Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chemotherapy for patients with advanced gastric cancer with performance status 2.

METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 657 patients with advanced gastric cancer who received first-line chemotherapy. Baseline patient characteristics and treatment results were compared between Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (PS) 0-1 and PS 2 patients. RESULTS Prior to beginning first-line chemotherapy, 513, 112, and 32 patients were PS 0-1, PS 2, and PS 3-4, respectively. Patients with massive ascites (42% vs. 3%; P < .001) or inability to eat (39% vs. 4%; P < .001) were more likely to be PS 2 than PS 0-1. Significantly fewer PS 2 patients received first-line chemotherapy regimens containing oral agents (40% vs. 77%; P < .001) or combination chemotherapy (19% vs. 40%; P < .001) compared to PS 0-1 patients. Median survival time was significantly shorter in PS 2 patients (5.8 vs. 13.9 months; P < .001). Multivariate survival analysis revealed that use of oral agents was associated with a better prognosis in PS 0-1 patients (hazard ratio [HR] 0.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.59-0.97, P = .03), while it was associated with poorer survival in PS 2 patients (HR 1.52, 95% CI 1.0-2.3, P = .046). CONCLUSION Advanced gastric cancer patients with PS 2 not only had a poorer prognosis but also differed in several baseline characteristics compared to PS 0-1 patients. These results indicate that additional clinical trials that specifically target gastric cancer patients with PS 2 may be required to evaluate optimal treatment regimens for this patient population.
DNA and amino acid sequence analysis of structural and immunity genes of colicins Ia and Ib

The nucleotide sequences for colicin Ia and colicin Ib structural and immunity genes were determined. The two colicins each consist of 626 amino acid residues. Comparison of the two sequences along their lengths revealed that the two colicins are nearly identical in the N-terminal 426 amino acid residues. The C-terminal 220 amino acid residues of the colicins are only 60% identical, suggesting that this is the region most likely recognized by their cognate immunity proteins. The predicted proteins for the colicin immunity proteins would contain 111 amino acids for the colicin Ia immunity protein and 115 amino acids for the colicin Ib immunity protein. The colicin immunity proteins have no detectable DNA or amino acid homology but do exhibit a conservation of overall hydrophobicity. The colicin immunity genes lie distal to and in opposite orientation to the colicin structural genes. The colicin Ia immunity protein was purified to apparent homogeneity by a combination of isoelectric focusing and preparative sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified Ia immunity protein was determined and was found to be in perfect agreement with that predicted from the DNA sequence of its structural gene. The Ia immunity protein is not a processed membrane protein.
Cytokine patterns and survival in haemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND Increased pro-inflammatory cytokine levels are associated with decreased survival. We performed factor analyses to determine if pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in haemodialysis (HD) patients load onto one or two discrete factors and assessed if patients with a specific pattern of high pro-inflammatory cytokines have decreased survival compared to patients with a high anti-inflammatory cytokine pattern. METHODS We evaluated 231 HD patients and analyzed them based on the three most common cytokine distribution patterns seen: a high pro-inflammatory group, a high anti-inflammatory group and all others. Survival and Cox regression analyses were performed. RESULTS Factor analyses of individual cytokines showed that they loaded onto a single factor. Sixty-five patients had a pro-inflammatory pattern of high IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels and low anti-inflammatory parameters, including IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-12, CH50 and T-cell number. The next most frequent cytokine pattern was found in 20 patients with high levels of anti-inflammatory parameters. The patients with high pro-inflammatory cytokines had decreased survival compared to patients without a characteristic cytokine pattern. CONCLUSIONS Further research is needed to better define the underlying causes of increased inflammation among end-stage renal disease patients and to apply anti-inflammatory therapies that may mitigate adverse effects on patient outcomes.
The structure of the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised: diagnostic and phenotypic implications.

BACKGROUND Multivariate statistics can assist in refining the nosology and diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) and also contribute important information for genetic studies. The Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) is one of the most widely used assessment instruments in the field of PDD. The current study investigated its factor structure and convergence with measures of adaptive, language, and intellectual functioning. METHODS Analyses were conducted on 1,861 individuals with PDD between the ages of 4 and 18 years (mean = 8.3, SD = 3.2). ADI-R scores were submitted to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Analyses were conducted according to verbal status (n = 1,329 verbal, n = 532 nonverbal) and separately for algorithm items only and for all items. ADI-R scores were correlated with scores on measures of adaptive, language, and intellectual functioning. RESULTS Several factor solutions were examined and compared. CFAs suggested that two- and three-factor solutions were similar, and slightly superior to a one-factor solution. EFAs and measures of internal consistency provided some support for a two-factor solution consisting of social and communication behaviors and restricted and repetitive behaviors. Measures of functioning were not associated with ADI-R domain scores in nonverbal children, but negatively correlated in verbal children. CONCLUSIONS Overall, data suggested that autism symptomatology can be explained statistically with a two-domain model. It also pointed to different symptoms susceptible to be helpful in linkage analyses. Implications of a two-factor model are discussed.
Maturation and reproductive cycle of female armorhead Pseudopentaceros wheeleri from the southern Emperor—northern Hawaiian Ridge Seamounts

The stage of ovarian development and annual reproductive cycle of female armorhead Pseudopentaceros wheeleri collected from seamounts of the southern Emperor—northern Hawaiian Ridge in 1993 and 1995–1996 was investigated through use of the gonadal somatic index (GSI) and ovarian histology. The stages of oocyte development were classified into eight developmental stages (perinucleolus, cortical alveolus, oil droplet, early yolk globule, late yolk globule, migratory nucleolus, prematuration, and maturation) based on histological characteristics. Oocytes of different size and developmental stage were present within ovaries during the spawning season. Oocyte development appears to be asynchronous and armorhead apparently spawn several times during the spawning season. The stage of the most developed oocyte was used to classify the stage of ovarian maturation. The GSI increased gradually with ovarian development. Oocytes in the perinucleolus, cortical alveolus, and oil droplet stages were present in ovaries throughout the year. Early and late yolk globule stages appeared during August–September indicating that yolk formation begins during late summer. The migratory nucleolus through maturation stages were detected during November–January. Post ovulatory follices were present during November–March, and GSI values rapidly decreased in February. Results indicate that spawning occurs during November–February and peaks during December–January.
Projective Peridynamics for Modeling Versatile Elastoplastic Materials

Unified simulation of versatile elastoplastic materials and different dimensions offers many advantages in animation production, contact handling, and hardware acceleration. The unstructured particle representation is particularly suitable for this task, thanks to its simplicity. However, previous meshless techniques either need too much computational cost for addressing stability issues, or lack physical meanings and fail to generate interesting deformation behaviors, such as the Poisson effect. In this paper, we study the development of an elastoplastic model under the state-based peridynamics framework, which uses integrals rather than partial derivatives in its formulation. To model elasticity, we propose a unique constitutive model and an efficient iterative simulator solved in a projective dynamics way. To handle plastic behaviors, we incorporate our simulator with the Drucker-Prager yield criterion and a reference position update scheme, both of which are implemented under peridynamics. Finally, we show how to strengthen the simulator by position-based constraints and spatially varying stiffness models, to achieve incompressibility, particle redistribution, cohesion, and friction effects in viscoelastic and granular flows. Our experiments demonstrate that our unified, meshless simulator is flexible, efficient, robust, and friendly with parallel computing.
RNA structure alignment by a unit-vector approach

MOTIVATION The recent discovery of tiny RNA molecules such as microRNAs and small interfering RNA are transforming the view of RNA as a simple information transfer molecule. Similar to proteins, the native three-dimensional structure of RNA determines its biological activity. Therefore, classifying the current structural space is paramount for functionally annotating RNA molecules. The increasing numbers of RNA structures deposited in the PDB requires more accurate, automatic and benchmarked methods for RNA structure comparison. In this article, we introduce a new algorithm for RNA structure alignment based on a unit-vector approach. The algorithm has been implemented in the SARA program, which results in RNA structure pairwise alignments and their statistical significance. RESULTS The SARA program has been implemented to be of general applicability even when no secondary structure can be calculated from the RNA structures. A benchmark against the ARTS program using a set of 1275 non-redundant pairwise structure alignments results in inverted approximately 6% extra alignments with at least 50% structurally superposed nucleotides and base pairs. A first attempt to perform RNA automatic functional annotation based on structure alignments indicates that SARA can correctly assign the deepest SCOR classification to >60% of the query structures. AVAILABILITY The SARA program is freely available through a World Wide Web server http://sgu.bioinfo. cipf.es/services/SARA/. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Model of acceptance of Web 2.0 technologies for increased participation in learning activities: A case study of a Scottish university

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to find out how to encourage the use of Web 2.0 in learning in higher education by investigating factors that would relate to and would encourage such behaviour. Design/methodology/approach – Three existing theories of technology acceptance underpinned this research and six constructs selected from these existing theories and one new construct from a pilot study were used to develop a conceptual model which constructs were operationalized into an online questionnaire (open and closed ended questions). Copies of this questionnaire were electronically distributed to all students in a higher institution of learning in Scotland. In total, 203 responded. Correlation and regression analyses were performed on the quantitative data collected so as to validate the research model. A focus group of ten volunteer students provided opportunity for a follow-up interview that produced in-depth information which provided strategies for enhancing the use of Web 2.0 tools for learning in higher education. Findings – All the factors of the model, except perceived ease of use, positively relate significantly with use behaviour. The factors are perceived usefulness, facilitating conditions, motivation, prior knowledge, performance expectancy and social factors. Research limitations/implications – The study was performed at only one institution in Scotland. The implication of the study is that predictor variables (mentioned above in the findings) of the model should be taken into consideration when introducing Web 2.0 to students of higher learning. Practical implications – In the paper are discussed specific strategies and these include assigning roles to users with little participation, checking to ensure irregular users have access and e-mailing them to encourage participation. Originality/value – This is apparently the first time the key technology acceptance models have been synthesised and tested in Scotland with regards to the acceptance of Web 2.0 tools in learning in higher education.
Hipppcampal Electrical Activity and Behaviour in Rabbits during Adaptation to a Novel Semi‐Natural Environment

The aim of the present experiment was to show possible modifications in behaviour and hippocampal electrical activity during adaptation to a novel semi‐natural environment. Rabbits with chronic implanted electrodes in the hippocampus were introduced into a large, natural, open‐air enclosure. Their spontaneous behaviour was studied for 3 days. Electrical activity was recorded by telemetry, stored with behaviour on a video‐tape, and then analysed. Behaviour was divided into categories and variables. The categories were: activity directed towards the environment (including exploratory movements, scanning, marking, etc.) and self‐directed activities (such as eating, drinking, self‐grooming, etc.). Exploratory elements were observed and classified according to a spatial and a temporal criterion. The rabbits showed a progressive adaptation to the environment with quantitative and qualitative reduction in exploration and an increment in quiet immobility and inspective activities. Three EEG patterns were recognized from autocorrelation and spectral analysis: high rhythmicity theta (HRSA) with specific relationship to voluntary movements, such as exploration and running; low rhythmicity theta (LRSA) in signalling activities or self‐directed behaviour and during postural and reactive immobility; and irregular activity (IA) sometimes seen in the same immobile behaviour. The results show that some behaviours (exploration, alert and postural immobility, self‐directed activity) are correlated to specific patterns of electrical activity in the hippocampus and, as exploratory behaviour decreased with time, there was a concomitant increase in EEG frequency.
Low-dose Oral Vitamin K Reliably Reverses Over-anticoagulation due to Warfarin

Summary Background: Patients receiving long-term warfarin frequently develop asymptomatic excessive prolongation of their international normalized ratio (INR) results. The most appropriate management strategy in these patients is unknown. This prospective cohort study was designed to address whether 1 mg of oral vitamin K effectively reduces the INR value of such patients. Methods: A prospective cohort study was performed in two tertiary care teaching hospitals, in which 62 patients receiving warfarin who had INR values between 4.5 and 10.0 received 1 mg of oral vitamin K. All patients had daily INR values and clinical assessments performed. Results: The mean INR value at presentation was 5.79 (95% confidence interval (CI) 5.48 to 6.09, range 4.5 to 9.5). Sixteen hours after receiving the 1 mg of oral vitamin K, the mean INR was 2.86 (95% CI 2.50 to 3.23). On the second and third days after vitamin K, the mean INR values were 2.20 (1.93 to 2.47) and 2.14 (1.85 to 2.44), respectively. No adverse events or bleeding complications were observed. In three patients (6%) the INR value rose between the time of vitamin K administration and the next INR determination; two patients received a further 2 mg dose of subcutaneous vitamin K. Conclusions: In patients receiving warfarin who have asymptomatic excessive prolongations in their INR results, 1 mg of oral vitamin K reliably reduces the INR to the therapeutic range within 24 h. This therapy is more convenient, less expensive, and might be safer than parenteral vitamin K. Thus, it should be considered in all non-bleeding patients receiving warfarin, who present with INR results of 4.5 to 9.5. Dr. Crowther is the recipient of a Medical Research Council of Canada Research Fellowship. Dr. Ginsberg is a Career Investigator of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario.
Anémie chez les femmes en âge de procréer au Maroc (Préfecture d'Oujda-Angad)

Objectif. L'objectif de la presente etude est de determiner la prevalence de l'anemie dans la prefecture d'Oujda-Angad et l'influence des parametres sociodemographiques sur son incidence. Materiel et Methodes. Notre etude s�est deroulee dans la prefecture d'Oujda-Angad, la capitale de la region de l'oriental du Maroc. L'etude a porte sur 424 femmes âgees de 20 a 49 seins et pas enceints. Resultats. L'âge moyen des femmes enquetees est de 34,14 ans ±8,35 ans. La tranche d'âge de 20 a 29 est la plus represente (38,7%). La situation matrimoniale, l'âge, le nombre de grossesses, le nombre des enfants, et l'activite du chef du menage sont parmis les facteurs sociodemographiques impliques dans l'apparition de l'anemie. Les resultats montrent que l'anemie hypochrome microcytaire est la forme la plus represente. Conclusion. L'anemie est un probleme de sante publique au Maroc. Les preuves apportees par notre etude soulignent la necessite de la mise en oeuvre des programmes educatifs visant a ameliorer la connaissance nutritionnelle et la sensibilisation des femmes.
Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Status Is a Key Parameter to Stratify the Prognostic Heterogeneity of Malignant Melanoma in High-Risk Tumors >4.0 mm

Background: The value of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) as a useful strategy to assess the risk of future metastasis in high-risk melanomas (>4.0 mm) is controversially discussed. Objectives: In a single-center retrospective study, the prognostic relevance of SLNB and other risk factors in the subgroup of melanomas >4.0 mm was investigated and compared to previously published results. Methods: Using Kaplan-Meier estimates and Cox regressions, we assessed the prognostic relevance of SLNB in our subcohort of 87 patients with thick melanomas >4.0 mm (T4). The mean follow-up for this subgroup was 51 months. We compared SLN value as compared to ulceration. Results: SLN and ulceration, analyzed as separate risk factors as well as their combination, predicted a highly reduced life expectancy in terms of recurrence-free survival (RFS) in our cohort of patients. SLN, but not ulceration, also predicted overall survival (OS). Conclusions: Positive SLNB is an essential predictor of RFS and OS in T4 melanoma patients, whereas ulceration lacked significance with respect to OS in our cohort. Our data thus suggest the routine use of SLNB also for T4 melanoma and may therefore allow to optimize risk-stratified therapeutic regimens.
Tfs1p, a Member of the PEBP Family, Inhibits the Ira2p but Not the Ira1p Ras GTPase-Activating Protein in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

ABSTRACT Ras proteins are guanine nucleotide-binding proteins that are highly conserved among eukaryotes. They are involved in signal transduction pathways and are tightly regulated by two sets of antagonistic proteins: GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) inhibit Ras proteins, whereas guanine exchange factors activate them. In this work, we describe Tfs1p, the first physiological inhibitor of a Ras GAP, Ira2p, in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. TFS1 is a multicopy suppressor of the cdc25-1 mutation in yeast and corresponds to the so-called Ic CPY cytoplasmic inhibitor. Moreover, Tfs1p belongs to the phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein (PEBP) family, one member of which is RKIP, a kinase and serine protease inhibitor and a metastasis inhibitor in prostate cancer. In this work, the results of (i) a two-hybrid screen of a yeast genomic library, (ii) glutathione S-transferase pulldown experiments, (iii) multicopy suppressor tests of cdc25-1 mutants, and (iv) stress resistance tests to evaluate the activation level of Ras demonstrate that Tfs1p interacts with and inhibits Ira2p. We further show that the conserved ligand-binding pocket of Tfs1—the hallmark of the PEBP family—is important for its inhibitory activity.
Thermal stability of a quasi-isotropic strand consisting of coated conductors

This paper presents the thermal stability of a quasi-isotropic strand composed of stacked high temperature superconducting coated conductors (CC). The strand was sheathed by metal copper and the internal void was filled by aluminum. The quench characteristics of the strand, including the minimum quench energy (MQE) and the quench propagation velocity (QPV), were simulated by software Comsol 5.0. Then the corresponding stability tests were performed in 77 K The thermal disturbance was generated in the strand interior by applying an external direct current (DC) magnetic field. It is shown that the experimental results are in agreement with the simulated ones.
Long-Term Culture of Neonatal Rat Pancreatic Endocrine Cells as Model for Insulin-Secretion and Ion-Channel Studies

So far, only freshly isolated cells or short-term cultures have been used to study ion-channel activity in pancreatic nontumor β-cells. We report a procedure for the long-term cultivation of pancreatic endocrine cells to study the relationship between ion channels and insulin secretion. Using thimerosal to suppress fibroblastoid cell proliferation and a preliminary 2-day cell exposure to alternating normal (5.6 mM) and high (16.7 mM) glucose levels, we observed a significant secretory responsiveness of the cells to a glucose challenge for at least 4 wk in culture. Cells also responded to glucose or other secretagogues, such as quinine and the sulfonylurea glyburide, with membrane voltage oscillations. In the cell-attached configuration of the patch-clamp technique, a 65-pS-conductance K+ channel was observed, which was inhibited by glucose, quinine, and glyburide. In the inside-out configuration, the activity of this channel was suppressed by ATP applied to the cytoplasmic side of the membrane. A K+ channel with a conductance of 200 pS was also observed, which was activated by intracellular Ca2+. A 13-pS-conductance glucoseinsensitive K+ channel was present in both cellattached and inside-out patch recordings. Even after 3 wk, the characteristics of these currents and channels were comparable to those reported by other investigators with freshly dissociated or short-termcultured β-cells from neonatal and adult rats and adult mice. Therefore, the neonatal rat endocrine cell culture characterized herein provides an improved model for long-term investigations combining secretion and electrophysiological studies.
Bedside ultrasound curriculum for medical students: Report of a blended learning curriculum implementation and validation

Medical students on clinical rotations rarely receive formal bedside ultrasound (BUS) training. We designed, implemented, and evaluated a standardized BUS curriculum for medical students on their Emergency Medicine (EM) rotation. Teaching was aimed toward influencing four cognitive and psychomotor learning domains: BUS instrumentation knowledge, image interpretation, image acquisition, and procedural guidance.