Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Left Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation in the Management of High-Risk Patients Affected by the Long-QT Syndrome

Background—The management of long-QT syndrome (LQTS) patients who continue to have cardiac events (CEs) despite β-blockers is complex. We assessed the long-term efficacy of left cardiac sympathetic denervation (LCSD) in a group of high-risk patients. Methods and Results—We identified 147 LQTS patients who underwent LCSD. Their QT interval was very prolonged (QTc, 543±65 ms); 99% were symptomatic; 48% had a cardiac arrest; and 75% of those treated with β-blockers remained symptomatic. The average follow-up periods between first CE and LCSD and post-LCSD were 4.6 and 7.8 years, respectively. After LCSD, 46% remained asymptomatic. Syncope occurred in 31%, aborted cardiac arrest in 16%, and sudden death in 7%. The mean yearly number of CEs per patient dropped by 91% (P <0.001). Among 74 patients with only syncope before LCSD, all types of CEs decreased significantly as in the entire group, and a post-LCSD QTc <500 ms predicted very low risk. The percentage of patients with >5 CEs declined from 55% to 8% (P <0.001). In 5 patients with preoperative implantable defibrillator and multiple discharges, the post-LCSD count of shocks decreased by 95% (P =0.02) from a median number of 25 to 0 per patient. Among 51 genotyped patients, LCSD appeared more effective in LQT1 and LQT3 patients. Conclusions—LCSD is associated with a significant reduction in the incidence of aborted cardiac arrest and syncope in high-risk LQTS patients when compared with pre-LCSD events. However, LCSD is not entirely effective in preventing cardiac events including sudden cardiac death during long-term follow-up. LCSD should be considered in patients with recurrent syncope despite β-blockade and in patients who experience arrhythmia storms with an implanted defibrillator.
Do all voltage-gated potassium channels use MiRPs?

Once again, a MinK-related peptide (MiRP) has been implicated in allowing a pore-forming, voltage-gated potassium channel α subunit to achieve its potential. In this issue of Circulation Research , Zhang et al1 show that MiRP1 (encoded by the KCNE2 gene) can alter the function of Kv4 family subunits (which contribute to I to, transient outward currents in heart and brain) when they are expressed together in Xenopus oocytes. After recent reports that MiRP1 affects the behavior of HERG2 3 4 5 6 and MiRP2 affects the function of KCNQ1, KCNQ4, HERG, and Kv3.4,7 8 the MiRP subunits have been accused of widespread promiscuous partnering. Whether this salacious charge is a valid reflection of natural physiology is the critical issue at hand. MinK and its four recognized relations (MiRP1 through MiRP4 encoded by KCNE1 through KCNE5 ) are diminutive single-transmembrane subunits that coassemble with α subunits during protein translation to form stable complexes9 10 (Figure⇓). In doing so, MinK alters the gating kinetics, permeation attributes, and pharmacology of KCNQ1 α subunits to yield the attributes recorded for native cardiac I Ks channels.11 12 So, too, MiRP1 and HERG combine to create complexes with unique functions that recapitulate the properties of cardiac I Kr channels.2 3 4 5 6 In each of these cases, inherited mutations in either the MiRP or its associated α subunit partner have been linked to similar pathophysiology. The present work by Zhang et al1 indicates that MiRP1 can alter the function of Kv4 subunits in experimental cells …
Photorejuvenation by Intense Pulsed Light with

It is widely known that skin rejuvenation by intense pulsed light (IPL) improves various symptoms of photodamage. In our department’s facility, the improvement of pigmented lesions and irregular pigmentation is the most frequent and primary request of patients seeking IPL treatment. Methods for obtaining satisfactory results with high efficacy include increasing fluence or using relatively short wavelengths for enhanced melanin absorption. It is also possible to use shorter pulse widths to more aggressively affect the melanin-saturated epidermis. In Japanese patients with darker skin types, however, careful attention must be paid to balance fluence and other parameters to prevent complications such as thermal burns. In contrast, if fluence is set too low, results may be unsatisfactory.
Trajectory Triangulation: 3D Reconstruction of Moving Points from a Monocular Image Sequence

We consider the problem of reconstructing the 3D coordinates of a moving point seen from a monocular moving camera, i.e., to reconstruct moving objects from line-of-sight measurements only. The task is feasible only when some constraints are placed on the shape of the trajectory of the moving point. We coin the family of such tasks as "trajectory triangulation. " We investigate the solutions for points moving along a straight-line and along conic-section trajectories, We show that if the point is moving along a straight line, then the parameters of the line (and, hence, the 3D position of the point at each time instant) can be uniquely recovered, and by linear methods, from at least five views. For the case of conic-shaped trajectory, we show that generally nine views are sufficient for a unique reconstruction of the moving point and fewer views when the conic is of a known type (like a circle in 3D Euclidean space for which seven views are sufficient). The paradigm of trajectory triangulation, in general, pushes the envelope of processing dynamic scenes forward. Thus static scenes become a particular case of a more general task of reconstructing scenes rich with moving objects (where an object could be a single point).
Response to the Referees

14 Naturally emitted from the oceans, iodine compounds efficiently destroy atmospheric ozone 15 and reduce its positive radiative forcing effects in the troposphere. Emissions of inorganic 16 iodine have been experimentally shown to depend on the deposition to the oceans of 17 tropospheric ozone, whose concentrations have significantly increased since 1850 as a result 18 of human activities. A chemistry-climate model is used herein to quantify the current ocean 19 emissions of inorganic iodine and assess the impact that the anthropogenic increase of 20 tropospheric ozone has had on the natural cycle of iodine in the marine environment since 21 pre-industrial times. Our results indicate that the human-driven enhancement of tropospheric 22 ozone has doubled the oceanic inorganic iodine emissions following the reaction of ozone 23 with iodide at the sea surface. The consequent build-up of atmospheric iodine, with maximum 24 enhancements of up to 70% with respect to preindustrial times in continental pollution 25 outflow regions, has in turn accelerated the ozone chemical loss over the oceans with strong 26 spatial patterns. We suggest that this ocean-atmosphere interaction represents a negative 27
Simulation of impairment: Commentary on Nickels, Rapp, and Kohnen (2015)

ABSTRACT Nickels, L. , Rapp, B. , and Kohnen, S. (2015. Challenges in the use of treatment to investigate cognition. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 32, 91–103) argue that impairment and treatment may be used to test computational models of cognition. They state that, contrary to their view, the authors of the WEAVER++ model of spoken word production have explicitly rejected simulation of impairment [i.e., Levelt, W. J. M. , Roelofs, A. , & Meyer, A. S. (1999b). Multiple perspectives on word production. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 22, 61–69]. Here, I argue that this incorrectly characterizes the position of Levelt et al. Moreover, I further clarify this position, which holds that simulation of impairment requires both a theory of the intact system and assumptions about the underlying deficit, which is a widely accepted view. To demonstrate this position, I outline the approach taken in WEAVER++ simulations of aphasic performance reported in Roelofs, A. (2014. A dorsal-pathway account of aphasic language production: The WEAVER++/ARC model. Cortex, 59, 33–48). These simulations not only prove that the developers of WEAVER++ endorse simulation of impairment, but also highlight the importance of integrating psycholinguistic, functional neuroimaging, and tractographic evidence in testing models of impaired performance.
Incidence of Parental Support and Pressure on Their Children’s Motivational Processes towards Sport Practice Regarding Gender

Grounded in Self-Determination Theory, structural equation modeling (SEM) with the aim of examining how parental support/pressure could influence their children´s motivational processes in sport was conducted, as well as the models´ differences in operability regarding gender. The sample size was 321 children ranging in age from 10 to 16 years old who were athletes from Extremadura, and 321 parents (included only the father or mother more involved with the sport of his or her child). 175 participants were male and 146 were female from individual (n = 130), and team sports (n=191). A questionnaire was conducted to assess parental perception of support/pressure and another questionnaire was conducted to measure satisfaction of basic psychological needs, type of motivation and enjoyment/boredom showed by their children towards sport practice. Results revealed that parental pressure negatively predicted satisfaction of the basic psychological needs. It also emerged as a strong positive predictor of intrinsic motivation and negative predictor of amotivation. Moreover, intrinsic motivation emerged as positive predictor of enjoyment and a negative predictor of boredom, whereas amotivation positively predicted boredom and negatively predicted enjoyment. Furthermore, results showed there were mean differences by gender: male athletes perceived greater parental pressure. Hence, it is necessary to decrease parental pressure towards their children in sport, with the aim of making them more motivated and enjoy, promoting positive consequences.
Lamin B Receptor Regulates the Growth and Maturation of Myeloid Progenitors via its Sterol Reductase Domain: Implications for Cholesterol Biosynthesis in Regulating Myelopoiesis

Lamin B receptor (LBR) is a bifunctional nuclear membrane protein with N-terminal lamin B and chromatin-binding domains plus a C-terminal sterol Δ14 reductase domain. LBR expression increases during neutrophil differentiation, and deficient expression disrupts neutrophil nuclear lobulation characteristic of Pelger-Huët anomaly. Thus, LBR plays a critical role in regulating myeloid differentiation, but how the two functional domains of LBR support this role is currently unclear. We previously identified abnormal proliferation and deficient functional maturation of promyelocytes (erythroid, myeloid, and lymphoid [EML]-derived promyelocytes) derived from EML-ic/ic cells, a myeloid model of ichthyosis (ic) bone marrow that lacks Lbr expression. In this study, we provide new evidence that cholesterol biosynthesis is important to myeloid cell growth and is supported by the sterol reductase domain of Lbr. Cholesterol biosynthesis inhibitors caused growth inhibition of EML cells that increased in EML-derived promyelocytes, whereas cells lacking Lbr exhibited complete growth arrest at both stages. Lipid production increased during wild-type neutrophil maturation, but ic/ic cells exhibited deficient levels of lipid and cholesterol production. Ectopic expression of a full-length Lbr in EML-ic/ic cells rescued both nuclear lobulation and growth arrest in cholesterol starvation conditions. Lipid production also was rescued, and a deficient respiratory burst was corrected. Expression of just the C-terminal sterol reductase domain of Lbr in ic/ic cells also improved each of these phenotypes. Our data support the conclusion that the sterol Δ14 reductase domain of LBR plays a critical role in cholesterol biosynthesis and that this process is essential to both myeloid cell growth and functional maturation.
Group Key Distribution with Self-healing Property for Unreliable and Communication-constrained Networks

: The most common solution for implementing access control into a dynamic group is to use a group key unknown to all but the users in the group. The group key (i.e., session key) is updated for every session throughout the lifetime of the group with the procedure of group key distribution. In this paper, we propose a group key distribution scheme with self-healing property that enables users in a dynamic group to establish session keys over an unreliable network with constrained bandwidth resources. To achieve this, our scheme also has the limited group membership property that there exists an upper bound on the number of users in the group. Through modeling and analysis, we show that our scheme has a better tradeoff between storage and communication overhead as compared to previous work. In addition, we propose a variant of the scheme which enables key recovery from a single broadcast message.
Sedative, haemodynamic and respiratory effects of dexmedetomidine in children undergoing magnetic resonance imaging examination: preliminary results.

BACKGROUND We evaluated the sedative, haemodynamic and respiratory effects of dexmedetomidine and compared them with those of midazolam in children undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedures. METHODS Eighty children aged between 1 and 7 yr were randomly allocated to receive sedation with either dexmedetomidine (group D, n=40) or midazolam (group M, n=40). The loading dose of the study drugs was administered for 10 min (dexmedetomidine 1 microg kg(-1) or midazolam 0.2 mg kg(-1)) followed by continuous infusion (dexmedetomidine 0.5 microg kg(-1) h(-1) or midazolam 6 microg kg(-1) min(-1)). Inadequate sedation was defined as difficulty in completing the procedure because of the child's movement during MRI. The children who were inadequately sedated were given a single dose of rescue midazolam and/or propofol intravenously. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) and ventilatory frequency (VF) were monitored and recorded during the study. RESULTS The quality of MRI was significantly better and the rate of adequate sedation was higher in group D than in group M (P<0.001). In group D, the requirement for rescue drugs was lower and the onset of sedation time was shorter than in group M (P<0.001). MAP, HR and VF decreased from baseline during sedation in both groups (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Dexmedetomidine provided adequate sedation in most of the children aged 1-7 yr without haemodynamic or respiratory effects during MRI procedures.
Supersymmetric Models with Higher Dimensional Operators

In 4D renormalisable theories, integrating out massive states generates in the low energy effective action higher dimensional operators (derivative or otherwise). Using a superfield language it is shown that a 4D N=1 supersymmetric theory with higher derivative operators in either the Kahler or the superpotential part of the Lagrangian and with an otherwise arbitrary superpotential, is equivalent to a 4D N=1 theory of second order (i.e. without higher derivatives) with additional superfields and renormalised interactions. We provide examples where a free theory with trivial supersymmetry breaking provided by a linear superpotential becomes, in the presence of higher derivatives terms and in the second order version, a non-trivial interactive one with spontaneous supersymmetry breaking. The couplings of the equivalent theory acquire a threshold correction through their dependence on the scale of the higher dimensional operator(s). The scalar potential in the second order theory is not necessarily positive definite, and one can in principle have a vanishing potential with broken supersymmetry. We provide an application to MSSM and argue that at tree-level and for a mass scale associated to a higher derivative term in the TeV range, the Higgs mass can be lifted above the current experimental limits.
Effects of a gluten-free diet on gut microbiota and immune function in healthy adult humans

Diet is a major environmental factor influencing gut microbiota diversity and functionality, which might be relevant to subjects following dietary therapies. Celiac disease (CD) is an enteropathy caused by an aberrant immune response to cereal gluten proteins and the only therapy is the adherence to a gluten-free diet (GFD). In this context, a preliminary study was conducted to establish whether the GFD in itself could modify the composition and immune properties of the gut microbiota. The trial included 10 healthy subjects (30.3 years old), which were submitted to a GFD over 1 month. Analysis of fecal microbiota and dietary intake indicated that numbers of healthy gut bacteria decreased, while numbers of unhealthy bacteria increased parallel to reductions in the intake of polysaccharides after following the GFD. Fecal samples of subjects under a GFD, which represent an altered microbiota, also exerted lower immune stimulatory effects on peripheral blood mononuclear cells than those of subjects on a regular gluten-containing diet. This addendum presents further discussion on the rationale behind these findings, limitations of the study and possible consequences of dietary counseling in the care process of celiac disease patients.
DNA fragmentation and apoptosis induced by safranal in human prostate cancer cell line

Objectives: Apoptosis, an important mechanism that contributes to cell growth reduction, is reported to be induced by Crocus sativus (Saffron) in different cancer types. However, limited effort has been made to correlate these effects to the active ingredients of saffron. The present study was designed to elucidate cytotoxic and apoptosis induction by safranal, the major coloring compound in saffron, in a human prostate cancer cell line (PC-3). Materials and Methods: PC-3 and human fetal lung fibroblast (MRC-5) cells were cultured and exposed to safranal (5, 10, 15, and 20 μg/ml). The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was performed to assess cytotoxicity. DNA fragmentation was assessed by gel electrophoresis. Cells were incubated with different concentrations of safranal, and cell morphologic changes and apoptosis were determined by the normal inverted microscope, Annexin V, and propidium iodide, followed by flow cytometric analysis, respectively. Results: MTT assay revealed a remarkable and concentration-dependent cytotoxic effect of safranal on PC-3 cells in comparison with non-malignant cell line. The morphologic alterations of the cells confirmed the MTT results. The IC50 values against PC-3 cells were found to be 13.0 ΁ 0.07 and 6.4 ΁ 0.09 μg/ml at 48 and 72 h, respectively. Safranal induced an early and late apoptosis in the flow cytometry histogram of treated cells, indicating apoptosis is involved in this toxicity. DNA analysis revealed typical ladders as early as 48 and 72 h after treatment, indicative of apoptosis. Conclusions: Our preclinical study demonstrated a prostate cancer cell line to be highly sensitive to safranal-mediated growth inhibition and apoptotic cell death. Although the molecular mechanisms of safranal action are not clearly understood, it appears to have potential as a therapeutic agent.
Smooth moves: bar and nightclub tobacco promotions that target young adults.

OBJECTIVES This article describes the tobacco industry's use of bars and nightclubs to encourage smoking among young adults. METHODS Previously secret tobacco industry marketing documents were analyzed. RESULTS Tobacco industry bar and nightclub promotions in the 1980s and 1990s included aggressive advertising, tobacco brand--sponsored activities, and distribution of samples. Financial incentives for club owners and staff were used to encourage smoking through peer influence. Increased use of these strategies occurred concurrently with an increase in smoking among persons aged 18 through 24 years. CONCLUSIONS The tobacco industry's bar and nightclub promotions are not yet politically controversial and are not regulated by the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between the industry and the states. Tobacco control advocates should include young adults in research and advocacy efforts and should design interventions to counter this industry strategy to solidify smoking patterns and recruit young adult smokers.
Cephalometric Comparison of Pharyngeal Airway in Snoring and Non-Snoring Patients

Objectives: To compare the skeletal and the airway structures of the non-snoring individuals with simple snoring and patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Methods: The first group consisted of 20 simple snoring cases (mean age: 37.5±8.05 years; max: 50 years, min: 21 years), the second group consisted of 20 OSA cases (mean age: 40.0±8.28 years; max: 54 years, min: 27 years) and the third group consisted of 20 individuals without any respiration problems (mean age: 29.6±3.20 years; max: 35 years, min: 24 years). In the cephalometric films, 4 skeletal and 14 airway space measurements were done. The control group and the study groups were compared using the Dunnett t test, and the groups with snoring problems were compared using the Bonferroni test. Results: No statistically significant differences were found between the three groups in skeletal measurements. The OSA and simple snoring groups showed no significant differences in airway measurements. The OSA group showed significantly increased soft palate angulation when compared with the control group (P<.05). Soft palate length, soft palate thickness and soft palate height were significantly higher in the OSA samples than in the control group (P<.001). Pharyngeal spaces in the soft palate area had the significantly lowest values in the OSA group. Inferior pharyngeal space distances in the control group were greater than in both study groups. The OSA group showed the most inferiorly positioned hyoid bone and the difference between OSA and control groups was significant (P<.01). Conclusions: The decreased airway dimension in the soft palate area due to increased soft palate volume must be taken into consideration in treatment planning of OSA patients.
Computer-assisted diagnosis: the classification of mammographic breast parenchymal patterns

The authors have developed a method for the quantification of breast texture by using different algorithms to classify mammograms into the four patterns described by Wolfe (1976) (N1, P1, P2 and Dy). The computerized scheme employs craniocaudal views of conventional screen-film mammograms, which are digitized by a laser scanner. The authors used discriminant analysis to select among different feature-extraction techniques, including Fourier transform, local-contrast analysis, and grey-level distribution and quantification. The method has been evaluated on 117 clinical mammograms previously classified by five radiologists as to mammographic breast parenchymal patterns (MBPPS). The results show differences in agreement among radiologists and computer classification, depending on the Wolfe pattern: excellent for Dy ( kappa =0.77), good for P2 ( kappa =0.52) and N1 ( kappa =0.52) and poor for P1 ( kappa =0.22). The authors' quantitative texture measure as calculated from digital mammograms may be valuable to radiologists in their assessment of MBPP and therefore useful in establishing an index of risk for developing breast carcinoma.