Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prognostic value of a normal or nonspecific initial electrocardiogram in acute myocardial infarction.

CONTEXT Although previous studies have suggested that normal and nonspecific initial electrocardiograms (ECGs) are associated with a favorable prognosis for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), their independent predictive value for mortality has not been examined. OBJECTIVE To compare in-hospital mortality among patients with AMI who have normal or nonspecific initial ECGs with that of patients who have diagnostic ECGs. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS Multihospital observational study in which 391 208 patients with AMI met the study criteria between June 1994 and June 2000 and had ECGs that were normal (n = 30 759), nonspecific (n = 137 574), or diagnostic (n = 222 875; defined as ST-segment elevation or depression and/or left bundle-branch block). A logistic regression model was constructed using a propensity score for ECG findings and data on demographics, medical history, diagnostic procedures, and therapy to determine the independent prognostic value of a normal or nonspecific initial ECG. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES In-hospital mortality; composite outcome of in-hospital death and life-threatening adverse events. RESULTS In-hospital mortality rates were 5.7%, 8.7%, and 11.5% while the rates of the composite of mortality and life-threatening adverse events were 19.2%, 27.5%, and 34.9% for the normal, nonspecific, and diagnostic ECG groups, respectively. After adjusting for other predictor variables, the odds of mortality for the normal ECG group was 0.59 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56-0.63; P<.001) and for the nonspecific group was 0.70 (95% CI, 0.68-0.72; P<.001), compared with the diagnostic ECG group. CONCLUSION In this large cohort of patients with AMI, patients presenting with normal or nonspecific ECGs did have lower in-hospital mortality rates than those of patients with diagnostic ECGs, yet the absolute rates were still unexpectedly high.
Transient CEA increase at start of oxaliplatin combination therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer

In general a rising carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level means tumor progression. We observed a transient increase in CEA level despite objective response among patients receiving chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer. This surge phenomenon has not previously been described for patients with metastatic colorectal disease. CEA was measured every second week in 27 patients receiving oxaliplatin, 5-fluororuracil, and folinic acid as first-line therapy against metastatic colorectal cancer. Four patients (15%, 95% CI 5–31%) met the criteria for therapy-induced CEA surge. The time of reaching maximum CEA level varied from 13 to 56 days. Median rise in CEA from baseline was 263% (range 24–632%). An initial rise of CEA during chemotherapy in colorectal cancer patients may therefore not always indicate progression of disease but may be a transient CEA surge in patients responding to chemotherapy.
The disease pyramid for acute gastrointestinal illness in New Zealand

SUMMARY The disease pyramid of under-ascertainment for surveillance of acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) in New Zealand has been estimated using 2005–2007 data on notifiable diseases, a community telephone survey, and a survey of diagnostic laboratories. For each notified case of AGI there were an estimated 222 cases in the community, about 49 of which visited a general practitioner. Faecal samples were requested from about 15 of these cases, and 13 samples were provided. Of the faecal samples, pathogens were detected in about three cases. These ratios are similar to those reported in other developed countries, and provide baseline measurements of the AGI burden in the New Zealand community.
Group Independent Component Analysis and Functional MRI Examination of Changes in Language Areas Associated with Brain Tumors at Different Locations

Object This study investigates the effect of tumor location on alterations of language network by brain tumors at different locations using blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) fMRI and group independent component analysis (ICA). Subjects and Methods BOLD fMRI data were obtained from 43 right handed brain tumor patients. Presurgical mapping of language areas was performed on all 43 patients with a picture naming task. All data were retrospectively analyzed using group ICA. Patents were divided into three groups based on tumor locations, i.e., left frontal region, left temporal region or right hemisphere. Laterality index (LI) was used to assess language lateralization in each group. Results The results from BOLD fMRI and ICA revealed the different language activation patterns in patients with brain tumors located in different brain regions. Language areas, such as Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas, were intact in patients with tumors in the right hemisphere. Significant functional changes were observed in patients with tumor in the left frontal and temporal areas. More specifically, the tumors in the left frontal region affect both Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas, while tumors in the left temporal lobe affect mainly Wernicke’s area. The compensated activation increase was observed in the right frontal areas in patients with left hemisphere tumors. Conclusion Group ICA provides a model free alternative approach for mapping functional networks in brain tumor patients. Altered language activation by different tumor locations suggested reorganization of language functions in brain tumor patients and may help better understanding of the language plasticity.
The combination of electronic monitoring and video‐assisted observations of plant penetration by aphids and behavioural effects of polygodial

Simultaneous electronic and close‐up video recordings were made of behaviour during the initial 15 min of plant contact by adult, apterous Aphis fabae Scopoli on tick bean seedlings (Vicia faba Moench). Electronic techniques accurately determined stylet penetration of plant tissue and there was a close correlation between penetration and periods during which the insect antennae and body were immobile (r = 0.994, n = 60). Video techniques were then used alone to infer stylet penetration and the behaviour of aphids after various treatments was monitored. In particular, the time to first penetration, the number of penetrations, the mean duration of penetrations and the total time of penetration were observed. Behavioural differences were recorded between tethered (as required for electronic recording) and freely‐moving insects as well as between fed and starved insects. The behaviour of starved aphids placed on beans treated with the plant‐derived antifeedant, polygodial could not be distinguished from aphids on solvent‐treated control beans. However, there were significant differences in behaviour of aphids which had previously been exposed to polygodial on plant or green/yellow paper surfaces for 24 h when compared with insects exposed to solvent alone. The possible modes of action of polygodial are discussed.
Natural History of Experimental Coronary Atherosclerosis and Vascular Remodeling in Relation to Endothelial Shear Stress: A Serial, In Vivo Intravascular Ultrasound Study

Background— The natural history of heterogeneous atherosclerotic plaques and the role of local hemodynamic factors throughout their development are unknown. We performed a serial study to assess the role of endothelial shear stress (ESS) and vascular remodeling in the natural history of coronary atherosclerosis. Methods and Results— Intravascular ultrasound–based 3-dimensional reconstruction of all major coronary arteries (n=15) was performed serially in vivo in 5 swine 4, 11, 16, 23, and 36 weeks after induction of diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia. The reconstructed arteries were divided into 3-mm-long segments (n=304). ESS was calculated in all segments at all time points through the use of computational fluid dynamics. Vascular remodeling was assessed at each time point in all segments containing significant plaque, defined as maximal intima-media thickness ≥0.5 mm, at week 36 (n=220). Plaque started to develop at week 11 and progressively advanced toward heterogeneous, multifocal lesions at all subsequent time points. Low ESS promoted the initiation and subsequent progression of plaques. The local remodeling response changed substantially over time and determined future plaque evolution. Excessive expansive remodeling developed in regions of very low ESS, further exacerbated the low ESS, and was associated with the most marked plaque progression. The combined assessment of ESS, remodeling, and plaque severity enabled the early identification of plaques that evolved to high-risk lesions at week 36. Conclusions— The synergistic effect of local ESS and the remodeling response to plaque formation determine the natural history of individual lesions. Combined in vivo assessment of ESS and remodeling may predict the focal formation of high-risk coronary plaque.
Bayesian non-parametric inference for $\Lambda$-coalescents: Posterior consistency and a parametric method

We investigate Bayesian non-parametric inference of the $\Lambda$-measure of $\Lambda$-coalescent processes with recurrent mutation, parametrised by probability measures on the unit interval. We give verifiable criteria on the prior for posterior consistency when observations form a time series, and prove that any non-trivial prior is inconsistent when all observations are contemporaneous. We then show that the likelihood given a data set of size $n \in \mathbb{N}$ is constant across $\Lambda$-measures whose leading $n - 2$ moments agree, and focus on inferring truncated sequences of moments. We provide a large class of functionals which can be extremised using finite computation given a credible region of posterior truncated moment sequences, and a pseudo-marginal Metropolis-Hastings algorithm for sampling the posterior. Finally, we compare the efficiency of the exact and noisy pseudo-marginal algorithms with and without delayed acceptance acceleration using a simulation study.
Chronic renal failure in sickle cell disease : risk factors , clinical course , and mortality

Immunological tolerance is the ultimate goal of transplantation immunobiology. Current therapies involve nonspecific immunosuppression with concomitant risks for infection, malignancy, and drug-specific side effects. By inducing specific immune unresponsiveness to the graft it should be possible to maintain transplants without the need for chronic drug administration and without the risks of nonspecific immunosuppression. This review highlights recent progress in the understanding of immunological tolerance, with special attention to the long-term prospects for successful induction of tolerance in renal transplant
Phyllosphere and phylloplane fungi of qat in Sana'a, Yemen Arab Republic

Eighty six species belonging to thirty one genera were collected from the qat phyllosphere (30 genera and 78 species) and phylloplane (20 genera and 64 species) of 24 varieties tested. In the phyllosphere the most frequent genera were Cladosporium, Aspergillus and Alternaria followed by Penicillium, Drechslera, Fusarium, Curvularia, Phoma and Chaetomium. From the preceding genera the most prevalent species were C. herbarum, C. macrocarpum, A. niger, A. flavus, A. alternata, A. phragmospora, P. citrinum, P. notatum, D. spicifera, D. halodes, D. hawaiiensis, F. oxysporum, F. moniliforme, C. lunata, P. humicola, P. herbarum and C. globosum. In the phylloplane the order of genera frequency was more or less the same, while the most common species were C. herbarum, C. sphaerospermum, A. niger, A. flavus, A. alternata and A. tenuissima.
Large-Scale SRAM Variability Characterization in 45 nm CMOS

Increased process variability presents a major challenge for future SRAM scaling. Fast and accurate validation of SRAM read stability and writeability margins is crucial for estimating yield in large SRAM arrays. Conventional SRAM read/write metrics are characterized through test structures that are able to provide limited hardware measurement data and cannot be used to investigate cell bit fails in functional SRAM arrays. This work presents a method for large-scale characterization of read stability and writeability in functional SRAM arrays using direct bit-line measurements. A test chip is implemented in a 45 nm CMOS process. Large-scale SRAM read/write metrics are measured and compared against conventional SRAM stability metrics. Results show excellent correlation to conventional SRAM read/write metrics as well as VMIN measurements near failure.
Numerical Approximation of Space-Time Fractional Parabolic Equations

Abstract In this paper, we develop a numerical scheme for the space-time fractional parabolic equation, i.e. an equation involving a fractional time derivative and a fractional spatial operator. Both the initial value problem and the non-homogeneous forcing problem (with zero initial data) are considered. The solution operator E ⁢ ( t ) {E(t)} for the initial value problem can be written as a Dunford–Taylor integral involving the Mittag-Leffler function e α , 1 {e_{\alpha,1}} and the resolvent of the underlying (non-fractional) spatial operator over an appropriate integration path in the complex plane. Here α denotes the order of the fractional time derivative. The solution for the non-homogeneous problem can be written as a convolution involving an operator W ⁢ ( t ) {W(t)} and the forcing function F ⁢ ( t ) {F(t)} . We develop and analyze semi-discrete methods based on finite element approximation to the underlying (non-fractional) spatial operator in terms of analogous Dunford–Taylor integrals applied to the discrete operator. The space error is of optimal order up to a logarithm of 1 h {\frac{1}{h}} . The fully discrete method for the initial value problem is developed from the semi-discrete approximation by applying a sinc quadrature technique to approximate the Dunford–Taylor integral of the discrete operator and is free of any time stepping. The sinc quadrature of step size k involves k - 2 {k^{-2}} nodes and results in an additional O ⁢ ( exp ⁡ ( - c k ) ) {O(\exp(-\frac{c}{k}))} error. To approximate the convolution appearing in the semi-discrete approximation to the non-homogeneous problem, we apply a pseudo-midpoint quadrature. This involves the average of W h ⁢ ( s ) {W_{h}(s)} , (the semi-discrete approximation to W ⁢ ( s ) {W(s)} ) over the quadrature interval. This average can also be written as a Dunford–Taylor integral. We first analyze the error between this quadrature and the semi-discrete approximation. To develop a fully discrete method, we then introduce sinc quadrature approximations to the Dunford–Taylor integrals for computing the averages. We show that for a refined grid in time with a mesh of O ⁢ ( 𝒩 ⁢ log ⁡ ( 𝒩 ) ) {O({\mathcal{N}}\log({\mathcal{N}}))} intervals, the error between the semi-discrete and fully discrete approximation is O ⁢ ( 𝒩 - 2 + log ⁡ ( 𝒩 ) ⁢ exp ⁡ ( - c k ) ) {O({\mathcal{N}}^{-2}+\log({\mathcal{N}})\exp(-\frac{c}{k}))} . We also report the results of numerical experiments that are in agreement with the theoretical error estimates.
Type II Enteropathy-Associated T-Cell Lymphoma: A Distinct Aggressive Lymphoma With Frequent &ggr;&dgr; T-cell Receptor Expression

Enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma (EATL), an uncommon lymphoma of intestinal intraepithelial T lymphocytes, occurs with a higher frequency in northern Europe due to association with celiac disease. Data on the occurrence of EATL in the Asian population, among whom celiac disease is very rare, are conflicting. This study aimed to characterize EATL encountered in the Chinese population in Hong Kong. Eighteen cases were identified, all fulfilling the criteria of type II rather than classical EATL. The patients, including 13 men and 5 women, had a median age of 62 years. Most presented with small bowel perforation, and there was no history of malabsorption. The clinical course was aggressive, with 14 of 16 patients dying of progressive disease or complications, usually within 1 year. The histologic features were practically identical in all cases. The central zone of the tumor showed ulceration with or without perforation and was characterized by monotonous transmural infiltration of the bowel by small-sized or medium-sized lymphoma cells with few admixed inflammatory cells and no coagulative necrosis. The peripheral zone featured lateral spread of lymphoma cells in the mucosa, accompanied by variable involvement of the submucosa and muscularis. In all cases, there was an intraepithelial lymphocytosis zone contiguous or discontinuous with the peripheral zone, which was characterized by infiltration of the intestinal epithelium by nonatypical small lymphocytes, and not accompanied by other histologic changes of enteropathy. The most common phenotype of the lymphoma cells was CD3+, CD5−, CD4−, CD8+, CD56+, TIA1+, CD30−, and Epstein-Barr virus−, and 2 cases showed aberrant expression of CD20. A remarkable finding was that 14 (78%) cases expressed &ggr;&dgr; T-cell receptor, and only 6 (33%) expressed &agr;&bgr; T-cell receptor (with 3 cases coexpressing both T-cell receptors and 1 case expressing neither). The immunophenotype of the intraepithelial lymphocytes was either discordant (particularly with respect to CD8 and CD56 expressions) or concordant with the lymphoma cells of the corresponding cases. Thus, this study shows that EATL occurring in the Chinese population is exclusively of type II. In contrast to several studies, intraepithelial lymphocytosis can be consistently demonstrated and this component seems to represent a precursor lesion of EATL rather than a manifestation of celiac disease. In view of the differences in epidemiology and clinicopathologic features, we believe it is justified to separate out type II EATL from the EATL category as a distinct form of lymphoma, for which we propose the designation “monomorphic intestinal T-cell lymphoma. ”
Relevance of Serum Leptin and Leptin-Receptor Concentrations in Critically Ill Patients

The adipocyte-derived cytokine leptin was implicated to link inflammation and metabolic alterations. We investigated the potential role of leptin components in critically ill patients, because systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, and hyperglycemia are common features of critical illness. Upon admission to Medical Intensive Care Unit (ICU), free leptin and soluble leptin-receptor serum concentrations were determined in 137 critically ill patients (95 with sepsis, 42 without sepsis) and 26 healthy controls. Serum leptin or leptin-receptor did not differ between patients or controls and were independent of sepsis. However, serum leptin was closely associated with obesity and diabetes and clearly correlated with markers of metabolism and liver function. Leptin-receptor was an unfavourable prognostic indicator, associated with mortality during three years follow-up. Our study indicates a functional role of leptin in the pathogenesis of severe illness and emphasizes the impact of complex metabolic alterations on the clinical outcome of critically ill patients.
Corticotropin-releasing hormone-binding protein in brain and pituitary of food-deprived obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats.

The present study was conducted to verify whether experimental conditions such as obesity and food deprivation, which promote food intake and reduce thermogenesis, could modify the expression of the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-binding protein (BP) in the rat brain. In situ hybridization, histochemistry, and immunohistochemistry were used to assess the expression of CRH-BP in lean (Fa/? ) and obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats that were fed ad libitum, food deprived for 24 h, or food deprived for 24 h and refed for 6 h. In both lean and obese rats, food deprivation led to a reduction in body weight that was accompanied by a reversible increase in plasma corticosterone levels. Food deprivation and, to a lesser degree, obesity induced the expression of CRH-BP mRNA in the dorsal part of the medial preoptic area (MPOA). This induction of the CRH-BP gene led to by food deprivation was confirmed by the appearance in the dorsal part of the MPOA of neurons immunoreactive to CRH-BP. Food deprivation (in particular) and obesity also increased the levels of CRH-BP mRNA in the basolateral amygdala (BLA). The enhanced CRH-BP expression in the MPOA and BLA in response to food deprivation was reversed by refeeding. In lean Fa/? rats, the CRH-BP mRNA level in the pituitary cells was significantly decreased after food deprivation and restored after refeeding. When food was provided ad libitum, the number of cells expressing CRH-BP in the anterior pituitary was significantly higher in lean rats than in obese animals. Food deprivation for 24 h decreased dramatically the number of pituitary cells expressing CRH-BP in lean rats. Altogether, the present results demonstrate that food deprivation and, to a lesser extent, obesity can selectively affect the expression of CRH-BP. Given both the inactivating effect of CRH-BP on the CRH system and the potential roles played by the MPOA and BLA in the thermogenic and anorectic effects of CRH, it can be argued that the induction of the CRH-BP gene in obesity and after food deprivation occurs as a mechanism to reduce energy expenditure and to stimulate food intake.
Maternal and Social Origins of Hypertension

We previously reported that in 2003 people from the Helsinki birth cohort whose blood pressures were measured, 2 different paths of growth preceded the development of hypertension. People already diagnosed with hypertension were small at birth but of average body size at age 11 years. People newly diagnosed with hypertension grew slowly in utero and through childhood. We have now examined how the mother's body size, placental size, and living conditions after birth, 3 influences that affect growth, affect hypertension. Diagnosed hypertension was associated with low placental weight and poor living conditions after birth. The odds ratios were 1.6 (95% CI, 1.1 to 2.3) in people with placental weights <550 g, compared with those with weights >750 g, and 2.2 (95% CI, 1.5 to 3.3) in people whose fathers were laborers compared with those in upper middle-class families. Newly diagnosed hypertension was associated with a small anteroposterior diameter of the mother's bony pelvis, a known consequence of rickets or lesser degrees of malnutrition in infancy. The odds ratio was 2.2 (95% CI, 1.4 to 3.5) in people whose mothers' pelvic external conjugate diameters were <18 cm when compared with people whose mothers' diameters were ≥19 cm. We conclude that one path of growth that leads to hypertension is initiated by fetal undernutrition, which may make a baby vulnerable to postnatal stress, whereas the other originates in a functional incapacity in the mother's metabolism, possibly protein metabolism, which she acquired through undernutrition during her infancy.