Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exercise Ventilatory Limitation: The Role of Expiratory Flow Limitation

Ventilatory limitation to exercise remains an important unresolved clinical issue; as a result, many individuals misinterpret the effects of expiratory flow limitation as an all-or-nothing phenomenon. Expiratory flow limitation is not all or none; approaching maximal expiratory flow can have important effects not only on ventilatory capacity but also on breathing mechanics, ventilatory control, and possibly exertional dyspnea and exercise intolerance.
Depletion of antigen‐presenting cells by clodronate liposomes reverses the psoriatic skin phenotype in KC‐Tie2 mice

Background There is ongoing debate regarding the initiation of psoriatic plaque as primarily arising from an anomaly in epidermal keratinocytes (KCs) or from abnormalities in immunocytes that secondarily activate otherwise normal KCs. In mice engineered to overexpress the angiopoietin receptor Tie2 in KCs, skin spontaneously develops the characteristic clinical, histological and immune cell phenotypes of psoriasis which can be reversed with either transgene repression or ciclosporin administration, suggesting key roles for both KCs and T cells in mediating the skin disease in this murine model.
Urinary estrogen excretion in men with breast cancer.

IN 1942 Farrow and Adair1 reported rapid progression of osseous metastases as a result of treatment with testosterone propionate in a male patient with cancer of the breast. In a second male patient, also with osseous metastases from an inoperable breast cancer, these authors performed a bilateral orchiectomy and obtained definite regression of the cancer, including marked decrease in the size of the ulcerative lesion of the breast, calcification of osteolytic bone metastases and complete relief of bone pain. The authors measured the urinary excretion of "estrogenic substance" and 17-ketosteroid before and after treatment and found a marked decrease in .
Insulin resistance shows selective metabolic and hormonal targets in the elderly

Abstract. There has been no simultaneous evaluation of different aspects of insulin action in ageing. We studied 12 elderly (77 ± 2 years) and 12 young (26 ±1 years) subjects with normal glucose tolerance and matched for sex, body mass index, lean body mass (LBM), blood pressure and physical activity, using a euglycaemic‐hyperinsulinaemic clamp at about 350 pmol L‐1 in combination with [3H]‐glucose infusion. In the elderly group, hepatic glucose production was normal, fasting serum insulin and C‐peptide were significantly increased (P= 0.001) and glucose utilization (34.4 ±2.4 vs. 44.4± 3.2 μmol kg‐1 LBM min‐1, P= 0.02) and the percentage maximal suppression of C‐peptide (58 ± 6% vs. 79 ±5%, P= 0.02) during the clamp were reduced. Fasting plasma free fatty acid (FFA) and glycerol levels were similar in the two groups, but their percentage maximal suppression during the clamp was reduced in the elderly group (FFA 45± 5% vs. 77 ± 6%, P= 0.001; glycerol 43 ± 5% vs. 76± 3%, P= 0.001). Branched‐chain amino acids (valine, leucine, isoleucine) and glucagon levels were similar in the two groups, both while fasting and during the clamp. Thus, insulin resistance in ageing appears selective on glucose utilization, inhibition of lipolysis and feedback inhibition of the B‐cell secretion.
Neuromagnetic source imaging of abnormal spontaneous activity in tinnitus patient modulated by electrical cortical stimulation

Electrical cortical stimulation (CS) of the auditory cortices has been shown to reduce the severity of debilitating tinnitus in some patients. In this study, we performed MEG source imaging of spontaneous brain activity during concurrent CS of the left secondary auditory cortex of a volunteer suffering from right unilateral tinnitus. CS produced MEG artifacts which were successfully sorted and removed using a combination of sensor and source level signal separation and classification techniques. This contribution provides the first proof of concept reporting on analysis of MEG data with concurrent CS. Effects of CS on ongoing brain activity were revealed at the MEG sensor and source levels and indicate CS significantly reduced ongoing brain activity in the lower frequency range (<40Hz), and emphasized its higher (>40Hz), gamma range components. Further, our results show that CS increased the spectral correlation across multiple frequency bands in the low and high gamma ranges, and between the alpha and beta bands of the MEG. Finally, MEG sources localized in the auditory cortices and nearby regions exhibited abnormal spectral activity that was suppressed by CS. These results provide promising evidence in favor of the Thalamocortical Dysrhytmia (TCD) hypothesis of tinnitus, and suggest that CS may prove to be an effective treatment of tinnitus when targeted to brain regions exhibiting abnormal spontaneous activity.
Trends in Aortic Dissection Hospitalizations, Interventions, and Outcomes Among Medicare Beneficiaries in the United States, 2000–2011

Background—The epidemiology of aortic dissection (AD) has not been well described among older persons in the United States. It is not known whether advancements in AD care over the last decade have been accompanied by changes in outcomes. Methods and Results—The Inpatient Medicare data from 2000 to 2011 were used to determine trends in hospitalization rates for AD. Mortality rates were ascertained through corresponding vital status files. A total of 32 057 initial AD hospitalizations were identified. The overall hospitalization rate for AD remained unchanged at 10 per 100 000 person-years. For 30-day and 1-year mortality associated with AD, the observed rate decreased from 31.8% to 25.4% (difference, 6.4%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 6.2–6.5; adjusted, 6.4%; 95% CI, 5.7–6.9) and from 42.6% to 37.4% (difference, 5.2%; 95% CI, 5.1–5.2; adjusted, 6.2%; 95% CI, 5.3–6.7), respectively. For patients undergoing surgical repair for type A dissections, the observed 30-day mortality decreased from 30.7% to 21.4% (difference, 9.3%; 95% CI, 8.3–10.2; adjusted, 7.3%; 95% CI, 5.8–7.8) and the observed 1-year mortality decreased from 39.9% to 31.6% (difference, 8.3%; 95% CI, 7.5–9.1%; adjusted, 8.2%; 95% CI, 6.7–9.1). The 30-day mortality decreased from 24.9% to 21% (difference, 3.9%; 95% CI, 3.5–4.2; adjusted, 2.9%; 95% CI, 0.7–4.4) and 1-year decreased from 36.4% to 32.5% (difference, 3.9%; 95% CI, 3.3–4.3; adjusted, 3.9%; 95% CI, 2.5–6.3) for surgical repair of type B dissection. Conclusions—Although AD hospitalization rates remained stable, improvement in mortality was noted, particularly in patients undergoing surgical repair.
Quantum dynamics of phase transitions in broken symmetry lambda phi**4 field theory

We perform a detailed numerical investigation of the dynamics of broken symmetry $\lambda \phi^4$ field theory in 1+1 dimensions using a Schwinger-Dyson equation truncation scheme based on ignoring vertex corrections. In an earlier paper, we called this the bare vertex approximation (BVA). We assume the initial state is described by a Gaussian density matrix peaked around some non-zero value of $ $, and characterized by a single particle Bose-Einstein distribution function at a given temperature. We compute the evolution of the system using three different approximations: Hartree, BVA and a related 2PI-1/N expansion, as a function of coupling strength and initial temperature. In the Hartree approximation, the static phase diagram shows that there is a first order phase transition for this system. As we change the initial starting temperature of the system, we find that the BVA relaxes to a new final temperature and exhibits a second order phase transition. We find that the average fields thermalize for arbitrary initial conditions in the BVA, unlike the behavior exhibited by the Hartree approximation, and we illustrate how $ $ and $ $ depend on the initial temperature and on the coupling constant. We find that the 2PI-1/N expansion gives dramatically different results for $ $.
Clinical characteristics, treatment and prognostic factors of candidal meningitis in a teaching hospital in Taiwan

The prognostic factors of candidal meningitis had rarely been studied owing to the rarity of this disease. We identified 17 patients with candidal meningitis at a teaching hospital in Taiwan over a 14-y period and give details of the clinical features, treatment, outcome and prognostic factors of this disease. 10 patients were children (1 was neonate) and 7 were adults. The clinical features and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings were non-specific. The disease was diagnosed >72 h after hospitalization in 14 (82%) patients. The most frequently isolated species was Candida albicans (65%). Regimens of therapy included intravenous amphotericin B deoxycholate (AmB) or fluconazole alone, or a combination of intravenous AmB with intrathecal AmB, flucytosine or fluconazole. All indwelling central nervous system devices were externalized or removed. Four adults died of the disease. Three of them had malignancy and had received <48 h of antifungal therapy. For adult patients with malignancy, early diagnosis and alternative treatment modalities with newer antifungal agents may be needed.
Prevalence, risk factors, and consequences of overweight in children and adolescents who underwent renal transplantation – Short‐ and medium‐term analysis

To determine the prevalence and risk factors for (i) overweight/obesity and (ii) weight gain six months after transplantation and to study the effect of weight excess on graft function and survival. We performed a retrospective study of kidney transplanted children. Endpoints: (i) prevalence of overweight/obesity at sixth month, (ii) gaining 1.0 BMI SDS from one to six months. To study the effects of weight excess, graft function and survival at 36 months were the endpoints. The study included 197 individuals. At sixth month, 57/197 (29%) presented overweight/obesity, and the factors associated to this outcome were: (i) age at transplantation (OR = 3.04) and (ii) overweight/obesity in the first month (OR = 22.16). Groups presented no difference on graft function and survival at 36 months. From one to six months, 90/197 (46%) patients gained >1.0 BMI SDS. This outcome was associated with (i) female sex (OR = 2.50), (ii) steroids' pulses (OR = 2.98), (iii) steroids exposure (OR = 1.04), and (iv) living donor (OR = 2.69). The group that gained BMI presented a lower 36 months graft survival (86% vs. 98%, p < 0.001). Weight excess and gain after transplantation are frequent, particularly in younger female recipients and in those receiving high steroids exposure. The lower graft survival in patients with rapid weight gain deserves investigation.
A Quality Metric Based on Color Similarity for Image Fusion

This paper proposes a new objective, non-reference quality metric for evaluating the performance of pixel-level image fusion. The metric is designed on a likelihood function for color cue that measures the similarity of color- or grey-level distributions. We have provided a theoretical analysis on how the quality metric responds to weighted averaging fusion algorithm. Then the slide window is used to calculate the metric over local region with the weight which is assessed by local saliency and indicates the relative importance. Extensive experiments have demonstrated that the metric is more effective and consistent with subjective evaluations compared with other metrics.
A method to dynamically configure the multicast and broadcast service zone in mobile WiMAX

In this paper, we look into the problem of a waste of wireless resource in MBS (Multicast & Broadcast Service) zone which is proposed by IEEE 802.16e standards to provide the MBS to many subscribers at the same time. We introduce a new method to reduce the amount of wireless resources to be wasted. And then, we will show that the proposed method can use the wireless resource more effectively than the original MBS zone by simulation.
Characterizing the Lipid-Lowering Effects and Antioxidant Mechanisms of Tomato Paste

Lycopene is known to decrease cardiovascular risks. The objective of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms of tomato paste containing approximately 0.1% lycopene in regulating lipid metabolism and oxidation. Hamsters fed 3% or 9% tomato paste containing 0.2% cholesterol were subjected to total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), and triglyceride (TG) measurements. Our results showed reduced rates of serum TC and LDL levels due to 9% tomato paste were 14.3% and 11.3% respectively. Concentrations of 3% and 9% of tomato paste after 8 weeks of feeding significantly increased serum HDL levels, by 19.4% and 28.8% respectively. After ingestion of tomato paste for 8 weeks, the plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) levels significantly decreased, by 80.18% and 89.33% respectively, as compared to the cholesterol group. MDA and diene conjugation assays indicated the potent antioxidant activity of the tomato paste. The increased activities of superoxide dismutases (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), further supported the antioxidant effects of the tomato paste. Two dimension-gel electrophoresis (2-DE) analysis revealed that carbonic anhydrase III (CAIII) and adenylate kinase 2 (AK2) may be two important regulators involved in the anti-lipid and antioxidant effects of tomato paste, opening new insight into the nutritional value of tomato in public health promotion.
A macrosimulation approach to the investigation of natural fertility

This paper is part of a long-term investigation known as the Mormon Historical Demography Project. It examines the capability of a simulation model, originally proposed by John Bongaarts (1976), to fit the natural fertility pattern which characterized the mid-nineteenth century Mormon population. Application of this model permits estimates to be made of the historical timing and age-incidence of fertility limitation. A sensitivity analysis of the model’s parameters demonstrates that simple changes in the model’s proximate determinants of fertility, excluding contraceptive practices, would be insufficientto account for later transition effects. Thus the results successfully capture the dynamics underlying the Mormon natural fertility pattern as well as offer a framework for future modeling of the transition away from natural fertility.
Cell density‐dependent regulation of cell surface expression of two types of human tumor necrosis factor receptors and its effect on cellular response

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a multipotential cytokine known to regulate the growth of a wide variety of normal and tumor cells. It has been shown that the density of cells in culture can modulate the growth regulatory activities of TNF, the mechanism of which, however, is not understood. In this report, we investigated the effect of cell density on the expression of TNF receptors. The receptors were examined on epithelial cells (e.g., HeLa), which primarily express the p60 form, and on myeloid cells (e.g., HL‐60) known to express mainly the p80 form. We observed that binding of TNF to both cell lines decreased with increase in cell density. Scatchard analysis of binding on HeLa and HL‐60 cells revealed a 4‐ to 5‐fold reduction in the number of TNF receptors without any significant change in receptor affinity in both cell types at high density. The decrease in TNF receptor numbers at high cell density was also observed in several other epithelial and myeloid cell lines. The downmodulation at high cell density was unique to TNF receptors, since minimum change in other cell surface proteins was observed as revealed by fluorescent activated cell sorter analysis. Neutralization of binding with antibodies specific to each type of the receptors revealed that both the p60 and p80 forms of the TNF receptor were equally downmodulated.
Prospective Controlled Long-term Follow-up for Functional Outcome After Anoplasty in Boys With Perineal Fistula

Background: Functional outcomes after treatment of low anorectal anomalies remain controversial. To address this, we conducted a controlled, prospective single-center long-term follow-up study of functional outcome in boys treated for perineal fistula with anoplasty. Patients and Methods: Twenty-four consecutive boys treated exclusively for perineal fistula from 1992 to 2001 underwent prospective follow-up after completion of toilet training. All of the patients had identical surgical treatment. Functional outcome was assessed according to a previously validated bowel function score (7 questions, maximum score of 20). Daytime and nighttime wetting, as well as the age at toilet training, were also recorded. Thirty-seven age-matched boys served as healthy controls. An independent nurse specialist interviewed caregivers. Results: Age of the patients (9.1 ± 2.6 years) and controls (9.0 ± 2.9 years) were similar. Seven patients (32%) had bowel function scores below the 10th percentile (17.2) of the controls, which was chosen as a lower limit of normality. The overall mean bowel function score was significantly lower (P < 0.01) among the patients (17.9 ± 1.9) compared with the controls (19.1 ± 1.2). The difference was attributed mainly to significantly lower scores (0–3) among patients in questions assessing constipation (2.4 ± 0.8 vs 2.9 ± 0.3; P < 0.05) and soiling (2.5 ± 0.5 vs 2.8 ± 0.4; P = 0.05). Constipation and soiling were significantly more common (P < 0.05) among patients (41% and 55%, respectively) compared with controls (8% and 24%, respectively). Conclusions: Overall long-term bowel function is impaired in one third of boys with perineal fistula. The main reasons for impaired functional outcome are constipation and soiling, which affect as many as half the patients.
Nonvolitional sex and HIV-related sexual risk behaviours among MSM in the United States

Objective:We estimated the prevalence of lifetime nonvolitional sex (NVS) among MSM by demographic characteristics, and characterized its association with HIV-related sexual risk behaviours among MSM in the United States. Design:The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) is a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of the United States. Methods:NSFG data from recent cycles 2002, and 2006–2010 were weighted and analysed for men aged 18–44 years who reported ever having anal or oral intercourse with another male. Associations of lifetime NVS (forced sex by men or women) and age of first NVS experience (<18 vs. ≥18 years), with HIV-related sexual risk behaviour outcomes in the past 12 months (i.e. sex with two or more male sex partners; exchanged sex for money or drugs; sex with IDU; sex with HIV-positive person; sex with two or more female sex partners) were assessed using adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR). Results:An estimated 3 226 872 or 5.8% of men aged 18–44 years were identified as MSM with 24.6% of them reporting ever experiencing NVS. MSM reporting NVS at age 18 years or older were more likely to have had sex with an IDU [aPR = 4.40; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.78–10.88] and exchanged sex for money or drugs (aPR = 2.52; 95% CI 1.17–5.43) in the past 12 months compared with those not reporting NVS. NVS for MSM less than 18 years of age was associated with exchanging sex for money or drugs. Conclusion:Effective interventions to raise awareness of NVS among MSM and to offer support for MSM who have experienced NVS are needed.
A randomized trial comparing lung-volume-reduction surgery with medical therapy for severe emphysema.

BACKGROUND Lung-volume-reduction surgery has been proposed as a palliative treatment for severe emphysema. Effects on mortality, the magnitude and durability of benefits, and criteria for the selection of patients have not been established. METHODS A total of 1218 patients with severe emphysema underwent pulmonary rehabilitation and were randomly assigned to undergo lung-volume-reduction surgery or to receive continued medical treatment. RESULTS Overall mortality was 0.11 death per person-year in both treatment groups (risk ratio for death in the surgery group, 1.01; P=0.90). After 24 months, exercise capacity had improved by more than 10 W in 15 percent of the patients in the surgery group, as compared with 3 percent of patients in the medical-therapy group (P<0.001). With the exclusion of a subgroup of 140 patients at high risk for death from surgery according to an interim analysis, overall mortality in the surgery group was 0.09 death per person-year, as compared with 0.10 death per person-year in the medical-therapy group (risk ratio, 0.89; P=0.31); exercise capacity after 24 months had improved by more than 10 W in 16 percent of patients in the surgery group, as compared with 3 percent of patients in the medical-therapy group (P<0.001). Among patients with predominantly upper-lobe emphysema and low exercise capacity, mortality was lower in the surgery group than in the medical-therapy group (risk ratio for death, 0.47; P=0.005). Among patients with non-upper-lobe emphysema and high exercise capacity, mortality was higher in the surgery group than in the medical-therapy group (risk ratio, 2.06; P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS Overall, lung-volume-reduction surgery increases the chance of improved exercise capacity but does not confer a survival advantage over medical therapy. It does yield a survival advantage for patients with both predominantly upper-lobe emphysema and low base-line exercise capacity. Patients previously reported to be at high risk and those with non-upper-lobe emphysema and high base-line exercise capacity are poor candidates for lung-volume-reduction surgery, because of increased mortality and negligible functional gain.
Genetic Fate of Recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus Vector Genomes in Muscle

ABSTRACT Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors are promising human gene transfer vectors, because they mediate long-term gene expression in vivo. The vector DNA form responsible for sustained gene expression has not been clearly defined, but it has been presumed that the vector integrates to some degree and persists in this manner. Using two independent methods, we were unable to identify rAAV integrants in mouse muscle. In the first approach, we were unable to recover host cell-vector DNA junctions from a lambda phage library generated using transduced mouse muscle DNA that contained a high vector copy number. Following this result, we devised a PCR assay based on the principle that integrated rAAV vector sequences could be amplified using primers specific for mouse interspersed repetitive sequences (B1 elements). Using this assay, we analyzed transduced mouse muscle DNA isolated from 6 to 57 weeks after injection and did not detect amplification above background levels. Based on the demonstrated sensitivity of the assay, these results suggested that >99.5% of vector DNA was not integrated. Additional analyses using a novel DNA exonuclease showed that the majority of the rAAV vector DNA in muscle persisted over time as transcriptionally active monomeric and concatameric episomes.
Finding Virtual Signatures for Linear Spectral Mixture Analysis

A new concept of virtual signature (VS) is introduced for linear spectral mixture analysis (LSMA) that can be used to form a linear mixture model (LMM) to perform data unmixing. A VS is defined as a spectrally distinct signature and different from an endmember as a pure signature in the sense that a VS must be extracted directly from the data and can be a mixed signature. It is also different from virtual endmembers (VEs) introduced in nonlinear spectral mixture analysis according to a bilinear model. By virtue of VS, this paper investigates three least squares (LSs)-based criteria, LS error (LSE), orthogonal subspace projection (OSP) residual, and maximal likelihood estimation (MLE) error, and further designs of their respective recursive algorithms to find VSs for LSMA to unmix data. In the mean time, a binary composite hypothesis testing-based Neyman Pearson detector is also developed in conjunction with the developed recursive algorithms to determine if their produced signatures are indeed desired VSs. Finally, an experiment-based comparative analysis is also conducted to demonstrate the proposed approaches.