Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Atherosclerotic carotid artery disease in patients with retinal ischemic syndromes

The extracranial carotid systems of 105 patients with retinal ischemia were examined using B-mode ultrasonography with integrated pulsed Doppler. Sixty-four patients had amaurosis fugax (AF), 17 central retinal artery occlusions (CRAO), and 21 branch retinal artery occlusions (BRAO). The prevalence of carotid stenosis (≥60%) ipsilateral to the symptomatic eye was low (16%). Eighty-six percent of AF patients had either no plaque or plaque causing less than a 60% stenosis. A significant proportion of subjects with normal duplex scans had alternative explanations for their retinal ischemia (eg, migraine, cardiac embolus). Patients with Hollenhorst plaques were more likely to have stenotic or ulcerated plaque (p = 0.04). The degree of carotid stenosis correlated significantly with the number of vascular risk factors identified in individual patients (p = 0.02). The presence of risk factors was more common in CRAO and BRAO patients compared with the AF group. Combined ultrasound-Doppler investigations of the carotid bifurcation are valuable noninvasive tools for the screening of patients with retinal ischemia.
Prenatal Oral (Gavage) Developmental Toxicity Study of Decabromodiphenyl Oxide in Rats

Decabromodiphenyl oxide (DBDPO) is a highly effective flame retardant that is primarily used in electrical and electronic equipment with a secondary, but important, application in upholstery textiles. DBDPO, the second largest volume brominated flame retardant in use today, has undergone a wide range of toxicology tests in mammalian species with the results indicating a no-adverse-effect level of ∼1000 mg/kg/day in oral repeated-dose studies. An oral prenatal developmental toxicity study of the commercial DBDPO product (97% purity) was performed under current EPA OPPTS and OECD guidelines. Female Sprague-Dawley rats (25 mated females/group) received 0, 100, 300 or 1000 mg DBPDO/kg/day via gavage in corn oil during gestation days 0 through 19. All females survived until scheduled sacrifice. No clinical signs of toxicity were observed. Pregnancy rates in the control and treated groups ranged from 96% to 100% and provided 23 or more litters in each group for evaluation on gestation day 20. No effect of treatment was seen in maternal gestational parameters (body weight, body weight gain, and food consumption), uterine implantation data, liver weight, or necropsy findings. Likewise, no effect of treatment was seen in fetal body weights, fetal sex distribution, or during the fetal external, visceral, or skeletal examinations. The NOEL (noobservable-effect level) for maternal and developmental toxicity was 1000 mg DBPDO/kg/day, the highest dose level administered on gestation days 0 to 19.
Capsid Protein of Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus Inhibits Host Cell Gene Expression

ABSTRACT Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) causes sporadic but often severe cases of human and equine neurological disease in North America. To determine how EEEV may evade innate immune responses, we screened individual EEEV proteins for the ability to rescue the growth of a Newcastle disease virus expressing green fluorescent protein (NDV-GFP) from the antiviral effects of interferon (IFN). Only expression of the EEEV capsid facilitated NDV-GFP replication. Inhibition of the antiviral effects of IFN by the capsid appears to occur through a general inhibition of cellular gene expression. For example, the capsid inhibited the expression of several reporter genes under the control of RNA polymerase II promoters. In contrast, capsid did not inhibit expression from a T7 RNA polymerase promoter construct, suggesting that the inhibition of gene expression is specific and is not a simple manifestation of toxicity. The inhibition correlated both with capsid-induced phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 alpha and with capsid-mediated inhibition of cellular mRNA accumulation. Mapping analysis identified the N terminus as the region important for the inhibition of host gene expression, suggesting that this inhibition is independent of capsid protease activity. Finally, when cell lines containing EEEV replicons encoding capsid were selected, replicons consistently acquired mutations that deleted all or part of the capsid, for example, amino acids 18 to 135. Given that the amino terminus of the capsid is required to inhibit host cell gene expression, these data suggest that capsid expression from the replicons is ultimately toxic to host cells, presumably because of its ability to inhibit gene expression.
Prognostic significance of delayed intraventricular haemorrhage in the INTERACT studies

Background and purpose Intraventricular extension of intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) predicts poor outcome, but the significance of delayed intraventricular haemorrhage (dIVH) is less well defined. We determined the prognostic significance of dIVH in the Intensive Blood Pressure Reduction in Acute Cerebral Haemorrhage Trials (INTERACT 1 and 2). Methods Pooled analyses of the INTERACT CT substudies—international, multicentre, prospective, open, blinded end point, randomised controlled trials of patients with acute spontaneous ICH and elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP)—randomly assigned to intensive (<140 mm Hg) or guideline-based (<180 mm Hg) SBP management. Participants had blinded central analyses of baseline and 24 h CTs, with dIVH defined as new intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) on the latter scan. Outcomes of death and major disability were defined by modified Rankin Scale scores at 90 days. Results There were 349 (27%) of 1310 patients with baseline IVH, and 107 (11%) of 961 initially IVH-free patients who developed dIVH. Significant associations of dIVH were prior warfarin anticoagulation, high (≥15) baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, larger (≥15 mL) ICH volume, greater ICH growth and higher achieved SBP over 24 h. Compared with those who were IVH-free, dIVH had greater odds of 90-day death or major disability versus initial IVH (adjusted ORs 2.84 (95% CI 1.52 to 5.28) and 1.87 (1.36 to 2.56), respectively (p trend <0.0001)). Conclusions Although linked to factors determining greater ICH growth including poor SBP control, dIVH is independently associated with poor outcome in acute small to moderate-size ICH. Trial registration numbers NCT00226096 and NCT00716079.
Signed Digit Addition and Related Operations with Threshold Logic

Assuming signed digit number representations, we investigate the implementation of some addition related operations assuming linear threshold networks. We measure the depth and size of the networks in terms of linear threshold gates. We show first that a depth-2 network with O(n) size, weight, and fan-in complexities can perform signed digit symmetric functions. Consequently, assuming radix-2 signed digit representation, we show that the two operand addition can be performed by a threshold network of depth-2 having O(n) size complexity and O(1) weight and fan-in complexities. Furthermore, we show that, assuming radix-(2n-1) signed digit representations, the multioperand addition can be computed by a depth-2 network with O(n/sup 3/) size with the weight and fan-in complexities being polynomially bounded. Finally, we show that multiplication can be performed by a linear threshold network of depth-3 with the size of O(n/sup 3/) requiring O(n/sup 3/) weights and O(n/sup 2/ log n) fan-in.
Clear cell carcinoma arising from a uterus‐like mass

A uterus‐like mass is an extrauterine mass with a cavity lined by endometrial tissue and a smooth muscle layer resembling the uterine corpus. It is a rare condition of unknown histogenesis. Herein, we describe a case of clear cell carcinoma arising from a uterus‐like mass located in the retroperitoneal space. The patient, a 67‐year old nulliparous woman, had been followed with the diagnosis of an ovarian endometriotic cyst for 14 years until ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated an enlargement of the cystic mass with a thickened irregular wall. Suspicion of malignant transformation prompted us to excise the lesion. At laparotomy, the uterus and right ovary appeared normal, and a mass measuring 8 cm was identified in the retroperitoneal space without any connection to the uterus. Grossly, the removed mass was composed of a cyst filled with blackish‐brownish fluid and a thick wall resembling uterine myometrium. Microscopically, endometrial tissue inside the cyst, which was diffusely lined by clear cell carcinoma, was identified. Although the histogenesis of a uterus‐like mass remains unclear, this case indicates that malignant tumors may occur from a uterus‐like mass through the pathway similar to the carcinogenesis of endometriosis‐related ovarian neoplasms.
Long Distance Interactions within the Potassium Channel Pore Are Revealed by Molecular Diversity of Viral Proteins*

Kcv is a 94-amino acid protein encoded by chlorella virus PBCV-1 that corresponds to the pore module of K+ channels. Therefore, Kcv can be a model for studying the protein design of K+ channel pores. We analyzed the molecular diversity generated by ∼1 billion years of evolution on kcv genes isolated from 40 additional chlorella viruses. Because the channel is apparently required for virus replication, the Kcv variants are all functional and contain multiple and dispersed substitutions that represent a repertoire of allowed sets of amino acid substitutions (from 4 to 12 amino acids). Correlations between amino acid substitutions and the new properties displayed by these channels guided site-directed mutations that revealed synergistic amino acid interactions within the protein as well as previously unknown interactions between distant channel domains. The effects of these multiple changes were not predictable from a priori structural knowledge of the channel pore.
The response of precipitation characteristics to global warming from climate projections

Abstract. We revisit the issue of the response of precipitation characteristics to global warming based on analyses of global and regional climate model projections for the 21st century. The prevailing response we identify can be summarized as follows: increase in the intensity of precipitation events and extremes, with the occurrence of events of “unprecedented” magnitude, i.e., a magnitude not found in the present-day climate; decrease in the number of light precipitation events and in wet spell lengths; and increase in the number of dry days and dry spell lengths. This response, which is mostly consistent across the models we analyzed, is tied to the difference between precipitation intensity responding to increases in local humidity conditions and circulations, especially for heavy and extreme events, and mean precipitation responding to slower increases in global evaporation. These changes in hydroclimatic characteristics have multiple and important impacts on the Earth's hydrologic cycle and on a variety of sectors. As examples we investigate effects on potential stress due to increases in dry and wet extremes, changes in precipitation interannual variability, and changes in the potential predictability of precipitation events. We also stress how the understanding of the hydroclimatic response to global warming can provide important insights into the fundamental behavior of precipitation processes, most noticeably tropical convection.
Lung mechanics and dyspnea during exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

RATIONALE Exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease commonly causes hospitalization. The change in lung mechanics during exacerbation and its relationship to symptoms in spontaneously breathing individuals has not been described. OBJECTIVE We hypothesized that changes in both airflow and lung volumes would occur during an exacerbation, but that only volume change would relate to symptomatic improvement. METHODS Lung mechanics and resting dyspnea were recorded in 22 hospitalized patients during recovery from exacerbation. MEASUREMENTS Spirometry, inspiratory capacity, respiratory system resistance and reactance, tidal breathing patterns, and expiratory flow limitation were recorded after nebulized bronchodilator therapy on the first 3 d after admission, at discharge, and 6 wk postadmission (Day 42). Prebronchodilator measurements were taken on Day 2, at discharge, and on Day 42. MAIN RESULTS Postbronchodilator inspiratory capacity increased 0.23 +/- 0.07 L by discharge and 0.42 +/- 0.1 L by Day 42, FEV1 rose 0.09 +/- 0.04 and 0.2 +/- 0.05 L at discharge and Day 42, respectively, and FVC increased 0.21 +/- 0.08 and 0.47 +/- 0.09 L at discharge and Day 42 (all p < 0.05). Consistent reduction in dyspnea was seen as the exacerbation resolved. Respiratory system resistance, FEV1/FVC, and expiratory flow limitation were unchanged throughout, indicating that changes in lung volume rather than airflow resistance predominated. CONCLUSIONS Improvement in operating lung volumes is the principal change seen as a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation resolves and increase in inspiratory capacity is a useful guide to a reduction in dyspnea.
Lateral stirring in the ocean on scales of 0.1-10 km: The role of internal waves

Author(s): Lelong, M. -Pascale; Early, Jeffrey J; Kunze, Eric; Sundermeyer, Miles A; Wortham, Cimarron J | Abstract: High values of lateral diffusivity, O(1) m2s−1, on horizontal scales of 0.1-10 km are routinely found in the stratified ocean interior, irrespective of ambient mesoscale strain rate, yet the primary dynamical mechanism responsible for this behavior has not been established. Theoretical arguments combined with numerical simulations using both a nonlinear Boussinesq model and a linear internal wave model suggest that Stokes drift driven by a weakly nonlinear Garrett-Munk internal wave field can significantly enhance lateral diffusivity. In this note, we illustrate the dispersive role of internal-wave-driven Stokes drift for several stratification profiles and positions in the water column and also consider scale-dependent dispersion in submesoscale fields that include both vortices and internal waves.
Long‐term proliferation in vitro of hematopoietic progenitor cells from children with congenital bonemarrow failure: effect of rhGM‐CSF and rhEPO

Abstract: We have characterized the proliferation kinetics of hematopoietic cells in long‐term marrow cultures (LTMC) from five normal children and seven children with congenital bone marrow failure (four with Fanconi anemia [FA] and three with congenital pure red cell aplasia [PRCA]). Total nonadherent and adherent cells, as well as nonadherent progenitors, were determined weekly in the presence or in the absence of rhGM‐CSF (10 ng/ml) or rhEPO (3 U/ml). As compared to normal LTMC, hematopoiesis was drastically reduced in cultures from FA patients. Myeloid and erythroid progenitor cells reached undetectable levels after only 3 and 1 weeks of culture, respectively. This was observed even in cultures supplemented with rhGM‐CSF, in which no response to this cytokine occurred. In LTMC from PRCA children, the growth of erythroid and multipotent progenitors was also drastically reduced. Myelopoiesis, on the other hand, showed normal levels during the first three weeks of culture; however, from week 4, there was a significant decrease in the levels of both progenitor and mature cells, reaching undetectable levels several weeks before normal cells did. Response to rhGM‐CSF and rhEPO was transient and deficient. Our results suggest that in FA, alterations at the level of primitive progenitor cells are so severe that myeloid, erythroid and multipotent progenitors are unable to proliferate in LTMC, even in the presence of rhGM‐CSF. In patients with PRCA the erythroid arm of hematopoiesis is preferentially affected and addition of rhGM‐CSF and/or rhEPO to these cultures had little or no effect on erythroid cell production. Interestingly, myelopoiesis in this culture system was deficient as well and response to rhGM‐CSF was defective, suggesting that the myeloid lineage is also altered in congenital PRCA.
Further Evidence on the Role of Thyroid Autoimmunity in Women with Recurrent Miscarriage

It has been twenty years since the first paper reporting the association between thyroid antibodies (TAIs) and spontaneous miscarriage was published. Following this observation, several studies have clearly demonstrated an increased prevalence of TAI in patients with recurrent miscarriage (RM). However, the exact mechanism underlying this association remains a matter of debate. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the thyroid function, throughout a specific test, in patient with RM and TAI focusing on the hypothesis that TAI should be an indirect sign of a mild thyroid dysfunction. 46 patients with RM and TAI were included in the study. All patients underwent short TRH stimulation test showing an abnormal response in the vast majority of cases (65%). Normal FT4 and FT3 mean values were found whereas TSH values were in the upper normal range (2.64 ± 1.3 mUI/L). Our data support the hypothesis that in patients with RM the presence of TAI is an indirect sign of a subtle thyroid dysfunction detectable by a specific test. This test give the possibility to identify women with RM in which specific therapeutic approaches could effectively improve the possibility for a successful pregnancy.
Ageism’s Influence on Health Care Delivery and Nursing Practice

Ageism is defined as the intentional and/or subconscious discrimination against elderly people. Despite the prevalence of ageism, nurses are able to offset prejudice against the elderly and improve the quality of health care for older patients by educating patients, families, and health care providers about the effects of ageism and by advocating for the delivery of unbiased care. In order to discuss the extent to which ageism affects the quality of health care and nursing practice, this paper reviews the published literature pertaining to ageism. Elderly cancer patients are even more affected by ageist attitudes and beliefs, and as a result experience poorer health outcomes. Future research should continue to explore the effects that ageism has on the health of the elderly so that changes to nursing practice and health care policy can be made, thereby providing all patients with high-quality health care.
Stress and Its Relationship to Expressed Emotion in Community Mental Health Workers

A small opportunistic study of Stress and Expressed Emotion was undertaken with community mental health workers, who were all case managers or keyworkers to clients with severe mental illness. It was hypothesised that a range of EE ratings would be found in staff, and that they would have high levels of burnout and stress. Job satisfaction was also measured. Ten staff were interviewed about 28 clients. Thirty nine percent of interviewees were rated as high EE (7/10 staff were high EE about at least one client), with low EE interviews showing significantly more warmth. Emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and GHQ levels were above norms for the general population, and were similar to those found in other inner city community teams, but were not related to EE levels. Nevertheless personal accomplishment and job satisfaction were high. High EE interviews were related to increased client symptomatology. Implications for long term community care are discussed.
Regionalización de la sequía en la Península Ibérica desde 1950 hasta 2007 a partir del SPI y una modelización digital terreno

Hoy en dia el problema del agua es algo cada vez mas importante en la Peninsula Iberica, por eso realizar un estudio que haga un seguimiento de la sequia a lo largo de un periodo de tiempo es algo de gran interes para poder analizar las situaciones climaticas y meteorologicas que se dieron en las epocas de sequia. Es este estudio analizaremos diversas situaciones de sequia utilizando el Indice Estandarizado de Precipitacion (SPI) (McKee et al., 1993), que nos permitira hacer un seguimiento de la sequia meteorologica analizando los deficit de precipitacion, ya que este indice solo depende de la cantidad de precipitacion registrada por las estaciones meteorologicas. Es sabido que no podemos analizar el regimen de precipitaciones en la Peninsula Iberica sin tener en cuenta la orografia (Belda et al., 2001). En este sentido en la regionalizacion y generacion de las diferentes imagenes, integramos un modelo Digital del Terreno (MDT) a 1 Km. de resolucion.
Inactivated seasonal influenza vaccines increase serum antibodies to the neuraminidase of pandemic influenza A(H1N1) 2009 virus in an age-dependent manner.

TO THE EDITOR—I read with great interest the article by Marcelin et al [1] on the presence of preexisting antibodies against neuraminidase (NA) protein and their role in conferring protection against the pandemic H1N1 (pH1N1) virus. I am intrigued by their observation (Figure 1A, panel against A/Tennessee/ 1–560/2009) that individuals 60–64 years of age had the highest titers against pNA, even more than those observed among the older cohort. Although there appears to be no impact of vaccination on seroconversion rates among this group (Figure 1B, panel against TN), there is no corresponding increase in hemagglutination inhibition (HA) titers against pH1N1 virus (Figure 2A and B panels against TN). It is not clear whether this group had prior contact with the influenza virus of swine origin,
The Grazing Collision Limit of the Inelastic Kac Model around a Lévy-type Equilibrium

This paper is devoted to the grazing collision limit of the inelastic Kac model introduced in [A. Pulvirenti and G. Toscani, J. Statist. Phys., 14 (2004), pp. 1453–1480], when the equilibrium distribution function is a heavy-tailed Levy-type distribution with infinite variance. We prove that solutions in an appropriate domain of attraction of the equilibrium distribution converge to solutions of a Fokker–Planck equation with a fractional diffusion operator.
Computing the Smoothness Exponent of a Symmetric Multivariate Refinable Function

Smoothness and symmetry are two important properties of a refinable function. It is known that the Sobolev smoothness exponent of a refinable function can be estimated by computing the spectral radius of a certain finite matrix which is generated from a mask. However, the increase of dimension and the support of a mask tremendously increase the size of the matrix and therefore make the computation very expensive. In this paper, we shall present a simple and efficient algorithm for the numerical computation of the smoothness exponent of a symmetric refinable function with a general dilation matrix. By taking into account the symmetry of a refinable function, our algorithm greatly reduces the size of the matrix and enables us to numerically compute the Sobolev smoothness exponents of a large class of symmetric refinable functions. Step-by-step numerically stable algorithms are given. To illustrate our results by performing some numerical experiments, we construct a family of dyadic interpolatory masks in any dimension, and we compute the smoothness exponents of their refinable functions in dimension three. Several examples will also be presented for computing smoothness exponents of symmetric refinable functions on the quincunx lattice and on the hexagonal lattice.