Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of patient education on compliance with basic treatment regimens and health in recent onset active rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVES To determine the effects of patient education on compliance and on health in patients with active, recent onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS A randomised, controlled, assessor blinded, one year trial. The experimental group followed an education programme. All patients started on sulphasalazine therapy. Compliance with sulphasalazine was measured by pill counting. Compliance rates with regimens of physical exercise, endurance activities, and energy conservation were measured by questionnaires. Compliance with prescriptions of joint protection was scored using a test for joint protection performance. Health was measured by a Disease Activity Score (function of erythrocyte sedimentation rate, Ritchie score, and number of swollen joints), C reactive protein, Dutch-AIMS scores, and M-HAQ scores, range of motion of shoulder, elbow, and knee joints. Parameters were scored at baseline and after three, six, and 12 months. RESULTS Sixty of 65 patients gave informed consent, five of them withdrew from follow up. Compliance with sulphasalazine exceeded 80% with no differences between groups. Compliance with physical exercise (at three months), energy conservation (at three and at 12 months), and joint protection (at three months) improved significantly more in the experimental group. The improvements of health were not different in the groups. CONCLUSION Compliance with sulphasalazine among patients with active, recent onset RA is high, whether formal patient education is followed or not. Compliance with physical exercise, energy conservation, and joint protection was increased by patient education. Formal patient education did not improve health status.
Cohesins Repress Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Immediate Early Gene Transcription during Latency

ABSTRACT Chromatin-organizing factors such as CTCF and cohesins have been implicated in the control of complex viral regulatory programs. We investigated the role of CTCF and cohesins in the control of the switch from latency to the lytic cycle for Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). We found that cohesin subunits but not CTCF are required for the repression of KSHV immediate early gene transcription. Depletion of the cohesin subunits Rad21, SMC1, and SMC3 resulted in lytic cycle gene transcription and viral DNA replication. In contrast, depletion of CTCF failed to induce lytic transcription or DNA replication. Chromatin immunoprecipitation with high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-Seq) revealed that cohesins and CTCF bound to several sites within the immediate early control region for ORF50 and to more distal 5′ sites that also regulate the divergently transcribed ORF45-ORF46-ORF47 gene cluster. Rad21 depletion led to a robust increase in ORF45, ORF46, ORF47, and ORF50 transcripts, with similar kinetics to that observed with chemical induction by sodium butyrate. During latency, the chromatin between the ORF45 and ORF50 transcription start sites was enriched in histone H3K4me3, with elevated H3K9ac at the ORF45 promoter and elevated H3K27me3 at the ORF50 promoter. A paused form of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) was loosely associated with the ORF45 promoter region during latency but was converted to an active elongating form upon reactivation induced by Rad21 depletion. Butyrate treatment caused a rapid dissociation of cohesins and loss of CTCF binding at the immediate early gene locus, suggesting that cohesins may be a direct target of butyrate-mediated lytic induction. Our findings implicate cohesins as a major repressor of KSHV lytic gene activation and show that they function coordinately with CTCF to regulate the switch between latent and lytic gene activity.
Molecular support for Pleistocene persistence of the continental Antarctic moss Bryum argenteum

Abstract We examined sequence variation of ITS and phy2 for Bryum argenteum from Antarctica, sub-Antarctic, New Zealand and Australia to understand better taxonomic delimitations and resolve relationships between these geographic regions. Bryum argenteum has been recorded as two species, B. argenteum and B. subrotundifolium, in all four regions with the latter now referred to as B. argenteum var. muticum. We found disagreement between taxon delimitations (based on morphology) and molecular markers. All continental Antarctic specimens consistently formed a monophyletic sister group that consisted of both morphologically identified B. argenteum varieties, separate to all non-Antarctic specimens (also consisting of both varieties). We suggest, contrary to previous records, that all continental Antarctic (Victoria Land) populations are referable to B. argenteum var. muticum, while sub-Antarctic, Australian and New Zealand populations included here are B. argenteum var. argenteum. Additionally, since there was less genetic diversity within Victoria Land, Antarctica, than observed between non-Antarctic samples, we suggest that this is, in part, due to a potentially lower rate of DNA substitution and isolation in northern and southern refugia within Victoria Land since the Pleistocene.
Combined treatment with pegylated interferon–α‐2a and dacarbazine in patients with advanced metastatic melanoma

Dacarbazine (DTIC) and pegylated interferon (IFN)–α‐2a have both demonstrated some efficacy as single agents in metastatic melanoma. To the authors' knowledge, the current study is the first to test a combination of these 2 agents in a phase 2 trial.
A locality-preserving essence vector modeling framework for spoken document retrieval

Because unprecedented volumes of multimedia data associated with spoken documents have been made available to the public, spoken document retrieval (SDR) has become an important research area in the past decades. Recently, representation learning has emerged as an active research topic in many machine learning applications owing largely to its excellent performance. In the context of natural language processing, the pioneering work can date back to the word embedding methods. However, learning of paragraph (or sentence and document) representations is more reasonable and suitable for some tasks, such as information retrieval and document summarization. Nevertheless, as far as we are aware, there is relatively less work focusing on launching paragraph embedding methods into SDR. Motivated by these observations, this paper proposes a novel paragraph embedding method, named the locality-preserving essence vector (LPEV) model. LPEV is designed with consideration to two aspects. First, the model aims at not only distilling the most representative information from a paragraph but also getting rid of the general background information. Second, inspired by the local invariance perspective, which is a celebrated principle used in manifold learning techniques, LPEV also manages to preserve semantic locality in the learned low-dimensional embedding space for producing more informative and discriminative vector representations of paragraphs. On top of the proposed framework, a series of empirical SDR experiments conducted on the TDT-2 (Topic Detection and Tracking) collection demonstrate the good efficacy of our SDR methods as compared to existing strong baselines.
Rhabdomyosarcoma of the adult head and neck: a clinicopathological and DNA ploidy study

Abstarct We investigated the DNA ploidy patten in thirteen primary and four recurrent rhabdomyosarcomas of teh head and neck from thirteen adult patients and conrrelated the findings with other clinicopathological factors and clinical outcome. Twelve (92.7 per cent) of the primary neoplasms manifested an aneuploid DNA pattern. All recurrent lesions were DNA aneuploid with DNA indices (DIs) Corresponding to their primary neoplasms. No correlation beteween the ploidy pattern and histological subtypes, tumours location, clinical stage and patient's clinical course was found. In this study, only two patients were long-term, survivors. Both patients had stage I neoplasms that were located in non-parameninigeal sites which manifested an alvellar histological pattern. Our data indicate that adult rhabdoyosarcomas of adult and neck are preponderantly DNA aneuploid and are highly aggressive malignant neoplasms. Our results alson suggest that tumours which are low stage and in a non-parameningeal location may pursue a less aggressive course.
Discriminatively trained Language Models using Support Vector Machines for Language Identification

In this paper, we explore the use of the support vector machines (SVMs) to learn a discriminatively trained n-gram model for automatic language identification. Our focus is on practical considerations that make SVM technology more effective. We address the performance related issues of class priors, data imbalance, feature weighting, score normalization and combining multiple knowledge sources with SVMs. Using modified n-gram counts as features, we show that the SVM-trained n-grams are effective classifiers but they are sensitive to changes in prior class distributions. Using balanced prior distributions or score normalization procedures, the SVM-trained n-gram outperformed the traditional n-gram in parallel phoneme recognition with language model and GMM-UBM-based language identification systems by more than 30% relative error reduction on the OGI-TS corpus
Wording, Meaning, and Linguistic Ideology

Two seemingly disparate areas ofEnglish language structure-the grammar ofreported speech and of textual cohesion-are functionally related in that both entail a distinction between "wording" and "meaning. " This is consistent with the Western ideological disjunction between language and reality, talk and action. Neither these language structures nor this linguistic ideology are found among the Ngarinyin people of northwestern Australia, suggesting a Whorfian hypothesis about their possible interrelationship.
Comparison of analyses of respiratory gases made with the K4b2 portable and Quark laboratory analysers in horses

Measurements of minute ventilation (VE) and expired oxygen and carbon dioxide fractions (FeO2 and FeCO2) were measured at rest and during exercise in seven warmblood horses performing two consecutive standardised incremental treadmill exercise tests at submaximal speed, using the portable K4b2 telemetric unit and the laboratory Quark metabolic cart in random order. Oxygen consumption (VO2) and carbon dioxide production (VCO2) were estimated using the Haldane equation. There were no significant differences between the measurements made with the two devices. However, VE was overestimated when the horses were cantering at 10 m/s in comparison with values available in the literature.
Diagnostic accuracy for apical and chronic periodontitis biomarkers in gingival crevicular fluid: an exploratory study.

AIM The aim of this study was to assess the levels and diagnostic accuracy of a set of potential biomarkers of periodontal tissue metabolism in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) from patients with chronic periodontitis (CP) and asymptomatic apical periodontitis ( AAP). MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty one GCF samples from 11 CP patients, 44 GCF samples from 38 AAP patients and 31 GCF samples from 13 healthy volunteers were obtained (N = 106). Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) -2 and -9 were determined by zymography; levels of MMP-8 by ELISA and IFMA and MPO by ELISA. IL-1, IL-6, TNFα, DKK-1, Osteonectin, Periostin, TRAP-5 and OPG were determined by a multiplex quantitative panel. Statistical analysis was performed using linear mixed-effects models. RESULTS The MMP-9 and MMP-8 were higher in CP, followed by AAP, versus healthy individuals (p < 0.05). ProMMP-2, MPO, IL-1, IL-6, PTN, TRAP-5 and OPG were significantly higher in CP when compared with AAP and healthy patients (p < 0.05). The highest diagnostic accuracies were observed for ProMMP-2, ProMMP-9, MMP-8 and TRAP-5 (AUC > 0.97) in CP, and for the active form of MMP-9 and MMP-8 (AUC > 0.90) in AAP. CONCLUSION Gingival crevicular fluid composition is modified by CP and AAP. MMP-9 and MMP-8 show diagnostic potential for CP and AAP, whereas MMP-2 and TRAP-5 are useful only for CP.
Overview of Pharmacogenetics

Pharmacogenetics is the study of relationships between genetic variation and inter‐individual differences with respect to drug response. As the field has matured over the past 15 years, a remarkable diversity of pathways, variation types, and mechanisms have been found to be relevant pharmacogenetic factors. Today, pharmacogenetics is becoming more important in pharmacology for target validation, lead optimization, and understanding of idiosyncratic toxicity. This unit provides an overview of the history of pharmacogenetics and current research applications in drug discovery, as well as a discussion of research quality issues relevant for human subjects research in the pharmacogenetics laboratory.
Acanthosis nigricans: a flag for insulin resistance

Abstract Objectives: Acanthosis nigricans refers to the velvety, black hyperpigmentation seen in the flexures. It is a cutaneous marker for insulin resistance (IR), some metabolic disorders and rarely malignancy. When secondary to IR, it is asymptomatic, except for the hyperpigmentation. The neck is the most accessible and easiest to grade. Our aim was to identify the predictive value of the grades of acanthosis nigricans in identifying IR, the predictive value of the textures of acanthosis nigricans in identifying IR, and the diagnostic utility of acanthosis nigricans grading in comparison to the laboratory tests. Settings and subjects: The institutional ethics committee of Sri Ramachandra University approved this study. Three hundred consecutively presenting adults (50 males) with acanthosis nigricans neck were enrolled. Design: History, physical parameters and acanthosis nigricans grades, location and textures were noted. An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), fasting serum insulin and homeostasis model assessment of IR (HOMA IR)were carried out. The acanthosis nigricans grades were correlated to establish any association. Thirty obese controls without acanthosis nigricans were included. Outcome measures: OGTT, fasting serum insulin and HOMA IR were the outcome measures studied. Results: This cross-sectional study revealed that 94 subjects with acanthosis nigricans (31.34%) had IR. Grades III and IV, and textures II and III, were more predictive of IR. Acanthosis nigricans grading was insignificant in the non- insulin-resistant group. Acne (p-value 0.379), hirsutism (p-value 0.12) and acrochordons (p-value 0.415) were not significantly associated with IR. Conclusion: Severe grades and higher textures of acanthosis nigricans are reliable clinical diagnostic tools for IR. The absence of acanthosis nigricans was not associated with IR. Acanthosis nigricans grading is an inexpensive and non-invasive way of identifying pre-diabetes.
N-(2,6-Dimethylphenyl)-4-methylbenzamide

In the molecular structure of the title compound, C16H17NO, the two aromatic rings are close to orthogonal to each other [dihedral angle 78.8 (1)°], while the central –NH—C(=O)– amide core is nearly coplanar with the benzoyl ring, forming a dihedral angle of 3.5 (2)°. Intermolecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds in the crystal structure link the molecules into infinite chains running along the c axis of the crystal, and a C—H⋯O interaction also occurs.
Dynamic properties of the native free antithrombin from molecular dynamics simulations: computational evidence for solvent- exposed Arg393 side chain

While antithrombin (AT) has small basal inhibitory activity, it reaches its full inhibitory potential against activated blood coagulation factors, FXa, FIXa, and FIIa (thrombin), via an allosteric and/or template (bridging) mechanism by the action of heparin, heparan sulfate, or heparin-mimetic pentasaccharides (PS). From the numerous X-ray structures available for different conformational states of AT, only indirect and incomplete conclusions can be drawn on the inherently dynamic properties of AT. As a typical example, the basal inhibitory activity of AT cannot be interpreted on the basis of “non-activated” free antithrombin X-ray structures since the Arg393 side chain, playing crucial role in antithrombin-proteinase interaction, is not exposed. In order to reveal the intrinsic dynamic properties and the reason of basal inhibitory activity of antithrombin, 2 μs molecular dynamics simulations were carried out on its native free-forms. It was shown from the simulation trajectories that the reactive center loop which is functioning as “bait” for proteases, even without any biasing potential can populate conformational state in which the Arg393 side chain is solvent exposed. It is revealed from the trajectory analysis that the peptide sequences correspond to the helix D extension, and new helix P formation can be featured with especially large root-mean-square fluctuations. Mutual information analyses of the trajectory showed remarkable (generalized) correlation between those regions of antithrombin which changed their conformations as the consequence of AT–PS complex formation. This suggests that allosteric information propagation pathways are present even in the non-activated native form of AT.
The fate of the vitelline and umbilical veins during the development of the human liver

Differentiation of endodermal cells into hepatoblasts is well studied, but the remodeling of the vitelline and umbilical veins during liver development is less well understood. We compared human embryos between 3 and 10 weeks of development with pig and mouse embryos at comparable stages, and used Amira 3D reconstruction and Cinema 4D remodeling software for visualization. The vitelline and umbilical veins enter the systemic venous sinus on each side via a common entrance, the hepatocardiac channel. During expansion into the transverse septum at Carnegie Stage (CS)12 the liver bud develops as two dorsolateral lobes or ‘wings’ and a single ventromedial lobe, with the liver hilum at the intersection of these lobes. The dorsolateral lobes each engulf a vitelline vein during CS13 and the ventromedial lobe both umbilical veins during CS14, but both venous systems remain temporarily identifiable inside the liver. The dominance of the left‐sided umbilical vein and the rightward repositioning of the sinuatrial junction cause de novo development of left‐to‐right shunts between the left umbilical vein in the liver hilum and the right hepatocardiac channel (venous duct) and the right vitelline vein (portal sinus), respectively. Once these shunts have formed, portal branches develop from the intrahepatic portions of the portal vein on the right side and the umbilical vein on the left side. The gall bladder is a reliable marker for this hepatic vascular midline. We found no evidence for large‐scale fragmentation of embryonic veins as claimed by the ‘vestigial’ theory. Instead and in agreement with the ‘lineage’ theory, the vitelline and umbilical veins remained temporally identifiable inside the liver after being engulfed by hepatoblasts. In agreement with the ‘hemodynamic’ theory, the left–right shunts develop de novo.
Circadian Clock Resetting by Sleep Deprivation without Exercise in Syrian Hamsters: Dark Pulses Revisited

Circadian rhythms in Syrian hamsters can be phase shifted by procedures that stimulate wheel running (“exercise”) in the mid-subjective day (the hamster's usual sleep period). The authors recently demonstrated that keeping hamsters awake by gentle handling, without continuous running, is sufficient to mimic this effect. Here, the authors assessed whether wakefulness, independent of wheel running, also mediates phase shifts to dark pulses during the midsubjective day in hamsters free-running in constant light (LL). With running wheels locked during a 3 h dark pulse on day 3 of LL, hamsters (N = 16) averaged only 43 ± 15 min of spontaneous wake time and phase shifted only 24 ± 43 min. When wheels were open during a dark pulse, two hamsters remained awake, ran continuously, and showed phase advance shifts of 7.3 h and 8.7 h, respectively, whereas the other hamsters were awake <60 min and shifted only 45 ± 38 min. No animals stayed awake for 3 h without running. Additional time in LL (10 and 20 days) did not potentiate the waking or phase shift response to dark pulses. When all hamsters were sleep deprived with wheels locked during a dark pulse, phase advance shifts averaged 261 ± 110 min and ranged up to 7.3 h. These shifts are large compared to those previously observed in response to the 3 h sleep deprivation procedure. Additional tests revealed that this potentiated shift response is dependent on LL prior to sleep deprivation but not LL after sleep deprivation. A final sleep deprivation test showed that a small part of the potentiation may be due to suppression of spontaneous wheel running by LL. These results indicate that some correlate of waking, other than continuous running, mediates the phase-shifting effect of dark pulses in the mid-subjective day. The mechanism by which LLpotentiates shifting remains to be determined. The lack of effect of subsequent LL on the magnitude of shifts to sleep deprivation in the dark suggests that LL reduces responsivity to light by processes that take >3 h of dark to reverse.
Measurement of epidermal moisture content by magnetic resonance imaging: assessment of a hydration cream

Summary The moisture content of the epidermis was measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), using transverse relaxation time. The spatial resolution was 86 μm, allowing a quantitative, accurate and localized determination of variations in epidermal hydration. The wrists of 15 volunteers were studied before and after application of a hydration cream. Results showed an increase of 15% of epidermal T2 after application of the cream. Moisture content curves varied according to different degrees of skin dryness. This study demonstrates that MRI is a useful tool in evaluation of epidermal hydration.
Management of pain in TMD patients: Bio-oxidative ozone therapy versus occlusal splints

Abstract Objective: To compare the effects of bio-oxidative ozone application with occlusal splints in temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients with pain. Methods: Forty participants were selected after the diagnosis of TMD and randomly divided into two groups: ozone group (OG, n = 20) and occlusal splint group (OCSG, n = 20). Ozone was applied to patients three times per week, for a total of six sessions. Patients in the OCSG were instructed to use occlusal splints every night over a period of four weeks. Results: Mandibular movements showed significant differences for the time factor in OG and OCSG. Pressure pain thresholds of the temporal and masseter muscles at follow-up were significantly higher in the OCSG group. Both treatments statistically decreased the visual analog scale (VAS) scores. However, no statistically significant difference was observed between groups after the application of treatments. Discussion: Occlusal splint treatment is still the gold treatment modality for objective pain relief in patients with TMD pain.