Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Secondary Malignant Neoplasms After Childhood Cancer

Overall survival from cancer has greatly improved, although it still remains the second leading cause of mortality in the world. This result was achieved through the use of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which are severely toxic to normal tissues. In the long-term follow-up of cancer patients, the development of secondary malignant disease is common and it is one of the most severe side effects of cancer treatment. Physicians aim to decrease this toxicity and reduce the development of secondary cancers. In this study, the epidemiology and etiology of second malignant neoplasms are reviewed.
Unbiased online active learning in data streams

Unlabeled samples can be intelligently selected for labeling to minimize classification error. In many real-world applications, a large number of unlabeled samples arrive in a streaming manner, making it impossible to maintain all the data in a candidate pool. In this work, we focus on binary classification problems and study selective labeling in data streams where a decision is required on each sample sequentially. We consider the unbiasedness property in the sampling process, and design optimal instrumental distributions to minimize the variance in the stochastic process. Meanwhile, Bayesian linear classifiers with weighted maximum likelihood are optimized online to estimate parameters. In empirical evaluation, we collect a data stream of user-generated comments on a commercial news portal in 30 consecutive days, and carry out offline evaluation to compare various sampling strategies, including unbiased active learning, biased variants, and random sampling. Experimental results verify the usefulness of online active learning, especially in the non-stationary situation with concept drift.
Short-Term Schedulability Analysis of Multiple Distiller Crude Oil Operations in Refinery With Oil Residency Time Constraint

Because of the complexity of a short-term scheduling problem for crude oil operations, some constraints are ignored in modeling the system by the existing approaches, leading to an infeasible solution. To avoid this, the short-term scheduling problem can be studied in control theory perspective by viewing an operation decision in the schedule as a control. With this idea, this paper conducts the schedulability analysis for systems with two and more than two distillers, and the schedulability conditions are presented with the help of Petri net theory. It shows that the number of charging tanks and their capacity, the amount of crude oil of different types in the charging tanks, the oil transportation rate of the pipeline, and the production rate of the system affect the safeness of the system. It also presents the conditions under which the system can reach its maximal production rate. With the safeness conditions and proved results presented in this paper, if a refining schedule is realizable, a feasible detailed schedule for the refining schedule can be easily obtained by creating the operation decisions for the schedule one by one. In the schedule obtained, the starting time of each operation decision can be at any continuous time point, and the schedule is certainly feasible, which overcomes the difficulty faced by techniques that are based on mathematical programming methods.
Bioactive tanshinones in Salvia miltiorrhiza inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells in vitro and in mice

Searching for efficacious and safe agents for the chemoprevention and therapy of prostate cancer has become the top priority of research. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of a group of tanshinones from a Chinese herb Salvia Miltiorrhiza, cryptotanshinone (CT), tanshinone IIA (T2A) and tanshinone I (T1) on prostate cancer. The in vitro studies showed that these tanshinones inhibited the growth of human prostate cancer cell lines in a dose‐dependent manner via cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induction. Among three compounds, T1 had the most potent activity with IC50s around 3–6 μM. On the other hand, tanshinones had much less adverse effects on the growth of normal prostate epithelial cells. The epigenetic pathway focused array assay identified Aurora A kinase as a possible target of tanshinone actions. The expression of Aurora A was overexpressed in prostate cancer cell lines. Moreover, knockdown of Aurora A in prostate cancer cells significantly decreased cell growth. Tanshinones significantly downregulated the Aurora A expression, suggesting Aurora A may be a functional target of tanshinones. Tanshinones, especially T1, also showed potent anti‐angiogenesis activity in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, T1 inhibited the growth of DU145 prostate tumor in mice associated with induction of apoptosis, decrease of proliferation, inhibition of angiogenesis and downregulation of Aurora A, whereas it did not alter food intake or body weight. Our results support that T1 may be an efficacious and safe chemopreventive or therapeutic agent against prostate cancer progression.
Transforming growth factor β and its role in heart disease

Myocardial infarction (MI) is a major form of heart disease that leads to immediate cardiomyocyte death due to ischemia and eventually fibrosis and scar formation and further dysfunction of myocardium and heart failure. Extracellular matrix (ECM) production and tissue repair is conducted by myofibroblasts, which are formed from the normal quiescent cardiac fibroblasts following transformational changes, through the active participation of transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) and its signaling pathways. TGFβ appears to be a ‘Master of all trades’, with respect to cardiac fibrosis, as it can promote cardiomyocyte apoptosis and cardiac hypertrophy. TGFβ signaling involves its binding to TGFβ receptor type II (TGFβRII), which recruits TGFβ receptor type I (TGFβRI), which are also known as activin receptor-like kinase (ALK) in five different isoforms. In canonical signaling pathways, ALK5 activates Smads 2 and 3, and ALK1 activates Smads 1 and 5. These pairs of Smads form a corresponding complex and then bind to Smad 4, to translocate into the nucleus, where transcriptional reprogramming is carried out to promote myofibroblast formation and ECM production, eventually leading to cardiac fibrosis. TGFβ levels are elevated in MI, thereby aggravating the myocardial injury further. Several microRNAs are involved in the regulation of TGFβ signaling at different steps, affecting different components. Therapeutic targeting of TGFβ signaling at ALK1-5 receptor activity level has met with limited success and extensive research is needed to develop therapies based on the components of TGFβ signaling pathway, for instance cardiac dysfunction and heart failure.
Influence of pathogenetic factors on prognosis in patients with native valve infective endocarditis.

INTRODUCTION Despite improvement in medical care the incidence of infective endocarditis (IE) has not decreased. Positive blood cultures are one of the most important diagnostic criteria of IE. There are no uniform data regarding the influence of pathogenetic factors on prognosis. AIM To analyse the results of blood and valve cultures in patients with IE of native valves and evaluate their influence on the risk of early and late deaths as well as recurrence of IE. METHODS The study group consisted of 152 patients with IE of native valves. The IE diagnosis was based on the Duke criteria. Early and late mortality as well as recurrence of IE were analysed in patients hospitalised at the Institute of Cardiology in Warsaw from 1988 to 1998. RESULTS Positive blood cultures were found in 103 (67.8%) of patients. In-hospital mortality was 5.9% (9 deaths). The incidence of early deaths was significantly lower in surgically treated patients (p=0.01). Late deaths occurred in 23 (16%) patients. Results of blood and valve tissue cultures were not related to mortality. Recurrent IE was observed in 7 (4.9%) patients. Staphylococcus aureus was an independent risk factor for recurrent IE (p=0.04). Six-year survival was 79%. CONCLUSIONS In patients with native valve infective endocarditis: 1. The risk of early and late death is not related to the results of blood and valve cultures. 2. Staphylococcus aureus aetiology increases the risk of disease recurrence. 3. The risk of early death is significantly lower in patients treated with surgery.
Feature Selection for High-Dimensional Data: A Fast Correlation-Based Filter Solution

Feature selection, as a preprocessing step to machine learning, is effective in reducing dimensionality, removing irrelevant data, increasing learning accuracy, and improving result comprehensibility. However, the recent increase of dimensionality of data poses a severe challenge to many existing feature selection methods with respect to efficiency and effectiveness. In this work, we introduce a novel concept, predominant correlation, and propose a fast filter method which can identify relevant features as well as redundancy among relevant features without pairwise correlation analysis. The efficiency and effectiveness of our method is demonstrated through extensive comparisons with other methods using real-world data of high dimensionality
Immunological nonresponse to highly active antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected subjects: is the bone marrow impairment causing CD4 lymphopenia?

In this issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, Isgro et al. [1] demonstrated that HIVinfected patients who were unable to achieve immunological reconstitution despite viral suppression during HAART demonstrated specific defects of bone marrow donogenic function. In the preHAART era, it was already observed that some individuals, after acute HIV infection, developed accelerated CD4 cell depletion and cellular immunity impairment leading to AIDS. Indeed, AIDS patients display various degrees of bone marrow failure, including either monocytopenia affecting platelets, neutrophils, and RBCs or, most often, pancytopenia [2]. Although these hematopoietic defects can be attributed to multiple causes, including intercurrent infections and illegal drug use, many studies have demonstrated that advanced HIV infection has a profound impact on bone marrow functions. Indeed, both multilineage and lineage-restricted hematopoietic progenitors are decreased in the bone marrow of HIV-infected pa-
Multimodality approach to mediastinal staging in non-small cell lung cancer. Faults and benefits of PET-CT: a randomised trial

Background Correct mediastinal staging is a cornerstone in the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer. A large range of methods is available for this purpose, making the process of adequate staging complex. The objective of this study was to describe faults and benefits of positron emission tomography (PET)-CT in multimodality mediastinal staging. Methods A randomised clinical trial was conducted including patients with a verified diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer, who were considered operable. Patients were assigned to staging with PET-CT (PET-CT group) followed by invasive staging (mediastinoscopy and/or endoscopic ultrasound with fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA)) or invasive staging without prior PET-CT (conventional work up (CWU) group). Mediastinal involvement (dichotomising N stage into N0–1 versus N2–3) was described according to CT, PET-CT, mediastinoscopy, EUS-FNA and consensus (based on all available information), and compared with the final N stage as verified by thoracotomy or a conclusive invasive diagnostic procedure. Results A total of 189 patients were recruited, 98 in the PET-CT group and 91 in the CWU group. In an intention-to-treat analysis the overall accuracy of the consensus N stage was not significantly higher in the PET-CT group than in the CWU group (90% (95% confidence interval 82% to 95%) vs 85% (95% CI 77% to 91%)). Excluding the patients in whom PET-CT was not performed (n=14) the difference was significant (95% (95% CI 88% to 98%) vs 85% (95% CI 77% to 91%), p=0.034). This was mainly based on a higher sensitivity of the staging approach including PET-CT. Conclusion An approach to lung cancer staging with PET-CT improves discrimination between N0–1 and N2–3. In those without enlarged lymph nodes and a PET-negative mediastinum the patient may proceed directly to surgery. However, enlarged lymph nodes on CT needs confirmation independent of PET findings and a positive finding on PET-CT needs confirmation before a decision on surgery is made. Clinical trial number NCT00867412.
Model for End-Stage Liver Disease Score Predicts Left Ventricular Assist Device Operative Transfusion Requirements, Morbidity, and Mortality

Background— The Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) predicts events in cirrhotic subjects undergoing major surgery and may offer similar prognostication in left ventricular assist device candidates with comparable degrees of multisystem dysfunction. Methods and Results— Preoperative MELD scores were calculated for subjects enrolled in the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) mechanical circulatory support database. Univariate and multiple regression analyses were performed to investigate the ability of patient characteristics, laboratory data (including MELD scores), and hemodynamic measurements to predict total perioperative blood product exposure and operative mortality. The ability of preoperative MELD scores to predict operative mortality was evaluated in subjects enrolled in the Interagency Registry of Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (INTERMACS), and results were compared with those from the UMHS cohort. The mean±SD MELD scores for the UMHS (n=211) and INTERMACS (n=324) cohorts were 13.7±6.1 and 15.2±5.8, respectively, with 29 (14%) and 19 (6%) perioperative deaths. In the UMHS cohort, median total perioperative blood product exposure was 74 units (25th and 75th percentiles, 44 and 120 units). Each 5-unit MELD score increase was associated with 15.1±3.8 units (&bgr;±SE) of total perioperative blood product exposure. Each 10-unit increase in total perioperative blood product exposure increased the odds of operative death (odds ratio, 1.05; 95% confidence interval, 1.01 to 1.10). Odds ratios, measuring the ability of MELD scores to predict perioperative mortality, were 1.5 (95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 2.0) and 1.5 (95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 2.1) per 5 MELD units for the UMHS and INTERMACS cohorts, respectively. When MELD scores were dichotomized as ≥17 and <17, risk-adjusted Cox proportional-hazard ratios for 6-month mortality were 2.5 (95% confidence interval, 1.2 to 5.3) and 2.5 (95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 5.4) for the UMHS and INTERMACS cohorts, respectively. Conclusion— The MELD score identified left ventricular assist device candidates at high risk for perioperative bleeding and mortality.
Characterization of AlN-based Ceramic Composites for Use as Millimeter Wave Susceptor Materials at High Temperature: High Temperature Thermal Properties of AlN:Mo with 0.25% to 4.0% Mo by Volume

In order to begin to evaluate and model the suitability of high temperature ceramic composites, such as AlN:Mo, as susceptor materials for power beaming applications, the electromagnetic, thermal, and mechanical properties of the material must be known at elevated temperatures. Work reported here focuses on the development of thermal property datasets for AlN:Mo composites ranging from 0.25% to 4.0% Mo by volume. To calculate thermal conductivity of the AlN:Mo composite series, specific heat capacity, thermal diffusivity, and density data were acquired. The calculated specific heat capacity, C_p, of the set of AlN:Mo composites was, on average, found to be approximately 803 J/kgK at 100 °C and to increase to approximately 1133 J/kgK at 1000 °C, with all values to be within +/- 32 J/kgK of the average at a given temperature. These calculated specific heat capacity values matched values derived from DSC measurements to within the expected error of the measurements. Measured thermal diffusivity, α, of the set of AlN:Mo composites was, on average, found to be approximately 3.93 × 10^-1 cm^2/s at 100 °C and to increase to approximately 9.80 × 10^-2 cm^2/s at 1000 °C, with all values within +/- 1.84 × 10^-2 cm^2/s of the average at a given temperature. Thermal conductivity, k, for the set of AlN:Mo composites was found to be approximately 108 W/mK at 100 °C and to decrease to approximately 38 W/mK at 1000 °C, with all values within +/- 5.3 W/mK of the average at a given temperature. Data trends show that increasing Mo content correlates to lower values of of C_p, α, and k at a given temperature.
Haemophilus influenzae with Non-Beta-Lactamase-Mediated Beta-Lactam Resistance: Easy To Find but Hard To Categorize

ABSTRACT Haemophilus influenzae is a major pathogen, and beta-lactams are first-line drugs. Resistance due to altered penicillin-binding protein 3 (rPBP3) is frequent, and susceptibility testing of such strains is challenging. A collection of 154 beta-lactamase-negative isolates with a large proportion of rPBP3 (67.5%) was used to evaluate and compare Etest (Haemophilus test medium [HTM]) and disk diffusion (EUCAST method) for categorization of susceptibility to aminopenicillins and cefuroxime, using MICs generated with broth (HTM) microdilution and clinical breakpoints from CLSI and EUCAST as the gold standards. In addition, the proficiency of nine disks in screening for the rPBP3 genotype (N526K positive) was evaluated. By Etest, both essential and categorical agreement were generally poor (<70%), with high very major errors (VME) (CLSI, 13.0%; EUCAST, 34.3%) and falsely susceptible rates (FSR) (CLSI, 87.0%; EUCAST, 88.3%) for ampicillin. Ampicillin (2 μg) with adjusted (+2 mm) zone breakpoints was superior to Etest for categorization of susceptibility to ampicillin (agreement, 74.0%; VME, 11.0%; FSR, 28.3%). Conversely, Etest was superior to 30 μg cefuroxime for categorization of susceptibility to cefuroxime (agreement, 57.1% versus 60.4%; VME, 2.6% versus 9.7%; FSR, 7.1% versus 26.8%). Benzylpenicillin (1 unit) (EUCAST screening disk) and cefuroxime (5 μg) identified rPBP3 isolates with highest accuracies (95.5% and 92.2%, respectively). In conclusion, disk screening reliably detects rPBP3 H. influenzae, but false ampicillin susceptibility is frequent with routine methods. We suggest adding a comment recommending high-dose aminopenicillin therapy or the use of other agents for severe infections with screening-positive isolates that are susceptible to aminopenicillins by gradient or disk diffusion.
Joint attention and language evolution

This study investigates how more advanced joint attentional mechanisms, rather than only shared attention between two agents and an object, can be implemented and how they influence the results of language games played by these agents. We present computer simulations with language games showing that adding constructs that mimic the three stages of joint attention identified in children's early development (checking attention, following attention, and directing attention) substantially increase the performance of agents in these language games. In particular, the rates of improved performance for the individual attentional mechanisms have the same ordering as that of the emergence of these mechanisms in infants’ development. These results suggest that language evolution and joint attentional mechanisms have developed in a co-evolutionary way, and that the evolutionary emergence of the individual attentional mechanisms is ordered just like their developmental emergence.
Functional connectivity changes differ in early and late‐onset alzheimer's disease

At a similar stage, patients with early onset Alzheimer's disease (EOAD) have greater neocortical but less medial temporal lobe dysfunction and atrophy than the late‐onset form of the disease (LOAD). Whether the organization of neural networks also differs has never been investigated. This study aims at characterizing basal functional connectivity (FC) patterns of EOAD and LOAD in two groups of 14 patients matched for disease duration and severity, relative to age‐matched controls. All subjects underwent an extensive neuropsychological assessment. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to quantify atrophy and resting‐state FC focusing on : the default mode network (DMN), found impaired in earlier studies on AD, and the anterior temporal network (ATN) and dorso‐lateral prefrontal network (DLPFN), respectively involved in declarative memory and executive functions. Patterns of atrophy and cognitive impairment in EOAD and LOAD were in accordance with previous reports. FC within the DMN was similarly decreased in both EOAD and LOAD relative to controls. However, a double‐dissociated pattern of FC changes in ATN and DLPFN was found. EOAD exhibited decreased FC in the DLPFN and increased FC in the ATN relative to controls, while the reverse pattern was found in LOAD. In addition, ATN and DLPFN connectivity correlated respectively with memory and executive performances, suggesting that increased FC is here likely to reflect compensatory mechanisms. Thus, large‐scale neural network changes in EOAD and LOAD endorse both common features and differences, probably related to a distinct distribution of pathological changes. Hum Brain Mapp 35:2978–2994, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Global and regional cortical thinning in first-episode psychosis patients: relationships with clinical and cognitive features

Background The thickness of the cortical mantle is a sensitive measure for identifying alterations in cortical structure. We aimed to explore whether first episode schizophrenia patients already show a significant cortical thinning and whether cortical thickness anomalies may significantly influence clinical and cognitive features. Method We investigated regional changes in cortical thickness in a large and heterogeneous sample of schizophrenia spectrum patients (n=142) at their first break of the illness and healthy controls (n=83). Magnetic resonance imaging brain scans (1.5 T) were obtained and images were analyzed by using brains2. The contribution of sociodemographic, cognitive and clinical characterictics was investigated. Results Patients showed a significant total cortical thinning (F=17.55, d=−0.62, p<0.001) and there was a diffuse pattern of reduced thickness (encompassing frontal, temporal and parietal cortices) (all p's<0.001, d's>0.53). No significant group×gender interactions were observed (all p's>0.15). There were no significant associations between the clinical and pre-morbid variables and cortical thickness measurements (all r's<0.12). A weak significant negative correlation between attention and total (r=−0.24, p=0.021) and parietal cortical thickness (r=−0.27, p=0.009) was found in patients (thicker cortex was associated with lower attention). Our data revealed a similar pattern of cortical thickness changes related to age in patients and controls. Conclusions Cortical thinning is independent of gender, age, age of onset and duration of the illness and does not seem to significantly influence clinical and functional symptomatology. These findings support a primary neurodevelopment disorder affecting the normal cerebral cortex development in schizophrenia.