Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular regulation of the renin-angiotensin system in haemodialysis patients.

BACKGROUND Blockade of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) exerts beneficial effects in patients with mild-to-moderate chronic kidney disease, yet evidence suggesting a similar benefit in haemodialysis (HD) patients is not available. Furthermore, knowledge of the effects of RAS blockade on systemic RAS components in HD patients is limited. Analysis of the quantity and dynamics of all known peripheral constituents of the RAS may yield important pathomechanistic information of a widespread therapeutic measure in HD patients. METHODS Fifty-two HD patients from the following groups were analysed cross-sectionally: patients without RAS blockade (n = 16), angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) users (n = 8), angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) users (n = 11), patients on ACEi plus ARB (dual blockade, n = 8) and anephric patients (n = 9). Ten healthy volunteers served as controls. Angiotensin metabolites were quantified by mass spectrometry. RESULTS In general, HD patients showed a broad variability of RAS activity. Patients without RAS blockade displayed angiotensin metabolite patterns similar to healthy controls. ACEi therapy increased plasma Ang 1-10 and Ang 1-7 concentrations, whereas ARB treatment increased both Ang 1-8 and Ang 1-5, while suppressing Ang 1-7 to minimal levels. Dual RAS blockade resulted in high levels of Ang 1-10 and suppressed levels of other angiotensins. Anephric patients were completely devoid of detectable levels of circulating angiotensins. CONCLUSION In HD patients, the activity status of the systemic RAS is highly distorted with the emergence of crucial angiotensin metabolites upon distinct RAS blockade. The characterization of molecular RAS patterns associated with specific RAS interfering therapies may help to individualize future clinical studies and therapies.
Previous use of non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs and anticoagulants: the influence on clinical outcome of bleeding gastroduodenal ulcers

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between prior non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug (NSAID) or anticoagulant use and clinical outcome in bleeding gastric and duodenal ulcer patients. Design: Prospective cohort‐study. Participants: All patients (n=132) admitted because of upper gastrointestinal bleeding during 3 months in the Amsterdam area. Methods: We compared clinical outcome (blood transfusion, rebleeding, surgery and mortality) between ulcer patients who used NSAIDs or anticoagulants and patients who did not use these drugs before the bleeding‐episode. Results: Of the 132 patients admitted, 56 patients had gastric or duodenal ulcers. NSAIDs were used significantly more often before the bleeding episode in these ulcer patients than in the non‐ulcer patients (n = 76), 21/56 (37.5%) vs. 15/76 (19.7%), respectively (P<0.05, relative risk = 2.57, 95% confidence interval: 1.04‐5.77). Stigmata of recent haemorrhage were found in 16/21 (76.2%) patients in the NSAID ulcer group, in 2/9 (22.2%) in the coumarin‐ulcer patients, and in 12/24 (50%) in the no‐medication ulcer group (not significant). Prior NSAID usage increased the in‐hospital rebleeding rate from 16.7% to 42.9% (P=0.05), leading to an increased need for surgical intervention from 16.7% to 42.9% (P=0.05). In contrast prior usage of anticoagulants, which could be antagonized, did not affect the clinical outcome of the bleeding. Mortality was 9.5% in the NSAID group, 0% in the coumarin group, and 4.2% in the no‐medication group. Conclusion: Prior use of NSAIDs increases the risk of rebleeding in bleeding ulcer patients, and leads to a higher need for urgent surgery. In contrast, prior anticoagulant therapy does not raise the rebleeding risk.
2-{4-[Acetyl(ethyl)amino]benzenesulfonamido}benzoic acid

In the title compound, C17H18N2O5S, the dihedral angle between the aromatic rings is 68.59 (10)° and the C—S—N—C torsion angle is −81.84 (18)°. The molecular conformation is stabilized by an intramolecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bond, generating an S(6) ring. In the crystal, molecules are linked by C—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds into a three-dimensional network.
Modeling of Shotcrete Application for Use in a Real‐Time Training Simulator

Simulators provide significant advantages in training operators of concrete spraying machinery, such as economic savings, the practical absence of safety risks, and environmental and educational benefits. The main challenge in developing a real‐time training simulator for concrete spraying machinery lies in the modeling of shotcrete application. This article presents a novel method that models and simulates in real time the three main factors influencing shotcrete sprayability: adhesion, cohesion, and rebound. Furthermore, thanks to the addition of an obstacle model, the method makes it possible to spray onto additional supporting elements, which is a typical shotcrete application. The proposed method considers a wet‐mix thick flow spraying process and is based on experiments that were run with a real concrete spraying machine and complemented by expert advice. The method was developed and evaluated using a user‐centered methodology, resulting in realistic shotcrete application modeling that meets the needs for training concrete spraying machinery operators.
Analyzing survival curves at a fixed point in time

A common problem encountered in many medical applications is the comparison of survival curves. Often, rather than comparison of the entire survival curves, interest is focused on the comparison at a fixed point in time. In most cases, the naive test based on a difference in the estimates of survival is used for this comparison. In this note, we examine the performance of alternatives to the naive test. These include tests based on a number of transformations of the survival function and a test based on a generalized linear model for pseudo‐observations. The type I errors and power of these tests for a variety of sample sizes are compared by a Monte Carlo study. We also discuss how these tests may be extended to situations where the data are stratified. The pseudo‐value approach is also applicable in more detailed regression analysis of the survival probability at a fixed point in time. The methods are illustrated on a study comparing survival for autologous and allogeneic bone marrow transplants. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Use of Proviral DNA to Investigate Virus Resistance Mutations in HIV-infected Zimbabweans

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) to suppress HIV replication has reduced morbidity and mortality yet effectiveness of current HIV drugs is threatened by HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) mutations. Objective: To determine HIVDR mutations using proviral DNA from specimens of patients presenting to an HIV treatment clinic. Methods: DNA from 103 patients, 86 treatment-experienced, 17 treatment-naïve, were genotyped for the HIV-1C reverse transcriptase gene (RT; codons 21-304) using Sanger sequencing and sequences analyzed using Sequencher software. Resistance mutations were interpreted using Stanford HIVDR reference database. Results: Median age was 39 (IQR, 33-46) years and 80% of patients were female. Six-percent (n=6) had at least one HIVDR mutation, comprising NRTI-associated mutations, (M184V, T69D, T69N and V75I); NNRTI-associated mutations (G190A, K103N, V106M, Y181C) and thymidine analogue associated mutations (D67N, K70R, K219Q, L210W, M41L, T215Y). Of the six participants, with at least one HIVDR mutation, all were treatment experienced, five were on tenofovir, lamivudine and nevirapine and one was on tenofovir, lamivudine and atazanavir. There was no difference in median CD4 count and viral loads when patients were compared by presence of HIVDR mutations. Conclusion: We demonstrated the use of proviral DNA in HIVDR testing in adult patients and present that all the patients with various kinds of HIVDR mutations were treatment experienced, pointing to the role of drug regimens in driving viral mutations. Thus, the use of proviral DNA has potential to help provide surveillance on risk of HIVDR in HIV-infected individuals who are on treatment, which may assist in corrective treatment.
Incidence of deep venous thrombosis and stratification of risk groups in a university hospital vascular surgery unit

CONTEXTO: Ha lacuna de conhecimento sobre a real incidencia de trombose venosa profunda nos pacientes submetidos a procedimentos cirurgicos vasculares no Brasil. A atual pesquisa pretende corroborar a implementacao de um sistema de vigilância e controle sobre a qualidade de profilaxia de tromboembolismo venoso em nosso meio. As investigacoes, em cada instituicao, permitiriam revelar a incidencia de trombose venosa profunda e a identificacao dos grupos de risco, a fim de assumir medidas para obter profilaxia e terapeutica adequadas contra essa afeccao.OBJETIVO: Estudar a incidencia de trombose venosa profunda e estratificar os grupos de risco em pacientes internados, submetidos a procedimentos cirurgicos vasculares nao venosos.METODO: Estudo observacional transversal, que avaliou 202 pacientes da Clinica de Cirurgia Vascular de um hospital universitario, entre marco de 2011 e julho de 2012. A incidencia de trombose venosa profunda foi determinada por meio de exame ultrassonografico vascular, realizado em todos os pacientes. Os fatores de riscos de cada paciente foram estratificados de acordo com a escala Caprini.RESULTADOS: A media de incidencia de trombose venosa profunda na Cirurgia Vascular foi de 8,5%. Em relacao aos grupos de risco para tromboembolismo venoso, 8,4% foram considerados de baixo risco, 17,3% de moderado risco, 29,7% de alto risco e 44,6% de altissimo risco.CONCLUSAO: A incidencia de trombose venosa profunda na Cirurgia Vascular foi de 8,5%, semelhante a registrada na literatura internacional. A maior parte dos pacientes cirurgicos vasculares e estratificada em alto e altissimo risco para trombose venosa profunda.
Effect of ABC transporters on HIV‐1 infection: inhibition of virus production by the MDR1 transporter

3The MDR1 multidrug transporter P‐gp (P‐glycoprotein) is an efflux pump that extrudes diverse hydrophobic drugs and peptides from cells. Since the entry of HIV‐1 into cells involves an initial interaction of the viral gp41 hydrophobic peptide with the plasma membrane, a potential effect of P‐gp on HIV‐1 infectivity was explored. Virus production was greatly decreased when P‐gp was overexpressed at the surface of a continuous CD4+ human T‐leukemic cell line (12D7) infected with HIV‐1 NL4–3, a T‐tropic molecular clone of HIV‐1. P‐gp overexpression did not significantly alter the surface expression or distribution of either the HIV‐1 receptor CD4 or the coreceptor CXCR4. Reduction of HIV‐1 infectivity in P‐gp‐expressing cells occurred both during the fusion of viral and plasma membranes and at subsequent step(s) in the HIV‐1 life cycle. —Lee, C. G. L. , Ramachandra, M. , Jeang, K. ‐T. , Martin, M. A. , Pastan, I. , Gottesman, M. M. Effect of ABC transporters on HIV‐1 infection: inhibition of virus production by the MDR1 transporter. FASEB J. 14, 516–522 (2000)
When Aggressive Individuals See the World More Accurately

Previous research has suggested that aggressive individuals exhibit a bias to perceive nonangry expressions as angry. Another line of thinking, however, posits that aggression is a learned response to hostile environments and should be linked to social-cognitive skills suited to such environments. If so, aggressive individuals may exhibit greater perceptual sensitivity to subtle facial cues of anger. Three studies were conducted to test this proposal. In them, participants’ ability to discriminate between subtly different intensities of facial anger was tested. Aggressive participants generally displayed greater perceptual sensitivity to subtle cues of facial anger. This pattern could not be explained in terms of response bias and was specific to angry expressions. The results thus support the idea that aggression is associated with social-cognitive skills rather than bias and ineptitude.
A high precision 3D object reconstruction method using a color coded grid and NURBS

A high-precision technique for reconstructing three-dimensional (3D) objects from its one-camera 2D views and using a color-coded structured light is described. The method does not require any a-priori knowledge of the absolute positioning and orientation of the camera, nor of a point in the scene. However a calibration process precedes the 3D reconstruction algorithm leading to a high-precision calculation of the position of the camera. The structured light, which is pseudo-randomly color-encoded, is used to determine unique points and lines on the surface of the object. The lines once extracted from a view of the object, are used for the determination of non-uniform rational Bezier splines (NURBS) curves to generate the surface of the object. The precision of the technique depends on the adaptation of the sampling rate of the structured light to the surface of the object. In a recent test, the precision of 7 tau (thousands of an inch) was achieved with a relatively smooth object. The paper describes only the 3D reconstruction process and not the integration of multiple views into one single 3D image of the object.
Factors associated with primary care clinicians' choice of a watchful waiting approach to managing depression.

OBJECTIVES Watchful waiting to manage depression in primary care may be an appropriate management approach for some patients who present with less severe depression. This study examined factors associated with primary care clinicians' choice of a watchful waiting approach to care management for depression. METHODS Secondary data were analyzed from Partners in Care, which examined dissemination of best practices for depression in primary care. Primary care clinicians' decisions regarding watchful waiting were examined by using the baseline survey data from Partners in Care completed by clinicians and patients from February 1996 to March 1997. Participants were 167 primary care clinicians from 46 practices of seven managed care organizations across the United States and their 1,187 patients with depression. Primary care clinicians' proclivity for watchful waiting was examined by using a brief scenario describing a patient with major depressive disorder. RESULTS Thirty-four clinicians (20 percent) reported a strong proclivity to use watchful waiting for the patient in the scenario. The proclivity was significantly associated with clinicians' reports of the proportion of their actual patients with whom they used this approach. Clinicians were significantly more likely to choose watchful waiting for their actual patients if they had more psychotherapy knowledge (p=.035) or perceived that the need to treat the patient's medical illness was more important than the need to treat his or her mental illness (p=.046) and were less likely to choose a watchful waiting approach if they perceived the lack of availability of mental health professionals as a barrier (p=.050). CONCLUSIONS Primary care clinicians' knowledge of treatment and perception of barriers influence their proclivity for watchful waiting. Clinician education to promote appropriate use of watchful waiting on the basis of clinical need is recommended.
Aggregation of blood pressure in the families of identical twins.

The multiple relationships which exist within families of adult monozygotic (MZ) twins permit evaluation of genetic and environmental variance and provide a direct test of maternal effects. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured in 610 members of the families of 76 MZ twin pairs. Age and sex effects on BP were removed via a Z-transformation. Correlations for SBP were . 72 for MZ twins and . 23 for full siblings. Regression of offspring on single parent was . 26. The husband-wife correlation was significant, but it was no higher than the resemblance of a twin to the spouse of his co-twin. Comparisons of maternal and paternal half-siblings provide no evidence of maternal influences on SBP. To evaluate whether familial resemblance of BP is mediated by body size, the original systolic pressures were adjusted by stepwise multiple regression of age, sex, height, weight and skinfold thickness. Adjusting BP for effects of body size reduced regression of offspring on mid-parent from . 40 to . 23. The authors conclude that familial aggregation of systolic pressure reflects additive genetic variance mediated, in part, by body size and augmented by social homogamy arising from non-random mating.
Evaluation of mandibular dynamics and bite force in myofascial pain follow-up

The purpose of this study was to assess clinically and through electronic axiography the changes in mandibular dynamics in the symptomatic and asymptomatic phases occurring in patients with a diagnosis of myofascial pain. From October 2003 through December 2004, a sample of 10 cases (all female aged, 20-50 years old) clinically diagnosed of myofascial pain were followed up to identify changes in mandibular movements. The patients were interviewed, and anamnesis and a clinical examination were performed. Patients with a diagnosis of myofascial pain were recorded with an electronic axiograph (Kavo, model Arcus digma? ) and their bite force was measured (Kratos? digital dynamometer). The patients were then instructed about treatment and follow-up was carried out. After the remission of symptoms, a new axiography and determination of bite force was performed. Axiograph analysis showed significant changes in the mandibular dynamic pattern between the symptomatic and asymptomatic phases and a statistically significant (p<0.001) increase in bite force in 100% of the patients after pain remission was verified. The changes in mandibular dynamics were: an increase in maximum jaw opening without pain in 100% of the sample and a decreased mandibular deviation in opening and closing jaw movements in 70% of the patients. The present study suggests that axiographic study of mandibular movements and the determination of bite force can contribute to a better understanding of temporomandibular disorders, and an improvement in diagnostic criteria and the follow-up of therapeutic procedures.
A Descriptive Analysis of 10 Years of Research Published in the Journal of Health Communication

This article describes the contents of the articles from the first decade of The Journal of Health Communication (JOHC). Three hundred and twenty-one published articles were reviewed and coded to determine the characteristics of the researchers, the types of research presented, the common health topics covered, and the research designs used. The results led to the following profile of a typical article. Its primary author is a U.S. academic. It probably focuses on smoking, HIV/AIDS, or cancer. It is an empirical research study, more likely to use quantitative, specifically survey methods, rather than qualitative methods. It probably is not driven by theory. It is much more likely to examine mass media communication than interpersonal communication. Its purpose is just as likely to be audience analysis as message design, as evaluation of a planned communication intervention. If its purpose is to evaluate a planned communication intervention however, that intervention is almost certainly a successful one.
Effect of plasma osmolality on pituitary-adrenal responses to corticotropin-releasing hormone and atrial natriuretic peptide changes in central diabetes insipidus.

The objective of the present study was to examine the effect of changes in plasma osmolality (pOsm) on the responses of the pituitary-adrenal axis to CRH and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) release in patients with central diabetes insipidus (DI). Eight normal subjects and six DI patients were subjected to human CRH (hCRH) (1 microgram/kg) stimulation alone or associated with isotonic volume loading (0.9% NaCl, 12 mL.kg.60 min) or an osmotic stimulus (5% NaCl, 0.06 mL.kg/min.120 min). The DI group showed significantly increased pOsm and undetectable or low plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) during all tests. In the control group, pOsm and plasma AVP increased only during the osmotic stimulus. The DI group presented lower plasma ANP levels than controls during osmotic stimulus and isotonic volume loading. The lower ANP secretion in DI patients corroborates the importance of neurohypophyseal hormones in ANP regulation. Basal plasma ACTH and cortisol levels did not differ between controls and DI. The latter group presented a higher ACTH response than controls during stimulation with hCRH alone [area under the curve (AUC) 1138 +/- 99 vs. 709 +/- 62 pmol.L/min] and hCRH/5% NaCl (AUC 1602 +/- 209 vs. 1158 +/- 187 pmol.L.min). The DI cortisol AUC were higher than controls during stimulation with hCRH alone (65,471 +/- 6,070 vs. 48,062 +/- 3,476 nmol.L.min) and hCRH/5% NaCl (89,005 +/- 10,043 vs. 62,105 +/- 5,600 nmol.L.min). The highest ACTH and cortisol responses to hCRH in both groups were obtained with hCRH/5% NaCl. There was a significant correlation between mean pOsm and ACTH response to hCRH (r = 0.62). The increased responses to hCRH with increasing pOsm were present in control subjects and in patients with DI. However, at any given level of pOsm, there was no difference in ACTH response between controls and DI. These data indicate that the acute increases in pOsm augmented the ACTH and cortisol responses to hCRH that involve other factors besides magnocellular AVP.