Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dietary medium-chain triacylglycerols suppress accumulation of body fat in a double-blind, controlled trial in healthy men and women.

We investigated the effect of long-term ingestion of dietary medium-chain triacylglycerols (MCT) on body weight and fat in humans. Using a double-blind, controlled protocol, we assessed the potential health benefits of MCT compared with long-chain triacylglycerols (LCT) in 78 healthy men and women [body mass index (BMI) > or = 23 kg/m(2): n = 26 (MCT), n = 30 (LCT); BMI < 23 kg/m(2): n = 15 (MCT), n = 7 (LCT)]. Changes in anthropometric variables, body weight and body fat during the 12-wk MCT treatment period were compared with those in subjects consuming the LCT diet. The subjects were asked to consume 9218 kJ/d and 60 g/d of total fat. The energy, fat, protein and carbohydrate intakes did not differ significantly between the groups. Body weight and body fat in both groups had decreased by wk 4, 8 and 12 of the study. However, in the subjects with BMI > or = 23 kg/m(2), the extent of the decrease in body weight was significantly greater in the MCT group than in the LCT group. In subjects with BMI > or = 23 kg/m(2), the loss of body fat in the MCT group (-3.86 +/- 0.3 kg) was significantly greater than that in the LCT group (-2.75 +/- 0.2 kg) at 8 wk. In addition, in subjects with BMI > or = 23 kg/m(2), the decrease in the area of subcutaneous fat in the MCT group was significantly greater than that in the LCT group at wk 4, 8 and 12. These results suggest that the MCT diet may reduce body weight and fat in individuals (BMI > or = 23 kg/m(2)) more than the LCT diet.
Physical factors influencing postprandial glucose and insulin responses to starch.

The present study was undertaken to gain further insight into the roles of physical form and fiber in determining postprandial glucose and insulin responses to orally ingested, cooked starch. The starch was consumed as rice, either white (polished, ground, or unground) or brown (unpolished, ground, or unground). Each carbohydrate load was calculated to contain the equivalent of 75 g glucose. Both ground rice meals elicited much higher peak responses of glucose and insulin than either of the unground samples. This seemed to be due to the more rapid absorption of the ground rice since the area under the glucose curve during the first 60 min was higher for ground rice than for unground rice, irrespective of whether or not it was polished. However, the full 240 min glucose areas were similar for all four forms of rice suggesting that the early differences were due to different rates of absorption. The presence of fiber had little discernible effect on the overall glucose and insulin responses, since brown rice did not elicit a significantly lower glucose or insulin response than white rice. However, there was a sustained and significant increase in insulin secretion in response to ground compared with unground rice. It was concluded that the physical form of the rice was of particular importance in determining the postprandial glucose and insulin responses to rice and that fiber, per se, played a relatively minor role in this instance. Any factor (low surface area/starch ratio in this case) that limits access of the intestinal hydrolytic enzymes to the ingested starch would be expected to slow the rate of glucose absorption and thereby reduce the insulin secretion. Am. J. Clin. Nuir. 33: 760-765, 1980.
Preclinical Activity of the Novel Anti-Prolactin Receptor (PRLR) Antibody–Drug Conjugate REGN2878-DM1 in PRLR-Positive Breast Cancers

The Prolactin Receptor (PRLR) is a type 1 cytokine receptor that is expressed in a subset of breast cancers and may contribute to its pathogenesis. It is relatively overexpressed in approximately 25% of human breast tumors while expressed at low levels in some normal human tissues including the mammary gland. We developed an anti-PRLR antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), to target PRLR-positive breast cancer. REGN2878-DM1 is comprised of a fully human high-affinity function-blocking anti-PRLR IgG1 antibody (REGN2878) conjugated via a noncleavable SMCC linker to the cytotoxic maytansine derivative DM1. Both unconjugated REGN2878 and conjugated REGN2878-DM1 block PRL-mediated activation in vitro and are rapidly internalized into lysosomes. REGN2878-DM1 induces potent cell-cycle arrest and cytotoxicity in PRLR-expressing tumor cell lines. In vivo, REGN2878-DM1 demonstrated significant antigen-specific antitumor activity against breast cancer xenograft models. In addition, REGN2878-DM1 showed additive activity when combined with the antiestrogen agent fulvestrant. These results illustrate promising antitumor activity against PRLR-positive breast cancer xenografts and support the evaluation of anti-PRLR ADCs as potential therapeutic agents in breast cancer. Mol Cancer Ther; 16(7); 1299–311. ©2017 AACR.
Host genetics and HIV-1 viral load set-point in African–Americans

Objective:In a recent genome-wide association study of HIV-1-infected individuals in the Euro-CHAVI cohort, viral load set-point was strongly associated with genotypes defined by two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs9264942 and rs2395029) within the human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region on chromosome 6. We attempted to confirm this finding in African–Americans and to address whether these SNPs are in linkage disequilibrium with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I alleles that mediate innate and adaptive immunity. Design:Our analyses relied on 121 African–American adolescents with chronic HIV-1 infection and quarterly immunological and virological outcome measures in the absence of therapy. Methods:PCR-based techniques were used to genotype two SNPs along with HLA class I alleles. Their associations with HIV-1 viral load set-point and longitudinal CD4+ and CD8+CD38+ T cell counts were tested in univariate and multivariable models. Results:The CC genotype at rs9264942 was associated with reduced viral load, but not with immunological outcomes or category of disease control. Consistent associations of favorable virologic outcomes were observed with B*57 (mostly B*5703) but not with rs2395029G allele at the HCP5 locus, which is in absolute linkage disequilibrium with B*5701 (in individuals of European descent), and not B*5703. Conclusion:Although rs9264942 and B*57 (but not rs2395029G) are clearly associated with control of viral load set-point among African–Americans, fine-mapping of MHC SNPs in populations of African and European descent should help reveal the causative variants and the underlying functional mechanisms.
Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Association Between Trust in Physician and Depressive Symptoms Among U.S. Community-Dwelling Chinese Older Adults

Background Depression is a major public health concern among older adults and health care professionals play a vital role in screening and treatment. However, this process may be impeded by issues like lack of trust in physician (TIP). This study aims to examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between TIP and depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults in the Chicago area. Methods Data were collected through the Population Study of Chinese Elderly (PINE), a longitudinal cohort study of Chinese older adults in the greater Chicago area. A total of 2,713 Chinese older adults completed both waves of data collection. TIP was measured through the Trust in Physician scale from Anderson and Dedrick (Anderson LA, Dedrick RF. Development of the Trust in Physician scale: a measure to assess interpersonal trust in patient-physician relationships. Psychol Rep. 1990;67(3 Pt 2):1091-1100. doi:10.2466/pr0.1990. 67.3f. 1091) (range: 11-55). Depressive symptoms were measured through Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Results Every one point higher in TIP is associated with being 2% less likely to have any depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR] 0.98, 0.97-0.99) in cross-sectional analysis. Longitudinally, every one-point increase in TIP score was associated with a 2% lower risk of depressive symptoms at Wave 2 (OR 0.98, 0.97-0.99). Improved TIP over 2 years was associated with 25% decreased risk of having any depressive symptoms at Wave 2 (OR 0.75, 0.63-0.89). Additionally, highest tertile of TIP change was associated with a 31% decreased risk of any depressive symptoms compared to lowest tertile (OR 0.68, 0.55-0.84). Discussion Improved TIP over 2 years is associated with less risk of experiencing depressive symptoms. Future research should examine possible pathways and routes of intervention to improve mental health among older adults.
Loss of heterozygosity and uniparental disomy of chromosome region 10q23.3–26.3 in glioblastoma

Glioblastoma is the most frequent and aggressive brain tumor in the adult population. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at markers of the long arm of chromosome 10 is the most common genetic alteration in glioblastoma, being detectable in up to 80% of cases. We have tested 124 glioblastoma samples for LOH by microsatellite analysis of the 10q23.3–26.3 region which contains the cancer related genes PTEN, FGFR2, MKI67, and MGMT. Then, a real‐time quantitative microsatellite analysis (QuMA) was used to qualitatively estimate the change in copy number of this region in the samples with LOH. LOH was detected in 62.1% of the glioblastoma samples. A total of 64 samples with LOH in this region were examined by QuMA. LOH was attributed to a deletion in 37.5% of cases, and uniparental disomy (UPD) in 25% of cases. In 37.5% of cases, deletion and UPD segments alternated within the region: deletions being more frequent than UPD in its proximal part (encompassing PTEN and FGFR2) and both deletions and UPD occurring at the same frequency in its distal part (MGMT). Thus, we have investigated mechanisms of structural alterations of the chromosome region 10q23.3–26.3 in glioblastoma. In addition to a structural deletion of this region, UPD was identified as a frequent cause of LOH. We resume that more detailed studies of glioblastoma at the molecular genetic level are essential in search for potential markers suitable for predicting the disease outcome and the response to treatment.
Systematic integration of biomedical knowledge prioritizes drugs for repurposing

The ability to computationally predict whether a compound treats a disease would improve the economy and success rate of drug approval. This study describes Project Rephetio to systematically model drug efficacy based on 755 existing treatments. First, we constructed Hetionet (neo4j.het.io), an integrative network encoding knowledge from millions of biomedical studies. Hetionet v1.0 consists of 47,031 nodes of 11 types and 2,250,197 relationships of 24 types. Data was integrated from 29 public resources to connect compounds, diseases, genes, anatomies, pathways, biological processes, molecular functions, cellular components, pharmacologic classes, side effects, and symptoms. Next, we identified network patterns that distinguish treatments from non-treatments. Then we predicted the probability of treatment for 209,168 compound–disease pairs (het.io/repurpose). Our predictions validated on two external sets of treatment and provided pharmacological insights on epilepsy, suggesting they will help prioritize drug repurposing candidates. This study was entirely open and received realtime feedback from 40 community members.
A very low-fat diet is not associated with improved lipoprotein profiles in men with a predominance of large, low-density lipoproteins.

BACKGROUND We found previously that men with a predominance of large LDL particles (phenotype A) consuming high-fat diets (40-46% fat) show less lipoprotein benefits of low-fat diets (20-24% fat) than do men with a high-risk lipoprotein profile characterized by a predominance of small LDL (phenotype B). Furthermore, one-third of men with phenotype A consuming a high-fat diet converted to phenotype B with a low-fat diet. OBJECTIVE We investigated effects of further reduction in dietary fat in men with persistence of LDL subclass phenotype A during both high- and low-fat diets. DESIGN Thirty-eight men who had shown phenotype A after 4-6 wk of both high- and low-fat diets consumed for 10 d a 10%-fat diet (2.7% saturates) with replacement of fat with carbohydrate and no change in cholesterol content or ratio of polyunsaturates to saturates. RESULTS In 26 men, phenotype A persisted (stable A group) whereas 12 converted to phenotype B (change group). LDL cholesterol did not differ from previous values for 20-24%-fat diets in either group, whereas in the change group there were higher concentrations of triacylglycerol and apolipoprotein B; greater mass of HDL, large LDL-I, small LDL-III and LDL-IV, and HDL3; lower concentrations of HDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein A-I; and lower mass of large LDL-I and HDL2. CONCLUSIONS There is no apparent lipoprotein benefit of reduction in dietary fat from 20-24% to 10% in men with large LDL particles: LDL-cholesterol concentration was not reduced, and in a subset of subjects there was a shift to small LDL along with increased triacylglycerol and reduced HDL-cholesterol concentrations.
3D Hand Pose Estimation: From Current Achievements to Future Goals

In this paper, we strive to answer two questions: What is the current state of 3D hand pose estimation? And, what are the next challenges that need to be tackled? Following the successful Hands In the Million Challenge (HIM2017), we investigate 11 state-of-the-art methods on three tasks: single frame 3D pose estimation, 3D hand tracking, and hand pose estimation during object interaction. We analyze the performance of different CNN structures with regard to hand shape, joint visibility, view point and articulation distributions. Our findings include: (1) isolated 3D hand pose estimation achieves low mean errors (10 mm) in the view point range of [40, 150] degrees, but it is far from being solved for extreme view points; (2)3D volumetric representations outperform 2D CNNs, better capturing the spatial structure of the depth data; (3)~Discriminative methods still generalize poorly to unseen hand shapes; (4)~While joint occlusions pose a challenge for most methods, explicit modeling of structure constraints can significantly narrow the gap between errors on visible and occluded joints.
High thyroid volume in children with excess dietary iodine intakes.

BACKGROUND There are few data on the adverse effects of chronic exposure to high iodine intakes, particularly in children. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to ascertain whether high dietary intakes of iodine in children result in high thyroid volume (Tvol), a high risk of goiter, or both. DESIGN In an international sample of 6-12-y-old children (n = 3319) from 5 continents with iodine intakes ranging from adequate to excessive, Tvol was measured by ultrasound, and the urinary iodine (UI) concentration was measured. Regressions were done on Tvol and goiter including age, body surface area, sex, and UI concentration as covariates. RESULTS The median UI concentration ranged from 115 microg/L in central Switzerland to 728 microg/L in coastal Hokkaido, Japan. In the entire sample, 31% of children had UI concentrations >300 microg/L, and 11% had UI concentrations >500 microg/L; in coastal Hokkaido, 59% had UI concentrations >500 microg/L, and 39% had UI concentrations >1000 microg/L. In coastal Hokkaido, the mean age- and body surface area-adjusted Tvol was approximately 2-fold the mean Tvol from the other sites combined (P < 0.0001), and there was a positive correlation between log(UI concentration) and log(Tvol) (r = 0.24, P < 0.0001). In the combined sample, after adjustment for age, sex, and body surface area, log(Tvol) began to rise at a log(UI concentration) >2.7, which, when transformed back to the linear scale, corresponded to a UI concentration of approximately 500 microg/L. CONCLUSIONS Chronic iodine intakes approximately twice those recommended-indicated by UI concentrations in the range of 300-500 microg/L-do not increase Tvol in children. However, UI concentrations >/=500 microg/L are associated with increasing Tvol, which reflects the adverse effects of chronic iodine excess.
Intake of specific carotenoids and essential fatty acids and breast cancer risk in Montreal, Canada.

BACKGROUND Evidence from previous investigations into the possible role of dietary and serum carotenoid concentrations in the etiology of breast cancer is inconsistent. No study has examined the combined effect of carotenoids and essential fatty acids on the risk of breast cancer. OBJECTIVE The objective was to assess the possible association between specific and total carotenoids and breast cancer risk and to evaluate the effect modification by diet-related fatty acids and lifestyle factors in the development of breast cancer. DESIGN A population-based case-control study involving 414 incident cases and 429 controls was conducted in French Canadians in Montreal. Dietary intake was estimated with the use of a validated food-frequency questionnaire in face-to-face interviews. RESULTS No significant association was apparent between any of the individual or total carotenoids and the risk of breast cancer after adjustment for major underlying determinants of breast cancer. In premenopausal women who ever smoked, an increased risk was related to alpha-carotene [odds ratio (OR) for the upper relative to the lowest quartiles of intake: 2.40; 95% CI: 0.90, 6.41; P for trend = 0.046]. Conversely, a reduced risk was related to beta-carotene (OR: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.26, 1.24; P for trend = 0.05) in women who never used hormone replacement therapy. In postmenopausal women, total carotenoids were positively associated with breast cancer risk in those with a high arachidonic acid intake (OR: 1.92; 95% CI: 0.93, 3.94; P = 0.028 for trend) and inversely associated in those with a high docosahexaenoic acid intake (OR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.25, 1.07; P for trend = 0.054). CONCLUSION These findings suggest that the combined high intake of total carotenoids and docosahexaenoic acid may reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Dysfunctional eating behaviors, anxiety, and depression in Italian boys and girls: the role of mass media

Objective: Extensive research has implicated identification with characters in mass media in the emergence of disordered eating behavior in adolescents. We explored the possible influence of the models offered by television (TV) on adolescents’ body image, body uneasiness, eating-disordered behavior, depression, and anxiety. Methods: Three hundred and one adolescents (aged 14-19) from southern Italy participated. They completed a questionnaire on media exposure and body dissatisfaction, the Eating Disorder Inventory-2, the Body Uneasiness Test, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory – Form Y. Results: The main factors contributing to females’ eating-disordered behaviors were their own desires to be similar to TV characters, the amount of reality and entertainment TV they watched, and the discrepancy between their perceptions of their bodies and those of TV characters. Friends’ desire to be similar to TV characters contributed most to depression, anxiety, body uneasiness, and eating disorders for both males and females. Conclusion: Our data confirm that extensive watching of reality and entertainment TV correlates with eating-disordered behavior among females. Moreover, the well-known negative effects of the media on adolescents’ eating-disordered behaviors may also be indirectly transmitted by friends who share identification with TV characters.
Modic Changes and Disc Degeneration of Nonfused Segments 27 to 45 Years After Harrington Instrumentation for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: Comparison to Healthy Controls

Study Design. A case-control study. Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term prevalence of the Modic changes and disc degeneration in the nonfused segments of the surgically treated adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients and compare with age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Summary of Background Data. No studies have looked at the association between Modic changes and low back pain in patients who underwent AIS surgery many years ago. Methods. Study subjects consisted of 194 patients with AIS who underwent spinal fusion with Harrington instrumentation between 1968 and 1987. Twenty-six patients (AIS group) underwent lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), whole spine X-ray, and patient-reported outcomes evaluations [Scoliosis Research Society-22 Patient Questionnaire (SRS-22), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)]. The mean duration of follow-up observation was 36.1 years. The lowest fusion vertebra was used as follows: T12: 2 patients, L1: 4, L2: 11, L3: 6, L4: 2, L5: 1. Twenty-nine healthy age- and sex-matched individuals were selected as a control (CTR) group. Results. On the basis of MRI findings, a significantly higher percentage of subjects showed Modic changes in the AIS group (AIS group: 57.7%, CTR group: 13.8%). There were no significant differences in the percentage of subjects with disc degeneration rated Pfirrmann grade 4 or higher (AIS group: 61.5%, CTR group: 65.5%). SRS-22 scores for function and self-image were significantly lower in the AIS group. ODI was significantly worse in the AIS group. Modic changes in AIS group were found in the concave side of the curve in 61.9%. The magnitude of lumbar coronal curve was found to be a significant risk factor of Modic changes. Conclusion. Modic changes were observed in 57.7% of AIS patients 27 years or more after spinal fusion with Harrington instrumentation. The magnitude of lumbar coronal curve was found to be a significant risk factor of Modic changes. Modic change occurred at a higher frequency in AIS patients than CTR individuals, with lower function and worse ODI scores. Level of Evidence: 4
Radiological, stereological, and microscopic evaluation of the quality of canal fillings in oval-shaped root canals prepared with self-adjusting file.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of the canal fillings performed by thermoplastic technique (Herofill) and cold lateral condensation (CLC) techniques in oval shaped canals following self-adjusting file (SAF) preparation using radiological, stereological, and microscopic evaluation methods. Twelve pairs of oval-shaped root canals were prepared with SAF and filled using CLC (n = 12) or the Herofill system (n = 12). The quality of the root canal filling was evaluated by (i) scoring bidirectional storage phosphor plate images, (ii) stereological (volumetric) analysis of cone beam computerized tomography (CBCT) images, and (iii) microscopic analysis of the cross-sectioned area of the canal and gutta-percha via image analysis software. Chi-square test, t-test, and Mann-Whitney U-tests were used respectively (p < 0.05) for the aforementioned evaluations. 58.33% of the fillings (total n = 24) that were found to be sufficient in a bucco-lingual (BL) projection were considered insufficient in the mesio-distal (MD) projection according to radiological scoring. The difference in the findings between the two types of projections (BL and MD) was significant (p < 0.05). The results of the stereological evaluation of CBCT images and image analysis of cross-sections showed no statistically significant difference between the CLC and Herofill (p > 0.05). Herofill was not superior to cold lateral compaction. Stereology can be used to obtain unbiased information about the volume of root canal fillings. Both filling techniques failed to achieve the desirable goal of 0% empty volume in all of the cases and all evaluation systems confirmed this result. SCANNING 38:427-433, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.