Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perioperative hyperglycemia is associated with postoperative neurocognitive disorders after cardiac surgery

Objective Neurocognitive disorders commonly occur following cardiac surgery. However, the underlying etiology of these disorders is not well understood. The current study examined the association between perioperative glucose levels and other risk factors and the onset of neurocognitive disorders in adult patients following coronary artery bypass and/or valvular surgery. Methods Adult patients who underwent their first cardiac surgery at a large tertiary care medical center were identified and those with neurocognitive disorders prior to surgery were excluded. Demographic, perioperative, and postoperative neurocognitive outcome data were extracted from the Society for Thoracic Surgery database, and from electronic medical records, between January 2004 and June 2009. Multiple clinical risk factors and measures associated with insulin resistance, such as hyperglycemia, were assessed. Multivariable Cox competing risk survival models were used to assess hyperglycemia and postoperative neurocognitive disorders at follow up, adjusting for other risk factors and confounding variables. Results Of the 855 patients included in the study, 271 (31.7%) had new onset neurocognitive disorders at follow-up. Age, sex, New York Heart Failure (NYHF) Class, length of postoperative intensive care unit stay, perioperative blood product transfusion, and other key factors were identified and assessed as potential risk factors (or confounders) for neurocognitive disorders at follow-up. Bivariate analyses suggested that new onset neurocognitive disorders were associated with NYHF Class, cardiopulmonary bypass, history of diabetes, intraoperative blood product use, and number of diseased coronary vessels, which are commonly-accepted risk factors in cardiac surgery. In addition, higher first glucose level (median =116 mg/dL) and higher peak glucose >169 mg/dL were identified as risk factors. Male sex and nonuse of intra-operative blood products appeared to be protective. Controlling for potential risk factors and confounders, multivariable Cox survival models suggested that increased perioperative first glucose measured in 20 unit increments, was significantly associated with the onset of postoperative neurocognitive disorders at follow-up (hazard ratio [HR] =1.16, P<0.001) and that women had an elevated risk for this outcome (HR =4.18, P=0.01). Conclusion Our study suggests that perioperative hyperglycemia was associated with new onset of postoperative neurocognitive disorders in adult patients after cardiac surgery, and that men tended to be protected from these outcomes. These findings may suggest a need for the revision of clinical protocols for perioperative insulin therapy to prevent long-term neurocognitive complications.
Group‐based task‐oriented exercises aimed at managing kinesiophobia improved disability in chronic low back pain

There are still doubts concerning the clinical impact of multidisciplinary cognitive behavioural rehabilitation programmes conducted in group‐based settings and about their long‐term effects on subjects with chronic low back pain (CLBP). This randomized, parallel‐group superiority‐controlled trial aimed at evaluating the effect of such a programme on disability, kinesiophobia, catastrophizing, pain and quality of life in CLBP.
Pupil dilation reflects perceptual selection and predicts subsequent stability in perceptual rivalry

During sustained viewing of an ambiguous stimulus, an individual's perceptual experience will generally switch between the different possible alternatives rather than stay fixed on one interpretation (perceptual rivalry). Here, we measured pupil diameter while subjects viewed different ambiguous visual and auditory stimuli. For all stimuli tested, pupil diameter increased just before the reported perceptual switch and the relative amount of dilation before this switch was a significant predictor of the subsequent duration of perceptual stability. These results could not be explained by blink or eye-movement effects, the motor response or stimulus driven changes in retinal input. Because pupil dilation reflects levels of norepinephrine (NE) released from the locus coeruleus (LC), we interpret these results as suggestive that the LC–NE complex may play the same role in perceptual selection as in behavioral decision making.
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes

Background: The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is a widely used screening tool designed as a case detector for clinically relevant anxiety and depression. Recent studies of the HADS in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients in European countries suggest it comprises three, rather than two, underlying sub-scale dimensions. The factor structure of the Chinese version of the HADS was evaluated in patients with CHD in mainland China. Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted on self-report HADS forms from 154 Chinese CHD patients. Results: Little difference was observed in model fit between best performing three-factor and two-factor models. Conclusion: The current observations are inconsistent with recent studies highlighting a dominant underlying tri-dimensional structure to the HADS in CHD patients. The Chinese version of the HADS may perform differently to European language versions of the instrument in patients with CHD. Background In China, economic transition, urbanization, industrialization and an aging population have quickly increased the incidence and prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in the past decades [1]. CHD has been ranked among the top three causes of death in China [2]. Anxiety and depression are common psychological problems associated with a diagnosis of CHD [3-5]. Importantly, depression and anxiety have been linked with the morbidity and mortality of CHD [6]. Therefore, valid and reliable screening for clinically significant anxiety and/or depression is paramount in this clinical group. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) [7] is a widely used, self-administered questionnaire specifically developed to detect anxiety and depression states in hospital and medical out-patient clinic settings. It is composed of two 7-item scales, one for anxiety and one for depression. The original English version has been translated into and validated in many languages, including Chinese [8-12]. The Chinese version of HADS is a popular instrument for assessing psychological distress in clinical studies in China [5,12-14]. A number of studies have validated the Published: 26 January 2006 Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 2006, 4:6 doi:10.1186/1477-7525-4-6 Received: 25 November 2005 Accepted: 26 January 2006 This article is available from: http://www.hqlo. com/content/4/1/6 © 2006 Wang et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Rosetta in CAPRI rounds 13–19

Modeling the conformational changes that occur on binding of macromolecules is an unsolved challenge. In previous rounds of the Critical Assessment of PRediction of Interactions (CAPRI), it was demonstrated that the Rosetta approach to macromolecular modeling could capture side chain conformational changes on binding with high accuracy. In rounds 13–19 we tested the ability of various backbone remodeling strategies to capture the main‐chain conformational changes observed during binding events. These approaches span a wide range of backbone motions, from limited refinement of loops to relieve clashes in homologous docking, through extensive remodeling of loop segments, to large‐scale remodeling of RNA. Although the results are encouraging, major improvements in sampling and energy evaluation are clearly required for consistent high accuracy modeling. Analysis of our failures in the CAPRI challenges suggest that conformational sampling at the termini of exposed beta strands is a particularly pressing area for improvement. Proteins 2010. © Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Storage of Factor VIII Variants with Impaired von Willebrand Factor Binding in Weibel-Palade Bodies in Endothelial Cells

Background Point mutations resulting in reduced factor VIII (FVIII) binding to von Willebrand factor (VWF) are an important cause of mild/moderate hemophilia A. Treatment includes desmopressin infusion, which concomitantly increases VWF and FVIII plasma levels, apparently from storage pools containing both proteins. The source of these VWF/FVIII co-storage pools and the mechanism of granule biogenesis are not fully understood. Methodology/Principal Findings We studied intracellular trafficking of FVIII variants implicated in mild/moderate hemophilia A together with VWF in HEK293 cells and primary endothelial cells. The role of VWF binding was addressed using FVIII variants displaying reduced VWF interaction. Binding studies using purified FVIII proteins revealed moderate (Arg2150His, Del2201, Pro2300Ser) to severe (Tyr1680Phe, Ser2119Tyr) VWF binding defects. Expression studies in HEK293 cells and primary endothelial cells revealed that all FVIII variants were present within VWF-containing organelles. Quantitative studies showed that the relative amount of FVIII storage was independent of various mutations. Substantial amounts of FVIII variants are co-stored in VWF-containing storage organelles, presumably by virtue of their ability to interact with VWF at low pH. Conclusions Our data suggest that the potential of FVIII co-storage with VWF is not affected in mild/moderate hemophilia A caused by reduced FVIII/VWF interaction in the circulation. These data support the hypothesis that Weibel-Palade bodies comprise the desmopressin-releasable FVIII storage pool in vivo.
Localization of filamin in smooth muscle

The distribution of contractile and cytoskeletal proteins in smooth muscle has been mapped by immunocytochemical methods, with special reference to the localization of the actin-binding protein, filamin. Immunolabeling of ultrathin sections of polyvinylalcohol-embedded smooth muscle distinguished two domains in the smooth muscle cell: (a) actomyosin domains, made up of continuous longitudinal arrays of actin and myosin filaments, and (b) longitudinal, fibrillar, intermediate filament domains, free of myosin but containing actin and alpha-actinin- rich dense bodies. Filamin was found to be localized specifically in the latter intermediate filament-actin domains, but was excluded from the core of the dense bodies. Filamin was also localized close to the cell border at the inner surface of the plasmalemma-associated plaques. In isolated cells the surface filamin label showed a rib-like distribution similar to that displayed by vinculin. It is speculated that the two domains distinguished in these studies may reflect the existence of two functionally distinct systems: an actomyosin system required for contraction and an intermediate filament-actin system, with associated gelation proteins, that is responsible, at least in part, for the slow relaxation and tone peculiar to smooth muscle.
Hyperbilirubinemia and Neurodevelopmental Outcome of Very Low Birthweight Infants: Results from the LIFT Cohort

Background Bilirubin-related neurotoxicity is an important clinical issue in very low birthweight (VLBW) infants, and the existing literature is inconsistent. Objective To analyze the relationship between maximal serum unconjugated bilirubin levels (SBL) and neurodevelopmental outcome at 2-year corrected age in VLBW infants. Methods Phototherapy was initiated in all infants born before 33 weeks of gestation, according to Maisels' recommendations. Neurodevelopmental assessment at 2-year corrected age was performed in all infants that survived. SBLs collected during the first week of life were used to define three tertiles of max-SBL. The first tertile corresponded to infants with the lowest max-SBL. Results and Conclusions A total of 724 infants were included in the study, and among them, 631 (87%) were evaluated at two years old. The infants of the first tertile were younger and smaller than the infants of the other two tertiles, in accordance with Maisels' recommendations for very small infants. No difference in the risk of impaired functional outcome among the three groups was observed. However, among infants weighing less than 1001 g, those in the third tertile had a poorer neurodevelopmental prognosis as compared to those in the second tertile (adjusted odds ratio = 6.8, 95% CI: 1.2–36.7, p = 0.03). Considering the results obtained, we propose 196 µmol/L (11.5 mg/dL) when birthweight varies between 1001 and 1500 g, and 170 µmol/L (9.9 mg/dL) when birthweight is less than 1001 g, as recommended max-SBLs (defined as maximal levels of 95th percentile curves of SBLs in infants with an optimal outcome). When Maisels' recommendations were applied, max SBLs were higher in 8% of infants weighing 1001–1500 g and in 15% of infants weighing less than 1001 g. Our data seems to validate Maisels' recommendations in the overall population of infants born before 33 weeks of gestation, but not in infants weighing less than 1001 g.
Growth and Development at the Sphenoethmoidal Junction in Perinatal Primates

Integration of the sphenoid and ethmoid bones during early postnatal development is poorly described in the literature. A uniquely prolonged patency of sphenoethmoidal synchondrosis or prespheno‐septal synchondrosis (PSept) has been attributed to humans. However, the sphenoethmoidal junction has not been studied using a comparative primate sample. Here, we examined development of the sphenoethmoidal interface using ontogenetic samples of Old and New World monkeys, strepsirrhine primates (lemurs and lorises), and a comparative sample of other mammals. Specimens ranging from late fetal to 1 month postnatal age were studied using histology, immunohistochemistry, and micro‐computed tomography methods. Our results demonstrate that humans are not unique in anterior cranial base growth at PSept, as it is patent in all newborn primates. We found two distinctions within our sample. First, nearly all primates exhibit an earlier breakdown of the nasal capsule cartilage that abuts the orbitosphenoid when compared to nonprimates. This may facilitate earlier postnatal integration of the basicranium and midface and may enhance morphological plasticity in the region. Second, the PSept exhibits a basic dichotomy between strepsirrhines and monkeys. In strepsirrhines, the PSept has proliferating chondrocytes that are primarily oriented in a longitudinal plane, as in other mammals. In contrast, monkeys have a convex anterior end of the presphenoid with a radial boundary of cartilaginous growth at PSept. Our findings suggest that the PSept acts as a “pacemaker” of longitudinal facial growth in mammals with relatively long snouts, but may also contribute to facial height and produce a relatively taller midface in anthropoid primates. Anat Rec, 300:2115–2137, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Senescence Marker Protein 30 Has a Cardio-Protective Role in Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiac Dysfunction

Background Senescence marker protein 30 (SMP30), which was originally identified as an aging marker protein, is assumed to act as a novel anti-aging factor in the liver, lungs and brain. We hypothesized that SMP30 has cardio-protective function due to its anti-aging and anti-oxidant effects on doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cardiac dysfunction. Methods and Results SMP30 knockout (SMP30 KO) mice, SMP30 transgenic (SMP30 TG) mice with cardiac-specific overexpression of SMP30 gene and wild-type (WT) littermate mice at 12–14 weeks of age were given intra-peritoneal injection of DOX (20 mg/kg) or saline. Five days after DOX injection, echocardiography revealed that left ventricular ejection fraction was more severely reduced in the DOX-treated SMP30 KO mice than in the DOX-treated WT mice, but was preserved in the DOX-treated SMP30 TG mice. Generation of reactive oxygen species and oxidative DNA damage in the myocardium were greater in the DOX-treated SMP30 KO mice than in the DOX-treated WT mice, but much less in the SMP30 TG mice. The numbers of deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling positive nuclei in the myocardium, apoptotic signaling pathways such as caspase-3 activity, Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and phosphorylation activity of c-Jun N-terminal kinase were increased in SMP30 KO mice and decreased in SMP30 TG mice compared with WT mice after DOX injection. Conclusions SMP30 has a cardio-protective role by anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic effects in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity, and can be a new therapeutic target to prevent DOX-induced heart failure.
The Maskit embedding of the twice punctured torus

The Maskit embedding M of a surface Sigma is the space of geometrically finite groups on the boundary of quasifuchsian space for which the "top" end is homeomorphic to Sigma, while the "bottom" end consists of triply punctured spheres, the remains of Sigma when a set of pants curves have been pinched. As such representations vary in the character variety, the conformal structure on the top side varies over the Teichmuller space T(Sigma). We investigate M when Sigma is a twice punctured torus, using the method of pleating rays. Fix a projective measure class [mu] supported on closed curves on Sigma. The pleating ray P-[mu] consists of those groups in M for which the bending measure of the top component of the convex hull boundary of the associated 3-manifold is in [mu]. It is known that P is a real 1-submanifold of M. Our main result is a formula for the asymptotic direction of P in M as the bending measure tends to zero, in terms of natural parameters for the complex 2-dimensional representation space R and the Dehn-Thurston coordinates of the support curves to [mu] relative to the pinched curves on the bottom side. This leads to a method of locating M in R
Genotypic diversity effects on biomass production in native perennial bioenergy cropping systems

The perennial grass species that are being developed as biomass feedstock crops harbor extensive genotypic diversity, but the effects of this diversity on biomass production are not well understood. We investigated the effects of genotypic diversity in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) on perennial biomass cropping systems in two experiments conducted over 2008–2014 at a 5.4‐ha fertile field site in northeastern Illinois, USA. We varied levels of switchgrass and big bluestem genotypic diversity using various local and nonlocal cultivars – under low or high species diversity, with or without nitrogen inputs – and quantified establishment, biomass yield, and biomass composition. In one experiment (‘agronomic trial’), we compared three switchgrass cultivars in monoculture to a switchgrass cultivar mixture and three different species mixtures, with or without N fertilization. In another experiment (‘diversity gradient’), we varied diversity levels in switchgrass and big bluestem (1, 2, 4, or 6 cultivars per plot), with one or two species per plot. In both experiments, cultivar mixtures produced yields equivalent to or greater than the best cultivars. In the agronomic trial, the three switchgrass mixture showed the highest production overall, though not significantly different than best cultivar monoculture. In the diversity gradient, genotypic mixtures had one‐third higher biomass production than the average monoculture, and none of the monocultures were significantly higher yielding than the average mixture. Year‐to‐year variation in yields was lowest in the three‐cultivar switchgrass mixtures and Cave‐In‐Rock (the southern Illinois cultivar) and also reduced in the mixture of switchgrass and big bluestem relative to the species monocultures. The effects of genotypic diversity on biomass composition were modest relative to the differences among species and genotypes. Our findings suggest that local genotypes can be included in biomass cropping systems without compromising yields and that genotypic mixtures could help provide high, stable yields of high‐quality biomass feedstocks.
Reducing the space requirement of suffix trees

We show that suffix trees store various kinds of redundant information. We exploit these redundancies to obtain more space efficient representations. The most space efficient of our representations requires 20 bytes per input character in the worst case, and 10.1 bytes per input character on average for a collection of 42 files of different type. This is an advantage of more than 8 bytes per input character over previous work. Our representations can be constructed without extra space, and as fast as previous representations. The asymptotic running times of suffix tree applications are retained. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Vulnerability of Khaya senegalensis Desr & Juss to climate change and to the invasion of Hypsipyla robusta Moore in Benin (West Africa)

Khaya senegalensis Desr & Juss is an urban tree species with high quality wood, unfortunately disturbed by Hypsipyla robusta Moore. However, how vulnerable this species is with regard to climate change and to Hypsipyla robusta over time and space is unknown. This study aimed at assessing as well the climate change impacts on both species as the overlapping extent of their suitable areas over time and space. To this end, the MaxEnt approach for Ecological Niche Modelling was used to compute suitable areas for both species under current and future climates (Africlim RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5). Spatio-temporal Analysis was performed using Geographic Information System. Upon 2055, climate change will impact negatively 15-16% of Benin while the positive impacts will account only for 2-3%, and the stable areas will represent 74-75%. As for Hypsipyla robusta , climate change will provide only habitat loss of about 66% of the country. So, many plantation sites are exposed to biological attack from the pest, but wouldn‟t be more in future, giving hope for Khaya senegalensis ’ high quality wood production. Meanwhile, there will be an ecological imbalance due to the drastic potential habitat loss for the insect. Keywords : Khaya senegalensis, Forest pests, Wood quality, Ecological modelling.
Accurate and discernible photocollages

We propose a system for arranging images from a database into a collage that resembles some target image. These collages exploit large scale visual correspondences between the target image and the images in the database. We ensure that images of multiple sizes are used and are combined so that boundaries between images are not immediately apparently; as a result, the final collage consists of irregularly shaped image sections. The final collages contain a dynamic mixture of textures, images, and shapes that is in contrast to the geometric and regular character of many photomosaic techniques. In service of these tasks, we propose a fast scale-based method for querying an image library, a novel method for composing multiple images using geodesic distance Voronoi tesselations, and a novel base/detail method for shifting the colors of the final collage so that the target image is more accurately represented.