Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Addressing cardiovascular risk factors and therapy effects in rheumatoid arthritis: implications for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the prototype of chronic inflammatory disease associated with a 1.5-2 fold increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and premature mortality. Though traditional CVD risk factors are important in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in patients with RA, they do not fully explain the increased risk of CVD events observed in RA. This thesis aimed to explore further the mechanisms that could account for accelerated atherogenesis and CVD in RA. In the study of established RA disease, which included patients treated during one year with TNF-α inhibitors, n=162, or the anti-CD20 agent rituximab, n=53, anti-atherogenic apolipoprotein A1 increased after commencement of therapy; this increase was not agent-specific and paralleled a reduction in RA disease activity. At the same time, apolipoprotein B and the atherogenic index did not change significantly. These favorable effects may have a potential for at least short-term improvement in cardiovascular risk in RA. On the other hand, the biologic agents caused differential effect on serum levels of anti-phosphorylcholine (anti-PC) IgM, a promising atheroprotective biomarker. Thus, these antibodies increased on TNF-α inhibitors in contrast to treatment with rituximab. The contribution of biologic agents to beneficial or harmful CVD effects needs to be elucidated in future studies. In studies incorporating 114 participants with early RA, examined with high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography after five years of disease, the proatherogenic apoB and apoB/apoA1-ratio were independently associated with unfavorable carotid outcomes, while a profitable effect was associated with the antiatherogenic, anti-inflammatory apoA1. Also, low anti-PC IgM levels longitudinally had an unfavorable association with the plaque presence at the end of observation. These results suggest that apolipoproteins and anti-PC antibodies may have independent roles in subclinical atherosclerosis in patients with RA. Further analysis, over a prolonged observation period more than 10 years, showed that the bilateral carotid plaques occurrence was associated with a subsequent CVD event. Early improvement of inflammation, pain and disability, measured as reductions in DAS28, VAS pain and the HAQ score the first year after RA diagnosis, as well as use of methotrexate were associated with a better CVD outcome. Longitudinal approach confirmed the association of low anti-PC IgM levels and, also, increasing oxidized LDL over first five years of RA disease with an adverse CVD outcome. In a large observational early RA cohort of 741 patients followed more than 10 years, we examined the relationships of inflammatory and novel biomarkers with incident CVD morbidity and all-cause mortality. The study outcomes were tracked through the Swedish Hospital Discharge and the National Cause of Death Registries. The factors associated with adverse outcomes differed in patients with disease onset before 65 years of old and those 65 years and older. …
Open access publishing in Indian premier research institutions

Introduction. Publishing research findings in open access journals is a means of enhancing visibility and consequently increasing the impact of publications. This study provides an overview of open access publishing in premier research institutes of India. Method. The publication output of each institution from 2003 to 2007 was ascertained through Scopus and the name of source journals along with the number of publications recorded. All 4232 journal titles were searched in the Directory of Open Access Journals and then using the Google search engine to find out which journals are openly accessible. Analysis. The data are tabulated and analysed in a systematic way to reveal findings in accordance with desired objectives. Results. The 17,516 research articles are contributed by the five institutions and appear in 4232 journals. The Indian Institute of Science publishes 8.26% of its research output in open access journals, All India Institute of Medical Sciences 19.37%, Baba Atomic Research Centre 4.84%, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi 3.04% and Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 3.26%. Conclusions. The study reveals that a small portion of research publications of Indian research institutes is published in open access journals, the majority in journals of Indian origin. The medical institutions are contributing more of their publications to open access journals compared to other institutions.
Alternative folding pathways of the major porin OprF of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

OprF is the major porin of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and allows very slow, nonspecific, diffusion of solutes. The low permeability of this porin channel is a major factor that enhances other types of resistance mechanisms and often creates strong multidrug resistance in this nosocomial pathogen. We have previously shown that the low permeability is caused by the folding of OprF into two conformers: a majority, two‐domain closed‐channel conformer containing the N‐terminal transmembrane β‐barrel and the C‐terminal periplasmic, globular domain; and a minority, one‐domain open‐channel conformer comprising < 5% of the protein population. Our analysis of the bifurcate folding pathway using site‐directed mutagenesis showed that slowing down the folding of the two‐domain conformer increases the fraction of the open, one‐domain conformer. Use of outer membrane protein assembly machinery mutants showed that the absence of the Skp chaperone led to an increased proportion of open conformers. As many environmental pathogens causing nosocomial infections appear to have outer membrane protein (OmpA)/OprF homologs as the major porin, efforts to understand the low permeability of these ‘slow porins’ are important in our fight against these organisms.
Unintentional injury in England: an analysis of the emergency care data set pilot in Oxfordshire from 2012 to 2014

Background A pilot injury data collection exercise at the emergency departments (EDs) of Oxford University Hospitals National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust (OUH) ran from 2012 to 2014 to inform the current development of the new NHS England emergency care data set. Methods Data collected at the EDs of OUH 1 January 2012 to 30 March 2014 analysed for Oxford City and Cherwell District Council areas. Data completeness and quality checked against Hospital Episode Statistic (HES) returns. Results Of the 63 877 injury attendances recorded at the 2 sites, 26 536 were unintentional with a home postcode within Oxford City or Cherwell District Council areas. The most frequent location, mechanism, activity and diagnosis were home (39.1% of all unintentional injuries (UIs)), low-level falls (47.1%), leisure (31.1%) and ‘injuries to unspecified part of trunk, limb or body region’ (20.5%), respectively. The most deprived quintile of the population (Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 1) had the highest European Age Standardised Rate (EASR) for all UIs and IMD 5 had the lowest, 54.4 (95% CI 52.3 to 56.5) and 32.2 (31.4 to 33.0) per 1000 person-years, respectively. There was a significant association between increasing levels of deprivation and an increasing incidence rate ratio (IRR) for all UIs, for those in the home, for low-level fall UIs and for non-sport leisure UIs with a particularly sharp increase in the IRR for IMD 1 compared with IMD 5. Sport-related injuries were inversely related to deprivation apart from football. Conclusions This pilot has demonstrated both the feasibility and importance of prioritising the collection of a national injury data set.
A Study of Psychodynamic Changes in Untreated Neurotic Patients

A review of the available evidence suggests strongly that symptomatic improvement is the rule rather than the exception in untreated neurotic patients. The present study is an attempt to evaluate these symptomatic improvements from a psychodynamic point of view. A method of psychodynamic assessment is described, depending for each patient on criteria laid down from the diagnostic interview before the patient is seen for follow-up. In a two- to eight-year follow-up study of 45 untreated Tavistock Clinic patients, 23 (51 per cent.) were found to be at least symptomatically "improved", of whom 9 (20 per cent.) were symptomatically "recovered". On the other hand, out of these improvements at least 7 (16 per cent. of the 45) and possibly 13 (29 per cent.) were psychodynamically suspect; and only 1 patient (2 per cent.) could be regarded as dynamically "recovered". Expressed in round figures in another way; between one-third and one-half of the symptomatic improvements were psychodynamically suspect. The evidence on the thirteen symptomatically improved but dynamically suspect patients is presented in detail. Although there are reservations derived from the method of selection of these 45 patients, this result casts some doubt on the statement that roughly two-thirds of neurotic patients "get better" without treatment.
Patient-provider communication, concordance, and ratings of care in dermatology: Results of a cross-sectional study.

ObjectiveTo determine the impact of race concordance on patient perception of quality of dermatologic care.Study designCross-sectional study.SettingAcademic outpatient practices in the Departments of Dermatology of Eastern Virginia Medical School and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.ParticipantsThe study cohort comprised 124 participants including 6 providers and 118 established patients.Main Outcome MeasuresWe hypothesized, a priori, that patients in race-discordant dyads would report lower ratings of participatory decision-making (PDM), satisfaction, trust in the provider, and similarities with providers.ResultsPatients in race-discordant dyads reported less positive ratings on 4 out of 8 participatory decision-making questionnaire items (p values < 0.05), and were significantly more likely to perceive differences with providers in race and culture (p values < 0.05). These differences persisted to varying degrees after controlling for key confounders such as education and income level. Participants in race-concordant and race-discordant dyads did not differ in their perceptions of satisfaction or trust.ConclusionsPatient perception of participation in the decision-making process and of shared similarities with their providers is attributable in varying degrees to race concordance. Continued strengthening of cultural competency skills during medical and dermatology residency training as well as increased diversification of the dermatologic workforce could attenuate the adverse influences of race discordance and other socioeconomic factors on patient-provider communication.
Association of Low‐Charge‐State Heavy Ions up to 200 Re upstream of the Earth's bow shock with geomagnetic disturbances

We present the first study of Low‐Charge‐State Heavy Ion (LCSHI) events covering a region from Earth's bow shock to the L1 point, obtained with the Suprathermal Ion Composition Spectrometer onboard Wind. STICS is capable of distinguishing charge states of suprathermal ions. In 1995–2000 we found a large number of particle events revealing species of magnetospheric origin. LCSHI events tend to occur in series and in connection with geomagnetic activity. The occurrence rate is found to increase towards solar maximum. The spatial region covered by this particle population ranges from the bow shock to beyond distances of 130 Re, where one of the strongest events occurred. Based on the characterization of LCSHI events we discuss mechanisms for their formation. We conclude that the most probable sources of these ion events are substorms in association with Alfvén waves in high‐speed solar wind streams and the magnetic storm recovery ring current.
A 0.18-$muhbox m$CMOS Analog Min-Sum Iterative Decoder for a (32,8) Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) Code

Current-mode circuits are presented for implementing analog min-sum (MS) iterative decoders. These decoders are used to efficiently decode the best known error correcting codes such as low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes and turbo codes. The proposed circuits are devised based on current mirrors, and thus, in any fabrication technology that accurate current mirrors can be designed, analog MS decoders can be implemented. The functionality of the proposed circuits is verified by implementing an analog MS decoder for a (32,8) LDPC code in a 0.18-mum CMOS technology. This decoder is the first reported analog MS decoder. For low signal to noise ratios where the circuit imperfections are dominated by the noise of the channel, the measured error correcting performance of this chip in steady-state condition surpasses that of the conventional floating-point discrete-time synchronous MS decoder. When data throughput is 6 Mb/s, loss in the coding gain compared to the conventional MS decoder at BER of 10-3 is about 0.3 dB and power consumption is about 5 mW. This is the first time that an analog decoder has been successfully tested for an LDPC code, though a short one
A DEEP SEARCH FOR FAINT GALAXIES ASSOCIATED WITH VERY LOW-REDSHIFT C iv ABSORBERS: A CASE WITH COLD-ACCRETION CHARACTERISTICS

Studies of QSO absorber–galaxy connections are often hindered by inadequate information on whether faint/dwarf galaxies are located near the QSO sight lines. To investigate the contribution of faint galaxies to QSO absorber populations, we are conducting a deep galaxy redshift survey near low-z C iv absorbers. Here we report a blindly detected C iv absorption system (zabs = 0.00348) in the spectrum of PG1148+549 that appears to be associated either with an edge-on dwarf galaxy with an obvious disk (UGC 6894, zgal = 0.00283) at an impact parameter of ρ = 190 kpc or with a very faint dwarf irregular galaxy at ρ = 23 kpc, which is closer to the sightline but has a larger redshift difference (zgal = 0.00107, i.e., δv = 724 km s−1). We consider various gas/galaxy associations, including infall and outflows. Based on current theoretical models, we conclude that the absorber is most likely tracing (1) the remnants of an outflow from a previous epoch, a so-called “ancient outflow”, or (2) intergalactic gas accreting onto UGC 6894, “cold mode” accretion. The latter scenario is supported by H i synthesis imaging data that shows the rotation curve of the disk being codirectional with the velocity offset between UGC 6894 and the absorber, which is located almost directly along the major axis of the edge-on disk.
Pruritus in polycythemia vera is associated with a lower risk of arterial thrombosis

Among 418 patients with polycythemia vera seen at our institution and in whom pruritus history was recorded, the presence of pruritus at diagnosis was documented in 131 (31%) and its absence in 287 (69%). Pruritus was less frequently reported by smokers (12% vs. 24%; P = 0.004) and diabetics (5% vs. 11%; P = 0.04). The presence of pruritus was associated with a lower rate of arterial thrombosis, both at diagnosis (8% vs. 17%; P = 0.01) and during follow‐up (16% vs. 30%; P = 0.003). Multivariable analysis revealed that these associations were independent of other risk factors for thrombosis. High JAK2V617F allele burden clustered with pruritus (P = 0.002) but did not affect thrombosis rates. Am. J. Hematol. , 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An observational study of surfactant treatment in infants of 23–30 weeks' gestation: comparison of prophylaxis and early rescue

Objective: To test the clinical efficacy of exogenous surfactant for treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Methods: In a retrospective multicenter observational study, data were collected on 987 infants of 23-30 weeks' gestation given surfactant for respiratory problems within 3 h of birth. Obstetric, neonatal and short-term outcome data were retrieved from recording charts and analyzed after subdivision of the sample into two treatment groups: prophylaxis (surfactant within 15 min) and early rescue (surfactant at 16-180 min). Results: A total of 965 infants were eligible for the study: 244 receiving prophylaxis and 721 receiving early rescue. The prophylaxis group had lower gestational ages and birth weights than the early rescue group (p = 0.0001), but were otherwise comparable. Natural surfactants were used in > 90% of infants in both groups. The rates of retreatments and the mean total doses of surfactant were similar in both groups. Babies receiving prophylaxis presented less grade 3-4 RDS than those receiving early rescue (32.4% vs. 53.8%, p = 0.0001). Those requiring prophylaxis also needed lower peak inspiratory pressure and had a shorter duration of oxygen therapy. Mortality and complications were similar between the groups, but babies receiving prophylaxis had less pulmonary interstitial emphysema (p = 0.0006) and periventricular leukomalacia (p = 0.0113) than infants receiving early rescue. Conclusions: In clinical practice, prophylaxis was preferred in babies with lower birth weights and gestational ages compared to early rescue treatment. Not surprisingly, infants treated with prophylactic surfactant had a lower rate of RDS than the infants treated by early rescue, even though they did not need less surfactant overall.
Aberrant "default mode" functional connectivity in schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE The "default mode" has been defined as a baseline condition of brain function and is of interest because its component brain regions are believed to be abnormal in schizophrenia. It was hypothesized that the default mode network would show abnormal activation and connectivity in patients with schizophrenia. METHOD Patients with schizophrenia (N=21) and healthy comparison subjects (N=22) performed an auditory oddball task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Independent component analysis was used to identify the default mode component. Differences in the spatial and temporal aspects of the default mode network were examined in patients versus comparison subjects. RESULTS Healthy comparison subjects and patients had significant spatial differences in the default mode network, most notably in the frontal, anterior cingulate, and parahippocampal gyri. In addition, activity in patients in the medial frontal, temporal, and cingulate gyri correlated with severity of positive symptoms. The patients also showed significantly higher frequency fluctuations in the temporal evolution of the default mode. CONCLUSIONS Schizophrenia is associated with altered temporal frequency and spatial location of the default mode network. The authors hypothesized that this network may be under- or overmodulated by key regions, including the anterior and posterior cingulate cortex. In addition, the altered temporal fluctuations in patients may result from a change in the connectivity of these regions with other brain networks.
Response of anterior temporal cortex to syntactic and prosodic manipulations during sentence processing

Previous research has implicated a portion of the anterior temporal cortex in sentence‐level processing. This region activates more to sentences than to word‐lists, sentences in an unfamiliar language, and environmental sound sequences. The current study sought to identify the relative contributions of syntactic and prosodic processing to anterior temporal activation. We presented auditory stimuli where the presence of prosodic and syntactic structure was independently manipulated during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Three “structural” conditions included normal sentences, sentences with scrambled word order, and lists of content words. These three classes of stimuli were presented either with sentence prosody or with flat supra‐lexical (list‐like) prosody. Sentence stimuli activated a portion of the left anterior temporal cortex in the superior temporal sulcus (STS) and extending into the middle temporal gyrus, independent of prosody, and to a greater extent than any of the other conditions. An interaction between the structural conditions and prosodic conditions was seen in a more dorsal region of the anterior temporal lobe bilaterally along the superior temporal gyrus (STG). A post‐hoc analysis revealed that this region responded either to syntactically structured stimuli or to nonstructured stimuli with sentence‐like prosody. The results suggest a parcellation of anterior temporal cortex into 1) an STG region that is sensitive both to the presence of syntactic information and is modulated by prosodic manipulations (in nonsyntactic stimuli); and 2) a more inferior left STS/MTG region that is more selective for syntactic structure. Hum Brain Mapp, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Assessment of sleep in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project.

OBJECTIVES The relationship of sleep to health has been an active area of research in recent years, and the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) expanded sleep data collection in Wave 2 with enhanced core questions and a novel sleep module that included an objective measure of sleep duration and quality. METHOD A randomly selected one-third of Wave 2 participants and their spouses or coresident partners were invited to participate in the sleep module. Objective sleep data were collected using wrist actigraphy, an accelerometer that records an integrated measure of motion over short epochs (15 s each). This information is stored and subsequently analyzed to determine sleep and wake periods by epoch. Individuals were instructed to wear the actiwatches for 72 hr. Several sleep parameters were derived from the accelerometer. Individuals concurrently kept a sleep diary. RESULTS Sleep actigraphy data were successfully collected from 780 individuals. Many of the survey-based and the actigraph-estimated sleep parameters varied by age and gender. However, age and gender patterns often differed for sleep characteristics that were both asked and measured, such as sleep duration. DISCUSSION The survey and actigraphy data provide different information about sleep characteristics. The opportunity to examine actigraph-estimated sleep characteristics in a nationally representative sample of older adults allows novel analyses of the associations of sleep parameters with social and health data.
Voice Onset Time Production of Affricates in Cerebral Palsied Children

This study investigated whether voice onset time (VOT) differences of affricates in Cantonese occured among two types of cerebral palsied dysarthric children and normal children. The VOT productions of aspirated and unaspirated affricates ([ts] and [ts]) at word initial position of 27 subjects from three groups (normal, athetoids and spastic) of children aged from 6;05 to 15; 10 were measured. Both spastic and athetoid groups produced VOTs similar to those of their normal counterparts for unaspirated affricates. However, spastics and athetoids produced aspirated affricates with significantly larger VOTs than those of normal subject. No significance differences were found between the spastic and athetoid groups in both VOT productions of aspirated and unaspirated affricates.