Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimal treatment strategy for elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Background and Aims: The age distribution of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) now peaks at nearly 70 years in Japan and this is continually increasing. Whether such elderly patients with HCC aged 80 years or older should be treated, and if so, how they should be selected for treatment remains uncertain. The present study was undertaken to determine any differences in the clinical characteristics and prognostic features between patients with HCC aged 80 years or older and those younger than 80 years of age. We also aimed to identify any significant variables in the prognosis of elderly patients with HCC aged 80 years or older.
Association of HLA-DR4 (DRB1*0404) with human papillomavirus infection in patients with focal epithelial hyperplasia.

OBJECTIVES To determine gene frequencies of HLA-DR alleles in 22 Mexican patients with focal epithelial hyperplasia and compare them with those present in ethnically matched healthy subjects, as well as to determine the types of human papillomavirus present in the lesions. DESIGN Prospective and retrospective observational study. SETTING Dermatology outpatient clinic in a general hospital. PATIENTS Twenty-two patients with clinically and histologically confirmed focal epithelial hyperplasia seen within a 10-year period. INTERVENTIONS None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Results of high-resolution DNA typing for HLA-DR alleles and biopsy for viral typing. RESULTS HLA-DR4 (DRB1*0404) was significantly increased (P<.001; odds ratio, 3.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.86-8.03). Seventeen (85%) of 20 patients had human papillomavirus subtype 13. The data on human papillomavirus differed from reports elsewhere that described association with human papillomavirus type 32. CONCLUSIONS The HLA-DRB1*0404 allele suggests that Amerindian populations are at risk, and in this group, the Mexican population studied was affected only by human papillomavirus type 13.
EyeComparison of Corneal Thickness andCurvature in Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty and Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty

Results: Twenty eyes of 10 patients (5 women and 5 men) aged 72.5 6 13.5 (range, 42–87) years were included. No significant differences were observed between front flat K’s (43.01 6 1.6 vs. 43.5 6 0.9, P = 0.27) and front steep K’s (44.17 6 1.5 vs. 44.52 6 0.7, P = 0.39) in DMEK vs. DSAEK eyes, accordingly. Posterior curvature was statistically significantly flatter in DMEK compared with DSAEK eyes; back flat K’s (26.306 0.2 vs.26.846 0.6, P = 0.012), back steep K’s (26.64 6 0.1 vs. 27.2 6 0.3, P = 0.03), and back Km (26.45 6 0.1 vs. 26.99 6 0.4, P = 0.005), accordingly. Corneas in DMEK eyes were significantly thinner than in DSAEK eyes (541.0 6 61 vs. 627.9 6 70 mm, P = 0.007).
The lived experience of Pacific Island women with a “big body” size

This phenomenological study explored the lived experience with "big body" size of Pacific Island women who migrated to Hawaii. Giorgi’s descriptive phenomenological approach was utilized in this study. A purposive sample included six Pacific Island women. Five of the six women had migrated to Hawaii from the island nations of Micronesia. The sixth participant was a Native Hawaiian who had lived in Micronesia and had returned to Hawaii. The collection and transcription of data were done by the first author. Data were categorized into themes independently by the three authors and bracketing was maintained throughout the study. The women identified the dichotomy of "big body" versus "small body" and the connotation of each body size in how they viewed the world around them. They shared their lifestyle and transitional changes in trying to adapt and ‘fit’ into the new lifestyle in Hawaii. These changes impacted their eating habits and work schedule, level of activity, and financial security. The women identified biopsychosocial concerns in their lives and the need to re-evaluate their "big body" size in relation to their health and physical and psychosocial changes. Implications for future research are to include a diverse representation of women from island countries within the Pacific Basin. The results of this study provided valuable information related to cultural relevance and sensitivity in working with Pacific Island women in managing their health.
Wuchereria bancrofti 20/22 a homologue of abundant larval transcript L3 stage filarial antigen: molecular and immunological characterization

The chromadorea abundant larval transcript (ALT) family of proteins contains ALT one of the most studied putative vaccine candidate in experimental filariasis. This study reports the characterization of Wuchereria bancrofti 20/22 (Wb20/22) as a member of chromadorea, the ALT family of proteins from the L3 stage of W. bancrofti. The high reactivity with serum from the endemic normal (EN) population suggests that Wb20/22 could be a target of elicit protective immunity. The glutamic acid‐rich region of Wb20/22 was predicted to harbour the longest linear B‐cell epitope by insilico prediction tools. The significance of this region was revealed by studying the mutant form of Wb20/22, without acidic domain (WOAD) which was cloned, and the immune response was compared with Wb20/22. The signal sequence of Wb20/22 was also an immunodominant region, and mutant construct without signal sequence (WOSS) was cloned and characterized. The peak antibody titre elicited by WOAD was higher than Wb20/22 or WOSS, which pointed to the immunomodulatory role of glutamic acid‐rich region. Wb20/22 elicited very high levels of IL‐10 and diminished levels of IL‐4 and IL‐5 which could be the reason for low antibody titre. The prophylactic efficacy of WOAD conferred protection (62·26%) which was higher than Wb20/22 (49·82%) and WOSS (54·78%).
Pancreatitis Associated with Valproic Acid: A Review of the Literature

Black box warnings for valproic acid caution clinicians of the potential for fatal hepatotoxicity and teratogenicity. Since 1979, case reports of pancreatitis induced by valproic acid have been published in the medical literature. As a result, pancreatitis was added to the black box warnings for valproic acid. We performed searches of MEDLINE and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts and found valproic acid‐induced pancreatitis in 45 patients from 31 published articles. Demographics, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of these patients are summarized. Recommendations for monitoring the potential for pancreatitis to develop in patients receiving valproic acid therapy are described, as are potential mechanisms for inducement of pancreatitis by valproic acid.
Retracted: Post‐stroke epilepsy in Polish paediatric patients

The above article, published online on 5 October 2013 in Wiley Online Library Early View (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/), has been retracted by agreement between the authors, the journal Editor in Chief, Dr Peter Baxter, and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The retraction has been agreed due to several errors in the statistics. These errors make interpretation of the data difficult and the validity of the conclusions questionable.
First Genetic Insight into Libyan Tuaregs: A Maternal Perspective

The Tuaregs are a semi‐nomadic pastoralist people of northwest Africa. Their origins are still a matter of debate due to the scarcity of genetic and historical data. Here we report the first data on the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genetic characterization of a Tuareg sample from Fezzan (Libyan Sahara). A total of 129 individuals from two villages in the Acacus region were genetically analysed. Both the hypervariable regions and the coding region of mtDNA were investigated. Phylogeographic investigation was carried out in order to reconstruct human migratory shifts in central Sahara, and to shed light on the origin of the Libyan Tuaregs. Our results clearly show low genetic diversity in the sample, possibly due to genetic drift and founder effect associated with the separation of Libyan Tuaregs from an ancestral population. Furthermore, the maternal genetic pool of the Libyan Tuaregs is characterized by a major „European” component shared with the Berbers that could be traced to the Iberian Peninsula, as well as a minor ‘south Saharan’ contribution possibly linked to both Eastern African and Near Eastern populations.
Performance of an LP-Based Control for Revenue Management with Unknown Demand Parameters

We consider a standard network revenue management (RM) problem and study the performance of a linear program (LP)-based control, the Probabilistic Allocation Control (PAC), in the presence of unknown demand parameters. We show that frequent re-optimizations of PAC without re-estimation suffice to shrink the asymptotic impact of estimation error on revenue loss. If, in addition to re-optimizations, we also frequently re-estimate the parameters, we prove that the performance of PAC in the unknown parameters setting is almost as good as the performance of PAC in the known parameters setting. Our numerical experiments show that PAC yields a revenue improvement of order 0.5%–1.5% relative to LP-based Booking Limit and Bid Price in most cases. Given the small margin in RM industries, such as the airline industry (about 2%), this level of improvement can easily translate into a significant increase in profit.
Plasticity of fish muscle mitochondria with thermal acclimation

Short-horned sculpin Myoxocephalus scorpius were acclimated to 5 and 15 °C to evaluate the impact of thermal acclimation upon maximal rates of substrate oxidation by mitochondria and upon the thermal sensitivity of their ADP affinity. Cold acclimation virtually doubled maximal rates of pyruvate oxidation at all experimental temperatures (2.5, 7.5, 12.5 and 20 °C). Rates of palmitoyl carnitine oxidation were also enhanced by cold acclimation, but to a lesser degree. At their respective acclimation temperatures, the mitochondria attained similar rates of pyruvate oxidation. For warm-acclimated sculpin, the Q10 values for mitochondrial pyruvate and palmitoyl carnitine oxidation were higher between 2.5 and 7.5 °C than between 7.5 and 12.5 °C or between 12.5 and 20 °C. In contrast, for cold-acclimated fish, the Q10 values did not differ over these thermal ranges. The Arrhenius activation energy for pyruvate oxidation was reduced by cold acclimation (from 70 to 55 kJ mol-1), whereas that for palmitoyl carnitine oxidation was unchanged (approximately 75 kJ mol-1). Cold acclimation did not alter the ADP affinity of mitochondria at low temperatures but markedly increased the apparent Km for ADP (Km,app) at 12.5 and 20 °C. At the acclimation temperatures, mitochondrial ADP Km,app values did not differ. The loss of ADP affinity at higher temperatures may represent a cost of the enhanced maximal oxidative capacity achieved during cold acclimation.
HIV seroconversion in intravenous drug users in San Francisco, 1985–1990

ObjectiveTo examine the HIV seroconversion rate, risk factors for seroconversion, and changes in risk behavior over time in intravenous drug users (IVDU) in San Francisco, 1985–1990. DesignObservational study. SettingAll methadone maintenance and 21-day methadone detoxification programs in San Francisco. ParticipantsA total of 2351 heterosexual IVDU, of whom 681 were seronegative at first visit and seen at least twice (‘repeaters’). Main outcome measuresHIV seroconversion rates, risk factors for seroconversion, and changes in behavior. ResultsThe HIV seroconversion rate in repeaters was 1.9% per person-year (ppy) of follow-up |2.1% in women versus 1.7% in men (not significant); 4% in African Americans versus 1% in whites (P=0.006); 3.9% ppy in the first third of the study, 1.2% in the second (P= 0.007), and 1.9% in the last (not significant)]. Risk factors for seroconversion were five or more sexual partners per year [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.6; P=0.02], use of shooting gallery ever (HR = 2.9; P=0.02), and less than 1 year (lifetime) in methadone maintenance (HR = 2.7; P=0.02). Self-reported intravenous cocaine use fell from 33 to 15% over 5 years, shooting gallery use fell from 19 to 6%, and the proportion with five or more sexual partners fell from 25 to 10%. Bleach use rose to 75% of needle-sharers. ConclusionsThe 1985–1990 HIV seroconversion rate in IVDU (1.9% ppy) was comparable to that in San Francisco cohorts of homosexual men (1.4% ppy). A decline in HIV seroconversion coincided with changes in risk behavior. Stable attendance of methadone maintenance was highly protective: the seroconversion rate in subjects with 1 year or more in methadone was 12% ppy.
Board-Level ESD of Driver ICs on LCD Panel

In this paper, a method utilizing a charged-device model (CDM) test by the tape carrier package or chip-on-film (COF) samples to emulate the real-world board-level CDM or charged-board model (CBM) electrostatic discharge is proposed for large-sized chips such as liquid-crystal display (LCD) driver ICs, which successfully duplicated the same failure by CBM discharging. For small-sized chips, the evaluation board (or printed circuit board) emulation should minimize the parasitic RLC loading of the interconnection on the board to achieve a more accurate CBM discharging. In addition, guidelines regarding chip-level design and layout optimization are proposed and have been successfully implemented to improve the immunity.
MULTI-WAVELENGTH GOALS OBSERVATIONS OF STAR FORMATION AND ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS ACTIVITY IN THE LUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXY IC 883

New optical Hubble Space Telescope (HST), Spitzer Space Telescope, Galaxy Evolution Explorer, and Chandra observations of the single-nucleus, luminous infrared galaxy (LIRG) merger IC 883 are presented. The galaxy is a member of the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey and is of particular interest for a detailed examination of a luminous late-stage merger due to the richness of the optically visible star clusters and the extended nature of the nuclear X-ray, mid-IR, CO, and radio emission. In the HST Advanced Camera for Surveys images, the galaxy is shown to contain 156 optically visible star clusters distributed throughout the nuclear regions and tidal tails of the merger, with a majority of visible clusters residing in an arc ∼3–7 kpc from the position of the mid-infrared core of the galaxy. The luminosity functions of the clusters have an αF435W ∼ −2.17 ± 0.22 and αF814W ∼ −2.01 ± 0.21, compared with V-band-derived values measured for the well-studied LIRG NGC 34 and the Antennae Galaxy of α ∼ −1.7 ± 0.1 and −2.13 ± 0.07, respectively. Further, the colors and absolute magnitudes of the majority of the clusters are consistent with instantaneous burst population synthesis model ages in the range of a few × 107–108 yr (for 105 M☉ clusters), but may be as low as few × 106 yr with extinction factored in. The X-ray and mid-IR spectroscopies are indicative of predominantly starburst-produced nuclear emission, and the star formation rate, estimated based on the assumption that the radio and far-infrared luminosities are tracing the starburst population, is ∼80 M☉ yr−1. The kinematics of the CO emission and the morphology of both the CO and radio emission are consistent with the nuclear starburst being situated in a highly inclined disk 2 kpc in diameter with an infrared surface brightness μIR ∼ 2 × 1011 L☉ kpc−2, a factor of 10 less than that of the Orion star-forming region. Finally, the detection of the [Ne v] 14.32 μm emission line is evidence that an active galactic nucleus (AGN) is present. The faintness of the line (i.e., [Ne v]/[Ne ii] 12.8 μm ∼ 0.01) and the small equivalent width of the 6.2 μm polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon feature (=0.39 μm) are both indicative of a relatively weak AGN.
Amplitude response and stimulus presentation frequency response of human primary visual cortex using BOLD EPI at 4 T

Detailed measurement of the neural response to flicker frequency using functional MRI (fMRI) were made. The fMRl signal peaks at a flicker frequency of 8 Hz in human V1, in agreement with previous positron emission tomography (PET) and fMRl experiments. The modulation amplitude of the hemodynamic response to varying continuous periods of flicker stimulation was measured. The hemodynamic response was not observed to be modulated by neural modulation for periods shorter than 6.7 s. The resemblance between the BOLD response to the stimulus presentation frequency and the base‐line power spectra at the same frequencies suggests that the same underlying mechanism could be responsible for both curves and that the base‐line fMRl power spectrum is probably due to base‐line electrical activity in the brain. The integrals of the resting base‐line power spectrum, the background power spectrum, the respiration component, and the cardiac component were found to be linearly dependent on TE.
Effects of perinatal exposure to flutamide on sex hormones and androgen-dependent organs in F1 male rats.

Flutamide, which has antiandrogenic properties, was administered to pregnant rats, and effects on male offspring were examined. Crj: CD (SD) IGS (SPF) females were administered flutamide (0.15, 0.6, 2.5, 10.0, 100 mg/kg, p.o.) from gestation Day 14 to post parturition Day 3. The number of pups, body weights, clinical features, anogenital distance (AGD), nipple retention, testicular descent, and urogenital malformation in F1 males were examined. Hormone measurement, necropsy and histopathological examination were carried out at post-neonatal Day 4 (PND 4) and PND 60. Sperm analysis was also carried out at PND 60. Decrease in body weight was seen in the 100 mg/kg group and the AGD was decreased at 2.5 mg/kg and above. Retention of nipples, hypospadia, vaginal pouches, penis malformation, unilateral ectopic testis, and decrease of organ weights (prostate, seminal vesicles, levator ani muscle plus bulbocavernosus muscle, testis) were observed at 10 mg/kg and above. Testicular testosterone (T) was increased significantly with 100 mg/kg at PND 4 and tendencies for increase were observed in serum T, LH and FSH at 10 mg/kg and more at the same time point. In contrast, elevated levels of LH and FSH were seen with 100 mg/kg at PND 60. Histopathological examination revealed defects or hypoplastic changes of genital organs (> or = 10 mg/kg), squamous metaplasia (10 mg/kg) or mucification (100 mg/kg) of the urethral diverticulum epithelium and inflammation of genital organs (100 mg/kg). Though only undescended testes lacked spermatogenesis at 10 mg/kg, atrophic change of seminiferous tubules and azoospermia were observed in the 100 mg/kg group, despite testicular descent. Perinatal administration of flutamide affected F1 male rats at 2.5 mg/kg and above. In addition to urogenital malformation, 100 mg/kg flutamide caused high LH and FSH levels at PND 60. This study indicates that the most sensitive parameter is AGD, whereby reduction was observed at 2.5 mg/kg. A clear no-effect level (NOEL: 0.6 mg/kg) was obtained in this perinatal study of an antiandrogenic chemical.
ADAM12 in first trimester maternal serum from pregnancies conceived by assisted reproduction techniques (ART)

Jennie Laigaard1, Nina Gros Pedersen2, Severin Olesen Larsen1, Paula Louise Hedley1,3, Karen Wøjdemann2, Anne Cathrine Gjerris1, Anne-Cathrine Shalmi2, Karin Sundberg2, Ann Tabor2 and Michael Christiansen1* 1Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark 2Department of Fetal Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark 3Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town, South Africa
The Lack of Benefit of a Combination of an Angiotensin Receptor Blocker and Calcium Channel Blocker on Contrast-Induced Nephropathy in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Aim: Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is a relatively common and serious complication, which occurs after the administration of contrast materials to patients. Although the pathophysiology of CIN is not exactly understood, ischemia of the medulla, oxidative stress, and direct toxicity of the contrast material are some of the factors that are implicated for the pathogenesis of CIN. To date, the only therapy that reduces the risk of CIN is volume expansion. There are conflicting results about the roles of angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) and calcium channel blockers (CCB) in studies on CIN. For this reason the aim of this study was to compare the efficiency of the prophylactic use of amlodipine/valsartan plus hydration versus hydration only for the prevention of CIN in patients undergoing coronary angiography (CAG). Patients and methods: We prospectively enrolled 90 patients whose baseline serum creatinine levels were under 2.1 mg/dL and who were scheduled for CAG. Patients were divided into two groups. Group I (n = 45), consisted of patients who received amlodipine/valsartan plus hydration, group II (n = 45) consisted of patients who received only hydration. The patients in group I were given amlodipine/valsartan 5/160 mg once a day for a total of 3 days, starting one day before CAG and continuing on the day of and the day after the procedure. A 1 mL/kg/h sodium chloride infusion was administered for a total of 24 h, starting 12 h before the procedure and 12 h after, in all patients. The baseline serum creatinine (Scre) level was obtained before the procedure and repeated 48 h after. CIN was defined as an increase of ≥0.5 mg/dL or an increase of >25% in baseline Scre on the second day after CAG. Results: The baseline clinical characteristics of the treatment groups were similar. Baseline Scre was 1.13 ± 0.33 in group I and 1.07 ± 0.23 mg/dL in group II (p = 0.31). There was a significant difference between the Scre levels 48 h after CAG between the two groups (1.18 ± 0.33–1.05 ± 0.23) (p = 0.03). The reason for this was the increase of Scre in group I. CIN occurred in 17.8% (8/45) of patients in group I and in 6.7% (3/45) of patients in group II (p = 0.197). In the diabetic subgroup, CIN occurred in 10.5% (2/19) of patients taking amlodipine/valsartan and in none of the patients in group II (p = 0.486). The Mehran scores of the patients who developed CIN were significantly higher than those patients who did not develop CIN. Conclusion: Amlodipine/valsartan therapy plus hydration did not reduce the risk of CIN in chronic kidney disease (CKD) Stage 2 patients who underwent elective CAG using a low-osmolar nonionic contrast medium. This is because there was a decrease in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) using the Levey Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula in the amlodipine/valsartan group and CIN occurred at a higher frequency in this group; ARBs and CCBs may be withheld before CAG in high-risk patients.