Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long‐Term Follow‐Up of Patients with Non‐Hodgkin Lymphoma Following Myeloablative Therapy and Autologous Transplantation of CD34+‐Selected Peripheral Blood Progenitor Cells

Graft engineering by CD34+ selection of peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) has been used in non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) with the aim to reduce relapse related to tumor cells within the graft. From September 1995 to January 2000, 39 patients with newly diagnosed (n = 31) or relapsed (n = 8) NHL were treated in our institution with myeloablative therapy followed by CD34+ selected autologous PBPC transplantation. Thirty‐one patients were diagnosed with follicular lymphoma, and eight patients with mantle‐cell lymphoma. All patients had advanced disease (26% of patients stage III and 74% stage IV, Ann Arbor classification). Induction therapy resulted in a complete remission in 17 patients and a partial remission in 22 patients. PBPC were mobilized after cytotoxic chemotherapy with granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor support. CD34+ selection was performed using immunomagnetic beads (Baxter Isolex 300SA or 300i Magnetic Cell Separation System). Most patients (85%) received total body irradiation and high‐dose cyclophosphamide as myeloablative regimen. Twelve patients also received rituximab 375 mg/m2 before radiation and before the start of the cyclophosphamide treatment. The mean CD34+ cell number for transplantation was 6.5 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg of body weight. Platelet recovery (>20,000/μl median on day 13) and leukocyte recovery (>1,000/μl median on day 12) were within expected range. The estimated median follow‐up was 47 months. The probabilities of freedom from progression, overall survival, and event‐free survival 4 years after transplantation were 96%, 90%, and 87%, respectively, for patients with follicular lymphoma and 42%, 63%, and 33%, respectively, for patients with mantle‐cell lymphoma. Risk factors for relapse were age and extranodal manifestation of disease. The rate of lethal infections in the 12‐month follow‐up period was 8%. We conclude that CD34+ selection of autologous transplants following myeloablative therapy is feasible and results in long‐term remission in the majority of patients, but the procedure is probably related to a higher rate of lethal infections.
On Optimal Control of Computational Streams

Stream processing systems receive continuous streams of messages with relatively raw information and produce streams of messages with processed information. The utility of a stream-processing system depends, in part, on the accuracy and timeliness of the output. Streams in complex event processing systems are processed on distributed systems; several steps are taken on different processors to process each incoming message, and messages may be enqueued between steps. This paper explores the problem of distributed dynamic control of streams to optimize the total utility provided by the system. A system can be controlled using central control or distributed control. In the former case a single central controller maintains the state of the entire system and controls operation of all processors. In distributed control systems, each processor controls itself based on its state and information from other processors. A challenge of distributed control is that timeliness of output depends only on the total end-to-end time and is otherwise independent of the delays at each separate processor whereas the controller for each processor takes action to control only the steps on that processor and cannot directly control the entire network.
ICAM-1 Binding Rhinoviruses A89 and B14 Uncoat in Different Endosomal Compartments

ABSTRACT Human rhinovirus A89 (HRV-A89) and HRV-B14 bind to and are internalized by intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1); as demonstrated earlier, the RNA genome of HRV-B14 penetrates into the cytoplasm from endosomal compartments of the lysosomal pathway. Here, we show by immunofluorescence microscopy that HRV-A89 but not HRV-B14 colocalizes with transferrin in the endocytic recycling compartment (ERC). Applying drugs differentially interfering with endosomal recycling and with the pathway to lysosomes, we demonstrate that these two major-group HRVs productively uncoat in distinct endosomal compartments. Overexpression of constitutively active (Rab11-GTP) and dominant negative (Rab11-GDP) mutants revealed that uncoating of HRV-A89 depends on functional Rab11. Thus, two ICAM-1 binding HRVs are routed into distinct endosomal compartments for productive uncoating. IMPORTANCE Based on similarity of their RNA genomic sequences, the more than 150 currently known common cold virus serotypes were classified as species A, B, and C. The majority of HRV-A viruses and all HRV-B viruses use ICAM-1 for cell attachment and entry. Our results highlight important differences of two ICAM-1 binding HRVs with respect to their intracellular trafficking and productive uncoating; they demonstrate that serotypes belonging to species A and B, but entering the cell via the same receptors, direct the endocytosis machinery to ferry them along distinct pathways toward different endocytic compartments for uncoating.
American College of Chest Physicians consensus statement on the respiratory health effects of asbestos. Results of a Delphi study.

BACKGROUND The diagnosis of and criteria for the evaluation of asbestos-related disease impairment remains controversial after decades of research. Assessing agreement among experts who study pneumoconiosis, and diagnose and treat patients with asbestos-related respiratory conditions may be the first step in clarifying clinical and forensic/administrative issues associated with asbestos-related pulmonary conditions. METHODS We conducted a Delphi study, an iterative method of obtaining consensus among a group of experts. An expert panel was identified using an objective, nonbiased algorithm, based on the number of asbestos-related disease publications authored during the preceding 10-year period. Identified experts were invited to participate by accessing an Internet site. Each expert was presented statements developed by the authors regarding the diagnosis or treatment of asbestos-related disease; experts then ranked their degree of agreement or disagreement utilizing an 11-level modified Likert scale for each statement. Each expert was asked to justify their selection and to suggest references in support of their opinion. The Wilcoxon signed rank test and the interquartile range were used to define "consensus. " The results of the collective Likert rankings, deidentified comments, and suggested references as well as the initial consensus results were then provided to the participating experts. Each panel member then ranked their extent of agreement with a modified statement for which consensus was not achieved. The process was repeated three times. RESULTS Consensus was achieved on all but 9 of 32 statements. CONCLUSIONS Consensus was not achieved for nine statements. These statements may be topics for future research.
In-Field Spatial Variability in the Degradation of the Phenyl-Urea Herbicide Isoproturon Is the Result of Interactions between Degradative Sphingomonas spp. and Soil pH

ABSTRACT Substantial spatial variability in the degradation rate of the phenyl-urea herbicide isoproturon (IPU) [3-(4-isopropylphenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea] has been shown to occur within agricultural fields, with implications for the longevity of the compound in the soil, and its movement to ground- and surface water. The microbial mechanisms underlying such spatial variability in degradation rate were investigated at Deep Slade field in Warwickshire, United Kingdom. Most-probable-number analysis showed that rapid degradation of IPU was associated with proliferation of IPU-degrading organisms. Slow degradation of IPU was linked to either a delay in the proliferation of IPU-degrading organisms or apparent cometabolic degradation. Using enrichment techniques, an IPU-degrading bacterial culture (designated strain F35) was isolated from fast-degrading soil, and partial 16S rRNA sequencing placed it within the Sphingomonas group. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of PCR-amplified bacterial community 16S rRNA revealed two bands that increased in intensity in soil during growth-linked metabolism of IPU, and sequencing of the excised bands showed high sequence homology to the Sphingomonas group. However, while F35 was not closely related to either DGGE band, one of the DGGE bands showed 100% partial 16S rRNA sequence homology to an IPU-degrading Sphingomonas sp. (strain SRS2) isolated from Deep Slade field in an earlier study. Experiments with strains SRS2 and F35 in soil and liquid culture showed that the isolates had a narrow pH optimum (7 to 7.5) for metabolism of IPU. The pH requirements of IPU-degrading strains of Sphingomonas spp. could largely account for the spatial variation of IPU degradation rates across the field.
Electron-positron annihilation into phi f(0)(980) and clues for a new 1-- resonance

We study the e{sup +}e{sup -}{yields}{phi}{pi}{pi} reaction for pions in an isoscalar s wave which is dominated by loop mechanisms. For kaon loops we start from the conventional R{chi}PT, but use the unitarized amplitude for KK-{pi}{pi} scattering and the full kaon form factor instead of the lowest order terms. We study also effects of vector mesons using R{chi}PT supplemented with the conventional anomalous term for VVP interactions and taking into account the effects of heavy vector mesons in the K*K transition form factor. We find a peak in m{sub {pi}}{sub {pi}} around the f{sub 0}(980) as in the experiment. Selecting the {phi}f{sub 0}(980) contribution as a function of the e{sup +}e{sup -} energy we also reproduce the experimental data except for a narrow peak, yielding support to the existence of a 1{sup --} resonance above the {phi}f{sub 0}(980) threshold, coupling strongly to this state.
Combining Penalty Function with Modified Chicken Swarm Optimization for Constrained Optimization

In many mechanical designs, such as airborne electro-optical platform, optical lenses, mechanical containers, speed reducer, and so on, lightweight design has always been our goal. Under various constraints, obtaining the minimum of some parameter is the optimization problem we often encounter in the engineering works. Chicken Swarm Optimization (CSO), a new bio- inspired algorithm, is namely applied to deal with these kinds of problems. This paper firstly describes the origin and the basic model of the CSO and shows the result of applying the CSO to the algorithm test functions and a fair statistical comparison of the CSO with Bat Algorithm (BA) and modified Bat Algorithm based on Differential Evolution (DEBA) on the same test functions. Then, the CSO algorithm is modified. After that, the modified CSO is used to do the test on the previous test functions in order to be compared with the basic CSO, BA and DEBA. Finally, the modified CSO is combined with a dynamic penalty function to solve nonlinear constrained optimization problems and compared with other algorithms. From the results of all the tests, we can see that the CSO outperforms many other algorithms or their modified ones in terms of both optimization accuracy and stability. However, the modified CSO gets better performances than the CSO. As well, the modified CSO combined with penalty function is better than the CSO and many other optimization algorithms for constrained optimization problems.
COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT AMONG OLDER ADULTS WITH LATE-LIFE SCHIZOPHRENIA OR BIPOLAR DISORDER

Neurologists are increasingly faced with the daunting task of disentangling dementia from primary psychiatric conditions or recognizing their coexistence in older patients. Both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are characterized by substantial intergroup cognitive heterogeneity among older and younger patients. In schizophrenia, deficits in many cognitive domains are common; however, "rapid forgetting," loss of crystallized knowledge, and greater than age-normal declines in cognitive function are rare and warrant careful evaluation for secondary causes. The cognitive deficits associated with bipolar disorder tend be most severe during acute affective episodes, but some deficits tend to persist even during periods of relative euthymia. Lifetime number of affective episodes in bipolar disorder may adversely affect cognitive functions in bipolar disorder, but severe deficits and/or substantive declines over a period of a few years are unusual and warrant careful evaluation for secondary causes.
The mast syndrome. A recessively inherited form of presenile dementia with motor disturbances.

MANY aspects of the nosology of hereditary degenerative disorders of the nervous system remain obscure, and as yet no adequate system of classification is available. 1 In considerable part this is due to insufficient clinical, biochemical, pathological, and genetic information. The rarity of many neurological disorders makes a comprehensive study difficult, and few observers are able to personally examine sufficient material to make valid comparisons. 1,2 Several types of genetic information derived from inbred populations may be especially useful in the investigation of heredodegenerative neurological disorders. The Old Order Amish of Holmes County, Ohio, and similar settlements in Indiana and Pennsylvania, each comprise a genetic isolate with many characteristics favorable for genetic studies. 3 A preliminary communication 4 reported several previously undescribed hereditary neurological syndromes found among the Ohio Amish. This report presents detailed clinical and genetic findings of one of these disorders tentatively designated the Mast syndrome from
Psychological distress after severe trauma: a prospective 1-year follow-up study of a trauma intensive care unit population.

BACKGROUND The aim of the study was to investigate the level of psychologic distress after trauma and intensive care unit (ICU) stay, memory from the ICU, and predictors for psychologic distress at 12 months. METHODS Prospective single center study in a trauma referral center for Eastern and Southern Norway. Participants were 150 trauma patients treated in an ICU for > 24 hours. Assessments were performed after discharge, at 3 months, and at 12 months using the Impact of Event Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, ICU memory tool, and Life Orientation Test-Revised. RESULTS At baseline, the mean Impact of Event scores were 22.7 decreasing to 18.4 at 12 months (p = 0.039). At 1-year follow-up, mean anxiety scores were 5.5 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.6-6.4) and depression scores 3.8 (95% CI: 3.1-4.5). Factual memories from ICU (odds ratio [OR] 6.58, [95% CI: 2.01-21.52], p = 0.002), low educational level (OR 0.29, [95% CI: 0.10-0.86] p = 0.025), not having care of children (OR 0.14, [95% CI: 0.04-0.47] p = 0.002), and female gender (OR 2.95, [95% CI: 1.04-8.34] p = 0.042) predicted posttraumatic stress symptoms at 12 months. Anxiety at 12 months was predicted only by pessimism (OR 0.83, [95% CI: 0.75-0.93] p = 0.001). Depression at 12 months was predicted by being out of work before the injury (OR 3.64, [95% CI: 1.11-11.94] p = 0.033) and pessimism (OR 0.83, [95% CI: 0.73-0.93] p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS Many patients suffer from posttraumatic stress symptoms, anxiety, and depression after trauma and ICU stay. The strongest predictors of psychologic distress 12 months after discharge were having factual memories from the ICU stay, being pessimistic, and being out of work before the injury.
Teratoma: from spontaneous tumors to the pluripotency/malignancy assay

A teratoma is a benign tumor containing a mixture of differentiated tissues and organotypic derivatives of the three germ layers, while a teratocarcinoma also contains embryonal carcinoma cells (EC cells). Experimental teratomas and teratocarcinomas have been derived from early mammalian embryos transplanted into the adult animal (ectopic sites). In the rat, the pluripotency of the transplanted epiblast was demonstrated and a quantifiable restriction of developmental potential persisted after subsequent transplantation of chemically defined cultivated postimplantation embryos. The rat is nonpermissive for teratocarcinoma development and rat pluripotent cell lines have been established only recently. Transplantation of mouse embryos, epiblast, or embryonic stem cells (mESCs) gave rise to teratocarcinomas. The pluripotency of reprogrammed human cells has been tested by a ‘gold standard’ trilaminar teratoma assay in immunocompromised mice in vivo. Human pluripotent stem cells proposed for use in regenerative medicine such as human embryonic stem cell (hESC), human nuclear‐transfer/therapeutic cloning embryonic stem cell (NT‐ESC), or human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines, once differentiated in vitro to the desired cell type, should be again tested in a long‐term animal teratoma assay to exclude their malignancy. Such an approach led to a recently implemented human therapy with retinal pigmented epithelium. For greater biosafety, the teratoma assay should be standardized and complemented by assessments of mutations/epimutations, RNA/protein expression, and possible immunogenicity of autologous pluripotent cells. Furthermore, the standardized teratoma assay should be directed more to the assessment of EC/malignant cell features than of differentiated tissues, especially after a unique case of human therapy with neural stem cells was found to lead to malignancy. WIREs Dev Biol 2016, 5:186–209. doi: 10.1002/wdev.219
The Development of Rating of Perceived Exertion-Based Tests of Physical Working Capacity

The purpose of the present study was to use ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) from the Borg (6-20) and OMNI-Leg (0-10) scales to determine the Physical Working Capacity at the Borg and OMNI thresholds (PWCBORG and PWCOMNI). PWCBORG and PWCOMNI were compared with other fatigue thresholds determined from the measurement of heart rate (the Physical Working Capacity at the Heart Rate Threshold: PWCHRT), and oxygen consumption (the Physical Working Capacity at the Oxygen Consumption Threshold, PWC&OV0312;O2), as well as the ventilatory threshold (VT). Fifteen men and women volunteers (mean age ± SD = 22 ± 1 years) performed an incremental test to exhaustion on an electronically braked ergometer for the determination of &OV0312;O2 peak and VT. The subjects also performed 4 randomly ordered workbouts to exhaustion at different power outputs (ranging from 60 to 206W) for the determination of PWCBORG, PWCOMNI, PWCHRT, and PWC&OV0312;O2 The results indicated that there were no significant mean differences among the fatigue thresholds: PWCBORG (mean ± SD = 133 ± 37W; 67 ± 8% of &OV0312;O2 peak), PWCOMNI (137 ± 44W; 68 ± 9% of &OV0312;O2 peak), PWCHRT (135 ± 36W; 68 ± 8% of &OV0312;O2 peak), PWC&OV0312;O2(145 ± 41W; 72 ± 7% of &OV0312;O2 peak) and VT (131 ± 45W; 66 ± 8% of &OV0312;O2 peak). The results of this study indicated that the mathematical model used to estimate PWCHRT and PWC&OV0312;O2 can be applied to ratings of perceived exertion to determine PWCBORG and PWCOMNI during cycle ergometry. Salient features of the PWCBORG and PWCOMNI tests are that they are simple to administer and require the use of only an RPE scale, a stopwatch, and a cycle ergometer. Furthermore, the power outputs at the PWCBORG and PWCOMNI may be useful to estimate the VT noninvasively and without the need for expired gas analysis.
Abnormal sonographic findings in the asymptomatic arthritic shoulder

Objective: To assess the diagnostic value of ultrasonography (US) in the evaluation of arthritic shoulder joints, especially in painless shoulders. Methods: US examinations were performed in 57 consecutive patients with rheumatoid arthritis (114 shoulders) and in 32 controls (32 shoulders), using a 7.5 MHz linear probe and a standardized study protocol. US findings were compared with clinical, laboratory, and radiological data to find any relationship. Results: Abnormal sonographic findings were found in 80 shoulders (70%); the most common were lesions in the supraspinatus tendon (38%), subacromial-subdeltoid bursitis (29%), bone erosions of the humeral head (20%), glenohumeral joint effusion (19%), and biceps tendinitis (13%). Although US abnormalities were most frequent in patients with painful shoulders or abnormal findings on physical examination or radiography, a high rate of alterations was found in asymptomatic shoulders (51%), in normal shoulders on physical examination (44%) and in normal shoulders on radiographic assessment (61%). Differences of US findings in relation to time of evolution of rheumatoid arthritis, patient's age, and radiographic stage in hand and/or wrist joints were not found. Conclusion: US abnormalities in the shoulder joint are frequent in rheumatoid arthritis, both in patients with and without shoulder complaints as well as in patients with normal findings on physical examination.
Are T‐cell dysfunctions the other side of the moon in the pathogenesis of myelodysplastic syndromes?

Even though the pathogenesis of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) is dominated by an inefficient maturation of haematopoietic precursors, also immune mechanisms seem to play a crucial functional role. In this review, we will first describe the clinical and laboratory autoimmune manifestations often detectable in MDS patients. We will then focus on studies addressing the mechanisms of T‐cell activation and their implications in the disease history. The potential impact of specific cell subsets, such as regulatory T‐cells, Th17 cells and natural killer cells, will be also described. We will finally focus on potential therapeutic approaches based on immunomodulation, ranging from more classical immunosuppressive drugs to vaccination and transplantation strategies.
Temporal verification of reactive systems - safety

0: Preliminary Concepts. - 0.1 Fair Transition System. - 0.2 A Programming Language (SPL): Syntax. - 0.3 A Programming Language (SPL): Semantics. - 0.4 Modules. - 0.5 Temporal Logic. - 0.6 Specification of Properties. - 0.7 Overview of the Verification Framework. - Problems. - Bibliographic Remarks. - 1: Invariance: Proof Methods. - 1.1 Preliminary Notions. - 1.2 Invariance Rule. - 1.3 Finding Inductive Assertions: The Bottom-Up Approach. - 1.4 Finding Inductive Assertions: The Top-Down Approach. - 1.5 Refining Invariants. - Problems. - Bibliographic Remarks. - 2: Invariance: Applications. - 2.1 Parameterized Programs. - 2.2 Single-Resource Allocation. - 2.3 Multiple-Resource Allocation. - 2.4 Constructing Linear Invariants. - 2.5 Completeness. - 2.6 Finite-State Algorithmic Verification. - Problems. - Bibliographic Remarks. - 3: Precedence. - 3.1 Waiting-for Rule. - 3.2 Nested Waiting-for Rule. - 3.3 Verification Diagrams. - 3.4 Overtaking Analysis for a Resource Allocator. - * 3.5 Completeness. - * 3.6 Finite-State Algorithmic Verification. - Problems. - Bibliographic Remarks. - 4: General Safety. - 4.1 Invariance Rule for Past Formulas. - 4.2 Applications of the Past Invariance Rule. - 4.3 Compositional Verification. - 4.4 Causality Rule. - 4.5 Backward Analysis. - 4.6 Order-Preservation Properties. - 4.7 History Variables. - 4.8 Back-to Rule. - * 4.9 Completeness. - * 4.10 Finite-State Algorithmic Verification. - Problems. - Bibliographic Remarks. - 5: Algorithmic Verification of General Formulas. - 5.1 Satisfiability of a Temporal Formula. - 5.2 Satisfiability over a Finite-State Program. - 5.3 Validity over a Finite-State Program: Examples. - 5.4 Incremental Tableau Construction. - 5.5 Particle Tableaux. - Problems. - Bibliographic Remarks. - References. - Index to Symbols. - General Index.