Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Treosulfan as an effective second-line therapy in ovarian cancer.

Despite radical surgery and aggressive platinum-containing primary chemotherapy, the outcome of patients with advanced ovarian cancer remains extremely poor; most of them suffer from recurrent or progressive disease. These patients should be treated with an effective second-line therapy showing only few toxic side effects so as not to affect quality of life. From July 1992 to August 1996, 88 patients with recurrent or progressive ovarian cancer have been treated with treosulfan, an alkylating agent, in our department. All of them could be evaluated for toxicity and 80 for response. There were 2 complete and 13 partial responses, giving an objective response rate of 19%. Among responding patients, median survival time was 41 months. Thirty-four percent of the patients had stable disease with median survival of 18 months. Thirty-eight (47%) nonresponding patients showed a survival time of only 5 months. In 48 women with progressive disease within 12 months after primary therapy, a response rate of 19% and stable disease in 31% could be achieved. Toxic side effects were rare and moderate in intensity. Life-threatening myelosuppression, emesis resistant to therapy, and alopecia were not observed. It can be concluded that tresosulfan is an effective drug in second-line therapy for patients with recurrent or progressive ovarian cancer without affecting quality of life.
A fragilidade da condução política da defesa no Brasil

This article evaluates, under historical perspective, some lacks in Brazil's defense policy, that are central to understand the continuity of a framework characterized by the military participation and the civil absence in the elaboration and implementation process of Defense policy, incompatible with a democratic governance context. Despite some initiatives towards to regulate the armed forces limits, according their essential functions and missions, like the creation of the Defense Ministry and the publication of the National Defense Strategy, it prevails a situation of institutional fragility and public power vacuum that are conducive for the military actuation.
Bronchodilator Response Assessment of the Small Airways Obstructive Pattern

Background: A concomitant decrease in FEV1 and FVC with normal FEV1/FVC ratio and TLC defines small airways obstructive pattern (SAOP) and constitutes a classic pitfall of pulmonary-function-tests interpretation. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of flow- (FEV1 increase≥12% and 200 mL), volume- (FVC or inspiratory capacity [IC] increase≥12% and 200 mL), flow and volume-, and non-response to bronchodilation in patients with SAOP. An additional objective was to assess whether impulse oscillometry (IOS) parameters allow the diagnosis of SAOP and its reversibility. Methods: Fifty consecutive adult patients with SAOP (FEV1 and FVC < lower limit of normal, FEV1/FVC and TLC > lower limit of normal) diagnosed on spirometry and plethysmography underwent the assessment of reversibility (400 µg salbutamol) on FEV1, FVC, IC and IOS parameters. Results: The diseases most frequently associated with SAOP were COPD and asthma (26 and 15 patients, respectively). Six patients were flow-responders, 20 were volume-responders, 9 were flow and volume-responders and 15 patients were non-responders. Overall, 26 patients had a significant improvement of IC, and 35 / 50 (70%, 95%CI: 57-83) exhibited a significant bronchodilator response. The difference between Rrs5Hz and Rrs20Hz was increased in 28/50 patients (56%, 95%CI: 42-70 with value higher than upper limit of normal) and its decrease after bronchodilator significantly correlated to FEV1 increase only, suggesting proximal airway assessment. Conclusion: A significant reversibility, mainly assessed on IC increase, is frequent in Small Airways Obstructive Pattern. Impulse oscillometry is of limited value in this context because of its low sensitivity.
Null Geodesic Congruences, Asymptotically-Flat Spacetimes and Their Physical Interpretation

A priori, there is nothing very special about shear-free or asymptotically shear-free null geodesic congruences. Surprisingly, however, they turn out to possess a large number of fascinating geometric properties and to be closely related, in the context of general relativity, to a variety of physically significant effects. It is the purpose of this paper to try to fully develop these issues.This work starts with a detailed exposition of the theory of shear-free and asymptotically shear-free null geodesic congruences, i.e., congruences with shear that vanishes at future conformal null infinity. A major portion of the exposition lies in the analysis of the space of regular shear-free and asymptotically shear-free null geodesic congruences. This analysis leads to the space of complex analytic curves in an auxiliary four-complex dimensional space, ${\mathcal H}$-space. They in turn play a dominant role in the applications.The applications center around the problem of extracting interior physical properties of an asymptotically-flat spacetime directly from the asymptotic gravitational (and Maxwell) field itself, in analogy with the determination of total charge by an integral over the Maxwell field at infinity or the identification of the interior mass (and its loss) by (Bondi’s) integrals of the Weyl tensor, also at infinity.More specifically, we will see that the asymptotically shear-free congruences lead us to an asymptotic definition of the center-of-mass and its equations of motion. This includes a kinematic meaning, in terms of the center-of-mass motion, for the Bondi three-momentum. In addition, we obtain insights into intrinsic spin and, in general, angular momentum, including an angular-momentum-conservation law with well-defined flux terms. When a Maxwell field is present, the asymptotically shear-free congruences allow us to determine/define at infinity a center-of-charge world line and intrinsic magnetic dipole moment.
A Contractile Cochlear Frame Is a Common Feature of the Hearing Organs in Gekkota (Sauria, Squamata): A Comparative Study

Geckos are the most vocalizing animals among Squamata. Previously we discovered a contractile segment (the NAL, noncartilaginous abneural limbus), within the rigid periotic cochlear frame of the gecko Teratoscincus scincus [Ganeshina and Vorobyev, 2003]. Because this unusual cochlear specialization has not previously been described in the vertebrate hearing organs, we have hypothesized that the NAL has evolved within Gekkota as a specialization associated with vocalization and sound communication. Here we show that the NAL is present in ten other species belonging to four major Gekkota clades: Gekkoninae, Diplodactylinae, Eublepharinae and Pygopodidae. The NAL exhibits similar structural organization among the Gekkota species. It is composed of large, tightly packed cells enriched with a filamentous cytoskeleton and extensively interconnected via putative gap junctions. No relationship is found between the extent of development of the NAL and degree of vocalization. However, the species with relatively large body dimensions show larger absolute NAL area and structural peculiarities of the NAL that might affect its mechanical properties. A representative of the non-gekkonoid, non-vocalizing lizard, Pogona barbata (Iguania, Agamidae), possesses a similar cochlear specialization. This provides evidence that the NAL is not the exclusive feature of the Gekkota hearing organs. Our data are compatible with the hypothesis that the NAL appeared before the Gekkota separated from other Squamata groups as a mechanism involved in maintenance of the cochlear mechanical or ionic homeostasis.
Association of Type D personality to perceived side effects and adherence in CPAP‐treated patients with OSAS

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the treatment of choice for obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS), but side effects are common and long‐term adherence low. The Type D (distressed) personality is defined as a combination of negative affectivity and social inhibition. The association of Type D personality with adherence has not been studied in CPAP‐treated patients with OSAS. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of Type D personality in OSAS patients with CPAP treatment longer than 6 months and the association with self‐reported side effects and adherence. A cross‐sectional descriptive design was used. A total of 247 OSAS patients with a mean use of CPAP treatment for 55 months (6–182 months) were included. Data collection was achieved by two questionnaires; the Type D scale 14 (DS14) (Type D personality), SECI (side effects of CPAP), as well as from medical records (clinical variables and objective adherence to CPAP treatment). Type D personality occurred in 30% of the patients with OSAS and significantly (P < 0.05–0.001) increased the perceived frequency and severity of a broad range of side effects. The objective adherence was significantly lower (P < 0.001) for OSAS patients with Type D compared to OSAS patients without Type D, both with regard to a mean use of 4 h per night and 85% of the self‐rated sleep time per night. The additional effect of a Type D personality on perceived side effects and adherence to CPAP treatment found in this study could be used by healthcare personnel when evaluating patients waiting for treatment.
Effect of Increased Availability of Endothelium‐Derived Nitric Oxide Precursor on Endothelium‐Dependent Vascular Relaxation in Normal Subjects and in Patients With Essential Hypertension

Background. Patients with essential hypertension have a deficit in the endothelium‐derived nitric oxide system that results in impaired endothelium‐dependent vascular relaxation. The objective of this study was to determine whether this abnormality is caused by a deficiency of substrate for nitric oxide synthesis. Methods and Results. The vascular responses to acetylcholine (an endothelium‐dependent vasodilator infused at 7.5, 15, and 30 &mgr;g/min) and sodium nitroprusside (a direct smooth muscle dilator infused at 0.8, 1.6, and 3.2 &mgr;g/min) were studied during combined administration of dextrose 5% or l‐arginine (substrate for nitric oxide synthesis infused at 40 &mgr;mol/min) in 12 normal control subjects (seven men and five women; age, 49.3±7 years) and 14 hypertensive patients (nine men and five women; age, 48.4±7 years). In addition, the effect of d‐arginine (stereoisomer of arginine that is not a precursor of nitric oxide) on the vascular responses to acetylcholine was studied in eight normal control subjects and seven hypertensive patients. Drugs were infused into the brachial artery, and the response of the forearm vasculature was measured by strain gauge plethysmography. The vasodilator response to acetylcholine was significantly blunted in hypertensive patients compared with normal control subjects (maximum flow, 8.9±5 versus 15.7±6 mL · min‐1 · 100 mL‐1, respectively; p<0.007); however, no difference was observed in the response to sodium nitroprusside (11.4±6 and 11.7±mL · min‐1 · 100 mL‐1, respectively). l‐Arginine did not significantly change basal blood flow or vascular resistance in either group. In normal control subjects, the infusion of l‐arginine significantly augmented the vasodilator response to acetylcholine (maximum flow, 15.7±6 versus 21.4±8 mL · min‐1 · 100 mL‐1 before and after l‐arginine, respectively; p<0.001). In contrast, in hypertensive patients, the infusion of l‐arginine did not alter the response to acetylcholine (maximum flow, 8.9±5 and 8.4±4 mL · min‐1 · 100 mL‐1 before and after l‐arginine, respectively). The administration of l‐arginine did not modify the response to sodium nitroprusside in either group. Similarly, the infusion of d‐arginine did not alter the response to acetylcholine in either group. Conclusions. In normal humans, availability of substrate for production of nitric oxide is a rate‐limiting step for endothelium‐dependent vascular relaxation. In contrast, increased availability of nitric oxide precursor does not modify endothelium‐mediated vasodilation in hypertensive patients. These findings provide further evidence of a defect in the endothelium‐derived nitric oxide system in hypertension and indicate that this abnormality is not related to decreased availability of substrate for nitric oxide production. (Circulation 1993;87:1475‐1481)
The U2AF1S34F mutation induces lineage-specific splicing alterations in myelodysplastic syndromes

Mutations of the splicing factor–encoding gene U2AF1 are frequent in the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a myeloid malignancy, and other cancers. Patients with MDS suffer from peripheral blood cytopenias, including anemia, and an increasing percentage of bone marrow myeloblasts. We studied the impact of the common U2AF1S34F mutation on cellular function and mRNA splicing in the main cell lineages affected in MDS. We demonstrated that U2AF1S34F expression in human hematopoietic progenitors impairs erythroid differentiation and skews granulomonocytic differentiation toward granulocytes. RNA sequencing of erythroid and granulomonocytic colonies revealed that U2AF1S34F induced a higher number of cassette exon splicing events in granulomonocytic cells than in erythroid cells. U2AF1S34F altered mRNA splicing of many transcripts that were expressed in both cell types in a lineage-specific manner. In hematopoietic progenitors, the introduction of isoform changes identified in the U2AF1S34F target genes H2AFY, encoding an H2A histone variant, and STRAP, encoding serine/threonine kinase receptor–associated protein, recapitulated phenotypes associated with U2AF1S34F expression in erythroid and granulomonocytic cells, suggesting a causal link. Furthermore, we showed that isoform modulation of H2AFY and STRAP rescues the erythroid differentiation defect in U2AF1S34F MDS cells, suggesting that splicing modulators could be used therapeutically. These data have critical implications for understanding MDS phenotypic heterogeneity and support the development of therapies targeting splicing abnormalities.
Expression of mRNA for Voltage‐Dependent and Inward‐Rectifying K Channels in GH3/B6 Cells and Rat Pituitary

The expression of mRNA for voltage‐dependent (Kv) and inward‐rectifying K channels (Kir) was studied in clonal rat somato‐mammotroph cells (GH3/B6 cells) and rat pituitary using reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). In GH3/B6 cells transcripts for 16 different Kv channel α‐subunits (seven Shaker‐related: Kv1.2, Kv1.4, Kv1.5, Kv2.1, Kv3.2, Kv4.1, Kv5.1; six EAG: eag1, erg1, erg2, elk1–elk3; three KCNQ: KCNQ1–KCNQ3) and for five different Kir channel α‐subunits (Kir1.1, Kir2.3, Kir3.2, Kir3.3, Kir6.2) were found. In addition, transcripts for a short isoform of Kvβ2 and transcripts for Kvβ3 subunits were present. In rat pituitary transcripts for 21 different Kv channel α‐subunits (11 Shaker‐related: Kv1.3, Kv1.4, Kv1.6, Kv2.1, Kv2.2, Kv3.2, Kv3.4, Kv4.1, Kv4.2, Kv4.3, Kv6.1; seven EAG: eag1, erg1–erg3, elk1–elk3; three KCNQ: KCNQ1–KCNQ3) and nine Kir channel α‐subunits (Kir1.1, Kir2.2, Kir3.1–Kir3.4, Kir4.1, Kir6.1, Kir6.2) were found. In addition, all tested auxiliary subunits (Kvβ1–Kvβ3, minK, SUR1, SUR2) are expressed in the pituitary. The results indicate that the macroscopic K currents in GH3/B6 and pituitary cells are presumably mediated by K channels constructed by a larger number of K channel α‐subunits and auxiliary β‐subunits than previously distinguished electrophysiologically and pharmacologically.
Aberrant methylation of genes in sputum samples as diagnostic biomarkers for non-small cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND We aimed to comprehensively review the evidence for using sputum DNA to detect non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS We searched PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, Chinese Biological Medicine (CBM), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, Vip Databases and Google Scholar from 2003 to 2013. The meta-analysis was carried out using a random-effect model with sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odd ratios (DOR), summary receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC curves), area under the curve (AUC), and 95% confidence intervals (CI) as effect measurements. RESULTS There were twenty-two studies meeting the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. Combined sensitivity and specificity were 0.62 (95%CI: 0.59-0.65) and 0.73 (95%CI: 0.70-0.75), respectively. The DOR was 10.3 (95%CI: 5.88-18.1) and the AUC was 0.78. CONCLUSIONS The overall accuracy of the test was currently not strong enough for the detection of NSCLC for clinical application. Discovery and evaluation of additional biomarkers with improved sensitivity and specificity from studies rated high quality deserve further attention.
Development of Distribution Automation System Based on the Customized Integrated Services Distribution Terminal

For the shortcomings of the existing single-function management systems of electric power marketing management at present, the energy acquisition and operation management system based on the customized integrated services distribution automation terminal is proposed, using wireless ad-hoc networks and wireless mesh networking technology to solve the 'last mile' problem in the distribution automation system. As an instance of a wireless sensor network (WSN), it provides a highly reliable, real-time on-site intelligent network with strong adaptability to environment. This paper describes the structure of the energy acquisition and operation management system, and it's the uplink downlink communication channels and interfaces. The main function module design and system characteristics are detailed. The system seamlessly integrates power on-site management system, distribution transformer management system and automatic meter reading system, with a new intensive, diversified, practical system to replace the previous single-function systems.
Exploring the Relationship between Teachers' ICT Competency and Usage of ICT in Elementary and Secondary Teaching Practice

This study used a structural equation model to investigate the relationship between teachers' ICT competency and the usage of ICT in teaching practice. We constructed the research instrument mainly based on the standard of teacher's ability of applying ICT in elementary and secondary schools published by the Chinese MOE. The survey method was used to collect the data from 414 elementary and secondary teachers randomly. Further analysis based on structural equation modeling showed that the teachers' ICT competency (technology literacy, preparation &amp; organization skill, assessment &amp; diagnosis skill) significantly linked to the usage of ICT in teaching practice. In addition, the teachers' ICT preparation &amp; organization skill has the greatest impact among the factors.
Recovering and Restoring Tampered RFID Data using Steganographic Principles

Security is one major issue with RFID technology. Mainstream research in RFID security addresses the following security properties i.e. anonymity, confidentiality and authenticity, however it does not cater for integrity. In this paper we consider the fourth security property i.e. integrity. We try to solve the issue of data recovery after RFID data has been tampered. To address this issue, we present a novel steganographic solution, which embeds a secret pattern in the serial number partition of the RFID tag. This secret pattern is the data that we assume would most likely be the candidate for tampering, for example the manufacturer's and products details stored on the RFID tag. The main motivation for an attacker to tamper this data would be economic benefits like low logistics cost, or quicker custom clearance, and this can only be achieved by changing product details or manufacturer details on the RFID tag. The novelty of this scheme lies in the fact that we have applied steganographic principles to RFID tags; in comparison, most of the existing steganographic solutions are limited to images, or audio, or video applications. We term this scheme ResTamp because it is restores tampered data. This paper provides a detailed theoretical foundation for the ResTamp algorithm.
Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase polymorphism, type II diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, and essential hypertension in the Czech population.

Increased plasma concentrations of homocysteine have been found in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and essential hypertension (EH) and in patients with diabetic complications. The 677C/T methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene polymorphism is related to the MTHFR enzyme activity and to the plasma homocysteine concentration. This study was designed to investigate an association of this polymorphism with CAD, EH, and type II diabetes mellitus in the Czech population. The MTHFR genotypes were assessed by the polymerase chain reaction-based methodology in a sample of 1199 unrelated Caucasian subjects with CAD, EH, type II diabetes, or a combination of these diseases, and in healthy subjects. Allele frequencies of the MTHFR polymorphism differed considerably between women with and without type II diabetes mellitus (P = 0.00069), with a higher frequency of the C allele in the diabetic women. In addition, the MTHFR T allele frequency was significantly higher in normotensive subjects with CAD compared with normotensive subjects without this disease (P = 0.020). Both associations were confirmed by multiple logistic regressions. In conclusion, while the C allele of the 677C/T MTHFR polymorphism is associated with type II diabetes mellitus in women, the T allele is associated with CAD only in normotensive subjects of Czech origin.
Asymmetric Cortical Degenerative Syndromes: An Integrated Approach to Clinical and Imaging Review

Background:The term asymmetric cortical degenerative syndromes (ACDSs) refers to any brain afflictions that result in selective atrophy, particularly with an asymmetric pattern. Regardless of the etiology, the resulting compromised profile reflects the affected topography, which correlates with the clinical findings, more than any specific neuropathologic entity. Review Summary:ACDS can represent a diagnostic challenge, because of an overlap of clinical manifestations, especially in the early stages. Magnetic resonance techniques are useful to understand nuclear medicine studies and to confirm areas of focal atrophy by providing anatomic details and allowing an accurate correlation with several different clinical settings. Conclusions:This article demonstrates a practical neuroradiologic approach for ACDS, including optimized imaging analysis (magnetic resonance and nuclear medicine studies), which correlates their patterns with clinical and pathologic findings of the most relevant disorders.