackle these shortcomings and design new autonomous DR systems that can achieve both optimality and fairness. In this regard, we first develop a centralized DR system to serve as a benchmark. Then, we develop a smart electricity billing mechanism that can enforce both optimality and fairness in autonomous DR systems in a decentralized fashion.
Condition and mass impact oxygen stores and dive duration in adult female northern elephant seals

SUMMARY The range of foraging behaviors available to deep-diving, air-breathing marine vertebrates is constrained by their physiological capacity to breath-hold dive. We measured body oxygen stores (blood volume and muscle myoglobin) and diving behavior in adult female northern elephant seals, Mirounga angustirostris, to investigate age-related effects on diving performance. Blood volume averaged 74.4±17.0 liters in female elephant seals or 20.2±2.0% of body mass. Plasma volume averaged 32.2±7.8 liters or 8.7±0.7% of body mass. Absolute plasma volume and blood volume increased independently with mass and age. Hematocrit decreased weakly with mass but did not vary with age. Muscle myoglobin concentration, while higher than previously reported (7.4±0.7 g%), did not vary with mass or age. Pregnancy status did not influence blood volume. Mean dive duration, a proxy for physiological demand, increased as a function of how long seals had been at sea, followed by mass and hematocrit. Strong effects of female body mass (range, 218-600 kg) on dive duration, which were independent of oxygen stores, suggest that larger females had lower diving metabolic rates. A tendency for dives to exceed calculated aerobic limits occurred more frequently later in the at-sea migration. Our data suggest that individual physiological state variables and condition interact to determine breath-hold ability and that both should be considered in life-history studies of foraging behavior.