Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Intensive and Standard Clinic‐Based Hypertension Management on the Concordance Between Clinic and Ambulatory Blood Pressure and Blood Pressure Variability in SPRINT

Background Blood pressure (BP) varies over time within individual patients and across different BP measurement techniques. The effect of different BP targets on concordance between BP measurements is unknown. The goals of this analysis are to evaluate concordance between (1) clinic and ambulatory BP, (2) clinic visit‐to‐visit variability and ambulatory BP variability, and (3) first and second ambulatory BP and to evaluate whether different clinic targets affect these relationships. Methods and Results The SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial) ambulatory BP monitoring ancillary study obtained ambulatory BP readings in 897 participants at the 27‐month follow‐up visit and obtained a second reading in 203 participants 293±84 days afterward. There was considerable lack of agreement between clinic and daytime ambulatory systolic BP with wide limits of agreement in Bland‐Altman plots of −21 to 34 mm Hg in the intensive‐treatment group and −26 to 32 mm Hg in the standard‐treatment group. Overall, there was poor agreement between clinic visit‐to‐visit variability and ambulatory BP variability with correlation coefficients for systolic and diastolic BP all <0.16. We observed a high correlation between first and second ambulatory BP; however, the limits of agreement were wide in both the intensive group (−27 to 21 mm Hg) and the standard group (−23 to 20 mm Hg). Conclusions We found low concordance in BP and BP variability between clinic and ambulatory BP and second ambulatory BP. Results did not differ by treatment arm. These results reinforce the need for multiple BP measurements before clinical decision making.
Increased serum fetuin-B concentration is associated with HOMA-β and indices of liver steatosis in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a pilot study

Objective PCOS women are characterized by insulin resistance and have higher tendency to the development of hepatic steatosis. Fetuin-B has been introduced as a hepatokine/adipokine, which is increased in hepatic steatosis and may be connected with glucose metabolism disturbances. The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationships between serum fetuin-B concentration and indices of insulin resistance, insulin secretion and markers of liver steatosis in PCOS women in comparison to the control group. Patients and methods The study group included 108 women – 57 women with PCOS and 51 women matched for age and BMI as a control group. Serum concentration of fetuin-B was estimated. Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and homeostasis model assessment β cell function (HOMA-β) were calculated. Fatty liver index (FLI), lipid accumulation product (LAP) and visceral adiposity index (VAI) were used as markers of liver steatosis. Results We found higher serum concentration of fetuin-B and FLI in PCOS women in comparison to the control group (all P < 0.05). We observed a positive relationship between serum fetuin-B concentration and HOMA-β (r = 0.43, P = 0.01), HOMA-IR (r = 0.31, P = 0.01), FLI (r = 0.29, P = 0.02), VAI (r = 0.29, P = 0.02) and LAP (r = 0.32, P = 0.01) in PCOS women. We also noticed a relationship between HOMA-IR and FLI (r = 0.42, P = 0.01), VAI (r = 0.38, P = 0.004) and LAP (r = 0.41, P = 0.001) in this group. Multiple regression analysis revealed that HOMA-β (β = 0.39, P = 0.002) and LAP (β = 0.27, P = 0.02) were independently connected with serum fetuin-B levels in women with PCOS. Conclusions Serum fetuin-B levels are higher in women with PCOS and are independently connected with HOMA-β and hepatic steatosis.
Maternal use of antibiotics and cancer incidence risk in offspring: A population‐based cohort study in Manitoba, Canada

Several epidemiological studies have found an association between maternal antibiotics use during pregnancy and increased risk of certain cancer types, although conclusions differ between studies. We examined this association in a cohort study including 262 116 mother‐child pairs of Manitoba births between 1996 and 2013. Maternal antibiotics use during prepregnancy (6 months prior to pregnancy) and pregnancy periods was assessed. Children's cancer incidence was tracked up to the end of the follow‐up period (December 2015). We calculated incidence rate and used Cox regression to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (HRs). Antibiotics use during pregnancy was not associated with overall cancer (HR = 1.1, 95% confidence interval 0.9‐1.4), leukemias (1.3, 0.9‐1.8), or acute lymphocytic leukemia (1.1, 0.7‐1.6). The association between antibiotics use and overall cancer risk differed by trimester: 1.5 (1.1‐1.9) in the first, 0.8 (0.6‐1.0) in the second, and 1.1 (0.8‐1.5) in the third trimester. Further research is necessary to confirm the association between first‐trimester exposure and cancer risk after a better controlling of confounding factors.
Breathlessness and the brain: the role of expectation

Purpose of review Breathlessness debilitates countless people with a wide range of common diseases. For some people, the experience of breathlessness is poorly explained by the findings of medical tests. This disparity complicates diagnostic and treatment options and means that disease-modifying treatments do not always have the expected effect upon symptoms. These observations suggest that brain processing of respiratory perceptions may be somewhat independent of disease processes. This may help to explain the dissonance observed in some patients between physical disease markers and the lived experience of breathlessness. Recent findings A body of breathlessness research using functional neuroimaging has identified a relatively consistent set of brain areas that are associated with breathlessness. These areas include the insula, cingulate and sensory cortices, the amygdala and the periaqueductal gray matter. We interpret these findings in the context of new theories of perception that emphasize the importance of distributed brain networks. Within this framework, these perceptual networks function by checking an internal model (a set of expectations) against peripheral sensory inputs, instead of the brain acting as a passive signal transducer. Furthermore, other factors beyond the physiology of breathlessness can influence the system. Summary A person's expectations and mood are major contributors to the function of the brain networks that generate perceptions of breathlessness. Breathlessness, therefore, arises from inferences made by the brain's integration of both expectations and sensory inputs. By better understanding individual differences across these contributing perceptual factors, we will be better poised to develop targeted and individualized treatments for breathlessness that could complement disease-modifying therapies.
Perspectives of Childhood Cancer Symptom-Related Distress: Results of the State of the Science Survey

Management of symptom-related distress is an important area of pediatric oncology nursing. Participants who attended the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) State of the Science Symposium on symptom distress completed an anonymous survey. The purpose was to explore participant perceptions of symptom distress experienced by children receiving cancer treatment on clinical trials, determine how symptom distress is currently assessed at COG institutions, and to identify what interventions are used to reduce symptom distress for these children. Among the 90 symposium attendees, 72% completed the survey, the majority (92%) of whom were nurses. The five most distressing symptoms in children with cancer enrolled on clinical trials identified by survey respondents were nausea/vomiting, fatigue, pain, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. Results from our survey also suggest that symptom distress may differ by disease type. For example, symptoms associated with leukemia/lymphoma included steroid side effects, procedural pain, and neuropathy. The majority of respondents (90%) also reported that symptoms go unrecognized by health care providers. The most commonly described unrecognized symptoms were behavioral (i.e., sadness, anxiety, fear, depression, and emotional needs; 45%) and fatigue (19%). Key focus areas reported by respondents included informal and inconsistent symptom assessment, the need for uniform measurement tools, and improved documentation of symptom-related distress. Management of symptom-related distress is an important aspect of pediatric oncology nursing. Further exploration of symptom distress experienced by children with specific types of cancers, and the development of standardized symptom assessment processes, will provide a foundation for developing future interventions aimed at alleviating symptom-related distress.
Macroglossia in primary lateral sclerosis: a case report

Abstract Purpose/Aim: Macroglossia is a rare condition, especially in patients with motor neuron disease. In this case report, we describe a patient with macroglossia in the early stages of motor neuron disease. Case report: A 62-year-old woman presented with macroglossia in the early stages of motor neuron disease. She was referred to the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation of a university hospital for rehabilitation with the diagnosis of motor neuron disease, most likely primary lateral sclerosis. Her speech was incomprehensible, and she also showed significant sialorrhea and had difficulty in chewing large solid food. Her tongue was enlarged on examination, and she could not close her mouth fully. No other possible causes of macroglossia were found. She showed nocturnal hypercapnia on overnight capnography examination coupled with desaturation, which was believed to result from the macroglossia. After commencing non-invasive ventilation with pressure control mode, follow-up overnight capnography revealed EtCO2 values within the normal range. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of macroglossia in PLS. Further study would be needed to ascertain the pathogenesis of this phenomenon.
Primary EBV Infection Induces an Acute Wave of Activated Antigen-Specific Cytotoxic CD4+ T Cells

Key Points Primary EBV infection drives highly cytotoxic virus-specific CD4+ T cell responses. EBV-specific memory CD4+ T cells are polyfunctional but lack cytotoxic activity. Acute EBV-specific CD4-CTLs differ transcriptionally from classical memory CD4-CTLs. CD4+ T cells are essential for immune protection against viruses, yet their multiple roles remain ill-defined at the single-cell level in humans. Using HLA class II tetramers, we studied the functional properties and clonotypic architecture of EBV-specific CD4+ T cells in patients with infectious mononucleosis, a symptomatic manifestation of primary EBV infection, and in long-term healthy carriers of EBV. We found that primary infection elicited oligoclonal expansions of TH1-like EBV-specific CD4+ T cells armed with cytotoxic proteins that responded immediately ex vivo to challenge with EBV-infected B cells. Importantly, these acutely generated cytotoxic CD4+ T cells were highly activated and transcriptionally distinct from classically described cytotoxic CD4+ memory T cells that accumulate during other persistent viral infections, including CMV and HIV. In contrast, EBV-specific memory CD4+ T cells displayed increased cytokine polyfunctionality but lacked cytotoxic activity. These findings suggested an important effector role for acutely generated cytotoxic CD4+ T cells that could potentially be harnessed to improve the efficacy of vaccines against EBV.
Assessment of chosen semen characteristics of two colour morphs of the Arctic fox Alopex lagopus L.

The aim of the study was to evaluate semen quality in the two most popular colour morphs of the Arctic fox Alopex lagopus L. , blue and white, based on ejaculate parameters, acrosin activity and analysis of sperm morphology. The research material consisted of ejaculates collected once by manual stimulation from 20 one-year-old male Arctic foxes (10 individuals of the blue morph and 10 of the white morph). Ejaculates were evaluated in terms of volume, sperm concentration, total number of spermatozoa and the percentage of spermatozoa with major and minor defects. The study revealed that male blue Arctic foxes produce ejaculates with much higher concentration (148.75 × 106 /ml) and total number of spermatozoa (98.16 × 106 ) compared to white Arctic foxes (42.88 × 106 /ml and 35.2 × 106 respectively). The level of acrosin activity from white foxes seemed to be higher compared to blue foxes but the difference was not statistically confirmed. Semen from Arctic foxes is characterized by high inter-individual variability in sperm morphology. The frequency of morphological changes in sperm from Arctic foxes does not significantly depend on ejaculate volume, sperm concentration or the total number of spermatozoa in the ejaculate, but is associated with acrosin activity.
Violence exposure, conflict, and health outcomes in inner-city African American adolescents.

PURPOSE To examine relationships among community and school violence exposure, parent-adolescent conflict, coping style, and self-reported health in a sample of 432 high-risk, inner-city African American adolescents at age 14 years. DESIGN AND METHODS Multiple regression and principal component analysis were used to analyze the secondary data. After controlling for multiple covariates (eg, sex, age, blood lead levels, and socioeconomic status), both violence exposure and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) were related to health outcomes. The survey of exposure to community violence, the safe-school survey, and the conflict tactics scale were used to measure community violence, school violence, and parent-adolescent conflict. Coping was evaluated using the general coping scale. The child health illness profile-adolescent edition was used to obtain self-reported health measures, and the clinician-assisted PTSD scale was used to measure PTSS. RESULTS Higher exposure to community violence was associated with less emotional comfort, less family involvement, higher individual risk, and poorer academic and work performance. Parent-adolescent conflict predicted less physical and emotional comfort and poorer home safety and health. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that it is important to evaluate both violence exposure and the responses to the exposure, which can include both PTSS and diverse coping strategies.
A 0.7-mW/2-GHz dual modulus prescaler IC

Using a low-power flip-flop that does not heavily load input circuits, we designed a dual modulus divide-by-128 or 129 prescaler IC for applications in wireless communication services. We fabricated it with 0.35-/spl mu/m gate-length high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) and direct coupled FET logic (DCFL) technology. The prescaler operates at an input frequency of 2 GHz and has a power dissipation of 0.72 mW at a supply voltage of 0.8 V and of 1.24 mW at 1.2 V. The maximum operating frequencies are 2.35 GHz at 0.8 V and 2.28 GHz at 1.2 V. <<ETX>>
White matter hyperintensity load on stroke recurrence and mortality at 1 year after ischemic stroke

Objective To define the role and risks associated with white matter hyperintensity (WMH) load in a stroke population with respect to recurrent stroke and mortality after ischemic stroke. Methods A total of 7,101 patients at a network of university hospitals presenting with ischemic strokes were followed up for 1 year. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards model and competing risk analysis were used to examine the independent association between quartiles of WMH load and stroke recurrence and mortality at 1 year. Results Overall recurrent stroke risk at 1 year was 6.7%/y, divided between 5.6%/y for recurrent ischemic and 0.5%/y for recurrent hemorrhagic strokes. There was a stronger association between WMH volume and recurrent hemorrhagic stroke by quartile (hazard ratio [HR] 7.32, 14.12, and 33.52, respectively) than for ischemic recurrence (HR 1.03, 1.37, and 1.61, respectively), but the absolute incidence of ischemic recurrence by quartile was higher (3.8%/y, 4.5%/y, 6.3%/y, and 8.2%/y by quartiles) vs hemorrhagic recurrence (0.1%/y, 0.4%/y, 0.6%/y, and 1.3%/y). All-cause mortality (10.5%) showed a marked association with WMH volume (HR 1.06, 1.46, and 1.60), but this was attributable to nonvascular rather than vascular causes. Conclusions There is an association between WMH volume load and stroke recurrence, and this association is stronger for hemorrhagic than for ischemic stroke, although the absolute risk of ischemic recurrence remains higher. These data should be helpful to practitioners seeking to find the optimal preventive/treatment regimen for poststroke patients and to individualize risk-benefit ratios.
Genotype diversity and distribution of Mycobacterium bovis from livestock in a small, high-risk area in northeastern Sicily, Italy

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) caused by Mycobacterium bovis is an important re-emerging disease affecting livestock, wildlife and humans. Epidemiological studies are crucial to identifying the source of bTB infection, and its transmission dynamics and host preference, and thus to the implementation of effective strategies to contain it. In this study, we typed M. bovis isolates from livestock, and investigated their genetic diversity and distribution. A total of 204 M. bovis isolates were collected from cattle (n = 164) and Sicilian black pigs (n = 40) reared in a limited area of the province of Messina, northeastern Sicily, an area that had previously been identified as having the highest incidence of bTB in livestock on the island. All M. bovis isolates were typed by both spoligotyping and 12-loci MIRU-VNTR analysis. Results from both methods were then combined in order to improve the discriminatory power of M. bovis typing. We identified 73 combined genetic profiles. Thirty-five point six percent of the profiles were common to at least two animals, whereas 64.4% of profiles occurred in only one animal. A number of genetic profiles were predominant in either cattle or black pigs. We identified common genetic patterns in M. bovis isolates originating not only from neighboring districts, but also from non-neighboring districts. Our findings suggest that bTB is widespread in our setting, and is caused by a large number of genetically diverse M. bovis strains. The ecology and farming practices characteristic of the area may explain the substantial M. bovis heterogeneity observed, and could represent obstacles to bTB eradication.
Infants Attribute False Beliefs to a Toy Crane.

The mentalistic view of early theory of mind posits that infants possess a robust and sophisticated understanding of false belief that is masked by the demands of traditional explicit tasks. Much of the evidence supporting this mentalistic view comes from infants' looking time at events that violate their expectations about the beliefs of a human agent. We conducted a replication of the violation-of-expectation procedure, except that the human agent was replaced by an inanimate agent. Infants watched a toy crane repeatedly move toward a box containing an object. In the absence of the crane, the object changed location. When the crane returned, 16-month-old infants looked longer when it turned toward the object's new location, consistent with the attribution of a false belief to the crane. These results suggest that infants spontaneously attribute false beliefs to inanimate agents. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Single-chip surface micromachined integrated gyroscope with 50°/h Allan deviation

The design principles of a mass-produced surface micromachined gyroscope are described. The device is integrated on a single 3 mm/spl times/3 mm chip with a 3-/spl mu/m BiCMOS process. It has a 4-/spl mu/m-thick polysilicon structure, 5-V 6-mA supply, 12.5-mV//spl deg//S sensitivity, 10 000:1 dynamic range, 30 000-gee shock survival, and -55/spl deg/C to +85/spl deg/C operating temperature.
Treatment of Café‐Au‐Lait Spots Using Q‐Switched Alexandrite Laser: Analysis of Clinical Characteristics of 471 Children in Mainland China

Café‐au‐lait spots, also known as café‐au‐lait macules (CALMs), are a common pigmentary disorder. Although various laser modalities have been used to treat CALMs, the efficacy of laser treatment in children differs from that in adults. We investigated the efficacy, safety, and clinical factors of the treatment of CALMs using Q‐switched alexandrite laser (755 nm) therapy in children.
Conomarphins cause paralysis in mollusk: Critical and tunable structural elements for bioactivity

Two conomarphins were purified as the major component of the venom of Conus eburneus. Conomarphins Eb1 and Eb2 showed biological activity in the mollusk Pomacea padulosa, causing sluggishness and retraction of siphon, foot, and cephalic tentacles. To further probe the effects of conserved amino acids and posttranslational modifications in conomarphins, we prepared four synthetic analogues: conomarphin Eb1 Hyp10Pro, Hyp10Ala, d‐Phe13Ala, and l‐Phe13 variants. Structure‐activity relationship analysis indicated that d‐Phe13 is critical to the biological activity of conomarphins. In contrast, amino acid changes at position 10 and removal of posttranslational modification in Hyp10Pro can be tolerated. The high expression level and observed mollusk activity of conomarphins may suggest their potential role as defensive arsenal of Conoidean snails against other predatory gastropods.
Trichoderma reesei XYR1 recruits SWI/SNF to facilitate cellulase gene expression

Cellulase gene expression in Trichoderma reesei is highly responsive to environmental cues and is under stringent regulation by multiple transcription factors. XYR1 (Xylanase regulator 1) has been identified as the most important transcriptional activator of cellulase/hemicellulase gene expression although the precise transactivating mechanism remains largely elusive. Here we show that the activation domain of XYR1 interacts with the T. reesei homolog of the TrSNF12 subunit of SWI/SNF complex. Deletion of Trsnf12 markedly impaired the induced cellulase gene expression. Individual loss of other SWI/SNF subunits including the catalytic subunit also severely compromised cellulase gene expression and interfered with loss of histone H4 in the cbh1 and eg1 promoters upon cellulose induction. In addition, we find that the SWI/SNF occupancy on cellulase gene promoters strictly required XYR1 and TrSNF12 but TrSNF12 was dispensable for the XYR1 binding to these promoters. These data suggest a model in which XYR1 recruits SWI/SNF through direct interactions with TrSNF12 to remodel chromatin at cellulase gene promoters, thereby activating cellulase gene expression to initiate the cellulolytic response in T. reesei.
Parsing WH-constructions: Evidence for on-line gap location

Abstract Two experiments investigate how people assign a grammatical meaning to WH-phrases in embedded questions. The first experiment replicates Crain and Fodor's (1985) finding that object NPs take longer to read in a WH-question than in a corresponding declarative sentence, suggesting that people expect not to find an object, presumably because they have associated the object semantic role with the WH-phrase. Experiment 1 also shows that there is no such difficulty at the subject NP, suggesting that the subject semantic role is not associated with the WH-phrase in the same way as the object role. Experiment 2 investigated whether people assign a semantic role to the WH-phrase which cannot be grammatically acceptable; the evidence suggests that people are not prone to make such mistakes.