Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Métastases pleuro-pulmonaires des néoplasies extra-thoraciques

Les poumons reçoivent la totalité du drainage veineux du corps expliquant la grande fréquence des métastases pleuro-pulmonaires de plusieurs cancers. L'objectif était d'étudier les manifestations radio-cliniques des métastases pleuro-pulmonaires des cancers extra-thoraciques. Nous rapportons une étude rétrospective de patients porteurs de métastase pleuro-pulmonaire colligés dans notre service entre janvier 2006 et décembre 2014. 76 dossiers ont été étudiés. La moyenne d'âge était de 50 ans (extrêmes allant de 21 ans jusqu'à 89 ans) avec une prédominance masculine dans 57,8% des cas. La symptomatologie clinique était faite principalement de toux (32,8% des cas), de dyspnée (23,7% des cas) et d'hémoptysie (11,2% des cas). Les cancers primitifs à l'origine des différentes métastases pleuro-pulmonaires retrouvés dans notre série sont dominés respectivement par le cancer du sein dans 27,6% des cas, les cancers digestifs dans 15,8% des cas, les cancers génitaux dans 9,2% des cas, les sarcomes dans 7,8% des cas, le cancer rénal dans 5,2% des cas, le cancer de la vessie dans 5,2% des cas, le cancer de la prostate dans 3,9% cas, les cancers ORL dans 3,9% des cas, les cancers thyroïdiens dans 3,9% des cas, le cancer de la peau dans 2,6% des cas et le cancer primitif d'origine indéterminée dans 14,4% des cas. Plusieurs aspects radiologiques des métastases pleuro-pulmonaires ont été retrouvés dans notre série, ils peuvent être isolés ou en association. L'aspect radiologique le plus fréquent est celui du lâcher de ballon présent dans 52,6% des cas, suivi des pleurésies présentes dans 34,2% des cas, des micronodules diffus présents dans 23,6% des cas et un nodule unique présent dans 3,94% des cas. Les cancers secondaires pleuro-pulmonaires sont fréquents. Ils viennent en 3ème position après les métastases ganglionnaires et hépatiques et ils sont retrouvés dans 30% des autopsies de patients porteurs d'une néoplasie.
Mineralogy and fluvial history of the watersheds of Gale, Knobel, and Sharp craters: A regional context for the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity's exploration

A 500 km long network of valleys extends from Herschel crater to Gale, Knobel, and Sharp craters. The mineralogy and timing of fluvial activity in these watersheds provide a regional framework for deciphering the origin of sediments of Gale crater's Mount Sharp, an exploration target for the Curiosity rover. Olivine‐bearing bedrock is exposed throughout the region, and its erosion contributed to widespread olivine‐bearing sand dunes. Fe/Mg phyllosilicates are found in both bedrock and sediments, implying that materials deposited in Gale crater may have inherited clay minerals, transported from the watershed. While some topographic lows of the Sharp‐Knobel watershed host chloride salts, the only salts detected in the Gale watershed are sulfates within Mount Sharp, implying regional or temporal differences in water chemistry. Crater counts indicate progressively more spatially localized aqueous activity: large‐scale valley network activity ceased by the early Hesperian, though later Hesperian/Amazonian fluvial activity continued near Gale and Sharp craters.
Lexical Properties of the Boston Naming Test Stimuli: Age Differences in Word Naming and Lexical Decision Latency

Two experiments examined the lexical properties of the word representations of the Boston Naming Test (BNT; Kaplan, Goodglass, & Weintraub, 1983) stimuli and whether these properties differentially influenced performance of young and older adults in a speeded word naming task and a lexical decision task. The lexical properties of the word representations examined were familiarity, number of letters, frequency of the word's occurrence, and number of syllables. The results of Experiment 1 indicated that the process of lexical access was similar in young and older adults and provided the first examination of lexical properties of the BNT stimuli in a speeded naming situation. The purpose of Experiment 2 was to reexamine the questions raised in Experiment 1 using a lexical decision task. The results of the analysis in Experiment 2 indicated that age was a significant predictor of performance on the lexical decision task. None of the other predictors contributed significantly to the regression equation.
High serum antibody levels to Porphyromonas gingivalis predict myocardial infarction

Background An association between coronary heart disease (CHD) and clinically diagnosed periodontitis has been found in several epidemiological studies. However, seroepidemiologic evidence based on prospective data on this association is totally lacking. Design The aim of the study was to investigate serum antibodies to major periodontal pathogens for their prediction of myocardial infarction (MI) in men free of CHD at baseline. Methods Cases and controls were ascertained from a random population sample of 4255 men aged 30 to 59 years at baseline. The study cases included 63 men with nonfatal MI or coronary death within the follow-up time of 10 years. Age-matched control subjects (n = 63) were randomly chosen from the same cohort. Serum antibody levels to two major periodontopathogenic bacteria, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis, were determined. Results There was no significant association between the risk for MI and IgG- or IgA-class antibody levels to A. actinomycetemcomitans or IgG-class antibody levels to P. gingivalis. However, a high P. gingivalis IgA-class antibody level predicted MI independently of classical cardiovascular risk factors. The risk for MI increased by increasing quartiles of antibody levels (P for the trend 0.021). Compared with the first quartile, the multivariate odds ratios of MI in the second, third and fourth quartiles were 2.47 (95% CI 0.75-8.11), 3.30 (1.03-10.58) and 3.99 (1.22-13.10), respectively. Conclusion The study provides serological evidence that an infection caused by the periodontal pathogen, P. gingivalis, increases the risk for MI.
Evidence for multiple sites of interaction in C3 for complement receptor type 2 (C3d/EBV receptor, CD21)

Multivalent but not monovalent CR2 ligands are required to elicit Raji cell proliferation as well as other B cell responses. It has been reported (C. Servis and J. D. Lambris, J. Immunol. 1989. 142: 2207) that the tetrameric peptide T‐(C31202–1214)4, which represents the CR2‐binding site in C3d, was able to support Raji cell growth. We show here that the tetrameric peptide T‐(gp35019–30)4, which contains the CR2‐binding site in gp350 protein of EBV also induces Raji cell growth and this effect is inhibited by the monomeric peptides gp35019–30 and C31201–1214. We also investigated the nature of the interaction between C3 fragment and CR2 in order to explain the Raji cell growth‐supporting effect exerted by C3. The following findings suggest that there are multiple sites in the C3 molecule able to interact with CR2: (1) both C3c and C3d immobilized on microspheres are able to bind to Raji cells through CR2. (2) soluble C3d inhibits to a greater extent the binding of CR2 to fixed C3d than to fixed C3b, which suggests the existence of additional CR2‐binding sites within C3b not present in the C3d portion of the molecule; (3) synthetic peptides C31187–1214, C3741–757 and C3295–307 which represent regions of similarity in the C3 molecule bind specifically to CR2 on Raji cells and compete with each other for binding to the receptor and (4) preincubation of microtiter plate‐fixed C3b with monoclonal or polyclonal anti‐peptide antibodies (C3‐9, anti‐C3727–768) recognize the N terminus of the α chain of C3 (including residues 741‐757) inhibited CR2 binding. Therefore, these data suggest that the N terminus of the α chain of C3 is involved in binding to CR2.
Evaluation of the Brief Problem Checklist: child and caregiver interviews to measure clinical progress.

OBJECTIVE To support ongoing monitoring of child response during treatment, we sought to develop a brief, easily administered, clinically relevant, and psychometrically sound measure. METHOD We first developed child and caregiver forms of a 12-item Brief Problem Checklist (BPC) interview by applying item response theory and factor analysis to Youth Self-Report (YSR; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001) and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL;Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001) data for a sample of 2,332 youths. These interviews were then administered weekly via telephone to an ethnically diverse clinical sample of 184 boys and girls 7-13 years of age and their caregivers participating in outpatient treatment, to examine psychometric properties and feasibility. RESULTS Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were excellent, and factor analysis yielded 1 internalizing and 1 externalizing factor. Validity tests showed large and significant correlations with corresponding scales on paper-and-pencil administrations of the CBCL and YSR as well as with diagnoses obtained from a structured diagnostic interview. Discriminant validity of the BPC interviews was supported by low correlations with divergent criteria. Longitudinal data for the initial 6 months of treatment demonstrated that the BPC significantly predicted change on related measures of child symptoms. Estimates obtained from random coefficient growth models showed generally higher slope reliabilities for the BPC given weekly relative to the CBCL and YSR given every 3 months. CONCLUSIONS Given their combination of brevity and psychometric strength, the child and caregiver BPC interviews appear to be a promising strategy for efficient, ongoing assessment of clinical progress during the course of treatment.
Fast String Matching with Mismatches

Abstract We describe and analyze three simple and fast algorithms on the average for solving the problem of string matching with a bounded number of mismatches. These are the naive algorithm, an algorithm based on the Boyer-Moore approach, and ad hoc deterministic finite automata searching. We include simulation results that compare these algorithms to previous works.
Detection versus location judgments in a hidden pattern task: Functional MRI and behavioral correlates

We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess cortical involvement in a hidden pattern task. The experimental and control conditions involved judgment of the presence/absence versus the position of a complex pattern. Activation specific to hidden pattern identification was concentrated on frontal, dorsal parietal, and mesolimbic cortex. This was consistent not only across individual subjects, but with hidden figures tasks used in previous fMRI investigations. Results suggest that pattern identification relies on a relatively stable neural network controlling selective attention. In combination with fMRI, hidden pattern tasks may be useful in neuropsychological assessment of visual search and object identification.
Chemoprevention of Gastric Cancer: Role of COX-2 Inhibitors and Other Agents

Despite the decrease in incidence, gastric cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Prevention is likely to be the most effective means of not only reducing the incidence but also mortality from this disease. The term ‘chemoprevention’ has been referred to the prevention of cancer using specific agents to suppress or reverse the carcinogenic process. In recent years, attention has been focused on the anticancer properties of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy and diet life-style. In vitro and in vivo studies show that widespread and long-term use of NSAIDs may be adopted in the healthy population for gastric chemoprevention. Albeit, enthusiasm has been thwarted by the potential toxic effects, i.e., risk of peptic ulcer disease. The new NSAIDs, selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, causing less injury to the mucosa of the upper gastrointestinal tract may be a valid alternative. However, fundamental questions such as safety, efficacy, mechanisms of actions, and optimal treatment regimens need to be defined. H. pylori triggers gastric carcinogenesis, however, cost-effect analyses suggest that only a subgroup of H. pylori-infected subjects present beneficial changes following eradication therapy. Diet plays an important role in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer either increasing the risks of or protecting against, cancer development. Thus, a reasonable suggestion for the general population is a natural chemoprevention based on life-style ‘eat to live, not live to eat’.
Immunohistochemical expression of 14‐3‐3 sigma protein in various histological subtypes of uterine cervical cancers

14‐3‐3 sigma (σ) has been a major G2/M checkpoint control gene and has demonstrated that its inactivation in various cancers occurs mostly by epigenetic hypermethylation, not by genetic change. In order to confirm 14‐3‐3σ protein expression together with p16 and p53 in cervical cancers, immunohistochemistry was performed using various histological subtypes of cervical cancers and dysplasia. Strong and diffuse immunoreactivity for 14‐3‐3σ was uniformly observed in all the cervical dysplasia (17/17) and squamous cell carcinomas (29/29) including human papillomavirus (HPV)‐negative cases. Even in adenosquamous carcinomas and adenocarcinomas of the cervix, immunohistochemical expression of 14‐3‐3σ was shown with relatively high frequency (13/15, 87% and 22/27, 81%). In the in situ hybridization study, mRNA of 14‐3‐3σ was expressed in six of eight immunohistochemical‐negative cases. Therefore, the undetectable expression of 14‐3‐3σ protein in cervical cancers might, at least in part, be due to a proteolysis not epigenetic hypermethylation. It is of interest that cancers without 14‐3‐3σ expression were predominantly those lacking HPV DNA, and that there were no cases with concomitant inactivation of 14‐3‐3σ and p16 in the present study. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that inactivation of either 14‐3‐3σ or p16 has an effect equivalent to the expression of E6 and E7 oncoproteins of HPV.
Radiological Grading of Spinal MRI

This paper describes a fully automatic system for obtaining the standard Pfirrmann degeneration grading of individual intervertebral spinal discs in T2 MRI scans. It involves detecting and labelling all the vertebrae in the scan and then learning a regression from the disc region to the grading. In developing the regression function we investigate a spectrum of support regions which involve differing degrees of segmentation of the scan: our intention is to ascertain to what extent segmentation is necessary or detrimental in obtaining robust and accurate measurements. The methods are assessed on a heterogeneous clinical dataset containing 1710 Pfirrmann-graded discs, from 285 symptomatic back pain patients. We are able to predict the grade to ±1 precision at 85.8% accuracy. Our novel method proposes new image features that outperform previous features and utilizes techniques to improve robustness to MR imaging variations.
A train track directed random walk on Out(Fr)

Several known results, by Rivin, Calegari-Maher and Sisto, show that an element φn ∈ Out(Fr), obtained after n steps of a simple random walk on Out(Fr), is fully irreducible with probability tending to 1 as n → ∞. In this paper, we construct a natural "train track directed" random walk 𝒲 on Out(Fr) (where r ≥ 3). We show that, for the element φn ∈ Out(Fr), obtained after n steps of this random walk, with asymptotically positive probability the element φn has the following properties: φn is an ageometric fully irreducible, which admits a train track representative with no periodic Nielsen paths and exactly one nondegenerate illegal turn, that φn has "rotationless index" (so that the geometric index of the attracting tree Tφn of φn is 2r - 3), has index list and the ideal Whitehead graph being the complete graph on 2r - 1 vertices, and that the axis bundle of φn in the Outer space CVr consists of a single axis.
KdgF, the missing link in the microbial metabolism of uronate sugars from pectin and alginate

Significance Pectin and alginate are polysaccharides found in the cell walls of plants and brown algae, respectively. These polysaccharides largely consist of chains of uronates, which can be metabolized by bacteria through a pathway of enzymatic steps to the key metabolite 2-keto-3-deoxygluconate (KDG). Understanding the metabolism of these sugars is important because pectin degradation is used by many plant-pathogenic bacteria during infection, and both pectin and alginate represent abundant sources of carbohydrate for the production of biofuels. Here we demonstrate that KdgF, a protein of previously unknown function, catalyzes the linearization of unsaturated uronates from both pectin and alginate. Furthermore, we show that KdgF contributes to efficient production of KDG and a bacterium’s ability to grow on uronates. Uronates are charged sugars that form the basis of two abundant sources of biomass—pectin and alginate—found in the cell walls of terrestrial plants and marine algae, respectively. These polysaccharides represent an important source of carbon to those organisms with the machinery to degrade them. The microbial pathways of pectin and alginate metabolism are well studied and essentially parallel; in both cases, unsaturated monouronates are produced and processed into the key metabolite 2-keto-3-deoxygluconate (KDG). The enzymes required to catalyze each step have been identified within pectinolytic and alginolytic microbes; yet the function of a small ORF, kdgF, which cooccurs with the genes for these enzymes, is unknown. Here we show that KdgF catalyzes the conversion of pectin- and alginate-derived 4,5-unsaturated monouronates to linear ketonized forms, a step in uronate metabolism that was previously thought to occur spontaneously. Using enzyme assays, NMR, mutagenesis, and deletion of kdgF, we show that KdgF proteins from both pectinolytic and alginolytic bacteria catalyze the ketonization of unsaturated monouronates and contribute to efficient production of KDG. We also report the X-ray crystal structures of two KdgF proteins and propose a mechanism for catalysis. The discovery of the function of KdgF fills a 50-y-old gap in the knowledge of uronate metabolism. Our findings have implications not only for the understanding of an important metabolic pathway, but also the role of pectinolysis in plant-pathogen virulence and the growing interest in the use of pectin and alginate as feedstocks for biofuel production.
Social and Non-Social Cognitive Enhancement in Cocaine Users—A Closer Look on Enhancement Motives for Cocaine Consumption

Background Cognitive disturbances of chronic cocaine users (CU) have been repeatedly investigated. However, it is yet unknown how CU using cocaine for cognitive or social enhancement differ from stimulant-naïve controls and CU that do not have these motives. More precisely, we assumed that CU with an enhancement motive self-medicate deficits in specific cognitive abilities, i.e., they use cocaine to enhance their performance in either social (social motive) or non-social cognitive situations (cognitive motive). Methods Forty-two CU were categorized according to their motives for cocaine consumption into social and non-social motive groups as well as cognitive and non-cognitive motive groups, respectively. Subsequently, CU motive groups were compared to 48 stimulant-naïve controls in their social and non-social cognitive functioning applying a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery. Results The social motive group showed deficits in cognitive empathy compared to controls (Cohen’s d = 0.65) and the non-social motive group (d = 0.60). No mentionable effects were found for emotional empathy and Theory-of-Mind. Cognitive and non-cognitive motive groups both showed general cognitive deficits but with different patterns of impairments compared to controls: the cognitive motive group had deficits mainly in working memory (d = 0.84) and declarative memory (d = 0.60), whereas the non-cognitive motive group also had deficits in working memory (d = 0.61) but additionally in executive functions (d = 0.67). For the domains declarative memory and executive functions, the respective other CU group displayed intermediate performance. Conclusions This study demonstrates that cocaine is partially instrumentalized by CU with specific enhancement motives to counteract related cognitive impairments.
Early Results of Percutaneous Iliosacral Screws Placed with the Patient in the Supine Position

Summary The operative management of pelvic ring fractures and dislocations is difficult. Posterior pelvic ring disruptions are often associated with severe soft-tissue injuries and high infection rates. Percutaneous iliosacral screw fixation of the posterior pelvis has become popular with improved fluoroscopic imaging techniques. The percutaneous iliosacral screw technique after closed reduction of the posterior pelvic disruption minimally violates the soft-tissue envelope and should diminish both the operative blood loss and infection rate. The early results and complications are documented in our first 68 patients.
Efficiency of Firms in Indian Industry: The Effect of Reforms

Has the efficiency of firms in India improved since its liberalization in 1991? The authors attempt to answer this question by analyzing the determinants of firm-level efficiency in six manufacturing sectors in India while focusing on the effects of liberalization and domestic competition. They find that there was an increase in overall efficiency in the post-reform period in India in five out of the six sectors. While imports do not seem to improve efficiency, liberalization did increase efficiency in four of the sectors.
Characterization of a Genetic Element Carrying the Macrolide Efflux Gene mef(A) in Streptococcus pneumoniae

ABSTRACT The mef(A) gene from a clinical isolate ofStreptococcus pneumoniae exhibiting the M-type resistance to macrolides was found to be part of the 7,244-bp chromosomal element Tn1207.1, which contained 8 open reading frames.orf2 encodes a resolvase/invertase, and orf5 is a homolog of the macrolide-streptogramin B resistance genemsr(SA).
SHIFTING THE BURDEN OF TAXATION FROM THE CORPORATE TO THE PERSONAL LEVEL AND GETTING THE CORPORATE TAX RATE DOWN TO 15 PERCENT

We consider three plans for shifting the tax on corporate income to the personal level to achieve a significant reduction in the corporate tax rate. One plan eliminates the corporate tea and taxes dividends and the annual change in the value of publicly traded financial assets at ordinary rates. The second integrates corporate and shareholder taxes. The third lowers the corporate tax rate to 15 percent and taxes dividends and capital gains as ordinary income. To prevent large reductions in capital gains realizations and dividend payouts, an interest charge on taxes deferred during the holding period would be imposed when an asset is sold. We conclude that the third alternative is more robust than the other two.
Sorafenib reduces hepatic infiltrated regulatory T cells in hepatocellular carcinoma patients by suppressing TGF‐beta signal

Sorafenib has been shown to improve survival rate of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients significantly. Decline of tumor infiltrated regulatory T cells (TITs) may account for the activity of sorafenib partially. In this study, the underlying mechanism of sorafenib reducing TITs was investigated.