Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dietary glycemic and insulin scores and colorectal cancer survival by tumor molecular biomarkers

Accumulating evidence suggests that post‐diagnostic insulin levels may influence colorectal cancer (CRC) survival. Yet, no previous study has examined CRC survival in relation to a post‐diagnostic diet rich in foods that increase post‐prandial insulin levels. We hypothesized that glycemic and insulin scores (index or load; derived from food frequency questionnaire data) may be associated with survival from specific CRC subtypes sensitive to the insulin signaling pathway. We prospectively followed 1,160 CRC patients from the Nurses' Health Study (1980–2012) and Health Professionals Follow‐Up Study (1986–2012), resulting in 266 CRC deaths in 10,235 person‐years. CRC subtypes were defined by seven tumor biomarkers (KRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA mutations, and IRS1, IRS2, FASN and CTNNB1 expression) implicated in the insulin signaling pathway. For overall CRC and each subtype, hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for an increase of one standard deviation in each of glycemic and insulin scores were estimated using time‐dependent Cox proportional hazards model. We found that insulin scores, but not glycemic scores, were positively associated with CRC mortality (HR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.02–1.38 for index; HR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.04–1.47 for load). The significant positive associations appeared more pronounced among PIK3CA wild‐type cases and FASN‐negative cases, with HR ranging from 1.36 to 1.60 across insulin scores. However, we did not observe statistically significant interactions of insulin scores with PIK3CA, FASN, or any other tumor marker (p interaction > 0.12). While additional studies are needed for definitive evidence, a high‐insulinogenic diet after CRC diagnosis may contribute to worse CRC survival.
Immunomodulation Targeting Abnormal Protein Conformation Reduces Pathology in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease

Many neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the conformational change of normal self-proteins into amyloidogenic, pathological conformers, which share structural properties such as high β-sheet content and resistance to degradation. The most common is Alzheimer's disease (AD) where the normal soluble amyloid β (sAβ) peptide is converted into highly toxic oligomeric Aβ and fibrillar Aβ that deposits as neuritic plaques and congophilic angiopathy. Currently, there is no highly effective treatment for AD, but immunotherapy is emerging as a potential disease modifying intervention. A major problem with most active and passive immunization approaches for AD is that both the normal sAβ and pathogenic forms are equally targeted with the potential of autoimmune inflammation. In order to avoid this pitfall, we have developed a novel immunomodulatory method that specifically targets the pathological conformations, by immunizing with polymerized British amyloidosis (pABri) related peptide which has no sequence homology to Aβ or other human proteins. We show that the pABri peptide through conformational mimicry induces a humoral immune response not only to the toxic Aβ in APP/PS1 AD transgenic mice but also to paired helical filaments as shown on AD human tissue samples. Treated APP/PS1 mice had a cognitive benefit compared to controls (p<0.0001), associated with a reduction in the amyloid burden (p = 0.0001) and Aβ40/42 levels, as well as reduced Aβ oligomer levels. This type of immunomodulation has the potential to be a universal β-sheet disrupter, which could be useful for the prevention or treatment of a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases.
Antimicrobial Activity of Ceftazidime-Avibactam against Gram-Negative Bacteria Isolated from Patients Hospitalized with Pneumonia in U.S. Medical Centers, 2011 to 2015

ABSTRACT Bacterial isolates were collected from patients hospitalized with pneumonia (PHP), including ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), from 76 U.S. medical centers in 2011 to 2015. The Gram-negative organisms (n = 11,185, including 1,097 from VAP) were tested for susceptibility to ceftazidime-avibactam and comparators by the broth microdilution method. β-Lactamase-encoding genes were screened using a microarray-based assay on selected isolates. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella spp. were the most common Gram-negative bacteria isolated from PHP and VAP. Ceftazidime-avibactam was very active against P. aeruginosa (n = 3,402; MIC50/MIC90, 2 and 4 μg/ml; 96.6% susceptible), including isolates nonsusceptible to meropenem (86.3% susceptible to ceftazidime-avibactam), piperacillin-tazobactam (85.6% susceptible), or ceftazidime (80.6% susceptible). Ceftazidime-avibactam was also highly active against Enterobacteriaceae (MIC50/MIC90, 0.12 and 0.5 μg/ml; 99.9% susceptible), including carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) (n = 189; MIC50/MIC90, 0.5 and 2 μg/ml; 98.0% susceptible) and multidrug-resistant (MDR) (n = 674; MIC50/MIC90, 0.25 and 1 μg/ml; 98.8% susceptible) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) (n = 156; MIC50/MIC90, 0.5 and 2 μg/ml; 98.1% susceptible) Enterobacteriaceae isolates, as well as Klebsiella species isolates showing an extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) screening-positive phenotype (n = 433; MIC50/MIC90, 0.25 and 1 μg/ml; 99.5% susceptible). Among Enterobacter spp. (24.8% ceftazidime nonsusceptible), 99.8% of the isolates, including 99.4% of ceftazidime-nonsusceptible isolates, were susceptible to ceftazidime-avibactam. The most common β-lactamases detected among Klebsiella pneumoniae and E. coli isolates were K. pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-like and CTX-M-15, respectively. Only 8 of 6,209 Enterobacteriaceae isolates (0.1%) were ceftazidime-avibactam nonsusceptible, three NDM-1-producing strains with ceftazidime-avibactam MIC values of >32 μg/ml and five isolates with ceftazidime-avibactam MIC values of 16 μg/ml and negative results for all β-lactamases tested. Susceptibility rates among isolates from VAP were generally similar or slightly higher than those from all PHP.
A Japanese Stretching Intervention Can Modify Lumbar Lordosis Curvature

Study Design: Eighteen healthy male adults were assigned to either an intervention or control group. Objectives: Isogai dynamic therapy (IDT) is one of Japanese stretching interventions and has been practiced for over 70 years. However, its scientific quantitative evidence remains unestablished. The objective of this study was to determine whether IDT could modify lumbar curvature in healthy young adults compared with stretching exercises used currently in clinical practice. Summary of Background Data: None of previous studies have provided data that conventional stretching interventions could modify spinal curvatures. However, this study provides the first evidence that a specific form of a Japanese stretching intervention can acutely modify the spinal curvatures. Methods: We compared the effects of IDT, a Japanese stretching intervention (n=9 males), with a conventional stretching routine (n=9 males) used widely in clinics to modify pelvic tilt and lumbar lordosis (LL) angle. We measured thoracic kyphosis (TK) and LL angles 3 times during erect standing using the Spinal Mouse before and after each intervention. IDT consisted of: (1) hip joint correction, (2) pelvic tilt correction, (3) lumbar alignment correction, and (4) squat exercise stretch. The control group performed hamstring stretches while (1) standing and (2) sitting. Results: IDT increased LL angle to 25.1 degrees (±5.9) from 21.2 degrees (±6.9) (P=0.047) without changing TK angle (pretest: 36.8 degrees [±6.9]; posttest: 36.1 degrees [±6.5]) (P=0.572). The control group showed no changes in TK (P=0.819) and LL angles (P=0.744). Conclusions: IDT can thus be effective for increasing LL angle, hence anterior pelvic tilt. Such modifications could ameliorate low back pain and improve mobility in old adults with an unfavorable pelvic position.
Axillary and Rectal Temperature Measurements Poorly Agree in Newborn Infants

Aim: Evaluation of the agreement between axillary temperature measurements and rectal temperature measurements in neonates. Methods: Rectal and axillary body temperatures were simultaneously measured for 3 min in 33 neonates (gestational age 25–42 weeks, weight 840–4,005 g). Two investigators performed paired measurements, one in each neonate. A single type of thermometer was used in this study: one thermometer for each rectal and another thermometer for each axillary measurement. The Bland-Altman method was used (95% ‘limits of agreement’: mean 8 2 SD) to determine the level of agreement between axillary and rectal measurements. Results: The axillary temperature was significantly lower than the rectal temperature (mean 8 SD 0.27 8 0.20 ° C, p ! 0.05). The ‘95% limits of agreement’ ranged from –0.13 to +0.67 ° C. Increasing postnatal age (days) showed a significant increase in temperature difference (rectal minus axillary; r = 0.54; p ! 0.05). Conclusions: The mean difference between axillary and rectal temperature shows a wide variation. Axillary temperature measurements cannot be used interchangeably with rectal measurements in neonates. Copyright © 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel Received: October 17, 2006 Accepted after revision. September 24, 2007 Published online: January 4, 2008 formerly Biology of the Neonate P.C. E. Hissink Muller, MD Sportlaan 600 NL–2566 MJ The Hague (The Netherlands) Tel. +31 70 312 7200, Fax +31 71 526 6347 E-Mail p.hissinkmuller@lumc.nl © 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel 1661–7800/08/0941–0031$24.50/0 Accessible online at: www.karger. com/neo Hissink Muller/van Berkel/de Beaufort Neonatology 2008;94:31–34 32 measurement is easier to perform and less invasive than rectal measurement. Because of the importance of good clinical applicability, axillary measurement potentially is a valuable alternative. However, as a recent systematic review by Craig et al. [17] noted, the agreement between axillary and rectal measurements for neonates has not been established properly. Earlier studies on temperature measurements in preterm and term neonates [18–23] used the correlation coefficient for comparison of methods, instead of the methodology of Bland and Altman [24, 25] for clinical measurement comparison studies. Most studies report mean differences, but do not discuss ‘limits of agreement’ according to Bland and Altman [24, 25] . In general, conclusions based on good correlation may be misleading. Therefore, the aim of our study was to evaluate the agreement between axillary temperature measurements and rectal temperature measurements in neonates.
Exploring the Impact of Seasonality on Urban Land-Cover Mapping Using Multi-Season Sentinel-1A and GF-1 WFV Images in a Subtropical Monsoon-Climate Region

The objective of this research was to investigate the impact of seasonality on urban land-cover mapping and to explore better classification accuracy by using multi-season Sentinel-1A and GF-1 wide field view (WFV) images, and the combinations of both types of images in subtropical monsoon-climate regions in Southeast China. We obtained multi-season Sentinel-1A and GF-1 WFV images, as well as the combinations of both data, by using a support vector machine (SVM) and a random forest (RF) classifier. The backscatter intensity, texture, and interference-coherence images were extracted from Sentinel-1A images, and different combinations of these Sentinel-1A-derived images were used to evaluate their ability to map urban land cover. The results showed that the performance of winter images was better than that of any other season, while the summer images performed the worst. Higher classification accuracy was achieved by using multi-season images, and satisfactory classification results were obtained when using Sentinel-1A images from only three seasons. The best classification result was achieved using a combination of all Sentinel-1A data from all four seasons and GF-1 WFV data from winter, with an overall accuracy of up to 96.02% and a kappa coefficient reaching 0.9502. The performance of textures was slightly better than that of the backscatter-intensity images. Although the coherence data performed the worst, it was still able to distinguish urban impervious surfaces well. In addition, the overall classification accuracy of RF was better than that of SVM.
Financial Sentiment Lexicon Analysis

The modern stock market is a popular place to increase wealth and generate income, but the fundamental problem of when to buy or sell shares, or which stocks to buy has not been solved. With the availability of the Internet and its financial social networks, such as StockTwits and SeekingAlpha, investors around the world have new opportunities to gather and share their experiences. Individual experts can predict the movement of the stock market in financial social networks with reasonable accuracy, but how accurate is a large group of such experts in aggregate? One way to answer this question is by examining the sentiment of a massive group of these authors towards various stocks. By extracting the sentiment of the whole group, a collective prediction can be observed. Although sentiment extraction is a major technical challenge, the lexicon-based approach is an effective method of determining how positive or negative the content of a text document is. In this paper, we investigate if we can improve the performance of sentiment extraction from financial social media data by using lexicon-based approaches.
Hair counts from scalp biopsy specimens in Asians.

BACKGROUND Differences in hair density have been described according to the ethnic background in whites and blacks. Asians are known to have fewer hairs than whites. OBJECTIVE We performed this study to assess the normal values of hair counts in scalp biopsy specimens from Koreans. METHODS A total of 35 subjects with clinically normal occipital scalps (13 patients with androgenetic alopecia, 20 with patchy alopecia areata, and 2 healthy volunteers) were included. Horizontal sections of 4-mm punch biopsy specimens from clinically normal occipital scalps were examined at various levels from the papillary dermis to the subcutis, and follicular counts of terminal/vellus hairs and anagen/telogen hairs were obtained. RESULTS The numbers of total hairs, terminal and vellus hairs, and terminal anagen hairs were significantly lower (P <.05) in Koreans compared with the published data of whites and blacks. Percent ratio of terminal anagen and telogen hairs were similar to whites and blacks. Follicular density was significantly lower (P <.05) in Koreans than in whites and blacks. In Koreans, female subjects had a significantly higher number of terminal hairs than male subjects (P <.05). CONCLUSION Hair density is significantly lower in Koreans than in whites or blacks. Slight sexual difference exists in follicular counts in Koreans. Our data could be used as a guideline for determining normalcy in interpreting horizontal sections of scalp biopsy specimens from Asians.
Promotores de Salud

Abstract Background: Age-adjusted cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality rates for Hispanics are lower than for non-Hispanics. However, CVD is the leading cause of death among Hispanics, and there is an increasing heart health problem among this population. One strategy for preventing CVD is the use of community health workers (CHWs). A CHW is a member of the community who disseminates information, attempts to foster healthy behavior, and provides education, advice, social support, and assistance to the community. Although the efficacy of CHWs has been tested, few studies have examined their effectiveness in educating communities and facilitating behavior change. Purpose: This study explored whether trained CHWs can effectively deliver education on heart-healthy behaviors among Hispanics. Methods: Two group of participants received education programs delivered by CHWs, popularly known in the Hispanic community as promotores de salud. A pretest/post-test design was implemented to assess intervention effect. Analyses included sample t-test, chi-square (χ2), and Mann-Whitney U Test. Results: The two groups differed in demographics and pre-existing risk factors (p<.05). Participants in both groups significantly improved their healthy behaviors (p<.01). Discussion: Observed improvement in healthy behaviors in both participant groups strengthens the argument that the community health outreach promotores model may be effective and can be adapted to a variety of settings. Translation to Health Education Practice: The results of this study support the utilization of CHWs.
Unheated serum reagin test as a quantitative test for syphilis

The unheated serum reagin (USR) test, a standard qualitative test for syphilis, was evaluated for use as a quantitative test for the serodiagnosis of syphilis and as a means of determining the effectiveness of treatment. Tests were performed on 664 syphilitic sera from treated and untreated patients in the primary, secondary, and latent stages of the disease. Also included were 95 false-positive sera and 36 sera from presumably normal donors. The Venereal Disease Research Laboratory slide and rapid plasma reagin 18-mm circle card tests were used as a basis for comparison with the USR test. Results of the USR quantitative test paralleled the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory and rapid plasma reagin card quantitative tests with approximately 84% agreement. The advantages of the USR test make the findings of this study significant in that: (i) less technical manipulation is required to perform the USR test than the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory slide test; (ii) no labor cost is incurred for daily Venereal Disease Research Laboratory antigen preparation; and (iii) the USR antigen is less expensive than the rapid plasma reagin card tests antigen.
The role of corporate governance and boards in organisation performance

For more than two decades, successive UK governments have been concerned with modernising the delivery of public services and seeking performance improvements. As part of this drive, corporate governance arrangements across the sector have been reformed and much greater attention has been paid to the training, development and support of those serving on governing bodies and boards. An underlying assumption of these shifts in policy is that improvements in corporate governance arrangements, and in particular the working of boards, will lead to improvements in effectiveness. This chapter examines what evidence there is to support that assumption.
Endosperm-based hybridization barriers explain the pattern of gene flow between Arabidopsis lyrata and Arabidopsis arenosa in Central Europe

Significance Hybrid seed lethality has been recognized and addressed by a long-standing tradition of plant-breeding research. Nevertheless, its role in evolution and speciation has been underestimated. In this study, hybrid seed lethality between Arabidopsis lyrata and Arabidopsis arenosa, two model species of growing interest in the scientific community, was investigated. This study shows that endosperm defects are sufficient to explain the direction of gene flow between the two wild species, suggesting an important role of this hybridization barrier in plant speciation. In addition, we show that natural polyploidization is involved in breaking down hybridization barriers, not only establishing them, as implied by the traditional “triploid block” concept. Our data suggest that polyploidy-mediated hybrid seed rescue, long known in artificial crosses, could play an important role in plant evolution. Based on the biological species concept, two species are considered distinct if reproductive barriers prevent gene flow between them. In Central Europe, the diploid species Arabidopsis lyrata and Arabidopsis arenosa are genetically isolated, thus fitting this concept as “good species. ” Nonetheless, interspecific gene flow involving their tetraploid forms has been described. The reasons for this ploidy-dependent reproductive isolation remain unknown. Here, we show that hybridization between diploid A. lyrata and A. arenosa causes mainly inviable seed formation, revealing a strong postzygotic reproductive barrier separating these two species. Although viability of hybrid seeds was impaired in both directions of hybridization, the cause for seed arrest differed. Hybridization of A. lyrata seed parents with A. arenosa pollen donors resulted in failure of endosperm cellularization, whereas the endosperm of reciprocal hybrids cellularized precociously. Endosperm cellularization failure in both hybridization directions is likely causal for the embryo arrest. Importantly, natural tetraploid A. lyrata was able to form viable hybrid seeds with diploid and tetraploid A. arenosa, associated with the reestablishment of normal endosperm cellularization. Conversely, the defects of hybrid seeds between tetraploid A. arenosa and diploid A. lyrata were aggravated. According to these results, we hypothesize that a tetraploidization event in A. lyrata allowed the production of viable hybrid seeds with A. arenosa, enabling gene flow between the two species.
Breath analysis for noninvasively differentiating Acinetobacter baumannii ventilator-associated pneumonia from its respiratory tract colonization of ventilated patients

A number of multiresistant pathogens including Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) place a heavy burden on ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) patients in intensive care units (ICU). It is critically important to differentiate between bacterial infection and colonization to avoid prescribing unnecessary antibiotics. Quantitative culture of lower respiratory tract (LRT) specimens, however, requires invasive procedures. Nowadays, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been studied in vitro and in vivo to identify pathogen-derived biomarkers. Therefore, an exploratory pilot study was conceived for a proof of concept that the appearance and level of A. baumannii-derived metabolites might be correlated with the presence of the pathogen and its ecological niche (i.e. the infection and colonization states) in ICU ventilated patients. Twenty patients with A. baumannii VAP (infection group), 20 ventilated patients with LRT A. baumannii colonization (colonization group) and 20 ventilated patients with neurological disorders, but without pneumonia or A. baumannii colonization (control group) were enrolled in the in vivo pilot study. A clinical isolate of A. baumannii strains was used for the in vitro culture experiment. The adsorptive preconcentration (solid-phase microextraction fiber and Tenax® TA) and analysis technique of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry were applied in the studies. Breath profiles could be visually differentiated between A. baumannii cultivation in vitro and culture medium, and among in vivo groups. In the in vitro experiment, nine compounds of interest (2,5-dimethyl-pyrazine, 1-undecene, isopentyl 3-methylbutanoate, decanal, 1,3-naphthalenediol, longifolene, tetradecane, iminodibenzyl and 3-methyl-indene) in the headspace were found to be possible A. baumannii derivations. While there were eight target VOCs (1-undecene, nonanal, decanal, 2,6,10-trimethyl-dodecane, 5-methyl-5-propyl-nonane, longifolene, tetradecane and 2-butyl-1-octanol) exhibiting characteristics of A. baumannii VAP derivations. The selected VOC profile in vivo could be adopted to efficiently differentiate the presence of LRT A. baumannii from its absence, and LRT A. baumannii infection from its colonization (AUC = 0.89 and 0.88, respectively). It is not feasible to simply transfer the metabolic biomarkers from the in vitro condition to in vivo. The direct detection of exhaled A. baumannii-derived VOCs may be adopted for an early alert of the LRT bacterial presence in ventilated ICU patients, and even in different parasitic states of A. baumannii (i.e. infection and colonization). However, further refinement and validation are required before its clinical use.