Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anabolic Effect of Exercise Training in People with End-Stage Renal Disease on Hemodialysis: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis.

PURPOSE The primary purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the anabolic effect of exercise intervention in adults with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis (HD). The secondary objectives were to evaluate the influences of participant characteristics and exercise parameters on changes in muscle size. METHODS Electronic databases (Cochrane, CINAHL, EMBASE, PEDro, PubMed and SCOPUS) were searched from inception to November 2012. Randomized clinical trials published in English that included adults on HD undergoing an exercise intervention where muscle mass was measured as an outcome were included in this review. Two reviewers independently selected the studies, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias within the included studies. RESULTS were then combined by meta-analysis. The effect of exercises was determined using a standardized mean difference (SMD), expressed as Hedges' g, computed using a random effects model. RESULTS Seven SMDs extracted from five studies were included for final analysis. Strength training was used in all studies; one study used aerobic and mixed strength and aerobic training with two subgroups of participants. The overall effect of exercise on muscle mass was statistically significant (SMD: 0.272; 95% CI, 0.020-0.525). CONCLUSIONS Our results confirm a small but significant effect of strengthening exercise as an anabolic intervention to increase muscle mass. Exercise training should be included in routine management of people on maintenance HD. Although current results indicate that one in nine people on HD is likely to benefit from exercise intervention, parameters influencing these results require further research.
2D Image Rendering for 3D Holoscopic Content using Disparity-Assisted Patch Blending

Holoscopy is a 3D technology that targets solving some of the limitations of current 3D technology, such as the need to wear special glasses to get the depth perception and the visual discomfort caused inherent accommodation issues. The display technologies available today at home are not yet compatible with 3D holoscopic image formats, for this reason methods that convert 3D holoscopic formats into 2D and current generation 3D image formats are required. There is, however, no fully automated, all-in-Focus and high performance 2D extraction method available in the literature. Moreover, the development of this type of conversion technology requires appropriate testing and assessment. Besides subjective testing with real people, there is nowadays no other reliable way to assess the performance of this type of conversion technology. In this context, and after making an extensive review of 3D holoscopic capture and display technologies, this Thesis: a) proposes a novel, fully automated, 2D image extraction method for 3D holoscopic images and assesses its performance; and b) identifies potential No-Reference Image Quality Assessment metrics able to rate this type of 2D extractions and assesses their correlation with the human perception of quality. The proposed 2D extraction method – Disparity-Assisted Patch Blending – outperforms, in “normal” conditions, all the available alternative methods. The NIQE metric seems promising as a potential candidate to reliably rate 2D extractions, although more research work should be done on BRISQUE as well to make it even more reliable.
Acne Fulminans: Case Series and Review of the Literature

Acne fulminans (AF) is a rare manifestation and the most severe form of the entire clinical spectrum of acne. The disease is destructive and is characterized by the sudden onset of painful and ulcerative pustules and systemic symptoms including high fever, hepatomegaly, polyarthralgia, leukocytosis, plaquetose, and increased inflammatory markers and transaminases. Osteolytic lesions in multiple skeletal sites could also be associated. The use of isotretinoin is considered a related trigger, as well as the use and cessation of testosterone, although a bacterial infection, a drug‐induced disease, or an intake of anabolic androgenic steroids has been suggested. The treatment of AF is challenging and controversial. The recommended treatment is aggressive and consists of a combination of oral steroids and low doses of isotretinoin, with no consensus at this time. The patient may require several weeks of hospitalization to control the eruption. The cutaneous lesions usually leave scars and milia. We report on two boys and two girls presenting with AF, triggered by isotretinoin in three patients and by an antibiotic in one patient. All the patients treated with corticosteroids and isotretinoin with success.
[Allelic and haplotypic diversity of HLA-A, -B, -C, and -DRB1 genes in Koreans defined by high-resolution DNA typing].

BACKGROUND In this study, we used high-resolution DNA typing to investigate the distribution of HLA alleles and haplotypes in Koreans. METHODS HLA-A, -B, -C, and -DRB1 alleles were genotyped at the allelic (4-digit) level in 474 healthy Koreans. HLA genotyping was performed in two steps. Initially, serologic typing or generic-level DNA typing was performed using the PCR-sequence-specific oligonucleotide method, and then allelic DNA typing (exons 2 and 3 for class I, and exon 2 for DRB1) was carried out using the PCR-single-strand conformation polymorphism method or sequence-based typing. HLA allele and haplotype frequencies and linkage disequilibrium values were calculated by the maximum likelihood method using a computer program developed for the 11th International Histocompatibility Workshop. RESULTS A total of 21 HLA-A, 40 HLA-B, 22 HLA-C, and 29 HLA-DRB1 alleles were found in Koreans. The most frequent alleles in each locus with frequencies of ≥ 10% were, in decreasing order of frequency, as follows: A*24:02, A*02:01, A*33:03; B*51:01; C*01:02, C*03:03; and DRB1*09:01. The numbers of two- and three-locus haplotypes with frequencies of >0.5% were as follows: 44 A-C, 42 B-C, 51 A-B, 52 B-DRB1, 42 A-C-B, and 34 A-B-DRB1. Thirteen A-B-DRB1 haplotypes with frequencies of ≥ 1.0% comprised 26.0% of the total haplotypes. The six most common haplotypes were as follows: A*33:03-B*44:03-DRB1*13:02 (3.7%), A*33:03-B*44:03-DRB1*07:01 (3.0%), A*33:03-B*58:01-DRB1*13:02 (3.0%), A*24:02-B*07:02-DRB1*01:01 (2.8%), A*30:01-B*13:02-DRB1*07:01 (2.3%), and A*11:01-B*15:01-DRB1*04:06 (2.2%). CONCLUSIONS The information obtained in this study can be used as basic data for Koreans in the fields of organ transplantation, disease association, and anthropologic studies.
Determinant spreading: lessons from animal models and human disease

Summary: Spreading of the immune response is a common theme in organ‐specific and systemic autoimmune diseases. We evaluated whether some of the mixed antinuclear antibody patterns characteristic of systemic autoimmunity might be the result of determinant spreading from a single initiating event. Immunisation of healthy mice with individual protein components of the La/Ro ribonudeoprotein (RNP) targeted in systemic lupus erythematosus and primary Sjögren's syndrome induced autoanti‐bodies recognising Ro60 (SS‐A), Ro52 (SS‐A) and La (SS‐B) and in some cases the molecular chaperones calreticulin and Grp78. The endogenous antigen(s) driving determinant spreading might be derived from physiological apoptosis which could explain the involvement of some chaperone proteins in the autoimmune response. Diversified anti‐La/Ro antibody responses were initiated by challenge with a single subdominant T epitope of La even though some self epitopes of La were efficiently tolerised. The pattern of autoantibody responses in primary Sjögren's syndrome was strongly influenced by HLA class II phenotype which we speculate controls activation of T cells recognising defined peptides from the La/Ro RNP In t his way, HLA class II alleles may be critical in influencing initiation and spreading of systemic autoimmune reactions. Molecular mimicry of such determinants by exogenous agents might readily initiate spreading of an autoimmune response in genetically susceptible hosts.
Vascular endothelial growth factor is of high prognostic value in node-negative breast carcinoma.

PURPOSE The prognostic value of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein, known to stimulate endothelial growth and angiogenesis, was evaluated in node-negative breast carcinoma (NNBC) and compared with established prognostic factors. PATIENTS AND METHODS In 525 consecutive patients with primary invasive NNBC (T1-2N0M0; tumor, node, metastasis stage), of whom 500 patients did not receive any systemic therapy, the cytosolic levels of VEGF165 were measured by using a quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The median follow-up was 46 months. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS VEGF level was significantly inversely correlated with estrogen receptor (ER) positivity but positively associated with tumor size and histologic grade. Patients with VEGF levels above the median value (2.40 pg/microg of DNA) showed a significantly shorter survival time (P=.0012) than patients with levels less than the median value, also when analyzed as a continuous variable (P=.0277). Tumor size, grade, and ER expression were all statistically significant for overall survival in univariate analyses (P=.0069, P=.014, and P < .001, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that VEGF level was the strongest predictor of overall survival (P=.0199). Histologic grade was also an independent predictor of survival (P=.0477). Among the 381 patients with ER-positive tumors, a group in general considered to have a good prognosis, we found a significant reduction in survival for those with levels of VEGF greater than the median value (P=.0009). CONCLUSION The results suggest that the level of VEGF165 protein is an independent, strong prognostic factor for survival in patients with NNBC, especially in the subgroup of patients with ER positivity. Thus, cytosolic VEGF165 might be useful to select patients for adjuvant systemic therapy.
Cognitive and neuropsychological outcomes: more than IQ scores.

Improved survival in preterm infants has broadened interest in cognitive and neuropsychological outcomes. The incidence of major disabilities (moderate/severe mental retardation, neurosensory disorders, epilepsy, cerebral palsy) has remained consistent, but high prevalence/low severity dysfunctions (learning disabilities, ADHD, borderline mental retardation, specific neuropsychological deficits, behavioral disorders) have increased. The follow-up literature contains methodologic problems that make generalizations regarding outcome difficult, and these are discussed. Although mean IQs of former VLBW infants generally are in the low average range and are 3-9 points below normal birth weight peers, these scores mask subtle deficits in: visual-motor and visual-perceptual abilities, complex language functions, academics (reading, mathematics, spelling and writing), and attentional skills. There is an increased incidence of non-verbal learning disabilities, need for special educational assistance, and behavioral disorders in children born prematurely. Males have more problems, and there is a trend for worsening outcome over time, due to emergence of more subtle deficits in response to increased performance demands. In addition to IQ and achievement testing in follow-up, there should be evaluation of executive functions and attention, language, sensorimotor functions, visuospatial processes, memory and learning, and behavioral adjustment.
Regulatory Cells by Human Dendritic Cells Supports the Homeostatic Generation of T The SOCS3-Independent Expression of IDO2

Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional APCs that have a role in the initiation of adaptive immune responses and tolerance. Among the tolerogenic mechanisms, the expression of the enzyme IDO1 represents an effective tool to generate T regulatory cells. In humans, different DC subsets express IDO1, but less is known about the IDO1-related enzyme IDO2. In this study, we found a different pattern of expression and regulation between IDO1 and IDO2 in human circulating DCs. At the protein level, IDO1 is expressed only in circulating myeloid DCs (mDCs) and is modulated by PGE 2 , whereas IDO2 is expressed in both mDCs and plasmacytoid DCs and is not modulated by PGE 2 . In healthy subjects, IDO1 expression requires the presence of PGE 2 and needs continuous transcription and translation, whereas IDO2 expression is constitutive, independent from suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 activity. Conversely, in patients suffering from inﬂammatory arthritis, circulating DCs express both IDO1 and IDO2. At the functional level, both mDCs and plasmacytoid DCs generate T regulatory cells through an IDO1/IDO2-dependent mechanism. We conclude that, in humans, whereas IDO1 provides an additional mechanism of tolerance induced by proinﬂammatory mediators, IDO2 is stably expressed in steady-state conditions and may contribute to the homeostatic tolerogenic capacity of DCs. The Journal of Immunology , 2014, 192: 000–000.
Challenges of Interpreting Copy Number Variation in Syndromic and Non-Syndromic Congenital Heart Defects

Array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) has led to an increased detection of causal chromosomal imbalances in individuals with congenital heart defects (CHD). The introduction of aCGH as a diagnostic tool in a clinical cardiogenetic setting entails numerous challenges. Based on our own experience as well as those of others described in the literature, we outline the state of the art and attempt to answer a number of outstanding questions such as the detection frequency of causal imbalances in different patient populations, the added value of higher-resolution arrays, and the existence of predictive factors in syndromic cases. We introduce a step-by-step approach for clinical interpretation of copy number variants (CNV) detected in CHD, which is primarily based on gene content and overlap with known chromosomal syndromes, rather than on CNV inheritance and size. Based on this algorithm, we have reclassified the detected aberrations in aCGH studies for their causality for syndromic and non-syndromic CHD. From this literature overview, supplemented with own investigations in a cohort of 46 sporadic patients with severe non-syndromic CHD, it seems clear that the frequency of causal CNVs in non-syndromic CHD populations is lower than that in syndromic CNV populations (3.6 vs. 19%). Moreover, causal CNVs in non-syndromic CHD mostly involve imbalances with a moderate effect size and reduced penetrance, whereas the majority of causal imbalances in syndromic CHD consistently affects human development and significantly reduces reproductive fitness.
Physiological concentrations of growth hormone exert insulin-like and insulin antagonistic effects on both hepatic and extrahepatic tissues in man.

To determine whether increments in circulating GH concentrations within the physiological range would exert insulin-like as well as insulin-antagonistic actions in man and, if so, whether both actions would occur in hepatic and extrahepatic tissues, normal volunteers (n = 6) were infused with human GH (hGH; 100 ng/kg . min) for 6 h along with somatostatin (100 micrograms/h) to suppress insulin, glucagon, and hGH secretion and also with sufficient insulin (100 microU/kg . min) to maintain a constant plasma insulin level. During the final 2 h, glucose (2 mg/kg . min) was infused. In control studies, saline was infused instead of hGH. Infusion of hGH increased plasma hGH to 35 ng/ml. Plasma glucose decreased to 60 +/- 2 mg/dl compared to 67 +/- 1 mg/dl observed in control studies (P less than 0.05); this greater hypoglycemia was due to both greater suppression of hepatic glucose production (P less than 0.05) and greater augmentation of glucose clearance (P less than 0.05). These insulin-like effects of hGH were no longer evident after 2 h. Subsequently, when glucose was infused, plasma glucose increased to 133 +/- 4 mg/dl compared to the 104 +/- 6 mg/dl observed in control studies (P less than 0.01). This greater hyperglycemia was due to both impaired suppression of hepatic glucose production (P less than 0.001) and decreased glucose clearance (P less than 0.01). These results indicate that physiological increments in plasma hGH cause both insulin-like and insulin-antagonistic effects in man and that these actions occur in hepatic as well as extrahepatic tissues. The insulin-like actions of hGH are transient.
Acute mercury exposition of virgin, pregnant, and lactating rats: Histopathological kidney and liver evaluations

This work investigated the effects of mercury chloride (HgCl2) acute exposure on virgin, pregnant and lactating rats by determination of renal and hepatic morphological and ultrastructural parameters and the expression of oxidative stress and stress tolerance markers, due to kidney and liver are the organs that more accumulate inorganic mercury. Adult Wistar rats virgin (90 days old), pregnant (18th gestation day) and lactating (7th lactation day) were injected once with HgCl2 (5 mg/kg) or saline (controls). We observed that HgCl2 exposure of virgin rats caused significant inflammatory infiltration and severe morphological variations, like glomeruli atrophy, dilatation of Bowman's capsule, tubular degeneration and hepatocytes alteration. Moreover, virgin rats presented mitochondrial modification, important oxidative stress and increase in stress tolerance proteins at both kidney and liver level, compared with virgin controls. In detail, virgin rats exposed to HgCl2 presented significantly elevated level of inducible nitric oxide synthase, heat shock protein 27 and glucose regulated proteins 75 expressions at both renal tubular and hepatocytes level, respect untreated virgin rats. Interestingly, pregnant and lactating rats exposed to HgCl2 presented weak renal and liver morphological alterations, showing weak inflammatory infiltration and no significant difference in structural mitochondrial transmembrane protein, oxidative stress markers and stress tolerance proteins expressions respect controls (virgin, pregnant and lactating rats). Although, both control and HgCl2‐exposed pregnant and lactating rats showed renal glomeruli greater in diameter respect virgin rats. In conclusion, we believe that virgin rats are more sensitive to HgCl2 toxicity respect pregnant and lactating rats. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 32: 1500–1512, 2017.
Coagulopathy and outcome in patients with chronic subdural haematoma

Objective– The coincidence of coagulatopathy and chronic subdural haematoma (CSH) requires correction of coagulation to facilitate surgery. We investigated the correlation between coagulopathy and outcome in CSH patients. Material and methods– We analysed past medical history, surgical treatment and coagulation parameters of 114 patients. Results– Coagulation disorders were found in 42%. Preoperative treatment with prothrombin complex concentrate was necessary in 14%. A significant difference (P < 0.05) of the preoperative level of platelets was found between recurrent CSH and non‐recurrent group. Totally, we had to perform re‐operations in 17.5%. Eighty‐one patients presented with Glasgow coma scale (GCS) ≥ 13. After surgery GCS was ≥ 13 in n = 92. There was an improvement of GCS in 46 cases, 61 patients maintained GCS score levels. Outcome was significantly worse in the alcoholic group (P < 0.001), and in the recurrent group (P < 0.05). In patients with substitution of coagulation factors, outcome was worse in the group with post‐operative substitution only (P < 0.05). Conclusion– In CSH, the coagulation parameters and a subtle correction of coagulation are of special interest, regarding the worse outcome in patients with recurrent CSH and in those requiring post‐operative substitution.
Effect of 4 days of mouth rinsing with delmopinol or chlorhexidine on the vitality of plaque bacteria.

Delmopinol is a new surface active anti-plaque agent that has demonstrated a low antimicrobial effect in vitro. By use of a vitality staining technique, the antimicrobial effect on bacteria in plaque samples was tested after rinsing with delmopinol or chlorhexidine. 6 healthy male subjects volunteered to rinse for 4 days using a double-blind cross-over study design with a wash-out period between the rinsing regimens. No oral hygiene measures were allowed during the test periods and each test period started with a professional tooth cleaning procedure 2 days before the start of rinsing to allow for plaque formation. Rinsing was performed with 0.2% delmopinol hydrochloride or 0.2% chlorhexidine digluconate 2 x a day. Small samples of plaque were collected from the buccal surfaces of premolars and 1st molars before the first rinse on day 1 and then before and 1, 2, 4, 7, and 24 h after the last rinse on the 4th day. The plaque samples were immediately stained with propidium iodide and fluorescein diacetate to visualize dead and vital microorganisms respectively. The vitality of the microflora was evaluated using a fluorescence microscope. The baseline vitality values were 91% for chlorhexidine and 86% for delmopinol. At day 4, the plaque vitality for chlorhexidine was approximately 40% up to 4 h and 50% at 7 h and 60% at 24 h after the last rinse. Corresponding values for plaque vitality after delmopinol rinsing were between 70 and 80% on all sampling occasions. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Making waste management public (or falling back to sleep)

Human-produced waste is a major environmental concern, with communities considering various waste management practices, such as increased recycling, landfilling, incineration, and waste-to-energy technologies. This article is concerned with how and why publics assemble around waste management issues. In particular, we explore Noortje Marres and Bruno Latour’s theory that publics do not exist prior to issues but rather assemble around objects, and through these assemblages, objects become matters of concern that sometimes become political. The article addresses this theory of making things public through a study of a small city in Ontario, Canada, whose landfill is closed and waste diversion options are saturated, and that faces unsustainable costs in shipping its waste to the United States, China, and other regions. The city’s officials are undertaking a cost–benefit assessment to determine the efficacy of siting a new landfill or other waste management facility. We are interested in emphasizing the complexity of making (or not making) landfills public, by exploring an object in action, where members of the public may or may not assemble, waste may or may not be made into an issue, and waste is sufficiently routinized that it is not typically transformed from an object to an issue. We hope to demonstrate Latour’s third and fifth senses of politics best account for waste management’s trajectory as a persistent yet inconsistent matter of public concern.