Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accelerated lean body mass loss in incident chronic dialysis patients with diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients display a higher incidence of poor nutritional status and are at high risk of hospitalization and death. Patients on renal replacement therapy (RRT) with a primary diagnosis of diabetes mellitus have the lowest survival rates along with highest hospitalization incidence. METHODS In this study, we examined the importance of diabetes mellitus along with certain demographic and clinical variables in predicting the change in lean body mass (LBM) by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), as a surrogate marker of somatic protein stores, in 142 incident ESRD patients (91 males, 52.8 +/- 1.0 years, 74.2 +/- 1.2 kg body weight) among which 34 had diabetes mellitus (19 insulin-dependent and 15 noninsulin dependent). RESULTS Our results show that patients with diabetes mellitus had significantly accelerated loss of LBM compared to nondiabetic patients during the first year of RRT (3.4 +/- 0.6 kg vs. 1.1 +/- 0.2 kg) (P < 0.05). Multivariate linear regression analyses revealed that the presence of diabetes mellitus was the strongest predictor of LBM loss independently of several clinically-relevant variables such as age, gender, serum albumin, presence of malnutrition, presence of inflammation, and RRT modality. CONCLUSION We conclude that the presence of diabetes mellitus is the most significant independent predictor of LBM loss in renal replacement therapy patients, providing a potential explanation as to why ESRD patients with diabetes mellitus are more prone to muscle wasting.
Fat graft myringoplasty in children – a safe and successful day-stay procedure

Abstract The surgical closure of dry tympanic membrane perforations in children remains a controversial issue due to conflicting opinions on the appropriate technique, graft material and success rate. We present a review of 342 children who underwent fat graft myringoplasty as a day-stay procedure over a six-year period. Successful closure of the tympanic membrane perforation was achieved in 92 per cent of ears. Subsequent recurrent otitis media with effusion required insertion of ventilation tubes in 12 per cent. No relationship was observed between the age of the child and a successful outcome. We conclude that day-stay fat graft myringoplasty is a safe and successful procedure which results in a dry and safe ear in the majority of children.
Incidence of neonatal hip instability: are there seasonal variations?

We wanted to establish whether the season of birth affected the incidence of neonatally diagnosable hip instability in Eastern England. Data relating the numbers of maternities to the numbers of cases of congenital displacement of the hip diagnosed in neonates were analyzed month by month over a period of 8 years. The study covered 185,744 maternities and 154 cases of displaced hips during the period 1979-1986. While there were wide fluctuations in the monthly incidence, there was a striking excess of the malformation in late winter and early spring, i.e. in January, February, March and April, and a progressive decline in the succeeding months. The cause or causes of the seasonal variation are unknown.
Vitamin D status as an international issue: National surveys and the problem of standardization

Abstract Wide spread variation in measurement results of total 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) confounds international efforts to develop evidence-based clinical guidelines. Accordingly, NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) in collaboration with CDC National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Ghent University established the Vitamin D Standardization Program (VDSP) in November 2010. VDSP objectives include: (1) standardize 25(OH)D concentration measurements in national health surveys around the world, (2) evaluate survey differences, (3) extend standardization efforts to assay manufacturers, and to clinical, commercial, and research laboratories, (4) promote standardization of emerging metabolites of vitamin D status, and (5) enable the use of standardized data in patient care and public health. An interlaboratory comparison study is being conducted to assess measurement variability among current assays. Participants include national health surveys from Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, South Korea, UK and USA, 15 assay manufacturers, and two external quality assurance programs. CDC will implement a formal laboratory certification program. Standardization activities will use single-donor, fresh-frozen serum collected using the CLSI C37 protocol. Initial assay performance criteria, based on biological variability data, are ≤10 % imprecision and ≤5 % bias in relation to the reference values. An ancillary study on commutability of NIST SRM 972a, external quality assurance testing materials is included. To increase the comparability of existing data from different national surveys, master equations will be developed to facilitate the conversion of already existing national survey data to the NIST-Ghent University reference measurement procedures.
Quantitative profiling of folate and one-carbon metabolism in large-scale epidemiological studies by mass spectrometry

Abstract Background: Derangements of one-carbon metabolism have been related to the development of chronic diseases. Metabolic profiling as part of epidemiological studies in this area should include intermediates involved in the transfer of one-carbon units, cofactors for the relevant enzymes and markers of inflammation, kidney function and smoking. Methods: We established five platforms that measured 6–16 analytes each. Platforms A (gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; GC-MS) and B (gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry; GC-MS/MS) involved methylchloroformate derivatization of primary amines, thiols and carboxylic acids. Platform C determined basic compounds by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), using an ether-linked phenyl reversed-phase column. Platforms D and E (LC-MS/MS) exploited the efficient ionization and high sensitivity obtained for a wide range of analytes, using a mobile phase containing a high concentration of acetic acid. The chromatographic run times ranged from 3 to 8 min. Results: The analyte concentrations ranged from 0.2 nmol/L to 400 μmol/L. Platforms A and B both measured methylmalonic acid, total homocysteine and related amino acids. Platform B also included sarcosine, cystathionine, tryptophan and kynurenine. Platform C was optimized for the measurement of choline and betaine, but also included arginine, asymmetric and symmetric dimethylarginine and creatinine. A diversity of low abundance compounds mainly occurring in the nanomolar range were measured on platform D. These were vitamin B2 and B6 species, neopterin, cotinine and tryptophan metabolites. Platform E measured folates and folate catabolites. Conclusions: Approximately 40 analytes related to one-carbon metabolism were determined in less than 1 mL of plasma/serum using five complementary analytical platforms. As a method control, several metabolites were measured on two or more platforms. Logistics and data handling were carried out by specially designed software. This strategy allows profiling of one-carbon metabolism in large-scale epidemiological studies. Clin Chem Lab Med 2007;45:1737–45.
Vitamin B6 dependent xanthurenic aciduria (the second report).

Another family of B6 dependent xanthurenic aciduria is reported. The results of in vivo and in vitro studies of the patients agreed with those from our previous patients of the first family.1 The view, mentioned previously, 1 that the basic defect of the disorder is the inability of an apoenzyme (kynureninase) to combine normally with the coenzyme (pyridoxal phosphate) was confirmed. Causal relationship between mental retardation and biochemical disturbance is discussed.
On the transformation of the speech spectrum for voice conversion

In many speech applications, control of the speech individuality is required. These applications include the personalization of the voice of speech synthesizers, the restoral of voice individuality for interpreting telephony, the improvement of abnormal speech intelligibility. It is generally admitted that both prosadic and spectral parameters have to be changed in order to modify the speech individuality. Several algorithms have been proposed for the spectrum control. This paper presents some improvements added to these previously proposed methods and compares 4 approaches in the same common framework of voice conversion for application to text to speech synthesizers.
Low‐Dose Doxapram Therapy in Premature Infants and Its CSF and Serum Concentrations

ABSTRACT. The efficacy of low‐dose doxapram therapy (0.2 mg/kg/h) in combination with methylxanthines was evaluated in 20 premature infants with idiopathic apnea unresponsive to methylxanthines alone, and in 13 premature infants with secondary apnea. The serum concentrations of doxapram and, in some infants, the simultaneous cerebrospinal fluid and serum concentrations were measured, and the correlation between cerebrospinal fluid and serum concentrations in the postnatal period was determined. The following results were obtained: 1) In idiopathic apnea of prematurity, low‐dose doxapram therapy was as effective as a dose of 1.0‐2.5 mg/kg/h and the side effects were few, mild, and reversible. 2) In premature infants over seven days of age, serum concentrations of doxapram were almost stable but were significantly lower than in infants within the first six days of life. 3) The ratio of the cerebrospinal fluid to serum doxapram concentration was 0.48 ± 0.13 (mean ± SD). There was a good correlation between cerebrospinal fluid and serum concentrations (r= 0.933, p < 0.001). The initial doxapram dose can be set as low as 0.2 mg/kg/h in very young premature infants with idiopathic apnea of prematurity unresponsive to methylxanthines.
Comparison of binding affinity of oxytocin antagonists to human and rat uterine oxytocin receptors and their correlation to the rat uterine oxytocic bioassay.

One of the primary methods used to screen the development of oxytocin antagonists (OTAs) is the rat oxytocic bioassay. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the rat oxytocic bioassay is a good predictor of binding affinity to human and rat uterine oxytocin receptors (OTr). The binding affinities of five OTAs to human and rat uterine OTr were determined and correlated with pA2 values derived from the rat uterine oxytocic bioassay. Human uterine myometrial tissue was obtained from patients at the time of cesarean section. Rat uterine tissue for the OTr assay was taken at Day 21 of pregnancy. OTr assays were accomplished by isolating uterine cell membranes and performing saturation analysis with cold OTAs and tritium-labeled oxytocin. The association constants (Ka; 10(+8)/M) were calculated by nonlinear curve-fitting techniques. The Ka for the five OTAs (Mpa1-OT, Antag I, L366948, Antag II, and Antag III), as estimated from the human OTr assay, were 0.55, 0.60, 2.27, 1.91, and 47.20, respectively. Ka estimates obtained through use of rat uterine membranes were 0.51, 1.16, 5.89, 2.03, and 24.40, respectively. Correlation of the log10 of the rat oxytocic bioassay results with those of the rat and human OTr assay was 0.94 and 0.98, respectively (p < 0.01). Antag III was approximately 55, 48, and 90 times more potent than Mpa1-OT as determined by the rat bioassay and rat and human uterine OTr assays, respectively. Mpa1-OT is an OTA that is currently undergoing clinical evaluation. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate (HoLEP) for Small, Large and Giant Prostatic Hyperplasia: Tips and Tricks

Introduction Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) allows to treat extremely large prostates (>200 cm3). The aim of the study was to compare the efficiency of HoLEP for prostates of different sizes. Methods Four hundred and fifty-nine patients were divided into three groups: group 1 included 278 patients (<100 cm3); group 2 included 169 patients (100-200 cm3); group 3 included 12 patients (>200 cm3). Results The duration of enucleation in group 1 was 56.5 ± 10.7 min; in group 2 was 96.4 ± 24.9 min; in group 3 was 120.9 ± 35 min. The duration of morcellation in group 1 was 37.5 ± 7.3 min; in group 2 was 63.3 ± 11.2 min; in group 3 was 84.0 ± 25.6 min. The enucleation efficiency in group 3 (1.70 g/min) was higher (p<0.05) than in group 1 (1.05 g/min) and group 2 (1.23 g/min). Morcelation efficiency was lower in groups 1 and 2 (1.58 and 1.87 g/min, respectively) than in group 3 (2.45 g/min) (p<0.05). Follow-up period lasted 18 months. There were no significant differences (p>0.05) in International Prostate Symptom Score, Qmax, quality of life and postvoid residual volume for 1, 3, 6, 12 and 18 months after surgery. Conclusions HoLEP is a safe, highly efficacious and a size-independent procedure.
Coronary Heart Disease Risk, Dyslipidemia, and Management in HIV-Infected Persons

Abstract Dyslipidemia and coronary heart disease (CHD) are of increasing concern in persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection who are living longer because of the benefits of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). All classes of drugs used in HAART have been associated with atherogenic changes in lipid profiles. The management of HIV-infected persons with dyslipidemia and/or CHD currently emphasizes the importance of monitoring and optimizing lipid levels through lifestyle changes, switching antiretrovirals (ARVs), and lipid-lowering treatments utilizing guidelines developed for persons without HIV infection. In HIV-infected persons, the use of lipid-lowering drugs may result in pharmacokinetic interactions with ARVs, complicating the management of patients. Recent advances in our understanding of the differential effects of specific ARVs on lipids is beginning to alter the clinical approach to management. In the absence of randomized clinical trials, clinicians should aggressively treat atherogenic dyslipidemia by primarily utilizing or switching to ARVs with the lowest potential to induce CHD or, when this is not possible or is ineffective, secondarily by the addition of lipid-lowering therapy. The current optimal management of HIV infection requires careful selection of ARVs with consideration given to the potential development of CHD and an understanding of how to manage dyslipidemia.
Changes in the Protein and Lipid Content of Muscle, Liver and Ovaries in Relation to Diphyllobothrium spp. (Cestoda) Infection in Powan (Coregonus lavaretus) from Loch Lomond, Scotland

The present study was carried out to examine the relationship between helminth infections, nutrient reserves and gonadal status in powan in relation to infection with Diphyllobothrium spp. The relationship between fish size and body composition was also investigated. The condition factor increased with increasing length for uninfected fish and decreased for infected fish. This demonstrates the negative effect of infection on the growth of the fish. The mean percentage of protein and lipid content of muscle, liver and gonads were 89 %, 71.7 % and 64.9 % and 5.03 %, 23.3 % and 14.5 % respectively. A statistically significant correlation appeared between the length of the fish and liver protein, gonad protein and the muscle lipid content of the fish. There was no difference between the body composition of male and female fish. There was a positive correlation between length and gonad lipid in uninfected fish. A negative correlation between muscle lipid and gonad lipid and liver lipid and gonad lipid showed that while fish build up gonads they use energy reserves from muscle and the liver. Fish in good condition had a high protein content in their gonads.
Older adults encode more, not less: evidence for age-related attentional broadening

ABSTRACT Previous work has shown that older adults attend to and implicitly remember more distracting information than young adults; however, it is unknown whether they show a corresponding decrease in implicit memory for targets in the presence of distracters. Using implicit memory tests, we asked whether older adults show a tradeoff in memory between targets and distracters. Here, young and older adults performed a selective attention task in which they were instructed to attend to target pictures and ignore superimposed distracter words. We measured priming for distracter words using fragment completion and for target pictures using naming time. Older adults showed greater priming for distracting words compared to young adults, but equivalent priming for target pictures. These results suggest that older adults have a broader attentional scope than young adults, encompassing both relevant and irrelevant information.
Indecisiveness and Culture: Incidence, Values, and Thoroughness

Three studies examined cultural variations in indecisiveness among Chinese, Japanese, and Americans. In Study 1, validated self-report, comprehensive measures of indecisiveness indicated large cultural differences, with Japanese participants exhibiting substantially more indecisiveness than Chinese or Americans. Study 2 provided evidence that such cultural variations correspond to variations in people’s positive versus negative values for decisive behaviors, suggesting that such values are plausibly an important means for motivating and sustaining cultural differences in indecisiveness. Study 3 provided direct behavioral instances of the differences in indecisiveness implicated in Studies 1 and 2. It also suggested that thoroughness might be an important cognitive mechanism whereby cultural differences in indecision actually occur, with thoroughness being especially prominent among Japanese decision makers. Suggestions for theory concerning the nature and foundations of indecisiveness and its cultural variations are developed and discussed, along with plausible implications for real-life practical issues, for example, in politics and management.
Application of multiresolution preconditioner technique for scattering problem in a half space

In this paper, a modified multilevel fast multipole method (MLFMM) is presented to compute the scattering problem of the arbitrary perfect electric conductors (PECs) above a lossy half space. The half-space MLFMM algorithm is validated through comparison with authoritative literature results. Further the multiresolution (MR) preconditioner is used to precondition the modified MLFMM, the results show the MR preconditioner can speed up the convergence rate quite well.
Plane-based Surface Regularization for Urban 3D Reconstruction

In this paper, we present a method for regularizing noisy 3D reconstructions, which is especially well suited for scenes containing planar structures like buildings. At horizontal structures, the input model is divided into slices and for each slice, an inside/outside labeling is computed. With the outlines of each slice labeling, we create an irregularly shaped volumetric cell decomposition of the whole scene. Then, an optimized inside/outside labeling of these cells is computed by solving an energy minimization problem. For the cell labeling optimization we introduce a novel smoothness term, where lines in the images are used o improve the regularization result. We show that our approach can take arbitrary dense meshed point clouds as input and delivers well regularized building models, which can be textured afterwards.
Children's Drawings as a Methodological Tool: Reflections on the Eleven Plus System in Northern Ireland

The purpose of this article is to contribute to the growing debates about appropriate methodologies for researching children's lives. I intend to outline the usefulness of using drawings as a methodological tool. This method was one of three used in a study concerned with examining children's experiences of doing the Eleven Plus. This is an exam taken by the majority of 10–11 year old children in Northern Ireland. The advantages and disadvantages of employing drawings in research with children will be explored. Drawing is generally considered by adults to be a common form of expression for children. However, the article will question its relevance as a method of obtaining data on how children view their social worlds.
Inhibition of Insulin Receptor Catalytic Activity by the Molecular Adapter Grb14*

Grb14 belongs to the Grb7 family of adapters and was recently identified as a partner of the insulin receptor (IR). Here we show that Grb14 inhibits in vitro IR substrate phosphorylation. Grb14 does not alter the K m for ATP and behaves as an uncompetitive inhibitor for the IR substrate. Similar experiments performed with other members of the Grb7 family, Grb7 and Grb10, and with IGF-1 receptor argue in favor of a specific inhibition of the IR catalytic activity by Grb14. The IR-interacting domain of Grb14, the PIR, is sufficient for the inhibitory effect of Grb14, whereas the SH2 domain has no effect on IR catalytic activity. In Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells overexpressing both IR and Grb14, Grb14 binds to the IR as early as 1 min after insulin stimulation, and the two proteins remain associated. When interacting with Grb14, the IR is protected against tyrosine phosphatases action and therefore maintained under a phosphorylated state. However, the binding of Grb14 to the IR induces an early delay in the activation of Akt and ERK1/2 in CHO-IR cells, and ERK1/2 are less efficiently phosphorylated. These findings show that Grb14 is a direct inhibitor of the IR catalytic activity and could be considered as a modulator of insulin signaling.
Finance and the Preservation of Wealth

We introduce the model of asset management developed in Gennaioli, Shleifer, and Vishny (2012) into a Solow-style neoclassical growth model with diminishing returns to capital. Savers rely on trusted intermediaries to manage their wealth (claims on capital stock), who can charge fees above costs to trusting investors. In this model, the size of the financial sector rises with aggregate wealth, and wealth grows relative to GDP. As a consequence, the ratio of financial income to GDP rises over time, even though fees for given financial services decline. Because the size of the financial sector fluctuates with changes in investor trust, the model can account for the sharp decline of finance in the Great Depression, as well as its slow recovery afterwards. Entry by financial intermediaries as wealth increased in recent years may have further deepened investor trust and encouraged growth of financial income.
Hierarchical Stochastic Neighbor Embedding

In recent years, dimensionality‐reduction techniques have been developed and are widely used for hypothesis generation in Exploratory Data Analysis. However, these techniques are confronted with overcoming the trade‐off between computation time and the quality of the provided dimensionality reduction. In this work, we address this limitation, by introducing Hierarchical Stochastic Neighbor Embedding (Hierarchical‐SNE). Using a hierarchical representation of the data, we incorporate the well‐known mantra of Overview‐First, Details‐On‐Demand in non‐linear dimensionality reduction. First, the analysis shows an embedding, that reveals only the dominant structures in the data (Overview). Then, by selecting structures that are visible in the overview, the user can filter the data and drill down in the hierarchy. While the user descends into the hierarchy, detailed visualizations of the high‐dimensional structures will lead to new insights. In this paper, we explain how Hierarchical‐SNE scales to the analysis of big datasets. In addition, we show its application potential in the visualization of Deep‐Learning architectures and the analysis of hyperspectral images.