Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biosynthesis of Gastrokine-2 in the Human Gastric Mucosa: Restricted Spatial Expression along the Antral Gland Axis and Differential Interaction with TFF1, TFF2 and Mucins

Gastrokine-2 (GKN2) is a secretory peptide of human gastric surface mucous cells (SMCs). It forms disulfide-linked heterodimers with the trefoil factor family (TFF) peptide TFF1. Binding with TFF2 was also reported. Antral SMCs differ from those of the corpus by their TFF3 expression. The aim of this study was to localize GKN2 expression along the antral gland axis, to characterize the continuous regeneration of antral glands, and to investigate the interactions of GKN2 with TFF1, TFF2 and mucins. Methods: The spatial expression of GKN1, GKN2, TFF1-3, MUC5AC and MUC6 was determined using laser microdissection and RT-PCR analysis. Furthermore, antral extracts were separated by gel chromatography and the association of GKN2 with TFF1, TFF2, and mucins was investigated. Results: Differential GKN2 expression was localized along the rostro-caudal axis of the stomach. Laser microdissection revealed characteristic differential expression profiles of GKN1, GKN2, TFF1-3, MUC5AC and MUC6 along the antral gland axis. Both GKN2 and TFF1 were expressed in superficial SMCs. Surprisingly, the TFF1-GKN2 heterodimer did not associate with the mucin fraction; whereas TFF2 showed exclusive association with mucins. Conclusions: Maturation of antral SMCs occurs stepwise via trans-differentiation of TFF3 expressing progenitor cells. The TFF1-GKN2 heterodimer and TFF2 differ characteristically by their binding to gastric mucins. This points to different physiological functions of TFF1 and TFF2, the latter maybe acting as a “link peptide” for stabilization of the gastric mucus.
Use of Biologic Agents to Promote Bone Formation in Implant Dentistry: A Critical Assessment of Systematic Reviews.

PURPOSE The use of biologic agents is emerging in bone regeneration procedures due to their ability to increase cellular events in wound healing and therefore to obtain more predictable outcomes. Hence, the aim of the present study was to critically evaluate the methodology of systematic reviews investigating biologic agents in promoting bone formation and implant site development. MATERIALS AND METHODS A literature search for systematic reviews with and without meta-analyses was performed in Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane database, as well as in journals with high impact factors in periodontics and implant dentistry. Titles, abstracts, and full-text articles were analyzed for potential inclusion. Three guidelines--AMSTAR, R-AMSTAR, and the checklist proposed by Glenny et al--were utilized to analyze their methodologic quality. Two calibrated reviewers performed all data extraction and appraisal. Cohen's kappa coefficients were calculated to appraise the interexaminer agreement. RESULTS A total of 12 systematic reviews, 3 with meta-analyses, were evaluated. Platelet-rich derivatives and BMP-2 were the most widely studied biologic agents and sinus augmentation was the most common procedure evaluated. The R-AMSTAR mean score was 28 (range 14-38) and none of the systematic reviews analyzed met all of the items. In the AMSTAR checklist, the mean score was 5.75 (range 2-9) and the only item met by all the systematic reviews was the a priori design. The Glenny et al checklist mean score was 8.6 (range 4-13) and two items, "focused question" and "to identify all relevant studies," were met by all systematic reviews. CONCLUSION Systematic reviews on biologic agents demonstrate substantial methodologic variability. Therefore, caution must be exercised when interpreting their findings.
Cardioprotective effects of acute normovolemic hemodilution in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery.

STUDY OBJECTIVES We hypothesized that lowering blood viscosity with acute normovolemic hemodilution (ANH) would confer additional cardioprotection in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) with aortic cross-clamping. DESIGN In a prospective, randomized controlled trial, we studied the efficacy of ANH in anesthetized patients prior to cardiopulmonary bypass for the prevention of myocardial injuries. SETTING Cardiac surgical center in a university hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients scheduled to undergo elective CABG entered the study protocol and were randomly allocated to one of two groups: ANH (n = 43 patients) or standard care management (n = 41 patients). In the ANH group, the whole-blood/colloid exchange was aimed to achieve a hematocrit value of 28%. All patients were managed with standard myocardial preservation techniques including cold-blood cardioplegia and anesthetic preconditioning. The outcome measures included the release of myocardial enzymes (plasma troponin I and creatinine phosphokinase), perioperative hemodynamic changes, need for pharmacologic cardiovascular support, and cardiac complications. RESULTS In the hemodilution group, the postoperative release of troponin I (mean peak plasma concentration, 1.4 ng/mL; 95% confidence interval, 1.0 to 1.8) and myocardial fraction of creatine kinase (mean, 29 U/L; 95% confidence interval, 23 to 35) were significantly lower than in the control group (mean, 3.8 ng/mL; 95% confidence interval, 3.2 to 4.5; and 71 U/L; 95% confidence interval, 53 to 89). Requirement for inotropic support was significantly lower in the protocol patients (7 of 41 patients vs 15 of 39 patients), and fewer patients presented with either atrial fibrillation, atrioventricular conduction blockade, or combined disorders (12 of 41 patients vs 26 of 39 patients, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS In addition to conventional myocardial preservation techniques, preoperative ANH achieved further cardiac protection in patients undergoing on-pump myocardial revascularization.
Impact of Myocardial Acceleration during Isovolumic Contraction in Evaluating Subclinical Right Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

Aim: In diabetes mellitus (DM) patients, left ventricular dysfunction is widely evaluated and established by conventional diagnostic methods, whereas right ventricular (RV) function is not as sufficiently evaluated. The aim of this study is to assess the preclinical effects of DM on RV function by using novel Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI)‐derived indices. Methods: The study included 96 patients with type II DM [60 with DM only and 36 patients with coexisting DM and hypertension (DMHT)] and 40 healthy controls. Conventional parameters and TDI‐derived systolic velocities of tricuspid annulus [isovolumic myocardial acceleration (IVA), peak myocardial velocity during isovolumic contraction (IVV), peak systolic velocity during ejection period (Sa), RV Tei index] were measured. Results: TDI‐derived RV IVA was significantly lower in both DM and DMHT patients compared to controls indicating subclinical impairment in RV systolic function in the study patients (P = 0,0001). However RV IVA was similar in DM and DMHT subgroup supporting RV systolic impairment in DM was independent from HT. In correlation analysis, RV IVA was significantly correlated with the existence of diabetic nephropathy (r =−0,38; P = 0,003), retinopathy (r =−0,35; P = 0,006), insulin resistance (r =−0,52; P = 0,0001). Conclusions: Diabetes is associated with subclinical RV systolic dysfunction, regardless of coexisting hypertension. Tissue Doppler‐derived IVA; is a novel, non‐invasive parameter which may be used in early detection of RV systolic dysfunction in patients with DM. (Echocardiography 2010;27:1211‐1218)
Life satisfaction among the elderly in Italy in a gender approach

Over the last few decades, increasing attention has been paid to the issue of well-being among the elderly, and life satisfaction has been used as an indicator to evaluate older people’s life conditions, reflecting multiple and broad domains. This paper sheds some light on this topic with reference to Italy, a country characterized by an increasing ageing population. The aim is to examine life satisfaction among people aged 65 and older and its predictors. We adopt a gender approach to examine whether literature results, which show that elderly men and women have different sources of satisfaction, are confirmed. In doing this, particular attention is given to the role played by the family and its influence on the life satisfaction of older adults. As a Mediterranean country, Italy is assumed to place special importance on these aspects. The data used come from the cross-sectional surveys “Aspects of Daily Life”, carried out in Italy by the National Statistical Institute (ISTAT). As we considered the latest available surveys (2010 and 2011), we can rely on a large sample and, thus, test several hypotheses about the predictors of older adults’ life satisfaction. The results show unexpected patterns in the determinants of life satisfaction for men and women, and do not confirm previous literature.
TBX22 Mutation Associated with Cleft Lip/Palate, Hypodontia, and Limb Anomaly

Mutations in TBX22 are known causes of cleft palate with/without ankyloglossia. We identified a hemizygous missense C.452G>T (p.Arg151Leu) mutation in a Thai boy who had unilateral complete cleft lip and palate, agenesis of a maxillary second premolar, ankyloglossia, hypoplastic carpal bones, and hypoplastic right thumb. Our study has demonstrated that TBX22 mutation is associated not only with cleft palate and ankyloglossia, but also cleft lip and palate and tooth agenesis. Phenotypic variability caused by a single nucleotide substitution is clearly demonstrated.
BM3D-Net: A Convolutional Neural Network for Transform-Domain Collaborative Filtering

Denoising is a fundamental task in image processing with wide applications for enhancing image qualities. BM3D is considered as an effective baseline for image denoising. Although learning-based methods have been dominant in this area recently, the traditional methods are still valuable to inspire new ideas by combining with learning-based approaches. In this letter, we propose a new convolutional neural network inspired by the classical BM3D algorithm, dubbed as BM3D-Net. We unroll the computational pipeline of BM3D algorithm into a convolutional neural network structure, with “extraction” and “aggregation” layers to model block matching stage in BM3D. We apply our network to three denoising tasks: gray-scale image denoising, color image denoising, and depth map denoising. Experiments show that BM3D-Net significantly outperforms the basic BM3D method, and achieves competitive results compared with state of the art on these tasks.
Prevalence of HER-2-positive invasive breast cancer: a systematic review from Iran.

BACKGROUND The HER-2/neu gene is altered in 15-20% of breast cancer patients. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is considered to be the most cost-effective method for HER-2 detection in many countries. Approximately 8,000 new cases of breast cancer are observed annually in Iran. The aims of this study were to conduct a systematic review of the literature on the rate of HER-2-positive breast cancer diagnosed by IHC in Iran. METHODS A systematic search of the medical literature using the Medline/PubMed, ISI and SID databases revealed articles published in the English and Persian languages evaluating HER-2-positive breast cancer in Iran. RESULTS From 22 studies, 3,033 patients were evaluated, of whom 1,350 were diagnosed as HER-2-positive by IHC HER-2 testing. The mean percentage of HER-2-positive patients was 44.5%, which is higher than that recorded in international statistics. Results of this meta-analysis showed a significant heterogeneity between ratios. There was a statistically significant difference between the results of pre- and post implementation of 2007 American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists (ASCO/CAP) guideline. IHC HER-2 testing has been performed in Iran for over 10 years. Similar to many other countries, before establishment of an infrastructure for IHC diagnostic tests, HER-2 testing was routinely performed in Iran. Our study showed that the statistics reported from Iran varied widely; for instance, the rate of HER-2-positive cases varied from 23.3% to 81.0%. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that the lack of standardization and harmonization of this test have led to marked variations in breast cancer diagnosis in Iran.
Transanal endoscopic microsurgery versus laparoscopic lower anterior resection for the treatment of T1-2 rectal cancers.

BACKGROUND/AIMS It remains unknown whether transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEMS) is superior to laparoscopic lower anterior resection (LAR) for the treatment of rectal cancer. This study aimed to compare the surgical and oncological effectiveness as well as safety of TEMS and LAR in T1-2 rectal cancer patients. METHODOLOGY T1-2N0 rectal cancer patients were prospectively and randomly assigned to local excision using TEMS (n=30) or radical resection using LAR (n=30). The primary outcome measures were postoperative recovery course. RESULTS The operative duration of TEMS was significantly shorter than that of LAR (130.3±16.7 minutes vs. 198.7±16.8 minutes, p<0.01). The TEMS group restarted bowel movement significantly earlier than the LAR group (51.4±5.4h vs. 86.2±8.7h, p<0.01). The postoperative complications were mild and self-limited in the 2 groups. Local recurrences occurred in 2 T2 patients (2/28, 7.1%) at 8 months and 16 months following TEMS, respectively; no patient (0/30, 0.0%) developed local recurrence following LAR. CONCLUSIONS TEMS was associated with more rapid postoperative recovery and minimal surgical morbidity in T1-2 rectal cancer patients as compared to LAR.
Comparison of estimates of ruminal protein degradation by in vitro and in situ methods.

Ruminal degradation of eight soluble proteins and 10 protein meals was determined using three methods: 1) an inhibitor in vitro system (IIV), to which inhibitors are added to prevent metabolism of protein degradation products, 2) in situ incubations in nylon bags and 3) in vitro NH3 production in typical ruminal inoculum. In vitro NH3 production rate from different proteins was not related to in situ or IIV degradation rate. Degradation rates for soluble proteins by IIV ranged from . 103 to . 813/h, yielding estimated extents of degradation that ranged from 73 to 94% (assuming ruminal passage of .05/h). For seven of the protein meals, degradation rates measured by IIV were threefold greater than in situ rates. However, mean degraded fractions estimated from zero-time intercepts were twofold greater using the in situ method, and calculated extents of degradation averaged 83% of IIV values. Extents of degradation estimated (assuming ruminal passage of .05/h) for fish meal, soybean meal, linseed meal, sunflower meal, rapeseed meal, copra meal and meat and bone meal were, respectively; 55, 79, 84, 59, 75, 54 and 58% (IIV) and 46, 63, 69, 51, 52, 43 and 55% (in situ). These values were generally similar to those reported in the literature. The extent of degradation of feather meal was 28% by in situ determination. Neither the IIV nor in situ method gave significant regressions for blood meal; neither method yields reliable data for very slowly degraded proteins. The IIV procedure has the advantage over the in situ method because it can yield degradation estimates for soluble as well as insoluble proteins.
Reducing the Probability of False Positives in Malingering Detection of Social Security Disability Claimants

The Symptom Validity Scale (SVS) for low-functioning individuals (Chafetz, Abrahams, & Kohlmaier, 2007) employs embedded indicators within the Social Security Psychological Consultative Examination (PCE) to derive a score validated for malingering against two criterion tests: Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) and Medical Symptom Validity Test (MSVT). When any symptom validity test is used with Social Security claimants there is a known rate of mislabeling (1-specificity), essentially calling a performance biased (invalid) when it is not, also known as a false-positive error. The great costs of mislabeling an honest claimant necessitated the present study, designed to show how multiple positive findings reduce the potential for mislabeling. This study utilized a known-groups design to address the impact of using multiple embedded indicators within the SVS on the diagnostic probability of malingering. Using four SVS components, Sequence, Ganser, and Coding errors, along with Reliable Digit Span (RDS), the positive predictive power was computed directly or by the chaining of likelihood ratios. The posterior probability of malingering increased from one to two to three failed indicators. With three failed indicators, there were essentially no false positive errors, and the total SVS score was in the range consistent with Definite Malingering, as shown in Chafetz et al. (2007). Thus, in a typical PCE when an examiner might have only a few embedded indicators, more confidence in a diagnosis of malingering might be obtained with a finding of multiple failures.
Multilayered molecular profiling supported the monoclonal origin of metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Primary renal cell carcinomas (pRCCs) have a high degree of intratumoral heterogeneity and are composed of multiple distinct subclones. However, it remains largely unknown that whether metastatic renal cell carcinomas (mRCCs) also have startling intratumoral heterogeneity or whether development of mRCCs is due to early dissemination or late diagnosis. To decipher the evolution of mRCC, we analyzed the multilayered molecular profiles of pRCC, local invasion of the vena cava (IVC), and distant metastasis to the brain (MB) from the same patient using whole‐genome sequencing, whole‐exome sequencing, DNA methylome profiling, and transcriptome sequencing. We found that mRCC had a lower degree of heterogeneity than pRCC and was likely to result from recent clonal expansion of a rare, advantageous subclone. Consequently, some key pathways that are targeted by clinically available drugs showed distinct expression patterns between pRCC and mRCC. From the genetic distances between different tumor subclones, we estimated that the progeny subclone giving rise to distant metastasis took over half a decade to acquire the full potential of metastasis since the birth of the subclone that evolved into IVC. Our evidence supported that mRCC was monoclonal and distant metastasis occurred late during renal cancer progression. Thus, there was a broad window for early detection of circulating tumor cells and future targeted treatments for patients with mRCCs should rely on the molecular profiles of metastases.
Laboratory Diagnostic Techniques for Entamoeba Species

SUMMARY The genus Entamoeba contains many species, six of which (Entamoeba histolytica, Entamoeba dispar, Entamoeba moshkovskii, Entamoeba polecki, Entamoeba coli, and Entamoeba hartmanni) reside in the human intestinal lumen. Entamoeba histolytica is the causative agent of amebiasis and is considered a leading parasitic cause of death worldwide in humans. Although recent studies highlight the recovery of E. dispar and E. moshkovskii from patients with gastrointestinal symptoms, there is still no convincing evidence of a causal link between the presence of these two species and the symptoms of the host. New approaches to the identification of E. histolytica are based on detection of E. histolytica-specific antigen and DNA in stool and other clinical samples. Several molecular diagnostic tests, including conventional and real-time PCR, have been developed for the detection and differentiation of E. histolytica, E. dispar, and E. moshkovskii in clinical samples. The purpose of this review is to discuss different methods that exist for the identification of E. histolytica, E. dispar, and E. moshkovskii which are available to the clinical diagnostic laboratory. To address the need for a specific diagnostic test for amebiasis, a substantial amount of work has been carried out over the last decade in different parts of the world. The molecular diagnostic tests are increasingly being used for both clinical and research purposes. In order to minimize undue treatment of individuals infected with other species of Entamoeba such as E. dispar and E. moshkovskii, efforts have been made for specific diagnosis of E. histolytica infection and not to treat based simply on the microscopic examination of Entamoeba species in the stool. The incorporation of many new technologies into the diagnostic laboratory will lead to a better understanding of the public health problem and measures to control the disease.
Consumer Uncertainty and Purchase Decision Reversals: Theory and Evidence

This research examines how prepurchase information that reduces consumer uncertainty about a product or service can affect consumer decisions to reverse an initial product purchase or service enrollment decision. One belief commonly held by retailers is that provision of greater amounts of information before the purchase reduces decision reversals. We provide theory and evidence showing conditions under which uncertainty-reducing information provided before the purchase decision can actually increase the number of decision reversals. Predictions generated from an analytical model of consumer behavior incorporating behavioral theory of reference-dependence are complemented by empirical evidence from both a controlled behavioral experiment and econometric analysis of archival data. Combined, the theory and evidence suggest that managers should be aware that their information provision decisions taken to reduce decision reversals may actually increase them. Data, as supplemental material, are available at http://dx.doi. org/10.1287/mksc.2015. 0906 .
Alveolar gas exchange in clinical pulmonary embolism.

ACUTE pulmonary embolism is probably the most common lung disease present in hospitalized patients.1 , 2 The difficulties inherent in its diagnosis are considerable, and underdiagnosis and misdiagnosis are common. Since this is a disorder of the pulmonary circulation, a major area of physiologic derangement involves the gas-exchange functions of the lung. Previous studies by Severinghaus and Stupfel3 and from this laboratory4 , 5 have shown that measurements involving carbon dioxide gas exchange provide useful information regarding the possibility of this diagnosis. The present report extends previous observations to other aspects of gas exchange during clinical pulmonary embolism. The aspects to be considered include .
Shadow elimination method for moving object detection

This paper presents a new method for eliminating shadow areas accompanied with pedestrian-like moving objects in visual surveillance systems. The proposed method removes the shadow areas by the way of height information since most of the shadow areas accompanying moving objects are assumed to be on the road plane. Two cameras are set at any locations so that their common visual fields which include the surveillance area are used for this purpose. The image obtained from one of the cameras is inversely projected to the road plane and the projected image on the road plane is transformed to the view from the other camera. Shadows existing on the road plane occupy the same areas in the transformed image and in the image acquired from the other camera, whereas objects' areas with different heights from the road plane occupy different areas in these images. Therefore, shadow areas can be removed by a subtraction between these images. An experimental result on a pedestrian crossing showed the effectiveness of the proposed method.