Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Should Bilateral Internal Thoracic Artery Grafting Be Used in Elderly Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting?

Background— Although bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting is associated with improved survival, the use of this technique in the elderly is controversial because of their increased surgical risk and shorter life expectancy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of age on outcome of patients undergoing bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting. Methods and Results— Between 1996 and 2001, 1714 consecutive patients underwent skeletonized bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting, of whom 748 were ⩽65 years of age, 688 were between 65 and 75 years of age, and 278 were ≥75 years of age. Operative mortality of the 3 age groups (1.2%, 4.1%, and 5.8%, respectively) was lower than the logistic EuroSCORE predicted mortality (3.9%, 6.5%, and 9.3%, respectively; P<0.001). There were no significant differences among the groups in occurrence of sternal infection (1.3%, 2.6%, and 1.4%, respectively; P=0.171). Mean follow-up was 11.5 years. Kaplan–Meier 10-year survival for patients ⩽65, 65 to 75, and >75 years of age was 85%, 65%, and 40%, respectively (P<0.001). These rates were better than the corresponding predicted Charlson Comorbidity Index survival rates (68%, 37%, and 20%, respectively; P<0.001 for all age groups), approaching survival of the sex- and age-matched general population (90%, 70%, and 41%, respectively). Age ⩽65 years (hazard ratio, 0.232; 95% confidence interval, 0.188–0.288) and age 65 to 75 years (hazard ratio, 0.499; 95% confidence interval, 0.414–0.602) were independent predictors of improved survival (Cox model). Conclusions— Bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting should be considered in patients >65 years of age because of the significant survival benefit obtained with this surgical technique with no additional risk of sternal wound infection related to age.
Executive control network connectivity strength protects against relapse to cocaine use

Cocaine addiction is characterized by notoriously high relapse rates following treatment. Recent efforts to address poor treatment outcomes have turned to potential neural markers of relapse risk. Accordingly, the present study examined resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) within and between three large‐scale cortical networks: the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN) and executive control network (ECN). All three have been implicated in relapse‐related phenomena including craving, withdrawal and executive control deficits. Forty‐five cocaine‐dependent individuals and 22 healthy controls completed 6‐min resting fMRI scans, The Wisconsin Card Sorting Task, Continuous Performance Test and Cocaine Craving Questionnaire. Cocaine‐dependent individuals completed all measures in the final week of a residential treatment episode. Ten control and 9 abstinent cocaine‐dependent individuals returned for 3–6 month follow‐up scan visits. A group‐level independent component analysis was employed to generate ECN, DMN and SN components. For individuals abstinent up to day 30 post‐treatment (n = 21), we found enhanced pre‐discharge rsFC between the left ECN and both the right ECN and SN as well as between the right ECN and left ECN. Left ECN rsFC effects remained elevated 3–6 months later among abstinent cocaine‐dependent individuals. Relapse was related to fewer years of education and more years smoking but no other demographic, clinical, treatment and neurocognitive characteristics. Findings suggest that interhemispheric ECN and ECN‐SN connectivity strength may protect against relapse to cocaine use following treatment. These patterns of enhanced interhemispheric network connectivity may reflect a greater capacity to engage executive control processes when faced with opportunities to use cocaine post‐treatment.
Antibody Prevalence and Factors Associated with Exposure to Orientia tsutsugamushi in Different Aboriginal Subgroups in West Malaysia

Background Limited data is available on the current status of scrub typhus infection in the aboriginal population in Malaysia. This study was aimed to provide recent data on the degree of exposure of 280 individuals from seven aboriginal subgroups to Orientia tsutsugamushi (causative agent of scrub typhus) in West Malaysia. The environment, socioeconomic and behavioural risk factors associated with the disease were also investigated. Methods/Findings The antibody prevalence to O. tsutsugamushi ranged from 0 to 36.4% in seven subgroups, with high prevalence rates noted in subgroups involved in agricultural activity and the lowest prevalence rates noted in subgroups whose main occupations were associated to fishing. Univariate analysis indicated populations with age above 18 years (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.02–1.30, P = 0.015), working (OR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.01–3.92, P = 0.044), working at agriculture area (OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 0.98–1.42, P = 0.031), receiving household income less than US$ 166.7 (RM500) per month (OR = 2.43, 95% CI = 1.16–5.11, P = 0.016) and having close contact with animal pets (OR = 4.06, 95% CI = 1.20–13.76, P = 0.016) are significantly associated with exposure to O. tsutsugamushi. Multivariate analysis confirms that participants who are above 18 years old, receiving household income less than US$ 166.7 (RM500) per month and having close contact with animal pets are 3.6 times (95% CI = 1.81–7.03, P<0.001), 1.3 times (95% CI = 1.14–1.64, P = 0.002) and 1.2 times (95% CI = 1.05–1.06, P = 0.006) more likely to have exposure to O. tsutsugamushi, respectively. Conclusion The present study indicates that scrub typhus is still an important disease in the aboriginal population in Malaysia. Awareness about the disease and education on the preventive measures are important in reducing the risk of acquiring scrub typhus in the population studied.
Novel Y Chromosome Retrocopies in Canids Revealed through a Genome-Wide Association Study for Sex

The lack of an annotated reference sequence for the canine Y chromosome has limited evolutionary studies, as well as our understanding of the role of Y-linked sequences in phenotypes with a sex bias. In genome-wide association studies (GWASs), we observed spurious associations with autosomal SNPs when sex was unbalanced in case-control cohorts and hypothesized that a subset of SNPs mapped to autosomes are in fact sex-linked. Using the Illumina 230K CanineHD array in a GWAS for sex, we identified SNPs that amplify in both sexes but possess significant allele frequency differences between males and females. We found 48 SNPs mapping to 14 regions of eight autosomes and the X chromosome that are Y-linked, appearing heterozygous in males and monomorphic in females. Within these 14 regions are eight genes: three autosomal and five X-linked. We investigated the autosomal genes (MITF, PPP2CB, and WNK1) and determined that the SNPs are diverged nucleotides in retrocopies that have transposed to the Y chromosome. MITFY and WNK1Y are expressed and appeared recently in the Canidae lineage, whereas PPP2CBY represents a much older insertion with no evidence of expression in the dog. This work reveals novel canid Y chromosome sequences and provides evidence for gene transposition to the Y from autosomes and the X.
Synthesis of Telmisartan Organotin(IV) Complexes and their use as Carbon Dioxide Capture Media

Novel, porous, highly aromatic organotin(IV) frameworks were successfully synthesized by the condensation of telmisartan and an appropriate tin(IV) chloride. The structures of the synthesized organotin(IV) complexes were elucidated by elemental analysis, 1H-, 13C-, and 119Sn-NMR, and FTIR spectroscopy. The surface morphologies of the complexes were inspected by field emission scanning electron microscopy. The synthesized mesoporous organotin(IV) complexes have a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area of 32.3–130.4 m2·g−1, pore volume of 0.046–0.162 cm3·g−1, and pore size of around 2.4 nm. The tin complexes containing a butyl substituent were more efficient as carbon dioxide storage media than the complexes containing a phenyl substituent. The dibutyltin(IV) complex had the highest BET surface area (SBET = 130.357 m2·g−1), the largest volume (0.162 cm3·g−1), and was the most efficient for carbon dioxide storage (7.1 wt%) at a controlled temperature (323 K) and pressure (50 bars).
Nonfragile $H_{\infty}$ Control for Uncertain Neutral Systems With Time-Varying Delays via the LMI Optimization Approach

The nonfragile Hinfin control problem for a neutral system with time-varying delays is considered. Delay-dependent criteria are proposed to guarantee the stabilization and disturbance attenuation of systems. A linear matrix inequality optimization approach is used to solve the nonfragile Hinfin control problem. Nonfragile H infin control for an unperturbed neutral system is investigated first. Then, nonfragile Hinfin control for an uncertain neutral system is derived directly from the unperturbed case. Finally, two examples are illustrated to show the improvement of this correspondence
Improving the quality of patient handover on a surgical ward

Abstract The European Working Time Directive means safe patient hand over is imperative. It is the responsibility of every doctor and an issue of patient safety and clinical governance [1]. The aims of this project were to improve the quality of patient handover between combined assessment unit (CAU) and surgical ward FY1 doctors. The Royal College of Surgeons England (RCSEng) guidelines on surgical patient handover [1] were used as the standard. Data was collected throughout November 2013. A handover tool was then introduced and attached to the front of patient notes when a patient was transferred from CAU to the surgical ward. The doctor handing over the patient and the ward doctor receiving the handover signed this document. Policy was also changed so that handover should take place once the patient had received senior review on the CAU and was deemed appropriate for transfer to the surgical ward. Data from the handover tool was collated and checked against the list of surgical admission for February 2014. The number of patients handed over improved from 15 % to 45%. The quality of patient handover also improved. 0 patient handovers in November 2013 included all of the information recommended by the RCSEng guidelines. 100% of the patient handovers in February 2014 contained all the recommended information. Introduction of a handover tool and formalisation of timing of patient handover helped to improve quality and number of patients being handed over. Further work needs to be done to improve safe handover of surgical patients, particularly out of hours.
The effect of inter-electrode distance on radial muscle displacement and contraction time of the biceps femoris, gastrocnemius medialis and biceps brachii, using tensiomyography in healthy participants

Background: The systematic effect of inter-electrode distance on electrically elicited radial muscle displacement (Dm) and contraction time (Tc) of the biceps femoris, gastrocnemius medialis and biceps brachii using tensiomyography (TMG) is currently unavailable. Objective: To investigate the effects of inter-electrode distance (4 cm, 5 cm, 6 cm and 7 cm) on Dm and Tc of the biceps femoris, gastrocnemius medialis and biceps brachii, when the current amplitude is standardised. Approach: A within subject, repeated measures cross-over study. Participants: 24 participants. Main results: Biceps femoris and gastrocnemius medialis Dm increased with increased inter-electrode distance (biceps femoris: p = 0.015; gastrocnemius medialis: p = 0.000), yet Tc were not affected (p > 0.05). Biceps brachii Dm was not affected by inter-electrode distance (p > 0.05), yet Tc became shorter with increased inter-electrode distance (p = 0.032). Significance: Inter-electrode distance affects Dm but not Tc in two pennate muscles (biceps femoris and gastrocnemius medialis), and Tc but not Dm in one parallel muscle (biceps brachii). Based on Dm measurements, optimal muscle specific inter-electrode distances were judged within the limits of this study. The following optimal inter-electrode distances are suggested: biceps femoris = 6 cm, gastrocnemius medialis = 7 cm and biceps brachii = 4 cm. Our findings emphasise the importance of accurate implementation and reporting of inter-electrode distance, for the reproducibility and comparability of studies using TMG.
Robust Power Control and Beamforming in Cognitive Radio Networks: A Survey

Traditional spectrum allocation policies may result in temporarily unused radio spectrum. Cognitive radio (CR) has emerged as a promising technology to exploit the radio spectrum in a more efficient manner by allowing spectrum sharing between secondary users (SUs) and primary users (PUs). Power control and beamforming are two key techniques in CR design used to maximize the benefits of SUs, yet to maintain the quality of service of PUs. In practice, the available system parameters (e.g., channel state information and interference power) to enable power control and beamforming could be uncertain due to various factors such as estimation error and/or measurement error, thus the robustness of the designed algorithms should be considered in order to overcome the effects of parametric uncertainties. The objective of this paper is to give an overview on robust design for power control and beamforming in cognitive radio networks (CRNs). We will analyze modeling methods for parametric uncertainties, introduce various design methodologies, and present robust algorithms that have appeared in the literatures. Finally, some potential issues and future research directions in this field will be presented.
Transformed human cells produce a new fibronectin isoform by preferential alternative splicing of a previously unobserved exon.

Purification and amino acid sequence analysis of a proteolytic fragment of fibronectin (FN) from transformed human cells demonstrated that a high percentage of these FN molecules contains an extra amino acid sequence which is present only in a very low percentage of FN molecules from normal fibroblasts and is undetectable in plasma FN. This new amino acid sequence introduces into the FN molecule a site very sensitive to a number of proteolytic enzymes. By analyzing the cellular mRNA and genomic clones, we have demonstrated that this sequence derives from a differential splicing pattern of the FN mRNA precursors, which leads in transformed cells to a high‐level expression of an extra type III homology repeat (ED‐B) coded for by a previously unobserved exon. Here we also report the complete sequence of this new exon. These results demonstrate that in malignant cells the mechanisms regulating the splicing of FN mRNA precursors are altered.
Maternal consumption of coffee during pregnancy and stillbirth and infant death in first year of life: prospective study

Abstract Objective: To study the association between coffee consumption during pregnancy and the risk of stillbirth and infant death in the first year of life. Design: Prospective follow up study. Setting: Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, 1989-96. Participants: 18 478 singleton pregnancies in women with valid information about coffee consumption during pregnancy. Main outcome measures: Stillbirth (delivery of a dead fetus at ≥28 weeks' gestation) and infant death (death of a liveborn infant during the first year of life). Results: Pregnant women who drank eight or more cups of coffee per day during pregnancy had an increased risk of stillbirth compared with women who did not drink coffee (odds ratio=3.0, 95% confidence interval 1.5 to 5.9). After adjustment for smoking habits and alcohol intake during pregnancy, the relative risk of stillbirth decreased slightly. Adjustment for parity, maternal age, marital status, years of education, occupational status, and body mass index did not substantially change the estimates of association. There was no significant association between coffee consumption and death in the first year of life after adjustment for smoking habits during pregnancy. Conclusion: Drinking coffee during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of stillbirth but not with infant death. What is already known on this topic Results from studies in monkeys suggest that high daily doses of caffeine in pregnancy increase the risk of stillbirth, but evidence from studies in humans has been lacking What this study adds Pregnant women who drank eight or more cups of coffee a day had more than twice the risk of stillbirth compared with women who did not drink coffee during pregnancy
Call Blocking Probability and Effective Throughput for Call Admission Control of CoMP Joint Transmission

Coordinated multipoint transmission (CoMP) with the joint transmission (JT) scheme is employed in cellular networks to improve data rate and cell-edge throughput and/or to increase system throughput. In CoMP-JT, since the user equipment (UE) is capable of receiving the desired signal from an adjacent cell, as well as from its serving cell, it can achieve an improved signal-to-interference ratio (SIR). However, this scheme entails exhaustion of resources in serving base stations. In this paper, we propose a call admission control scheme (CAC) to improve the performance of CoMP-JT-based cellular systems. In this CAC scheme, the CoMP-JT technique is applied to UEs located near the edge of a cell. To establish an analytical model for CoMP-JT-based cellular systems, we introduce a model for traffic analysis using a 2-D Markov chain and approximate the computation of the power sum of multiple lognormal random components in a multicell environment. Performances of CoMP-JT-based cellular systems are evaluated with respect to two quality-of-service (QoS) constraints pertaining to call-blocking and outage probabilities, respectively, from the network-layer and the physical-layer perspectives. We first measure the resource utilization and call blocking probability for the downlink resources for various offered loads in the cell. Based on that, we obtain the outage probability and effective throughput of the system. The analytical results are compared with computer simulations. Finally, we consider the dynamic point selection (DPS) scheme that is a modified version of the JT scheme, in which some resources of adjacent cells are muted.
Occurrence of adverse events among patients with inflammatory bowel disease in the HealthCore Integrated Research Database

Abstract Objectives: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition commonly requiring lifelong care. Both IBD and IBD-related treatments can cause significant morbidity, and it is often difficult to differentiate their relative etiologic contribution to adverse events (AEs). The objectives of this study were to assess the rates of select AEs among patients with IBD as a function of disease severity and of the use of anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNFα) medications. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of IBD patients in the HealthCore Integrated Research Database (HIRDTM) between January 2004 and January 2011 to determine rates of AEs in patients with mild and moderate to severe IBD. Key study endpoints were select prespecified malignant neoplasms, infections, and other AEs of interest. Results: A total of 33,386 IBD patients (52.7% ulcerative colitis; 47.3% Crohn's disease) met the inclusion criteria, and 60% had been followed for ≥1 year. Patients with moderate to severe IBD had increased rates of infections, lymphatic and digestive tract cancers, gastrointestinal (GI) perforations, and myocardial infarctions versus patients with mild IBD. Patients with IBD who used anti-TNFα therapies during the study had increased incidence of many types of infections, certain GI cancers (including rectal and anal cancer), intestinal perforations, and kidney stones compared with patients who had never used anti-TNFα therapies. Conclusions: Results from this large US cohort provide descriptive information on AE rates in a population of IBD patients undergoing routine care, estimating background incidence rates of AEs that are not readily available in the published literature. Our study findings may be limited owing to a lack of generalizability and potential for misclassification due to reliance on medical diagnosis and treatment and procedure codes to identify disease, comorbidities, and treatments. Further research and validation of our findings in other populations and databases are needed.
The First Evaluation of a Novel Vitamin K Antagonist, Tecarfarin (ATI-5923), in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation

Background— Tecarfarin (ATI-5923) is a novel oral vitamin K antagonist. Unlike warfarin, it is metabolized by esterases, escaping metabolism by the cytochrome P450 system and thereby avoiding cytochrome P450–mediated drug-drug or drug-food interactions as well as genetic variations found in the cytochrome P450 system. Both tecarfarin and warfarin can be monitored with the international normalized ratio. We hypothesized that the time in therapeutic range for tecarfarin will exceed values usually experienced with warfarin. Methods and Results— This was a 6- to 12-week open-label, multicenter, phase IIA study of 66 atrial fibrillation patients with a mild to moderate risk of stroke to determine the safety and tolerability of tecarfarin and to ascertain an optimal tecarfarin dosing regimen. Sixty-four subjects (97%) were taking warfarin at enrollment and were switched to tecarfarin. After the initial 3 weeks of tecarfarin treatment, the mean interpolated time in therapeutic range was 71.4%. Only 10.9% of patients had time in therapeutic range of <45%. Times in extreme international normalized ratio ranges of <1.5 and >4.0 were 1.2% and 1.2%, respectively. The median daily dose (for an individual patient) to maintain an international normalized ratio between 2 and 3 was 15.6 mg (range, 6 to 29 mg). Conclusions— This is the first study of tecarfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation. It appears that tecarfarin may possess advantages over the currently available standard of care, warfarin, by improving time in therapeutic range. Adequately powered prospective trials are warranted to definitively compare tecarfarin with warfarin in clinical settings for which warfarin is indicated.
Treatment Initiation, Program Attrition and Patient Treatment Outcomes Associated with Scale-Up and Decentralization of HIV Care in Rural Malawi

Objective To describe patient antiretroviral therapy (cART) outcomes associated with intensive decentralization of services in a rural HIV program in Malawi. Methods Longitudinal analysis of data from HIV-infected patients starting cART between August 2001 and December 2008 and of a cross-sectional immunovirological assessment conducted 12 (±2) months after therapy start. One-year mortality, lost to follow-up, and attrition (deaths and lost to follow-up) rates were estimated with exact Poisson 95% confidence intervals (CI) by type of care delivery and year of initiation. Association of virological suppression (<50 copies/mL) and immunological success (CD4 gain ≥100 cells/µL), with type of care was investigated using multiple logistic regression. Results During the study period, 4322 cART patients received centralized care and 11,090 decentralized care. At therapy start, patients treated in decentralized health facilities had higher median CD4 count levels (167 vs. 130 cell/µL, P<0.0001) than other patients. Two years after cART start, program attrition was lower in decentralized than centralized facilities (9.9 per 100 person-years, 95% CI: 9.5–10.4 vs. 20.8 per 100 person-years, 95% CI: 19.7–22.0). One year after treatment start, differences in immunological success (adjusted OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 0.83–1.83), and viral suppression (adjusted OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.56–1.14) between patients followed at centralized and decentralized facilities were not statistically significant. Conclusions In rural Malawi, 1- and 2-year program attrition was lower in decentralized than in centralized health facilities and no statistically significant differences in one-year immunovirological outcomes were observed between the two health care levels. Longer follow-up is needed to confirm these results.