Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cardiovascular and renal complications to postsurgical hypoparathyroidism: A Danish nationwide controlled historic follow‐up study

We aimed to identify all patients with postsurgical hypoparathyroidism (HypoPT) and to evaluate their risks of renal complications and cardiovascular disease in relation to their disease and its treatment. We identified possible patients through the Danish National Patient Registry and a prescription database. Case status was adjudicated by review of individual patients' hospital records. For each patient with postsurgical HypoPT due to surgery for nonmalignant diseases between 1988 and 2012, three age‐matched (± 2 years) and gender‐matched controls were selected from the general background population. The prevalence of postsurgical HypoPT was 22 per 100,000 inhabitants. We identified 688 patients who had undergone neck surgery since 1988 with subsequent hypocalcaemia and inappropriate low parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels that necessitated treatment with calcium and/or vitamin D supplementation for more than 6 months. The average age at diagnosis was 49 years (range, 17–87 years), and 88% were women. Sixteen percent of all patients had had neck surgery prior to the operation causing HypoPT. Compared with controls, patients with HypoPT had an increased risk of renal complications (hazard ratio [HR], 3.67; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.41–5.59) and hospitalization due to seizures (HR, 3.82; 95% CI, 2.15–6.79), whereas there was no increased risk of cardiac arrhythmias (HR, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.79–1.57) or cardiovascular disease or death (HR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.73–1.09). In conclusion, although risk of seizures and renal complications is increased, mortality and risk of cardiovascular diseases or arrhythmias is not increased in patients with HypoPT. Further study should try to determine how to reduce the risk of seizures and renal complications in HypoPT. © 2013 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Changes in Discard Rate After the Introduction of the Kidney Donor Profile Index (KDPI)

Since March 26, 2012, the Kidney Donor Profile Index (KDPI) has been provided with all deceased‐donor kidney offers, with the goal of improving the expanded criteria donor (ECD) indicator. Although an improved risk index may facilitate identification and transplantation of marginal yet viable kidneys, a granular percentile system may reduce provider–patient communication flexibility, paradoxically leading to more discards (“labeling effect”). We studied the discard rates of the kidneys recovered for transplantation between March 26, 2010 and March 25, 2012 (“ECD era,” N = 28 636) and March 26, 2012 and March 25, 2014 (“KDPI era,” N = 29 021) using Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) data. There was no significant change in discard rate from ECD era (18.1%) to KDPI era (18.3%) among the entire population (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.971.041.10, p = 0.3), or in any KDPI stratum. However, among kidneys in which ECD and KDPI indicators were discordant, “high risk” standard criteria donor (SCD) kidneys (with KDPI > 85) were at increased risk of discard in the KDPI era (aOR = 1.071.421.89, p = 0.02). Yet, recipients of these kidneys were at much lower risk of death (adjusted Risk Ratio [aRR] = 0.560.770.94 at 2 years posttransplant) compared to those remaining on dialysis waiting for low‐KDPI kidneys. Our findings suggest that there might be an unexpected, harmful labeling effect of reporting a high KDPI for SCD kidneys, without the expected advantage of providing a more granular risk index.
The importance of satellite quenching for the build-up of the red sequence of present-day galaxies

According to the current paradigm, galaxies initially form as disc galaxies at the centres of their own dark matter haloes. During their subsequent evolution, they may undergo a transformation to a red, early-type galaxy, thus giving rise to the build-up of the red sequence. Two important, outstanding questions are (i) which transformation mechanisms are most important and (ii) in what environment do they occur. In this paper, we study the impact of transformation mechanisms that operate only on satellite galaxies, such as strangulation, ram-pressure stripping and galaxy harassment. Using a large galaxy group catalogue constructed from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, we compare the colours and concentrations of satellites galaxies to those of central galaxies of the same stellar mass, adopting the hypothesis that the latter are the progenitors of the former. On average, satellite galaxies are redder and more concentrated than central galaxies of the same stellar mass, indicating that satellite-specific transformation processes do indeed operate. Central-satellite pairs that are matched in both stellar mass and colour, however, show no average concentration difference, indicating that the transformation mechanisms operating on satellites affect colour more than morphology. We also find that the colour and concentration differences of matched central-satellite pairs are completely independent of the mass of the host halo (not to be confused with the subhalo) of the satellite galaxy, indicating that satellite-specific transformation mechanisms are equally efficient in host haloes of all masses. This strongly rules against mechanisms that are thought to operate only in very massive haloes, such as ram-pressure stripping or harassment. Instead, we argue that strangulation is the main transformation mechanism for satellite galaxies. Finally, we determine the relative importance of satellite quenching for the build-up of the red sequence. We find that roughly 70 per cent of red-sequence satellite galaxies with M(*) similar to 10(9) h(-2) M(circle dot) had their star formation quenched as satellites. This drops rapidly with increasing stellar mass, reaching virtually zero at M* similar to 10(11)h(-2)M(circle dot). Therefore, a very significant fraction of red satellite galaxies were already quenched before they became a satellite.
Canal Transportation and Centering Ability of Twisted File and Reciproc: A Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Assessment

Introduction: The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the canal transportation and centering ability of Twisted File (TF) to that of Reciproc system. Methods and Materials: Forty noncalcified roots with mature apices, minimum length of 19 mm and an apical curvature of 15-30 degrees (according to Schneider’s method), from freshly extracted mandibular and maxillary teeth, were selected for this study. Samples were randomly divided into two groups (n=20) and canal preparation with either TF or Reciproc was performed according to manufacturers' instruction. Pre- and post-instrumentation cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images were captured and the extent of canal transportation and centering ability of the files were calculated, using the NNT Viewer software and Photoshop CS5, at levels of 3, 4, and 5 mm from the apex. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyze the statistical significance between the two groups. Results: One fracture occurred in the TF group. TF produced more transportation than Reciproc in both mesiodistal and buccolingual directions; however, the difference between the two systems were not statistically significant except for the TF group at 5-mm distance from the working length, where the difference was significant (P>0.05). Conclusion: Both file systems were able keep the original curvature of the canal and thus can be considered safe for clinical application.
Fracture Dislocation of the Cervical Spine: Value of Anterior Approach With Bovine Bone Interbody Fusion

Twenty surgically treated cases of fracture dislocation of the cervical spine are presented. All patients had hyperflexion injuries with associated rupture of the intervertebral disc. All patients were operated on through an anterior surgical approach. Ten consecutive patients had interbody fusion with autogenous bone and ten consecutive patients were fused anteriorly with bovine (Kiel) bone. All patients' injuries fused satisfactorily. There was no significant difference between the use of autogenous bone and bovine bone.
Use and categorization of Light Detection and Ranging vegetation metrics in avian diversity and species distribution research

Vegetation structure is a key determinant of animal diversity and species distributions. The introduction of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) has enabled the collection of massive amounts of point cloud data for quantifying habitat structure at fine resolution. Here, we review the current use of LiDAR‐derived vegetation metrics in diversity and distribution research of birds, a key group for understanding animal–habitat relationships.
Learning in Unknown Reward Games: Application to Sensor Networks

This paper demonstrates a decentralised method for optimisation using game-theoretic multi-agent techniques, applied to a sensor network management problem. Our first major contribution is to show how the marginal contribution utility design is used to construct a unknown-reward potential game formulation of the problem. This formulation exploits the sparse structure of sensor network problems, and allows us to apply a bound to the price of anarchy of the Nash equilibria of the induced game. Furthermore, since the game is a potential game, solutions can be found using multiagent learning techniques. The techniques we derive use Q-learning to estimate an agent’s rewards, while an action adaptation process responds to an agent’s opponents’ behaviour. However, there are many different algorithmic configurations that could be used to solve these games. Thus, our second major contribution is an extensive evaluation of several action adaptation processes. Specifically, we compare six algorithms across a variety of parameter settings to ascertain the quality of the solutions they produce, their speed of convergence, and their robustness to pre-specified parameter choices. Our results show that they each perform similarly across a wide range of parameters. There is, however, a significant effect from moving to a learning policy with sampling probabilities that go to zero too quickly for rewards to be accurately estimated.
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Inhibit Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis in Mice through Suppressing TGF-β1/Smad-Mediated Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition

Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive and irreversible fibrotic lung disorder with high mortality and few treatment options. Recently, induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have been considered as an ideal resource for stem cell-based therapy. Although, an earlier study demonstrated the therapeutic effect of iPS cells on pulmonary fibrosis, the exact mechanisms remain obscure. The present study investigated the effects of iPS cells on inflammatory responses, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 signaling pathway, and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) during bleomycin (BLM)-induced lung fibrosis. A single intratracheal instillation of BLM (5 mg/kg) was performed to induce pulmonary fibrosis in C57BL/6 mice. Then, iPS cells (c-Myc-free) were administrated intravenously at 24 h following BLM instillation. Three weeks after BLM administration, pulmonary fibrosis was evaluated. As expected, treatment with iPS cells significantly limited the pathological changes, edema, and collagen deposition in lung tissues of BLM-induced mice. Mechanically, treatment with iPS cells obviously repressed the expression ratios of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) to its tissue inhibitor -2 (TIMP-2) and MMP-9/TIMP-1 in BLM-induced pulmonary tissues. In addition, iPS cell administration remarkably suppressed BLM-induced up-regulation of pulmonary inflammatory mediators, including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, inducible nitric oxide synthase, nitric oxide, cyclooxygenase-2 and prostaglandin E2. We further demonstrated that transplantation of iPS cells markedly inhibited BLM-mediated activation of TGF-β1/Mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 2/3 (Smad2/3) and EMT in lung tissues through up-regulating epithelial marker E-cadherin and down-regulating mesenchymal markers including fibronectin, vimentin and α-smooth muscle actin. Moreover, in vitro, iPS cell-conditioned medium (iPSC-CM) profoundly inhibited TGF-β1-induced EMT signaling pathway in mouse alveolar epithelial type II cells (AECII). Collectively, our results suggest that transplantation of iPS cells could suppress inflammatory responses, TGF-β1/Smad2/3 pathway and EMT during the progression of BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis, providing new useful clues regarding the mechanisms of iPS cells in the treatment for this disease.
Lower bounds for zero-dimensional projections

Let <i>I</i> be an ideal generated by polynomials <i>P</i>1, . <i>P</i>m, ∈ <b>Z</b>[<i>X</i><sub>1</sub>,. ,<i>X</i><sub>n</sub>], and β be an isolated prime component of <i>I</i>. If the projection of Z<sc>ERO</sc>(β)⊆<b>C</b><sup><i>n</i></sup> onto the first coordinate is a finite set, and ¶=(¶<sub>1</sub>,.,¶<sub><i>n</i></sub>) ∈Z<sc>ERO</sc>(β) where ¶<sub>1</sub> 0, then we prove a lower bound on |¶| in terms of <i>n, m</i> and the maximum degree <i>D</i> and maximum height <i>H</i> of the polynomials.
Proliferative index and expression of CD38, Zap-70, and CD25 in different lymphoid compartments of chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients

Recent studies of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) show that malignant B cells proliferate at a rate similar to normal B lymphocytes. This is in apparent contradiction to the very low proliferation rate found in blood specimens from CLL patients. To address this problem, we studied the expression of Ki-67, CD38, CD25, and Zap-70 in different compartments of CLL patients. Using triple-color flow cytometry, we examined the expression of CD38, CD25, Zap-70, and Ki-67 antigens in the peripheral blood, bone marrow, spleen, and lymph nodes biopsies of patients with CLL, splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL), and nonmalignant diseases. In parallel probes of lymph node/spleen biopsies and blood taken from one and the same patient, Ki-67 expression was 17 times higher. Among the whole cohort, we also found significantly higher Ki-67 expression in biopsies from lymph nodes and spleen (4.95% π 0.55%), compared with bone marrow (1.88% π 0.32%) and peripheral blood (0.45% π 0.03%, P � 0.01). In CLL patients, there are statistically significant correlations between the expression of CD38 and Ki-67 in bone marrow (P � 0.01), Zap-70 and Ki-67 in blood (P � 0.01), and Zap-70 and CD38 in blood (P � 0.01). Patients with SMZL also showed a significant correlation between Ki-67 and CD38 expression (P � 0.01) and between Ki-67 and Zap-70 expression (P � 0.01). We show for the first time that proliferation of B lymphocytes in CLL patients is associated primarily with lymph nodes/spleen. Malignant cells in the blood represent only a subpopulation of nonproliferating and less-activated B cells in this disease.
Trait decoupling promotes evolutionary diversification of the trophic and acoustic system of damselfishes

Trait decoupling, wherein evolutionary release of constraints permits specialization of formerly integrated structures, represents a major conceptual framework for interpreting patterns of organismal diversity. However, few empirical tests of this hypothesis exist. A central prediction, that the tempo of morphological evolution and ecological diversification should increase following decoupling events, remains inadequately tested. In damselfishes (Pomacentridae), a ceratomandibular ligament links the hyoid bar and lower jaws, coupling two main morphofunctional units directly involved in both feeding and sound production. Here, we test the decoupling hypothesis by examining the evolutionary consequences of the loss of the ceratomandibular ligament in multiple damselfish lineages. As predicted, we find that rates of morphological evolution of trophic structures increased following the loss of the ligament. However, this increase in evolutionary rate is not associated with an increase in trophic breadth, but rather with morphofunctional specialization for the capture of zooplanktonic prey. Lineages lacking the ceratomandibular ligament also shows different acoustic signals (i.e. higher variation of pulse periods) from others, resulting in an increase of the acoustic diversity across the family. Our results support the idea that trait decoupling can increase morphological and behavioural diversity through increased specialization rather than the generation of novel ecotypes.
Pseudomonas fluorescens and low doses of chemicals inhibit postharvest decay of apples in commercial storage

Abstract Postharvest diseases pose serious threats to the pome fruit industry worldwide. Grey mould, Mucor rot and blue mould decay on apples, caused by Botrytis cinerea, Mucor piriformis and Penicillium expansum, respectively, are the most economically important postharvest fungal pathogens in apple storage in British Columbia, Canada. The biocontrol capability of Pseudomonas fluorescens isolate 4–6 alone, or in combination with calcium chloride (CaCl2), sodium bicarbonate (SBC) or salicylic acid (SA), against B. cinerea, M. piriformis and P. expansum was evaluated in vitro and on ‘Ambrosia’ apple in commercial cold storage at 1°C. The combination of the antagonist with the chemical additives generally did not enhance the level of control of the pathogens in vitro. The combination of isolate 4–6 with SBC did provide levels of control of B. cinerea, M. piriformis and P. expansum comparable to the commercial fungicide Scholar® on ‘Ambrosia’ apples after 15 weeks in cold storage. The biocontrol capability of P. fluorescens isolates 1–112, 2–28 and 4–6 to control B. cinerea, M. piriformis and P. expansum was also evaluated on ‘Ambrosia’ apples in commercial controlled atmosphere (1.5% CO2 + 1.2% O2) storage at 1°C. All three isolates of P. fluorescens significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited the development of grey mould and blue mould on ‘Ambrosia’ apples after CA storage, and provided levels of control comparable to BioSave® (containing Pseudomonas syringae ESC-10). These results suggest that P. fluorescens has the potential to control common postharvest fungal pathogens during commercial storage, and by combining the antagonist with SBC, decay can be reduced to a commercially acceptable level.
Blood glucose clearance after feeding and exercise in polysaccharide storage myopathy.

Polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) in Quarter Horses (QH) and QH crosses is a glycogen storage disorder in which blood glucose clearance and insulin sensitivity, following an i.v. or oral glucose challenge, are enhanced. Exercise is known also to enhance glucose uptake into skeletal muscle in many animal species. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the effect of exercise on glucose clearance in PSSM and control horses when an oral carbohydrate meal (8 Mcal sweet feed) was fed following either 12 h fasting alone (NEX protocol) or following fasting and a standard exercise protocol (EX protocol). In the NEX protocol, horses fasted 12 h and then were fed 8 megacalories (Mcal) of sweet feed (2.3 kg). In the EX protocol, horses were fed sweet feed 2 h after an exercise test (SET). Blood glucose was analysed for < 480 min after feeding. Muscle biopsies were taken before and after the EX protocol. With the NEX protocol, the mean of all blood glucose and insulin concentrations were significantly lower in fed-PSSM horses than controls (P < 0.013). The EX protocol in control horses caused a less pronounced percentage change in glucose concentration from baseline following feeding compared to the NEX protocol (mean peak EX 26.5% vs. NEX 70.2%, respectively) (P < 0.0003). In PSSM horses, the EX protocol also resulted in a lower percent change in glucose concentration following feeding compared to the NEX protocol (44.7 vs. 67.5%, respectively) (P = 0.021). The magnitude of the difference in percentage change of blood glucose concentration with the EX protocol was less in PSSM than that seen for controls (mean peak PSSM-EX 44.7% vs. 26.5% for controls, respectively) (P < 0.006). No significant differences in the insulin:glucose ratios were found for control horses between NEX and EX. In PSSM horses, the insulin:glucose ratio was significantly increased in the EX vs. NEX. In conclusion, exercise in normal horses results in enhanced glucose clearance following feeding without altering insulin:glucose ratios. At rest, PSSM horses have lower insulin:glucose ratios after feeding than normal horses, however, exercise in PSSM horses significantly increases insulin:glucose ratios. This may explain the beneficial effect of daily exercise for preventing rhabdomyolysis in horses with PSSM.
Sparse Signal Recovery by  ${\ell_q}$ Minimization Under Restricted Isometry Property

In the context of compressed sensing, the nonconvex l<sub>q</sub> minimization with 0 <; q <; 1 has been studied in recent years. In this letter, by generalizing the sharp bound for l<sub>1</sub> minimization of Cai and Zhang, we show that the condition σ(s<sup>q</sup>+1)k <; 1/√(s<sup>q-2</sup>+1) in terms of restricted isometry constant (RIC) can guarantee the exact recovery of k-sparse signals in the noiseless case and the stable recovery of approximately k-sparse signals in the noisy case by l<sub>q</sub> minimization. This result is more general than the sharp bound for l<sub>1</sub> minimization when the order of RIC is greater than 2k and illustrates the fact that a better approximation to l<sub>0</sub> minimization is provided by l<sub>q</sub> minimization than that provided by l<sub>1</sub> minimization.
Blood Access and Daily Hemodialysis: Clinical Experience and Review of the Literature

The present authors studied longevity and complications with fistulae, grafts, and central venous catheters in 23 patients on daily hemodialysis for a total of 409 patient months (mean 18 ± 10 months) and 9,209 dialyses. Fourteen patients had fistulae, five had grafts, and four had catheters. These required one, one, and two replacements respectively during a total observation time of 254, 105, and 50 patient months. Fistulae required 0.05 replacements per year vs. 0.11 replacements per year for grafts and 0.48 replacements per year for catheters (p = 0.042, fistulae vs. other accesses). Cumulative survival at 15 months was 100% for fistulae, 80% for grafts, and 20% for catheters, and at 3 years it was 80% for fistulae and grafts. No catheter survived beyond 15 months (p = 0.041). Twenty-seven events required hospitalization or an outpatient intervention. Fistulae had 0.52 events per patient year, grafts 1.37 events per patient year, and catheters 1.44 events per patient year (p = 0.080, fistulae vs. other accesses). Patients with fistulae reported more problems between dialyses, these occurring on 3.2% of the observation days compared with 0.2% for grafts and 0.4% for catheters (p < 0.0001). Eighty-five percent of these problems were pain and redness at the access site. During dialysis, there were more problems with catheters (9.1%vs. fistulae 2.7% and grafts 0.9%, p < 0.0001). Complications and survival data were similar to those reported with daily hemodialysis by others and better than data from reports of access problems with conventional three times weekly hemodialysis. In conclusion, daily hemodialysis does not adversely affect the usual types of blood access. Survival was best and need for intervention was least with fistulae and worst with catheters. Grafts, when functioning, had fewer problems both between and during dialyses.