Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experience in primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumor.

BACKGROUND/AIMS We aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics, pathologic features, treatment approaches, and prognostic factors of primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumor. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the clinical characteristics, pathologic features, treatment approaches, and prognostic factors of 9 patients with primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumor treated in our hospital from January 2003 to January 2010. RESULTS The clinical manifestations were nonspecific and variable. The most common clinical manifestation was distention or right upper quadrant pain. Radiological findings are not specific and cannot distinguish primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumor from hepatocellular carcinoma. Diagnosis of primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumor was confirmed immunohistochemically and by the absence of extrahepatic primary sites. No extrahepatic primary lesions were found by ultrasonography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging or positron emission tomography scan either preoperatively or during the follow-up period in our research. Immunohistologically, synaptophysin, chromogranin A and CD56 should be used as markers to precisely diagnose primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumor. The outcome of primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumor is mostly related to its resectability. Total resection of the neoplasm is most commonly proposed. A multimodality of treatments, including chemotherapy, transarterial chemoembolization and radiofrequency ablation, should be used preor postoperatively to improve the survival. CONCLUSIONS Primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumor is a rare entity, and its diagnosis is difficult. Preoperative fine needle biopsy is strongly recommended, and primary surgery integrated with chemotherapy, transarterial chemoembolization or radiotherapy is considered to be an effective modality for primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumor.
Cleavage of Zearalenone by Trichosporon mycotoxinivorans to a Novel Nonestrogenic Metabolite

ABSTRACT Zearalenone (ZON) is a potent estrogenic mycotoxin produced by several Fusarium species most frequently on maize and therefore can be found in food and animal feed. Since animal production performance is negatively affected by the presence of ZON, its detoxification in contaminated plant material or by-products of bioethanol production would be advantageous. Microbial biotransformation into nontoxic metabolites is one promising approach. In this study the main transformation product of ZON formed by the yeast Trichosporon mycotoxinivorans was identified and characterized by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and LC-diode array detector (DAD) analysis. The metabolite, named ZOM-1, was purified, and its molecular formula, C18H24O7, was established by time of flight MS (TOF MS) from the ions observed at m/z 351.1445 [M-H]− and at m/z 375.1416 [M+Na]+. Employing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, the novel ZON metabolite was finally identified as (5S)-5-({2,4-dihydroxy-6-[(1E)-5-hydroxypent-1-en-1-yl]benzoyl}oxy)hexanoic acid. The structure of ZOM-1 is characterized by an opening of the macrocyclic ring of ZON at the ketone group at C6′. ZOM-1 did not show estrogenic activity in a sensitive yeast bioassay, even at a concentration 1,000-fold higher than that of ZON and did not interact with the human estrogen receptor in an in vitro competitive binding assay.
Validity of the Japanese version of the Munich ChronoType Questionnaire

To assess circadian preference with a score, the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) has been used for more than 3 decades now. More recently, the Munich ChronoType Questionnaire (MCTQ) was developed: it asks for sleep-wake behavior on work and free days and uses the midpoint of sleep on free days (MSF), corrected for sleep debt accumulated during the work week as an indicator of chronotype (MSFsc). In this study, we developed a Japanese version of the MCTQ by using a translation/back-translation approach including an examination of its semantic validity. In a subsequent questionnaire survey, 450 adult men and women completed the Japanese versions of the MCTQ and MEQ. Results showed that MEQ scores were significantly negatively correlated with mid-sleep parameters assessed by the MCTQ, on both, work and free days, as well as with the chronotype measure MSFsc (r = −0.580 to −0.652, all p < 0.001). As in the original German version, the strongest correlation was observed between MEQ score and MSF. A physiological validation study using dim light melatonin onset as a circadian phase marker (N = 37) showed a high correlation between chronotype as assessed with the MSFsc (r = 0.542, p < 0.001), and less so for MEQ score (r = −0.402, p = 0.055). These results demonstrate the validity of the Japanese MCTQ and provide further support of the adequacy of the MCTQ as a chronotype measure.
Factorized Variational Autoencoders for Modeling Audience Reactions to Movies

Matrix and tensor factorization methods are often used for finding underlying low-dimensional patterns from noisy data. In this paper, we study non-linear tensor factorization methods based on deep variational autoencoders. Our approach is well-suited for settings where the relationship between the latent representation to be learned and the raw data representation is highly complex. We apply our approach to a large dataset of facial expressions of movie-watching audiences (over 16 million faces). Our experiments show that compared to conventional linear factorization methods, our method achieves better reconstruction of the data, and further discovers interpretable latent factors.
Trajectory Optimization for Full-Body Movements with Complex Contacts

This paper presents the first method for full-body trajectory optimization of physics-based human motion that does not rely on motion capture, specified key-poses, or periodic motion. Optimization is performed using a small set of simple goals, for example, one hand should be on the ground, or the center-of-mass should be above a particular height. These objectives are applied to short spacetime windows which can be composed to express goals over an entire animation. Specific contact locations needed to achieve objectives are not required by our method. We show that the method can synthesize many different kinds of movement, including walking, hand walking, breakdancing, flips, and crawling. Most of these movements have never been previously synthesized by physics-based methods.
Configuring BlueStars: Multihop Scatternet Formation for Bluetooth Networks

Describes a protocol for the establishment of multihop ad hoc networks based on Bluetooth devices. The protocol proceeds in three phases: device discovery, partitioning of the network into Bluetooth piconets, and interconnection of the piconets into a connected scatternet. The protocol has the following desirable properties: it is executed at each node with no prior knowledge of the network topology, thus being fully distributed. The selection of the Bluetooth masters is driven by the suitability of a node to be the "best fit" for serving as a master. The generated scatternet is a connected mesh with multiple paths between any pair of nodes, thus achieving robustness. Differently from existing solutions, no extra hardware is required to run the protocol at each node and there is no need for a designated node to start the scatternet formation process. Simulation results are provided which evaluate the impact of the Bluetooth device discovery phase on the performance of the protocol.
Efficacy and safety of dienogest in patients with endometriosis: A single-center observational study over 12 months

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of dienogest treatment in patients who had received dienogest for 12 months or more to treat endometriosis. Methods We analyzed the clinical data of 188 women with endometriosis who had been treated with 2 mg of dienogest once a day for 12 months or more at a single institute. We evaluated changes in endometriosis-associated pain and endometrioma size, recurrence rate, and adverse events following dienogest administration. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured in patients who were prescribed dienogest for more than 18 months. Results Pain was significantly reduced at 12 months after dienogest medication. In those treated with dienogest due to recurrent endometrioma, the size of the endometrioma was significantly decreased at the 12-month and 18-month follow-ups. We found only one case of sonographic recurrence during dienogest administration among those who were treated postoperatively to prevent recurrence (1 of 114, 0.9%). The most common adverse drug reaction was uterine bleeding (3.2%), and other adverse events were generally tolerable and associated with low discontinuation rates (5.2%). Among the 50 patients in whom BMD was measured, 10 patients (20%) had a Z-score below the expected range for age. Conclusion The administration of dienogest for a year or more seems to be highly effective in preventing recurrence after surgery, reducing endometriosis-associated pain, and decreasing the size of recurrent endometrioma, with a favorable safety and tolerability profile. However, BMD should be checked in patients on long-term medication due to possible bone loss in some women.
Mood Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence and Their Outcome in Adulthood

In this chapter occurrence of mood disorders in a child and adolescent psychiatric population and among patients visiting a youth psychiatric clinic for young adults in a smaller county council and province study area in Sweden is described. It also describes the outcome in adulthood for patients having mood disorder in childhood and adolescence in terms of later general psychiatric care and diagnoses, mortality and criminality.
Mortality after a Diagnosis of Dementia in a Population Aged 75 and Over in Spain

Objectives: To examine the impact of incident dementia on the risk of death, taking into account other chronic illnesses potentially related to death. Design: Six-year, prospective, two-phase, observational cohort study. Setting: 8 municipalities from a rural area in Girona (Spain). Participants: A representative community-based cohort of 1,153 adults aged over 70 living at home at study enrolment. Measurements: Surviving participants underwent detailed clinical evaluation and were assessed by means of the Cambridge Examination for Mental Disorders of the Elderly. Relatives of deceased participants were interviewed using the Retrospective Collateral Dementia Interview. Mortality rates and relative risk of death for subjects with a diagnosis of dementia were calculated. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to assess the relationship between mortality and the diagnosis of dementia. Results: In this cohort, 40.0% (n = 49) of the subjects with a diagnosis of dementia died. The mortality rate specific to dementia was 1.0 per 100 person-years. Mortality risk ratios for dementia were 1.79 in men [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.06–3.02], and 3.14 in women (95% CI = 2.04–4.85). The population death risk attributable to the diagnosis of dementia in our cohort was 11.8%. The most important mortality risks were severe dementia (hazard ratio = 5.7, 95% CI = 3.7–8.6), cancer (hazard ratio = 3.2, 95% CI = 2.2–4.5), heart disease, and an age over 85 (hazard ratio = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.1–1.9). Conclusion: Dementia is a major risk factor for death in advanced age, with the highest mortality rates in women. Moderate and severe dementia was associated with an increased mortality risk even after appropriate control of comorbid conditions.
Sexual Dimorphism of the Arm Bones in a Modern Greek Population

Abstract: Several studies have shown that sex determination methods based on measurements of the skeleton are population specific. Metric traits of the long bones of the arm have been reported as reliable indicators of sex. This study was designed to determine whether the three long bones of the arm can be used for sex determination on a skeletal population from Greece. The material used consists of the arm bones of 204 adult individuals (111 males and 93 females) coming from the Modern Human Skeletal Collection of the University of Athens. The age range is 19–96 years for males and 20–99 years for females. The maximum lengths and epiphyseal widths were measured in the long bones of the arm (humerus, radius, and ulna). The discriminant analysis of the metrical data of each long bone gave very high discrimination accuracies. The rate of correct sex discrimination based on different long bones ranges from 90.30% (ulna) to 95.70% (humerus). In addition, intra‐ and inter‐observer error tests were performed. These indicated that replication of measurements was satisfactory for the same observer over time and between observers. The results of this study show that metric characteristics of the arm bones can be used for the determination of sex in skeletal remains from Greece and that bone dimensions are population specific.
The evolution of increased competitive ability, innate competitive advantages, and novel biochemical weapons act in concert for a tropical invader.

There are many non-mutually exclusive mechanisms for exotic invasions but few studies have concurrently tested more than one hypothesis for the same species. Here, we tested the evolution of increased competitive ability (EICA) hypothesis in two common garden experiments in which Chromolaena odorata plants originating from native and nonnative ranges were grown in competition with natives from each range, and the novel weapons hypothesis in laboratory experiments with leachates from C. odorata. Compared with conspecifics originating from the native range, C. odorata plants from the nonnative range were stronger competitors at high nutrient concentrations in the nonnative range in China and experienced far more herbivore damage in the native range in Mexico. In both China and Mexico, C. odorata was more suppressed by species native to Mexico than by species native to China. Species native to China were much more inhibited by leaf extracts from C. odorata than species from Mexico, and this difference in allelopathic effects may provide a possible explanation for the biogeographic differences in competitive ability. Our results indicate that EICA, innate competitive advantages, and novel biochemical weapons may act in concert to promote invasion by C. odorata, and emphasize the importance of exploring multiple, non-mutually exclusive mechanisms for invasions.
Closure of cerebrospinal fluid leaks prevents ascending bacterial meningitis.

INTRODUCTION Endoscopic surgery of the anterior skull base has become the standard procedure for the repair of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks of various origins. Closure of the leaks is believed to prevent ascending meningitis, although no report has specifically shown this. MATERIAL AND METHODS Retrospective chart study of 39 patients who underwent endoscopic skull base surgery from 1/1993 to 11/2002. SETTING Tertiary University Hospitals. OUTCOME MEASUREMENT Incidence of ascending meningitis after endoscopic skull base repair in patients with anterior skull base defects associated or not with meningitis and CSF leak. RESULTS Forty-one endoscopic repairs of anterior skull base defects of various origins were performed in 39 patients. Fifteen (36.5%) had suffered bacterial meningitis before surgery. Mean follow-up was 65 months (range 22-120). The defect was repaired using an "underlay" technique with lyophilized dura (n=11) or fascia lata (n=30), and covered with free mucosal grafts from either the middle or the inferior turbinates. Closure was achieved in 40/41 cases at first attempt. No recurrence of ascending bacterial meningitis was observed during follow-up in any of the fifteen patients who had previously presented with a CSF leak or skull base defect with meningitis. Also, no new bacterial meningitis occurred in all other patients. One case of meningoencephalocele of the lateral sphenoid wall developed a recurrent CSF fistula associated with bacterial meningitis two years after endoscopic repair, requiring endoscopic revision surgery. No patient received vaccination in this series. DISCUSSION Closure of active CSF leaks and reconstruction of skull base defects without CSF-leak in patients with prior ascending bacterial meningitis seem to provide excellent long-term results with neither recurrence of ascending meningitis nor incidence of meningitis in the other patients, unless a CSF leak re-appears. Conservative treatment of CSF leaks may lead to bacterial meningitis, therefore surgical closure of leaks or defects at the skull base should be considered treatment of choice to prevent ascending meningitis.
Complete Plastid Genome Sequencing of Four Tilia Species (Malvaceae): A Comparative Analysis and Phylogenetic Implications

Tilia is an ecologically and economically important genus in the family Malvaceae. However, there is no complete plastid genome of Tilia sequenced to date, and the taxonomy of Tilia is difficult owing to frequent hybridization and polyploidization. A well-supported interspecific relationships of this genus is not available due to limited informative sites from the commonly used molecular markers. We report here the complete plastid genome sequences of four Tilia species determined by the Illumina technology. The Tilia plastid genome is 162,653 bp to 162,796 bp in length, encoding 113 unique genes and a total number of 130 genes. The gene order and organization of the Tilia plastid genome exhibits the general structure of angiosperms and is very similar to other published plastid genomes of Malvaceae. As other long-lived tree genera, the sequence divergence among the four Tilia plastid genomes is very low. And we analyzed the nucleotide substitution patterns and the evolution of insertions and deletions in the Tilia plastid genomes. Finally, we build a phylogeny of the four sampled Tilia species with high supports using plastid phylogenomics, suggesting that it is an efficient way to resolve the phylogenetic relationships of this genus.
Exposure to particulate air pollution and risk of deep vein thrombosis.

BACKGROUND Particulate air pollution has been linked to heart disease and stroke, possibly resulting from enhanced coagulation and arterial thrombosis. Whether particulate air pollution exposure is related to venous thrombosis is unknown. METHODS We examined the association of exposure to particulate matter of less than 10 microm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10) with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) risk in 870 patients and 1210 controls from the Lombardy region in Italy, who were examined between 1995 and 2005. We estimated exposure to PM10 in the year before DVT diagnosis (cases) or examination (controls) through area-specific mean levels obtained from ambient monitors. RESULTS Higher mean PM10 level in the year before the examination was associated with shortened prothrombin time (PT) in DVT cases (standardized regression coefficient [beta] = -0.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.23 to 0.00) (P = .04) and controls (beta = -0.06; 95% CI, -0.11 to 0.00) (P = .04). Each increase of 10 microg/m3 in PM10 was associated with a 70% increase in DVT risk (odds ratio [OR], 1.70; 95% CI, 1.30 to 2.23) (P < .001) in models adjusting for clinical and environmental covariates. The exposure-response relationship was approximately linear over the observed PM10 range. The association between PM10 level and DVT risk was weaker in women (OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.92) (P = .02 for the interaction between PM10 and sex), particularly in those using oral contraceptives or hormone therapy (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.58 to 1.61) (P = .048 for the interaction between PM10 level and hormone use). CONCLUSIONS Long-term exposure to particulate air pollution is associated with altered coagulation function and DVT risk. Other risk factors for DVT may modulate the effect of particulate air pollution.
Transcriptome analysis of Enterococcus faecalis in response to alkaline stress

Enterococcus faecalis is the most commonly isolated species from endodontic failure root canals; its persistence in treated root canals has been attributed to its ability to resist high pH stress. The goal of this study was to characterize the E. faecalis transcriptome and to identify candidate genes for response and resistance to alkaline stress using Illumina HiSeq 2000 sequencing. We found that E. faecalis could survive and form biofilms in a pH 10 environment and that alkaline stress had a great impact on the transcription of many genes in the E. faecalis genome. The transcriptome sequencing results revealed that 613 genes were differentially expressed (DEGs) for E. faecalis grown in pH 10 medium; 211 genes were found to be differentially up-regulated and 402 genes differentially down-regulated. Many of the down-regulated genes found are involved in cell energy production and metabolism and carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism, and the up-regulated genes are mostly related to nucleotide transport and metabolism. The results presented here reveal that cultivation of E. faecalis in alkaline stress has a profound impact on its transcriptome. The observed regulation of genes and pathways revealed that E. faecalis reduced its carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism and increased nucleotide synthesis to adapt and grow in alkaline stress. A number of the regulated genes may be useful candidates for the development of new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of E. faecalis infections.
Incidence, Treatment Intensity, and Incremental Annual Expenditures for Patients Experiencing a Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Infection: Evidence From a Large US Payer Database 1-Year Post Implantation

Background— Because of the increasing use of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), it is important to estimate the incidence and annual healthcare expenditures associated with CIED infections. Methods and Results— Patients with a record of an initial or replacement (full implant or generator only) CIED implant during the calendar years 2009 to 2012 in MarketScan Commercial Claims and Medicare Supplemental database were identified. CIED infections were classified into 4 categories: (1) infection not managed by inpatient admission nor implant removal, (2) infection managed by inpatient admission but no implant removal, (3) infection managed by an implant removal either in an inpatient or in an outpatient setting, and (4) infection with severe sepsis and managed in an inpatient setting with implant removal. Using separate models for initial and replacement cohorts, annualized incidence of infection and incremental annual expenditures by treatment intensity were estimated. Cumulative incidence of infection at 1 year post implant was 1.18% for initial CIED implants and 2.37% for replacement. Median time to infection was 35 days for initial and 23 days for replacement. Incremental healthcare expenditures by treatment intensity categories for initial implant patients at 1 year were $16 651, $104 077, $45 291, and $279 744. For replacement patients, incremental expenditures at 1 year by treatment intensity categories were $26 857, $43 541, $48 759, and $362 606. Conclusions— The management of CIED infections results in a substantial healthcare burden with a significant increase in annual expenditures the year after implant when device infection occurs.