Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Almanac 2011: valvular heart disease . The national society journals present selected research that has driven recent advances in clinical cardiology.

With an ageing population and improved diagnostic modalities, the number of patients with valvular heart disease is dramatically increasing. Considering projected changes in the age distribution, a further accentuation of this trend can be expected and this may indeed be considered “the next cardiac epidemic”. 1 Obviously, we are faced with more complex decisions in patients with advanced age and increasing comorbidities. Advances in percutaneous valve interventional techniques have entered into routine practice. At the same time, new data on the natural history of disease and the identification of predictors of outcome permit improvement in the decision-making process and management of patients with valvular heart disease. ### Disease progression In a population-based study which followed up 953 subjects for 10 years, a high prevalence of calcific aortic valve disease (28%) associated with long-term exposure to raised cholesterol levels and active smoking was described.2 Intraleaflet haemorrhage (detected by immunohistochemistry at the moment of aortic valve replacement surgery) was frequently present in the valve leaflets of degenerative aortic stenosis (AS) and was associated with rapid progression of AS.3 In a small study of 164 patients with rheumatic AS (of whom 30 were treated with a statin), progression of AS was slower in patients receiving statins than in untreated patients (annual change of peak aortic velocity: 0.05±0.07 m/s/year vs 0.12±0.11 m/s/year, p=0.001). 4 On the other hand in the ASTRONOMER trial, a randomised double-blind study, that allocated 269 patients to rosuvastatin 40 mg daily or to placebo, statin treatment did not reduce progression of the disease in patients with AS.5 ### Predictors of outcome Based on the aortic jet velocity and the B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) level, a risk score predicting outcome in patients with moderate-to-severe asymptomatic AS was derived and validated in an independent cohort: score=(peak velocity (m/s) × 2)+(ln of BNP × 1.5)+1.5 (if female sex). Event-free survival after …
Determinants of overweight associated with stunting in preschool children of Yaoundé, Cameroon

Background: Nutrition transition in developing countries has been associated with higher prevalence of overweight. Aim: The study aimed to identify the factors associated with concurrent stunting and overweight in urban preschool children of Yaoundé, Cameroon. Subjects and methods: 169 preschool children of both sexes were recruited according to their nutritional status: Stunted, overweight, stunted–overweight, and non-stunted–non-overweight. Factors associated with concurrent stunting and overweight were investigated through interviewer-administered questionnaires. A binary logistic regression model was used to determine the relation between nutritional statuses and associated factors. Results: A low-income family and a low maternal educational level are independent risk factors for a child to be stunted–overweight [odds ratios (95% CI): 3.81 (13.32–1.08), 2.90 (7.82–1.07), respectively]. Mother under-evaluation of child's weight is a factor associated with stunting–overweight and overweight in children [odds ratios (95% CI): 3.42 (8.72–1.33), 6.52 (18.09–2.34), respectively]. Being overweight is also related to higher birth weight. Unlike stunted children, stunted–overweight children live with both their parents and have an older mother. Short maternal stature and mother's over-evaluation of her child's height are independent factors associated with stunting. Conclusion: Poor preschool children of Yaoundé are facing concomitant stunting and overweight. More studies are needed to better assess the impact of maternal factors.
Intonation and Sentence Type Conventions: Two Types of Rising Declaratives

This paper presents an experimental study that provides evidence for the existence of two types of rising declaratives in English which differ systematically in their forms and their functions. The two are labelled assertive rising declaratives and inquisitive rising declaratives, respectively. Guided by the experimental results, the paper develops a semantic analysis of them. Having as backdrop an extended Lewisian model of discourse involving a conversational scoreboard, the analysis associates assertive and inquisitive rising declaratives with distinct sets of context-changing conventions that bring about fundamentally different updates to core elements of the context. In the process, it highlights their respective partial overlaps with the conventions for two other sentence types, falling declaratives and polar interrogatives. The analysis fully captures the experimental results presented in the paper and reconciles disparate, seemingly contradictory observations about English rising declaratives noted in previous work.
SPARC Regulates Transforming Growth Factor Beta Induced (TGFBI) Extracellular Matrix Deposition and Paclitaxel Response in Ovarian Cancer Cells

TGFBI has been shown to sensitize ovarian cancer cells to the cytotoxic effects of paclitaxel via an integrin receptor-mediated mechanism that modulates microtubule stability. Herein, we determine that TGFBI localizes within organized fibrillar structures in mesothelial-derived ECM. We determined that suppression of SPARC expression by shRNA decreased the deposition of TGFBI in mesothelial-derived ECM, without affecting its overall protein expression or secretion. Conversely, overexpression of SPARC increased TGFBI deposition. A SPARC-YFP fusion construct expressed by the Met5a cell line co-localized with TGFBI in the cell-derived ECM. Interestingly, in vitro produced SPARC was capable of precipitating TGFBI from cell lysates dependent on an intact SPARC carboxy-terminus with in vitro binding assays verifying a direct interaction. The last 37 amino acids of SPARC were shown to be required for the TGFBI interaction while expression of a SPARC-YFP construct lacking this region (aa 1–256) did not interact and co-localize with TGFBI in the ECM. Furthermore, ovarian cancer cells have a reduced motility and decreased response to the chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel when plated on ECM derived from mesothelial cells lacking SPARC compared to control mesothelial-derived ECM. In conclusion, SPARC regulates the fibrillar ECM deposition of TGFBI through a novel interaction, subsequently influencing cancer cell behavior.
Miniature Wireless Measurement Node for ECG Signal Transmission in Home Area Network

A miniature wireless node for ECG measurements is presented. The ECG node is designed to be used in various applications including measurement of heart rate during physical exercise and continuous long term measurement of ECG for people assumed having, or being recovering from a cardiac disease. The ECG node is wirelessly connected to a computer using IEEE 802.15. 4 based radio protocol. The device sends the measured ECG signal together with additional measurement parameters including battery voltage to the computer, where the ECG signal can be analyzed on-line. The ECG node can operate alone or it can be used as a part of an overall system being designed for monitoring people that are transferred from hospital to home treatment
Decreased blood oxidative stress after repeated muscle-damaging exercise.

PURPOSE To examine the effect of repeated muscle-damaging exercise on the time-course changes in several indices of muscle damage, and to compare them with changes in blood oxidative stress indices. METHODS Twelve females underwent an isokinetic exercise session consisting of 75 lengthening knee flexions, which was repeated after 3 wk. Isometric torque, range of movement (ROM), delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), creatine kinase (CK), reduced glutathione (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), protein carbonyls, catalase, uric acid, bilirubin, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in blood were measured before, immediately after, and 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 d after lengthening contractions. RESULTS All muscle damage indices (torque, ROM, DOMS, and CK) changed significantly after exercise. The concentration of all oxidative stress indices changed significantly in a way indicating increased oxidative stress in the blood (GSH and GSH/GSSG decreased, whereas GSSG, TBARS, protein carbonyls, catalase, uric acid, bilirubin, and TAC increased), peaking in all but bilirubin at 3 d and returning to baseline values by 7 d after exercise. The repeated bout of lengthening contractions induced significantly less changes in indices of muscle damage and blood oxidative stress than the first bout. In general, from the increasing or decreasing area under the curve calculated for each oxidative stress index, the second bout produced 1.8- to 6.1-fold less changes in oxidative stress than after the first bout. CONCLUSION A repeated bout of lengthening contractions attenuated muscle damage and blood oxidative stress compared with the first bout.
The Impacts of Meteorology on the Seasonal and Interannual Variabilities of Ozone Transport From North America to East Asia

The transport of North American (NA) ozone to East Asia is investigated through the analysis of a 20 year simulation (1987–2006) using a global chemical transport model (GEOS‐Chem) and forward trajectories during the 1990s at three NA sites. NA ozone mainly influences northern East Asia (> 30°N), where NA ozone in the free troposphere peaks in spring and fall (~12 ppbv). At the surface, NA ozone ranges from 2 to 7 ppbv and peaks in winter, ~50% of which is from the NA boundary layer. The seasonality of the imported NA ozone reflects the combined effects of meteorology and chemistry. In summer, NA ozone can be diverted from reaching East Asia by strong downdrafts behind the European trough. In winter, the prevailing monsoon climate in East Asia can boost downdrafts of NA ozone to the surface. In spring and fall, the westerlies are stronger and shift farther south than in summer, bring more NA ozone to the East Asian (EA) free troposphere than in summer. The imported NA ozone at the EA surface also varies with interannual meteorology. This interannual variation is found to closely correlate to the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM). The stronger the EAWM in a winter is, the stronger are the downdrafts bringing more NA ozone to the EA surface in that winter and the subsequent spring. Because the anthropogenic NA emissions have decreased since 1999, the year an emission inventory was used in the simulation, the simulated NA influence may serve as an upper limit.
A Novel Signaling Pathway of Nitric Oxide on Transcriptional Regulation of Mouse κ Opioid Receptor Gene

Nitric oxide (NO) suppressed the transcription of the mouse κ opioid receptor (KOR) gene, mediated by a rapid downregulation ofc-myc gene expression. KOR was constitutively expressed in postnatal day 19 (P19) embryonal carcinoma stem cells and is suppressed by NO donors [sodium nitroprusside (SNP), 3-morpholinosydnonimine-1, and S-nitrosoglutathione] in P19 stem cells within 4 hr. The suppression was reversed by 2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide, an NO scavenger, but could not be blocked by dithiothreitol, ruling outS-nitrosylation as the underlying mechanism. The suppressive effect of NO on KOR occurred at the level of gene transcription, mediated by E boxes located in promoters I and II of this gene. Protein–DNA complexes that formed on these E boxes contained c-myc; c-myc expression was suppressed by NO in P19 stem cells within 2 hr of treatment. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation demonstrated reducedc-myc binding to the E boxes and hypoacetylation of histone H3 on the chromatin of endogenous KOR promoters in P19 stem cells treated with SNP. It is proposed that NO regulates KOR at the level of gene transcription, mediated by a rapid suppression ofc-myc gene expression and its binding to KOR promoters, and followed by chromatin hypoacetylation of and reduced transcription from KOR promoters in P19 stem cells. A novel pathway mediating the potential interplay between NO and opioid systems is discussed.
Prevention of Atelectasis Formation During the Induction of General Anesthesia in Morbidly Obese Patients

Atelectasis caused by general anesthesia is increased in morbidly obese patients. We have shown that application of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) during the induction of anesthesia prevents atelectasis formation in nonobese patients. We therefore studied the efficacy of PEEP in morbidly obese patients to prevent atelectasis. Twenty-three adult morbidly obese patients (body mass index >35 kg/m2) were randomly assigned to one of two groups. In the PEEP group, patients breathed 100% oxygen (5 min) with a continuous positive airway pressure of 10 cm H2O and, after the induction, mechanical ventilation via a face mask with a PEEP of 10 cm H2O. In the control group, the same induction was applied but without continuous positive airway pressure or PEEP. Atelectasis, determined by computed tomography, and blood gas analysis were measured twice: before the induction and directly after intubation. After endotracheal intubation, patients of the control group showed an increase in the amount of atelectasis, which was much larger than in the PEEP group (10.4% ± 4.8% in control group versus 1.7% ± 1.3% in PEEP group; P<0.001). After intubation with a fraction of inspired oxygen of 1.0, Pao2 was significantly higher in the PEEP group compared with the control group (457 ± 130 mm Hg versus 315 ± 100 mm Hg, respectively; P = 0.035) We conclude that in morbidly obese patients, atelectasis formation is largely prevented by PEEP applied during the anesthetic induction and is associated with a better oxygenation.
A compact jumping robot utilizing snap-through buckling with bend and twist

In this paper, we propose a robotic catapult based on closed elastica utilizing bending and twisting deformation of an elastic strip. By using snap-through buckling generated from not only bend but also twist of thin rectangle elastic strip, impulsive forces can be generated repeatedly by the frequency of 3[Hz] without changing added torque directions. The compact jumping robot based on the proposed robotic catapult can leap over 950[mm] away. In addition, by setting the parameters appropriately to make the best use of generating impulsive forces with high frequency, it can perform repeated low-altitude jumping motions with about 1.06[m/s] velocity including quick step of about 0.152[s].
Ion transport across intestinal mucosa of winter flounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus.

HUANG, K. C. , AND THERESA S. T. CHEN. Ion transport acro.ss intestinal mucosa of winterjlounder, Pseudopleuronectes americanus. Am. J, Physiol. 220(6): 1734-1738. 197 1 . -Isolated winter flounder small intestine mounted in an Ussing chamber and bathed on both sides with teleost fish Ringer solution showed a PD ranging from 1 to 5 mv, with the serosa being electronegative to the mucosa. When the bathing fluid was replaced with Na$Od Ringer, both PD and I SC were reversed from negative to positive. Ion flux measurements with radioisotopes showed a net mucosal-to-serosal flux of sodium and chloride ion, but there was no net sulfate flux. The net flux of chloride ions was greater than that of Na and was sodium independent. Studies on fluid and ion movement across noneverted intestinal sacs revealed a significant loss of mucosal fluid accompanied by a decrease in both Cl and Na ions and an increase in HCO3 ion. The presence of HC03in the bathing solution was essential for optimal transmucosal transport of Cl ion. Acetazolamide at a concentration of 2 mu reduced the loss of mucosal fluid and the ion transport after a 4-hr incubation period, suggesting that the carbonic anhydrase plays a role in the transport of anions across the fish intestine.
Narrative therapy for adults with major depressive disorder: Improved symptom and interpersonal outcomes

Abstract This study investigated depressive symptom and interpersonal relatedness outcomes from eight sessions of manualized narrative therapy for 47 adults with major depressive disorder. Post-therapy, depressive symptom improvement (d=1.36) and proportions of clients achieving reliable improvement (74%), movement to the functional population (61%), and clinically significant improvement (53%) were comparable to benchmark research outcomes. Post-therapy interpersonal relatedness improvement (d=.62) was less substantial than for symptoms. Three-month follow-up found maintenance of symptom, but not interpersonal gains. Benchmarking and clinical significance analyses mitigated repeated measure design limitations, providing empirical evidence to support narrative therapy for adults with major depressive disorder.
Complications of Intrathecal Baclofen Pump: Prevention and Cure

Increasingly, spasticity is managed with surgically implanted Intrathecal Baclofen pumps. Intrathecal Baclofen pump revision surgery unrelated to programmable pump end-of-life is not uncommon, requiring special attention during pre-, intra-, and postoperative management. We aimed to identify and describe complications of Intrathecal Baclofen pump as well as to report avoidance and management of complications. Methods and Materials. Through 2002–2006, at the department of neurosurgery, Henry Ford and Oakwood Health Systems, Intrathecal Baclofen pumps were implanted in 44 patients: 24 children versus 20 adults; 30 “primary-implant-patients”; 14 “revision-only patients”. We evaluated reasons for revision surgeries and diagnostic workup requirements. Results. Eight primary-implant-patients required 14 revisions and 7 of revision-only patients needed 13 procedures. Seven patients with slowly increasing baclofen-resistant spasticity had either (i) unsuspected pump-catheter connector defects, (ii) an X-ray-documented pump-catheter connector defect, (iii) X-ray-demonstrated fractured catheter with intrathecal fragment. Implant infections occurred in 4 cases. Scintigraphy revealed occult CSF leakage N=1 and intrinsic pump failure N=1. Conclusion. Intrathecal Baclofen pumps, although very gratifying, have a high, technique-related complication incidence during implant life. Meticulous technique, high clinical suspicion, appropriate workup, and timely surgical management can reduce surgical complications of Intrathecal Baclofen pump implantation.
The cryptographic impact of groups with infeasible inversion

Algebraic group structure is an important-and often overlooked-tool for constructing and comparing cryptographic applications. Our driving example is the open problem of finding provably secure transitive signature schemes for directed graphs, proposed by Micali and Rivest [41]. A directed transitive signature scheme (DTS) allows Alice to sign a subset of edges on a directed graph in such a way that anyone can compose Alice's signatures on edges a and bc to obtain her signature on edge -a. We formalize the necessary mathematical criteria for a secure DTS scheme when the signatures can be composed in any order, showing that the edge signatures in such a scheme form a special (and powerful) mathematical group not known to exist: an Abelian trapdoor group with infeasible inversion (ATGII). Furthermore, we show that such a DTS scheme is more complex-in a black-box sense-than standard signatures, public key encryption and oblivious transfer. To our knowledge, this is the first separation between standard signature schemes and any of the many variant signature schemes proposed. We formalize several group homomorphisms that can be used to construct undirected transitive signature schemes (UTS) (as generalizations of the UTS schemes of Micali and Rivest [41] and Bellare and Neven [7]), and explain why group isomorphisms, such as RSA, appear to require proofs in the one-more-inversion model. We also provide the first definition, to our knowledge, of a pseudo-free group. Informally, a pseudo-free group is computationally indistinguishable from a free group to any polynomially-bounded adversary given only blackbox access to the group. We show that a pseudo-free ATGII group is sufficient for a secure DTS construction. We conclude by relating the black-box complexity of our group-based primitives to the standard cryptographic primitives. Thesis Supervisor: Ronald L. Rivest Title: Viterbi Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs on Absence‐Like and Tonic Seizures in the Spontaneously Epileptic Rat, a Double Mutant Rat

Summary: Electroencephalographic (EEG) studies were performed to examine the effects of several antiepileptic drugs (AEDS) on absence‐like and tonic seizures in the spontaneously epileptic rat (SER: zilzil, tm/tm,), a double mutant rat, which was obtained by mating the tremor hétérozygous animals {tml +) with the zitter homozygous animals (zi/zi), and to détérmine whether the seizures in the SER correspond to human absence and tonic seizures. Spontaneous EEG was continuously recorded from the frontal cortex and hippocampus using implanted electrodes. The SER showed paroxysmal and synchronized 5–7‐Hz spike‐wave‐like complexes in both cortical and hippocampal EEG during the absence‐like state, which was characterized by immobility and staring. The animal also exhibited tonic convulsion without external stimulation concomitant with low‐voltage fast waves on cortical and hippocampal EEG. In some animals, sporadic low‐amplitude spikes appeared in the low‐voltage fast waves during tonic convulsion. The absence‐like seizures were inhibited by trimethadione (100 mg/kg intra‐peritoneally, i.p.) and ethosuximide 100 mg/kg i.p.), whereas the tonic convulsion was not affected by these drugs. In contrast, phenytoin (20 mg/kg i.p.) inhibited the tonic seizures without affecting the absence‐like seizures. Phenobarbital (10 mg/kg i.p.) and valproate (200 mg/kg i.p.) inhibited both seizures to a similar degree. These results suggest that the SER, with both absence‐like and tonic seizures, is a useful model for evaluation of AEDS.
NMR structural characterization of HIV‐1 virus protein U cytoplasmic domain in the presence of dodecylphosphatidylcholine micelles

The HIV‐1 encoded virus protein U (VpU) is required for efficient viral release from human host cells and for induction of CD4 degradation in the endoplasmic reticulum. The cytoplasmic domain of the membrane protein VpU (VpUcyt) is essential for the latter activity. The structure and dynamics of VpUcyt were characterized in the presence of membrane simulating dodecylphosphatidylcholine (DPC) micelles by high‐resolution liquid state NMR. VpUcyt is unstructured in aqueous buffer. The addition of DPC micelles induces a well‐defined membrane proximal α‐helix (residues I39–E48) and an additional helical segment (residues L64–R70). A tight loop (L73–V78) is observed close to the C‐terminus, whereas the interhelical linker (R49–E63) remains highly flexible. A 3D structure of VpUcyt in the presence of DPC micelles was calculated from a large set of proton–proton distance constraints. The topology of micelle‐associated VpUcyt was derived from paramagnetic relaxation enhancement of protein nuclear spins after the introduction of paramagnetic probes into the interior of the micelle or the aqueous buffer. Qualitative analysis of secondary chemical shift and paramagnetic relaxation enhancement data in conjunction with dynamic information from heteronuclear NOEs and structural insight from homonuclear NOE‐based distance constraints indicated that micelle‐associated VpUcyt retains a substantial degree of structural flexibility.