Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fiber-rich diet with brown rice improves endothelial function in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized controlled trial

Background & Aims A fiber-rich diet has a cardioprotective effect, but the mechanism for this remains unclear. We hypothesized that a fiber-rich diet with brown rice improves endothelial function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods Twenty-eight patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus at a single general hospital in Japan were randomly assigned to a brown rice (n = 14) or white rice (n = 14) diet and were followed for 8 weeks. The primary outcome was changes in endothelial function determined from flow debt repayment by reactive hyperemia using strain-gauge plethysmography in the fasting state. Secondary outcomes were changes in HbA1c, postprandial glucose excursions, and markers of oxidative stress and inflammation. The area under the curve for glucose after ingesting 250 kcal of assigned rice was compared between baseline (T0) and at the end of the intervention (T1) to estimate glucose excursions in each group. Results Improvement in endothelial function, assessed by fasting flow debt repayment (20.4% vs. −5.8%, p = 0.004), was significantly greater in the brown rice diet group than the white rice diet group, although the between-group difference in change of fiber intake was small (5.6 g/day vs. −1.2 g/day, p<0.0001). Changes in total, HDL-, and LDL-cholesterol, and urine 8-isoprostane levels did not differ between the two groups. The high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level tended to improve in the brown rice diet group compared with the white rice diet group (0.01 μg/L vs. −0.04 μg/L, p = 0.063). The area under the curve for glucose was subtly but consistently lower in the brown rice diet group (T0: 21.4 mmol/L*h vs. 24.0 mmol/L*h, p = 0.043, T1: 20.4 mmol/L*h vs. 23.3 mmol/L*h, p = 0.046) without changes in HbA1c. Conclusions Intervention with a fiber-rich diet with brown rice effectively improved endothelial function, without changes in HbA1c levels, possibly through reducing glucose excursions.
Long term effects of phlebotomy on biochemical and histological parameters of chronic hepatitis C

OBJECTIVE:There is considerable evidence that iron is a risk factor for liver injury in chronic hepatitis C. Known as iron reduction therapy, phlebotomy reduces serum ALT activity. This effect might continue with maintenance phlebotomy and result in slower progression of liver fibrosis.METHODS:We examined the biochemical parameters and liver histology of patients with chronic hepatitis C treated by maintenance phlebotomy. For biochemical evaluation, 25 patients were treated by initial phlebotomy to reduce serum ferritin levels to 10 ng/ml or less and then observed for 5 yr with maintenance phlebotomy to maintain the iron-deficient state. For histological evaluation, liver biopsies were performed before and after the study period in 13 of the patients. Thirteen patients who were virological nonresponders to interferon alone and had undergone second liver biopsies after more than 3 yr served as histological controls.RESULTS:Serum aminotransferase levels were decreased significantly by initial phlebotomy and remained at the same levels during the study period (p < 0.05). The grading scores were improved significantly in the study group (p < 0.05) and unchanged in the controls. The staging scores remained unchanged in the study group but were increased in the controls (p < 0.005). Disease progression was significantly different between the two groups (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:These results suggest that phlebotomy with maintenance lowers serum aminotransferase levels, improves liver inflammation, and suppresses the progression of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C.
Computing the Independence Polynomial: from the Tree Threshold down to the Roots

We study an algorithm for approximating the multivariate independence polynomial Z(z), with negative and complex arguments. While the focus so far has been mostly on computing combinatorial polynomials restricted to the univariate positive setting (with seminal results for the independence polynomial by Weitz (2006) and Sly (2010)), the independence polynomial with negative or complex arguments has strong connections to combinatorics and to statistical physics. The independence polynomial with negative arguments, Z(−p), determines the Shearer region, the maximal region of probabilities to which the Lovasz Local Lemma (LLL) can be extended (Shearer 1985). In statistical physics, complex zeros of the independence polynomial relate to existence of phase transitions. Our main result is a deterministic algorithm to compute approximately the independence polynomial in any root-free complex polydisc centered at the origin. More precisely, we can (1 + e)-approximate the independence polynomial Z(z) for an n-vertex graph of degree at most d, for any complex vector z such that [EQUATION], in running time [EQUATION]. Our result also extends to graphs of unbounded degree that have a bounded connective constant. Our algorithm is essentially the same as Weitz's algorithm for positive parameters up to the tree uniqueness threshold. The core of the analysis is a novel multivariate form of the correlation decay technique, which can handle non-uniform complex parameters. In summary, we provide a unifying algorithm for all known regions where Z(z) is approximately computable. In particular, in the univariate real setting our work implies that Weitz's algorithm works in an interval between two critical points [EQUATION], and outside of this interval an approximation of Z(λ) is known to be NP-hard. As an application, we provide an algorithm to test membership in Shearer's region within a multiplicative error of 1 + α, in running time [EQUATION]. We also give a deterministic algorithm for Shearer's lemma (extending the LLL) with n events on m independent variables under slack α, with running time [EQUATION]. On the hardness side, we prove that evaluating Z(z) at an arbitrary point in Shearer's region, and testing membership in Shearer's region, are #P-hard problems. For Weitz's correlation decay technique in the negative regime, we show that the [EQUATION] dependence in the exponent is optimal.1
Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in patients with severe tinnitus: prospective, controlled clinical study

Abstract Objective: To determine the relationship between severe tinnitus and inflammation using the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as a marker of stress. Methods: A total of 107 patients who had been suffering with severe tinnitus (tinnitus handicap inventory scale grades of 3–5) for at least 2 weeks were recruited. Patients underwent detailed ENT examinations and audiometric tests to exclude a relevant pathological cause of the tinnitus. Patients with systemic diseases, malignancy or inflammatory diseases that could alter neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio were excluded. A total of 107 age- and sex-matched healthy control participants were also recruited. Routine laboratory test results and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio were compared between the patients and controls. Results: Lipid profile, liver function, white blood cell count, haemoglobin level, mean corpuscular volume, and vitamin B12 and folate levels were similar among the patients and controls. However, mean neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was significantly higher among the patients than the controls (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The findings of this novel study suggest that neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio should be considered during the evaluation of tinnitus patients as a potential clinical marker of tinnitus. Further studies are required to verify the findings.
Intra‐ and interobserver reproducibility of Bruch's membrane opening minimum rim width measurements with spectral domain optical coherence tomography

To investigate the reproducibility of Bruch's membrane opening minimum rim width (BMO‐MRW) and retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (RNFLT) measurements using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD‐OCT). Additionally, to investigate the reproducibility of BMO area measurements and fovea to BMO centre (FoBMO) angle.
Counselling, HIV testing and adjunctive cotrimoxazole for TB patients in Malawi: from research to routine implementation.

SETTING Fifteen hospitals in Malawi that offer voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) for tuberculosis (TB) patients and cotrimoxazole (CTX) for patients found to be HIV-positive. OBJECTIVES 1) To describe the process of developing a national TB-HIV plan, conducting a country-wide situational assessment, and producing national guidelines on VCT and CTX for TB patients, and 2) to assess the implementation of VCT and CTX for TB patients registered between July and September 2003. DESIGN A descriptive study. RESULTS The 3-year HIV-TB plan was finalised in 2002. Between January and March 2003, an assessment was carried out of HIV/AIDS and joint HIV-TB services in Malawi and a decision made to support 15 hospitals in implementing VCT and CTX for TB patients. Between April and June 2003, national guidelines on VCT and CTX were developed through a consultative process, and treatment units were prepared for implementation. Between July and September 2003, 2397 TB patients were registered, and 1404 (59%) accepted VCT; 956 (68%) were HIV-positive, of whom 927 (97%) started CTX. Deficiencies in the registration process and in patient understanding about VCT and CTX were identified. CONCLUSION The results show that it is feasible to routinely implement VCT and CTX for TB patients.
Systematic polymorphism discovery after genome-wide identification of potential susceptibility loci in a hereditary rodent model of human hypertension

Abstract Genetic strategies such as linkage analysis and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping have identified a multitude of loci implicated in the pathogenesis of hypertension in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR). While several candidate genetic regions have been identified in the SHR and its control, the Wistar–Kyoto rat (WKY), systematic follow-up of candidate identification with polymorphism discovery has not been widespread. In the current report, we develop a data-mining strategy to identify candidate genes for hypertension in the SHR, and then sequence each gene in the SHR and WKY strains. We integrate blood pressure QTL data, microarray data and data-mining methods. First, we determined the set of genes differentially expressed in SHR and WKY adrenal glands. Next, the chromosomal position of all differentially expressed genes was compared with peak marker position of all reported SHR blood pressure QTLs. We also identified the set of differentially expressed genes with the most extreme fold-change. Finally, the QTL positional candidates and the genes with extreme differential expression were proposed as candidate genes if they had biologically plausible roles in hypertensive pathology. We identified seven candidate genes that merit resequencing (catechol-O-methyltransferase [Comt], chromogranin A [Chga], dopamine beta-hydroxylase [Dbh], electron transferring flavoprotein dehydrogenase [Etfdh], endothelin receptor type B [Ednrb], neuropeptide Y [Npy] and phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase [Pnmt]), and then discovered polymorphism in four of these seven candidate genes. Chga is proposed as the strongest candidate for additional functional investigation. Our method for candidate gene identification is portable and can be applied to microarray data from any tissue, in any disease model with a QTL database.
Molecular diagnosis of oculocutaneous albinism: new mutations in the OCA1–4 genes and practical aspects

Laboratoire de Génétique Humaine (EA4137), Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France Service de Génétique Médicale, Hôpital Pellegrin-Enfants, CHU de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France Service de Dermatologie Pédiatrique, Hôpital Pellegrin-Enfants, CHU de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France Department of Pediatric Genetics, Marmara University Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey Correspondence Dr Caroline Rooryck-Thambo, e-mail: caroline.rooryck-thambo@u-bordeaux2.fr
Social class differences in coronary heart disease in middle-aged British men: implications for prevention.

BACKGROUND Though social class differences in coronary heart disease (CHD) are well recognized, few studies have assessed the effect of imprecision in social class assessment on the relationship or the overall contribution of social class to attributable CHD risk. METHODS Prospective observational study of the relationship between occupational social class (assessed at baseline and after 20 years), major CHD (coronary death and non-fatal myocardial infarction) and all-cause mortality rates over 20 years among 5628 middle-aged British men with no previous evidence of CHD. RESULTS The age-adjusted hazard of major CHD for manual men relative to non-manual men was 1.41 (95% CI: 1.21, 1.64) before correction and 1.50 (95% CI: 1.25, 1.79) after correction for imprecision of social class measurement. The imprecision-corrected estimate was attenuated to 1.28 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.54) after adjustment for the adult coronary risk factors (blood cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass index, cigarette smoking, alcohol, physical activity, and lung function) and to 1.20 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.45) following further adjustment for height. The population attributable risk fraction of major CHD for social class (manual versus non-manual) was 22% after correction for imprecision in social class, which was reduced to 14% after adjustment for the adult coronary risk factors, and 10% after further adjustment for height. Similar results were obtained for all-cause mortality. CONCLUSIONS Even taking account of measurement imprecision, the contribution of social class to overall CHD risk is modest. Population-wide strategies to reduce major CHD risk factors are likely to have greater potential benefits for CHD prevention than strategies designed specifically to reduce social inequalities in CHD.
Mapping of functionally important residues of a cysteine-histidine box in the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 nucleocapsid protein

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) nucleocapsid protein contains two copies of a sequence motif, the cysteine-histidine box, that is conserved among retroviruses. To identify the functionally relevant positions of a cysteine-histidine box, each amino acid in the proximal copy of the motif was individually substituted by site-directed mutagenesis. Mutations at 5 of 14 positions abolished virus replication and reduced the viral RNA content of mutant particles to between 10 and 20% of parental levels. Mutations at other positions had either no or only a minor effect on virus replication and virion RNA content. In vitro binding of RNA to bacterially expressed mutant Pr55gag polyprotein correlated well with the effects of the mutations on particle-associated viral RNA levels. The two different copies of the motif in the HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein are not functionally equivalent, since the conversion of the proximal motif to an exact copy of the distal motif results in a defect in virus replication and a reduction in the viral RNA content of mutant particles. The simultaneous substitution of functionally relevant positions in both motifs led to a significant decline in gag protein export, indicating that the nucleocapsid domain of the gag precursor is also required for efficient assembly or release of the virion.
How well do the theory of reasoned action and theory of planned behaviour predict intentions and attendance at screening programmes? A meta-analysis

Meta-analysis was used to quantify how well the Theories of Reasoned Action and Planned Behaviour have predicted intentions to attend screening programmes and actual attendance behaviour. Systematic literature searches identified 33 studies that were included in the review. Across the studies as a whole, attitudes had a large-sized relationship with intention, while subjective norms and perceived behavioural control (PBC) possessed medium-sized relationships with intention. Intention had a medium-sized relationship with attendance, whereas the PBC–attendance relationship was small sized. Due to heterogeneity in results between studies, moderator analyses were conducted. The moderator variables were (a) type of screening test, (b) location of recruitment, (c) screening cost and (d) invitation to screen. All moderators affected theory of planned behaviour relationships. Suggestions for future research emerging from these results include targeting attitudes to promote intention to screen, a greater use of implementation intentions in screening information and examining the credibility of different screening providers.
What Remains of the Stability Pact and What Next

The Stability and Growth Pact has “more or less collapsed” as a result of the reforms, leading Swedish economist Lars Calmfors told at a lunchtime meeting at Bruegel. Presenting a report on the pact, prepared on behalf of the Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies (Sieps), he was strongly critical of the loopholes introduced for governments reluctant to act decisively to reduce excessive deficits.
Contact graph based routing in opportunistic networks

Opportunistic networking targets networks where end-to-end communication paths between nodes may not exist and it becomes important to seize opportunities to forward data to neighbouring nodes in the hope that it will eventually be propagated to the destination. Forwarding algorithms must address the trade-off between delivery performance (success ratio, end-to-end delay) and resource consumption (memory and bandwidth). Incorporating information about the contact pattern between nodes helps to distinguish nodes based on their forwarding capabilities. Aggregating contact events into weighted graphs, and thus forming a contact graph, enables us to detect communities and learn about the neighbourhoods of nodes. In this paper we incorporate this learning into a contact graph-based forwarding algorithm that makes decisions based on network communities. We compare the performance of this algorithm to existing forwarding schemes using simulations built on two real word contact-trace datasets that have distinct characteristics.
Concentration of selected regulators of calcium-phosphate balance in girls with idiopathic scoliosis.

BACKGROUND Idiopathic scoliosis is one of the most frequent spinal deformities diagnosed by orthopaedists. Our knowledge about the epidemiology and aetiology of this disease is still not broad enough. This paper analyses yet another factor that may influence the onset and progress of scoliosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study involved 109 girls, including 50 girls aged between 11 and 14 years with idiopathic scoliosis (Group A), and 59 healthy girls of the same age (Group B). The average degree of the curvature on the day of the examination was 310110 (min.=100, max.=600). The curvature was measured according to Cobb's method. There were 45 pre-menarche and 64 post-menarche girls in the group. RESULTS Oestradiol levels in healthy girls were significantly higher than in girls with idiopathic scoliosis. There were significant differences between the healthy and scoliotic girls. Parathormone levels were also significantly higher in healthy girls than in scoliotic ones of the same age. Analyses showed statistically significant differences. The analysis of the calcium ion concentration did not show statistically significant differences between the groups of healthy and scoliotic girls. CONCLUSION Basing on the results we found that girls with diagnosed idiopathic scoliosis had lower oestradiol levels compared to their healthy counterparts. Similar data were obtained for parathormone. These disorders of hormone secretion result in a metabolic system similar to that observed in postmenopausal women, in whom there is active destruction of bone tissue.
Laboratory and numerical experiments on stem waves due to monochromatic waves along a vertical wall

Abstract. In this study, both laboratory and numerical experiments are conducted to investigate stem waves propagating along a vertical wall developed by the incidence of monochromatic waves. The results show the following features: for small-amplitude waves, the wave heights along the wall show a slowly varying undulation. Normalized wave heights perpendicular to the wall show a standing wave pattern. The overall wave pattern in the case of small-amplitude waves shows a typical diffraction pattern around a semi-infinite thin breakwater. As the amplitude of incident waves increases, both the undulation intensity and the asymptotic normalized wave height decrease along the wall. For larger-amplitude waves with smaller angle of incidence, the measured data clearly show stem waves. Numerical simulation results are in good agreement with the results of laboratory experiments. The results of present experiments favorably support the existence and the properties of stem waves found by other researchers using numerical simulations. The characteristics of the stem waves generated by the incidence of monochromatic Stokes waves are compared with those of the Mach stem of solitary waves.
New arguments for a vasculitic nature of polymyalgia rheumatica using positron emission tomography.

OBJECTIVE To study the possible contribution of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) in the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica. METHODS A consecutive case series consisting of five patients with polymyalgia rheumatica, six patients with temporal arteritis and 23 age-matched patients with other inflammatory conditions were evaluated with FDG-PET. Studies were performed before therapy with steroids was started. RESULTS A total of 4/6 patients with giant cell arteritis and 4/5 patients with polymyalgia had increased FDG uptake in their thoracic vessels, compared to 1/23 controls (P < 0.001). Increased vascular FDG uptake in the upper legs was seen in 8/11 patients with giant cell arteritis or polymyalgia compared to 8/23 control patients (P < 0.05), and in the lower legs in 6/11 patients compared to 6/23 controls (P = not significant). CONCLUSIONS FDG-PET scan is the first non-invasive technique which may indicate large-vessel vasculitis and which can show its extension throughout the body. It strongly suggests that polymyalgia rheumatica is a form of vasculitis.
The Scarecrow and the Tin Man: The Vicissitudes of Human Sympathy and Caring

Why do some victims elicit outpourings of sympathy from those who are unaffected, while others do not? The authors propose a theoretical framework for making sense of the vicissitudes of sympathy based on the interaction between two qualitatively different mental processes. One, which the authors term “sympathy,” is caring but immature and irrational. The other process, which the authors term “deliberation,” is rational but uncaring. After proposing a framework for how these two factors interact, the authors first discuss a variety of factors that affect the strength of sympathy, including whether one is in the same state as the victim, one's past and vicarious experiences, proximity, similarity, vividness, and newness. Next, the authors discuss factors that affect the relative influence of deliberation. The framework helps to integrate a wide range of disparate experimental findings and provides a possible resolution to parallel debates taking place in psychology and economics over the nature of altruism.