Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Laser Atherectomy for Treatment of Femoropopliteal In-Stent Restenosis

Purpose: To investigate if laser atherectomy with adjunctive balloon angioplasty can improve endovascular treatment outcomes for femoropopliteal in-stent restenosis (ISR). Methods: A dual center study included 135 symptomatic patients (mean age 71 years; 76 men) who underwent endovascular treatment of femoropopliteal ISR between 2006 and 2013. Of these, 54 (40%) were treated with laser atherectomy and the remaining 81 patients with balloon angioplasty alone. Angiographic images were reviewed for lesion morphology and characteristics, TransAtlantic InterSociety Consensus (TASC) II classification, and distal runoff. Class I ISR was defined as focal lesions ≤50 mm, class II ISR as lesions >50 mm, and class III ISR as stent total occlusion. Recurrent ISR was determined by a peak systolic velocity ratio >2.4 by duplex ultrasound. Results: Patients treated with laser atherectomy had longer mean ISR lesion length (222 vs 114 mm, p<0.001) and more class III ISR (69% vs 20%, p=0.001). There was no association between laser atherectomy and rates of recurrent restenosis or occlusion for patients with class I/II ISR, but there was a significantly lower rate of target lesion revascularization at 2 years among patients treated with laser atherectomy (14% vs 44%, p=0.05). In comparison, patients with class III ISR treated with laser atherectomy had lower rates of recurrent restenosis at 1 year (54% vs 91%, p=0.05) and 2 years (69% vs 100%, p=0.05). Patients with class III ISR treated with laser atherectomy also had lower rates of recurrent in-stent occlusion at 2-year follow-up (33% vs 71%, p=0.04). Conclusion: When used to treat complex ISR, including in-stent occlusions, laser atherectomy with adjunctive balloon angioplasty may be associated with improved patency.
Developmental Pharmacokinetics of Lamivudine in 580 Pediatric Patients Ranging from Neonates to Adolescents

ABSTRACT Lamivudine concentration-time courses were described for a very large range of ages to study the effects of body weight and maturation on lamivudine pharmacokinetics and to check the consistency of dosing recommendations. Lamivudine concentrations were monitored on a routine basis to produce concentrations similar to the known values in adults. Concentrations were measured in 580 children from 2 days to 18 years old. A total of 2,106 plasma lamivudine concentrations were measured, and a population pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using the stochastic approximation expectation maximization algorithm implemented in MONOLIX 3.1 software. A two-compartment model adequately described the data. After standardization for a mean standard body weight by using an allometric model, age also had a significant effect on clearance maturation. Typical population estimates (percent interindividual variability) standardized for 70 kg of the apparent clearance, including central and peripheral volumes of distribution, intercompartmental clearance, and absorption rate constant, were 31 liters·h−1 (32%), 76.4 liters (77%), 129 liters, 5.83 liters·h−1, and 0.432 h−1, respectively. According to the model, elimination clearance (liters/h/70 kg) increases gradually during the first years of life. Theoretical doses needed to reach the range of 24 h of exposure observed in adults were calculated: to be closer to adult exposure, children should receive 4 mg/kg/day from birth to 8 weeks of age, 5 mg/kg/day from 8 to 16 weeks of age, 6 mg/kg from 16 to 25 weeks of age, 8 mg/kg/day from 25 weeks of age to 14 kg of body weight, 150 mg/day from 14 to 25 kg of body weight, 225 mg/day from 25 to 35 kg of body weight, and 300 mg/day thereafter.
Efficacy and Safety of Fingolimod in Daily Practice: Experience of an Academic MS French Center

Introduction Fingolimod (Fg), a sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor modulator, decreases the annual relapse rate (ARR) in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of Fg in daily practice in patients with RRMS, previously treated with natalizumab (Nz) or not, and systematically followed during at least 1 year. Methods Data were collected from the patient files. Primary endpoint was the comparison between the ARR the year before Fg onset and after 1 and 2 years of Fg treatment. The secondary endpoints were the difference between Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) at Fg onset and after 1 and 2 years of treatment, and safety. Results In the whole sample, we confirmed Fg efficacy on the ARR (0.895 before vs. 0.364 1 year after, p < 0.0001). Between our two groups (with or without Nz before Fg), the ARR was higher in the Nz group during the first year but similar during the second year. The EDSS was stable during the first year of Fg but significantly higher after 2 years (3.33 vs. 3.72, p = 0.02). Concerning safety, only three patients had to discontinue Fg because of tolerance issues. Conclusion Our study showed that Fg is safe in RRMS and can be used either after first-line treatments or after Nz. However we observed a mild disability progression after 2 years.
The Effect of Engagement in Online Social Network on Susceptibility to Influence

The effect of consumer participation in online social networking activities on their susceptibility to influence is investigated in a context of restaurant consumption. This research identified a positive relationship between consumers engagement in social networking sites (SNS) on their susceptibility to global consumption influence, which is a multidimensional factor consisting of conformity to trend, social prestige, and quality perception. Furthermore, consumer engagement in SNS and susceptibility to global consumption influence positively affect social influence on SNS. That is, consumers with higher participation in SNS are more prone to global consumer convergence and peer influence on SNS. As implications for tourism and hospitality businesses, strategies to manage consumer-to-consumer communication on social media are suggested.
Contact lens fitting after photorefractive keratectomy: a comparison of two groups of patients

From a research programme comparing two photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) methods, Group S using Summit ExciMed UV 200, and Group V using the VisX 20:20 excimer laser system, 10 patients from each group were recruited. They were referred 6–12 months post‐PRK for lens fitting to correct resultant ametropia or irregular astigmatism. Ablation zone diameters were: Group S, 4.5 mm; Group V, 4–6 mm. For Group S, best fit rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses generally had a back optic zone radius (BOZR) 0.10 mm steeper than the mean keratometry reading (K) and overall diameter of 9.20–10.0 mm. For Group V best fit RGP lenses generally had a BOZR of 0.20 mm steeper than the mean K. The lenses often required large diameters to improve lens centration and extra negative power to compensate for the positive power of the central tear pool. Several patients required soft lens fitting to improve comfort and some finally opted for repeat PRK.
Role for Med12 in Regulation of Nanog and Nanog Target Genes*

Nanog, Oct4, and Sox2 form the core of a transcription factor network that maintains embryonic stem cells in the pluripotent state in both humans and mice. These critical factors have been implicated as both positive and negative regulators of transcription, varying by promoter and differentiation state of the cell. The Mediator complex, a ubiquitous conserved complex of ∼30 subunits, facilitates transcription by coordinating RNA polymerase II binding to target promoters via gene-specific activators and can be divided into several functional subcomplexes. Med12 is part of a subcomplex of four proteins associated with the core Mediator complex and has been found to function both in repressing and activating transcription when recruited to target promoters. We identified an interaction between Med12 and Nanog and present evidence of involvement of Med12 in regulation of Nanog function. Gene expression analysis of embryonic stem cells knocked down for Med12 showed a similarity to Nanog knockdown, with increased expression of Nanog-repressed targets and decreased expression of Nanog-activated targets. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation, we found that Med12 and Nanog co-occupied Nanog target promoters in embryonic stem cells and that Med12 dissociated from target promoters upon differentiation with kinetics similar to Nanog. Our results indicate that Nanog and Med12 function in concert to regulate Nanog target genes and identify a novel role for Med12 in embryonic stem cell regulation.
Static Mapping of Multiple Data-Parallel Applications on Embedded Many-Core SoCs

This paper studies the static mapping of multiple applications on embedded many-core SoCs. The mapping techniques proposed in this paper take into account both inter-application and intra-application parallelism in order to fully utilize the potential parallelism of the manycore architecture. Two approaches are proposed for static mapping: one approach is based on integer linear programming and the other is based on a greedy algorithm. Experiments show the effectiveness of the proposed techniques. key words: many-core SoCs, application mapping, system-level design, embedded systems
KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE REGARDING ORGAN DONATION AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS AND PHYSICIANS

Background. There is a discrepancy between demand and supply of donor organs for kidney transplantation. Health care providers can influence the willingness to donate or hold an organ donor card. It is unclear how educated current and future health care professionals are about organ donation and what constitutes their attitude toward this topic. Methods. The authors conducted a cross-sectional survey among 1,136 medical students and physicians to evaluate the knowledge about and attitude toward organ donation and transplantation at a large academic medical center in Germany. The authors used a 28-item questionnaire that included items on knowledge, attitude, and demographics. Results. Only 8% of the respondents felt sufficiently prepared for approaching relatives of potential organ donors. Knowledge about and attitude toward organ donation were highly associated with increasing level of medical education. In multivariate analyses, knowledge (odds ratio [OR], 1.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08–1.25), attitude (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.02–1.04), and level of education (OR for preclinical students, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.20–0.76 compared with physicians) were significantly associated with the likelihood of holding an organ donor card, whereas age, gender, and personal experience with renal replacement therapy were not. Conclusions. Higher medical education is associated with greater knowledge about and a more positive attitude toward organ donation. Health care professionals with a higher education level are more likely to hold an organ donor card and also feel more comfortable in approaching relatives of potential organ donors. Educating health care professionals about the organ donation process appears to be an important factor in maximizing the benefits from the limited organ donor pool.
Empirical Validation of Three Software Error Prediction Models

From 1974 Aug to 1978 May a study to validate several mathematical models for predicting the reliability and error content of a software package against error data extracted from four large U.S.A. Department of Defense software development projects was undertaken by Rome Air Development Center. This paper will describe the results of this empirical study for three such models: Jelinski-Moranda, Schick-Wolverton, modified Schick-Wolverton. Model predictions will be compared on a total project, functional, and error severity basis, and on a daily vs. weekly basis for defining model time intervals. The question of when to begin applying these models will be addressed. General conclusions are drawn as to model applicability.
Inferring Employees’ Social Media Perceptions of Corporate Culture and the Link to Firm Value

To date, investors' efforts to evaluate a company's culture have been hampered by a lack of timely data. To address these limitations, we employ a probabilistic topic model known as Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) to automatically infer employees’ perceptions expressed in social media. We find evidence of a statistically significant relation between employees’ perceptions of performance-orientated cultures and firms' future earnings surprises. Our study highlights the merits of textual analysis for automated corporate culture analysis and builds on the growing body of evidence which suggests that intangible information is not fully exploited by investors.
Malignant Tumors of the Ear and Temporal Bone: A Study of 27 Patients and Review of Their Management

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the management of patients with malignant tumors of the ear and temporal bone. DESIGN Retrospective analysis of data. SETTING Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, United Kingdom. PARTICIPANTS Twenty-seven patients were classified into two groups according to the site of origin of the tumor: (1) superficial (17 tumors): tumors arising from the skin of the pinna, parotid, and temporomandibular joint area; (2) deep (10 tumors): tumors arising in the ear canal and temporal bone. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Treatment modality, complications, recurrence rate, disease-free interval, and survival. RESULTS The mean follow-up period was 25 months (0 to 60), and the median overall survival 46 months (0 to 102). Complications occurred in 6 patients (22%). The 3-year survival was 38% (95% confidence interval [CI], 19 to 58%), and the 5-year survival 19% (95% CI, 3 to 35%). CONCLUSIONS There were insufficient data to demonstrate any difference in survival or disease-free interval related to the site of tumor origin (superficial versus deep tumors). There were independent differences in survival in favor of both performing parotidectomy and using postoperative radiotherapy, but neither reached significance at the 0.05 level.
Prospective study of serum retinol, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and lutein/zeaxanthin and esophageal and gastric cancers in China.

OBJECTIVE This study examined the relationship between pretrial serum concentrations of retinol, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, and lutein/zeaxanthin and the subsequent risk of developing esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and gastric cardia or non-cardia adenocarcinoma in subjects selected from a randomized nutritional intervention trial in Linxian, China, a region with epidemic rates of esophageal and gastric cardia cancer. METHODS We used a stratified case-cohort design to select cohort members for inclusion in this study. In all we measured serum concentrations of the above vitamins in 590 esophageal, 395 gastric cardia, and 87 gastric non-cardia case subjects as well as in 1053 control subjects. Relative risks (RRs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS Median values in our cohort were low for serum retinol (33.6 microg/dl), beta-carotene (4.3 microg/dl), and beta-cryptoxanthin (3.5 microg/dl), but were high for lutein/zeaxanthin (40.0 microg/dl). Gastric cardia cancer incidence fell 10% for each quartile increase in serum retinol (RR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.83-0.99). For esophageal cancer, an inverse association with retinol levels was found only in male non-smokers (RR = 0.79 per quartile increase, 95% CI = 0.63-0.99). For gastric non-cardia cancer, an inverse association was limited to subjects 50 years old or younger (RR = 0.58 per quartile, 95% CI = 0.31-0.96). For beta-cryptoxanthin there was a borderline significant protective association for gastric non-cardia cancer (RR = 0.88 per quartile, 95% CI = 0.76-1.0). In contrast, we found the incidence of gastric non-cardia cancer increased (RR = 1.2 per quartile, 95% CI = 1.0-1.3) with increasing concentration of serum lutein/zeaxanthin. CONCLUSIONS In this population, we found that low retinol and high lutein/zeaxanthin concentrations increased the risks of gastric cardia and gastric non-cardia cancer respectively. We found that there were no strong associations between any of the other analytes and any of the cancer sites.
Plasma pharmacokinetics of a liver-selective nitric oxide-donating diazeniumdiolate in the male C57BL/6 mouse

1. The single-dose plasma pharmacokinetics of O2-vinyl 1-(pyrrolidin-1-yl)diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate (V-PYRRO/NO) following intravenous (i.v.) and intraperitoneal (i.p.) bolus administration to the male C57BL/6 mouse was studied in an effort to characterize the disposition of the agent and to serve as a basis for the design of in vivo efficacy studies. 2. Plasma V-PYRRO/NO concentrations declined rapidly in a bi-exponential manner after i.v. administration of 5 mg kg−1 body weight to mouse. The terminal half-life was 9.4 min and the mean residence time was 3.4 min. 3. V-PYRRO/NO was absorbed rapidly following i.p. administration, with peak plasma concentrations being observed 3 min after injection. Levels then declined with a terminal half-life of 11.7 min. The bioavailable fraction from the i.p. compartment was 19%, indicating a high first-pass effect. 4. The results provide additional evidence for a liver-selective metabolism of this nitric oxide-donating prodrug.
Proteome analysis of functionally differentiated bovine (Bos indicus) mammary epithelial cells isolated from milk

Mammary gland is made up of a branching network of ducts that end in alveoli. Terminally differentiated mammary epithelial cells (MECs) constitute the innermost layer of aveoli. They are milk‐secreting cuboidal cells that secrete milk proteins during lactation. Little is known about the expression profile of proteins in the metabolically active MECs during lactation or their functional role in the lactation process. In the present investigation, we have reported the proteome map of MECs in lactating cows using 2DE MALDI‐TOF/TOF MS and 1D‐Gel‐LC‐MS/MS. MECs were isolated from milk using immunomagnetic beads and confirmed by RT‐PCR and Western blotting. The 1D‐Gel‐LC‐MS/MS and 2DE‐MS/MS based approaches led to identification of 431 and 134 proteins, respectively, with a total of 497 unique proteins. Proteins identified in this study were clustered into functional groups using bioinformatics tools. Pathway analysis of the identified proteins revealed 28 pathways (p < 0.05) providing evidence for involvement of various proteins in lactation function. This study further provides experimental evidence for the presence of many proteins that have been predicted in annotated bovine genome. The data generated further provide a set of bovine MEC‐specific proteins that will help the researchers to understand the molecular events taking place during lactation.
Genetic background of congenital conotruncal heart defects--a study of 45 families.

INTRODUCTION The latest achievements in molecular diagnosis create new possibilities for evaluation of congenital abnormalities. AIM To present our preliminary experience with genetic diagnosis of congenital combined conotruncal heart defects. METHODS The analysis comprised 35 families with more than one member suffering from conotruncal heart defects (Group I) and 10 families (Group II) having a child with the clinical features of CATCH 22 syndrome. All family pedigrees were performed. Each patient was investigated by echocardiography to assess the diagnosis of the cardiac defect. Anamnestic information with regard to developmental milestones, learning abilities in childhood and psychiatric disorders were recorded. All individuals were qualified for further genetic molecular diagnostic procedures such as FISH analysis for microdeletion of chromosome 22q11 using probe N25 DiGeorge Region with 22qter control Direct CP 5141-DC. RESULTS Based on the pedigree analysis in Group I we suggest that complex heart defects are transmitted as a recessive variant. None of the members of these families has the clinical features of CATCH 22 syndrome. In Group II we did not find familial predisposition for the appearance of congenital heart defects. None of the evaluated members of the families from Group I had microdeletion of chromosome 22q11 based on FISH analysis so we decided to isolate DNA for further molecular diagnosis. In group II in 6 (60%) individuals with typical features for CATCH 22 syndrome FISH analysis confirmed microdeletion of chromosome 22q11. CONCLUSIONS 1. The huge progress in molecular genetics creates new possibilities in the diagnosis of congenital heart defects. 2. The identification of families with high risk of recurrence of conotruncal heart defects enables genetic counselling and highly specialised medical care at the proper time.
Children's responses to angry adult behavior as a function of marital distress and history of interparent hostility.

Responses of 2-5-year-old children to angry adult behavior were examined as a function of parental report of marital distress, history of interparent verbal hostility, and history of interparent physical hostility. A trained actor engaged the child's mother in an emotionally expressive verbal exchange while the child played in the same room. The exchange was standardized and consisted of a 7-episode sequence of shifting background conditions (no emotion, friendly, no emotion, angry, no emotion, reconciliation, no emotion). Preoccupation with anger, expressed concern and support-seeking, and accepting of social responsibility (e.g., providing physical or verbal comfort to the mother) were greater in response to background anger than in response to prosocial conditions. The parents' marital adjustment was positively associated with expressed concern and support-seeking by children in response to anger. Form and degree of marital conflict interacted with age and sex in predicting children's response to anger as well. In particular, children whose parents engaged in physical aggressiveness showed increased preoccupation, concern and support-seeking, and social responsibility responses with increasing age. Implications of these findings for the study of the effects of marital discord on children are discussed.
Generation and Characterization of Tn5 Insertion Mutations in Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato

Tn5-induced insertion mutations were generated in the Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato genome by mating this plant pathogen with an Escherichia coli strain carrying the suicide plasmid vector for Tn5, pGS9. Kmr transconjugants occurred at frequencies ranging from 2 × 10−7 to 9 × 10−6; approximately 5.5% of these transconjugants were also Cmr, indicating the presence of additional pGS9 DNA sequences. Approximately 1% of the Kmr Cms mutants were auxotrophic. Southern blot analysis revealed that the Tn5 element had inserted into one unique site on the chromosome for each Kmr Cms transconjugant examined. Physical and genetic tests of Tn5-induced auxotrophs showed that Tn5 mutations in P. syringae pv. tomato were very stable and that secondary transposition of Tn5 or its insertion sequence IS50 was a rare event. Nine of 920 Kmr Cms transconjugants screened on tomato seedlings either were avirulent or produced very mild symptoms. Each of the virulence mutants was the result of a unique single-site Tn5 insertion. Five mutants also failed to induce a hypersensitivity reaction on tobacco.
Psychological contract breach, high-performance work system and engagement: the mediated effect of person-organization fit

Abstract Based on social exchange theory, we developed and tested a mediated moderation model to investigate the effects of psychological contract breach (PCB), person–organization fit (P–O fit) and high-performance work system (HPWS) on employee engagement. Using a sample of 255 employees in China, our results revealed that PCB has significant negative effect on employee engagement, and P–O fit partially mediates this relationship. We further found that high levels of perceived HPWS aggravate not buffer the negative effect of PCB on employee engagement and P–O fit. In addition, the interaction of HPWS and PCB on employee engagement is mediated by P–O fit. Implications for the research and practices, limitations and directions for future research are discussed.