Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Monitoring platelet GP IIb/IIIa antagonist therapy.

Platelet GP IIb/IIIa receptor antagonist therapy with abciximab (ReoPro), the Fab fragment of a mouse/human chimeric version of the murine 7E3 antibody, is currently used to prevent ischemic complications of percutaneous coronary interventions in select cases, and the efficacy and safety of abciximab for other related indications are under study.1 2 3 4 A number of low-molecular-weight GP IIb/IIIa antagonists patterned on the arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) cell recognition sequence have also shown benefit in the prevention and treatment of ischemic thrombotic coronary artery disease and currently are in advanced stages of development and approval.1 2 3 4 The ease with which samples of blood platelets can be obtained, the availability of well-characterized methods for assessing platelet function, and the development of a radiolabeled antibody assay to assess the percentage of GP IIb/IIIa receptors blocked by 7E3 permitted the incorporation into the preclinical and early clinical trials of 7E3 extensive correlative studies of the antithrombotic effects of 7E3 compared with its effects on bleeding time, platelet aggregation, and GP IIb/IIIa receptor blockade.5 6 7 8 These studies provided a framework for deciding on a dosing schedule for the first phase III study (EPIC). 9 Similar studies have been reported with some of the other GP IIb/IIIa antagonists.10 11 12 The more rapid GP IIb/IIIa off-rates of many of the low-molecular-weight compounds compared with 7E3 have made it technically more difficult to directly assess GP IIb/IIIa receptor blockade with these agents, but binding studies have been reported that used fluorescent compounds in conjunction with flow cytometry, radiolabeled compounds, or the expression of ligand-induced binding sites on GP IIb/IIIa induced by the binding of the compounds.13 14 15 16 The introduction of GP IIb/IIIa antagonists as a new class of therapeutic agents raises several important questions, especially because …
Dissociable roles of the inferior longitudinal fasciculus and fornix in face and place perception

We tested a novel hypothesis, generated from representational accounts of medial temporal lobe (MTL) function, that the major white matter tracts converging on perirhinal cortex (PrC) and hippocampus (HC) would be differentially involved in face and scene perception, respectively. Diffusion tensor imaging was applied in healthy participants alongside an odd-one-out paradigm sensitive to PrC and HC lesions in animals and humans. Microstructure of inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF, connecting occipital and ventro-anterior temporal lobe, including PrC) and fornix (the main HC input/output pathway) correlated with accuracy on odd-one-out judgements involving faces and scenes, respectively. Similarly, blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) response in PrC and HC, elicited during oddity judgements, was correlated with face and scene oddity performance, respectively. We also observed associations between ILF and fornix microstructure and category-selective BOLD response in PrC and HC, respectively. These striking three-way associations highlight functionally dissociable, structurally instantiated MTL neurocognitive networks for complex face and scene perception. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.07902. 001
A pragmatic theory of generic language

Generalizations about categories are central to human understanding, and generic language (e.g. "Dogs bark.") provides a simple and ubiquitous way to communicate these generalizations. Yet the meaning of generic language is philosophically puzzling and has resisted precise formalization. We explore the idea that the core meaning of a generic sentence is simple but underspecified, and that general principles of pragmatic reasoning are responsible for establishing the precise meaning in context. Building on recent probabilistic models of language understanding, we provide a formal model for the evaluation and comprehension of generic sentences. This model explains the puzzling flexibility in usage of generics in terms of diverse prior beliefs about properties. We elicit these priors experimentally and show that the resulting model predictions explain almost all of the variance in human judgments for both common and novel generics. We probe the theory in more detail, and find that generic language depends in a fundamental way on subjective beliefs, not mere frequency. This theory provides the mathematical bridge between the words we use and the concepts they describe.
Diagnosis and Management of Obesity Among South Asians: A Paradigm

Obesity is widely under diagnosed among South Asians due to the lack of awareness among health care professionals to adopt ethnicity-specific criteria for BMI and waist circumference (WC). This compilation of three studies conducted in the United States focuses on documenting trends in South Asian obesity and training physicians in modified BMI and WC criteria. *Corresponding author Vasudevan D, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, 6431 Fannin St, Suite JJL 324, Houston, TX 77007, USA, Tel: 832-325-6505, Email:
Epidural ECoG Online Decoding of Arm Movement Intention in Hemiparesis

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) that rely upon epidural electrocorticographic signals may become a promising tool for neurorehabilitation of patients with severe hemiparatic syndromes due to cerebrovascular, traumatic or tumor-related brain damage. Here, we show in a patient-based feasibility study that online classification of arm movement intention is possible. The intention to move or to rest can be identified with high accuracy (~ 90 %), which is sufficient for BCI-guided neurorehabilitation. The observed spatial distribution of relevant features on the motor cortex indicates that cortical reorganization has been induced by the brain lesion. Low- and high-frequency components of the electrocorticographic power spectrum provide complementary information towards classification of arm movement intention.
Regional Media Groups in Brazil: Forms of Organizations in Geographic Scales

Abstract This chapter presents an overview of the Brazilian regional media groups that are characterized by cross-ownership of media outlets in the four main reference platforms for news coverage: daily print, radio, broadcast television, and Web. The research uses institutional documents to explore the history and operating mode of the groups that own the 50 best-selling newspapers in the country. The theoretical approach is guided by the notion of “spatialization” applied to business communication by Vincent Mosco, and by the concepts of “region,” “regionality,” and “regionalization” based upon authors aligned with the critical thinking approach in the field of geography. The study identifies the multiple geographical scales at which these groups operate, as well as their dominant business models and the sources of their owners’ capital. Based on this analysis, it argues that the variables which are applied to the large-circulation media at a national level cannot be automatically transferred to the regional and local levels. The study of regional media reveals a landscape that has not received adequate attention from communications researchers worldwide. It also points to problems which deserve more investigation and elaboration. This represents a new challenge for media studies, for the political economy of communication, and for the nascent field of geography of communication. This chapter provides a distinctive and nuanced approach to the Brazilian media system. It can inspire other studies on regional communication which take into account the specificities of their geographic scales.
Differential Expression of Bone Matrix Regulatory Proteins in Human Atherosclerotic Plaques

In the present study, we examined the expression of regulators of bone formation and osteoclastogenesis in human atherosclerosis because accumulating evidence suggests that atherosclerotic calcification shares features with bone calcification. The most striking finding of this study was the constitutive immunoreactivity of matrix Gla protein, osteocalcin, and bone sialoprotein in nondiseased aortas and the absence of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2, BMP-4, osteopontin, and osteonectin in nondiseased aortas and early atherosclerotic lesions. When atherosclerotic plaques demonstrated calcification or bone formation, BMP-2, BMP-4, osteopontin, and osteonectin were upregulated. Interestingly, this upregulation was associated with a sustained immunoreactivity of matrix Gla protein, osteocalcin, and bone sialoprotein. The 2 modulators of osteoclastogenesis (osteoprotegerin [OPG] and its ligand, OPGL) were present in the nondiseased vessel wall and in early atherosclerotic lesions. In advanced calcified lesions, OPG was present in bone structures, whereas OPGL was only present in the extracellular matrix surrounding calcium deposits. The observed expression patterns suggest a tight regulation of the expression of bone matrix regulatory proteins during human atherogenesis. The expression pattern of both OPG and OPGL during atherogenesis might suggest a regulatory role of these proteins not only in osteoclastogenesis but also in atherosclerotic calcification.
On Optimal Link Activation With Interference Cancelation in Wireless Networking

A fundamental aspect in performance engineering of wireless networks is optimizing the set of links that can be concurrently activated to meet given signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) thresholds. The solution of this combinatorial problem is the key element in scheduling and cross-layer resource management. In this paper, we assume multiuser decoding (MUD) receivers, which can cancel strongly interfering signals. As a result, in contrast to classical spatial reuse, links being close to each other are more likely to be active concurrently. Our focus is to gauge the gain of successive interference cancelation (SIC) and the simpler, yet instructive, case of parallel interference cancelation (PIC) in the context of optimal link activation (LA). We show that both problems are NP-hard, and we develop compact integer linear programming (ILP) formulations to approach global optimality. We provide an extensive numerical performance evaluation, indicating that, for low to medium SINR thresholds, the improvement is quite substantial, particularly with SIC, whereas for high SINR thresholds, the improvement diminishes, and both schemes perform equally well.
Association of MTRR A66G polymorphism with cancer susceptibility: Evidence from 85 studies

Methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) is a key regulatory enzyme involved in the folate metabolic pathway. Previous studies investigating the association of MTRR A66G polymorphism with cancer susceptibility reported inconclusive results. We performed the current meta-analysis to obtain a more precise estimation of the possible association. Published literatures were identified from PubMed, Embase and CBM databases up to October 2016. The strength of the association between the MTRR A66G polymorphism and cancer susceptibility was assessed using odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Eighty five published studies with 32,272 cases and 37,427 controls were included in this meta-analysis. Pooled results indicated that the MTRR A66G polymorphism was associated with an increased overall cancer risk (homozygous model: OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.02-1.15, P = 0.009; recessive model: OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.00-1.12, P < 0.001 and allele comparison: OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.00-1.06, P < 0.001). Stratification analysis further indicated significant associations in head and neck cancer, Caucasians, Africans, and high quality studies. However, to avoid the “false-positive report”, the significant findings were assessed by the false-positive report probability (FPRP) test. Interestingly, the results of FPRP test revealed that the increased risk for MTRR A66G polymorphism among Africans need further validation due to the high probabilities of false-positive results. This meta-analysis suggests that the MTRR A66G polymorphism is associated with significantly increased cancer risk, a finding that needs to be confirmed in single large studies.
Distributions of Tropical Precipitation Cluster Power and Their Changes under Global Warming. Part I: Observational Baseline and Comparison to a High-Resolution Atmospheric Model

AbstractThe total amount of precipitation integrated across a precipitation feature (contiguous precipitating grid cells exceeding a minimum rain rate) is a useful measure of the aggregate size of the disturbance, expressed as the rate of water mass lost or latent heat released (i.e., the power of the disturbance). The probability distribution of cluster power is examined over the tropics using Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) 3B42 satellite-retrieved rain rates and global climate model output. Observed distributions are scale-free from the smallest clusters up to a cutoff scale at high cluster power, after which the probability drops rapidly. After establishing an observational baseline, precipitation from the High Resolution Atmospheric Model (HiRAM) at two horizontal grid spacings (roughly 0.5° and 0.25°) is compared. When low rain rates are excluded by choosing a minimum rain-rate threshold in defining clusters, the model accurately reproduces observed cluster power statistics at both resolu.
Indoor residual spray and insecticide-treated bednets for malaria control: theoretical synergisms and antagonisms

Indoor residual spray (IRS) of insecticides and insecticide-treated bednets (ITNs) are the two most important malaria vector control tools in the tropical world. Application of both tools in the same locations is being implemented for malaria control in endemic and epidemic Africa. The two tools are assumed to have synergistic benefits in reducing malaria transmission because they both act at multiple stages of the transmission cycle. However, this assumption has not been rigorously examined, empirically or theoretically. Using mathematical modelling, we obtained the conditions for which a combination strategy can be expected to improve upon single control tools. Specifically, spraying of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) in all houses where residents are not using ITNs can reduce transmission of malaria (R0) by up to 10 times more than the reduction achieved through ITNs alone. Importantly, however, we also show how antagonism between control tools can arise via interference of their modes of action. Repellent IRS reduces the likelihood that ITNs are contacted within sprayed houses and ITNs reduce the rate at which blood-fed mosquitoes rest on sprayed walls. For example, 80 per cent coverage of ITNs and DDT used together at the household level resulted in an R0 of 11.1 when compared with an R0 of 0.1 achieved with 80 per cent ITN coverage without DDT. While this undesired effect can be avoided using low-repellence pyrethroid chemicals for IRS, the extent of the potential benefits is also attenuated. We discuss the impact that this result will likely have on future efforts in malaria control combination strategy.
Antioxidant properties of the melatonin metabolite N1-acetyl-5-methoxykynuramine (AMK): scavenging of free radicals and prevention of protein destruction

Abstract In numerous experimental systems, the neurohormone melatonin has been shown to protect against oxidative stress, an effect which appears to be the result of a combination of different actions. In this study, we have investigated the possible contribution to radical scavenging by substituted kynuramines formed from melatonin via pyrrole ring cleavage. N1-Acetyl-5-methoxykynuramine (AMK), a metabolite deriving from melatonin by mechanisms involving free radicals, exhibits potent antioxidant properties exceeding those of its direct precursor N1-acetyl-N2-formyl-5-methoxykynuramine (AFMK) and its analog N1-acetylkynuramine (AK). Scavenging of hydroxyl radicals was demonstrated by competition with ABTS in a Fenton reaction system at pH 5 and by competition with DMSO in a hemin-catalyzed H2O2 system at pH 8. Under catalysis by hemin, oxidation of AMK was accompanied by the emission of chemiluminescence. AMK was a potent reductant of ABTS cation radicals, but, in the absence of catalysts, a poor scavenger of superoxide anions. In accordance with the latter observation, AMK was fairly stable in a pH 8 H2O2 system devoid of hemin. Contrary to AFMK, AMK was easily oxidized in a reaction mixture generating carbonate radicals. In an oxidative protein destruction assay based on peroxyl radical formation, AMK proved to be highly protective. No prooxidant properties of AMK were detected in a sensitive biological test system based on light emission by the bioluminescent dinoflagellate Lingulodinium polyedrum. AMK may contribute to the antioxidant properties of the indolic precursor melatonin.
Acidic range titration of HEWL using a constant‐pH molecular dynamics method

In this work, we present the first application to a protein of the stochastic constant‐pH molecular dynamics (MD) method with the inclusion of proton tautomerism. The acidic titration of HEWL was performed under different conditions. Both generalized reaction field (GRF) and particle mesh Ewald (PME) methods were used in the treatment of the long range electrostatics and, even though the PME simulations revealed to be more stable, the better results were obtained using GRF (pKa RMSD of 0.82 for GRF and 1.13 for PME). The results using PME at different dielectric constants (2, 4, and 8) also revealed that there was no significant improvement in pKa's prediction upon increasing the dielectric constant. The secondary structure analysis of HEWL revealed a remarkably stable protein in the acidic pH range. The β‐sheet strands (unlike the α‐helices) seem to be destabilized upon pH decrease, suggesting that the β‐domain is less stable than the α‐domain. The four principal α‐helices were also ordered according to their stability in the acidic pH range and the results (4 < 1 < 2 ≈ 3) were consistent with the ones obtained in thermal denaturation studies. Proteins 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Triclustering Georeferenced Time Series for Analyzing Patterns of Intra-Annual Variability in Temperature

Clustering is often used to explore patterns in georeferenced time series (GTS). Most clustering studies, however, only analyze GTS from one or two dimension(s) and are not capable of the simultaneous analysis of the data from three dimensions: spatial, temporal, and any third (e.g., attribute) dimension. Here we develop a novel clustering algorithm called the Bregman cuboid average triclustering algorithm with I-divergence (BCAT_I), which enables the complete partitional analysis of 3D GTS. BCAT_I simultaneously groups the data along its dimensions to form regular triclusters. These triclusters are subsequently refined using k means to fully capture spatiotemporal patterns in the data. By applying BCAT_I to time series of daily average temperature in The Netherlands (twenty-eight weather stations from 1992 to 2011), we identified the refined triclusters with similar temperature values along the spatial dimension (weather stations that represent locations) and two nested temporal dimensions (year and day). Geovisualization techniques were then used to display the patterns of intra-annual variability in temperature. Our results show that in the last two thirds of the study period, there is an intense variability of spring and winter temperatures in the northeast and center of The Netherlands. For the same period, an intense variability of spring temperatures is also visible in the southeast of the country. Our results also show that summer temperatures are homogenous across the country for most of the study period. This particular application demonstrates that BCAT_I enables a complete analysis of 3D GTS and, as such, it contributes to a better understanding of complex patterns in spatiotemporal data.
Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Periodic Limb Movements in Narcolepsy with Cataplexy: A Systematic Analysis of 35 Consecutive Patients

Background: Disturbed sleep is a core feature of narcolepsy with cataplexy (NC). Few studies have independently assessed sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and periodic limb movements (PLMs) in non-homogeneous series of patients with and without cataplexy. We systematically assessed both SDB and PLMs in well-defined NC patients. Methods: We analyzed the clinical and polysomnographic features of 35 consecutive NC patients (mean age 40 ± 16 years, 51% males, 23/23 hypocretin-deficient) to assess the prevalence of SDB (apnea-hypopnea index >5) and PLMs (periodic leg movements in sleep (PLMI) >15) together with their impact on nocturnal sleep and daytime sleepiness using the multiple sleep latency test. Results: 11 (31%) and 14 (40%) patients had SDB and PLMs, respectively. SDB was associated with older age (49 ± 16 vs. 35 ± 13 years, p = 0.02), higher BMI (30 ± 5 vs. 27 ± 6, p = 0.05), and a trend towards higher PLMI (25 ± 20 vs. 12 ± 23, p = 0.052), whereas PLMs with older age (50 ± 16 vs. 33 ± 11 years, p = 0.002) and reduced and fragmented sleep (e.g. sleep efficiency of 82 ± 12% vs. 91 ± 6%, p = 0.015; sleep time of 353 ± 66 vs. 395 ± 28, p = 0.010). SDB and PLMs were also mutually associated (p = 0.007), but not correlated to daytime sleepiness. Conclusions: SDB and PLMs are highly prevalent and associated in NC. Nevertheless, SDB and PLMs are rarely severe, suggesting an overall limited effect on clinical manifestations.
Evaluation of memory immune response to mycobacterium extract among household contact of tuberculosis cases

The human immune response to tuberculosis (TB) is especially mediated by T CD4+lymphocytes. However, more studies are needed in order to understand the exact role of each cytokine in the mechanisms for cures. In this article, our aim was to analyze the production of TNF‐α, IL‐10, and IFN‐γ in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) among the household contacts of common primary TB cases, with or without histories of active TB infection, who were negative to parasitological and HIV tests. In order to characterize the cytokine production, PBMCs from these groups werestimulated with whole‐protein extract of M. tuberculosis (WPE) antigen (rAgTb) for 24 and 48 hr. The culture supernatants were collected and IFN‐γ, TNF‐α, and IL‐10 were assayed using capture ELISA. There were no statistical differences between primary TB cases and their household contacts with or without previous histories of lung TB. Our results suggest that T memory cells, T regulatory cells, and the Th1/Th2 dichotomy may be responsible for the results described in this article. Further studies are currently underway. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 23:57–62, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Proton MR spectroscopy of adult-onset dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy.

PURPOSE To quantify impairment of the basal ganglia (globus pallidus and thalamus) in adult-onset dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA). METHODS Five patients with genetically definite adult-onset DRPLA (aged 51 to 65 years, mean 55.6 years) and 5 age- and sex-matched healthy controls underwent conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of the brain in the voxels predominantly containing the globus pallidus or the thalamus. RESULTS Conventional MRI studies showed apparently normal intensities in the globus pallidus and thalamus. MRS showed that the choline (Cho)/creatine (Cr) ratio for the patients' globus pallidus, the region preferentially affected in DRPLA, was significantly higher than that in the controls (p<0.05). The N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/Cr ratio for the globus pallidus and the Cho/Cr and NAA/Cr ratios for the thalamus, the region relatively spared in this disease, did not differ significantly between the patients and controls. CONCLUSIONS MRS may sensitively and specifically detect biochemical alterations in susceptible regions of patients with adult-onset DRPLA.