Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pulmonary fibrosis, part I: epidemiology, pathogenesis, and diagnosis

ABSTRACT Introduction: Many forms of interstitial lung disease (ILD) can progress to extensive fibrosis and respiratory failure. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), which generally has a poor prognosis, has been thoroughly studied over the past two decades, and many important discoveries have been made that pertain to genetic predisposition, epidemiology, disease pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management. Additionally, non-IPF forms of ILD can have radiologic and histopathologic manifestations that mimic IPF, and making an accurate diagnosis is key to providing personalized medicine to patients with pulmonary fibrosis. Areas covered: This manuscript discusses current knowledge pertaining to the genetics, epidemiology, pathogenesis, and diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis with an emphasis on IPF. The material upon which this discussion is based was obtained from various published texts and manuscripts identified via literature searching (e.g. PubMed). Expert commentary: Many genetic variants have been identified that are associated with risk of developing pulmonary fibrosis, and an improved understanding of the influence of both genomic and epigenomic factors in the development of pulmonary fibrosis is rapidly evolving. Because many forms of fibrosing ILD can have similar radiologic and histopathologic patterns yet have different responses to therapeutic interventions, making an accurate diagnosis of specific forms of pulmonary fibrosis is increasingly important.
A NONZERO‐SUM GAME APPROACH TO CONVERTIBLE BONDS: TAX BENEFIT, BANKRUPTCY COST, AND EARLY/LATE CALLS

Convertible bonds are hybrid securities that embody the characteristics of both straight bonds and equities. The conflicts of interest between bondholders and shareholders affect the security prices significantly. In this paper, we investigate how to use a nonzero‐sum game framework to model the interaction between bondholders and shareholders and to evaluate the bond accordingly. Mathematically, this problem can be reduced to a system of variational inequalities and we explicitly derive the Nash equilibrium to the game. Our model shows that credit risk and tax benefit have considerable impacts on the optimal strategies of both parties. The shareholder may issue a call when the debt is in‐the‐money or out‐of‐the‐money. This is consistent with the empirical findings of “late and early calls. ” In addition, the optimal call policy under our model offers an explanation for certain stylized patterns related to the returns of company assets and stocks on call.
The effectiveness of family-based treatment for full and partial adolescent anorexia nervosa in an independent private practice setting: Clinical outcomes.

OBJECTIVE Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe psychiatric illness with little evidence supporting treatment in adults. Among adolescents with AN, family-based treatment (FBT) is considered first-line outpatient approach, with a growing evidence base. However, research on FBT has stemmed from specialist services in research/public health settings. This study investigated the effectiveness of FBT in a case series of adolescent AN treated in a private practice setting. METHOD Thirty-four adolescents with full or partial AN, diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria, participated, and were assessed at pretreatment and post-treatment. Assessments included change in % expected body weight, mood, and eating pathology. RESULTS Significant weight gain was observed from pretreatment to post-treatment. 45.9% of the sample demonstrated full weight restoration and a further 43.2% achieved partial weight-based remission. Missing data precluded an examination of change in mood and ED psychopathology. DISCUSSION Effective dissemination across different service types is important to the wider availability of evidence-based treatments. These weight restoration data lend preliminary support to the implementation of FBT in real world treatment settings. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2016; 49:1023-1026).
Cadmium Level in Pregnancy, Influence on Neonatal Birth Weight and Possible Amelioration by Some Essential Trace Elements

Cadmium (Cd) is currently of great concern in rapidly industrializing countries-India, China. Their products consumed especially due to increase demand in many developing countries like Nigeria can result in adverse effects. Cd is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant and toxicant and humans are continually exposed to the toxic effects of Cd primarily through food as well as from environmental pollution through industrial activities. Maternal exposure to Cd has been associated with the delivery of low-birth weight babies and an increase incidence of spontaneous abortion. Cd a toxic metal can displace zinc (Zn) an essential element necessary for normal fetal development and growth. With this consideration, 160 subjects comprising of 125 pregnant and 35 non-pregnant subjects as controls were recruited for this study. The pregnant subjects were classified according to the three trimesters of pregnancy as followed; 35, 35, and 55 from the first to the third trimesters respectively. The third trimester subjects were followed-up until after delivery where neonatal parameters (birth weight, head circumference, and length) of babies were measured. 32 (58%) of the women delivered babies with normal birth weight, 19 women (35%) delivered babies with low-birth weight while four women (7%) delivered babies with high- birth weight. Subject who delivered low-birth weight babies had significantly higher Cd concentration and lower Zn concentration and body mass index when compared with those with normal weight babies. These results suggest that Cd indeed has some toxic effects on neonatal birth weight.
Effects of Patellar Tendon Width and Preoperative Quadriceps Strength on Strength Return after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction with Ipsilateral Bone–Patellar Tendon–Bone Autograft

Background Strength return after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction varies greatly. Hypothesis Patients with small patellar tendons and weak preoperative quadriceps muscle strength would not be able to regain full strength. Study Design Retrospective review of prospectively collected data. Methods Patellar tendon widths for 540 patients were measured intraoperatively and grouped according to size (small, 20-26 mm; medium, 27-30 mm; large, 31-36 mm). Strength measured preoperatively was determined by dividing the torque value of the injured leg by the torque value of the noninjured leg. Strength after surgery was determined by dividing the postoperative value in the anterior cruciate ligament–reconstructed leg by the preoperative value of the uninjured leg. Results At 1, 2, and 3 months after surgery, patients with large tendons had statistically significantly better strength than patients with small and medium tendons (P < .01), but this difference was not significant 2 years after operation. At all times after surgery, patients with preoperative strength >90% had statistically significantly better strength than patients with preoperative strength <75% (P < .01). At 3 months after surgery, patients with good preoperative strength and large tendons had a mean postoperative strength of 79% compared with 62% for patients who had poor preoperative strength and small tendons (P < .001). Conclusions If patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction have a weak leg before surgery and small patellar tendons, their ability to regain full strength after surgery may be compromised, especially in the first year after surgery.
Monoclonal Antibody against Cell Surface GRP78 as a Novel Agent in Suppressing PI3K/AKT Signaling, Tumor Growth, and Metastasis

Purpose: The ER chaperone GRP78 translocates to the surface of tumor cells and promotes survival, metastasis, and resistance to therapy. An oncogenic function of cell surface GRP78 has been attributed to the activation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway. We intend to use a novel anti-GRP78 monoclonal antibody (MAb159) to attenuate PI3K signaling and inhibit tumor growth and metastasis. Experimental Design: MAb159 was characterized biochemically. Antitumor activity was tested in cancer cell culture, tumor xenograft models, tumor metastasis models, and spontaneous tumor models. Cancer cells and tumor tissues were analyzed for PI3K activity. MAb159 was humanized and validated for diagnostic and therapeutic application. Results: MAb159 specifically recognized surface GRP78, triggered GRP78 endocytosis, and localized to tumors but not to normal organs in vivo. MAb159 inhibited tumor cell proliferation and enhanced tumor cell death both in vitro and in vivo. In MAb159-treated tumors, PI3K signaling was inhibited without compensatory MAPK pathway activation. Furthermore, MAb159 halted or reversed tumor progression in the spontaneous PTEN–loss-driven prostate and leukemia tumor models, and inhibited tumor growth and metastasis in xenograft models. Humanized MAb159, which retains high affinity, tumor specific localization, and the antitumor activity, was nontoxic in mice, and had desirable pharmacokinetics. Conclusions: GRP78-specific antibody MAb159 modulates the PI3K pathway and inhibits tumor growth and metastasis. Humanized MAb159 will enter human trials shortly. Clin Cancer Res; 19(24); 6802–11. ©2013 AACR.
Mortality from Neurodegenerative Disease and Exposure to Extremely Low-Frequency Magnetic Fields: 31 Years of Observations on Swiss Railway Employees

Aims: The objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between extremely low-frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) exposure and mortality from several neurodegenerative conditions in Swiss railway employees. Methods: We studied a cohort of 20,141 Swiss railway employees with 464,129 person-years of follow-up between 1972 and 2002. For each individual, cumulative exposure was calculated from on-site measurements and modelling of past exposure. We compared cause-specific mortality in highly exposed train drivers (mean exposure: 21 µT) with less exposed occupational groups (for example station masters: 1 µT). Results: The hazard ratio for train drivers compared to station masters was 1.96 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.98–3.92] for senile dementia and 3.15 (95% CI = 0.90–11.04) for Alzheimer’s disease. For every 10 µT years of cumulative exposure senile dementia mortality increased by 5.7% (95% CI = 1.3–10.4), Alzheimer’s disease by 9.4% (95% CI = 2.7–16.4) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis by 2.1% (95% CI = –6.8 to 11.7). There was no evidence for an increase in mortality from Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis. Conclusions: This study suggests a link between exposure to ELF-MF and Alzheimer’s disease and indicates that ELF-MF might act in later stages of the disease process.
Lipid Rafts Associate with Intracellular B Cell Receptors and Exhibit a B Cell Stage-Specific Protein Composition 1

Lipid rafts serve as platforms for BCR signal transduction. To better define the molecular basis of these membrane microdomains, we used two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry to characterize lipid raft proteins from mature as well as immature B cell lines. Of 51 specific raft proteins, we identified a total of 18 proteins by peptide mass fingerprinting. Among them, we found vacuolar ATPase subunits α-1 and β-2, vimentin, γ-actin, mitofilin, and prohibitin. None of these has previously been reported in lipid rafts of B cells. The differential raft association of three proteins, including a novel potential signaling molecule designated swiprosin-1, correlated with the stage-specific sensitivity of B cells to BCR-induced apoptosis. In addition, MHC class II molecules were detected in lipid rafts of mature, but not immature B cells. This intriguing finding points to a role for lipid rafts in regulating Ag presentation during B cell maturation. Finally, a fraction of the BCR in the B cell line CH27 was constitutively present in lipid rafts. Surprisingly, this fraction was neither expressed at the cell surface nor fully O-glycosylated. Thus, we conclude that partitioning the BCR into lipid rafts occurs in the endoplasmic reticulum/cis-Golgi compartment and may represent a control mechanism for surface transport.
Mutant (δF508) Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Cl− Channel Is Functional When Retained in Endoplasmic Reticulum of Mammalian Cells (*)

Cystic fibrosis is caused by mutations in the gene encoding the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), a plasma membrane-localized chloride channel. Some mutations in CFTR, including one which affects most patients (ΔF508-CFTR), prevent CFTR from exiting the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) where it is synthesized. To examine whether normal and mutant CFTRs function as chloride channels when they reside in the ER, the patch clamp technique was used to measure currents in the outer membrane of nuclei isolated from mammalian cells expressing CFTR. Both ΔF508-CFTR as well as CFTR were revealed to function as cAMP-regulated chloride channels in native ER membrane. These results represent the first demonstrations of functional activity of CFTR in the biosynthetic pathway and suggest that conformational changes in the mutant protein, although recognized by ER-retention mechanisms, do not necessarily affect CFTR chloride channel properties, which may have implications for pathophysiology and therapeutic interventions in cystic fibrosis.
Socio-Economic Factors Associated with Intestinal Parasites Among Children Living in Gombak, Malaysia

Fecal specimens collected from 456 school children in Gombak, Malaysia, revealed an overall prevalence rate of 62.9%. The most common parasite found was Trichuris trichiura(47.1%) followed by Giardia intestinalis(14.7%), Entamoeba coli(11.4%), Entamoeba histolytica(9.9%) and Ascaris lumbricoides(7.9%). Infection rates were high among the Indonesian immigrant workers' children (90%) followed by the Orang Asli(79.5%), Malay (59.4%) and Indians (36.4%). Females (66.3%) had a higher prevalence rate than the males (58.5%). The prevalence of infection was found to be associated with the socio-economic status, water supply, sanitary disposal of feces and family size. Albendazole administered as a single dose (400 mg) was found to be effective against Ascaris (100%) and hookworm (92.3%) but was not effective against Trichuris(39.2%).
Interactive light transport editing for flexible global illumination

The limited flexibility imposed by the physics of light transport has been a major hurdle in the use of global illumination in production rendering. It has been a common practice in computer cinematography to write custom shaders [Christensen 2003] or manually edit rendered images [Thacker 2006] to achieve lighting effects desired by directors. This process is lengthy, cumbersome and too technical for artists. To remove this hurdle, we propose a novel interface that allows users to modify light transport in a scene. Users can adjust effects of indirect lighting cast by one object onto another or paint indirect illumination on surfaces. As opposed to previous approaches such as [Schoeneman et al. 1993] our work departs from solving optimization problems in favor of more user control.
Avian tumor virus RNA: a comparison of three sarcoma viruses and their transformation-defective derivatives by oligonucleotide fingerprinting and DNA-RNA hybridization.

Earlier electrophoretic analyses have shown that the 60-70S RNA of avian sarcoma viruses contains a characteristic subunit, termed class a subunit, which has a lower electrophoretic mobility than class b subunit found in transformation-defective derivatives of sarcoma viruses and in avian leukosis viruses. We have compared the RNAs of three nondefective avian sarcoma viruses, B77 and Prague and Schmidt-Ruppin strains of Rous sarcoma virus, with those of their transformation-defective (td) derivatives, td B77, td PR-C, and td SR-A, respectively, to determine the chemical basis for the difference between class a and b subunits. It was found by "fingerprinting" that (1) all (about 20-25) large T1 RNase-resistant oligonucleotides present in class b subunits of transformation-defective viruses have homologous counterparts in the class a subunits of corresponding nondefective sarcoma viruses and that (2) class a subunits contain a few (one or two) additional oligonucleotides that are not present in class b. By contrast the oligonucleotide fingerprints of avian tumor viruses of different strains and subgroups were very different.Cross hybridization of classes a and b RNA of sarcoma virus B77 with DNA transcribed from a corresponding transformation-defective virus td B77 showed that the two RNAs share at least 60% and differ by about 10% of their sequences. It is suggested that the structural relationship of class a and b subunits of corresponding viruses may be expressed as a = b + x, and that all the oligonucleotides present only in RNAs of sarcoma viruses but not in transformation-defective viruses of the corresponding strains are part of sequence(s) x. The possibility that x represents genetic information directly or indirectly involved in transformation of fibroblasts is discussed.
Eosinophils from Lineage-Ablated ΔdblGATA Bone Marrow Progenitors: The dblGATA Enhancer in the Promoter of GATA-1 Is Not Essential for Differentiation Ex Vivo1

A critical role for eosinophils in remodeling of allergic airways was observed in vivo upon disruption of the dblGATA enhancer that regulates expression of GATA-1, which resulted in an eosinophil-deficient phenotype in the ΔdblGATA mouse. We demonstrate here that bone marrow progenitors isolated from ΔdblGATA mice can differentiate into mature eosinophils when subjected to cytokine stimulation ex vivo. Cultured ΔdblGATA eosinophils contain cytoplasmic granules with immunoreactive major basic protein and they express surface Siglec F and transcripts encoding major basic protein, eosinophil peroxidase, and GATA-1, -2, and -3 to an extent indistinguishable from cultured wild-type eosinophils. Fibroblast coculture and bone marrow cross-transplant experiments indicate that the in vivo eosinophil deficit is an intrinsic progenitor defect, and remains unaffected by interactions with stromal cells. Interestingly, and in contrast to those from the wild type, a majority of the GATA-1 transcripts from cultured ΔdblGATA progenitors express a variant GATA-1 transcript that includes a first exon (1EB), located ∼3700 bp downstream to the previously described first exon found in hemopoietic cells (1EA) and ∼42 bp upstream to another variant first exon, 1EC. These data suggest that cultured progenitors are able to circumvent the effects of the ΔdblGATA ablation by using a second, more proximal, promoter and use this mechanism to generate quantities of GATA-1 that will support eosinophil growth and differentiation.
The effects of N-acetylcysteine on pulmonary functions in patients undergoing on-pump coronary artery surgery: a double blind placebo controlled study.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on pulmonary function tests and arterial blood gases in patients undergoing on-pump coronary artery surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS The effect of NAC was assessed within the scope of a prospective, single center, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group study. Eighty-two patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting were randomized into two groups to receive either placebo (group 1, n = 40) or NAC (group 2, n=42). Both the NAC group and the placebo-receiving control group also included a COPD subgroup consisting of patients with an FEV1/FVC ratio of < 0.7 and an FEV1 value of 50-80%. Pulmonary function tests were performed preoperatively and on postoperative day 60. RESULTS Both groups were similar with respect to age, gender, preoperative risk factors, ejection fraction (EF), mean cross-clamp time, ventilation time, intensive care unit (ICU) stay, atrial fibrillation (AF) and hospital stay (p > 0.05). Postoperative FVC and FEV1 values in group 1 and the postoperative FEV1, FEV1/FVC and FEF 25-75 values in group 2 were lower in comparison to their preoperative values. However, in both group 1 and 2, the decreases observed in these parameters were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). In the COPD subgroup of group 1, a postoperative decrease was observed in the FEV1 and FEF25-75 values, with the FEV1 decreasing by 4.55%, and the FEF25-75 decreasing by 4.2% (p < 0.05). In the COPD subgroup of group 2, no significant decrease was observed in the pulmonary function test values (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that NAC administration in COPD patients undergoing on-pump coronary artery surgery resulted in the preservation of pulmonary functions.
Quantum-Fluctuation-driven crossover from a dilute bose-einstein condensate to a macrodroplet in a dipolar quantum fluid

L. Chomaz, S. Baier, D. Petter, M. J. Mark, F. Wächtler, L. Santos, F. Ferlaino1,2∗ Institut für Experimentalphysik,Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstraße 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria Institut für Quantenoptik und Quanteninformation, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria Institut für Theoretische Physik, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Appelstr. 2, 30167 Hannover, Germany (Dated: July 25, 2016)
Acoustic correlates of fatigue in laryngeal muscles: findings for a criterion-based prevention of acquired voice pathologies.

PURPOSE The objective was to identify acoustic correlates of laryngeal muscle fatigue in conditions of vocal effort. METHOD In a previous study, a technique of electromyography (EMG) served to define physiological signs of "voice fatigue" in laryngeal muscles involved in voicing. These signs correspond to spectral changes in contraction potentials. A corpus of vocalizations from the 7 participants in the EMG study was used to explore the effects of muscle fatigue on voice acoustics. Each participant produced vocalizations at regular intervals (50 in all) extending across a day (12-14 hr). The participants also produced 5 min of loud speech with peaks of 74 dBA at 1 m between each vocalization. Twenty acoustic parameters were measured using the Multi-Dimensional Voice Program (Kay Elemetrics, Lincoln Park, NJ). RESULTS The analyses showed no consistent correlations between acoustic parameters and estimates of muscle fatigue. However, in all cases, nonlinear jumps occurred in the frequency of amplitude tremor at points where fatigue estimates showed a critical shift. These jumps were robust despite changes in F0 in some individuals. CONCLUSION A brief rise in voice tremor can correspond to a critical change in laryngeal muscle tissues seen as a condition where continued vocal effort can increase the risk of lesions or other conditions affecting voice.
A measurement of intrinsic outgassing rates in vacuum interrupters

In our paper The effect of magnetron discharge pressure measurement on the actual pressure in vacuum interrupters (ICEPE TS 2015) it was reported that in 2013 vacuum pressures in the 10−5 mbar range had been measured in a batch of old vacuum interrupters which had been sealed for more than 30 years. This measurement was then repeated in 2015 and found to be in the 10−6 or 10−7 mbar range. It was proposed that the discharge involved in the first measurements had the effect of permanently removing gas from the system to very low levels, and that the pressures seen two years later arose from intrinsic outgassing within the interrupters. Now in 2017 our equipment has been improved to measure low pressures better, and the pressures have been measured again after this additional two-year period. The new measurements confirm that permanent magnetron pumping occurs, and the new pressures are compatible with what was expected from the outgassing rates measured in 2015. We believe that these results also confirm our hypothesis that each vacuum interrupter has an intrinsic outgassing rate.