Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Meta-analysis of current chemotherapy regimens in advanced pancreatic cancer to prolong survival and reduce treatment-associated toxicities

Unresectable advanced pancreatic cancer (APC) is a highly lethal malignancy. Although numerous chemotherapeutic regimens are available, evidence regarding the survival extension, the life quality improvement, the associated risks and occurrence rates of adverse effects, is required. The effects of 19 chemotherapy regimens on survival and treatment-associated toxicities in the context of APC treatment were comparatively assessed. A total of 23 randomized controlled trials were included in this network meta-analysis. For overall survival, five regimens, Gemcitabine (Gem)+radiotherapy (Radio), Gem+cisplatin (Cis), Gem+erlotinib (Erl)+bevacizumab (Bev), Gem+capecitabine (Cap)+Erl, and Gem+exatecan, were the most effective treatments, according to their respective high surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) probabilities. Regarding the progression-free survival, five regimens, including Gem+Radio, Gem+Erl+Bev, Gem+Cis, Gem+Cap+Erl and Gem+pemetrexed, were the most effective treatments based on their SUCRA probabilities. Each regimen exhibited advantages and disadvantages, and 14 common treatment-associated toxicities were present in different proportions. The three principal toxic effects included haematological, gastrointestinal and constitutional symptoms. To improve survival, chemotherapy regimens with high SUCRA probabilities require prioritizing. Although treatment-associated toxicities are unavoidable, the regimens presented toxicities in distinct proportions. Therefore, clinicians should assess the disease status of the patients, and balance the benefits and risks of the selected treatment.
Reduction of Video Compression Artifacts Based on Deep Temporal Networks

It has been shown that deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) reduce JPEG compression artifacts better than the previous approaches. However, the latest video compression standards have more complex artifacts than the JPEG, including the flickering which is not well reduced by the CNN-based methods developed for still images. Moreover, recent video compression algorithms include in-loop filters which reduce the blocking artifacts, and thus post-processing barely improves the performance. In this paper, we propose a temporal-CNN architecture to reduce the artifacts in video compression standards as well as in JPEG. Specifically, we exploit a simple CNN structure and introduce a new training strategy that captures the temporal correlation of the consecutive frames in videos. The similar patches are aggregated from the neighboring frames by a simple motion search method, and they are fed to the CNN, which further reduces the artifacts. Experiments show that our approach shows improvements over the conventional CNN-based methods with similar complexities for image and video compression standards, such as MPEG-2, AVC, and HEVC, with average PSNR gain of 1.27, 0.47, and 0.23 dB, respectively.
Gender gap in the STEM sector in pre and university studies of Europe associated with ethnic factors

The ground-breaking current project builds on the latent gender gap in the education sector in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The objective of the paper is to present the thesis Project, which addresses the study of the causality of this gap, associating the possible relationship with gender roles and stereotypes assumed, together with cultural factors, such as the origin of the person. This paper describes the research project to study this situation and establish new fieldwork, using a mixed methodology, taking into account the specific variables and dimensions. In this fieldwork, we want young people between the ages of 16 and 30 to tell their story. From the evaluation of the current situation through the sequential mixed exploratory research method and from the longitudinal cohort to be carried out with the target population, palliative measures can be derived to reduce the gender gap. The project will be carried out in three phases: preparation, research, and evaluation, each of which will be carried out using different techniques and instruments. The data collected will help to identify the relationship between the gender gap and ethnic and racial factors. Finally, it can be concluded that in order to generate and achieve equal representation, one must first know the motivation and interests of people, which lead to different decisions being made and being able to work on them.
Comprehensive assessment gene signatures for clear cell renal cell carcinoma prognosis

Abstract There are many prognostic gene signature models in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). However, different results from various methods and samples are hard to contribute to clinical practice. It is necessary to develop a robust gene signature for improving clinical practice in ccRCC. A method was proposed to integrate least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and multiple Cox regression to obtain mRNA and microRNA signature from the cancer genomic atlas database for predicting prognosis of ccRCC. The gene signature model consisted by 5 mRNAs and 1 microRNA was identified. Prognosis index (PI) model was constructed from RNA expression and median value of PI is used to classified patients into high- and low-risk groups. The results showed that high-risk patients showed significantly decrease survival comparison with low-risk groups [hazard ratio (HR) =7.13, 95% confidence interval = 3.71–13.70, P < . 001]. As the gene signature was mainly consisted by mRNA, the validation data can use transcriptomic data to verify. For comparison of the performance with previous works, other gene signature models and 4 datasets of ccRCC were retrieved from publications and public database. For estimating PI in each model, 3 indicators including HR, concordance index , and the area under the curve of receiver operating characteristic for 3 years were calculated across 4 independent datasets. The comparison results showed that the integrative model from our study was more robust than other models via comprehensive analysis. These findings provide some genes for further study their functions and mechanisms in ccRCC tumorigenesis and malignance, and may be useful for effective clinical decision making of ccRCC patients.
Ly9 (CD229) Antibody Targeting Depletes Marginal Zone and Germinal Center B Cells in Lymphoid Tissues and Reduces Salivary Gland Inflammation in a Mouse Model of Sjögren's Syndrome

Sjögren's Syndrome (SjS) is a common chronic autoimmune disease characterized by the B cell hyperactivation, lymphocyte infiltration, and tissue damage of exocrine glands. It can also present life-threatening extraglandular manifestations, such as pulmonary and hepatic involvement, renal inflammation and marginal zone (MZ) B cell lymphoma. Several biologic agents have been tested in SjS but none has shown significant efficacy. Here, we report the effects of Ly9 (CD229) antibody targeting, a cell surface molecule that belongs to the SLAM family of immunomodulatory receptors, using NOD.H-2h4 mice as a model of SjS-like disease. Female mice were treated with anti-Ly9 antibody or isotype control at week 24, when all mice present SjS related autoantibodies, salivary gland infiltrates, and marginal zone (MZ) B cell pool enlargement. Antibody injection depleted key lymphocyte subsets involved in SjS pathology such as MZ, B1, and germinal center B cells in spleen and draining lymph nodes without inducing a general immunosuppression. Importantly, mice receiving anti-Ly9 mAb showed a reduced lymphocyte infiltrate within salivary glands. This reduction may be, in part, explained by the down-regulation of L-selectin and alfa4/beta7 integrin induced by the anti-Ly9 antibody. Furthermore, levels of anti-nuclear autoantibodies were reduced after anti-Ly9 treatment. These data indicate that Ly9 is a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of SjS.
Phase IV noninferiority controlled randomized trial to evaluate the impact on diagnostic thinking and patient management and the test–retest reproducibility of the Gaxilose test for hypolactasia diagnosis

Background: The diagnostic accuracy of the Gaxilose test (GT) for hypolactasia diagnosis has already been proved. The objectives of this clinical trial were to demonstrate the noninferiority of the GT compared to the hydrogen breath test (HBT) on the impact on diagnostic thinking and patient management, to evaluate the GT reproducibility with urine accumulated from 0 to 4 hours and from 0 to 5 hours and to assess test safety. Methods: We conducted a randomized, parallel, noninferiority clinical trial. Patients with clinical symptoms suggestive of lactose intolerance were screened for inclusion and randomly assigned to the GT arm or the HBT arm of the study. The impact on diagnostic thinking and patient management was analyzed with pretest and posttest questionnaires in which the investigators indicated their estimated probability of hypolactasia diagnosis and the intended management before and after the GT or the HBT (noninferiority margin: −10%). The primary outcome of the study was the impact on diagnostic thinking, expressed as the mean of the absolute values of the differences between the pretest and posttest probabilities of hypolactasia diagnosis. Patients randomized to the GT arm performed also the retest to evaluate the reproducibility of the GT. Results: A total of 147 patients were included in the intend-to-treat (ITT) population. Among them, 74 performed the HBT and 73 performed the GT. The results proved the noninferiority of the GT compared to the HBT on the impact on diagnostic thinking (ImpactGT = 31.74 ± 23.30%; ImpactHBT = 24.28 ± 19.87%; &Dgr;GT−HBT = 7.46%; 95% confidence interval of &Dgr;GT−HBT: 1.55%, infinite) and on patient management. The test–retest reproducibility was better for the GT with urine accumulated from 0 to 5 h: the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.5761, and the Kappa coefficient was 0.7548, indicative of substantial agreement between both tests. No serious adverse events were reported during the study. Conclusions: The GT has an impact on diagnostic thinking and patient management noninferior to that of the HBT, is reproducible and well tolerated. These results prove the clinical benefit of its use in the clinical practice (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02636413).
A New Sequential Optimization Procedure and Its Applications to Resource Allocation for Wireless Systems

A novel optimization framework for resource allocation in wireless networks and radar systems is proposed, which merges the methods of maximum block improvement (MBI) and of sequential optimization. A detailed convergence proof is provided, showing that the proposed algorithm is able to monotonically increase the objective value while ensuring that every limit point of the generated variable sequence fulfills the problem first-order optimality conditions under very mild hypothesis. These results extend available convergence results on MBI and sequential optimization, significantly widening the range of applications that can be handled by the proposed framework compared to available approaches. This point is illustrated in detail presenting relevant applications from both the cellular and radar context, which fall under the umbrella of the developed optimization method.
Intake of vitamin B6, folate, and vitamin B12 and risk of coronary heart disease: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies

Abstract The objective of this study was to quantify the association of B-vitamins intake with the future risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). A systematic search was performed with the use of PubMed and Scopus from inception to April 30, 2018. Prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of intake of folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 with risk of CHD in the general population were included. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed. Eleven prospective cohort studies (total n = 369,746) with 5133 cases of CHD were included in the analyses. The relative risks were: 0.79 (95%CI: 0.69, 0.89; I2 = 67%) for a 250 µg/d increment in folate intake; 0.87 (95%CI: 0.78, 0.96; I2 = 80%) for a 0.5 mg/d increment in vitamin B6 intake; and 0.97 (95%CI: 0.80, 1.14: I2 = 67%) for a 3 µg/d increment in vitamin B12 intake. The results did not change materially when the analyses were restricted only to dietary vitamins intake. A nonlinear dose-response meta-analysis demonstrated a linear inverse association between folate and vitamin B6 intake and risk of CHD. In conclusion, higher intake of folate and vitamin B6 is associated with a lower risk of CHD in the general population.
Increased α2δ‐1–NMDA receptor coupling potentiates glutamatergic input to spinal dorsal horn neurons in chemotherapy‐induced neuropathic pain

Painful peripheral neuropathy is a severe and difficult‐to‐treat neurological complication associated with cancer chemotherapy. Although chemotherapeutic drugs such as paclitaxel are known to cause tonic activation of presynaptic NMDA receptors (NMDARs) to potentiate nociceptive input, the molecular mechanism involved in this effect is unclear. α2δ‐1, commonly known as a voltage‐activated calcium channel subunit, is a newly discovered NMDAR‐interacting protein and plays a critical role in NMDAR‐mediated synaptic plasticity. Here we show that paclitaxel treatment in rats increases the α2δ‐1 expression level in the dorsal root ganglion and spinal cord and the mRNA levels of GluN1, GluN2A, and GluN2B in the spinal cord. Paclitaxel treatment also potentiates the α2δ‐1–NMDAR interaction and synaptic trafficking in the spinal cord. Strikingly, inhibiting α2δ‐1 trafficking with pregabalin, disrupting the α2δ‐1–NMDAR interaction with an α2δ‐1 C‐terminus–interfering peptide, or α2δ‐1 genetic ablation fully reverses paclitaxel treatment‐induced presynaptic NMDAR‐mediated glutamate release from primary afferent terminals to spinal dorsal horn neurons. In addition, intrathecal injection of pregabalin or α2δ‐1 C‐terminus–interfering peptide and α2δ‐1 knockout in mice markedly attenuate paclitaxel‐induced pain hypersensitivity. Our findings indicate that α2δ‐1 is required for paclitaxel‐induced tonic activation of presynaptic NMDARs at the spinal cord level. Targeting α2δ‐1–bound NMDARs, not the physiological α2δ‐1–free NMDARs, may be a new strategy for treating chemotherapy‐induced neuropathic pain.
Pattern Recognition of Partial Discharge Image Based on One-dimensional Convolutional Neural Network

Big data platforms and centers are ubiquitous today where a large amount of unstructured data on site such as images is accumulated. For structured data, partial discharge pattern recognition method has been extensively studied, whereas traditional methods can not be directly applied to unstructured data. To this end, a time-domain waveform pattern recognition method based on one-dimensional convolutional neural network (CNN) is proposed. Image processing techniques are applied to obtain one-dimensional characteristics of the waveform. Based on deep learning, the network is constructed for pattern recognition straight forwardly. Through on site detection and simulation experiments, image data sets of five partial discharge defects are established and comparative experiments are conducted. Experimental results show that the proposed method can successfully perform pattern recognition with applications in work of data mining and data utilization. Under the same complexity, it is also with higher accuracy comparing to two-dimensional CNN. Furthermore, the method autonomously extrapolates features without manual extraction, which achieves low experimental complexity and robustness simultaneously.
Motivation drives conflict adaptation.

The notion that impaired performance in the past increases motivational vigor in the future is central to many modern theories. The conflict monitoring model predicts that conflict between incompatible responses reduces susceptibility to upcoming conflict. Recently, this conflict-adaptation effect has been reframed in terms of motivational control: Conflict in the past elicits negative affect, which can be reduced by increasing control, thereby alleviating future conflict and associated negative affect. While evidence supports that conflict adaptation serves a motivational purpose (e.g., affect regulation), it remains unclear whether conflict adaptation is actually triggered by motivational mechanisms. The present research tested this hypothesis of a motivational conflict-adaptation effect. We recorded continuous finger movements toward target stimuli and away from distractor stimuli. Motivational conflict was instigated by assigning reward and penalty to stimuli that functioned either as targets or distractors. To index motivational vigor and increased precision due to motivation, we measured initiation times and spatial deviation from the shortest path to the target. Both a reanalysis of published data and data from a new replication study established a motivational conflict-adaptation effect. Together, the results extend a motivational control framework, showing that motivational dynamics (i.e., motivational conflicts) can be the driving force of control.
Effect of Strength on Velocity and Power During Back Squat Exercise in Resistance-Trained Men and Women

Abstract Askow, AT, Merrigan, JJ, Neddo, JM, Oliver, JM, Stone, JD, Jagim, AR, and Jones, MT. Effect of strength on velocity and power during back squat exercise in resistance-trained men and women. J Strength Cond Res 33(1): 1–7, 2019—The purpose was to examine load-velocity and load-power relationships of back squat in resistance-trained men (n = 20, 21.3 ± 1.4 years, 183.0 ± 8.0 cm, 82.6 ± 8.0 kg, 11.5 ± 5.0% total body fat) and women (n = 18; 20.0 ± 1.0 years; 166.5 ± 6.9 cm; 63.9 ± 7.9 kg, 20.3 ± 5.0% body fat). Body composition testing was performed followed by determination of back squat 1 repetition maximum (1RM). After at least 72 hours of recovery, subjects returned to the laboratory and completed 2 repetitions at each of 7 separate loads (30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90% 1RM) in a random order. During each repetition, peak and average velocity and power were quantified using a commercially available linear position transducer. Men produced higher absolute peak and average power and velocity at all loads. When power output was normalized for body mass, significant differences remained. However, when normalizing for strength, no significant differences were observed between sexes. Furthermore, when subjects were subdivided into strong and weak groups, those above the median 1RM produced higher peak power, but only at loads greater than 60% 1RM. It was concluded that differences between men and women may be a result of strength rather than biological sex. Furthermore, training for maximal strength may be an appropriate method to augment maximal power output in those athletes who exhibit low levels of strength.
Management of occipitocervical junction and upper cervical trauma

Objective: The treatment modality of occipitocervical junction (OCJ) and upper cervical traumas carries great importance because of unique form of bone, complex ligamentous, and neurovascular structure. Materials and Methods: Eighty-eight patients were admitted to Mersin University Department of Neurosurgery between January 2007 and January 2017 for injuries of the OCJ and upper cervical spine and evaluated retrospectively. In the group, there were 60 male, 28 female patients in the mean age of 42.9 (18–87) years. Among those, 2 occipital condyle fractures, 28 C1 fractures (26 isolated and 2 with transverse ligament injury), 9 combined C1/C2 fractures, 6 rotatory C1/C2 dislocations, and 43 C2 fractures (32 odontoid, 5 Hangman's, and 6 miscellaneous fractures) were diagnosed. In addition to clinical cases, ten cadavers were used to study the OCJ in a step-wise manner. Results: Occipital condyle fractures, isolated C1 fractures, and rotatory C1/C2 dislocations were treated conservatively. Two patients with C1 fracture including transverse ligament injury were operated in one of the methods of C1–C2 fusion which is posterior sublaminar wiring. Five patients having Type II odontoid fracture were treated surgically. One instable Hangman's fracture patient was treated as anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. Conclusions: Cases with isolated C1 fracture with intact transverse ligament should be conservatively treated without surgical approach. Atlas fractures with transverse ligament rupture, odontoid Type II fractures with dislocation >6 mm, and unstable Hangman's fractures required surgical treatment. Vital neurovascular, ligamentous, and accompanying bone structures should be evaluated for diagnosis and treatment modality. In addition, patient's health status, patient's treatment preference, and surgical team experience are the affecting factors for the decision of surgery.
Mobile Acceptance and Learning Beliefs: A Cross-Cultural Assessment Between China and Spain

This paper presents the results of a study focused on the factors that condition the acceptance of mobile technologies among university students from China and Spain, paying special attention to the learning beliefs of the students. A total of 808 students from different universities from Spain and China participated in this study filling a questionnaire design and developed through the collaboration of researchers from both countries. The results of the descriptive analysis show a good level of acceptance of mobile technologies among both groups of students although the hypothesis contrast evidences important differences according to the variable country.
Phosphomimetic‐mediated in vitro rescue of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy linked to R58Q mutation in myosin regulatory light chain

Myosin regulatory light chain (RLC) phosphorylation is important for cardiac muscle mechanics/function as well as for the Ca2+‐troponin/tropomyosin regulation of muscle contraction. This study focuses on the arginine to glutamine (R58Q) substitution in the human ventricular RLC (MYL2 gene), linked to malignant hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in humans and causing severe functional abnormalities in transgenic (Tg) R58Q mice, including inhibition of cardiac RLC phosphorylation. Using a phosphomimic recombinant RLC variant where Ser‐15 at the phosphorylation site was substituted with aspartic acid (S15D) and placed in the background of R58Q, we aimed to assess whether we could rescue/mitigate R58Q‐induced structural/functional abnormalities in vitro. We show rescue of several R58Q‐exerted adverse phenotypes in S15D‐R58Q‐reconstituted porcine cardiac muscle preparations. A low level of maximal isometric force observed for R58Q‐ versus WT‐reconstituted fibers was restored by S15D‐R58Q. Significant beneficial effects were also observed on the Vmax of actin‐activated myosin ATPase activity in S15D‐R58Q versus R58Q‐reconstituted myosin, along with its binding to fluorescently labeled actin. We also report that R58Q promotes the OFF state of myosin, both in reconstituted porcine fibers and in Tg mouse papillary muscles, thereby stabilizing the super‐relaxed state (SRX) of myosin, characterized by a very low ATP turnover rate. Experiments in S15D‐R58Q‐reconstituted porcine fibers showed a mild destabilization of the SRX state, suggesting an S15D‐mediated shift in disordered‐relaxed (DRX)↔SRX equilibrium toward the DRX state of myosin. Our study shows that S15D‐phosphomimic can be used as a potential rescue strategy to abrogate/alleviate the RLC mutation‐induced phenotypes and is a likely candidate for therapeutic intervention in HCM patients.