Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
P3ARM-t: Privacy-Preserving Protocol for Association Rule Mining with t Collusion Resistance

The ability to mine large volumes of distributed datasets enables more precise decision making. However, privacy concerns should be carefully addressed when mining datasets distributed over autonomous sites. We propose a new cryptography-based Privacy-Preserving Protocol for Association Rule Mining with t collusion resistance (P3ARM-t), where t is the threshold of number of colluding sites. P3ARM-t is based on a distributed implementation of the Apriori algorithm. The key idea is to arbitrary assign polling sites to collect itemsets’ supports in encrypted forms using homomorphic encryption techniques. Polling sites are randomly assigned and are different for consecutive rounds of the protocol to reduce the potential for collusion. Our performance analysis shows that P3ARM-t significantly outperforms a leading existing protocol. Moreover, P3ARMt is scalable in the number of sites and the volume of data. The protocol also decreases the potential for collusion for up to t colluding sites.
Metabolic Activity of Normal Glandular Tissue on 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography: Correlation with Menstrual Cycles and Parenchymal Enhancements

Purpose The aims of our study were to correlate the degree of metabolic activity in normal glandular tissue measured on 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) with qualitative background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) grades on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and to investigate the change in standardized uptake value (SUV) according to the patients' menstrual cycles. Methods From January 2013 to December 2015, 298 consecutive premenopausal patients with breast cancer who underwent both breast MRI and 18F-FDG PET/CT were identified. BPE was evaluated in the contralateral breast of cancer patients and categorized as minimal, mild, moderate, or marked based on Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System criteria. We analyzed the correlation between BPE and maximum SUV (SUVmax) and mean SUV (SUVmean) values. We also analyzed the metabolic activity of normal glandular tissue according to the patients' menstrual cycles. Results The mean SUVmax and SUVmean values differed significantly according to BPE grade (p<0001), with the lowest values occurring in the minimal group and the highest values occurring in the marked group. Spearman's correlation coefficients revealed moderate correlations between BPE grade and SUVmax (r=0.472, p<0.001) and BPE and SUVmean (r=0.498, p<0.001). The mean SUVmax and SUVmean values differed significantly according to the patients' menstrual cycles, with the highest values in the 3rd week and the lowest value in the 2nd week. Of 29 patients with low metabolic parenchyma (high BPE but low SUVmean values), 17 (58.6%) were in the 4th week of their menstrual cycle. Conclusion The metabolic activity of normal breast parenchyma, which is highest in the 3rd week and lowest in the 2nd week of the menstrual cycle, correlates moderately with BPE on MRI. Metabolic activity tends to be lower than blood flow and vessel permeability in the 4th week of the menstrual cycle.
The Current Evidence on the Association Between the Urinary Microbiome and Urinary Incontinence in Women

Urinary incontinence (UI) is a burdensome condition with high prevalence in middle-aged to older women and an unclear etiology. Advances in our understanding of host-microbe interactions in the urogenital tract have stimulated interest in the urinary microbiome. DNA sequencing and enhanced urine culture suggest that similarly to other mucosal sites, the urinary bladder of healthy individuals harbors resident microbial communities that may play distinct roles in bladder function. This review focused on the urobiome (expanded quantitative urine culture-based or genomic sequencing-based urinary microbiome) associated with different subtypes of UI, including stress, urgency and mixed urinary incontinence, and related syndromes, such as interstitial cystitis and overactive bladder in women, contrasted to urinary tract infections. Furthermore, we examined clinical evidence for the association of the urinary microbiome with responses to pharmacotherapy for amelioration of UI symptoms. Although published studies are still relatively limited in number, study design and sample size, cumulative evidence suggests that certain Lactobacillus species may play a role in maintaining a healthy bladder milieu. Higher bacterial diversity in the absence of Lactobacillus dominance was associated with urgency UI and resistance to anticholinergic treatment for this condition. UI may also facilitate the persistence of uropathogens following antibiotic treatment, which in turn can alter the commensal/potentially beneficial microbial communities. Risk factors of UI, including age, menopausal status, sex steroid hormones, and body mass index may also impact the urinary microbiome. However, it is yet unclear whether the effects of these risks factors on UI are mediated by urinary host-microbe interactions and a mechanistic link with the female urogenital microbiome is still to be established. Strategies for future research are suggested.
Using a Mobile Robot for Cognitive Mapping

When animals (including humans) first explore a new environment, what they remember is fragmentary knowledge about the places visited. Yet, they have to use such fragmentary knowledge to find their way home. Humans naturally use more powerful heuristics while lower animals have shown to develop a variety of methods that tend to utilize two key pieces of information, namely distance and orientation information. Their methods differ depending on how they sense their environment. Could a mobile robot be used to investigate the nature of such a process, commonly referred to in the psychological literature as cognitive mapping? What might be computed in the initial explorations and how is the resulting "cognitive map" be used to return home? In this paper, we presented a novel approach using a mobile robot to do cognitive mapping. Our robot computes a "cognitive map" and uses distance and orientation information to find its way home. The process developed provides interesting insights into the nature of cognitive mapping and encourages us to use a mobile robot to do cognitive mapping in the future, as opposed to its popular use in robot mapping.
JC Polyomavirus Infection Is Strongly Controlled by Human Leucocyte Antigen Class II Variants

JC polyomavirus (JCV) carriers with a compromised immune system, such as in HIV, or subjects on immune-modulating therapies, such as anti VLA-4 therapy may develop progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) which is a lytic infection of oligodendrocytes in the brain. Serum antibodies to JCV mark infection occur only in 50–60% of infected individuals, and high JCV-antibody titers seem to increase the risk of developing PML. We here investigated the role of human leukocyte antigen (HLA), instrumental in immune defense in JCV antibody response. Anti-JCV antibody status, as a surrogate for JCV infection, were compared to HLA class I and II alleles in 1621 Scandinavian persons with MS and 1064 population-based Swedish controls and associations were replicated in 718 German persons with MS. HLA-alleles were determined by SNP imputation, sequence specific (SSP) kits and a reverse PCR sequence-specific oligonucleotide (PCR-SSO) method. An initial GWAS screen displayed a strong HLA class II region signal. The HLA-DRB1*15 haplotype was strongly negatively associated to JCV sero-status in Scandinavian MS cases (OR = 0.42, p = 7×10−15) and controls (OR = 0.53, p = 2×10−5). In contrast, the DQB1*06:03 haplotype was positively associated with JCV sero-status, in Scandinavian MS cases (OR = 1.63, p = 0.006), and controls (OR = 2.69, p = 1×10−5). The German dataset confirmed these findings (OR = 0.54, p = 1×10−4 and OR = 1.58, p = 0.03 respectively for these haplotypes). HLA class II restricted immune responses, and hence CD4+ T cell immunity is pivotal for JCV infection control. Alleles within the HLA-DR1*15 haplotype are associated with a protective effect on JCV infection. Alleles within the DQB1*06:03 haplotype show an opposite association. These associations between JC virus antibody response and human leucocyte antigens supports the notion that CD4+ T cells are crucial in the immune defence to JCV and lays the ground for risk stratification for PML and development of therapy and prevention.
Toward Fairness of Cryptocurrency Payments

Motivated by the great success and adoption of Bitcoin, a number of cryptocurrencies such as Litecoin, Dogecoin, and Ethereum are becoming increasingly popular. Although existing blockchain-based cryptocurrency schemes can ensure reasonable security for transactions, they do not consider any notion of fairness. Fair exchange allows two players to exchange digital “items,” such as digital signatures, over insecure networks fairly, so that either each player gets the other’s item, or neither player does. Given that blockchain participants typically do not trust each other, enabling fairness in existing cryptocurrencies is an essential but insufficiently explored problem. In this article, we explore the solution space for enabling the fair exchange of a cryptocurrency payment for a receipt. We identify the timeliness of an exchange as an important property especially when one of the parties involved in the exchange is resource-constrained. We introduce the notion of strong timeliness for a fair exchange protocol and propose two fair payment-for-receipt protocol instantiations that leverage functionality of the blockchain to achieve strong timeliness. We implement both and compare their security and efficiency.
Trends and Variations in the Rates of Hospital Complications, Failure-to-Rescue and 30-Day Mortality in Surgical Patients in New South Wales, Australia, 2002-2009

Background Despite the increased acceptance of failure-to-rescue (FTR) as an important patient safety indicator (defined as the percentage of deaths among surgical patients with treatable complications), there has not been any large epidemiological study reporting FTR in an Australian setting nor any evaluation on its suitability as a performance indicator. Methods We conducted a population-based study on elective surgical patients from 82 public acute hospitals in New South Wales, Australia between 2002 and 2009, exploring the trends and variations in rates of hospital complications, FTR and 30-day mortality. We used Poisson regression models to derive relative risk ratios (RRs) after adjusting for a range of patient and hospital characteristics. Results The average rates of complications, FTR and 30-day mortality were 13.8 per 1000 admissions, 14.1% and 6.1 per 1000 admission, respectively. The rates of complications and 30-day mortality were stable throughout the study period however there was a significant decrease in FTR rate after 2006, coinciding with the establishment of national and state-level peak patient safety agencies. There were marked variations in the three rates within the top 20% of hospitals (best) and bottom 20% of hospitals (worst) for each of the four peer-hospital groups. The group comprising the largest volume hospitals (principal referral/teaching hospitals) had a significantly higher rate of FTR in comparison to the other three groups of smaller-sized peer hospital groups (RR = 0.78, 0.57, and 0.61, respectively). Adjusted rates of complications, FTR and 30-day mortality varied widely for individual surgical procedures between the best and worst quintile hospitals within the principal referral hospital group. Conclusions The decrease in FTR rate over the study period appears to be associated with a wide range of patient safety programs. The marked variations in the three rates between- and within- peer hospital groups highlight the potential for further quality improvement intervention opportunities.
Comparison of efficacy, toxicity and pharmacokinetics of free adriamycin and adriamycin linked to oxidized dextran in rats.

Adriamycin linked to oxidized dextran (ADM-OXD) via Schiff's base formation was compared with free adriamycin with regard to antitumor activity, acute toxicity and plasma pharmacokinetics in rats following i.v. administration. ADM-OXD showed higher activity against Walker carcinosarcoma 256 than free adriamycin. On the other hand, the acute toxicity of ADM-OXD was about three times less than that of free adriamycin. In contrast to free adriamycin, a very high plasma level of adriamycin was found after i.v. administration of ADM-OXD. The area under the plasma concentration curve with ADM-OXD was about 160-fold higher than with free adriamycin. Thus, the improvement of the therapeutic index in the case of ADM-OXD might be due to the difference in the disposition of ADM-OXD and free adriamycin in rats.
The Haptoglobin 1 Allele Correlates With White Matter Hyperintensities in Middle-Aged Adults With Type 1 Diabetes

Although the haptoglobin (Hp) 1-1 genotype is associated with a lower coronary artery disease (CAD) risk in diabetes, we recently reported an increased stroke incidence in type 1 diabetes with Hp 1-1. We, thus, evaluated differences in earlier brain vascular abnormality markers by Hp using neuroimaging. Neuroimaging was completed in 94 participants of the Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications study with Hp genotyping available (mean age, 49; duration, 41 years). White matter hyperintensities (WMH) volume, lacunar infarcts, and gray matter atrophy were quantified. Sixteen percent were homozygous for Hp 1 and 43% for Hp 2. A significant trend toward increased WMH was observed with greater duration and the number of Hp 1 alleles. Associations were strongest for the interhemispheric connecting fibers of the corpus callosum. Allowing for duration, sex, waist-to-hip ratio, HbA1c, systolic blood pressure, and lipids in models with backward elimination, results were similar. No significant differences by Hp were noted for atrophy or lacunar infarcts. Consistent with its direct association with stroke, the Hp 1-1 genotype is associated with higher WMH in this population. Further, including mechanistic, studies on the role of the Hp genotype in cerebrovascular disease and the implications for worsening cognitive function are needed.
Attitude to blood donation in Saudi Arabia

Background and Objectives: The blood donor system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia depends on a combination of voluntary and involuntary donors. The aim of this study is to explore the attitudes, beliefs and motivations of Saudis toward blood donation. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted at the Donor Centers at King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH) Blood Bank and King Saud University Students Health Center, Riyadh. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to donors (n = 517) and nondonors (n = 316), between February and June 2008. All were males. Results: Ninety-nine percent of the respondents showed positive attitude toward blood donations and its importance for patients care, and object the importation of blood from abroad. Blood donors: Ninety-one percent agree that that blood donation is a religious obligation, 91% think no compensation should be given, 63% will accept a token gift, 34% do not object to donating six times/year and 67% did not mind coming themselves to the donor center to give blood. Nondonors: Forty-six percent were not asked to give blood and those who were asked mentioned fear (5%) and lack of time (16%) as their main deterrents. Reasons for rejection as donors include underweight and age (71%) and health reasons (19%). Seventy-five percent objected to money compensation but 69% will accept token gifts and 92% will donate if a relative/friend needs blood. Conclusion: These results reflect an encouraging strong positive attitude toward blood donation. Further future planning with emphasis on educational/publicity programs and careful organization of donor recruitment campaigns could see the dream of total voluntary nonremunerated blood donations should not take long to be true.
An HSV-1 chimeric containing HSV-2 latency associated transcript (LAT) sequences has significantly reduced adrenergic reactivation in the rabbit eye model

Purpose. Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 express LAT during viral latency. Previous studies indicated that deletion of either LAT impairs viral reactivation from latency, but that the HSV-1 LAT confers the ability to reactivate efficiently from trigeminal ganglia onto HSV-2. We sought to determine whether the HSV-2 LAT could function in the context of HSV-1. Methods. A chimeric HSV-1 that expresses the HSV-2 LAT in place of both copies of its own LAT was constructed. A rescuant virus, in which the wild-type genotype was restored, was also constructed to demonstrate that any phenotypic differences between the mutant virus and wild-type virus were due to the introduced mutations rather than to inadvertent mutations elsewhere in the virus. All viruses were tested in vitro and in vivo (via inoculation of rabbit eyes and induction of reactivation via iontophoresis of epinephrine) to determine the ability of the HSV-2 LAT to substitute for the HSV-1 LAT during acute infection and reactivation from latency. Results. Substitution of the HSV-2 LAT for the HSV-1 LAT had no effect on acute replication or on the ability of the virus to cause disease in the rabbit ocular model. The ability of the mutant virus to reactivate from latency was substantially impaired relative to wild-type HSV-1. Conclusions. The HSV-2 LAT cannot substitute for the HSV-1 LAT in promoting reactivation from HSV-1 latency from rabbit trigeminal ganglia. This is consistent with the LAT being the major determinant of site-specific HSV reactivation.
The challenges of detecting gonorrhoea and chlamydia in rectal and pharyngeal sites: could we, should we, be doing more?

It is important that all men who have sex with men (MSM) accessing sexual healthcare are tested for Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) at all anatomical sites where they may be at risk of infection. In the United Kingdom, culture is considered the diagnostic gold standard for GC at extragenital sites owing to its high specificity, while nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) are preferred for CT. However, sometimes rectal CT testing is only offered to symptomatic patients and often testing for pharyngeal CT infection is not performed at all because of both technical and financial concerns.1 In this issue of STI Ota et al present the results of a study examining the performance of culture and NAATs for the detection of CT and GC in extragenital sites in a high-prevalence group of MSM.2 Worryingly, very low sensitivity data for both CT and GC culture in rectal sites (21% and 41.4% respectively) and pharyngeal sites (0% for both agents) are reported. While the authors stress that their culture facilities may be suboptimal they are probably representative of many clinical settings and this highlights the problems with using culture as a diagnostic test. This is particularly relevant when using culture to detect STIs in extragenital sites where the infectious agents are fastidious in nature, present in low numbers and may be masked by high levels of commensal bacteria. To date the highest reported sensitivity data for culture in the rectum are 27% (CT) and 86.4% (GC), and in the pharynx they are 44% (CT) and 41% (GC), so even with the best culture facilities available a significant number of infections will go undetected.3 4 An undiagnosed reservoir of CT and …
Low-level laser therapy for management of TMJ osteoarthritis

Abstract Aims: This study investigated the efficacy of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) for the management of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) osteoarthritis. Methodology: In a double-blind clinical trial, 20 patients with TMJ osteoarthritis were randomly divided into laser and placebo groups. The patients in the laser group received irradiation from an 810 nm low-level laser (Peak power 80 W, average power 50 mW, 1500 Hz, 1 μs pulse width, 120 seconds, 6 J, 3·4 J/cm2 per point), which was applied on four points around the TMJs and on painful muscles three times a week for 4 weeks. In the placebo group, the treatment was the same as that in the laser group, but with laser simulation. The patients were evaluated before laser therapy (T1), after 6 (T2) and 12 (T3) laser applications and 1 month after the last application (T4), and the amount of mouth opening and the pain intensity were recorded. Results: No significant differences were found in mouth opening either between the study groups or between the different evaluation times in each group (P>0·05). There was no significant difference in pain symptoms of the masticatory muscles and TMJ between the laser and the placebo groups (P>0·05), but some significant within-group improvements were present for Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores of the body of the masseter and TMJ in both groups. Conclusions: LLLT using the present laser parameters was no more effective than the placebo treatment for reducing pain and improving mouth opening in patients with TMJ osteoarthritis.
Generalized Transduction in the Phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringaet

Bacteriophages isolated from culture supernatants of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae and from sewage transferred various chromosomal genes to P. syringae PS224. Linkage between arginine and tryptophan loci was demonstrated. The number of transductants recovered per milliliter was not altered appreciably by UV irradiation of selected phage isolates. In addition, the presence of the IncP2 plasmid R38 in a P. syringae PS224 arginine auxotroph did not increase the transduction frequency as it does in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Increasing the multiplicity of infection of transducing phage PssylS from 1 to 10 resulted in up to a 10-fold increase in the number of transductants recovered, although the actual transductional frequency remained about the same. Treatment of transduction mixtures with DNase did not affect transductional frequency.
Current Clinical Concepts in Perioperative Anticoagulation

Management of patients with significant risks for thromboembolism in the perioperative period requires consideration of both risks of thromboembolism and risks of anticoagulant therapy. Patients who are receiving warfarin therapy because of recent venous thromboembolism, nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, and mechanical heart valves are at increased risk during the interval when the warfarin is discontinued and when the international normalized ratio is at a subtherapeutic level. In patients with an acute venous thromboembolic event within the past month, the use of intravenous heparin appears to be justified both preoperatively and postoperatively. If the venous thromboembolic event was within the past 2 to 3 months, use of intravenous heparin appears justified in the postoperative period. More than 3 months after an acute episode of venous thrombophlebitis, the relatively low risk of recurrence does not appear to justify the risks of complications from intravenous heparin. Patients with increased risks of arterial embolism, specifically those with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and mechanical heart valves, are generally not at sufficient risk of arterial embolism to justify use of intravenous heparin during the perioperative subtherapeutic international normalized ratio interval when warfarin is withheld. A potential increased risk of recurrent arterial embolism when the preceding event was within a month suggests that elective surgery should be deferred beyond a month whenever possible in such patients. The use of fixed-dose, subcutaneous low molecular weight heparin has been observed to have advantages over use of unfractionated intravenous heparin both in terms of safety and efficiency. Further refinements in management of patients with significant risks of thromboembolism may occur with increased experience with low molecular weight heparin.