Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Liposome-Based Mycobacterial Vaccine Induces Potent Adult and Neonatal Multifunctional T Cells through the Exquisite Targeting of Dendritic Cells

Background In the search for more potent and safer tuberculosis vaccines, CAF01 was identified as a remarkable formulation. Based on cationic liposomes and including a synthetic mycobacterial glycolipid as TLR-independent immunomodulator, it induces strong and protective T helper-1 and T helper-17 adult murine responses to Ag85B-ESAT-6, a major mycobacterial fusion protein. Here, we assessed whether these properties extend to early life and how CAF01 mediates its adjuvant properties in vivo. Methods/Findings Following adult or neonatal murine immunization, Ag85B-ESAT-6/CAF01 similarly reduced the post-challenge bacterial growth of M. bovis BCG, whereas no protection was observed using Alum as control. This protection was mediated by the induction of similarly strong Th1 and Th17 responses in both age groups. Multifunctional Th1 cells were already elicited after a single vaccine dose and persisted at high levels for at least 6 months even after neonatal priming. Unexpectedly, this potent adjuvanticity was not mediated by a massive targeting/activation of dendritic cells: in contrast, very few DCs in the draining lymph nodes were bearing the labeled antigen/adjuvant. The increased expression of the CD40 and CD86 activation markers was restricted to the minute portion of adjuvant-bearing DCs. However, vaccine-associated activated DCs were recovered several days after immunization. Conclusion The potent adult and neonatal adjuvanticity of CAF01 is associated in vivo with an exquisite but prolonged DC uptake and activation, fulfilling the preclinical requirements for novel tuberculosis vaccines to be used in early life.
Place of Preoperative Treatment of Acromegaly with Somatostatin Analog on Surgical Outcome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Context Transsphenoidal neurosurgery is the accepted first-line treatment of acromegaly in the majority of patients. Previous studies addressing preoperative somatostatin analog (SSA) treatment and subsequent surgical cure rates are conflicting, reporting either benefits or no significant differences. Objective The aim of this study, based on a meta-analysis of all published reports, was to investigate whether treatment with SSA before surgery improves the surgical outcome of acromegaly. Data Sources All studies of preoperative treatment of acromegaly with SSA were systematically reviewed up to December 2011. We searched the Medline, Embase, Cochrane and Google Scholar electronic databases. Study Selection: The primary endpoint was the biochemical postoperative cure rate. We identified 286 studies, out of which 10 studies (3.49%) fulfilling the eligibility criteria were selected for analysis; five retrospective studies with a control group, two prospective non-randomized trials, and three prospective controlled trials. The meta-analysis was conducted using the random-effects model. Data Extraction Data were extracted from published reports by two independent observers. Data Synthesis: A borderline effect was detected in the analysis of all of the trials with control groups, with a pooled odds ratio (OR) for biochemical cure with SSA treatment of 1.62 (95% CI, 0.93–2.82). In the analysis of the three prospective controlled trials, a statistically significant effect was idenfified OR: 3.62 (95% CI, 1.88–6.96). Conclusions Preoperative treatment with SSA og GH-secreting pituitary adenomas shows a significant improvement on surgical results. This meta-analysis suggests that in centers without optimal results all patients with a GH-secreting pituitary macroadenoma should be treated with a long-acting SSA prior to surgical treatment.
Comparison of dexamethasone intravitreal implant and intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide for the treatment of pseudophakic cystoid macular edema in diabetic patients

Background and objective Our objective was to investigate the efficacy and safety of dexa methasone (DEX) implant for the treatment of pseudophakic cystoid macular edema (PCME) in diabetic patients. Study design This was a prospective, non-randomized, interventional case series of 43 participants. Eighteen patients were enrolled in the DEX implant group and 25 were enrolled in an intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) group. Main outcome measures The primary efficacy measurement was the percentage of patients who gained improvements of more than ten letters in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) during 6 months of follow-up. Other efficacy measurements included change in BCVA, change in central macular thickness (CMT), and number of retreatments. The primary safety evaluation was the percentage of patients with intraocular hypertension and variation in intraocular pressure (IOP) during 6 months of follow-up. Other adverse events, such as conjunctival hemorrhage, eye pain, secondary infection, endophthalmitis, noninfectious inflammation, retinal detachment, and implant migration, were also recorded during follow-up. Results At month 1, we observed that the percentage of patients gaining improvement of more than ten letters was similar in both groups (P=0.625). As patients in the IVTA group were retreated several times, this effect persisted throughout the study (P=0.941 at month 2, P=0.553 at month 3, P=0.856 at month 6). Variations in CMT were noticed at week 1 and reached their maximum at month 1. No significant difference was found between the two groups (P=0.831 at week 1, P=0.783 at month 1). At month 1, the variation in IOP reached its maximum in the DEX implant group and then decreased slightly. However, in the IVTA group, it increased continuously throughout the study. Conjunctival hemorrhage and eye pain were found in both groups, but both were rated as mild in severity, and no significant difference was found (P=0.184, P=0.766, respectively). Conclusion Both IVTA and DEX implants could effectively restore visual function and recover morphological change in diabetic patients with PCME for at least 6 months, but repeated intravitreal injection was required in the IVTA group. DEX implant is well tolerated. We suggest that intravitreal injection of DEX implant is a promising new therapeutic option for diabetic patients with PCME.
Benchmarking outcomes in a public behavioral health setting: feedback as a quality improvement strategy.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a large public behavioral health (PBH) agency serving only clients at or below the federal poverty level that had implemented continuous outcome feedback as a quality improvement strategy. METHOD The authors investigated the post treatment outcomes of 5,168 individuals seeking treatment for a broad range of diagnoses who completed at least 2 psychotherapy sessions. The Outcome Rating Scale (ORS; Duncan, 2011; Miller & Duncan, 2004) was used to measure outcomes. Clients had a mean age of 36.7 years and were predominantly female (60.7%) and White (67.8%), with 17.7% being Hispanic, 9.3% being African American, and 2.8% being Native American. Forty-six percent were diagnosed with depression, mood, and anxiety disorders; 18.8% were diagnosed with substance abuse disorders; and 14.4% were diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. A subset of clients with a primary diagnosis of a depressive disorder was compared to treatment efficacy benchmarks derived from clinical trials of major depression. Given that the PBH agency had also implemented an outcome management system, the total sample was also compared to benchmarks derived from clinical trials of continuous outcome feedback. RESULTS Treatment effect sizes of psychotherapy delivered at the PBH agency were comparable to effect size estimates of clinical trials of depression and feedback. Observed effect sizes were smaller, however, when compared to feedback benchmarks that used the ORS. CONCLUSIONS Services to the poor and disabled can be effective, and continuous outcome feedback may be a viable means both to improve outcomes and to narrow the gap between research and practice.
About the Efficiency of Partial Replication to Implement Distributed Shared Memory

Distributed shared memory abstraction (DSM) is traditionally realized through a distributed memory consistency system (MCS) on top of a message passing system. In this paper we analyze the impossibility of efficient partial replication implementation of causally consistent DSM. Efficiency is discussed in terms of control information that processes have to propagate to maintain consistency. We introduce the notions of share graph and hoop to model variable distribution and the concept of dependency chain to characterize processes that have to manage information about a variable even though they do not read or write that variable. Then, we consider PRAM, a consistency criterion weaker enough to allow efficient partial replication implementations and strong enough to solve interesting problems. Finally, we illustrate the power of PRAM with the Bellman-Ford shortest path algorithm
A Strictly Convex Hull for Computing Proximity Distances With Continuous Gradients

We propose a new bounding volume that achieves a tunable strict convexity of a given convex hull. This geometric operator is named sphere-tori-patches bounding volume (STP-BV), which is the acronym for the bounding volume made of patches of spheres and tori. The strict convexity of STP-BV guarantees a unique pair of witness points and at least C1 continuity of the distance function resulting from a proximity query with another convex shape. Subsequently, the gradient of the distance function is continuous. This is useful for integrating distance as a constraint in robotic motion planners or controllers using smooth optimization techniques. For the sake of completeness, we compare performance in smooth and nonsmooth optimization with examples of growing complexity when involving distance queries between pairs of convex shapes.
Evaluation of RISAT-1 compact polarization data for calibration

Synchronous with RISAT-1 and RADARSAT-2 passes, corner reflectors (CR) were mounted for the evaluation of radiometric calibration of RISAT-1 compact polarimetric SAR data. Based on the CRs response on SLC images, RISAT-1 calibration constant, PSLR/ISLR, resolution, channel imbalance and cross-talk were analyzed and compared with that of product specifications. A difference of 0.5 to 1.5 dB is observed between product and estimated calibration constant K. The resolution and PSLR/ISLR are better than the specification of the product. Backscattering coefficient and compact polarimetric parameters of RISAT-1 were compared with RADARSAT-2 simulated compact polarization. The large difference in sigma-0 is observed for water and sand features due to high value of noise-equivalent-sigma-zero of RISAT-1. Similarly, some differences are observed between RISAT-1 estimated compact polarimetric parameters (m, mc, δ, χ, axial ratio, CPR) and that of RADARSAT-2 simulated compact data.
The American Heart Association Ideal Cardiovascular Health and Incident Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Among Blacks: The Jackson Heart Study

Background The concept of ideal cardiovascular health (CVH), defined by the American Heart Association primarily for coronary heart disease and stroke prevention, may apply to diabetes mellitus prevention among blacks. Methods and Results Our sample included 2668 adults in the Jackson Heart Study with complete baseline data on 6 of 7 American Heart Association CVH metrics (body mass index, healthy diet, smoking, total cholesterol, blood pressure, and physical activity). Incident diabetes mellitus was defined as fasting glucose ≥126 mg/dL, physician diagnosis, use of diabetes mellitus drugs, or glycosylated hemoglobin ≥6.5%. A summary CVH score from 0 to 6, based on presence/absence of ideal CVH metrics, was derived for each participant. Cox regression was used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios. Mean age was 55 years (65% women) with 492 incident diabetes mellitus events over 7.6 years (24.6 cases/1000 person‐years). Three quarters of participants had only 1 or 2 ideal CVH metrics; no participant had all 6. After adjustment for demographic factors (age, sex, education, and income) and high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein, each additional ideal CVH metric was associated with a 17% diabetes mellitus risk reduction (hazard ratio, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.74–0.93). The association was attenuated with further adjustment for homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (hazard ratio, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.79–1.00). Compared with participants with 1 or no ideal CVH metric, diabetes mellitus risk was 15% and 37% lower in those with 2 and ≥3 ideal CVH metrics, respectively. Conclusions The AHA concept of ideal CVH is applicable to diabetes mellitus prevention among blacks. These associations were largely explained by insulin resistance.
Toward Provable Security Against Differential and Linear Cryptanalysis for Camellia and Related Ciphers

We present a new algorithm that evaluates provable security against differential and linear cryptanalysis for Feistel ciphers with invertible substitution-diffusion (SD)-based round functions. This algorithm computes an upper bound on the maximum expected differential or linear probability (MEDP or MELP) based on the number of rounds. We then apply our algorithm to Camellia (minus FL/FL 1 ). Previously, the best upper bounds for Camellia were 2 12 (both MEDP and MELP) for 3+ rounds. Our algorithm improves these bounds to 1.065 × 2 28 (MEDP) and 1.161 × 2 27 (MELP) for 6+ rounds. This
Assessing Alpha Band Event-related Synchronisation/Desynchronisation Using a Bio-Inspired Computational Model

This paper describes a study of the effects of variation of synaptic connectivity in a thalamo-cortical circuitry using a neural mass model. The oscillatory behaviour of the model output is assessed within the alpha frequency band. The model presented here is a modification of an existing model involving the introduction of biologically plausible synaptic connectivities as well as synaptic structure. Our goal is to study altered event related desynchronisation/synchronisation (ERD/ERS) patterns within the alpha band in Alzheimers disease as observed in experimental studies. ERD is an amplitude attenuation of certain EEG rhythms when an event is initiated or while a certain event is taking place in the brain. ERS is an amplitude enhancement of a certain EEG rhythm when cortical areas are not specifically engaged in a given mode of activity at a certain instant of time. EEG desynchronisation normally blocks alpha rhythms in the EEG due to sensory processing or behaviour. The results show that a decrease in synaptic connectivity induces a time lag in both ERD and ERS peaks in the model output. Furthermore, a deficiency induced in the inhibitory cholinergic pathway results in a distinct effect on time to peak in the ERD/ERS response. These observations are consistent with experimental findings in AD. Variation of the level of interconnectivity has a pronounced effect on the ERS behaviour of the model whilethe excitatory connectivity in the retino-geniculate pathway during the resting state is more influential on the ERD behaviour.
Susceptibility Loci Associated with Prostate Cancer Progression and Mortality

Purpose: Prostate cancer is a heterogenous disease with a variable natural history that is not accurately predicted by currently used prognostic tools. Experimental Design: We genotyped 798 prostate cancer cases of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry treated for localized prostate cancer between June 1988 and December 2007. Blood samples were prospectively collected and de-identified before being genotyped and matched to clinical data. The survival analysis was adjusted for Gleason score and prostate-specific antigen. We investigated associations between 29 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and biochemical recurrence, castration-resistant metastasis, and prostate cancer–specific survival. Subsequently, we did an independent analysis using a high-resolution panel of 13 SNPs. Results: On univariate analysis, two SNPs were associated (P < 0.05) with biochemical recurrence, three SNPs were associated with clinical metastases, and one SNP was associated with prostate cancer–specific mortality. Applying a Bonferroni correction (P < 0.0017), one association with biochemical recurrence (P = 0.0007) was significant. Three SNPs showed associations on multivariable analysis, although not after correcting for multiple testing. The secondary analysis identified an additional association with prostate cancer–specific mortality in KLK3 (P < 0.0005 by both univariate and multivariable analysis). Conclusions: We identified associations between prostate cancer susceptibility SNPs and clinical end points. The rs61752561 in KLK3 and rs2735839 in the KLK2-KLK3 intergenic region were strongly associated with prostate cancer–specific survival, and rs10486567 in the 7JAZF1 gene were associated with biochemical recurrence. A larger study will be required to independently validate these findings and determine the role of these SNPs in prognostic models. Clin Cancer Res; 16(10); 2819–32. ©2010 AACR.
Postnatal Changes of Leptin Levels in Full-Term and Preterm Neonates: Their Relation to Intrauterine Growth, Gender and Testosterone

The present study was carried out to investigate leptin levels in arterial and venous cord serum and in amniotic fluid in full-term infants at birth and on the 5th postnatal day to define the relationship of leptin to intrauterine growth rate, gender and early postnatal life. The relation of weight gain to serum leptin levels in male preterm infants was determined measuring leptin concentration weekly in the first 5 postnatal weeks. Testosterone levels were determined simultaneously to explore a possible relationship between leptin and testosterone concentrations.Fifty-three term newborn infants with mean birth weight and gestational age of 3,419 g (range 2,150–4,480) and 38.9 weeks (range 36–41) and 19 preterm male infants (mean birth weight and gestational age were 1,416 g (770–1,800) and 30.2 weeks (26–35) were enrolled into the study. Leptin and testosterone levels were determined by radioimmunoassay. It was demonstrated that serum leptin levels were markedly elevated in the cord blood without discernible arteriovenous differences. Cord blood leptin was found to correlate with birth weight (r = 0.40, p < 0.002), weight to length ratio (r = 0.40, p < 0.002) and body mass index (r = 0.35, p < 0.005). It was significantly lower in boys as opposed to girls (p < 0.01) and there was an apparent fall by the 5th postnatal day (p < 0.001). Amniotic fluid contained leptin in much less concentration than cord blood and it proved to be independent of intrauterine growth or gender. Serum leptin concentration in preterm infants at 1 week of age was significantly lower compared with term infants (p < 0.002) and it increased progressively with age (p < 0.01). An inverse relationship was found between leptin and testosterone level (r = –0.358, p < 0.01) and a positive correlation between leptin level and weight/height ratio (r = 0.674, p < 0.01). It is concluded that leptin derived either from placenta or fetal adipose tissue may be involved in regulating fetal growth and development and it may be related to energy intake, storage and expenditure. In preterm male infants serum leptin concentration increases with postnatal weight and testosterone may suppress leptin synthesis.
Plasma Clusterin (ApoJ) Levels Are Associated with Adiposity and Systemic Inflammation

Obesity and insulin resistance are hallmarks of the metabolic syndrome, which is associated with low-grade chronic inflammation. Clusterin/apolipoprotein J is an abundant plasma chaperone protein that has recently been suggested as a potential biomarker that reflects the inflammatory process in Alzheimer's disease. In the present study, we investigated anthropometric and clinical factors affecting the plasma levels of clusterin in healthy Korean subjects. We measured fasting plasma clusterin levels in healthy Korean adults (111 men and 93 women) using ELISA kit. We analyzed the relationship between plasma clusterin concentrations and anthropometric and clinical parameters. Fasting plasma clusterin concentrations were higher in overweight and obese subjects than in lean subjects. Correlation analysis revealed that the plasma clusterin levels were positively associated with indices of obesity such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and waist-hip ratio and markers of systemic inflammation such as high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), uric acid, ferritin and retinol binding protein-4. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that sex, BMI and hsCRP were independent determinants of plasma clusterin levels. Furthermore, plasma clusterin levels showed an upward trend with increasing numbers of metabolic syndrome components. These findings suggest that fasting plasma clusterin levels correlate with the parameters of adiposity and systemic inflammation in healthy adults. Therefore, the circulating clusterin level may be a surrogate marker for obesity-associated systemic inflammation.
Control of transient lower oesophageal sphincter relaxations and reflux by the GABAB agonist baclofen in patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease

Background and aims: Transient lower oesophageal sphincter relaxations (TLOSRs) are the major cause of gastro-oesophageal reflux in normal subjects and in most patients with reflux disease. The gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor type B agonist, baclofen, is a potent inhibitor of TLOSRs in normal subjects. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of baclofen on TLOSRs and postprandial gastro-oesophageal reflux in patients with reflux disease. Methods: In 20 patients with reflux disease, oesophageal motility and pH were measured, with patients in the sitting position, for three hours after a 3000 kJ mixed nutrient meal. On separate days at least one week apart, 40 mg oral baclofen or placebo was given 90 minutes before the meal. Results: Baclofen reduced the rate of TLOSRs by 40% from 15 (13.8–18.3) to 9 (5.8–13.3) per three hours (p<0.0002) and increased basal lower oesophageal sphincter pressure. Baclofen also significantly reduced the rate of reflux episodes by 43% from 7.0 (4.0–12.0) to 4.0 (1.5–9) per three hours (median (interquartile range); p<0.02). However, baclofen had no effect on oesophageal acid exposure (baclofen 4.9% (1.7–12.4) v placebo 5.0% (2.7–15.5)). Conclusions: In patients with reflux disease, the GABAB agonist baclofen significantly inhibits gastro-oesophageal reflux episodes by inhibition of TLOSRs. These findings suggest that GABAB agonists may be useful as therapeutic agents for the management of reflux disease.