Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of monocyte count on admission with angiographic no-reflow after primary percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND The no-reflow phenomenon during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) can lead to poor outcomes. It has been shown that the monocytes may be involved in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease and associated with high risk of myocardial infarction. AIM To assess the relation between admission monocyte count and angiographic no-reflow after pPCI. METHODS A total of 236 patients with acute STEMI, who underwent pPCI, were enrolled. The patients were divided into two groups (no-reflow and normal reflow) based on post-pPCI Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow grade. No reflow was defined as TIMI flow grades ≤ 2, and normal reflow was defined as TIMI 3 flow grade. The monocyte count and other laboratory parameters were measured on admission before pPCI. RESULTS There were 43 (18.2%) patients in the no-reflow group and 193 (81.8%) patients in the normal-reflow group. Patients with no-reflow had significantly higher admission monocyte count (0.76 ± 0.48 × 109/L vs. 0.55 ± 0.29 × 109/L, p = 0.004). Also, white blood cell and neutrophil counts were significantly higher while haemoglobin was significantly lower in the no-reflow group. In multivariate analysis, monocyte count remained an independent predictor of angiographic no-reflow phenomenon (odds ratio [OR] 2.665, 95% confidence interwal [CI] 1.102-6.445, p = 0.030) together with low haemoglobin concentration (OR 0.978, 95% CI 0.961-0.995, p = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS Monocyte count on admission and low haemoglobin concentration were independent clinical predictors of no-reflow following pPCI in patients with STEMI. Our findings suggest that admission monocyte count may be available for early risk stratification of no-reflow after pPCI and might allow the improvement of strategies to prevent this phenomenon.
Review and Preview: Disocclusion by Inpainting for Image-Based Rendering

Image-based rendering takes as input multiple images of an object and generates photorealistic images from novel viewpoints. This approach avoids explicitly modeling scenes by replacing the modeling phase with an object reconstruction phase. Reconstruction is achieved in two possible ways: recovering 3-D point locations using multiview stereo techniques, or reasoning about consistency of each voxel in a discretized object volume space. The most challenging problem for image-based reconstruction is the presence of occlusions. Occlusions make reconstruction ambiguous for object parts not visible in any input image. These parts must be reconstructed in a visually acceptable way. This paper both reviews image inpainting and argues that inpainting can provide not only attractive reconstruction but also a framework for increasing the accuracy of depth recovery. Digital image inpainting refers to any methods that fill-in holes of arbitrary topology in images so that they seem to be a part of the original image. Available methods are broadly classified as structural inpainting or textural inpainting. Structural inpainting reconstructs using prior assumptions and boundary conditions, while textural inpainting considers only the available data from texture exemplars or other templates. Of particular particular interest is research on structural inpainting applied to 3-D models, emphasizing its effectiveness for disocclusion.
Embryos generated from oocytes lacking complex N- and O-glycans have compromised development and implantation

Female mice generating oocytes lacking complex N- and O-glycans (double mutants (DM)) produce only one small litter before undergoing premature ovarian failure (POF) by 3 months. Here we investigate the basis of the small litter by evaluating ovulation rate and embryo development in DM (Mgat1F/FC1galt1F/F:ZP3Cre) and Control (Mgat1F/FC1galt1F/F) females. Surprisingly, DM ovulation rate was normal at 6 weeks, but declined dramatically by 9 weeks. In vitro development of zygotes to blastocysts was equivalent to Controls although all embryos from DM females lacked a normal zona pellucida (ZP) and ∼30% lacked a ZP entirely. In contrast, in vivo preimplantation development resulted in less embryos recovered from DM females compared with Controls at 3.5 days post coitum (dpc) (3.2±1.3 vs 7.0±0.6). Furthermore, only 45% of mated DM females contained embryos at 3.5 dpc. Of the preimplantation embryos collected from DM females, approximately half were morulae unlike Controls where the majority were blastocysts, indicating delayed embryo development in DM females. Post-implantation development in DM females was analysed to determine whether delayed preimplantation development affected subsequent development. In DM females at 5.5 dpc, only ∼40% of embryos found at 3.5 dpc had implanted. However, at 6.5 dpc, implantation sites in DM females corresponded to embryo numbers at 3.5 dpc indicating delayed implantation. At 9.5 dpc, the number of decidua corresponded to embryo numbers 6 days earlier indicating that all implanted embryos progress to midgestation. Therefore, a lack of complex N- and O-glycans in oocytes during development impairs early embryo development and viability in vivo leading to delayed implantation and a small litter.
Bioinformatics Analysis and Characteristics of UL14 Protein Encoded by UL14 Gene in Duck Enteritis Virus

Bioinformatics analysis was performed to predict the characteristics of the UL14 protein. The results revealing that there is no transmembrane region, and its molecular mass is 17524,9 Da, isoelectric point (IP) is 5.71. The phylogenetic tree shows that DEV-CHv is a separate branch, that is to say, DEV may be an osculant example among the herpesvirus genera. In addition the analysis of the physico-chemical properties demonstrates that UL14 has 6 main antigenic determinants and 5 phosphorylation sites. And the subcellular localization analysis indicates that UL14 is mainly located in cytoplasmic, nuclear, and mitochondrial. In conclusion, all those consequences are valuable for further researches on more accurate molecular characteristic of DEV-UL14.
Mechanical Anastomosis of Nerves: A Histological and Functional Comparison to Conventional Suturing

The use of a mechanical coupling device in microsurgery offers speed of application in addition to a secure vascular union. Despite its success in a vascular setting, mechanical coupling device nerve repair remains to be studied. Forty-five male rats were tested over 7- and 14-week study periods. One half of the animals underwent primary suture repairs for transected sciatic nerves, and the remainder of the animals had their nerves repaired using a mechanical coupling device. Postoperative analysis consisted of histological evaluation of pre- and postrepair site nerve morphology (axonal continuity and counts) as well as functional testing using walking track analysis. Mechanical coupling device coaptation of the nerves using the epineurium was done in approximately one half the time compared with conventional suturing. After both 7 and 14 weeks postoperatively, walking track analysis showed no difference in the amount of functional return between the two repair groups. No animal exhibited complete return of function. Axonal continuity occurred across both repairs without significant difference in their pre- and postrepair axonal counts. Although no clear advantage was seen in this study, the concept of mechanical nerve coupling merits further investigation based on its potential clinical utility.
Identification of Neutrophil Exocytosis Inhibitors (Nexinhibs), Small Molecule Inhibitors of Neutrophil Exocytosis and Inflammation

Neutrophils constitute the first line of cellular defense in response to bacterial and fungal infections and rely on granular proteins to kill microorganisms, but uncontrolled secretion of neutrophil cargos is injurious to the host and should be closely regulated. Thus, increased plasma levels of neutrophil secretory proteins, including myeloperoxidase and elastase, are associated with tissue damage and are hallmarks of systemic inflammation. Here, we describe a novel high-throughput screening approach to identify small molecule inhibitors of the interaction between the small GTPase Rab27a and its effector JFC1, two central regulators of neutrophil exocytosis. Using this assay, we have identified small molecule inhibitors of Rab27a-JFC1 binding that were also active in cell-based neutrophil-specific exocytosis assays, demonstrating the druggability of Rab GTPases and their effectors. These compounds, named Nexinhibs (neutrophil exocytosis inhibitors), inhibit exocytosis of azurophilic granules in human neutrophils without affecting other important innate immune responses, including phagocytosis and neutrophil extracellular trap production. Furthermore, the compounds are reversible and potent inhibitors of the extracellular production of superoxide anion by preventing the up-regulation of the granule membrane-associated subunit of the NADPH oxidase at the plasma membrane. Nexinhibs also inhibit the up-regulation of activation signature molecules, including the adhesion molecules CD11b and CD66b. Importantly, by using a mouse model of endotoxin-induced systemic inflammation, we show that these inhibitors have significant activity in vivo manifested by decreased plasma levels of neutrophil secretory proteins and significantly decreased tissue infiltration by inflammatory neutrophils. Altogether, our data present the first neutrophil exocytosis-specific inhibitor with in vivo anti-inflammatory activity, supporting its potential use as an inhibitor of systemic inflammation.
First Principles Investigation of Electronic Structure, Chemical Bonding, Elastic and Optical Properties of Novel Rhenium Nitrides

we investigate the electronic structure, chemical bonding, optical and elastic properties of the novel rhenium nitrides, hexagonal phase re3n and re2n by using density-functional theory (dft) within generalized gradient approximation (gga). the calculated equilibrium lattice constants of both re3n and re2n are in reasonable agreement with the experimental results. the band structure along the higher symmetry axes in the Brillouin zone, the density of states (dos) and the partial density of states (pdos) are presented. the calculated energy band structures and dos show that re3n and re2n are metal compounds. The dos and pdos show that the dos at the fermi level (ef) is located at the bottom of a valley and originate mainly from the 5d electrons of re. population analyses suggest that the chemical bonding in re3n and re2n has predominantly covalent character with mixed covalent and ionic characteristics. the dielectric function, reflectivity, absorption coefficient, refractive index, electron energy-loss function and optical conductivity are presented in an energy range for discussing the optical properties of re3n and re2n. basic mechanical properties, such as elastic constants cij, bulk modulus b and shear modulus g are calculated. The young’s modulus e, poisson's ratio ν and bh/gh are also predicted. results conclude that the hexagonal phase re3n and re2n are mechanical stable and behaves in a ductile manner. polycrystalline elastic anisotropy is also derived from polycrystalline bulk modulus b and shear modulus g.
Agreement on Diagnosis Among Patients, Companions, and Professionals After a Dementia Evaluation

A diagnosis of dementia is challenging to deliver and to hear; yet, agreement on diagnosis is essential for effective treatment for dementia. We examined consensus on the results of an evaluation of dementia in 90 patients assessed at an Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Diagnostic impressions were obtained from 5 sources: (1) the physician’s chart; (2) the patient who was evaluated; (3) a companion present at the evaluation; (4) a diagnostic summary written by a nurse present during the evaluation; and (5) raters who watched a video of the diagnostic disclosure conversation. Overall, diagnostic consensus was only moderate. Patients and companions exhibited just fair agreement with one another. Agreement was better between physicians and companions compared with that between physicians and patients, although it was imperfect between physicians and video raters and the written summary. Agreement among sources varied by dementia severity, with the lowest agreement occurring in instances of very mild dementia. This study documents discrepancies that can arise in diagnostic communication, which could influence adjustment to a diagnosis of dementia and decisions regarding future planning and care.
The direct antiatherogenic effect of estrogen is present, absent, or reversed, depending on the state of the arterial endothelium. A time course study in cholesterol-clamped rabbits.

BACKGROUND This study further investigated the relationship between estrogen, arterial endothelium, and nitric oxide (NO) in cholesterol-clamped rabbits. METHODS AND RESULTS Rabbits were ovariectomized, balloon-injured in the thoracic aorta, and grouped to receive cholesterol-enriched chow together with either 17beta-estradiol or vehicle for 1, 2, 4, or 8 weeks. In the undamaged aorta, cholesterol accumulation of the placebo rabbits was significantly increased from week 4 to 8 (P<0.001). This increase was almost completely inhibited by estrogen (P<0.001). In the balloon-injured aorta, the estrogen and placebo rabbits accumulated similar amounts of cholesterol in the reendothelialized areas. In the deendothelialized areas, the estrogen group surprisingly accumulated significantly more cholesterol than the placebo group. This difference was apparent from week 2 and became significant at week 8 (P<0.01). Circulating nitrite/nitrate were significantly increased by estrogen at weeks 1, 2, and 4 but not at week 8. Similarly, in additional experiments, basal NO release was significantly higher in estrogen-treated than in placebo-treated rabbits after 4 (P<0.05) but not after 8 weeks. Stimulated NO release and endothelial NO synthase activity did not differ between groups. Mononuclear-endothelial cell binding was reduced by 50% by estrogen after 4 weeks (P<0.05). This difference, however, was abolished by coadministration of N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, an inhibitor of NO production. CONCLUSIONS The direct antiatherogenic effect of estrogen was present, absent, or reversed, depending on the state of the arterial endothelium, and preceded by a transient increase in NO production followed by a reduced mononuclear-endothelial cell binding.
Molecular Interaction Fields and 3D-QSAR Studies of p53-MDM2 Inhibitors Suggest Additional Features of Ligand-Target Interaction

The design and optimization of small molecule inhibitors of the murine double minute clone 2-p53 (p53-MDM2) interaction has attracted a great deal of interest as a way to novel anticancer therapies. Herein we report 3D-QSAR studies of 41 small molecule inhibitors based on the use of molecular interaction fields and docking experiments as part of an approach to generating predictive models of MDM2 affinity and shedding further light on the structural elements of the ligand-target interaction. These studies have yielded predictive models explaining much of the variance of the 41 compound training set and satisfactorily predicting with 75% success an external test set of 36 compounds. Not surprisingly, and in full agreement with previous data, inspection of the 3D-QSAR coefficients reveals that the major driving force for potent inhibition is given by the hydrophobic interaction between the inhibitors and the p53 binding cleft of MDM2. More surprisingly, and challenging previous suggestions, the projection of the 3D-QSAR coefficients back onto the experimental structures of MDM2 provides an intriguing hypothesis concerning an active role played by the N-terminal region of MDM2 in ligand binding.
he impact of the severity of early life stress on diurnal cortisol : The ole of puberty

Researchers have documented dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in children and adolescents who experienced early life stress (ELS). The precise nature of this dysregulation, however, has been difficult to discern. In fact, both elevated and blunted patterns of diurnal cortisol regulation have been reported in children and adolescents exposed to greater ELS, including both reduced and heightened cortisol levels and change in cortisol across the day. These divergent findings may be due to developmental changes in the relation between ELS and HPA-axis functioning. The present study was designed to examine the role of puberty in the impact of the severity of ELS on the regulation of diurnal cortisol. Boys and girls (N = 145) ages 9–13 years recruited from lower-risk communities completed an interview about their ELS experiences and at-home collection of diurnal cortisol. ELS experiences were objectively coded for severity, and children’s level of pubertal development was measured using Tanner Staging. Multi-level piecewise mixed-effects models tested the effects of ELS severity and pubertal stage on cortisol levels at waking, the cortisol awakening response (CAR), and the daytime cortisol slope. While we found no significant interactive effects of pubertal stage and ELS severity on cortisol levels at waking or the daytime cortisol slope, findings indicated that pubertal stage interacted with ELS severity to predict the cortisol awakening response (CAR). Specifically, in earlier puberty, higher ELS was associated with a blunted CAR compared to lower ELS; in contrast, in later puberty, higher ELS was associated with a heightened CAR compared to lower ELS. Differences in the relation between ELS severity and the CAR were uniquely determined by puberty, and not by age. By considering and examining the role of puberty, the current study provides a developmental explanation for previous divergent findings of both blunted and heightened patterns of diurnal cortisol following ELS. These results indicate that careful attention should be given to children’s pubertal status before drawing conclusions concerning the nature of diurnal cortisol dysregulation. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Sudden Gains in the Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Background: The present study examined sudden gains during treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and their relationship to short- and long-term outcome. Methods: Ninety-one individuals (age 19–64) completed either cognitive treatment, exposure treatment, or their combination with fluvoxamine for OCD. Participants’ obsessive-compulsive symptoms were assessed before each weekly treatment session. In addition, obsessive-compulsive and depressive symptoms were assessed pre treatment and post treatment as well as 12 months following treatment termination. Results: Sudden gains were found among 34.1% of participants and constituted 65.5% of the total reduction in obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Compared to individuals who did not experience sudden gains, individuals who experienced sudden gains reported lower levels of OCD symptoms post treatment, and this was maintained during follow-up. Conclusions: Sudden gains are common in treatments for OCD and are predictive of treatment outcome and follow-up. Sudden gains mark a distinct trajectory of response to treatment for OCD. Individuals with sudden gains greatly improve during treatment and maintain their gains during follow-up, whereas individuals without sudden gains improve to a significantly lesser extent. Thus, treatment planning and development can benefit from considering sudden gains and the intra-individual course of improvement.
The Critical Role of Potassium in Plant Stress Response

Agricultural production continues to be constrained by a number of biotic and abiotic factors that can reduce crop yield quantity and quality. Potassium (K) is an essential nutrient that affects most of the biochemical and physiological processes that influence plant growth and metabolism. It also contributes to the survival of plants exposed to various biotic and abiotic stresses. The following review focuses on the emerging role of K in defending against a number of biotic and abiotic stresses, including diseases, pests, drought, salinity, cold and frost and waterlogging. The availability of K and its effects on plant growth, anatomy, morphology and plant metabolism are discussed. The physiological and molecular mechanisms of K function in plant stress resistance are reviewed. This article also evaluates the potential for improving plant stress resistance by modifying K fertilizer inputs and highlights the future needs for research about the role of K in agriculture.
Religious Ritual and Cooperation: Testing for a Relationship on Israeli Religious and Secular Kibbutzim1

Anthropologists have long noted that one of the primary functions of religion is to promote group solidarity, and most have recognized ritual as the mechanism through which this solidarity is achieved. Guided by Durkheim (1995 [1912]), who was among the first to appreciate the unifying nature of religious ritual, functionalists have explored how ritual sustains the social order within a community (e.g., Douglas 1966, Radcliffe-Brown 1952). They have argued that collective rituals enable the expression and reaffirmation of shared beliefs, norms, and values and are therefore essential for maintaining communal stability and group harmony. For Durkheim, collective rituals were the means by which individuals bonded with one another in the community. He claimed that the “effervescent” state of ritual performance minimized individual distinctions and emphasized the unity of the group. Rappaport (1979, 1999) extended Durkheim’s analysis of ritual, primarily exploring its formal structure. He interpreted ritual’s effect on group solidarity as a conse-
Decline in corpus callosum volume among pediatric patients with medulloblastoma: longitudinal MR imaging study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE A decline in intrahemispheric cerebral white matter volume in children treated for brain tumors with cranial irradiation has been well documented. It was hypothesized that the development of the corpus callosum, the largest white matter commissure of the brain, would also be adversely affected after treatment with cranial irradiation in pediatric patients treated for medulloblastoma. METHODS After diagnosis, 35 patients (22 male and 13 female patients) with histologically proved medulloblastoma were treated by maximal surgical resection, risk-adapted craniospinal irradiation, and chemotherapy. Using quantitative measurement techniques with MR imaging, corpus callosum volume was measured at multiple time points for each patient during a 4-year period. RESULTS Quantitative MR imaging analyses of 239 examinations in 35 patients showed, in contrast to normal development, that the total midsagittal corpus callosum area decreased with time from craniospinal irradiation (-18.0 mm(2)/y; P <. 0001). After examination of seven corpus callosum subregions, significant declines were also observed: genu (-2.2 mm(2)/y; P =. 03), rostral body (-2.0 mm(2)/y; P =. 04), anterior midbody (-1.4 mm(2)/y; P =. 005), posterior midbody (-1.2 mm(2)/y; P =. 004), isthmus (-2.4 mm(2)/y; P =. 001), and splenium (-5.0 mm(2)/y; P =. 007). CONCLUSION The greatest deviation from normal development occurred in the most posterior subregions of the corpus callosum: the isthmus and the splenium. These corpus callosum subregions, associated with fibers traversing from the temporal, posterior parietal, and occipital lobes, are normally expected to have the highest rate of growth during childhood. However, these regions also received the highest total dose of irradiation, providing a possible explanation for atypical corpus callosum development observed in these 35 patients treated for medulloblastoma.