Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Considerable Genetic Diversity of Trichomonas vaginalis Clinical Isolates in a Targeted Population in South of Iran

Background: The present study aimed to characterize genetically and to compare the most frequently occurring strains of Trichomonas vaginalis isolated from southern Iran. Methods: Totally, 150 vaginal swab and urine specimens were collected from symptomatic and asymptomatic women from May 2012 to Jun 2013. This study implemented a sensitive and reliable PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) typing method on the actin gene. Moreover, one representative sample of each identified genotype was subjected to sequencing. Results: Twenty-four T. vaginalis isolates were positive and 6 distinct electrophoretic patterns (H, E, G, I, M, N) were identified. Genotypes H and I were found to be more prevalent (50 and 37.5%) in Kerman and Shiraz, respectively. The phylogenetic analysis showed that two isolates were located as a separated clade with the other T. vaginalis isolates. Conclusion: The obtained findings showed a considerable genetic polymorphism of clinical isolates from the population studied. More studies may be warranted in future as to unveiling any possible links between a given genotype/cluster and pathogenic behavior of T. vaginalis.
Ignorance is Strength: Improving the Performance of Matching Markets by Limiting Information (JOB MARKET PAPER)

This paper develops a model for studying the problem of information intermediation faced by a platform that connects buyers and sellers. Buyers search for sellers in continuous time and are time-sensitive, while sellers have limited capacity for serving buyers and derive heterogeneous payoffs from being matched with different buyers. The platform controls the information the sellers observe about the buyers before forming a match. I show that full information disclosure is inefficient because of excessive rejections by sellers. When the platform observes the sellers? preferences, there is a simple policy with partial disclosure that restores full efficiency. When seller preferences are unknown to the platform, I characterize the disclosure policy that maximizes the total surplus. In a setting with linear payoffs and a uniform distribution of seller attributes, I find that the optimal policy perfectly reveals low-cost buyers and pools high-cost buyers (upper-coarsening). With this policy, tighter constraints on sellers? capacities or a higher buyer-to-seller ratio requires that less information be disclosed. For a general distribution of seller attributes, I develop an approach to solving the disclosure problem with heterogeneous and forward-looking sellers. I discuss several applications to the design of digital matching platforms.
Do hemodynamic studies of stage T1 lung cancer enable the prediction of hilar or mediastinal nodal metastasis?

OBJECTIVE We aimed to identify CT enhancement characteristics that predict hilar or mediastinal nodal metastasis in patients with stage T1 lung cancer. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Eighty-four patients (50 men and 34 women; age range, 39-80 years; mean age, 61 years) with stage T1 lung cancer underwent a hemodynamic and a conventional morphologic CT study before curative surgical resection. Peak enhancement (maximum attenuation over the entire time course), net enhancement (peak enhancement minus preenhancement attenuation), maximum enhancement ratio (MER), time to peak enhancement, slope of enhancement on dynamic studies, nodule size, presence of tumor necrosis or thickening of bronchovascular bundles, and marginal characteristics on morphologic studies were analyzed and correlated with the presence of histologically determined mediastinal or hilar nodal metastasis. RESULTS Mediastinal or hilar nodal metastases were found at surgery in 26 (31%) of 84 patients: mediastinal nodes in 13 (15%) and hilar nodes in 19 (23%). Six (7%) had both mediastinal and hilar nodal metastasis. Peak enhancement, net enhancement, and MER were significantly associated (p = 0.001, 0.002, and 0.008, respectively) with the presence of mediastinal or hilar nodal metastasis. A peak attenuation of 110 H or greater and a net enhancement of 60 H or greater predicted nodal metastasis with accuracies of 73% (61/84 nodules) and 73% (61/84 nodules) and odd ratios of 4.98 and 5.94, respectively. CONCLUSION Stage T1 lung cancers showing peak enhancement of 110 H or greater or net enhancement of 60 H or greater on dynamic CT indicate a high likelihood of hilar or mediastinal nodal metastasis.
Calibration results for Bayesian model specication

When the goal is inference about an unknown and prediction of future data D on the basis of data D and background assumptions/judgments B, the process of Bayesian model specication involves two ingredients: the condi- tional probability distributions p( jB) and p(Dj ;B). Here we focus on specifying p(Dj ;B), and we argue that calibration considerations | paying attention to how often You get the right answer | should be an integral part of this speci- cation process. After contrasting Bayes-factor-based and predictive model-choice criteria, we present some calibration results, in xed- and random-eects Poisson models, relevant to addressing two of the basic questions that arise in Bayesian model specication: (Q1) Is model Mj better than Mj0? and (Q2) Is model Mj good enough? In particular, we show that LSF S, a full-sample log score predictive model-choice criterion, has better small-sample model discrimination performance than either DIC or a cross-validation-style log-scoring criterion, in the simulation setting we consider; we examine the large-sample behavior of LSF S; and we (a) demonstrate that the popular posterior predictive tail-area method for answering a question related to Q2 can be poorly calibrated and (b) document the success of a method for calibrating it.
Laboratory Diagnosis of Resistance to Activated Protein C (APC-resistance)

Activated protein C (APC) is a serine protease with potent anticoagulant properties (l). It inhibits thrombin formation by the degradation of the activated factors VIIIa and Va via selective proteolytic cleavages (2,3). The anticoagulant properties of APC can be demonstrated by its effect on those parameters that depend on thrombin formation through the coagulation pathway(s) (APTT, PT, Xa-clotting time). For the maximal expression of its anticoagulant activity APC needs the
Characteristics and Behavioral Outcomes for Youth in Group Care and Family-Based Care

This study aimed to answer two questions: (a) Given expected differences in children who are placed in group care compared to those in family-based settings, is it possible to match children on baseline characteristics? (b) Are there differences in behavioral outcomes for youth with episodes in group care versus those in family-based care? Using data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, the study sample included 1,191 children with episodes in out-of-home care (n = 254 youth with group care episodes; n = 937 youth with episodes in family-based care and no group care). Conditioning variables were identified, which distinguished between the two groups of youth. Using propensity score matching, all youth placed into group care were matched on the propensity score with family-based care youth. Behavioral outcomes at 36 months, as measured by the Child Behavior Checklist, were compared for the matched sample. Of the total 254 youth with group care episodes, 157 could be matched to youth with episodes in family-based care. No significant differences remained between the two groups in the matched sample, and findings revealed no significant differences in longitudinal behavioral outcomes.
Reduced Frontal Activations at High Working Memory Load in Mild Cognitive Impairment: Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

Background: Some functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have reported altered activations in the frontal cortex during working memory (WM) performance in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), but the findings have been mixed. The objective of the present study was to utilize near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), an alternative imaging technique, to examine neural processing during WM performance in individuals with MCI. Methods: Twenty-six older adults with MCI (7 males; mean age 69.15 years) were compared with 26 age-, gender-, handedness-, and education-matched older adults with normal cognition (NC; 7 males; mean age 68.87 years). All of the participants undertook an n-back task with a low (i.e., 0-back) and a high (i.e., 2-back) WM load condition while their prefrontal dynamics were recorded by a 16-channel NIRS system. Results: Although behavioral results showed that the two groups had comparable task performance, neuroimaging results showed that the MCI group, unlike the NC group, did not exhibit significantly increased frontal activations bilaterally when WM load increased. Compared to the NC group, the MCI group had similar frontal activations at low load (p > 0.05 on all channels) but reduced activations at high load (p < 0.05 on 4 channels), thus failing to demonstrate WM-related frontal activations (p < 0.05 on 9 channels). In addition, we found a positive correlation between the left WM-related frontal activations and WM ability primarily in the NC group (rs = 0.42, p = 0.035), suggesting a relationship between frontal hypoactivation and WM difficulties. Conclusion: The present findings suggest the presence of frontal dysfunction that is dependent on WM load in individuals with MCI.
Therapeutic effect of neutralizing endogenous IL-18 activity in the collagen-induced model of arthritis.

Two distinct IL-18 neutralizing strategies, i.e. a rabbit polyclonal anti-mouse IL-18 IgG and a recombinant human IL-18 binding protein (rhIL-18BP), were used to treat collagen-induced-arthritic DBA/1 mice after clinical onset of disease. The therapeutic efficacy of neutralizing endogenous IL-18 was assessed using different pathological parameters of disease progression. The clinical severity in mice undergoing collagen-induced arthritis was significantly reduced after treatment with both IL-18 neutralizing agents compared to placebo treated mice. Attenuation of the disease was associated with reduced cartilage erosion evident on histology. The decreased cartilage degradation was further documented by a significant reduction in the levels of circulating cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (an indicator of cartilage turnover). Both strategies efficiently slowed disease progression, but only anti-IL-18 IgG treatment significantly decreased an established synovitis. Serum levels of IL-6 were significantly reduced with both neutralizing strategies. In vitro, neutralizing IL-18 resulted in a significant inhibition of TNF-alpha, IL-6, and IFN-gamma secretion by macrophages. These results demonstrate that neutralizing endogenous IL-18 is therapeutically efficacious in the murine model of collagen-induced arthritis. IL-18 neutralizing antibody or rhIL-18BP could therefore represent new disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs that warrant testing in clinical trials in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Differential association of phosphatases with hematopoietic co‐receptors bearing immunoreceptor tyrosine‐based inhibition motifs

A novel family of inhibitory co‐receptors has been recently defined according to the presence in their intracytoplasmic domain of immunoreceptor tyrosine‐based inhibition motifs (ITIM). In particular, this family includes a low‐affinity receptor for IgG, FcγRIIB, which is widely expressed on hematopoietic cells, as well as killer cell inhibitory receptors (KIR) for major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I proteins, expressed on both T and natural killer (NK) lymphocytes. FcγRIIB and KIR inhibitory function depends upon the tyrosine phosphorylation of their respective ITIM. Phosphorylated FcγRIIB and KIR ITIM bind the tandem SH2 tyrosine phosphatases, SHP‐1 and SHP‐2. Recently, FcγRIIB has been shown to associate with a polyphosphate inositol 5‐phosphatase, SHIP, which appears to be involved in its inhibitory function. Using cell lysate adsorption to phosphorylated ITIM peptides and surface plasmon resonance, we demonstrate here that, in contrast to FcγRIIB, KIR (CD158b: p58.2) do not bind to SHIP, and only recruit SHP‐1 and SHP‐2. In addition, we show that point mutation of the amino acid residue in position tyrosine‐2 of FcγRIIB and KIR ITIM abolihes their binding to SHP‐1 and SHP‐2, but leaves intact the association of SHIP with FcγRIIB ITIM. These data contribute to the structural definition of ITIM and document a differential recruitment of phosphatases by distinct ITIM. These findings also reveal that diverse strategies of inhibition are used by distinct members of the ITIM‐bearing co‐receptor family.
Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation for Focal Articular Cartilage Lesions

PLEASE NOTE: Contracts exclude from coverage, among other things, services or procedures that are considered investigational or cosmetic. Providers may bill members for services or procedures that are considered investigational or cosmetic. Providers are encouraged to inform members before rendering such services that the members are likely to be financially responsible for the cost of these services.
Immune activation and antibody responses in non‐progressing elite controller individuals infected with HIV‐1

An extremely rare subset of patients infected with HIV‐1 designated as “non‐progressing elite controllers” appears to be able to maintain stable CD4+ T‐cell counts and a median plasma viremia below the detection limit of current ultrasensitive assays (<50–80 copies/ml of plasma) for >10 years in the absence of antiretroviral therapy. Lymphocyte subsets (CD4+, CD8+), immune activation markers (HLA‐DR+, CD38+, Beta‐2‐microglobulin), and HIV‐specific antibody responses were longitudinally examined in four non‐progressing elite controllers over more than 5 years. Two control groups of seronegative healthy individuals and untreated patients infected with HIV‐1 presenting detectable viremia were also included. None of the non‐progressing elite controllers displayed the high T‐cell activation levels generally seen in the seropositive individuals, keeping them within the normal range. Three non‐progressing elite controllers showed no significant immune system abnormalities when compared to seronegative individuals, displaying a low proportion of HIV‐1‐specific binding antibodies and low avidity index, similar to those observed for individuals infected recently with HIV‐1. One non‐progressing elite controller exhibited CD8+ T‐cell counts and β2‐M levels above normal ranges and developed a low but “mature” (high‐avidity) HIV‐1‐specific antibody response. Thus, the non‐progressing elite controllers are able to maintain normal T‐cell activation levels, which may contribute to prevent, or greatly reduce, the damage of the immune system typically induced by the HIV‐1 over time. They are, however, immunologically heterogeneous and very low levels of antigen exposure seem to occur in these patients, sufficient for sustaining a low, but detectable, HIV‐1‐specific immunity. J. Med. Virol. 81:1681–1690, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Interactions of the orexin/hypocretin neurones and the histaminergic system

Histaminergic and orexin/hypocretin systems are components in the brain wake‐promoting system. Both are affected in the sleep disorder narcolepsy, but the role of histamine in narcolepsy is unclear. The histaminergic neurones are activated by the orexin/hypocretin system in rodents, and the development of the orexin/hypocretin neurones is bidirectionally regulated by the histaminergic system in zebrafish. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the interactions of these two systems in normal and pathological conditions in humans and different animal models.
Multiple-Shot People Re-Identification by Patch-Wise Learning

In this paper, we propose a patch-wise learning based approach to deal with the multiple-shot people re-identification task. In the proposed approach, re-identification is formulated as a patch-wise set-toset matching problem, with each patch set being matched using a specifically learned Mahalanobis distance metric. The proposed approach has two advantages: (1) a patch-wise representation that moderates the ambiguousness of a non-rigid matching problem (of human body) to an approximate rigid one (of body parts); (2) a patch-wise learning algorithm that enables more constraints to be included in the learning process and results in distance metrics of high quality. We evaluate the proposed approach on popular benchmark datasets and confirm its competitive performance compared to the state-of-the-art methods. key words: patch-wise matching, patch-wise learning, multiple-shot reidentification
Temporal patterns of 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography sinonasal uptake after treatment of sinonasal malignancy

Current guidelines have identified 10 to 12 weeks posttreatment as the ideal time‐point for improved diagnostic accuracy of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) for deep tissue sites of the head and neck. After treatment, the sinonasal skull base is predisposed to prolonged inflammation that may render this time‐point inappropriate for initial posttreatment imaging surveillance for sinonasal malignancies. The purpose of this study is to evaluate temporal trends in 18F‐fluorodeoxyglucose (18FDG) sinonasal uptake after treatment for sinonasal malignancies to better elucidate the optimal time‐point for initial PET/CT posttreatment evaluation in this patient population.
Sustained control of Graves' hyperthyroidism during long-term low-dose antithyroid drug therapy of patients with severe Graves' orbitopathy.

BACKGROUND Patients with severe Graves' orbitopathy often have hyperthyroidism that is difficult to treat and a high proportion of patients experience relapse of hyperthyroidism after a course of antithyroid drug (ATD) therapy of fixed duration. The aim of the study was to evaluate the feasibility of prolonged low-dose ATD therapy for attaining stable euthyroidism in patients with severe Graves' orbitopathy and hyperthyroidism. METHODS We performed retrospective analyses of data collected during observation of a cohort of patients (n = 108) treated for severe Graves' orbitopathy and for hyperthyroidism using partial block with low-dose thionamide + replacement with levothyroxine (L-T4) for >2 years. The study was performed at a university hospital referral center for patients with severe Graves' orbitopathy. RESULTS The median duration of thionamide therapy was 80 months (25-75 percentiles: 55-115 months); 101 patients received methimazole (median: 5 mg/day) without side effects during prolonged therapy, and 7 propylthiouracil (median: 200 mg/day); median L-T4 dose was 0.1 mg/day. Ninety percent of patients remained euthyroid throughout the period of therapy, and 65% of them had thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor antibodies in serum within the assay reference interval at the last observation. Only four (3.7%) developed episodes of hyperthyroidism during stable therapy, and 94% had serum TSH within 0.1-4.0 mU/L at the last observation. One patient developed reversible cutaneous vasculitis after 6 years of propylthiouracil therapy. CONCLUSIONS Prolonged partial block plus replacement therapy with low-dose ATD + L-T4 keeps the majority of patients with severe Graves' orbitopathy and hyperthyroidism stable and euthyroid.
Expression of voltage-activated calcium channels in the early zebrafish embryo

Summary Increases in cytosolic calcium concentrations regulate many cellular processes, including aspects of early development. Calcium release from intracellular stores and calcium entry through non-voltage-gated channels account for signalling in non-excitable cells, whereas voltage-gated calcium channels (CaV) are important in excitable cells. We report the expression of multiple transcripts of CaV, identified by its homology to other species, in the early embryo of the zebrafish, Danio rerio, at stages prior to the differentiation of excitable cells. CaV mRNAs and proteins were detected as early as the 2-cell stages, which indicate that they arise from both maternal and zygotic transcription. Exposure of embryos to pharmacological blockers of CaV does not perturb early development significantly, although late effects are appreciable. These results suggest that CaV may have a role in calcium homeostasis and control of cellular process during early embryonic development.
Quantitative analysis of hyaluronan in human synovial fluid using capillary electrophoresis

The glycosaminoglycan, hyaluronan, can be detected in human synovial fluid by capillary electrophoresis (CE). Variations in peak shape make this technique unsuitable for quantitative analysis of hyaluronan in raw synovial fluid. Quantitative analysis was achieved by hydrolysis of the polymeric hyaluronan to the tetrasaccharide by the action of testicular hyaluronidase and separation of the product using CE. A UV detector operating at 200 nm was used. The X‐ray contrast material, omnipaque, a propriety aqueous solution of iohexol was used as internal standard. A second peak in the electropherogram of synovial fluid was quantified. The variation in concentrations of these two components correlate with the arthritic disease state of a joint.
Familial Mediterranean fever--renal involvement by diseases other than amyloid.

BACKGROUND In patients with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) renal involvement is usually in the form of AA amyloidosis. There is increasing evidence that renal involvement may be due to diseases other than amyloid as well. METHODS Amongst 302 children with FMF we observed and followed 28 with typical clinical and laboratory features of vasculitis. The diagnosis of FMF was established according to the Tel Hashomer criteria. RESULTS Polyarteritis nodosa, protracted febrile attacks and Henoch-Schönlein purpura were diagnosed in 4, 13, and 11 patients, respectively. The presentation was often difficult to distinguish from FMF attacks, but protracted febrile attacks lasting several weeks, hypertension, thrombocytosis, and dramatic responses to corticosteroid therapy that were observed in many cases were different from what is observed in classical FMF. CONCLUSIONS We suggest that FMF, perhaps as a consequence of impaired control of inflammatory responses, predisposes to vasculitis with renal involvement.