Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of early clinical exposure in learning respiratory physiology among the newly entrant MBBS students

Introduction: Early Clinical Exposure has been conceptualized to orient medical students towards actual clinical scenario and help them correlate their theoretical knowledge with real life situations in early years of MBBS courses. In the present study we explored the outcome of early clinical exposure in the context of basic science topics (Physiology) in fresh MBBS entrants and compared their performance with a conventionally taught control group. Methods: One hundred fifty voluntary students of 1st year MBBS (2015-16) batch consisted the sample of this study. They were divided into two groups through the simple random method (using computer generated random number table with roll numbers of the students). They were evaluated by MCQ (Multiple Choice Question) and OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) before and after being taught a basic Physiology topic (respiratory system) theoretically. The study group underwent clinical exposure before the post-test while the control group did not. Performance of the students was compared between the two groups by unpaired student’s t-test whereas marks of pre and post-test within the same group were compared by paired Student’s t-test. Everywhere p<0.05 was considered to be significant. Results: The marks of each group in the pre and post-tests differed significantly (P<0.05 in each case). Post-test marks were significantly greater in each group though the level of improvement was strikingly higher in the study group (p=0.01). Though there was no significant difference in pre-test marks of both groups (P=0.73), post-test marks were significantly higher in the study group (P=0.04). Among the exposed students, majority (92%) opined that ECE was a better technique being practically oriented and more interesting while some (8%) found it to be more time and energy-consuming, suitable for selective portions of basic science topics. Conclusion: Early clinical exposure may be an effective technique to supplement the traditional theoretical teaching and improve the performance of fresh medical entrants in Physiology. It has better acceptability by the students and may be considered for inclusion in the existing pre-clinical curriculum with proper allocation of time and manpower.
Brief Report Results and Discussion

CBL mutation in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia secondary to familial platelet disorder with propensity to develop acute myeloid leukemia (FPD/AML) Familial platelet disorder with a propensity to develop acute myeloid leukemia (FPD/ AML) is a rare autosomal dominant disease characterized by thrombocytopenia, abnormal platelet function, and a propensity to develop myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and AML. additional molecular abnormalities have been found so far. We identified an acquired CBL mutation and 11q-acquired uniparental disomy (11q-aUPD) in a patient with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) secondary to FPD with RUNX1 mutation but not in the same patient during refractory cytope-nia. This finding suggests that alterations of the CBL gene and RUNX1 gene may cooperate in the pathogenesis of CMML in patients with FPD/AML. The presence of CBL mutations and 11q-aUPD was an important " second hit " that could be an indicator of leuke-mic transformation of MDS or AML in patients with FPD/AML. Introduction Familial platelet disorder with a propensity to develop acute myeloid leukemia (FPD/AML) is a rare autosomal dominant disease characterized by thrombocytopenia, abnormal platelet function, and a propensity to develop myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and AML. 1,2 Since Song et al reported haploinsufficiency of the RUNX1/CBFA2 gene, 3 more than 20 affected families have been reported. 4-8 Notably, various types of mono-allelic mutations of the RUNX1 gene have been found in patients with AML secondary to FPD. 3,7-9 RUNX1, which is a key regulator of definitive hematopoiesis and myeloid differentiation, is also commonly involved in sporadic cases of MDS and AML, by transloca-tions in AML 10 and by point mutations in AML 11,12 and MDS. 13 Recently, a second RUNX1 alteration has been reported 8 ; however, no additional molecular abnormalities have been found so far. In this regard, recent reports of somatic mutations of the CBL proto-oncogene in myeloid neoplasms are intriguing because these CBL mutations have been shown to result in aberrant tyrosine kinase signaling, which would also lead to the activation of RAS signaling pathways. So far, we and others have reported that CBL mutations occurred in a variety of myeloid neoplasms, including de novo AML, 14,15 MDS, 16,17 and myelopro-liferative neoplasm, 16,17 especially in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) 16,17 and juvenile myelomonocytic leuke-mia. 18 The importance of CBL mutations for leukemogenesis has substantially increased, which prompted us to search for possible CBL mutations in this pedigree. Here, we reported that CBL mutation developed at the time of diagnosis …
Recurrence after exenteration for canine orbital malignant schwannoma

A 14-year-old Maltese dog presented with progressive exophthalmos and external deviation of the right eye. Ultrasonography revealed the presence of a retrobulbar mass and fine-needle aspiration cytology was performed, which detected a malignant mass. There was no evidence of metastasis on thoracic and abdominal radiography. Computed tomography showed no invasion into the bony orbit and no metastasis to the lung or lymph nodes. Exenteration was performed to remove the mass completely. Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor was confirmed by histopathological examination.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC AWARENESS ON PROTECTING LAKE MANINJAU USING WILLINGNESS TO PAY

Lake Maninjau used for multiple purposes such as Hydropower, aquaculture, fishing, tourism, and irrigation. Lake claimed as common pool resources, a characterized of this resources are everybody's property is nobody's property, so that when there is damage or environmental degradation occurred, then no one is responsible. As is the case in Lake Maninjau. Environmental damage caused by a lot of economic activities such as fish farming with intensive systems, agriculture, and solid waste from household activities. The community around Lake Maninjau consents that the environmental degradation occurred in this lake, approximately 69 percent of respondents consent that the quality of water in the lake is now worse than the last ten years. This paper will show on how the relationship between household willingness to pay (WTP) for Lake Maninjau preservation based on its socio-economic factors. Furthermore, the WTP analyzed using multiple regression. The dependent variable of this paper is the willingness to pay for conservation of the lake Maninjau), while the independent variable is the socio-economic variables namely age, income, education, gender, main occupation, and citizenship status. The result shows that WTP value of each respondent was relatively small, only $ 2.3/hh/year. However, propitiously, young people have a higher WTP values, expected future generation will be more aware of sustainability Lake Maninjau.
Changes in the expression of collagen genes show two stages in chondrocyte differentiation in vitro

This report deals with the quantitation of both mRNA and transcription activity of type I collagen gene and of three cartilage-specific collagens (types II, IX, and X) during in vitro differentiation of chick chondrocytes. Differentiation was obtained by transferal to suspension culture of dedifferentiated cells passaged for 3 wk as adherent cells. The type I collagen mRNA, highly represented in the dedifferentiated cells, rapidly decreased during chondrocyte differentiation. On the contrary, types II and IX collagen mRNAs sharply increased within the first week of suspension culture, peaked in the second week, and thereafter began to decrease. This decrease was particularly significant for type IX collagen mRNA. The level of type X collagen mRNA progressively increased during the course of the culture, reached its maximal value after 3-4 wk, and decreased only at a later stage of cell differentiation. As determined by in vitro run-off transcription assays, all these changes in collagen mRNA levels could be attributed to parallel modifications in the relative rate of transcription of the corresponding collagen genes. We suggest that chicken chondrocyte differentiation proceeds through at least two different steps: (a) first, transition from a stage characterized by a high level of type I collagen mRNA to a stage characterized by predominance of types II and IX collagen mRNAs; (b) later, transition to a stage characterized by the highest level of type X collagen mRNA.
A competing hydrophobic tug on L596 to the membrane core unlatches S4–S5 linker elbow from TRP helix and allows TRPV4 channel to open

Significance Approximately 25% of the human proteome is integral membrane proteins, comprising most drug targets; these include ion channels, which change shape to open and close. There are some general descriptions on the role of surrounding lipids in such shape change, but few specifics. We have previously shown that a channel (TRPV4) uses hydrogen bonding between specific residues on the TRP helix and S4–S5 linker elbow as a latch enforcing closure. Here, by using mutations, Xenopus oocyte electrophysiology, budding-yeast phenotypes, and molecular simulations, we discovered that the side chain of one of the partner amino acids binds lipids at the inner polar–nonpolar interface and that this binding counteracts the hydrogen bonds, thus helping to unlatch and open the channel. We have some generalized physical understanding of how ion channels interact with surrounding lipids but few detailed descriptions on how interactions of particular amino acids with contacting lipids may regulate gating. Here we discovered a structure-specific interaction between an amino acid and inner-leaflet lipid that governs the gating transformations of TRPV4 (transient receptor potential vanilloid type 4). Many cation channels use a S4–S5 linker to transmit stimuli to the gate. At the start of TRPV4’s linker helix is leucine 596. A hydrogen bond between the indole of W733 of the TRP helix and the backbone oxygen of L596 secures the helix/linker contact, which acts as a latch maintaining channel closure. The modeled side chain of L596 interacts with the inner lipid leaflet near the polar–nonpolar interface in our model—an interaction that we explored by mutagenesis. We examined the outward currents of TRPV4-expressing Xenopus oocyte upon depolarizations as well as phenotypes of expressing yeast cells. Making this residue less hydrophobic (L596A/G/W/Q/K) reduces open probability [Po; loss-of-function (LOF)], likely due to altered interactions at the polar–nonpolar interface. L596I raises Po [gain-of-function (GOF)], apparently by placing its methyl group further inward and receiving stronger water repulsion. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that the distance between the levels of α-carbons of H-bonded residues L596 and W733 is shortened in the LOFs and lengthened in the GOFs, strengthening or weakening the linker/TRP helix latch, respectively. These results highlight that L596 lipid attraction counteracts the latch bond in a tug-of-war to tune the Po of TRPV4.
Let it Bee - Towards NMF-Inspired Audio Mosaicing

A swarm of bees buzzing “Let it be” by the Beatles or the wind gently howling the romantic “Gute Nacht” by Schubert ‐ these are examples of audio mosaics as we want to create them. Given a target and a source recording, the goal of audio mosaicing is to generate a mosaic recording that conveys musical aspects (like melody and rhythm) of the target, using sound components taken from the source. In this work, we propose a novel approach for automatically generating audio mosaics with the objective to preserve the source’s timbre in the mosaic. Inspired by algorithms for non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), our idea is to use update rules to learn an activation matrix that, when multiplied with the spectrogram of the source recording, resembles the spectrogram of the target recording. However, when applying the original NMF procedure, the resulting mosaic does not adequately reflect the source’s timbre. As our main technical contribution, we propose an extended set of update rules for the iterative learning procedure that supports the development of sparse diagonal structures in the activation matrix. We show how these structures better retain the source’s timbral characteristics in the resulting mosaic.
The CMU Machine Translation Systems at WMT 2013: Syntax, Synthetic Translation Options, and Pseudo-References

We describe the CMU systems submitted to the 2013 WMT shared task in machine translation. We participated in three language pairs, French‐English, Russian‐ English, and English‐Russian. Our particular innovations include: a labelcoarsening scheme for syntactic tree-totree translation and the use of specialized modules to create “synthetic translation options” that can both generalize beyond what is directly observed in the parallel training data and use rich source language context to decide how a phrase should translate in context.
Cerebral CT scan abnormalities in cholestatic and hepatocellular disease and their relationship to neuropsychologic test performance

Forty‐nine nonalcoholic cirrhotic patients, on whom cranial CT scans were available, were administered a battery of neuropsychological tests. Although none of the subjects exhibited clinical signs or symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy, quantification of the CT scan image implicated cerebral edema and cortical atrophy. In addition numerous significant correlations were observed between the CT variables and neuropsychological test performance. The findings are conjectured to reflect previously unrecognized cerebral morphologic changes associated with chronic subclinical portal‐systemic encephalopathy.
Genetic evaluation of weekly body weight in Japanese quail using random regression models

ABSTRACT 1. A total of 11 826 records from 2489 quails, hatched between 2012 and 2013, were used to estimate genetic parameters for BW (body weight) of Japanese quail using random regression models. Weekly BW was measured from hatch until 49 d of age. WOMBAT software (University of New England, Australia) was used for estimating genetic and phenotypic parameters. 2. Nineteen models were evaluated to identify the best orders of Legendre polynomials. A model with Legendre polynomial of order 3 for additive genetic effect, order 3 for permanent environmental effects and order 1 for maternal permanent environmental effects was chosen as the best model. 3. According to the best model, phenotypic and genetic variances were higher at the end of the rearing period. Although direct heritability for BW reduced from 0.18 at hatch to 0.12 at 7 d of age, it gradually increased to 0.42 at 49 d of age. It indicates that BW at older ages is more controlled by genetic components in Japanese quail. 4. Phenotypic and genetic correlations between adjacent periods except hatching weight were more closely correlated than remote periods. The present results suggested that BW at earlier ages, especially at hatch, are different traits compared to BW at older ages. Therefore, BW at earlier ages could not be used as a selection criterion for improving BW at slaughter age.
The Pioneering Role of the Vaccine Safety Datalink Project (VSD) to Advance Collaborative Research and Distributed Data Networks

Introduction: Large-scale distributed data networks consisting of diverse stakeholders including providers, patients, and payers are changing health research in terms of methods, speed and efficiency. The Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) set the stage for expanded involvement of health plans in collaborative research. Expanding Surveillance Capacity and Progress Toward a Learning Health System: From an initial collaboration of four integrated health systems with fewer than 10 million covered lives to 16 diverse health plans with nearly 100 million lives now in the FDA Sentinel, the expanded engagement of health plan researchers has been essential to increase the value and impact of these efforts. The collaborative structure of the VSD established a pathway toward research efforts that successfully engage all stakeholders in a cohesive rather than competitive manner. The scientific expertise and methodology developed through the VSD such as rapid cycle analysis (RCA) to conduct near real-time safety surveillance allowed for the development of the expanded surveillance systems that now exist. Building on Success and Lessons Learned: These networks have learned from and built on the knowledge base and infrastructure created by the VSD investigators. This shared technical knowledge and experience expedited the development of systems like the FDA’s Mini-Sentinel and the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)’s PCORnet Conclusion: This narrative reviews the evolution of the VSD, its contribution to other collaborative research networks, longer-term sustainability of this type of distributed research, and how knowledge gained from the earlier efforts can contribute to a continually learning health system.
Model Checking Probabilistic Real-Time Properties for Service-Oriented Systems with Service Level Agreements

The assurance of quality of service properties is an important aspect of service-oriented software engineering. Notations for so-called service level agreements (SLAs), such as the Web Service Level Agreement (WSLA) language, provide a formal syntax to specify such assurances in terms of (legally binding) contracts between a service provider and a customer. On the other hand, formal methods for verification of probabilistic real-time behavior have reached a level of expressiveness and efficiency which allows to apply them in real-world scenarios. In this paper, we suggest to employ the recently introduced model of Interval Probabilistic Timed Automata (IPTA) for formal verification of QoS properties of service-oriented systems. Specifically, we show that IPTA in contrast to Probabilistic Timed Automata (PTA) are able to capture the guarantees specified in SLAs directly. A particular challenge in the analysis of IPTA is the fact that their naive semantics usually yields an infinite set of states and infinitely-branching transitions. However, using symbolic representations, IPTA can be analyzed rather efficiently. We have developed the first implementation of an IPTA model checker by extending the PRISM tool and show that model checking IPTA is only slightly more expensive than model checking comparable PTA.
Effect of ASA dose doubling versus switching to clopidogrel on plasma inflammatory markers concentration in patients with type 2 diabetes and high platelet reactivity: the AVOCADO study.

BACKGROUND The aim of the study was to compare the effects of 2 strategies of antiplatelet treatment (i.e., 150 mg ASA vs. 75 mg clpoidogrel) on plasma level of inflammatory markers in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with high platelet reactivity (HPR). METHODS Study cohort consisted of 304 T2DM patients on chronic ASA therapy (75 mg per day) participating in the Aspirin Versus/Or Clopidogrel in Aspirin-resistant Diabetics inflammation Outcomes (AVOCADO) study. Patients with HPR defined as Platelet Function Analyzer (PFA)-100 collagene/epinephrine closure time (CEPI-CT) < 193 s (n = 80) were randomized to 150 mg of ASA or 75 mg of clopidogrel in 2:3 ratio, respectively. Concentrations of the selected inflammatory markers, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, solubleCD40 ligand (sCD40L), and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), were measured and compared in both treatment groups before and after 8 weeks of treatment in both groups. RESULTS Out of 234 patients included into final analysis, the total of 34.2% (n = 80) patients displayed HPR, of which 14.1% (n = 33) were randomized into 150 mg of ASA group and 20.1% (n = 47) into 75 mg of clopidogrel group. Treatment with clopidogrel was a positive predictor (stepwise multiple regression analysis) of reduction of sCD40L concentration (odds ratio [OR] 4.15; p = 0.013), while treatment with 150 mg ASA was a positive predictor of reduction of IL-6 concentration (OR 4.38; p = 0.033). There was no statistically significant differences between clopidogrel and ASA 150 mg treatment in respect to predictive value for decreased hsCRP concentrations or increased TNF-α concentrations. CONCLUSIONS Increasing the dose of ASA from 75 mg to 150 mg daily or switching ASA 75 mg to clopidogrel 75 mg daily may reduce concentrations of some inflammatory markers (in particular hsCRP, IL-6 and CD40L) in T2DM patients with HPR treated previously with 75 mg of ASA.
Nature Genetics Advance Online Publication Genetic Association Study of Qt Interval Highlights Role for Calcium Signaling Pathways in Myocardial Repolarization

Prolongation and shortening of the QT interval on the electro­ cardiogram (ECG) are non­invasive markers of delayed and acceler­ ated myocardial repolarization, respectively, and of increased risk of SCD and fatal arrhythmia as a side effect of medication therapy. Mendelian LQTS and short­QT syndrome (SQTS) 1 stem from muta­ tions of strong effect (increase or decrease, respectively, in QT interval per mutation of >~20–100 ms) in genes encoding ion channels or channel­interacting proteins. In unselected community­based indi­ viduals, variation in continuous QT interval is normally distributed (ranging from 380 to 460 ms), with heritability estimates of 30–40% (ref. 2). Common genetic variants that are associated individually with modest increments (~1–4 ms/allele) in QT­interval duration have been detected through candidate gene and genome­wide association studies (GWAS) in large sample sizes including the QTGEN 3 and QTSCD 4 consortia, as well as others 5–9. Several loci have been discovered independently in both genome­ wide linkage studies of families with mendelian LQTS and GWAS of QT­interval duration in unselected populations, including those har­ boring KCNQ1, KCNH2, SCN5A, KCNE1 and KCNJ2, highlighting the value of both approaches and the overlap of common and rare variant loci. Thus far, hundreds of rare mutations in 13 LQTS susceptibility genes have been reported, with 75% of LQTS cases stemming from mutations in KCNQ1 (LQT1), KCNH2 (LQT2) and SCN5A (LQT3), <5% of cases due to LQT4–LQT13 and ~20% remaining genetically elusive. Identification of the causal genes underlying QT­interval variation in the general population has been more challenging. Here the QT Interval–International GWAS Consortium (QT­IGC) performed an expanded meta­analysis of GWAS in 76,061 individuals of European ancestry with targeted genotyping in up to 33,316 additional individuals, completed mutational analysis in probands with genetically elusive LQTS, determined whether QT interval– associated SNPs have effects on gene expression in various tissues (acting as eQTLs) or on other human phenotypes, and further annotated QT interval–associated genes using protein­protein interaction analyses. RESULTS GWAS identifies 22 new loci for QT interval Clinical characteristics of 31 study cohorts of individuals of European ancestry who contributed to the stage 1 GWAS are shown in Supplementary Table 1. All studies excluded individuals with atrial fibrillation, QRS duration greater than 120 ms, bundle branch block or intraventricular conduction delay, and, when available, electronic pacemaker use or QT­altering medication use. In each cohort, QT­interval duration adjusted for age, sex, RR interval (inverse heart rate) and principal components of genetic …