Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Screening and surveillance for Barrett's esophagus: current issues and future directions

Purpose of review Our article discusses the current understanding of screening and surveillance options for Barrett's esophagus and emerging concepts that have the potential to improve the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of surveillance. Recent findings Although endoscopic surveillance of patients with Barrett's esophagus is commonly practiced in order to detect high-grade dysplasia and early esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), the reported incidence of EAC in Barrett's esophagus patients varies widely. Recent studies found the risk of progression from Barrett's esophagus to EAC to be significantly lower than previously reported, raising concerns regarding the limitations of current surveillance strategies. Advances in imaging techniques and their enhanced diagnostic accuracy may improve the value of endoscopic surveillance. Additionally, various efforts are ongoing to identify biomarkers that identify individuals at higher risk of cancer, possibly allowing for individual risk stratification. Summary These new data highlight some of the opportunities to revise and improve surveillance in patients with Barrett's esophagus. The incorporation of new advances such as imaging techniques and biomarkers has the potential to improve the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of new surveillance regimens.
Subclinical Disease Burden as Assessed by Whole-Body MRI in Subjects With Prediabetes, Subjects With Diabetes, and Normal Control Subjects From the General Population: The KORA-MRI Study

Detailed pathophysiological manifestations of early disease in the context of prediabetes are poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the extent of early signs of metabolic and cardio-cerebrovascular complications affecting multiple organs in individuals with prediabetes. Subjects without a history of stroke, coronary artery disease, or peripheral artery disease were enrolled in a case-control study nested within the Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg (KORA) FF4 cohort and underwent comprehensive MRI assessment to characterize cerebral parameters (white matter lesions, microbleeds), cardiovascular parameters (carotid plaque, left ventricular function, and myocardial late gadolinium enhancement [LGE]), and metabolic parameters (hepatic proton-density fat fraction [PDFF] and subcutaneous and visceral abdominal fat). Among 400 subjects who underwent MRI, 103 subjects had prediabetes and 54 had established diabetes. Subjects with prediabetes had an increased risk for carotid plaque and adverse functional cardiac parameters, including reduced early diastolic filling rates as well as a higher prevalence of LGE compared with healthy control subjects. In addition, people with prediabetes had significantly elevated levels of PDFF and total and visceral fat. Thus, subjects with prediabetes show early signs of subclinical disease that include vascular, cardiac, and metabolic changes, as measured by whole-body MRI after adjusting for cardiometabolic risk factors.
Some Empirical Observations on Diesel Particulate Filter Modeling and Comparison Between Simulations and Experiments

Comparisons between 1D simulations and experiments on a mini scale SiC filter are presented. First of all, experiments with regeneration for different loading mass and soot composition enabled us to derive an improved pressure drop correlation. The assumption of constant particulate layer permeability proves unable to predict the influence of the gas temperature on the pressure drop. This discrepancy seems to be linked to the high Knudsen number of the flow in the particulate layer. A new correlation is proposed. This correlation contains four adjustable constants which have been determined on a single experimental run. Without modifying these constants, other cases have been correctly simulated. Obviously, more work is needed to substantiate this approach. In a second step, regenerations with and without additive (Cerium) for two different soot compositions have been simulated and compared with experimental results. Soluble Organic Fraction vaporization has to be taken into account to obtain the right soot mass when regeneration begins. The experimental trend is well captured by numerical simulations.
Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore Honokiol Induces a Necrotic Cell Death through the Updated

Previous reports have shown that honokiol induces apoptosis in numerous cancer cell lines and showed preclinical efficacies against apoptosis-resistant B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia and multiple myeloma cells from relapserefractory patients. Here, we show that honokiol can induce a cell death distinct from apoptosis in HL60, MCF-7, and HEK293 cell lines. The death was characterized by a rapid loss of integrity of plasma membrane without externalization of phosphatidyl serine. The broad caspase inhibitor z-VADfmk failed to prevent this cell death. Consistently, caspase activation and DNA laddering were not observed. The death was paralleled by a rapid loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, which was mechanistically associated with the mitochondrial permeability transition pore regulated by cyclophilin D (CypD) based on the following evidence: (a) cyclosporin A, an inhibitor of CypD (an essential component of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore), effectively prevented honokiol-induced cell death and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential; (b) inhibition of CypD by RNA interference blocked honokiol-induced cell death; (c) CypD up-regulated by honokiol was correlated with the death rates in HL60, but not in K562 cells, which underwent apoptosis after being exposed to honokiol. We further showed that honokiol induced a CypD-regulated death in primary human acute myelogenous leukemia cells, overcame Bcl-2 and BclXL–mediated apoptotic resistance, and was effective against HL60 cells in a pilot in vivo study. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to document an induction of mitochondrial permeability transition pore–associated cell death by honokiol. [Cancer Res 2007;67(10):4894–903]
Long‐Term Stroke Risk Prediction in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: Comparison of the ABC‐Stroke and CHA 2 DS 2‐VASc Scores

Background The ABC‐stroke score (age, biomarkers [N‐terminal fragment B‐type natriuretic peptide, high‐sensitivity troponin], and clinical history [prior stroke/transient ischemic attack]) was proposed to predict stroke in atrial fibrillation (AF). This score was derived/validated in 2 clinical trial cohorts in which patients with AF were highly selected and carefully followed‐up. However, the median follow‐up was 1.9 years in the trial cohort; therefore, its long‐term predictive performance remains uncertain. This study aimed to compare the long‐term predictive performances of the ABC‐stroke and CHA 2 DS 2‐VASc (cardiac failure or dysfunction, hypertension, age ≥75 [doubled], diabetes mellitus, stroke [doubled]—vascular disease, age 65 to 74 years and sex category [female]) scores in a cohort of anticoagulated patients with AF. Methods and Results We recruited 1125 consecutive patients with AF who were stable on vitamin K antagonists and followed‐up for a median of 6.5 years. ABC‐stroke and CHA 2 DS 2‐VASc (cardiac failure or dysfunction, hypertension, age ≥75 [doubled], diabetes mellitus, stroke [doubled]—vascular disease, age 65 to 74 years and sex category [female]) scores were calculated and compared. Median CHA 2 DS 2‐VASc and ABC‐stroke scores were 4 (interquartile range 3–5) and 9.1 (interquartile range 7.3–11.3), respectively. There were 114 ischemic strokes (1.55% per year) at 6.5 years. The C‐index of ABC‐stroke at 3.5 years was significantly higher than CHA 2 DS 2‐VASc (0.663 versus 0.600, P=0.046), but both C‐indexes were nonsignificantly different at 6.5 years. Integrated discrimination improvement showed a small improvement (<2%) in sensitivity at 3.5 and 6.5 years with ABC‐stroke. For ABC‐stroke, net reclassification improvement was nonsignificantly different at 3.5 years, and showed a negative reclassification at 6.5 years compared with CHA 2 DS 2‐VASc. Decision curve analyses did not show a marked improvement in clinical usefulness of the ABC‐stroke score over the CHA 2 DS 2‐VASc score. Conclusions In anticoagulated patients with AF followed‐up over a long‐term period, the novel ABC‐stroke score does not offer significantly better predictive performance compared with the CHA 2 DS 2‐VASc score.
Maternal SIN3A Regulates Reprogramming of Gene Expression During Mouse Preimplantation Development1

ABSTRACT The oocyte-to-embryo transition entails genome activation and a dramatic reprogramming of gene expression that is required for continued development. Superimposed on genome activation and reprogramming is development of a transcriptionally repressive state at the level of chromatin structure. Inducing global histone hyperacetylation relieves this repression and histone deacetylases 1 and 2 (HDAC1 and HDAC2) are involved in establishing the repressive state. Because SIN3A is an HDAC1/2-containing complex, we investigated whether it is involved in reprogramming gene expression during the course of genome activation. We find that Sin3a mRNA is recruited during maturation and that inhibiting its recruitment not only inhibits development beyond the 2-cell stage but also compromises the fidelity of reprogramming gene expression. The SIN3A that is synthesized during oocyte maturation reaches a maximum level in the mid-1-cell embryo and is essentially absent by the mid-2-cell stage. Overexpressing SIN3A in 1-cell embryos has no obvious effect on pre- and postimplantation development. These results provide a mechanism by which reprogramming can occur using a maternally inherited transcription machinery, namely, recruitment of mRNAs encoding transcription factors and chromatin remodelers, such as SIN3A.
Control of transgene expression using local hyperthermia in combination with a heat‐sensitive promoter

Local production of therapeutic proteins, e.g. for cancer treatments, is based on gene therapy approaches and requires tight spatial and temporal control of gene expression. Here we demonstrate the use of local hyperthermia of varying intensity and duration to control the expression of a transgene under control of the thermoinducible hsp70 (heat shock protein) promoter.
Alleviation of high fat diet‐induced obesity by oligofructose in gnotobiotic mice is independent of presence of Bifidobacterium longum

Scope Diet‐induced obesity is associated with changes in the gut microbiota and low‐grade inflammation. Oligofructose was reported to ameliorate high fat diet‐induced metabolic disorders in mice by restoring the number of intestinal bifidobacteria. However, this has not been experimentally demonstrated. Methods and results We fed conventional mice, germfree mice, mice associated with a simplified human gut microbiota composed of eight bacterial species including Bifidobacterium longum (SIHUMI), and mice associated with SIHUMI without B. longum a low fat diet (LFD), a high fat diet (HFD), or a HFD containing 10% oligofructose (HFD + OFS) for five weeks. We assessed body composition, bacterial cell numbers and metabolites, markers of inflammation, and gut permeability. Conventional mice fed HFD or HFD + OFS did not differ in body weight gain and glucose tolerance. The gnotobiotic mouse groups fed LFD or HFD + OFS gained less body weight and body fat, and displayed an improved glucose tolerance compared with mice fed HFD. These differences were not affected by the presence of B. longum. Mice fed HFD showed no signs of inflammation or increased intestinal permeability. Conclusion The ability of oligofructose to reduce obesity and to improve glucose tolerance in gnotobiotic mice fed HFD was independent of the presence of B. longum.
Delayed Endolymphatic Hydrops

Delayed endolymphatic hydrops is a disease entity that can be differentiated from Meniere's disease. Typically it occurs in patients who have sustained a profound hearing loss in one ear, usually from infection or trauma, and then after a prolonged period of time develop either episodic vertigo from the same ear (ipsilateral delayed endolymphatic hydrops) or fluctuating hearing loss, also sometimes with episodic vertigo, in the opposite ear (contralateral delayed endolymphatic hydrops). The ipsilateral form of the disease may be treated by labyrinthectomy but no satisfactory therapy is available for the contralateral form of the disease.
Characterization of Calcium Carbonate Polymorphs with Ca K Edge X-ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectroscopy

Ca K edge X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy was utilized for the characterization and quantification of calcium carbonate polymorphs and their mixtures. The advantage of the XAFS is the small sample quantity required for measurements, and a flexible sample environment. The near-edge XAFS spectra of calcite, aragonite and vaterite were measured with the conversion electron yield (CEY) method, and the obtained spectra showed characteristic features that can be utilized as fingerprints. The quantification of mixed polymorphs was examined by using a linear combination fitting of reference XAFS spectra. Though the quality of the fits was satisfactory, discrepancies in the evaluated values were observed between those with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and XAFS. The nonuniformity of samples may be enhanced by the surface sensitivity of the CEY method.
Sport Fans: Evaluating the Consistency between Implicit and Explicit Attitudes toward Favorite and Rival Teams

Sport fans often foster very positive attitudes for their favorite teams and less favorable attitudes for opponents. The current research was designed to evaluate the consistency that might exist between implicit and explicit measures of those attitudes. College students (24 women, 16 men) performed a version of the Implicit Association Test related to their favorite and rival teams. Participants also reported their attitudes for these teams explicitly, via self-report instruments. When responding to the IAT, participants' responses were faster when they paired positive words with concepts related to favorite teams and negative words with rival teams, indicating implicit favorability for favorite teams and implicit negativity for rival teams. This pattern of implicit favorability and negativity was consistent with what participants reported explicitly via self-report. The importance of evaluating implicit attitudes and the corresponding consistency with explicit attitudes are discussed.
THE STRENGTH AND CREEP OF FROZEN SOILS AND CALCULATIONS FOR ICE-SOIL RETAINING STRUCTURES (PROCHNOST' I POLZUCHEST' MERZLYKH GRUNTOV I RASCHETY LEDOGRUNTOVYKH OGRAZHDENII),

Abstract : Contents: Mechanism of Rheological Processes; Principles of Calculation for the Creep and Long-Term Strength of Frozen Soils; Cryogenous Texture and Strength of Frozen Soils; Methods for Testing Frozen Soils in Creep and for Long-Term Strength; Experimental Study of the Creep of Frozen Soils; Experimental Study of the Long-Term Strength of Frozen Soils; Calculations for Strength and Creep of Mine Shaft Retaining Structures Sunk by Means of the Freezing Process; Models of Ice-Soil Cylinders; and Comparison of the Analytical Solutions with Model Results, and Recommend Formulae for Calculations.
Thickness‐Dependent Structure–Property Relationships in Strained (110) SrRuO3 Thin Films

Thickness‐dependent structure–property relationships in strained SrRuO3 thin films on GdScO3 (GSO) substrates are reported. The film is found to have epitaxially stabilized crystal structures that vary with the film thickness. Below 16 nm, the √2apc × √2apc × 2apc monoclinic structure is stabilized while above 16 nm the film has the apc × 2apc × apc tetragonal structure. The thickness‐dependent structural changes are ascribed to the substrate‐induced modification in the RuO6 octahedral rotation pattern, which highlights the significance of the octahedral rotations for the epitaxial strain accommodation in the coherently‐grown films. Close relationships between the structural and physical properties of the films are also found. The monoclinic film has the uniaxial magnetic easy axis 45° away from the [110]GSO direction while the tetragonal film has the one that lies along the in‐plane [1–10]GSO direction. The results demonstrate that the octahedral rotations in the strained perovskite oxide thin films are a key factor for determining their structure phases and physical properties.
Bayesian structure discovery in Bayesian networks with less space

Current exact algorithms for score-based structure discovery in Bayesian networks on n nodes run in time and space within a polynomial factor of 2. For practical use, the space requirement is the bottleneck, which motivates trading space against time. Here, previous results on finding an optimal network structure in less space are extended in two directions. First, we consider the problem of computing the posterior probability of a given arc set. Second, we operate with the general partial order framework and its specialization to bucket orders, introduced recently for related permutation problems. The main technical contribution is the development of a fast algorithm for a novel zeta transform variant, which may be of independent interest.
A Grammar of Gestural Coordination Contents

I wish to thank three anonymous reviewers for valuable feedback and Michael Kenstowicz for detailed comments which have been extremely helpful in improving this paper. I am grateful to Jeffrey Heath without whose work on Moroccan Arabic and his generous assistance with my questions this work would not have been possible; and to Louis Goldstein for comments on an earlier draft and assistance with the simulations. Discussions with Luigi Burzio, Ioana Chitoran, Mohamed Elmedlaoui, Mohamed Guerssel, Ali Idrisi, and Paul Smolensky are gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are also due to the audiences at Rutgers University, Université du Québec à Montréal, Haskins Laboratories, University of Delaware, City University of New York, Yale University, and the University of Pennsylvania, where parts of this work have been presented, for comments and questions. Research is supported by an NYU Research Challenge Fund, N5006, to the author, and by an NSF grant SBR-951730 to Haskins Laboratories. All errors are mine. A GRAMMAR OF GESTURAL COORDINATION
Simvastatin antagonizes CD40L secretion, CXC chemokine formation, and pulmonary infiltration of neutrophils in abdominal sepsis

Statins have been reported to exert anti‐inflammatory actions and protect against septic organ dysfunction. Herein, we hypothesized that simvastatin may attenuate neutrophil activation and lung damage in abdominal sepsis. Male C57BL/6 mice were pretreated with simvastatin (0.5 or 10 mg/kg) before CLP. In separate groups, mice received an anti‐CD40L antibody or a CXCR2 antagonist (SB225002) prior to CLP. BALF and lung tissue were harvested for analysis of neutrophil infiltration, as well as edema and CXC chemokine formation. Blood was collected for analysis of Mac‐1 and CD40L expression on neutrophils and platelets, as well as soluble CD40L in plasma. Simvastatin decreased CLP‐induced neutrophil infiltration and edema formation in the lung. Moreover, Mac‐1 expression increased on septic neutrophils, which was significantly attenuated by simvastatin. Inhibition of CD40L reduced CLP‐induced up‐regulation of Mac‐1 on neutrophils. Simvastatin prevented CD40L shedding from the surface of platelets and reduced circulating levels of CD40L in septic mice. CXC chemokine‐induced migration of neutrophils in vitro was decreased greatly by simvastatin. Moreover, simvastatin abolished CLP‐evoked formation of CXC chemokines in the lung, and a CXCR2 antagonist attenuated pulmonary accumulation of neutrophils. Our data suggest that the inhibitory effect of simvastatin on pulmonary accumulation of neutrophils may be related to a reduction of CD40L secretion into the circulation, as well as a decrease in CXC chemokine formation in the lung. Thus, these protective mechanisms help to explain the beneficial actions exerted by statins, such as simvastatin, in sepsis.
Obesity Management in Adolescents: Comparison of a Low-Intensity Face-to-Face Therapy Provided by a Trained Paediatrician with an Intensive Multidisciplinary Group Therapy

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effects of a low-intensity face-to-face therapy provided by a trained paediatrician to an intensive group therapy provided by a multidisciplinary team on the BMI of adolescents with obesity. Methods: This longitudinal cohort study included 233 adolescents aged 11-18 years (mean 13.1 ± 1.7 years). Patients and their parents choose either a low-intensity face-to-face therapy or an intensive group therapy (total 88 h). Results: At baseline, the mean BMI was 29.4 ± 4.9 kg/m2. Within groups changes of BMI z-scores were significant at the end of follow-up both in the face-to-face (-0.2 ± 0.5) and the group therapy (-0.24 ± 0.5). There was no difference among groups. Younger age (12-14 years), gender, follow-up duration as well as BMI z-score at inclusion were significantly related to BMI z-score changes, independently of the type of intervention. As expected, the face-to-face therapy was far less expensive than the group therapy (USD 1,473.00 ± 816.00 vs. USD 6,473.00 ± 780.00). Conclusion: A low-intensity face-to-face therapy resulted in similar changes of the BMI z-score of adolescents than an intensive multidisciplinary group therapy. This approach could be easily disseminated in primary care settings with a specific training in obesity care.
Neuroimage: Clinical Dissociable Neural Processes during Risky Decision-making in Individuals with Internet-gaming Disorder a R T I C L E I N F O

Keywords: fMRI Internet gaming disorder Outcome processing Risky decision-making Risk evaluation A B S T R A C T Risk-taking is purported to be central to addictive behaviors. However, for Internet gaming disorder (IGD), a condition conceptualized as a behavioral addiction, the neural processes underlying impaired decision-making (risk evaluation and outcome processing) related to gains and losses have not been systematically investigated. Forty-one males with IGD and 27 healthy comparison (HC) male participants were recruited, and the cups task was used to identify neural processes associated with gain-and loss-related risk-and outcome-processing in IGD. During risk evaluation, the IGD group, compared to the HC participants, showed weaker modulation for experienced risk within the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) (t = −4.07; t = − 3.94; P FWE < 0.05) and inferior parietal lobule (IPL) (t = −4.08; t = −4.08; P FWE < 0.05) for potential losses. The modulation of the left DLPFC and bilateral IPL activation were negatively related to addiction severity within the IGD group (r = −0.55; r = − 0.61; r = −0.51; P FWE < 0.05). During outcome processing, the IGD group presented greater responses for the experienced reward within the ventral striatum, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) (t = 5.04, P FWE < 0.05) for potential gains, as compared to HC participants. Within the IGD group, the increased reward-related activity in the right OFC was positively associated with severity of IGD (r = 0.51, P FWE < 0.05). These results provide a neurobiological foundation for decision-making deficits in individuals with IGD and suggest an imbalance between hypersensitivity for reward and weaker risk experience and self-control for loss. The findings suggest a biological mechanism for why individuals with IGD may persist in game-seeking behavior despite negative consequences, and treatment development strategies may focus on targeting these neural pathways in this population.