Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid in elderly patients affected by NAFLD and metabolic syndrome: a case-control study.

AIMS Evaluating the prevalence and the degree of steatosis in geriatric patients (65 to 85 years of age) with Metabolic Syndrome (defined by ATP III criteria); searching for metabolic factors which are predictive for the degree of steatosis; evaluating the efficacy of Ursodeoxycholic Acid (UDCA) for 6 months in the treatment of patients with NAFLD or NASH. MATERIALS AND METHODS We studied 87 geriatric patients with Metabolic Syndrome. Steatosis was diagnosed and graded by laboratory assessment and ultrasonography, method based on the determination of liver/kidney ratio through grey-scale intensity, which was calculated as an index of the severity of the steatosis: it could oscilates from 0 (none) to 3 (severe). We randomized the geriatric patients into two groups: Ursodeoxycholic Acid (UDCA)-treated group (n=43 pz) and diet-treated group (1200 Kcal/die for female, 1500 Kcal/die for male) (n=44 pz), for a period of 6 months. BMI, principal symptoms, liver function, blood lipids, ultrasonography liver were evaluated respectively before and after treatment. RESULTS The prevalence of steatosis was 100% (26 mild steatosis cases, 38 moderate cases and 23 severe cases) in our patients with Metabolic Syndrome. Of the 43 subjects assigned to receive 300-450 mg/d of UDCA and diet, the hepatic steatosis index decreased on the average, of the 75%. Serum AST, ALT and γ-GT decreased significantly at 3 months already (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS UDCA improves liver enzymes and ultrasonography immaging in geriatric patients with NAFLD or NASH. Unexpectedly, UDCA has resulted in beneficial effects on glycemic control and insulin sensitivity.
Parents ethnic socialization practices in shaping ethnic identity and self-esteem of multi-ethnic children in Malaysia

Parents’ Ethnic Socialization practices play important role in shaping their children’s ethnic identity and is also important for other developmental and behavioral outcomes such as self-esteem, and academic achievement. The present study examined the role of parents’ ethnic socialization practices in shaping ethnic identity and self-esteem of multi-ethnic children in Malaysia. A total of 342 multi ethnic children (ages ranging from 10-14 years old) participated in the present study. The modified version of Multi group Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), The Familial Ethnic Socialization Measure (FESM) and The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) were used in this study. The results showed that: i) parents’ ethnic socialization practices were strong predictor of ethnic identity development and self-esteem of the children; iii) the children with a greater ethnic identity exploration exhibited higher self-esteem. The results of this study showed the implications for parents’ ethnic socialization practices in successful multi ethnic families for better child development outcomes.
The Enduring Popularity of Rosa de Lima, First Saint of the Americas: Women, Bodies, Sainthood, and National Identity

S everal years before I saw Ingrid Bergman conquering castles for God and France in her role as Joan of Arc, I was mesmerized by actress Delia Garcés playing the role of Rose of Lima. ‘‘Rosa de América,’’ a black and white Argentinean feature film from 1946, triggered my eightyear-old fantasies about sainthood. Garcés was a beautiful woman, as Rosa was supposed to have been. She played many other glamorous roles in Argentinean cinema, but none made her as famous to the Latin American public as her role as Rosa. After watching Garcés in Rosa de América, Rose of Lima became one of my childhood heroines. Her beauty made sainthood seem like an attractive possibility. Her long dark curly hair, so much like mine, made me think I could be like her if I tried. Maybe if I behaved like her, I could become as beautiful and as good as she was.
Raising the general public's awareness and adoption of open source software through social Q&A interactions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the general public’s information needs concerning open source software (OSS) and OSS answerers’ motivations for sharing their knowledge of OSS in social Q&A. Design/methodology/approach – Two studies were carried out. In Study 1, a content analysis classifying OSS-related questions posted during December 2005-December 2012 in Yahoo! Answers was employed to investigate the general public’s information needs regarding OSS. In Study 2, an online survey was conducted with OSS answerers in Yahoo! Answers in order to examine what motivates them to share and continue to share their knowledge of OSS in social Q&A. In total, 1,463 invitations were sent out via Yahoo! Answers’ internal e-mail function to those who provided answers to OSS-related questions during September 2009-September 2012. In total, 150 usable surveys were returned and used for data analysis. Findings – The findings from Study 1 indicate that the general public is most interested in finding out i.
Why do providers contribute to disparities and what can be done about it?

This paper applies social cognition research to understanding and ameliorating the provider contribution to racial/ethnic disparities in health care. We discuss how fundamental cognitive mechanisms such as automatic, unconscious processes (e.g., stereotyping) can help explain provider bias. Even well-intentioned providers who are motivated to be nonprejudiced may stereotype racial/ethnic minority members, particularly under conditions of that diminish cognitive capacity. These conditions—time pressure, fatigue, and information overload—are frequently found in health care settings. We conclude with implications of the social-cognitive perspective for developing interventions to reduce provider bias.
Comparison of long-term surgical success of Ahmed Valve implant versus trabeculectomy in open-angle glaucoma

Aim: To compare the long-term intraocular pressure (IOP) outcomes of Ahmed Glaucoma Valve (AGV) implantation to trabeculectomy with mitomycin C (MMC) in open-angle glaucoma (OAG). Methods: 78 OAG patients who underwent AGV implantation were matched with respect to age, preoperative surgery, preoperative IOP and preoperative medicines to 88 OAG patients who underwent trabeculectomy with MMC with a minimum of 3 years’ follow-up. The cumulative probability of success between the two groups with different criteria was analysed: (1) an IOP⩽21 mm Hg and a reduction of IOP⩾15% from baseline; and (2) an IOP⩽18 mm Hg and a reduction of IOP⩾20% from baseline. No loss of light perception, no additional glaucoma surgery and no hypotony were also required. Results: The 5-year cumulative probability of success was not statistically significant between eyes that had an AGV or trabeculectomy with MMC when success was defined as criteria A (p = 0.094). However, when success was defined according to criteria B, eyes undergoing trabeculectomy with MMC had a higher rate of success (p = 0.024). Conclusions: Trabeculectomy with MMC has a significantly higher 5-year cumulative probability of success compared with AGV implants when greater reduction IOP is necessary.
Potent Antibody-Mediated Neutralization and Evolution of Antigenic Escape Variants of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Strain SIVmac239 In Vivo

ABSTRACT Here, we describe the evolution of antigenic escape variants in a rhesus macaque that developed unusually high neutralizing antibody titers to SIVmac239. By 42 weeks postinfection, 50% neutralization of SIVmac239 was achieved with plasma dilutions of 1:1,000. Testing of purified immunoglobulin confirmed that the neutralizing activity was antibody mediated. Despite the potency of the neutralizing antibody response, the animal displayed a typical viral load profile and progressed to terminal AIDS with a normal time course. Viral envelope sequences from week 16 and week 42 plasma contained an excess of nonsynonymous substitutions, predominantly in V1 and V4, including individual sites with ratios of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitution rates (dN/dS) highly suggestive of strong positive selection. Recombinant viruses encoding envelope sequences isolated from these time points remained resistant to neutralization by all longitudinal plasma samples, revealing the failure of the animal to mount secondary responses to the escaped variants. Substitutions at two sites with significant dN/dS values, one in V1 and one in V4, were independently sufficient to confer nearly complete resistance to neutralization. Substitutions at three additional sites, one in V4 and two in gp41, conferred moderate to high levels of resistance when tested individually. All the amino acid changes leading to escape resulted from single nucleotide substitutions. The observation that antigenic escape resulted from individual, single amino acid replacements at sites well separated in current structural models of Env indicates that the virus can utilize multiple independent pathways to rapidly achieve similar levels of resistance.
A feasibility study of high order texture features with application to pathological diagnosis of colon lesions for CT Colonography

Differentiation of colon lesions into different pathological phases, e.g., neoplastic and non-neoplastic, is of fundamental importance for patient management. Image intensity-based textural features have been recognized as a useful biomarker for the differentiation task. In this paper, we introduce high order texture features, beyond the intensity, such as gradient and curvature, for that task. We expand the 2D Haralick model to 3D and extract texture feature from high order 3D images. These texture features from image intensity, gradient, and curvature were validated on a database, which consists of 148 lesions where 35 are non-neoplastic and 113 are neoplastic lesion, using the well-known support vector machine (SVM) classifier and the merit of area under the ROC curve (AUC). The AUC of classification was improved from 0.74 (by the use of the image intensity-alone) to 0.85 (by also considering the gradient and curvature images) in differentiating the non-neoplastic lesions from neoplastic ones, e.g., the hyperplastic polyps from the tubular adenoma, tubulovillous adenoma and adenocarcinoma lesions. The experimental results demonstrated that texture features from high order images can significantly improve the classification accuracy in differentiating benign from malignant colon lesions.
Mecanismos de eliminación de patógenos en sistemas de tratamiento de aguas residuales

El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar los principales mecanismos de eliminacion y/o inactivacion de patogenos que tienen lugar en los sistemas de tratamiento de agua residual del noroeste de Espana (lagunajes, humedales artificiales y fangos activados) e intentar cuantificar el efecto de determinados factores ambientales sobre dicha inactivacion
Hospital Mortality and Resource Implications of Hospitalisation with COVID-19 in London, UK: A Prospective Cohort Study

Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had a significant impact on the National Health Service in the United Kingdom (UK), with over 33 000 cases reported in London by July 6, 2020. Detailed hospital-level information on patient characteristics, outcomes and capacity strain are currently scarce but would guide clinical decision-making and inform prioritisation and planning. Methods We aimed to determine factors associated with hospital mortality and describe hospital and ICU strain by conducting a prospective cohort study at a tertiary academic centre in London, UK. We included adult patients admitted to hospital with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 and followed them up until hospital discharge or 30 days. Baseline factors that are associated with hospital mortality were identified via semi-parametric and parametric survival analyses. Results Our study included 429 patients; 18% of them were admitted to ICU, 52% met criteria for ICU outreach team activation and 61% had treatment limitations placed during their admission. Hospital mortality was 26% and ICU mortality was 34%. Hospital mortality was independently associated with increasing age, male sex, history of chronic kidney disease, increasing baseline C-reactive protein level and dyspnoea at presentation. COVID-19 resulted in substantial ICU and hospital strain, with up to 9 daily ICU admissions and 41 daily hospital admissions, to a peak census of 80 infected patients admitted in ICU and 250 in the hospital. Management of such a surge required extensive reorganisation of critical care services with expansion of ICU capacity from 69 to 129 beds, redeployment of staff from other hospital areas and coordinated hospital-level effort. Conclusions COVID-19 is associated with a high burden of mortality for patients treated on the ward and the ICU and required substantial reconfiguration of critical care services. This has significant implications for planning and resource utilization.
Concurrent and Apposed Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma/Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia in a Patient with Hepatitis C Virus

A patient with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) presented to our clinic with a hepatic mass as well as lymphocytosis. Biopsy of the hepatic mass revealed apposed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL)/chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Dramatic examples of lymphoma regression during treatment with antiviral medication in chronic HCV patients have suggested an etiologic role for HCV in lymphomagenesis. A growing body of research seeks to clarify the details of the interaction between HCV and B-cell lymphomas. This case of adjacent SLL/CLL and HCC is the first published diagnosis of these two diseases in the liver at one time, and the only published example of the physical apposition of any lymphoma and HCC. The case is provocative in light of recent evidence that local interactions between HCV-infected hepatocytes and B cells may contribute to lymphomagenesis.
Introduction : L ’ infertilité chez l ’ homme blessé médullaire s ’ explique d ’ une part par une dysfonction érectile et éjaculatoire

Background: Erectile dysfunction, ejaculatory dysfunction and poor semen quality are the main causes of infertility in men with spinal cord injury (SCI). Different sperm retrieval techniques such as penile vibratory stimulation (PVS), electro-ejaculation (EEJ) or surgical sperm retrieval (SSR) associated or not with sperm cryopreservation can be offered to these patients to preserve their fertility. If fatherhood cannot be achieved naturally, assisted reproductive techniques can be offered to these patients using either fresh or frozen/thawed sperm. The aim of the study was to report in SCI patients from Dijon (Burgundy) and in the literature, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcomes using frozen sperm obtained either by antegrade ejaculation (PVS or sexual intercourse) or by SSR. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed in Dijon, Burgundy over a 17 year period (1995-2011) on a cohort of 19 SCI men (6 quadriplegics and 13 paraplegics, mean age: 25.2 ± 5.6 years) who underwent a sperm cryopreservation followed or not by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Patients were divided into two groups according to the sperm retrieval method used (antegrade ejaculation group (n=10): penile vibratory stimulation (PVS) for 9 patients and sexual intercourse for 1 patient and surgical sperm retrieval (SSR) group: n=9). The sperm parameters in both groups were analyzed. Pregnancy outcomes in the 8 couples who underwent ICSI were evaluated. Results: The fertilization rates were 57 and 55%, the embryo’s cleavage rates were 90 and 93% in the antegrade ejaculation and SSR groups respectively. Among the 8 couples who underwent ICSI, 5 couples achieved pregnancy. The pregnancy rates per couple were 50% and 75% in the antegrade and SSR groups respectively. Conclusions: Although some studies don’t recommend freezing sperm in SCI patients, the pregnancy rates presented in this study are encouraging and warrant the use of frozen/thawed sperm in very specific situations.
Pneumococcic meningitis in infants and children; combined therapy using penicillin and sulfonamide.

The steady advance in therapy in the past decade with the introduction of new chemotherapeutic agents and the antibiotics has dramatically influenced the fatality rate of pneumococcic meningitis. It is now a question of not only which agent or combination of agents to use, but also of how each agent can most effectively be applied. In the treatment of meningitis, especially, the known irritation and possible danger of intrathecal medication must be weighed against the seeming necessity for its use in a usually fatal disease. Penicillin was first used on the Children's Service at Bellevue Hospital in the treatment of pneumococcic meningitis in May, 1943. The following report will concern itself with patients seen only since this time. Fifteen infants and children were treated between May, 1943, and December, 1949. Pneumococcic meningitis was almost universally fatal before penicillin and sulfonamide therapy. Rarely did a child survive. Of 150 patients from
Diacylglycerol Activates the Light-Dependent Channel TRP in the Photosensitive Microvilli of Drosophila melanogaster Photoreceptors

Drosophila light-dependent channels, TRP and TRPL, reside in the light-sensitive microvilli of the photoreceptor's rhabdomere. Phospholipase C mediates TRP/TRPL opening, but the gating process remains unknown. Controversial evidence has suggested diacylglycerol (DAG), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs, a DAG metabolite), phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate (PIP2), and H+ as possible channel activators. We tested each of them directly in inside-out TRP-expressing patches excised from the rhabdomere, making use of mutants and pharmacology. When patches were excised in darkness TRP remained closed, while when excised under illumination it stayed constitutively active. TRP was opened by DAG and silenced by ATP, suggesting DAG-kinase (DGK) involvement. The ATP effect was abolished by inhibiting DGK and in the rdgA mutant, lacking functional DGK, implicating DGK. DAG activated TRP even in the presence of a DAG-lipase inhibitor, inconsistent with a requirement of PUFAs in opening TRP. PIP2 had no effect and acidification, pH 6.4, activated TRP irreversibly, unlike the endogenous activator. Complementary liquid-chromatography/mass-spectrometry determinations of DAG and PUFAs in membranes enriched in rhabdomere obtained from light- and dark-adapted eyes showed light-dependent increment in six DAG species and no changes in PUFAs. The results strongly support DAG as the endogenous TRP agonist, as some of its vertebrate TRPC homologs of the same channel family.
Nonspecific induction of immunoglobulin M antibodies to periodontal disease-associated microorganisms after polyclonal human B-lymphocyte activation by Fusobacterium nucleatum

The production of antibodies to oral bacteria was determined in lymphocyte cultures stimulated with sonicated Fusobacterium nucleatum, a potent inducer of polyclonal B-cell activation. After 9 days the cultures were examined by a microenzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies to F. nucleatum, Bacteroides gingivalis, Actinomyces viscosus, and Streptococcus sanguis. Antibodies to these four bacteria were detected in cultures stimulated with polyclonal B-cell activation-inducing concentrations of F. nucleatum. However, significant concentrations of antibodies to F. nucleatum, but not to the other three microorganisms, were produced in cultures that received suboptimal polyclonal B-cell activation-inducing doses of F. nucleatum. Absorption studies indicated the specificity of the antibodies to each of the bacteria tested. IgM antibody production induced by F. nucleatum was enhanced by the addition of T cells. The production of IgM antibodies to the bacteria was reproducible in cultures from a single person tested on 3 consecutive days. The concentration of antibodies in replicate cultures, however, fluctuated greatly. To obtain consistent responses on successive days, multiple replicate cultures were required. These results suggest that F. nucleatum, which is frequently present in subgingival plaque, could induce the production of antibodies not only to F. nucleatum, but also to other microorganisms associated with periodontal diseases.
NEAT: un télescope spatial pour détecter des exoplanètes proches par astrométrie

Dans l'etat actuel des techniques de detection des exoplanetes, aucune planete tellurique du Systeme Solaire ne pourrait etre detectee et pourtant leur presence est une contrainte tres forte sur les scenarios de formation des systemes planetaires. L'astrometrie, en mesurant l'effet reflex des planetes sur leur etoile centrale, permet de remonter a la masse des planetes et aux parametres orbitaux. C'est une technique tres utilisee pour la determination des masses et des orbites des etoiles binaires et couronnee de succes. Il est necessaire d'aller dans l'espace pour atteindre les precisions necessaires pour detecter toutes les planetes jusqu'aux masses telluriques. Le Laboratoire est engage dans un projet qui a ete propose a l'ESA dans le cadre de l'appel a mission M3 de Cosmic Vision et qui a pour objectif de recenser toutes les planetes de notre voisinage solaire. Le principe est d'utiliser l'astrometrie differentielle pour completer les mesures obtenues par les autres techniques afin de descendre le seuil de detection et de caracterisation au niveau de la masse terrestre dans la zone habitable de chaque systeme. Nous voulons explorer de facon exhaustive toutes les etoiles de type solaire (type spectral FGK) jusqu'a 20pc de notre Soleil. Le concept du satellite repose en l'etat actuel de l'etude sur du vol en formation avec un satellite portant le miroir et un satellite portant le plan focal. La mesure est faite par une metrologie a base interferometrique.Le sujet de la these consiste a avancer d'une part sur la definition du cas scientifique et d'autre part sur la specification de l'instrument et des procedures d'observation. En ce qui concerne le cas scientifique, il s'agit d'etablir une strategie d'observation optimale pour recenser et caracteriser de maniere exhaustive tous les systemes planetaires de notre voisinage. A l'aide de simulations numeriques, l'etudiant pourra etablir une strategie de reduction des donnees permettant de remonter aux parametres des orbites planetaires. Il s'agira aussi de participer a l'etablissement du budget d'erreur de l'instrument et a la definition des modes d'observation. L'etudiant sera aussi mene a mettre en œuvre des tests de performance de la mesure dans le cadre d'une etude experimentale. Cette these se deroulera dans le cadre de la collaboration europeenne sur le sujet et des contacts seront aussi tisses avec nos collegues du JPL qui maitrisent la metrologie.