Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cardiovascular risk assessment in HIV-infected male patients: a comparison of Framingham, SCORE, PROCAM and DAD risk equations.

INTRODUCTION Traditional cardiovascular (CVD) risk assessment algorithms such as the Framingham Risk Score (FRS), Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) and Prospective Cardiovascular Munster (PROCAM) were developed for general populations, their usefulness in HIV-infected population has not been confirmed. DAD algorithm was developed specifically for HIV-infected patients. The aim of our study was to evaluate the performance of risk assessment algorithms in HIV-infected population. METHODS A prospective cross-sectional national study that included 83 HIV-infected male patients from Slovenia below the age of 55 was performed. CVD risk was assessed using four algorithms, the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis was determined by measuring carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT); patients were followed up for 5 years. RESULTS High proportion of patients with low CVD risk according to FRS (61.9%) and PROCAM (81.0%) and only 7.1% according to SCORE had evidence of subclinical atherosclerosis. Only 7.1% of patients with low CVD risk according to DAD algorithm had evidence of subclinical atherosclerosis. CONCLUSION Our study has shown that SCORE and DAD algorithm were superior to FRS and PROCAM. In younger HIV-infected patients, even with moderate CVD risk, CIMT assessment should be employed in a complete clinical evaluation as a more aggressive prevention and treatment approach is warranted.
Comparing the effects of meal replacements with an isocaloric reduced-fat diet on nutrient intake and lower urinary tract symptoms in obese men.

BACKGROUND Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in men are associated with obesity, particularly central obesity as measured by waist circumference (WC), and may improve with weight loss. We aimed to compare effects of a meal-replacement based diet with isocaloric reduced-fat plan on LUTS and nutrient intake in obese Asian men. METHODS Obese Asian [mean (range) body mass index of 32.9 (30.5-42.3) kg m(-2) ] men [mean (range) age 40.2 (30-61) years] were randomised to a reduced-fat (< 30% of energy) diet [conventional reduced-fat diet (CD) group; n = 23] or meal-replacement-based plan [meal replacement (MR) group; n = 23], to reduce daily intake by 2000 kJ for 12 weeks. RESULTS CD and MR groups had statistically significant and similar reductions in weight (-2.6 ± 1.9 kg versus -4.2 ± 3.8 kg), overall LUTS severity measured with International Prostate Symptom Scale (IPSS) scores (-1.71 ± 1.93 points versus -2.42 ± 2.12 points) and insulin resistance [homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) calculated from plasma glucose and insulin]. The MR group had significantly greater decreases in WC (-4.8 ± 3.3 cm versus -2.5 ± 2.3 cm), fat mass (-2.47 ± 3.63 kg versus -1.59 ± 2.32 kg), fat intake, plasma C-reactive protein, and in storage LUTS score (-1.59 ± 1.33 points versus -1.00 ± 0.87 points), which was associated with a decreased fat intake (r = 0.48, P = 0.03). A decrease in overall IPSS score was associated with reductions in weight, WC and HOMA. CONCLUSIONS Weight loss as a result of CD or MR had similar efficacy in relieving LUTS. MR produced greater reductions in fat intake, adiposity and storage LUTS.
Prostaglandin H2 and Thromboxane A2 Are Contractile Factors in Intrarenal Arteries of Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Vascular resistance is increased in the kidneys of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Previous studies have demonstrated impaired vascular relaxations of mesenteric resistance arteries of SHR because of increased production of a cyclooxygenase-dependent endothelium-derived contracting factor. To test the hypothesis that altered endothelial function contributes to the enhanced constriction in kidneys of SHR, endothelium-mediated relaxations of renal resistance arteries from 5–6-week-old prehypertensive SHR and Wistar-Kyoto rats were compared in arteriographs. Acetylcholine induced endothelium-dependent contractions in SHR arteries, while potent endothelium-dependent relaxations were noted in renal arteries from Wistar-Kyoto rats. Inhibition of cyclooxygenase (indomethacin) or blockade of prostaglandin H2-thromboxane A2 receptors (SQ 29,548) blocked acetylcholine-induced contractions in SHR renal arteries; relaxations in SHR renal arteries after either treatment were similar to those observed in renal arteries from Wistar-Kyoto rats. NG-Nitro-L-arginine inhibited acetylcholinemediated relaxations in both SHR and Wistar-Kyoto arteries. Endothelium-independent relaxations induced by verapamil were comparable in SHR and Wistar-Kyoto arteries. Thus, the impaired response to acetylcholine in SHR renal resistance arteries may result from the release of endothelium-derived cyclooxygenase products (prostaglandin H2 or thromboxane A2), which oppose endothelium-derived nitric oxide–mediated relaxation.
Substitution for PCP, disruption of prepulse inhibition and hyperactivity induced by N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists: preferential involvement of the NR2B rather than NR2A subunit

The non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist phencyclidine (PCP) is known to produce a discriminative stimulus in rats. The first aim of the present study was to investigate which NMDA receptor subtype(s) is involved in this effect of PCP. Rats were trained to discriminate PCP (2 mg/kg; i.p.) from saline in a two lever operant task. The NMDA channel blocker, (+)MK-801 (0.1 mg/kg; i.p.) and the competitive NMDA receptor antagonist SDZ 220-581 (3 mg/kg; i.p.) produced 76% of PCP-lever selection (ED50=0.045 and 2 mg/kg, respectively), whereas their respective inactive enantiomers (−)MK-801 (0.025–0.1 mg/kg) and SDZ 221-653 (2–5 mg/kg) induced less than 30% of PCP-appropriate responding. Another competitive NMDA antagonist, SDZ EAB-515 (30 mg/kg; i.p.), induced 63% of PCP-lever responding (ED50=23.48 mg/kg). The selective antagonist of NMDA receptors containing the NR1A/NR2B-subunits Ro 25-6981 (20 mg/kg; i.p.) resulted in a complete substitution (more than 80% of PCP-lever selection) for PCP (ED50=8.59 mg/kg). In contrast, the NR1A/NR2A NMDA receptor-preferring antagonist NVP-AAM077 (2–10 mg/kg; i.p.) failed to produce PCP-like discriminative stimuli. At high doses SDZ 220-581 (ED50=2.44), NVP-AAM077 (ED50=8.33) and SDZ EAB-515 (ED50=25.81) decreased the performance of the rats in this operant task. The ability of these NMDA receptor antagonists to disrupt the prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle response and to alter locomotor activity was also studied. PCP (0.5–2 mg/kg; s.c.), SDZ 220-581 (0.5–5 mg/kg; s.c.), SDZ EAB-515 (1–30 mg/kg; i.p.) and Ro 25-6981 (5–20 mg/kg; i.p.) disrupted PPI and at high doses produced hyperlocomotion. In contrast, NVP-AAM077 (5–20 mg/kg; i.p.) did not disrupt PPI and reduced locomotor activity. In conclusion, it appears that the NMDA receptor containing the NR2B, rather than the NR2A subunit, may play a major role in the PCP-like discriminative stimulus. In addition, sensory motor gating disturbances associated with NMDA antagonists do not seem to result from a blockade of NR1/NR2A-containing NMDA receptors.
Hormone Treatment of the Adult Transsexual Patient

Hormonal reassignment has two aims: (1) to reduce the hormonally induced secondary sex characteristics of the original sex and (2) to induce the secondary sex characteristics of the new sex. In Europe, cyproterone acetate is generally used to inhibit androgens in male-to-female transsexuals. Medroxyprogesterone acetate is an acceptable, though less effective, alternative. To induce feminization there is a wide range of oestrogens. Oral ethinyloestradiol is a potent and inexpensive oestrogen, but it may cause venous thrombosis. Oral 17β-oestradiol valerate or transdermal 17β-oestradiol is the treatment of choice. The goal of treatment in female-to-male transsexuals is to induce virilization, including a male pattern of sexual hair, a male voice and male physical contours, and to stop menses. The principal hormonal treatment is a testosterone preparation. Hormone-dependent tumours have been encountered and surveillance is necessary.
Extending the Scope of Co-occurrence Embedding

Motivated by the success of co-occurrence based embedding methods, we intended to extend the scope of embedding beyond word level. We used GloVe to obtain co-occurrence statistic based embedding for phrases and words jointly and evaluate them on word analogy, word similarity and sentiment analysis. Results showed that co-occurrence based methods generalizes well to phrases, even improving word-level structures on word similarity tasks as phrases are added to vocabulary. These phrase vectors allowed us to study word-level compositional structures directly. They were integrated into Deep Averaging Network and were shown to improve performance on the sentiment analysis task like word vectors do. Exploration of further extending the scope of embedding methods to synsets and POS-tags is also discussed in appendix.
Long-term oncologic results in cancer of the rectum treated by preoperative chemoradiotherapy and surgery: An analysis of 500 cases.

BACKGROUND The standard treatment for locally advanced cancer of the rectum (LACR) and selective cases of stage IV disease is preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by total mesorectal excision (TME). Despite reductions in local recurrence, disease-free survival (DSF) has remained stable in recent years. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to analyze patterns of recurrence, long-term survival and prognostic factors in a program of neoadjuvant CRT and surgery in LACR. METHODS Between January 1992 and December 2011, 446 patients with LACR and 54 patients (with single metastases) were treated with pre-operative long course CRT and surgery. Three hundred forty four (66.8%) anterior resections of the rectum and 123 (24.6%) abdomino-perineal resections were performed. RESULTS With a mean follow-up of 70.06 months, local recurrence was 4.8% and distant recurrence 25.5%. No differences were found in the histopathologic prognostic factors across the three groups studied depending on distance (cm) from the analmargin. Involvement of the circumferential resection margin (CRM+) was significantly greater in tumors in the distal third of the rectum (8.5%; p = 0.04). 67 patients (13.4%) showed a complete pathologic response. DSF at 5 and 10 years was significantly lower in patients with tumors affecting the distal third as compared to the middle third of the rectum (61.9% vs. 57.7%; p = 0.04). Tumors at this distal location resulted in a significantly higher incidence of lung metastases (p = 0.016).
Fault Reconstruction Based on Sliding Mode Observer for Nonlinear Systems

This paper presents a precision fault reconstruction scheme for a class of nonlinear systems involving unknown input disturbances. First, using the coordinate transformation algorithm, the disturbances and faults of the system are fully decoupled. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the influence of disturbances to the system, namely, better disturbances robustness. On this basis, the design of a sliding mode state observer makes the most genuine reconstruction realizable, instead of estimation of faults. Furthermore, with the equivalent principle of sliding mode variable structure, the precision reconstruction of arbitrary nonlinear faults is achieved. Finally, the applications of fault reconstruction in a third-order nonlinear theoretical model with disturbances and in a single-link robot system, respectively, have demonstrated the validity of the proposed scheme.
Therapeutic relevance of CD34 cell dose in blood cell transplantation for cancer therapy.

PURPOSE To review recent advances in peripheral-blood progenitor-cell (PBPC) transplantation in order to define the optimal cell dose required for autologous and allogeneic transplantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS A search of MEDLINE was conducted to identify relevant publications. Their bibliographies were also used to identify further articles and abstracts for critical review. RESULTS The CD34(+) cell content of a graft is regarded as an accurate predictor of engraftment success. Postchemotherapy autologous PBPC transplantation with >/= 5 x 10(6) CD34(+) cells/kg body weight leads to more rapid engraftment than does transplantation of lower cell doses. Further increases in transplant cell dose further accelerate platelet but not neutrophil engraftment. Evidence that long-term hematopoietic recovery may be more accurately predicted by the subpopulation of primitive progenitors transplanted suggests that the content of CD34(+)CD33(-) and long-term culture-initiating cells in cell collection samples may be important for predicting successful engraftment, particularly in patients with poor mobilization. Allogeneic transplantation has been limited by concerns regarding graft-versus-host disease and the use of hematopoietic growth factors in donors. The risk of graft rejection and engraftment failure after HLA-mismatched allogeneic transplantation may be overcome by intensive chemoradiotherapy and the infusion of large numbers of T cell-depleted hematopoietic stem cells. CONCLUSION An optimal cell dose of >/= 8 x 10(6) CD34(+) cells/kg seems to be recommended for autologous PBPC transplantation. This dose facilitates the administration of scheduled chemotherapy on time and reduces the demand for other supportive therapies. A combination of growth factors may enable patients with poor mobilization to achieve a collection sufficient to allow transplantation. The optimum PBPC dose for allogeneic transplantation remains to be defined.
Does the Approximate Number System Serve as a Foundation for Symbolic Mathematics?

ABSTRACT In this article we first review evidence for the approximate number system (ANS), an evolutionarily ancient and developmentally conservative cognitive mechanism for representing number without language. We then critically review five different lines of support for the proposal that symbolic representations of number build upon the ANS, and discuss potential causes of conflicting findings in the literature. Finally, we consider potential mechanisms that could drive a relationship between the ANS and symbolic math. We conclude that while there is considerable evidence the relationship between the ANS and symbolic math is meaningful, we are far from understanding the cognitive and neural mechanisms that underlie this relationship.
Network-based H∞ control for stochastic time-delay systems via average dwell time approach

This paper investigates a problem of network-based H∞ control for stochastic time-delay systems. Taking into account network-induced delay and data packet dropout, the networked control system is modeled as a switched stochastic time-delay system. By applying an average dwell time approach, a sufficient condition is developed for the mean-square exponential stability of the resulting closed-loop system with a weighted H∞ performance index. Finally, a numerical example is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
HIV prevention with severely mentally ill men: A randomised controlled trial

Abstract We conducted a randomised clinical trial to test the efficacy of an enhanced version of an intervention previously shown to reduce HIV sexual risk behaviours among men with severe mental illness. One-hundred-and-forty-nine subjects aged 18–59 years were randomly assigned to the experimental or control conditions. Sexual risk behaviours were assessed every three months for 12-months. The primary analysis compared experimental and control groups with respect to sexual risk behaviours with casual partners as measured by the Vaginal Episodes Equivalent (VEE) score. Additional analyses included comparison of VEE scores of those men sexually active in the three months prior to baseline and the proportion of condom-protected sexual acts with casual partners. There were no significant differences in sexual risk behaviours with casual partners between experimental and control subjects. Additional analyses demonstrated a trend toward sexual risk reduction at six months post-intervention (p=0.06) but not at 12 months. These results may reflect a lack of efficacy or a true reduction in risk that the trial was underpowered to detect at the 0.05-level. If there was a true reduction in risk, it was not maintained after the initial six months.
Development of Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) for Mycoplasma synoviae

SUMMARY Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) is a poultry pathogen that has had an increasing incidence and economic impact over the past few years. Strain identification is necessary for outbreak investigation, infection source identification, and facilitating prevention and control as well as eradication efforts. Currently, a segment of the variable lipoprotein hemagglutinin A (vlhA) gene (420 bp) is the only target that is used for MS strain identification. A major limitation of this assay is that colonality of typed samples can only be inferred if their vlhA sequences are identical; however, if their sequences are different, the degree of relatedness is uncertain. In this study we propose a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) assay to further refine MS strain identification. After initial screening of 24 housekeeping genes as potential targets, seven genes were selected for the MLST assay. An internal segment (450–711 bp) from each of the seven genes was successfully amplified and sequenced from 58 different MS strains and field isolates (n = 30) or positive clinical samples (n = 28). The collective sequence of all seven gene segments (3960 bp total) was used for MS sequence typing. The 58 tested MS samples were typed into 30 different sequence types using the MLST assay and, coincidentally, all the samples were typed into 30 sequence types using the vlhA assay. However, the phylogenetic tree generated using the MLST data was more congruent to the epidemiologic information than was the tree generated by the vlhA assay. We suggest that the newly developed MLST assay and the vlhA assay could be used in tandem for MS typing. The MLST assay will be a valuable and more reliable tool for MS sequence typing, providing better understanding of the epidemiology of MS infection. This in turn will aid disease prevention, control, and eradication efforts.
Effects of a Social Cognitive Theory-Based Hip Fracture Prevention Web Site for Older Adults

The purposes of this study were to develop a Social Cognitive Theory-based, structured Hip Fracture Prevention Web site for older adults and conduct a preliminary evaluation of its effectiveness. The Theory-based, structured Hip Fracture Prevention Web site is composed of learning modules and a moderated discussion board. A total of 245 older adults recruited from two Web sites and a newspaper advertisement were randomized into the Theory-based, structured Hip Fracture Prevention Web site and the conventional Web sites groups. Outcomes included (1)knowledge (hip fractures and osteoporosis), (2) self-efficacy and outcome expectations, and (3) calcium intake and exercise and were assessed at baseline, end of treatment (2 weeks), and follow-up (3 months). Both groups showed significant improvement in most outcomes. For calcium intake, only the Theory-based, structured Hip Fracture Prevention Web site group showed improvement. None of the group and time interactions were significant. The Theory-based, structured Hip Fracture Prevention Web site group, however, was more satisfied with the intervention. The discussion board usage was significantly correlated with outcome gains. Despite several limitations, the findings showed some preliminary effectiveness of Web-based health interventions for older adults and the use of a Theory-based, structured Hip Fracture Prevention Web site as a sustainable Web structure for online health behavior change interventions.
Laminar pattern of synaptic inhibition during convulsive activity induced by 4-aminopyridine in neocortical slices.

1. Epileptiform activity was induced in rat neocortical brain slices by application of a low concentration (10 microM) of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP). In intracellular recordings from regular spiking neurons, the activity was characterized by prolonged, all-or-none depolarizing events, with variable delay to a threshold stimulus. 2. At this concentration, 4-AP had no measurable effect on passive electrical properties or on action-potential characteristics. 3. Paroxysmal responses in neurons of deeper layers differed markedly from those of superficial cells. In deep neurons, responses resembled those generated by neocortical neurons exposed to GABAergic blockers. A low-intensity stimulus to the white matter evoked an excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) that was followed with variable latency by a paroxysmal depolarizing shift that reversed at suprathreshold membrane potentials and upon which superimposed repetitive firing was always evident. By contrast, in superficial (layer II-III) neurons, the same stimulus evoked an EPSP that was followed by a prolonged response whose late component reversed at subthreshold membrane potentials (between -50 and -80 mV). These cells rarely fired more than a single spike throughout the response. 4. Repetitive stimulation at relatively low frequencies (0.3-1 Hz) caused a gradual change in the synchronized responses that was most marked in superficial neurons. The reversal potential of the response shifted toward suprathreshold membrane potentials, and subsequently, superimposed repetitive firing became evident. These changes were not associated with measurable changes in input resistance or membrane potential. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Helium-oxygen therapy for infants with bronchiolitis: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE To compare nebulized racemic epinephrine delivered by 70% helium and 30% oxygen or 100% oxygen followed by helium-oxygen inhalation therapy via high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) vs oxygen inhalation via HFNC in the treatment of bronchiolitis. DESIGN Prospective, randomized, controlled, single-blind trial. SETTING This study was conducted from October 1, 2004, through May 31, 2008, in the emergency department of an urban, tertiary care children's hospital. Patients Infants aged 2 to 12 months with a Modified Wood's Clinical Asthma Score (M-WCAS) of 3 or higher. INTERVENTIONS Patients initially received nebulized albuterol treatment driven by 100% oxygen. Patients were randomized to the helium-oxygen or oxygen group and received nebulized racemic epinephrine via a face mask. After nebulization, humidified helium-oxygen or oxygen was delivered by HFNC. After 60 minutes of inhalation therapy, patients with an M-WCAS of 2 or higher received a second delivery of nebulized racemic epinephrine followed by helium-oxygen or oxygen delivered by HFNC. Main Outcome Measure Degree of improvement of M-WCAS for 240 minutes or until emergency department discharge. RESULTS Of 69 infants enrolled, 34 were randomized to the helium-oxygen group and 35 to the oxygen group. The mean change in M-WCAS from baseline to 240 minutes or emergency department discharge was 1.84 for the helium-oxygen group compared with 0.31 for the oxygen group (P < .001). The mean M-WCAS was significantly improved for the helium-oxygen group compared with the oxygen group at 60 minutes (P = .005), 120 minutes (P < .001), 180 minutes (P < .001), and 240 minutes (P < .001). CONCLUSION Nebulized racemic epinephrine delivered by helium-oxygen followed by helium-oxygen inhalation therapy delivered by HFNC was associated with a greater degree of clinical improvement compared with that delivered by oxygen among infants with bronchiolitis. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00116584.