Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diagnosis and Treatment of Primary Adrenal Insufficiency: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline.

OBJECTIVE This clinical practice guideline addresses the diagnosis and treatment of primary adrenal insufficiency. PARTICIPANTS The Task Force included a chair, selected by The Clinical Guidelines Subcommittee of the Endocrine Society, eight additional clinicians experienced with the disease, a methodologist, and a medical writer. The co-sponsoring associations (European Society of Endocrinology and the American Association for Clinical Chemistry) had participating members. The Task Force received no corporate funding or remuneration in connection with this review. EVIDENCE This evidence-based guideline was developed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system to determine the strength of recommendations and the quality of evidence. CONSENSUS PROCESS The evidence used to formulate recommendations was derived from two commissioned systematic reviews as well as other published systematic reviews and studies identified by the Task Force. The guideline was reviewed and approved sequentially by the Endocrine Society's Clinical Guidelines Subcommittee and Clinical Affairs Core Committee, members responding to a web posting, and the Endocrine Society Council. At each stage, the Task Force incorporated changes in response to written comments. CONCLUSIONS We recommend diagnostic tests for the exclusion of primary adrenal insufficiency in all patients with indicative clinical symptoms or signs. In particular, we suggest a low diagnostic (and therapeutic) threshold in acutely ill patients, as well as in patients with predisposing factors. This is also recommended for pregnant women with unexplained persistent nausea, fatigue, and hypotension. We recommend a short corticotropin test (250 μg) as the "gold standard" diagnostic tool to establish the diagnosis. If a short corticotropin test is not possible in the first instance, we recommend an initial screening procedure comprising the measurement of morning plasma ACTH and cortisol levels. Diagnosis of the underlying cause should include a validated assay of autoantibodies against 21-hydroxylase. In autoantibody-negative individuals, other causes should be sought. We recommend once-daily fludrocortisone (median, 0.1 mg) and hydrocortisone (15-25 mg/d) or cortisone acetate replacement (20-35 mg/d) applied in two to three daily doses in adults. In children, hydrocortisone (∼8 mg/m(2)/d) is recommended. Patients should be educated about stress dosing and equipped with a steroid card and glucocorticoid preparation for parenteral emergency administration. Follow-up should aim at monitoring appropriate dosing of corticosteroids and associated autoimmune diseases, particularly autoimmune thyroid disease.
REPRODUCCIÓN INDUCIDA DE LA DONCELLA Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum y DESARROLLO EMBRIONARIO - LARVAL

Los productos sexuales de doncella Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum fueron obtenidos mediante la induccion hormonal usando pituitaria de carpa y ovudal (D-alanina 6). La dosis de ovudal fue de 10mg/kg para las hembras y de 1mg/kg para los machos,mientras que la de pituitaria de carpa fue de 5mg/kg para las hembras y 1mg/kg para los machos. Los huevos son esfericos, semiflotantes y no adhesivos. Estan protegidos externamente por una capa gelatinosa e, internamente, por un gran espacio perivitelinico. El diametro de los huevos hidratados es de 8,5 μ. La eclosion se inicio a las 14±2 horas de incubacion a 27o C de temperatura. Al nacer, las larvas tienen una longitud total de 3,02±0,12 mm y presentan un saco vitelino. Despues de 21 horas, se observaron los pigmentos oculares y comenzaron a desarrollarse las barbillas maxilares. A los 3 dias, el saco vitelino se reabsorbe y se completa la conexion del tubo digestivo con la boca. A partir del cuarto dia, las larvas consumenalimento vivo y tienen una longitud total de 5,82 ± 0,19 mm. En el decimo dia, se define el primer patron de coloracion. En este periodo, las larvas tienen una longitud total de 10,7±0,4 mm.
Crystal Structure of ClpA, an Hsp100 Chaperone and Regulator of ClpAP Protease*

Escherichia coli ClpA, an Hsp100/Clp chaperone and an integral component of the ATP-dependent ClpAP protease, participates in regulatory protein degradation and the dissolution and degradation of protein aggregates. The crystal structure of the ClpA subunit reveals an N-terminal domain with pseudo-twofold symmetry and two AAA+ modules (D1 and D2) each consisting of a large and a small sub-domain with ADP bound in the sub-domain junction. The N-terminal domain interacts with the D1 domain in a manner similar to adaptor-binding domains of other AAA+ proteins. D1 and D2 are connected head-to-tail consistent with a cooperative and vectorial translocation of protein substrates. In a planar hexamer model of ClpA, built by assembling ClpA D1 and D2 into homohexameric rings of known structures of AAA+ modules, the differences in D1-D1 and D2-D2 interfaces correlate with their respective contributions to hexamer stability and ATPase activity.
Active-Q: Validation of the Web-Based Physical Activity Questionnaire Using Doubly Labeled Water

Background Increased use of the Internet provides new opportunities for collecting data in large studies. The aim of our new Web-based questionnaire, Active-Q, is to assess total physical activity and inactivity in adults. Active-Q assesses habitual activity during the past year via questions in four different domains: (1) daily occupation, (2) transportation to and from daily occupation, (3) leisure time activities, and (4) sporting activities. Objective The objective of our study is to validate Active-Q’s energy expenditure estimates using the doubly labeled water (DLW) method, and to assess the reproducibility of Active-Q by comparing the results of the questionnaire completed by the same group on two occasions. Methods The validity and reproducibility of Active-Q were assessed in a group of 37 individuals, aged 20 to 65 years. Active-Q was distributed via email to the participants. The total energy expenditure of the participants was assessed using DLW for 11 consecutive days. Results The median time to complete Active-Q was 6.1 minutes. The majority of participants (27/37, 73%) reported that the questionnaire was “easy” or “very easy” to answer. On average, Active-Q overestimated the total daily energy expenditure by 440 kJ compared with the DLW. The Spearman correlation between the two methods was r = 0.52 (P < .001). The intraclass correlation coefficient for total energy expenditure between the results of Active-Q completed on two occasions was 0.83 (95% CI 0.73-0.93). Conclusions Active-Q is a valid and reproducible method of assessing total energy expenditure. It is also a user-friendly method and suitable for Web-based data collection in large epidemiological studies.
Time-dose relationships for 5-fluorouracil cytotoxicity against human epithelial cancer cells in vitro.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to ascertain time-dose relationships for 5-fluorouracil (5-FUra) cytotoxicity against a variety of human epithelial cancer cells in vitro . Three human colon adenocarcinomas (HT-29/SP-1, LoVo/SP-1, Colo 205), two human cervix carcinomas (HeLa, Me-180-VC1), and one human ovary carcinoma (Ovary 2008-VC1) were examined for their clonogenic capacity following various 5-FUra treatment regimens. The 5-FUra regimens ranged from traditional bolusequivalent concentrations (25 to 500 µg/ml) administered for 1 hr (approximate complete serum clearance time) to clinically achievable infusion concentrations (1.0 µg/ml) administered for 72 hr. The time-dose relationships obtained in this manner indicated that: ( a ) relatively high drug concentrations are required for pulse exposures of 5-FUra to be cytocidal against these human cancer cells and that human cell sensitivity even within the same tissue type can vary significantly under these conditions (range of doses lethal to 50% of the cells, 30 to 120 µg/ml); ( b ) tremendous reductions in cell survival can be produced by a very restricted 5-FUra dose range (1 to 4 µg/ml) if exposure times are extended beyond the cell cycle time. The data suggest that human cell sensitivities to 5-FUra exhibit less variation under prolonged infusion regimens (72-hr range of doses lethal to 50% of the cells, 0.5 to 1.0 µg/ml). The 5-FUra time-dose relationships are discussed with regard to patient serum clearance times for bolus versus infusion 5-FUra clinical regimens. Our most important conclusions are that the 5-FUra concentrations necessary to achieve a level of cell toxicity for these same lines for exposures of 1 full hr are probably not clinically achievable by bolus 5-FUra therapy administrations. These experiments suggest that, when 5-FUra is administered at lower doses for longer time periods, it is more effective in producing direct cytotoxic effects in human tumor cells than when administered at higher doses for shorter times.
Fine structure of the thymus in the adult cling fish Sicyases sanguineus (Pisces, Gobiesocidae)

The structure of the thymus in adult specimens of a marine teleost, the cling fish Sicyases sanguineus, has been studied by light and transmission electron microscopy. Most cling fishes have an outer thymus located beneath the opercular epithelium. A few of them, however, have a large inner thymus besides a poorly developed outer thymus. In the well‐developed outer thymus of cling fish there are three differnt zones: outer cortex, inner cortex, and medulla. The inner cortex is similar to the cortical region of the thymus in other vertebrates, whereas the outer cortex is a specialized lympho‐ephthelial zone containing cystic cells (also present in medullary region) and true Hassall's corpuscles. In accordance with the development of the thymic parenchyma, the medullary or basal region may appear either like a true thymic medulla or like a subcapsular region. In the inner thymus, a subcapsular or peripheral “medullary” region and a central area (inverted cortex) show structural features like those of the medullary (basal) and deep cortical regions of the outer thymus, respectively. In addition to the above regions, sometimes there is a lymphomyeloid perithymic infiltration that often extends along connective tissue septa into the perivascular spaces of the gland. Reticuloepithelial, mesenchymal, and unidentified types of stromal cells within the thymus are described. Some erythrocytes, granulocytes, and monocytoid cells are found, but no plasma cells nor erythropoietic foci are evident. The probable significance of these findings is discussed.
Beyond the plan: How land use control practices influence flood risk in Sekondi-Takoradi

Using a pragmatic philosophical underpinning, this article analyses how land use planning actions and inactions contribute to flood risk creation in Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana. In recent times, the planning system in Ghana has come under intense public criticism for failure to effectively control physical development in the major cities. The recurring flooding in the cities of Accra, Kumasi, Tamale and Sekondi-Takoradi seems to testify to this failure. Many lives and property have been lost through these flooding events in the country. This article argues from a disaster risk reduction point of view that the ineffectiveness in elementary processes of land use planning, such as delays in permit approval, inadequate monitoring and inspections, and lax enforcement of regulations, potentially creates flood risk. The rational of this study is therefore to bring to light the land use planning actions and inactions that create flood risk in Sekondi-Takoradi exposing urban dwellers to flooding. Because of the article’s pragmatic underpinning, a mixed-methods case study approach was adopted for this investigation. Both survey and interview data were collected from homeowners and planning institutions in Sekondi-Takoradi to ascertain how land use control practices seem to be contributing to flood risk in the municipality. The analyses comprised simple statistical analysis of the survey data in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and thematic analyses of the interview data. The findings reveal that institutional incapacities have resulted in delays in permit approvals, non-compliance with permit regulations, uncontrolled conversion of vegetated land, lax monitoring and inspections of physical developments and poor enforcement. These institutional challenges have emboldened prospective land developers and homeowners to flout building and land use regulations. This has led to the building of residential properties in swamps, waterways and other flood-prone locations, creating flood risk.
Sample selection bias as a specification error

Sample selection bias as a specification error This paper discusses the bias that results from using non-randomly selected samples to estimate behavioral relationships as an ordinary specification error or «omitted variables» bias. A simple consistent two stage estimator is considered that enables analysts to utilize simple regression methods to estimate behavioral functions by least squares methods. The asymptotic distribution of the estimator is derived.
Neuromelanin of the Human Substantia Nigra: A Mixed‐Type Melanin

Abstract: Model melanins, synthesized with different cysteinyldopamine/dopamine ratios in the incubates, were oxidized with KMnO4 and the resulting compounds were analyzed by HPLC. The ratios between a phaeomelanin‐derived compound, thiazole‐4,5‐dicarboxylic acid (TDCA), and a compound derived from eumelanin, pyrrole‐2,3,5‐tricarboxylic acid (PTCA), reflected the composition of the model melanins. The neuromelanin of the human substantia nigra was isolated, and the pigment, as well as intact brain tissue from human substantia nigra was oxidized with KMnO4 and the TDCA/PTCA ratios were determined. Analysis of the isolated neuromelanin showed it to contain 2.3% sulfur and 8.1% nitrogen. The sulfur content indicates the pigment is a mixed‐type melanin, and the TDCA/PTCA ratio indicates that it consists of units derived from benzothiazines and from indoles in about equal amounts.
Novel nonparametric approach to canonical correlation analysis with applications to low CNR functional MRI data

Detection of activation in functional MRI (fMRI) is often complicated by the low contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) in the data. The primary source of the difficulty is the fact that for activities that are subtle the signal can be hidden inside the inherent noise in the data. Classical univariate methods based on t‐test or F‐test are susceptible to noise, as they fail to harness systematic correlations in evoked responses within neighboring voxels. Here the power of a multivariate statistical analysis tool known as canonical correlation analysis (CCA) in fMRI studies is demonstrated where the CNR is low. As a further illustration of the power of the method, a comparative study of CCA and ordinary correlation analysis using simulated data under various noise levels is also performed. A novel nonparametric approach is introduced to calculate the P‐values from the distribution of the complicated test statistic. The circumstances under which CCA is a better performer as well as when it is not the case are discussed. As an example, this method is applied to detect hippocampal activation from memory‐related tasks. Magn Reson Med 50:354–365, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Deep Learning Meets Hyperspectral Image Analysis: A Multidisciplinary Review

Modern hyperspectral imaging systems produce huge datasets potentially conveying a great abundance of information; such a resource, however, poses many challenges in the analysis and interpretation of these data. Deep learning approaches certainly offer a great variety of opportunities for solving classical imaging tasks and also for approaching new stimulating problems in the spatial–spectral domain. This is fundamental in the driving sector of Remote Sensing where hyperspectral technology was born and has mostly developed, but it is perhaps even more true in the multitude of current and evolving application sectors that involve these imaging technologies. The present review develops on two fronts: on the one hand, it is aimed at domain professionals who want to have an updated overview on how hyperspectral acquisition techniques can combine with deep learning architectures to solve specific tasks in different application fields. On the other hand, we want to target the machine learning and computer vision experts by giving them a picture of how deep learning technologies are applied to hyperspectral data from a multidisciplinary perspective. The presence of these two viewpoints and the inclusion of application fields other than Remote Sensing are the original contributions of this review, which also highlights some potentialities and critical issues related to the observed development trends.
The Stone Age is Back - HCI Effects on Recommender Systems

We addressed HCI and social aspects of recommender systems by studying the uncharted domain of the advising group and the user's control over it. We conducted a longitudinal field study in which, for two years, our research tool, QSIA (which means QUESTION in Hebrew language), was free for use on the web and was adopted by various institutions and classes of heterogeneous learning domains. QSIA enables the user to be involved in the formation of the advising group. The user was free to choose advising group for each recommendation sought, while the default choice is the common 'neighbors group'. QSIA yielded high internal validity of acceptance and rejection ratios due to the immediate "usage actions" that followed the recommendation outputs. Although the objective amount of data in QSIA's logs are fairly large (31,000 records, 10,000 items, 3,000 users), the relevant figures for analysis of recommendations are modest – 895 recommendations seeking records, accepted from 108 users, 3,000 rankings by 300 users, and 1,043 "usage actions" by 51 users. Our findings suggest that the perceived quality of the recommendations (measured in terms of "usage actions") is 14% to 24% higher (α≤0.05) for user-controlled 'friends group' than for machine-computed 'neighbors group'. We almost felt that the ancient tribal friends "revived" in modern Information Systems.
Human Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Lyase : Functional Insights from Structures of Acyl-CoA-Containing Ternary Complexes

Running Title: Human HMG-CoA Lyase-Mg-Substrate/Inhibitor Structures To whom correspondence should be addressed: Jung-Ja P. Kim, Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226 Tel. : 414-955-8479 Fax: 414-456-6510, e-mail: jjkim@mcw.edu; Henry M. Miziorko, the Division of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri 64110 Tel. : 816-234-2246, Fax: 816-235-5595, email: miziorkoh@umkc.edu
Spontaneous Subarachnoid Haemorrhage in Neurological Setting in Burkina Faso: Clinical Profile, Causes, and Mortality Risk Factors

To determine the prevalence, clinical profile, causes, and mortality risk factors of spontaneous arachnoid haemorrhage at Yalgado Ouedraogo University teaching Hospital, we conducted a 5-year retrospective study of 1803 stroke patients admitted to Neurology Department during the period from January 2012 to December 2016. During the study period, spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage accounted for 3.2 % of all stroke. The mean age of patients was 60 years (range 20-93 years). There was a female predominance in 55.9%. The common vascular risk factors were hypertension (79.7%) and chronic alcohol consumption (16.9%). The main symptoms were headache (76.2%), motor weakness (74.5%), and consciousness disorders (62.7%). Neurological examination revealed limb weakness in 76.2% and meningeal irritation in 47.4%. The best admission Glasgow Coma Scale score of 15 was found only in 37.3 % of patients. About 50.8% of patients were admitted to Hunt and Hess moderate grade (III) resulting in a mortality of 24.80%. The main cause of spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage was hypertension (77.9%). Cause could not be determined in 8.5 % of cases. The mortality rate was 37.3%. There was high mortality in patients with intraventricular haemorrhage and in patients with disturbances of consciousness. In conclusion, our study showed a poor frequency of spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage with high mortality. Hypertension was the most common cause of spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage.
Circulating Levels of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Basic Fibroblastic Growth Factor in Infantile Hemangioma Versus Vascular Malformations

Few preliminary reports studied the utility of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) for differentiation between infantile hemangiomas (IHs) and vascular malformations. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of serum VEGF and bFGF levels in differentiating IHs from vascular malformations and identifying the stage and clinical course of IHs. Serum levels of VEGF and bFGF were assessed in 60 infants and children with various cutaneous vascular anomalies defined in 3 groups: proliferating IHs (n = 25), involuting IHs (n = 23), and vascular malformations (n = 12), in comparison with their levels in 40 healthy matched control. Serum levels of VEGF and bFGF were significantly elevated in all groups as compared to control (P < .001, respectively). Both proliferating and involuting IHs had comparable levels of both markers (P > .05, respectively) that were significantly higher in comparison with vascular malformations (P < .05, respectively). Significantly lower VEGF levels were found in IHs that had regressed spontaneously (n = 11) compared to those regressed by treatment (n = 37), (P < .05); meanwhile, bFGF showed no significant difference between both groups (P > .05). Using receiver operating characteristic curves, a combined use of VGEF and bFGF yielded a sensitivity of 85.42% and a specificity of 100% for differentiating IHs from vascular malformations. Serum VEGF and/or bFGF levels are increased in cutaneous vascular anomalies and can differentiate IHs from vascular malformations. None of these markers could help in identifying the stage of IHs. Low VEGF is associated with spontaneous regression of IHs.
The Biosulin equivalence in standard therapy (BEST) study - a multicentre, open-label, non-randomised, interventional, observational study in subjects using Biosulin 30/70 for the treatment of insulin-dependent type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

INTRODUCTION The need for more cost-effective insulin therapy is critical in reducing the burden on patients and health systems. Biosimilar insulins have the potential to dramatically lower healthcare costs by delivering insulin with a similar anti-glycaemic effect and adverse reaction profile. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to confirm equivalence in glycaemic outcomes and side-effect profiles between Biosulin 30/70 and other human premixed insulin preparations on the South African market in a clinical practice setting. METHODS Subjects in this interventional, observational, multicentre, open-label, prospective study were switched from their existing human premix insulin (Actraphane, Humulin 30/70 or Insuman) to the study insulin Biosulin 30/70. The primary endpoint was the change in HbA1c from baseline to 6 months. RESULTS Seventy-seven adult patients with type 1(n=18) or type 2 (n=59) diabetes were enrolled. The baseline HbA1c in the overall cohort was 7.9%, 8.0% at 3 months (p=0.50) and 7.6% at 6 months (p=0.14). There was a small increase in the total daily dose of insulin used in both the type 1 and type 2 cohort, from 0.62 to 0.65 units/kg/day (p=0.0004). There was no significant difference in weight in the study subjects during the 6-month period on Biosulin 30/70 (p=0.67). CONCLUSION Biosulin 30/70 achieved at least equivalent glycaemic control to existing human premix insulins, with no reported new or severe adverse events. Increased use of biosimilar insulins has the potential for significant cost savings.