Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Glucocorticoids

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are widely used for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Their mechanism of action is most commonly rooted in genomic effects that have both beneficial and adverse consequences. The purpose of this review is to discuss the potential complications and side effects that may occur with GC use. Many of these complications are related to the dose and duration of therapy used. Evidence-based preventative strategies are discussed. Many recommendations are based on expert opinion and not on strong evidence. A 54-year-old man presents with proximal upper and lower extremity weakness. There are no rashes. The antinuclear antibody is negative; the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C reactive protein are 24 mm/h and 3 mg/dL, respectively. An electromyography displays myopathic motor unit potentials with fibrillation and a muscle biopsy confirms polymyositis. Prednisone of 60 mg/d is initiated. What are the risks associated with GC use? What other studies and interventions should occur in this patient starting long-term GC therapy?
S-Adenosyl-L-methionine : its role in the treatment of liver disorders 1 – 4

S-Adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) exerts many key functions in the liver, including serving as a precursor for cysteine, 1 of 3 amino acids of glutathione—the major physiologic defense mechanism against oxidative stress. SAMe is particularly important in opposing the toxicity of free oxygen radicals generated by various pathogens, including alcohol, which cause oxidative stress largely by the induction of cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1) and by its metabolite acetaldehyde. SAMe also acts as the main methylating agent in the liver. The precursor of SAMe is methionine, one of the essential amino acids, which is activated by SAMe-synthetase (EC 2.5.1.6). Unfortunately, the activity of this enzyme is significantly decreased as a consequence of liver disease. Because of decreased utilization, methionine accumulates and, simultaneously, there is a decrease in SAMe that acquires the status of an essential nutrient and therefore must be provided exogenously as a supernutrient to compensate for its deficiency. Administration of this innocuous supernutrient results in many beneficial effects in various tissues, mainly in the liver, and especially in the mitochondria. This was shown in alcohol-fed baboons and in other experimental models of liver injury and in clinical trials, some of which are reviewed in other articles in this issue. Am J Clin Nutr 2002;76(suppl):1183S–7S.
'Not Too Much, Not Too Little' Wearables For Group Discussions

Here we present a social wearables prototype, i.e. a wearable that augments collocated social interaction: the Lågom. This design is meant to support people to be aware of and better regulate their verbal participation in group discussions. Lågom takes the shape of a colorful, bulky and funny looking flower that senses the wearer's speaking and responds with haptic and visual feedback. We ran a pilot study with nine people participating in a class discussion. Preliminary results show potential of the haptic feedback to increase self awareness of participation, and to help people better regulate their participation in group discussions.
Alzheimer's β-secretase, β-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme, is responsible for cleavage secretion of a Golgi-resident sialyltransferase

The deposition of amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) in the brain is closely associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease. Aβ is generated from the amyloid precursor protein (APP) by sequential action of β-secretase (BACE1) and γ-secretase. Although BACE1 is distributed among various other tissues, its physiological substrates other than APP have yet to be identified. ST6Gal I is a sialyltransferase that produces a sialylα2,6galactose residue, and the enzyme is secreted out of the cell after proteolytic cleavage. We report here that BACE1 is involved in the proteolytic cleavage of ST6Gal I, on the basis of the following observations. ST6Gal I was colocalized with BACE1 in the Golgi apparatus by immunofluorescence microscopy, suggesting that BACE1 acts on ST6Gal I within the same intracellular compartment. When BACE1 was overexpressed with ST6Gal I in COS cells, the secretion of ST6Gal I markedly increased. When APPSW (Swedish familial Alzheimer's disease mutation), a preferable substrate for BACE1, was coexpressed with ST6Gal I in COS cells, the secretion of ST6Gal I significantly decreased, suggesting that that the β-cleavage of overexpressed APPSW competes with ST6Gal I processing. In addition, BACE1-Fc (Fc, the hinge and constant region of IgG) chimera cleaved protein A-ST6Gal I fusion protein in vitro. Thus, we conclude that BACE1 is responsible for the cleavage and secretion of ST6Gal I.
TRIP-assisted Thin Sheet Steel with a Bainitic and/or Martensitic Matrix

TRIP-assisted thin sheet steel with a bainitic and/or martensitic matrix was developed and industrially produced. The influence of alloying concepts and heat treatments on phase transformations, microstructures, and mechanical properties of the steels was investigated. Advanced elongations and edge formability were achieved for the newly designed sheet steels with tensile strengths of 980 and 1180 MPa.
Molecular epidemiological study of hepatitis B virus genotypes in Southwest, China

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is highly endemic in Southwest China; an area with many ethnic minorities. Information about the genetic distribution of HBV is still limited. In 2010, a multistage cluster sampling method was carried out in the Southwest China. Five hundred forty serum samples of participants were collected. Polymerase chain reaction followed by nucleotide sequencing of parts of the HBV S and C genes was performed. HBV genotype and subgenotype were determined. Recombination analysis was carried out. HBV infectious markers, HBV DNA and mutations in the basic core promoter (BCP) A1762T/G1764A and G1896A were analyzed. The results show us that HBV genotypes C/D recombinant (38.6%), B (31.6%), and C (23.3%), were predominant in Southwest China. C/D4 (96.8%) was endemic in the Tibetan and B2 (43.5%) in Han, and C1 (66.7%) was predominant in the Yi minority. 67.5% (56/83) of genotype C/D was Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive/Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positive/HBV DNA≥20,000 IU/ml, BCP A1762T/G1764A double mutation was frequent in genotype C and C/D, and G1896A was frequent in B and B/C. Thus, HBV genotypes distribution differed significantly in area and minority in Southwest China. C/D recombinant is endemic in the Tibetan, while B, C genotypes are predominant in Han minority. C/D recombinant exhibits higher frequency with HBeAg positive, high level of HBV DNA and BCP A1762T/G1764A double mutation. J. Med. Virol. 86:1307–1313, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Factors Associated With Oncologic Outcomes After Abdominoperineal Resection Compared With Restorative Resection for Low Rectal Cancer: Patient- and Tumor-Related or Technical Factors Only?

BACKGROUND: Previous reports suggest that patients with rectal cancer undergoing abdominoperineal resection have worse oncologic outcomes in comparison with those undergoing restorative rectal resection. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess factors influencing oncologic outcomes for patients undergoing surgery for rectal cancer. DESIGN: This study is a retrospective review of prospectively gathered data. SETTING: Data were gathered from a prospective cancer database. PATIENTS: Patients were included who underwent radical resection for mid and lower third rectal cancer (1991–2006). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcomes measured were the impact of various factors on perioperative outcomes, local recurrence, and disease-free survival for patients undergoing abdominoperineal resection. RESULTS: Four hundred thirteen (29%) patients underwent abdominoperineal resection and 993 (71%) underwent restorative resection for rectal cancer. Patients with abdominoperineal resection were older (p < 0.0001), had a higher mean ASA score (p < 0.001), worse tumor differentiation (p < 0.001), and higher tumor stage (p = 0.0001). Although overall morbidity was lower in the abdominoperineal resection group (p = 0.001), the length of stay was greater (p < 0.001). After a similar period of follow-up (5.2 ± 3.9 vs 5.3 ± 3.4 y, p = 0.58), local recurrence (7% vs 3%, p = 0.02) was higher after abdominoperineal resection, but overall survival (56% vs 71%, p < 0.001) and disease-free survival (54% vs 70%, p < 0.001) were lower. On multivariate analysis, higher stage, poor tumor differentiation, involved margins, and older age were associated with worse survival, whereas higher stage, poor tumor differentiation, and abdominoperineal resection were associated with greater recurrence. These worse oncologic outcomes persisted even when the groups were stratified based on the location of the cancer in mid or distal rectum and for patients with a clear circumferential margin. LIMITATION: This study was limited by its retrospective nature. CONCLUSION: Technical factors alone are unlikely to be responsible for the worse outcomes after abdominoperineal resection in comparison with restorative resection. A combination of patient- and tumor-related factors that may have indicated the choice of the procedure also probably contribute to the worse outcomes. Because patients undergoing abdominoperineal resection represent a high risk for poor outcomes, management strategies need to consider all these factors during treatment.
General considerations in hypospadias surgery

Nonsystemic review of the literature was done for timing of surgery, preoperative evaluation and plan, anesthesia, suture materials, magnification, tissue handling, stent and diversion problems, intra and postoperative care, dressing, and follow-up protocol. The best time for hypospadias repair is between 6 and 18 months. Preoperative evaluation in proximal hypospadias includes hormonal and radiological examination for intersex disorders, as well as for upper tract anomalies along with routine evaluation. General anesthesia is a rule but local blocks help in reducing the postoperative pain. Magnification, gentle tissue handling, use of microsurgical instruments, and appropriate-sized stent for adequate period help in improving the results. Hormonal stimulation is useful to improve growth and vascularity of urethral plate and decrease the severity of chordee in poorly developed urethral plate with severe curvature. Urethral plate preservation urethroplasty with spongioplasty is the procedure of choice in both proximal and distal hypospadias. Algorithms are proposed for management of hypospadias both with curvature and without curvature. Two-stage urethroplasty has its own indications. A good surgical outcome may be achieved following basic surgical principles of microsurgery, fine suture materials, choosing one or two-stage repair as appropriate, proper age of surgery, and with good postoperative care. Future of hypospadiology is bright with up coming newer modalities like laser shouldering, robotics, and tissue engineering.
Beagle: Automated Extraction and Interpretation of Visualizations from the Web

"How common is interactive visualization on the web? " "What is the most popular visualization design? " "How prevalent are pie charts really? " These questions intimate the role of interactive visualization in the real (online) world. In this paper, we present our approach (and findings) to answering these questions. First, we introduce Beagle, which mines the web for SVG-based visualizations and automatically classifies them by type (i.e., bar, pie, etc.). With Beagle, we extract over 41,000 visualizations across five different tools and repositories, and classify them with 85% accuracy, across 24 visualization types. Given this visualization collection, we study usage across tools. We find that most visualizations fall under four types: bar charts, line charts, scatter charts, and geographic maps. Though controversial, pie charts are relatively rare for the visualization tools that were studied. Our findings also suggest that the total visualization types supported by a given tool could factor into its ease of use. However this effect appears to be mitigated by providing a variety of diverse expert visualization examples to users.
A Retrospective Study of Viral Status of Human Plasma for Practical Classes

At the University of South Australia, we train health professionals to handle and analyse blood and blood products. Approximately 250 students annually use blood products. Most of these students are inexperienced blood handlers and it is a priority to minimise their exposure to infectious agents. Approximately 65 students per year are enrolled in immunohaematology course. The Australian Red Cross Blood Service in Adelaine (ARCBS) is the source of plasma used to teach red cell antibody screening and identification. Currently, we are using plasma obtained from donors collected after 1991 and stored at –70°C. Before plasma is used in practical classes, the titre and specificity of antibodies to red cell antigens are tested. Commercial reagents may be added to adjust the antibody titre. Because antibody-containing plasma is a finite resource, any plasma mixture surplus after the class is pooled and stored at –70°C for use in subsequent classes. The frozen plasma stock includes plasma collected since 1991 that is currently used for practical classes, and plasma collected between 1972 and 1991 on which only limited screening for infectious agents had been performed. We submitted aliquots of all of our stored plasma to ARCBS for screening for infectious agents.
Computationally modeling interpersonal trust

We present a computational model capable of predicting—above human accuracy—the degree of trust a person has toward their novel partner by observing the trust-related nonverbal cues expressed in their social interaction. We summarize our prior work, in which we identify nonverbal cues that signal untrustworthy behavior and also demonstrate the human mind's readiness to interpret those cues to assess the trustworthiness of a social robot. We demonstrate that domain knowledge gained from our prior work using human-subjects experiments, when incorporated into the feature engineering process, permits a computational model to outperform both human predictions and a baseline model built in naiveté of this domain knowledge. We then present the construction of hidden Markov models to investigate temporal relationships among the trust-related nonverbal cues. By interpreting the resulting learned structure, we observe that models built to emulate different levels of trust exhibit different sequences of nonverbal cues. From this observation, we derived sequence-based temporal features that further improve the accuracy of our computational model. Our multi-step research process presented in this paper combines the strength of experimental manipulation and machine learning to not only design a computational trust model but also to further our understanding of the dynamics of interpersonal trust.
Fibroblast growth factor signalling in multiple sclerosis: inhibition of myelination and induction of pro-inflammatory environment by FGF9

The failure of remyelination in multiple sclerosis is largely unexplained. Lindner et al. report that glial cells in demyelinating lesions show increased expression of fibroblast growth factor 9 (FGF9). This induces astrocyte-dependent responses that inhibit remyelination and stimulate expression of pro-inflammatory chemokines, supporting a feedback loop that amplifies disease activity.
Capsular Switching in Invasive Neisseria meningitidis, Brazil

During the 1990s, an epidemic of B:4 Neisseria meningitidis infections affected Brazil. Subsequent increase in C:4 disease suggested B→C capsular switching. This study identified B→C switches within the sequence type 32 complex. Substantial disease related to capsular switching emphasizes the need for surveillance of circulating meningococcal strains to optimize disease control.
Direct spray drying and microencapsulation of probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri from slurry fermentation with whey

Formulations of dietary probiotics have to be robust against process conditions and have to maintain a sufficient survival rate during gastric transit. To increase efficiency of the encapsulation process and the viability of applied bacteria, this study aimed at developing spray drying and encapsulation of Lactobacillus reuteri with whey directly from slurry fermentation.
Tissue-Engineering Strategies for the Tendon/Ligament-to-Bone Insertion

Injuries to connective tissues are painful and disabling and result in costly medical expenses. These injuries often require reattachment of an unmineralized connective tissue to bone. The uninjured tendon/ligament-to-bone insertion (enthesis) is a functionally graded material that exhibits a gradual transition from soft tissue (i.e., tendon or ligament) to hard tissue (i.e., mineralized bone) through a fibrocartilaginous transition region. This transition is believed to facilitate force transmission between the two dissimilar tissues by ameliorating potentially damaging interfacial stress concentrations. The transition region is impaired or lost upon tendon/ligament injury and is not regenerated following surgical repair or natural healing, exposing the tissue to risk of reinjury. The need to regenerate a robust tendon-to-bone insertion has led a number of tissue engineering repair strategies. This review treats the tendon-to-bone insertion site as a tissue structure whose primary role is mechanical and discusses current and emerging strategies for engineering the tendon/ligament-to-bone insertion in this context. The focus lies on strategies for producing mechanical structures that can guide and subsequently sustain a graded tissue structure and the associated cell populations.
Title On sequential commitment in the price-dependent newsvendor model Permalink

We investigate the effect of sequential commitment in the decentralized newsvendor model with price-dependent demand. Sequential commitment allows the self-profit maximizing parties to commit to contract parameters (e.g., wholesale price, retail price, buyback price and order quantity) sequentially and alternately, and we investigate its effect on the equilibrium profits of the channel and its members. Sequential commitment introduces more flexibility to contracting in the supply chain and our analysis can provide some insight to channel members who follow a bargaining process to determine the values of contract parameters. We show that the introduction of sequential commitment to the price-dependent (PD) newsvendor model with buybacks can significantly improve the manufacturer’s and the channel expected profits, but it can also decrease the retailer’s expected profit. Finally, we demonstrate that with sequential commitment, under some conditions, the choice of the first mover is endogenized and we identify the unique sequence of commitments by channel members that would arise in equilibrium.
Comparison of Carotid Arterial Resistive Indices With Intima-Media Thickness as Sonographic Markers of Atherosclerosis

Background and Purpose— The intima-media thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery is a (morphological) sonographic parameter that depends on the degree of atherosclerosis. In the renal arteries, the value of the (hemodynamic) resistive index (RI) is correlated with the severity of atherosclerosis. In contrast to the well-known IMT, no study has yet applied the carotid RI to estimate generalized atherosclerosis. Methods— The SMART atherosclerosis risk score was determined in 157 patients (94 men and 63 women; mean age 63 [range 19 to 80] years) with at least 1 vascular risk factor or a known vascular disease. Duplex sonography of the common carotid (CCA) and internal carotid artery (ICA) was then performed, with determination of IMT and RI. Results— The mean risk score of all patients was 8.8±3.5 (range 1 to 17), the mean IMT value in the CCA was 0.727±0.161 mm, the mean RI in CCA was 0.79±0.066, and the mean RI in ICA was 0.661±0.082. Highly significant correlations were found between the score and IMT CCA and the score and RI ICA (r =0.62, P <0.0001 and r =0.55, P <0.0001). The score–RI CCA correlation was much less marked (r =0.354, P <0.0001). The intraobserver and interobserver agreement was less for IMT than for RI CCA and ICA. The areas under the curve of the receiver operating curves to distinguish between low-risk and high-risk patients resulted in values of 0.86, 0.81, and 0.69 for IMT, RI ICA, and RI CCA, respectively. Conclusions— Although RI reflects the atherosclerotic process in an indirect manner, the correlation between the RI ICA and the SMART atherosclerosis score as well as the ability to distinguish between low- and high-risk patients are comparable to those of the well-known IMT.
Infrared reflectance factor of various asphalts

As streets occupy a growing proportion of our world, they possess great potential as reference for optical, atmospheric research. Moreover, the demand for infrared sensors which distinguish asphalt from other grounds increases due to automation in agriculture, and more generally the introduction of highly autonomous vehicles. Thus, it is favorable to investigate and especially understand the optical properties of asphalt in the nearinfrared (NIR). In our study, we investigate the infrared reflectance of more than 15 asphalt types with different measurement geometries. As a prerequisite, we analyze the dependence of the diffuse reflectance factor on the light spot size, in order to determine a minimum light spot size for any further optical study. By comparing the BRF (bidirectional reflectance factor) to a nearly-Lambertian Spectralon white standard, we show that asphalt is in general a good diffuse scatterer. While the absolute value of the near-infrared reflectance factor varies dependent on asphalt type and wear, its slope shows typically only slight variations; nevertheless, one asphalt differs significantly from the others. For a more detailed analysis, pieces of this and other asphalts were pulverized and pressed into pellets, suitable for broadband infrared spectroscopy. With this, we are able to identify a feature between 460 nm and 6300 nm, whose intensity determines the slope of the NIR response. Here, we discuss its dependence on the asphalt’s ingredients, as well as the contribution of the grain size structure to the actual reflectance of real asphalt.
Geographically weighted regression‐based determinants of malaria incidences in northern China

Geographically weighted regression (GWR) is an important local method to explore spatial non‐stationarity in data relationships. It has been repeatedly used to examine spatially varying relationships between epidemic diseases and predictors. Malaria, a serious parasitic disease around the world, shows spatial clustering in areas at risk. In this article, we used GWR to explore the local determinants of malaria incidences over a 7‐year period in northern China, a typical mid‐latitude, high‐risk malaria area. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), land surface temperature (LST), temperature difference, elevation, water density index (WDI) and gross domestic product (GDP) were selected as predictors. Results showed that both positively and negatively local effects on malaria incidences appeared for all predictors except for WDI and GDP. The GWR model calibrations successfully depicted spatial variations in the effect sizes and levels of parameters, and also showed substantially improvements in terms of goodness of fits in contrast to the corresponding non‐spatial ordinary least squares (OLS) model fits. For example, the diagnostic information of the OLS fit for the 7‐year average case is R2 = 0.243 and AICc = 837.99, while significant improvement has been made by the GWR calibration with R2 = 0.800 and AICc = 618.54.