Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antihypertensive Medication Adherence and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Among Older Adults: A Population‐Based Cohort Study

Background Antihypertension medication (antihypertensive) adherence lowers risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD); few studies have examined this association among older adults. Methods and Results We assessed this association among Medicare fee‐for‐service beneficiaries aged 66 to 79 years who were newly diagnosed with hypertension and initiated on antihypertensives in 2008–2009 (n=155 597). We calculated proportion of days covered (PDC) during follow‐up, using proportional subdistribution hazard models, to examine association between antihypertensive adherence and a composite CVD outcomes, including first incident of fatal/nonfatal acute myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease, stroke/transient ischemic attack, and heart failure. During follow‐up (median 5.8 years and 798 621 person‐years), we documented 47 198 CVD events. Among beneficiaries, 60.8%, 30.3%, and 8.9% had PDC ≥80%, 40% to 79%, and <40%. Crude incidence of CVD events were 40.1 (95% CI, 40.0–40.1), 93.9 (93.8–93.9), and 98.1 (98.1–98.2) per 1000 person‐years for PDC ≥80%, 40% to 79%, and <40%, respectively. Adjusted hazard ratios for CVD events were 1.0 (<40% as reference), 1.0 (0.97–1.03) for 40% to 79%, and 0.44 (0.42–0.45) for ≥80% (P<0.001). Dose‐response analysis suggested a nonlinear relationship between PDC and risk for CVD events with a protective effect of ≥80%. The pattern of associations between PDC and ischemic heart disease, stroke/transient ischemic attack, and heart failure were largely consistent as for CVD events and across different groups. Conclusions Antihypertensive adherence was associated with a significantly lower risk of CVD events among older adults. There appeared to be a threshold effect in reducing CVD events at around PDC 80%, above which the risk for CVD reduced substantially.
Can Skin Exposure to Sunlight Prevent Liver Inflammation?

Liver inflammation contributes towards the pathology of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Here we discuss how skin exposure to sunlight may suppress liver inflammation and the severity of NAFLD. Following exposure to sunlight-derived ultraviolet radiation (UVR), the skin releases anti-inflammatory mediators such as vitamin D and nitric oxide. Animal modeling studies suggest that exposure to UVR can prevent the development of NAFLD. Association studies also support a negative link between circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D and NAFLD incidence or severity. Clinical trials are in their infancy and are yet to demonstrate a clear beneficial effect of vitamin D supplementation. There are a number of potentially interdependent mechanisms whereby vitamin D could dampen liver inflammation, by inhibiting hepatocyte apoptosis and liver fibrosis, modulating the gut microbiome and through altered production and transport of bile acids. While there has been a focus on vitamin D, other mediators induced by sun exposure, such as nitric oxide may also play important roles in curtailing liver inflammation.
Surgical Treatment of Dentofacial Deformities Caused by Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Abstract The purpose of our retrospective study was to evaluate the results of orthognathic treatment, distraction osteogenesis, and/or prosthetic reconstruction of the temporomandibular joints in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Twelve patients with severely affected temporomandibular joints (TMJs) and reduced ramus height were treated with mandibular advancement with orthognathic surgery (11) and additional bilateral or unilateral mandibular ramus distraction (3) or additional bilateral or unilateral prosthetic reconstruction of the TMJ (3). One patient was treated surgically with bilateral TMJ prosthetic reconstruction only. The patients were followed up clinically and radiologically with emphasis on healing, TMJ function, stability of the occlusion, skeletal stability, and facial appearance for an average of 2.3 years after the final surgery. The mean mandibular advancement was 10.1 mm. The mean relapse at pogonion was 2.1 mm, which represents 20.8% of the surgical advancement. The occlusion was stable in 11/12 patients. The TMJ function was good and the facial esthetics improved in all patients. Orthognathic treatment and mandibular ramus distraction osteogenesis provide beneficial lengthening of the mandibular body in JIA patients with asymptomatic and stabile condyles. In adult patients with relapse of the disease or postoperative condylar relapse prosthetic total joint replacement is a reliable and safe alternative.
Preference Reversals Under Ambiguity

Preference reversals have been widely studied using risky or riskless gambles. However, little is known about preference reversals under ambiguity (unknown probabilities). Subjects were asked to make a binary choice between ambiguous P-bets (big likelihood of giving small prize) and ambiguous $-bets (small likelihood of giving large prize) and their willingness to accept was elicited. Subjects then performed the same two tasks with risky bets, where the probability of winning for a given risky bet is the center of the probability interval of the corresponding ambiguous bet. Preference reversals are not only replicated under ambiguity but are even stronger than are those under risk. This is due to higher elicited prices for the $-bet and lower elicited prices for the P-bet under ambiguity than under risk. This result can be explained by the shape of the weighting function for different levels of uncertainty and for different elicitation modes. This paper was accepted by Peter Wakker, decision analysis.
Vagus nerve stimulation for refractory epilepsy

Left-sided vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a relatively new and efficacious neurophysiological treatment for patients with refractory epilepsy who were rejected for resective epilepsy surgery or who have had insufficient benefit from such a treatment. Animal experiments have shown that electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve can reduce the occurrence and duration of electrically and chemically induced seizures. The precise mechanism of action remains unclear. In 1988 the first vagus nerve stimulator was implanted in humans. Currently more than 7500 patients have been implanted world-wide. Randomized controlled clinical studies have shown a more than 50% reduction in seizure frequency in one third of the patients. Results on long-term treatment indicate that VNS remains effective over time and a trend towards improved seizure control with longer use of VNS was observed. VNS seems equally efficient in children. Hoarseness or voice change during stimulation are the most common side effects. VNS requires a substantial financial investment. Cost-efficacy studies have shown that these costs can easily be payed back by savings in epilepsy related direct medical costs in patients treated with VNS.
Effect of Preharvest and postharvest application of chitosan coating on storage quality of nectarines

Nectarine is a climacteric fruit and exhibits increased ethylene production, respiration rate, changes in fruit texture, colour, aroma and other biochemical and physiological attributes during ripening. It has a limited storage life depending upon the cultivar. The coating of fruit with edible materials has been reported to act as a barrier to moisture and oxygen during postharvest handling and storage. Different compounds have been used as coating materials in fruits including alginate, cellulose, chitosan, chitin, lipids, milk protein, starch and wax with varying success towards extending shelf life and maintaining fruit quality. Chitosan coating had the potential to inhibit decay and hence prolong the storage life of a variety of produce including strawberries, tomatoes, citrus fruit, peaches, pears and kiwi fruit. In this study biodegradable coatings, based on chitosan, were applied to nectarine, âDiamond Rayâ, in order to find environmentally friendly, healthy treatments with which better preserve fresh fruit quality and safety during postharvest cold storage. Physicochemical properties (weight loss, Â°Brix, titratable acidity, colour and texture) were determined throughout cold storage. The effects of three chitosan applications were investigated: (1) preharvest (10 g Lâ1), (2) pre- and postharvest (10 g Lâ1), (3) postharvest (10 g Lâ1) (4) control (no chitosan application). Preharvest chitosan-treated nectarines were firmer and had higher soluble solids content than control ones. Also pre and postharvest application fruits showed high soluble solids content and texture values and the highest titratable acidity. Hence it can be concluded that chitosan in preharvest treatments has the potential to preserve valuable attributes and prolong the shelf-life of nectarines, presumably due to its property to inhibit the postharvest ripening and senescence processes.
An extended Kalman filtering approach for the estimation of human head tissue conductivities by using EEG data: a simulation study

In this study, we propose an extended Kalman filter approach for the estimation of the human head tissue conductivities in vivo by using electroencephalogram (EEG) data. Since the relationship between the surface potentials and conductivity distribution is nonlinear, the proposed algorithm first linearizes the system and applies extended Kalman filtering. By using a three-compartment realistic head model obtained from the magnetic resonance images of a real subject, a known dipole assumption and 32 electrode positions, the performance of the proposed method is tested in simulation studies and it is shown that the proposed algorithm estimates the tissue conductivities with less than 1% error in noiseless measurements and less than 5% error when the signal-to-noise ratio is 40 dB or higher. We conclude that the proposed extended Kalman filter approach successfully estimates the tissue conductivities in vivo.
Observation of Quasi-periodic Compressive Waves in Solar Polar Plumes

On 1996 March 7, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft conducted a multi-instrument campaign to observe polar plumes in the south polar coronal hole. Recent time-domain analyses of EUV Imaging Telescope images from that campaign show filamentary substructure in the plumes, on a length scale of ~5'', which changes on timescales of a few minutes, and coherent quasi-periodic perturbations in the brightness of Fe IX and Fe X line emission at 171 Å from the plumes. The perturbations amount to 10%-20% of the plumes' overall intensity and propagate outward at 75-150 km s-1, taking the form of wave trains with periods of 10-15 minutes and envelopes of several cycles. We conclude that the perturbations are compressive waves (such as sound waves or slow-mode magnetosonic waves) propagating along the plumes. Assuming that the waves are sonic yields a mechanical energy flux of 150-400 W m-2 (1.5-4 ×105 ergs cm-2 s-1) in the plumes.
Evaluating aerosol indirect effect through marine stratocumulus clouds

During the last decade much attention has been focused on anthropogenic aerosols and their radiative influence on the global climate. Charlson et al. and Penner et al. have demonstrated that tropospheric aerosols and particularly anthropogenic sulfate aerosols may significantly contribute to the radiative forcing exerting a cooling influence on climate (-1 to -2 W/m{sup 2}) which is comparable in magnitude to greenhouse forcing, but opposite in sign. Aerosol particles affect the earth`s radiative budget either directly by scattering and absorption of solar radiation by themselves or indirectly by altering the cloud radiative properties through changes in cloud microstructure. Marine stratocumulus cloud layers and their possible cooling influence on the atmosphere as a result of pollution are of special interest because of their high reflectivity, durability, and large global cover. We present an estimate of thet aerosol indirect effect, or, forcing due to anthropogenic sulfate aerosols.
Na / Ca 2 exchange activity in neonatal rabbit ventricular myocytes

Huang, Jingbo, Leif Hove-Madsen, and Glen F. Tibbits. Na / Ca exchange activity in neonatal rabbit ventricular myocytes. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 288: C195–C203, 2005. First published August 16, 2004; doi:10.1152/ajpcell.00183. 2004. —Much less is known about the contributions of the Na /Ca exchanger (NCX) and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca pump to cell relaxation in neonatal compared with adult mammalian ventricular myocytes. Based on both biochemical and molecular studies, there is evidence of a much higher density of NCX at birth that subsequently decreases during the next 2 wk of development. It has been hypothesized, therefore, that NCX plays a relatively more important role for cytosolic Ca decline in neonates as well as, perhaps, a role in excitation-contraction coupling in reverse mode. We isolated neonatal ventricular myocytes from rabbits in four different age groups: 3, 6, 10, and 20 days of age. Using an amphotericin-perforated patch-clamp technique in fluo-3-loaded myocytes, we measured the caffeine-induced inward NCX current (INCX) and the Ca transient. We found that the integral of INCX, an indicator of SR Ca content, was greatest in myocytes from younger age groups when normalized by cell surface area and that it decreased with age. The velocity of Ca extrusion by NCX (VNCX) was linear with [Ca ] and did not indicate saturation kinetics until [Ca ] reached 1–3 M for each age group. There was a significantly greater time delay between the peaks of INCX and the Ca transient in myocytes from the youngest age groups. This observation could be related to structural differences in the subsarcolemmal microdomains as a function of age.
CT-guided percutaneous catheter drainage of acute infectious necrotizing pancreatitis: assessment of effectiveness and safety.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to assess retrospectively the effectiveness and safety of CT-guided percutaneous drainage and to determine the factors influencing clinical success and mortality in patients with infectious necrotizing pancreatitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS From April 1997 to December 2005, 48 consecutive patients (33 men and 15 women; median age, 58.5 years) with proven infectious necrotizing pancreatitis underwent percutaneous catheter drainage via CT guidance. Evaluated factors included clinical, biologic, and radiologic scores; drainage and catheter characteristics; and complications. Clinical success was defined as control of sepsis without requirement for surgery. Univariate analysis was performed to determine factors that could have affected the clinical success and the mortality rates. RESULTS Clinical success was achieved in 31 of 48 patients (64.6%) and was significantly associated with Ranson score (p = 0.01) and with the delay between admission and the beginning of the drainage (p = 0.005), with a calculated threshold delay of 18 days (p = 0.001). The global mortality rate (14/48 [29%]) was also influenced by the Ranson score (p = 01) and the delay of drainage (p = 0.04) with the same threshold delay (p = 0.01). Only two major nonlethal procedure-related complications were observed. CONCLUSION Percutaneous catheter drainage is a safe and effective technique to treat acute infectious necrotizing pancreatitis.
Inadvertent atrioventricular block during radiofrequency catheter ablation. Results of the Pediatric Radiofrequency Ablation Registry. Pediatric Electrophysiology Society.

BACKGROUND Inadvertent atrioventricular block is a complication of radiofrequency ablation. The present study is an analysis of the incidence, significance, and factors associated with inadvertent atrioventricular block during radiofrequency catheter ablation in childhood and adolescence. METHODS AND RESULTS The records of the Pediatric Radiofrequency Ablation Registry were reviewed. Between January 1, 1991, and April 1, 1994, atrioventricular block occurred in 23 of 1964 radiofrequency ablations (1.2%): 14 as third-degree block (3 transient) and 9 as second-degree block (5 transient). Atrioventricular block occurred from 5 seconds to 2 months (mean, 4.1 days; median, 15 seconds) after the onset of the energy application. Eight transient cases lasted 1 hour to 1 month (mean, 9.4 days; median, 7 days). Inadvertent atrioventricular block was related to the ablation anatomic site: 3 of 111 (2.7%) anteroseptal, 11 of 106 (10.4%) midseptal, and 2 of 197 (1.0%) right posteroseptal sites (P = .0007) for anteroseptal, P = . 0001 for midseptal, and P = . 17 for right posteroseptal versus nonright septal sites). Five of 314 (1.6%) ablations for atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia resulted in atrioventricular block (P = .004 versus nonright septal sites). Compared with a matched subgroup, radiofrequency ablation experience was the only significant risk factor (32.7 versus 106.6, P = .002) for the occurrence of atrioventricular block. CONCLUSIONS Inadvertent atrioventricular block may occur during or late after radiofrequency catheter ablation. It is associated with ablations for (1) anterior and midseptal accessory pathways and atrioventricular nodal reentry and (2) relative institutional inexperience.
Rule-Based Cell Systems Model of Aging using Feedback Loop Motifs Mediated by Stress Responses

Investigating the complex systems dynamics of the aging process requires integration of a broad range of cellular processes describing damage and functional decline co-existing with adaptive and protective regulatory mechanisms. We evolve an integrated generic cell network to represent the connectivity of key cellular mechanisms structured into positive and negative feedback loop motifs centrally important for aging. The conceptual network is casted into a fuzzy-logic, hybrid-intelligent framework based on interaction rules assembled from a priori knowledge. Based upon a classical homeostatic representation of cellular energy metabolism, we first demonstrate how positive-feedback loops accelerate damage and decline consistent with a vicious cycle. This model is iteratively extended towards an adaptive response model by incorporating protective negative-feedback loop circuits. Time-lapse simulations of the adaptive response model uncover how transcriptional and translational changes, mediated by stress sensors NF-κB and mTOR, counteract accumulating damage and dysfunction by modulating mitochondrial respiration, metabolic fluxes, biosynthesis, and autophagy, crucial for cellular survival. The model allows consideration of lifespan optimization scenarios with respect to fitness criteria using a sensitivity analysis. Our work establishes a novel extendable and scalable computational approach capable to connect tractable molecular mechanisms with cellular network dynamics underlying the emerging aging phenotype.
Multiple-Facial Action Unit Recognition by Shared Feature Learning and Semantic Relation Modeling

In this paper, we propose multiple facial action unit recognition by modeling their relations from both features and target labels. First, a multi-task feature learning method is adopted to divide action unit recognition tasks into several groups, and then learn the shared features for each group. Second, a Bayesian network is used to model the co-existent and mutual-exclusive semantic relations among action units from the target labels of facial images. After that, the learned Bayesian network employs the recognition results of the multi-task learning, and realizes multiple facial action recognition by probabilistic inference. Experiments on the extended Cohn-Kanade database and the Denver Intensity of Spontaneous Facial Actions database demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.
Does musical enrichment enhance the neural coding of syllables? Neuroscientific interventions and the importance of behavioral data

A commentary on "Music enrichment programs improve the neural encoding of speech in at-risk children" by Kraus, N. , Slater, J., Thompson, E. C. , Hornickel, J., Strait, D. L. , Nicol, T. , et al. (2014). J. Neurosci. 34, 11913–11918. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1881-14.2014.
The use of flaxseed flour during pregnancy and lactation reverses lower birth weight in offspring from diabetic mothers but averts the development during lactation.

UNLABELLED Diabetes is a complication which occurring during gestation might substantially influence the development of offspring during fetal life and postnatally. Flaxseed is a source of omega-3, that the appropriate supply during gestation and lactation are determinant for a suitable perinatal growth and development. The present study aimed to assess beneficial effects of the use of flaxseed flour during pregnancy and lactation on body development from birth to weaning of offspring from diabetic mothers. METHODS twelve rats from a total of eighteen were induced to diabetes by high-fat diet during four weeks, also receiving one lower dose of streptozotocin. After confirmation of diabetes (glucose>300 mg/dL), they were mated and when pregnancy was confirmed, they were divided in 3 groups: high-fat group (HFG), high-fat flaxseed flour group (HFFFG) and control group (CG), receiving high- fat diet, high-fat diet added flaxseed flour and control diet, respectively. They were fed this way during whole gestation and lactation. The body development of offspring was measured weekly since the first day after birth until weaning. RESULTS At birth, the average body mass of offspring from diabetics mothers who received only high-fat diet was 23,6% lighter than body mass of offspring from non-diabetics mothers (p<0,05), while the animals from diabetic mothers who consumed flaxseed flour during pregnancy and lactation showed the same body mass than the control group. During all experiment HFFFG group showed decreased body mass (about 20%, p<0,05)in comparison with control group. CONCLUSION The treatment with flaxseed flour was capable of avoiding lower birth weight in offspring from diabetic mothers. However, the consumption of flaxseed flour by mothers during lactation yielded decrease offspring weight at weaning.
Effect of Sociality and Season on Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) Foraging Behavior: Implications for Estimating Summer Kill Rate

Background Understanding how kill rates vary among seasons is required to understand predation by vertebrate species living in temperate climates. Unfortunately, kill rates are only rarely estimated during summer. Methodology/Principal Findings For several wolf packs in Yellowstone National Park, we used pairs of collared wolves living in the same pack and the double-count method to estimate the probability of attendance (PA) for an individual wolf at a carcass. PA quantifies an important aspect of social foraging behavior (i.e., the cohesiveness of foraging). We used PA to estimate summer kill rates for packs containing GPS-collared wolves between 2004 and 2009. Estimated rates of daily prey acquisition (edible biomass per wolf) decreased from 8.4±0.9 kg (mean ± SE) in May to 4.1±0.4 kg in July. Failure to account for PA would have resulted in underestimating kill rate by 32%. PA was 0.72±0.05 for large ungulate prey and 0.46±0.04 for small ungulate prey. To assess seasonal differences in social foraging behavior, we also evaluated PA during winter for VHF-collared wolves between 1997 and 2009. During winter, PA was 0.95±0.01. PA was not influenced by prey size but was influenced by wolf age and pack size. Conclusions/Significance Our results demonstrate that seasonal patterns in the foraging behavior of social carnivores have important implications for understanding their social behavior and estimating kill rates. Synthesizing our findings with previous insights suggests that there is important seasonal variation in how and why social carnivores live in groups. Our findings are also important for applications of GPS collars to estimate kill rates. Specifically, because the factors affecting the PA of social carnivores likely differ between seasons, kill rates estimated through GPS collars should account for seasonal differences in social foraging behavior.