Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predictors and impact of massive bleeding in acute type A aortic dissection.

Objectives Bleeding complications associated with acute type A aortic dissection (aTAAD) are a well-known clinical problem. Here, we evaluated predictors of massive bleeding related to aTAAD and associated surgery and assessed the impact of massive bleeding on complications and survival. Methods This retrospective study of 256 patients used Blood Conservation Using Antifibrinolytics in a Randomized Trial (BART) criteria to define massive bleeding, which was met by 66 individuals (Group I) who were compared to the remaining patients (Group II). Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors of massive bleeding and in-hospital mortality, Kaplan-Meier estimates for analysis of late survival, and Cox regression analysis to evaluate independent predictors of late mortality. Results Independent predictors of massive bleeding included symptom duration (odds ratio [OR], 0.974 per hour increment; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.950-0.999; P = 0.041) and DeBakey type 1 dissection (OR, 2.652; 95% CI, 1.004-7.008; P = 0.049). In-hospital mortality was higher in Group I (30.3% vs 8.0%, P <0.001). Kaplan-Meier estimates of survival indicated poorer survival for Group I at 1, 3 and 5 years (68.8 ± 5.9% vs 92.8 ± 1.9%; 65.2 ± 6.2% vs 85.3 ± 2.7%; 53.9 ± 6.9% vs 82.1 ± 3.3 %, respectively; log rank P < 0.001). Re-exploration for bleeding was an independent predictor of in-hospital (OR, 3.109; 95% CI, 1.044-9.256; P = 0.042) and late mortalities (hazard ratio, 3.039; 95% CI, 1.605-5.757; P = 0.001). Conclusions Massive bleeding in patients with aTAAD is prompted by shorter symptom duration and longer extent of dissection and has deleterious effects on outcomes of postoperative complications as well as in-hospital and late mortalities.
A Network Text Analysis of David Ayer’s Fury

Network Text Analysis (NTA) involves the creation of networks of words and/or concepts from linguistic data. Its key insight is that the position of words and concepts in a text network provides vital clues to the central and underlying themes of the text as a whole. Recent research has relied on inductive approaches to identify these themes. In this study we demonstrate a deductive approach that we apply to the screenplay of the 2014 World War II-era film Fury. Specifically, we first use genre expectations theory to establish prior expectations as to the key themes associated with war films. We then empirically test whether words and concepts associated with the most influentially-positioned nodes are consistent with themes common to the war-film genre. As predicted, we find that words and concepts associated with the least constrained nodes in the text network were significantly more likely to be associated with the war, action, and biography genres and significantly less likely to be associated with the mystery, science-fiction, fantasy, and filmnoir genres.
27 T ultra-high static magnetic field changes orientation and morphology of mitotic spindles in human cells

Purified microtubules have been shown to align along the static magnetic field (SMF) in vitro because of their diamagnetic anisotropy. However, whether mitotic spindle in mammalian cells can be aligned by magnetic field has not been experimentally proved. In particular, the biological effects of SMF of above 20 T (Tesla) on mammalian cells have never been reported. Here we found that in both CNE-2Z and RPE1 human cells spindle orients in 27 T SMF. The direction of spindle alignment depended on the extent to which chromosomes were aligned to form a planar metaphase plate. Our results show that the magnetic torque acts on both microtubules and chromosomes, and the preferred direction of spindle alignment relative to the field depends more on chromosome alignment than microtubules. In addition, spindle morphology was also perturbed by 27 T SMF. This is the first reported study that investigated the mammalian cellular responses to ultra-high magnetic field of above 20 T. Our study not only found that ultra-high magnetic field can change the orientation and morphology of mitotic spindles, but also provided a tool to probe the role of spindle orientation and perturbation in developmental and cancer biology. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.22911. 001
CNN-detector-based multiple homogeneous objects tracking under stochastic wide-range occlusions

In this paper, we address a specific, challenging multi-object tracking (MOT) problem, in which targets are in small sizes and demonstrate highly homogeneous appearance in the vast scene with stochastic huge occlusions. To tackle those challenges, we propose a novel method that integrates realtime detection and tacking in one single learning framework. Specifically, we formulate MOT as a clustering problem in a parameterized semi-metric space, where we introduce a CNN detector and a space mapping to partition (SMP) tracker. In our method, the length of the association temporal window is automatically and adaptively selected according to the quality of detection responses, which enables robust detection and tracking. Extensive experiments have been conducted on a newly collected air-traffic-control (ATC) dataset to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Results have shown that our method can achieve high tracking performance and substantially exceeds state-of-the-art methods by large margins.
Comparative analysis of knowledge on schistosomiasis japonica in the local people in the former endemic area in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan: comparisons among the background of age and occupation

Eradication of schistosomiasis japonica in Yamanashi Prefecture was officially declared in 1996, and all surveillance and health campaign were finished by the end of 2001. Schistosomiasis control had been carried out by strong collaboration among local Government, local people and academia, thought which knowledge and experiences of the disease control were accumulated among the local people. It is 20th anniversary of the disease eradication in Yamanashi. We planned to analyze the current situation whether the local people still keep the knowledge of schistosomiasis or not. There was no more knowledge kept in the middle school students, to whom the local Government did not educate about schistosomiasis. Among adult individuals, elderly people who have experienced endemic condition still know about it at almost comparable level as in the past. However, younger people who learned it in the primary school but no experience of the disease transmission started losing the knowledge. Those situations of the adult local people were compared with the veterinarian group. It was confirmed that the veterinarian group had correct and proper knowledge of schistosomiasis japonica not only in elderly groups, but also in younger age group. Considering that methods for control and prevention of infectious diseases are common to some extent, their knowledge and experiences would be applicable for other infectious diseases in future. Therefore, the knowledge would be worth keeping in the local people. Taken together, individuals with specialty, such as veterinarians, are expected to play roles in public health for promotion of health and welfare.
Contrasting Population Structures of the Genes Encoding Ten Leading Vaccine-Candidate Antigens of the Human Malaria Parasite, Plasmodium falciparum

The extensive diversity of Plasmodium falciparum antigens is a major obstacle to a broadly effective malaria vaccine but population genetics has rarely been used to guide vaccine design. We have completed a meta-population genetic analysis of the genes encoding ten leading P. falciparum vaccine antigens, including the pre-erythrocytic antigens csp, trap, lsa1 and glurp; the merozoite antigens eba175, ama1, msp's 1, 3 and 4, and the gametocyte antigen pfs48/45. A total of 4553 antigen sequences were assembled from published data and we estimated the range and distribution of diversity worldwide using traditional population genetics, Bayesian clustering and network analysis. Although a large number of distinct haplotypes were identified for each antigen, they were organized into a limited number of discrete subgroups. While the non-merozoite antigens showed geographically variable levels of diversity and geographic restriction of specific subgroups, the merozoite antigens had high levels of diversity globally, and a worldwide distribution of each subgroup. This shows that the diversity of the non-merozoite antigens is organized by physical or other location-specific barriers to gene flow and that of merozoite antigens by features intrinsic to all populations, one important possibility being the immune response of the human host. We also show that current malaria vaccine formulations are based upon low prevalence haplotypes from a single subgroup and thus may represent only a small proportion of the global parasite population. This study demonstrates significant contrasts in the population structure of P. falciparum vaccine candidates that are consistent with the merozoite antigens being under stronger balancing selection than non-merozoite antigens and suggesting that unique approaches to vaccine design will be required. The results of this study also provide a realistic framework for the diversity of these antigens to be incorporated into the design of next-generation malaria vaccines.
Sleep During Menopausal Transition: A 6-Year Follow-Up

Study Objectives Menopausal transition is associated with increased dissatisfaction with sleep, but the effects on sleep architecture are conflicting. This prospective 6-year follow-up study was designed to evaluate the changes in sleep stages and sleep continuity that occur in women during menopausal transition. Methods Sixty women (mean age 46.0 years, SD 0.9) participated. All women were premenopausal at baseline, and at the 6-year follow-up, women were in different stages of menopausal transition. Polysomnography was used to study sleep architecture at baseline and follow-up. The effects of aging and menopause (assessed as change in serum follicle-stimulating hormone [S-FSH]) on sleep architecture were evaluated using linear regression models. Results After controlling for body mass index, vasomotor, and depressive symptoms, aging of 6 years resulted in shorter total sleep time (B -37.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] -71.5 to (-3.3)), lower sleep efficiency (B -6.5, 95%CI -12.7 to (-0.2)), as well as in increased transitions from slow-wave sleep (SWS) to wakefulness (B 1.0, 95%CI 0.1 to 1.9), wake after sleep onset (B 37.7, 95%CI 12.5 to 63.0), awakenings per hour (B 1.8, 95%CI 0.8 to 2.8), and arousal index (B 2.3, 95%CI 0.1 to 4.4). Higher S-FSH concentration in menopausal transition was associated with increased SWS (B 0.09, 95%CI 0.01 to 0.16) after controlling for confounding factors. Conclusions A significant deterioration in sleep continuity occurs when women age from 46 to 52 years, but change from premenopausal to menopausal state restores some SWS.
Usage of an Exercise App in the Care for People With Osteoarthritis: User-Driven Exploratory Study

Background Exercise has proven to reduce pain and increase quality of life among people living with osteoarthritis (OA). However, one major challenge is adherence to exercise once supervision ends. Objective This study aimed to identify mental and physical barriers and motivational and social aspects of training at home, and to test or further develop an exercise app. Methods The study was inspired from participatory design, engaging users in the research process. Data were collected through focus groups and workshops, and analyzed by systematic text condensation. Results Three main themes were found: competition as motivation, training together, and barriers. The results revealed that the participants wanted to do their training and had knowledge on exercise and pain but found it hard to motivate themselves. They missed the observation, comments, and encouragement by the supervising physiotherapist as well as their peers. Ways to optimize the training app were identified during the workshops as participants shared their experience. Conclusions This study concludes that the long-term continuation of exercising for patients with OA could be improved with the use of a technology tailored to users’ needs, including motivational and other behavioral factors.
Deceleration time of left ventricular outflow tract flow as a simple surrogate marker for central haemodynamics at rest and as well as during exercise

Background The shape and duration of left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) flow has not been applied to assess the central haemodynamics, although LVOT flow is confronted with afterload of arterial system during systole. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the LVOT flow parameters are related with central systolic blood pressure (BP) and arterial compliance at rest and as well as during exercise. Methods We studied 258 subjects (175 females, age 61 ± 11 years) with normal left ventricular (LV) systolic function who underwent supine bicycle stress echocardiography and arterial tonometry simultaneously at rest and at peak exercise. Deceleration time (DT) of LVOT flow and RR interval were measured and deceleration time corrected for heart rate (DTc) was calculated. Peripheral and central haemodynamic parameters including systolic and diastolic BP, and augmentation index at a heart rate of 75 (AIx@75) were assessed using radial artery tonometry. Carotid femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) was measured. ResultResults Deceleration time corrected for heart rate was independently associated with central systolic BP and AIx@75 at rest (P < 0.001 and 0.006). Similarly, it also showed significant independent correlations with central systolic BP and AIx@75 during peak exercise (P = 0.006 and P = 0.021). In addition, DTc which measured both at rest and at peak exercise demonstrated significant positive correlations with PWV, suggesting association of prolonged DTc with arterial stiffening (P = 0.023 and P = 0.005). Conclusion Prolongation of LVOT flow DTc represents raised central systolic BP and increased arterial stiffness not only at rest but also during exercise. Therefore, central aortic pressures and arterial stiffness influence the DT of LVOT flow at rest as well as during exercise in individuals with normal LV systolic function.
Effects of Alcohol Dependence Severity on Neural Correlates of Delay Discounting

Aims The current study examines the relationship between alcohol dependence severity and delay discounting neural activation. Methods Participants (N = 17; 6 female) completed measures of alcohol use and severity and a functional magnetic resonance imaging version of a delay discounting task. Results Alcohol dependence severity was negatively associated with activation in superior frontal gyrus during impulsive relative to delayed decisions, and positively associated with activation in paracingulate gyrus and frontal pole in delayed relative to impulsive decisions. Conclusions These results indicate that alcohol dependence severity tracks closely with dysregulations in cognitive control and reward evaluation areas during impulsive and delayed decisions, respectively. Delay discounting may be a useful construct in capturing these cognitive dysregulations as alcohol use disorders become more severe. Short summary Among alcohol-dependent individuals, alcohol dependence severity is associated with overactivation of ventromedial prefrontal areas during delayed and underactivation of dorsolateral prefrontal regions during impulsive reward decisions.
Stretch Activates Human Myometrium via ERK, Caldesmon and Focal Adhesion Signaling

An incomplete understanding of the molecular mechanisms responsible for myometrial activation from the quiescent pregnant state to the active contractile state during labor has hindered the development of effective therapies for preterm labor. Myometrial stretch has been implicated clinically in the initiation of labor and the etiology of preterm labor, but the molecular mechanisms involved in the human have not been determined. We investigated the mechanisms by which gestation-dependent stretch contributes to myometrial activation, by using human uterine samples from gynecologic hysterectomies and Cesarean sections. Here we demonstrate that the Ca requirement for activation of the contractile filaments in human myometrium increases with caldesmon protein content during gestation and that an increase in caldesmon phosphorylation can reverse this inhibitory effect during labor. By using phosphotyrosine screening and mass spectrometry of stretched human myometrial samples, we identify 3 stretch-activated focal adhesion proteins, FAK, p130Cas, and alpha actinin. FAK-Y397, which signals integrin engagement, is constitutively phosphorylated in term human myometrium whereas FAK-Y925, which signals downstream ERK activation, is phosphorylated during stretch. We have recently identified smooth muscle Archvillin (SmAV) as an ERK regulator. A newly produced SmAV-specific antibody demonstrates gestation-specific increases in SmAV protein levels and stretch-specific increases in SmAV association with focal adhesion proteins. Thus, whereas increases in caldesmon levels suppress human myometrium contractility during pregnancy, stretch-dependent focal adhesion signaling, facilitated by the ERK activator SmAV, can contribute to myometrial activation. These results suggest that focal adhesion proteins may present new targets for drug discovery programs aimed at regulation of uterine contractility.
Behavioral Indoor Navigation With Natural Language Directions

We describe a behavioral navigation approach that leverages the rich semantic structure of human environments to enable robots to navigate without an explicit geometric representation of the world. Based on this approach, we then present our efforts to allow robots to follow navigation instructions in natural language. With our proof-of-concept implementation, we were able to translate natural language navigation commands into a sequence of behaviors that could then be executed by a robot to reach a desired goal.
Evaluation of Adjusted and Unadjusted Indirect Comparison Methods in Benefit Assessment

Summary Background: With the Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products (AMNOG) in Germany, pharmaceutical manufacturers are obliged to submit a dossier demonstrating added benefit of a new drug compared to an appropriate comparator. Underlying evidence was planned for registration purposes and therefore often does not meet the appropriate comparator as defined by the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA). For this reason AMNOG allows indirect comparisons to assess the extent of added benefit. Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the characteristics and applicability of adjusted indirect comparison described by Bucher and Matching-Adjusted Indirect Comparison (MAIC) in various situations within the early benefit assessment according to §35a Social Code Book 5. In particular, we consider time-to-event endpoints. Methods: We conduct a simulation study where we consider three different scenarios: I) similar study populations, II) dissimilar study populations without interactions and III) dissimilar study populations with interactions between treatment effect and effect modifiers. We simulate data from a Cox model with Wei- bull distributed survival times. Desired are unbiased effect estimates. We compare the power and the proportion of type 1 errors of the methods. Results: I) Bucher and MAIC perform equiva- lently well and yield unbiased effect estimates as well as proportions of type 1 errors below the significance level of 5%. II) Both Bucher and MAIC yield unbiased effect estimates, but Bucher shows a higher power for detection of true added benefit than MAIC. III) Only MAIC, but not Bucher yields unbiased effect estimates. When using robust variance estimation MAIC yields a proportion of type 1 error close to 5%. In general, power of all methods for indirect comparisons is low. An increasing loss of power for the indirect comparisons can be observed as the true treatment effects decrease. Conclusion: Due to the great loss of power and the potential bias for indirect comparisons, head-to-head trials using the appropriate comparator as defined by the Federal Joint Committee should be conducted whenever possible. However, indirect comparisons are needed if no such direct evidence is available. To conduct indirect comparisons in case of a present common comparator and similar study populations in the trials to be compared, both Bucher and MAIC can be recommended. In case of using adjusted effect measures (such as Hazard Ratio), the violation of the similarity assumption has no relevant effect on the Bucher approach as long as interactions between treatment effect and effect modifiers are absent. Therefore Bucher can still be considered appropriate in this specific situation. In the authors’ opinion, MAIC can be considered as an option (at least as sensitivity analysis to Bucher) if such interactions are present or cannot be ruled out. Nevertheless, in practice MAIC is potentially biased and should always be considered with utmost care.
The THINC-Integrated Tool (THINC-it) Screening Assessment for Cognitive Dysfunction: Validation in Patients With Major Depressive Disorder.

OBJECTIVE To validate the THINC-integrated tool (THINC-it)-a freely available, patient-administered, computerized screening tool integrating subjective and objective measures of cognitive function in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD). METHODS Subjects aged 18 to 65 years (n = 100) with recurrent MDD experiencing a major depressive episode of at least moderate severity were evaluated and compared to age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls (n = 100). Between January and June 2016, subjects completed the THINC-it, which includes variants of the Choice Reaction Time Identification Task (IDN), One-Back Test, Digit Symbol Substitution Test, Trail Making Test-Part B, and the Perceived Deficits Questionnaire for Depression-5-item (PDQ-5-D). RESULTS The THINC-it required approximately 10 to 15 minutes for administration and was capable of detecting cognitive deficits in adults with MDD. A total of 44.4% of adults with MDD exhibited cognitive performance at ≥ 1.0 SD below that of healthy controls on standardized mean scores of the THINC-it. Concurrent validity of the overall tool, based on a calculated composite score, was acceptable (r = 0.539, P < .001). Concurrent validity of the component tests ranged from -0.083 (IDN) to 0.929 (PDQ-5-D). Qualitative survey results indicated that there was a high level of satisfaction and perceived value in administering the THINC-it regarding its impact on the appropriateness and quality of care being received. CONCLUSIONS The THINC-it is a valid and sensitive tool for detecting cognitive dysfunction in adults with MDD that is free, easy to use, and rapidly administered. The THINC-it should be incorporated into the assessment and measurement of all patients with MDD, particularly among those with enduring functional impairment. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02508493.