Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In vivo activation of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 long terminal repeat by UV type A (UV-A) light plus psoralen and UV-B light in the skin of transgenic mice

UV irradiation has been shown to activate the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) long terminal repeat (LTR) in cell culture; however, only limited studies have been described in vivo. UV light has been categorized as UV-A (400 to 315 nm), -B (315 to 280 nm), or -C (less than 280 nm); the longer wavelengths are less harmful but more penetrative. Highly penetrative UV-A radiation constitutes the vast majority of UV sunlight reaching the earth's surface but is normally harmless. UV-B irradiation is more harmful but less prevalent than UV-A. In this report, the HIV-1 LTR-luciferase gene in the skin of transgenic mice was markedly activated when exposed to UV-B irradiation. The LTR in the skin of transgenic mice pretreated topically with a photosensitizing agent (psoralen) was also activated to similar levels when exposed to UV-A light. A 2-h exposure to sunlight activated the LTR in skin treated with psoralen, whereas the LTR in skin not treated with psoralen was activated after 7 h of sunlight exposure. The HIV-1 LTR-beta-galactosidase reporter gene was preferentially activated by UV-B irradiation in a small population of epidermal cells. The transgenic mouse models carrying HIV-1 LTR-luciferase and LTR-beta-galactosidase reporter genes have been used to demonstrate the in vivo UV-induced activation of the LTR and might be used to evaluate other environmental factors or pharmacologic substances that might potentially activate the HIV-1 LTR in vivo.
Young Women With Acute Myocardial Infarction: Current Perspectives

In recent years, there has been growing public awareness and increasing attention to young women with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), who represent an extreme phenotype. Young women presenting with AMI may develop coronary disease by different mechanisms and often have worse recoveries, with higher risk for morbidity and mortality compared with similarly aged men. The purpose of this cardiovascular perspective piece is to review recent studies of AMI in young women. More specifically, we emphasize differences in the epidemiology, diagnosis, and management of AMI in young women (when compared with men) across the continuum of care, including their pre-AMI, in-hospital, and post-AMI periods, and highlight gaps in knowledge and outcomes that can inform the next generation of research.
CCR5 chemokine receptor mediates recruitment of MHC class II-positive Langerhans cells in the mouse corneal epithelium.

PURPOSE To characterize the chemokines and chemokine receptors that mediate the effect of proinflammatory cytokines, interleukin (IL)-1 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, on the recruitment of MHC class II(+) Langerhans cells (LCs) in the corneal epithelium. METHODS A standard model for corneal LC recruitment, application of cautery to the central corneal surface was used, and the differential gene expression levels of a panel of chemokines and chemokine receptors were determined by RNase protection assay. Chemokine receptor-knockout mice were used to evaluate the recruitment of MHC class II(+) LCs to the corneal epithelium. To determine the sensitivity of selected chemokines to IL-1 and TNF-alpha stimulation, the chemokine gene expression pattern was analyzed after blockade of IL-1 and TNF receptors. RESULTS CCR1, -2, and -5 were overexpressed in corneas after cauterization. Topical administration of soluble TNF receptor I and IL-1 receptor antagonist, which abrogated corneal LC recruitment, significantly suppressed the gene transcription levels of the ligands of CCR1 and/or -5, regulated on activation normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1alpha, and MIP-1beta. The recruitment of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II(+) LC was significantly suppressed in CCR5(-/-) mice and blockade of RANTES and MIP-1beta, but not in CCR1(-/-), CCR2(-/-)/MIP-1alpha(-/-), or MIP-1alpha(-/-) mice. The evaluation of epithelial CD11c(+) LC cells by confocal microscopy revealed coexpression for CCR5 primarily among B7(-) (CD80(-)/CD86(-)) subsets of these LCs but not among the mature B7(+) subsets of CD11c(+) LCs. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that CCR5 plays a critical role in mediating recruitment and mobilization of MHC class II(+) LCs into the corneal epithelium. Targeting CCR5 and its ligands may be a new strategy for modulating immunity.
Ursolic acid and mechanisms of actions on adipose and muscle tissue: a systematic review

This systematic review aimed at addressing the ursolic acid actions as an adjunctive treatment of the obesity‐mediated metabolic abnormalities. To explore our aims, we used the literature search including clinical and animal studies using the Medline and Google Scholar (up to December 2015). Out of 63 screened studies, 17 presented eligibility criteria, such as the use of ursolic acid on adiposity, energy expenditure and skeletal muscle mass in mice and humans. In the literature, we found that several physiological and molecular mechanisms are implicated in the effects of ursolic acid on obesity, energy expenditure, hepatic steatosis, skeletal muscle mass loss and physical fitness, such as (1) increase of thermogenesis by modulation adipocyte transcription factors, activation of 5′ adenosine monophosphate‐activated protein kinase and overexpression of the uncoupling protein 1 thermogenic marker; (2) enhancement of skeletal muscle mass by activation in bloodstream growth hormone and insulin‐like growth factor‐1 concentrations secretion, as well as in the activation of mammalian target of rapamycin and inhibition of ring‐finger protein‐1; and (3) improvement of physical fitness by skeletal muscle proliferator‐activated receptor gamma co‐activator alpha and sirtuin 1 expression. Therefore, supplementation with ursolic acid may be an adjunctive therapy for prevention and treatment of obesity‐mediated and muscle mass‐mediated metabolic consequences.
Task assignment and scheduling in MPSoC under process variation: A stochastic approach

Nowadays, aggressive scaling in integrated circuits brings out new challenges such as increase in power density, temperature, and process variation in designing Multiprocessor Systems-on-Chip (MPSoC) employed in embedded systems. While most of the previous works attempt to mitigate the process variation effects in system design level, the eventual design still is inefficient and suffers from the variability of frequency and leakage power of processors in a MPSoC. In this paper, we formulate a MILP problem for variation-aware task assignment and scheduling to optimize power consumption while meeting the real-time constraints. To capture stochastic behavior of process variation, we employ chance-constrained programming technique to turn the problem into a corresponding stochastic optimization one that can be solved by typical solvers. Extensive experiments using E3S benchmarks have been carried out and the obtained results of the proposed method evince improvements compared to the baseline method in terms of performance-yield and run-time.
Powering Up Dark Silicon: Mitigating the Limitation of Power Delivery via Dynamic Pin Switching

The end of Dennard scaling has led to a large amount of inactive or significantly underclocked transistors on modern chip multiprocessors in order to comply with the power budget and prevent the processors from overheating. This so-called dark silicon is one of the most critical constraints that will hinder the scaling with Moore's Law in future. While advanced cooling techniques, such as liquid cooling, can effectively decrease the chip temperature and alleviate the power constraints, the peak performance, determined by the maximum number of transistors, which are allowed to switch simultaneously, is still confined by the amount of power pins on the chip package. In this paper, we propose a novel mechanism to power up the dark silicon by dynamically switching a portion of I/O pins to power pins when off-chip communications are less frequent. By enabling extra cores or increasing processor frequency, the proposed strategy can significantly boost the performance compared with the traditional designs.
Dominant-Negative Synthesis Suppression of Voltage-Gated Calcium Channel Cav2.2 Induced by Truncated Constructs

Voltage-gated calcium channel α1 subunits consist of four domains (I–IV), each with six transmembrane segments. A number of truncated isoforms have been identified to occur as a result of alternative splicing or mutation. We have examined the functional consequences for expression of full-length Cav2.2 (α1B) of its coexpression with truncated constructs of Cav2.2. Domains I-II or domains III-IV, when expressed individually, together with the accessory subunits β1b and α2δ-1, did not form functional channels. When they were coexpressed, low-density whole-cell currents and functional channels with properties similar to wild-type channels were observed. However, when domain I-II, domain III-IV, or domain I alone were coexpressed with full-length Cav2.2, they markedly suppressed its functional expression, although at the single channel level, when channels were recorded, there were no differences in their biophysical properties. Furthermore, when it was coexpressed with either domain I-II or domain I, the fluorescence of green fluorescent protein (GFP)–Cav2.2 and expression of Cav2.2 protein was almost abolished. Suppression does not involve sequestration of the Cavβ subunit, because loss of GFP–Cav2.2 expression also occurred in the absence of β subunit, and the effect of domain I-II or domain I could not be mimicked by the cytoplasmic I-II loop of Cav2.2. It requires transmembrane segments, because the isolated Cav2.2 N terminus did not have any effect. Our results indicate that the mechanism of suppression of Cav2.2 by truncated constructs containing domain I involves inhibition of channel synthesis, which may represent a role of endogenously expressed truncated Cav isoforms.
Poor nutrition and alcohol consumption are related to high serum homocysteine level at post-stroke

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Increased serum homocysteine (Hcy) levels have been reported to be related to the occurrence of cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases. High serum Hcy levels are also related to the development of secondary stroke and all-cause mortality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of high serum homocysteine level and relating factors, and the change over the 10 month period post-stroke. SUBJECTS/METHODS Consecutive stroke patients who were admitted to the Asan Medical Center were enrolled. Ten months after the onset of stroke, an interview with a structured questionnaire was performed and blood samples were obtained for the biochemical parameters. Nutritional status was determined using the mini nutritional assessment (MNA) score and dietary nutrient intakes were also obtained using a 24 hour recall method. RESULTS Out of 203 patients, 84% were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, and 26% had high homocysteine levels at 10 months post-stroke. Using logistic regression, the factors related with high homocysteine levels at 10 months post-stroke included heavy alcohol consumption (P = 0.020), low MNA scores (P = 0.026), low serum vitamin B12 (P = 0.021) and low serum folate levels (P = 0.003). Of the 156 patients who had normal homocysteine levels at admission, 36 patients developed hyperhomocysteinemia 10 months post-stroke, which was related to heavy alcohol consumption (P = 0.013). Persistent hyperhomocysteinemia, observed in 22 patients (11%), was related to male sex (P = 0.031), old age (P = 0.042), low vitamin B6 intake (P = 0.029), and heavy alcohol consumption (P = 0.013). CONCLUSION Hyperhomocysteinemia is common in post-stroke, and is related to malnutrition, heavy alcohol drinking and low serum level of folate and vitamin B12. Strategies to prevent or manage high homocysteine levels should consider these factors.
Potentially inappropriate medication use in elderly non‐Hodgkin lymphoma patients is associated with reduced survival and increased toxicities

Survival outcomes for elderly lymphoma patients are disproportionally inferior to those of younger patients. We examined medication usage at diagnosis for 171 elderly patients (median age 70 years) with aggressive non‐Hodgkin lymphoma treated between 2009 and 2014. At least one potentially inappropriate medication was used in 47% of patients according to the Beers Criteria, 59% experienced treatment delays and/or dose reduction and 65% experienced ≥ grade 3 treatment‐related toxicities. We report here for the first time that potentially inappropriate medication use was associated with reduced progression‐free survival and overall survival, and increased ≥ grade 3 treatment‐related toxicities in multivariate analysis.
Effect of heat-induced κ-casein dissociation on acid coagulation of milk

In this study, the relationship between the dissociation of κ-casein from casein micelles due to heat-induced denaturation and the strength of acid milk gel was investigated. The κ-casein-dissociated micelles were fractionated by gel filtration chromatography and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and their zeta potential and surface hydrophobicity were measured. The negative charge of the κ-casein-dissociated micelles was lower than that of native micelles, and micellar surface hydrophobicity was higher. For confirmation, the isoelectric point of the casein micelles was measured. The κ-casein-dissociated micelles were found to cohere at an earlier stage of acidification than the native micelles. These results demonstrated that the heat-induced increase in the strength of acid milk gel was partly due to the decrease in micellar surface charge and partly to the increase in surface hydrophobicity caused by the dissociation of κ-casein.
[Years of life lost as a measure of cancer burden in Colombia, 1997-2012].

INTRODUCTION There is hardly any information regarding years of life lost due to cancer in Colombia. OBJECTIVE To quantify total and average years of life lost due to cancer in Colombia, and to investigate changes in this burden between 1997 and 2012. MATERIALS AND METHODS We obtained sex-specific data on age distribution, remaining life expectancy, deaths due to specific cancers and total number of deaths from the Colombian Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadísticas. We calculated years of life lost based on each individual´s age at death and the remaining life expectancy at that age; as for average years of life, we divided these by the number of deaths due to specific cancers. RESULTS The total number of cancer deaths increased by 33% between 1997 and 2012, comprising 15% of male and 20% of female deaths in the period 2010-2012. Total years of life lost due to cancer increased by 25.1% for males and 31.1% for females over the study period. The highest increases (>40%) were observed for colorectal, pancreas and kidney cancers in both sexes, for melanomas and bladder cancer in men, and for breast and ovarian cancer in women. Trends in average years of life lost were stable. Almost half (48-50%) of the years of life lost due to childhood cancers were due to leukemia. CONCLUSION Cancer is an increasing health burden in Colombia. The high average years of life lost illustrate the poor prognosis of the disease compared to other countries. Primary prevention, early detection, and adequate and timely treatments are needed to change this situation.
Dixon Sequence with Superimposed Model-Based Bone Compartment Provides Highly Accurate PET/MR Attenuation Correction of the Brain

Simultaneous PET/MR of the brain is a promising technology for characterizing patients with suspected cognitive impairment or epilepsy. Unlike CT, however, MR signal intensities do not correlate directly with PET photon attenuation correction (AC), and inaccurate radiotracer SUV estimation can limit future PET/MR clinical applications. We tested a novel AC method that supplements standard Dixon-based tissue segmentation with a superimposed model-based bone compartment. Methods: We directly compared SUV estimation between MR-based AC and reference CT AC in 16 patients undergoing same-day PET/CT and PET/MR with a single 18F-FDG dose for suspected neurodegeneration. Three Dixon-based MR AC methods were compared with CT: standard Dixon 4-compartment segmentation alone, Dixon with a superimposed model-based bone compartment, and Dixon with a superimposed bone compartment and linear AC optimized specifically for brain tissue. The brain was segmented using a 3-dimensional T1-weighted volumetric MR sequence, and SUV estimations were compared with CT AC for whole-image, whole-brain, and 91 FreeSurfer-based regions of interest. Results: Modifying the linear AC value specifically for brain and superimposing a model-based bone compartment reduced the whole-brain SUV estimation bias of Dixon-based PET/MR AC by 95% compared with reference CT AC (P < 0.05), resulting in a residual −0.3% whole-brain SUVmean bias. Further, brain regional analysis demonstrated only 3 frontal lobe regions with an SUV estimation bias of 5% or greater (P < 0.05). These biases appeared to correlate with high individual variability in frontal bone thickness and pneumatization. Conclusion: Bone compartment and linear AC modifications result in a highly accurate MR AC method in subjects with suspected neurodegeneration. This prototype MR AC solution appears equivalent to other recently proposed solutions and does not require additional MR sequences and scanning time. These data also suggest that exclusively model-based MR AC approaches may be adversely affected by common individual variations in skull anatomy.
Dietary Intake of Macro- and Micronutrients in Slovenian Adolescents: Comparison with Reference Values

Background: Data on a nationally representative dietary intake in Central Europe is lacking. We investigated the diet of adolescents in Slovenia. Methods: Dietary habits were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire (n = 2,661), and present nutrition was assessed using a 3-day weighted dietary protocol (n = 197) for validation purposes. Dietary intake was calculated and compared with Central European [German (D), Austrian (A), and Swiss (CH); D-A-CH] recommendations and World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture Organization (WHO/FAO) recommendations. Results: Adolescents consumed exceeding reference intake values of free sugars (boys 16% of energy, girls 17%), saturated fatty acids (SFA; 13% of energy), and sodium (boys 203%, girls 210% of the WHO/FAO upper limit), but below-reference intake values of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA; boys 5% of energy; girls 6%), water (boys 1,786 ml/day, girls 2,016 ml/day), and fiber density (only girls 2.8 g/MJ, p < 0.001). Among micronutrients, below-reference intakes (% of D-A-CH: boys and girls, respectively, p < 0.05) were reported for folate (64 and 69%), fluoride (28 and 31%), and calcium (91 and 97%), as well as for vitamin D (20 and 20%). Conclusions: The dietary habits of Slovenian adolescents are less than optimal. They are characterized by exceeding reference intake values of free sugars, salt, and SFA, and a below-reference intake of PUFA, water, and several micronutrients.
From the Southern Association for Vascular Surgery Proposed duplex velocity criteria for carotid restenosis following carotid endarterectomy with patch closure

Background: Duplex ultrasound velocity criteria have been used to evaluate the severity of carotid stenosis, however, these standard velocities may not be applicable to carotid restenosis after carotid endarterectomy (CEA) with patch angioplasty. The purpose of this study is to determine if patch angioplasty closure alters velocities just distal to CEA and to define the optimal velocities for detecting >30%, >50%, and >70% restenosis. Methods: This study includes 200 CEAs randomized into 100 with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) ACUSEAL patch and 100 with Hemashield Finesse patch. All patients underwent immediate postoperative duplex ultrasounds, which were repeated at 1 month and every 6 months thereafter. Patients with a peak systolic velocity (PSV) of the internal carotid artery ([ICA], just distal to the patch) of >130 c/s underwent computed tomography angiogram (CTA). PSVs, end diastolic velocities (EDV), and internal carotid artery/common carotid artery (ICA/CCA) ratios were correlated to completion arteriograms/CTAs. Receiver operator characteristic curves analyses were used to determine optimal velocity criteria in detecting >30%, >50%, and >70% restenosis. Results: One hundred ninety-five pairs of imagings (duplex ultrasound vs CTA/angiogram) were available for analysis. When standard velocity criteria for nonoperated arteries were applied, 37% and 10% of patients were believed to have >50% to <70% and >70% to 99% restenosis vs 11.3% and 11.3% on CTA/angiography, respectively (P < .001). The mean PSV for >30%, >50%, and >70% restenosis were 172, 249, and 389 c/s, respectively (P < .001). An ICA PSV of >155c/s was optimal for >30% restenosis with sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and overall accuracy (OA) of 98%, 98%, 98%, 98%, and 98%, respectively. A PSV of >213 c/s was optimal for >50% restenosis with sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and OA of 99%, 100%, 100%, 98%, and 99%, respectively. An ICA PSV of 274 c/s was optimal for >70% restenosis with sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and OA of 99%, 91%, 99%, 91%, and 98%, respectively. ROC analysis showed that the PSVs were significantly better than EDVs and ICA/CCA ratios in detecting >30% and >50% restenosis. Conclusions: The mean PSVs of a normal ICA distal to CEA patching were higher than normal nonoperated ICAs, therefore, standard duplex velocities criteria should be revised after CEA with patch closure. ( J Vasc Surg 2009;50: 286-91.)
Meaningful use of health information technology and declines in in-hospital adverse drug events

Objective Nationwide initiatives have promoted greater adoption of health information technology as a means to reduce adverse drug events (ADEs). Hospital adoption of electronic health records with Meaningful Use (MU) capabilities expected to improve medication safety has grown rapidly. However, evidence that MU capabilities are associated with declines in in-hospital ADEs is lacking. Methods Data came from the 2010-2013 Medicare Patient Safety Monitoring System and the 2008-2013 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Analytics Database. Two-level random intercept logistic regression was used to estimate the association of MU capabilities and occurrence of ADEs, adjusting for patient characteristics, hospital characteristics, and year of observation. Results Rates of in-hospital ADEs declined by 19% from 2010 to 2013. Adoption of MU capabilities was associated with 11% lower odds of an ADE (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84-0.96). Interoperability capability was associated with 19% lower odds of an ADE (95% CI, 0.67- 0.98). Adoption of MU capabilities explained 22% of the observed reduction in ADEs, or 67,000 fewer ADEs averted by MU. Discussion Concurrent with the rapid uptake of MU and interoperability, occurrence of in-hospital ADEs declined significantly from 2010 to 2013. MU capabilities and interoperability were associated with lower occurrence of ADEs, but the effects did not vary by experience with MU. About one-fifth of the decline in ADEs from 2010 to 2013 was attributable to MU capabilities. Conclusion Findings support the contention that adoption of MU capabilities and interoperability spurred by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act contributed in part to the recent decline in ADEs.