Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Downstaging for hepatocellular cancer: harm or benefit?

Downstaging of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to enable liver transplantation has become an area of intense interest and research. It may allow a curative option in patients outside widely accepted transplantation criteria, with outcomes that, in some studies, are comparable to transplantation for patients within criteria. There have been conflicting opinions on the best downstaging protocols, criteria for downstaging eligibility and for assessment of response. We therefore aimed to review the literature and evidence for downstaging, as well as considering its drawbacks. CONCLUSION Pooled analyses have suggested success in down staging in about half of patients treated, but with higher recurrence rates than patients initially within transplantation criteria. Studies with strict inclusion criteria and mandatory waiting time before transplantation reported survival equivalent to patients who did not require downstaging. In carefully selected patients, there is a role for down staging to provide the chance of transplantation and cure, with acceptable outcomes. Further multi center, well-designed studies are required to clarify who will mostly benefit. Until such data is available, downstaging criteria should be stated within transplantation programs and relevant decisions should be discussed by multidisciplinary teams.
The Impact of Personality on the Subjective Assessment of Usability

ABSTRACT The system usability scale (SUS) has been widely employed in both the field and the laboratory as a valid and reliable measure of system usability. Although its psychometric properties are relatively well understood, the impact that differences in users’ personality traits have on their perceived usability of products, services, and systems has not been deeply explored—even though people’s scores on personality traits have been shown to be reliable and predict a staggering array of societally important outcomes in work, school, and life domains. In this study, 268 users assessed the usability of 20 different products retrospectively with the SUS. Five broad personality traits were then measured using the Mini-IPIP scale. Results indicated that measured personality traits do correlate with the rated usability of products, where measures of Openness to Experience and Agreeableness have the strongest positive correlations with subjective usability assessment. Implications for practitioners, designers, and researchers are discussed.
Selectivity, cell permeability and oral availability studies of novel bromophenol derivative HPN as protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B inhibitor

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) negatively regulates insulin signalling by tyrosine dephosphorylation of the insulin receptor. It is a highly validated target for type 2 diabetes therapeutics. Here, the anti‐diabetic effects of HPN were evaluated in the diabetic BKS db mice.
Unravelling the core microbiome of biofilms in cooling tower systems

Abstract In this study, next generation sequencing and catalyzed reporter deposition fluorescence in situ hybridization, combined with confocal microscopy, were used to provide insights into the biodiversity and structure of biofilms collected from four full-scale European cooling systems. Water samples were also analyzed to evaluate the impact of suspended microbes on biofilm formation. A common core microbiome, containing members of the families Sphingomonadaceae, Comamonadaceae and Hyphomicrobiaceae, was found in all four biofilms, despite the water of each coming from different sources (river and groundwater). This suggests that selection of the pioneer community was influenced by abiotic factors (temperature, pH) and tolerances to biocides. Members of the Sphingomonadaceae were assumed to play a key role in initial biofilm formation. Subsequent biofilm development was driven primarily by light availability, since biofilms were dominated by phototrophs in the two studied ‘open’ systems. Their interactions with other microbial populations then shaped the structure of the mature biofilm communities analyzed.
Nonepisodic Angioedema Associated with Eosinophilia: Report of 4 Cases and Review of 33 Young Female Patients Reported in Japan

Background: In 1984, Gleich et al. described 4 patients with episodic angioedema associated with eosinophilia (EAE), which was characterized by recurrent episodes of angioedema and urticaria, eosinophilia, elevated serum IgM, fever, increased body weight and a benign course without involvement of the internal organs demonstrating that it was a clinical entity distinct from the hypereosinophilic syndrome. Thereafter, 37 cases of EAE have been reported in Japan, 33 cases of which, although similar, had a different evolution from classical EAE. Objective: To describe 4 cases and review the cases of angioedema associated with eosinophilia reported in Japan. Results: Four Japanese female patients had persistent angioedema mainly involving the hands and lower legs, and eosinophilia which resolved within a few months. The review of the 37 cases of EAE in the Japanese literature demonstrated that in 33 cases, there were common characteristics which differed from EAE. These included: (1) the absence of recurrent attacks; (2) the predominance of young females (20–37 years, with a mean of 26 years); (3) the localization of the angioedema to the extremities; (4) the absence of increase in the serum IgM level, and (5) the effectiveness of low-dose prednisone or even the occurrence of spontaneous remission. Conclusion: We propose that persistent angioedema with eosinophilia can be classified into 2 types, i.e. one being an episodic (recurrent) type as reported by Gleich and a nonepisodic type as our 4 cases and others found in the Japanese literature.
Comparison of Clinical and Structural Outcomes by Subscapularis Tendon Status in Massive Rotator Cuff Tear

Background: The subscapularis tendon is essential in maintaining normal glenohumeral biomechanics. However, few studies have addressed the outcomes of tears extending to the subscapularis tendon in massive rotator cuff tears. Purpose: To assess the clinical and structural outcomes of arthroscopic repair of massive rotator cuff tears involving the subscapularis. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Between January 2010 and January 2014, 122 consecutive patients with massive rotator cuff tear underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. Overall, 122 patients were enrolled (mean age, 66 years; mean follow-up period, 39.5 months). Patients were categorized into 3 groups based on subscapularis tendon status: intact subscapularis tendon (I group; n = 45), tear involving less than the superior one-third (P group; n = 35), and tear involving more than one-third of the subscapularis tendon (C group; n = 42). All rotator cuff tears were repaired; however, subscapularis tendon tears involving less than the superior one-third in P group were only debrided. Pain visual analog scale, Constant, and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores and passive range of motion were measured preoperatively and at the final follow-up. Rotator cuff integrity, global fatty degeneration index, and occupation ratio were determined via magnetic resonance imaging preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively. Results: We identified 37 retears (31.1%) based on postoperative magnetic resonance imaging evaluation. Retear rate in patients in the C group (47.6%) was higher than that in the I group (22.9%) or P group (20.0%) (P = .011). Retear subclassification based on the involved tendons showed that subsequent subscapularis tendon retears were noted in only the C group. The improvement in clinical scores after repair was statistically significant in all groups but not different among the groups. Between-group comparison showed significant differences in preoperative external rotation (P = .021). However, no statistically significant difference was found in any shoulder range of motion measurements after surgery. Conclusion: Arthroscopic repair of massive tears results in substantial improvements in shoulder function, despite the presence of combined subscapularis tears. However, this study showed a high failure rate of massive posterosuperior rotator cuff tear repair extending more than one-third of the subscapularis tendon. When combined subscapularis tendon tear was less than the superior one-third of the subscapularis tendon, arthroscopic debridement was a reasonable treatment method where comparable clinical and anatomic outcomes could be expected.
Fast map matching, an algorithm integrating hidden Markov model with precomputation

ABSTRACT Wide deployment of global positioning system (GPS) sensors has generated a large amount of data with numerous applications in transportation research. Due to the observation error, a map matching (MM) process is commonly performed to infer a path on a road network from a noisy GPS trajectory. The increasing data volume calls for the design of efficient and scalable MM algorithms. This article presents fast map matching (FMM), an algorithm integrating hidden Markov model with precomputation, and provides an open-source implementation. An upper bounded origin-destination table is precomputed to store all pairs of shortest paths within a certain length in the road network. As a benefit, repeated routing queries known as the bottleneck of MM are replaced with hash table search. Additionally, several degenerate cases and a problem of reverse movement are identified and addressed in FMM. Experiments on a large collection of real-world taxi trip trajectories demonstrate that FMM has achieved a considerable single-processor MM speed of 25,000–45,000 points/second varying with the output mode. Investigation on the running time of different steps in FMM reveals that after precomputation is employed, the new bottleneck is located in candidate search, and more specifically, the projection of a GPS point to the polyline of a road edge. Reverse movement in the result is also effectively reduced by applying a penalty.
Amlodipine and enalapril promote distinct effects on cardiovascular autonomic control in spontaneously hypertensive rats: the role of aerobic physical training

Background: We compared the autonomic and hemodynamic cardiovascular effects of amlodipine and enalapril treatment associated with an aerobic physical training program on spontaneously hypertensive rats. Methods: Eighteen-week-old (n = 48) spontaneously hypertensive rats were assigned to one of two groups: sedentary (n = 24) and trained (n = 24) through a 10-week swimming training program. Each group was subdivided into three groups (n = 8): control (vehicle group), amlodipine (amlodipine group; 10 mg/kg per day) and enalapril (enalapril group; 10 mg/kg per day) (both for 10 weeks). We cannulated the femoral artery and vein of all animals for recording arterial pressure and injecting drugs, respectively. Autonomic assessment was performed by double blockade with propranolol and atropine, analysis of heart rate variability (HRV), systolic arterial pressure variability and baroflex sensitivity. Results: Arterial pressure reduction was more prominent in the sedentary and trained enalapril groups. Amlodipine sedentary group presented important autonomic adjustments characterized by a predominance of vagal tone in cardiac autonomic balance, increased HRV associated with sympathetic autonomic modulation reduction and increased vagal autonomic modulation, and increased baroflex sensitivity. All findings were not potentialized by physical training. In turn, the enalapril trained group, but not its sedentary counterpart, also had vagal tone prevalence in cardiac autonomic balance, increased HRV, increased baroflex sensitivity and decreased low-frequency band in systolic arterial pressure variability. Conclusion: Amlodipine was more effective in promoting beneficial autonomic cardiovascular adaptations in sedentary animals. In contrast, enalapril achieved better autonomic results only when combined with aerobic physical training.
The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of White-collared Yuhina (Yuhina diademata)

Abstract We sequenced the complete mitochondrial DNA genome of Yuhina diademata by means of polymerase chain reaction. The circle genome (17 834 bp in length) contained 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and 2 control regions (Dloop1 and Dloop2), which was similar to the other published mitogenome of Timaliidae species. Most PCGs began with ATG, while COI and ND2 genes started with GTG. Nine of the PCGs used complete (TAA) or incomplete (TA– or T––) stop codon, while ND1 and ND6 genes ended with AGA, COI gene ended with AGG, and ND6 gene with TAG. Overall base composition of the complete mtDNA was 30.30% A, 23.81% T, 31.72% C, and 14.17% G. All the PCGs in Y. diademata were distributed on the H-strand, except for the ND6 gene and eight tRNA genes which were encoded on the L-strand.
Seismic Performance Of Retrofitted SteelMoment Resisting Frames

The present analytical work investigates the feasibility of special metals such as stainless steels for seismic retrofitting of steel moment resisting frames (MRFs). In so doing, SS has been used either at beam-to-column connections or spread along beams and columns. To quantify the benefits deriving from the use of this metal, several inelastic analyses (static pushovers) were conducted on a set of regular and irregular medium-rise MRFs. The seismic performance of these MRFs has been assessed by means of multi-level performance-based methodology as recently proposed by SEAOC. Therefore the inter-storey drift has been chosen as the damage index. Three response parameters were estimated: the global overstrength, the roof translation ductility and the force reduction factor (behaviour factor). It was found that when SS is spread within columns, the system overstrength increases by 30% with respect to the carbonsteel benchmark structure. Similarly the design overstrength, plastic redistribution and energy dissipation capacity increase by the same amount. However, the study also reveals that there is no significant benefit in spreading SS within beams.
Protein aggregation of the p63 transcription factor underlies severe skin fragility in AEC syndrome

Significance The p63 gene encodes a master regulator of epidermal development and function. Specific mutations in p63 are causative of a life-threatening disorder mainly characterized by severe skin erosions and cleft palate. Little is known about the mechanisms underlying disease pathology and possible treatments. Based on biochemical studies, genetic mouse models, and functional assays, we demonstrate that these mutations cause p63 protein misfolding and aggregation. Protein aggregation lead to reduced DNA binding and impaired transcriptional activity. Importantly, genetic modifications of p63 that abolish aggregation of the mutant proteins rescue its function, revealing that ankyloblepharon-ectodermal defects-cleft lip/palate syndrome is a protein aggregation disorder and opening avenues for therapeutic intervention. The p63 gene encodes a master regulator of epidermal commitment, development, and differentiation. Heterozygous mutations in the C-terminal domain of the p63 gene can cause ankyloblepharon-ectodermal defects-cleft lip/palate (AEC) syndrome, a life-threatening disorder characterized by skin fragility and severe, long-lasting skin erosions. Despite deep knowledge of p63 functions, little is known about mechanisms underlying disease pathology and possible treatments. Here, we show that multiple AEC-associated p63 mutations, but not those causative of other diseases, lead to thermodynamic protein destabilization, misfolding, and aggregation, similar to the known p53 gain-of-function mutants found in cancer. AEC mutant proteins exhibit impaired DNA binding and transcriptional activity, leading to dominant negative effects due to coaggregation with wild-type p63 and p73. Importantly, p63 aggregation occurs also in a conditional knock-in mouse model for the disorder, in which the misfolded p63 mutant protein leads to severe epidermal defects. Variants of p63 that abolish aggregation of the mutant proteins are able to rescue p63’s transcriptional function in reporter assays as well as in a human fibroblast-to-keratinocyte conversion assay. Our studies reveal that AEC syndrome is a protein aggregation disorder and opens avenues for therapeutic intervention.
Modelling and performance analysis of asymmetric double gate stack-oxide junctionless FET in subthreshold region

A modified analytical model for asymmetric Double Gate Stack-Oxide Junctionless Field Effect Transistor (DGS-JLFET) in subthreshold region is presented in this paper. The simulation results obtained from this model are used to make a performance analysis for the described device. The potential distribution and some short channel effects such as on-off ratio (Ion/Ioff), threshold voltage roll-off (TVRO), subthreshold swing (SS) for asymmetric DGS-JLFET in subthreshold region has been observed. Comparative analysis shows that this asymmetric device has better performance than symmetric ones.
Diagnosis and management of Ebola samples in the laboratory

ABSTRACT The magnitude of the 2014–2016 West African Ebola virus outbreak has highlighted the importance of immediate and rapid deployment of control measures in affected areas. While many prophylactic and therapeutic options entered clinical trials in the past two years, larger use to impact on Ebola spread will not be possible until at least one product meets final approval by regulatory agencies. Control of the West African outbreak was achieved almost entirely by breaking chain of transmissions through case identification and specialized treatment, communication, safe burials and other proven methods. To achieve this in a timely manner, epidemiologists and medical teams are working in concert with laboratories to identify infected individuals and provide care within Ebola treatment units. Herein, we review an outbreak response workflow from the point of view of mobile laboratories and summarize methods that have been used by them during the West African Ebola virus outbreak of 2014–2016.
Comments on cochrane review on direct‐acting antivirals for hepatitis C

Arecent Cochrane Review with the stated objective to assess the benefits and harms of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy for people with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection raised alarms within the hepatology and infectious diseases communities because the authors concluded there was insufficient evidence to confirm or reject an effect of DAA therapy on HCV-related morbidity (cirrhosis, hepatic decompensation, or hepatocellular carcinoma) or all-cause mortality. The authors also concluded that the clinical relevance of sustained virological response (SVR) obtained with DAAs is questionable as it is a nonvalidated surrogate outcome. The review further stated that all DAA trials and outcome results were at high risk of bias, so their results presumably overestimated benefit and underestimated harm. Indeed, the plain language summary stated that the lack of valid evidence and the possibility of potentially harming people with chronic hepatitis should be considered before treating people with hepatitis C with DAAs. Based on the findings of this review, the authors concluded that additional randomized clinical trials assessing the long-term clinical effects of DAAs are needed. To understand how these conclusions were reached, it is important to recognize that only randomized clinical trials comparing DAAs versus no intervention or placebo were selected for review. A total of 138 trials met the strict selection criteria when the search ended in October 2016, of which 84 involved DAAs on the market or under development, while others represented studies of either investigational drugs never approved or agents approved but no longer marketed. The paucity of data supporting an effect of DAAs on HCV-related morbidity and all-cause mortality is not surprising because DAAs currently on the market in the United States had been approved for less than 4 years. Recognizing the natural history of HCV infection, during which clinical outcomes may take years to become apparent; that late relapse after achieving SVR is rare; and the mounting evidence that SVR decreases HCV-related morbidity and mortality, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted SVR as a valid surrogate and a practical endpoint for clinical trials of DAAs. Due to the rapid movement in the field of HCV therapeutics and the dramatic improvement in efficacy and safety of investigational DAAs, the inclusion of a control group receiving interferon (IFN)–based regimens would not be ethical. The FDA provided guidance to industry for acceptable efficacy analyses including the use of historical control response rates, recognizing the lack of equipoise by many providers and patients for non–DAA-containing study arms. Thus, most clinical trials on DAA therapy conducted in the last 5 years did not have an untreated control group, which excluded them from this review. Some trials did have control groups randomized to placebo, but these patients received active treatment with DAAs after the randomized phase of the trial was completed. Thus, the long-term outcome of DAA
The gene-richest bands of human chromosomes replicate at the onset of the S-phase

Previous investigations on the correlations between isochore organization and human chromosomal bands have identified three sets of R(everse) bands: H3+, H3* and H3–, endowed with large, moderate, and no detectable amounts of the gene-richest H3 isochores, respectively. In the present work we compared the replication timing of these three sets of bands and showed that the chromosomal bands containing H3 isochores replicate almost entirely (in the case of H3+ bands) or largely (in the case of H3* bands) at the onset of S phase, whereas chromosomal bands not containing H3 isochores (H3– bands) replicate later. The existence, at a resolution of 400 bands per haploid genome, of at least three distinct subsets of R bands is, therefore, not only supported by their GC and gene concentration but also by their replication times.
Stock Market Classification Model Using Sentiment Analysis on Twitter Based on Hybrid Naive Bayes Classifiers

Sentiment analysis has become one of the most popular process to predict stock market behaviour based on consumer reactions. Concurrently, the availability of data from Twitter has also attracted researchers towards this research area. Most of the models related to sentiment analysis are still suffering from inaccuracies. The low accuracy in classification has a direct effect on the reliability of stock market indicators. The study primarily focuses on the analysis of the Twitter dataset. Moreover, an improved model is proposed in this study; it is designed to enhance the classification accuracy. The first phase of this model is data collection, and the second involves the filtration and transformation, which are conducted to get only relevant data. The most crucial phase is labelling, in which polarity of data is determined and negative, positive or neutral values are assigned to people opinion. The fourth phase is the classification phase in which suitable patterns of the stock market are identified by hybridizing Naive Bayes Classifiers (NBCs), and the final phase is the performance and evaluation. This study proposes Hybrid Naive Bayes Classifiers (HNBCs) as a machine learning method for stock market classification. The outcome is instrumental for investors, companies, and researchers whereby it will enable them to formulate their plans according to the sentiments of people. The proposed method has produced a significant result; it has achieved accuracy equals 90.38%.