Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prognostic importance of physical examination for heart failure in non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes: the enduring value of Killip classification.

CONTEXT In acute myocardial infarction, the presence and severity of heart failure at the time of initial presentation have been formally categorized by the Killip classification. Although well studied in ST-elevation myocardial infarction, the prognostic importance of Killip classification in non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes is not well established. OBJECTIVES To determine the prognostic importance of physical examination for heart failure analyzed according to Killip classification in non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes and to understand its predictive value relative to other variables. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS From April 2001 to September 2003, We analyzed information from 26 090 patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes enrolled in the GUSTO IIb, PURSUIT, PARAGON A, and PARAGON B trials. Demographic information was categorized by Killip class. Killip classes III and IV were combined into 1 category. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were developed to determine the prognostic importance of Killip classification in comparison with other variables. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Association between Killip classification and all-cause mortality at 30 days and 6 months. RESULTS Patients in Killip class II (n = 2513) and III/IV (n = 390) were older than those in Killip class I (n = 23 187), with higher rates of diabetes, prior myocardial infarction, ST depression, and elevated cardiac enzymes (all P<.001). Higher Killip class was associated with higher mortality at 30 days (2.8% in Killip class I vs 8.8% in class II vs 14.4% in class III/IV; P<.001) and 6 months (5.0% vs 14.7% vs 23.0%, respectively; P<.001). Patients with Killip class II, III, or IV constituted 11% of the overall population but accounted for approximately 30% of the deaths at both time points. In multivariate analysis, Killip class III/IV was the most powerful predictor of mortality at 30 days (hazard ratio [HR], 2.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.69-3.26; P<.001) and 6 months (HR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.63-2.75; P<.001). Killip class II was predictive of mortality at 30 days (HR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.44-2.09; P<.001) and 6 months (HR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.31-1.76; P<.001). Five factors-age, Killip classification, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and ST depression-provided more than 70% of the prognostic information for 30-day and 6-month mortality. CONCLUSIONS Killip classification is a powerful independent predictor of all-cause mortality in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes. Age, Killip classification, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and ST depression should receive particular attention in the initial assessment of these patients.
Intravenous lacosamide for treatment of status epilepticus

Kellinghaus C, Berning S, Immisch I, Larch J, Rosenow F, Rossetti AO, Tilz C, Trinka E. Intravenous lacosamide for treatment of status epilepticus. Acta Neurol Scand: 2011: 123: 137–141. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
The ARS consensus sequence is required for chromosomal origin function in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Replication origins have been mapped to positions that coincide, within experimental error (several hundred base pairs), with ARS elements. To determine whether the DNA sequences required for ARS function on plasmids are required for chromosomal origin function, the chromosomal copy of ARS306 was deleted and the chromosomal copy of ARS307 was replaced with mutant derivatives of ARS307 containing single point mutations in domain A within the ARS core consensus sequence. The chromosomal origin function of these derivatives was assayed by two-dimensional agarose gel electrophoresis. Deletion of ARS306 deleted the associated replication origin. The effects on chromosomal origin function of mutations in domain A paralleled their effects on ARS function, as measured by plasmid stability. These results demonstrate that chromosomal origin function is a property of the ARS element itself.
Increased surfactant protein-A levels in patients with newly diagnosed idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

STUDY OBJECTIVES To measure surfactant protein-A (SP-A) in the BAL of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). DESIGN We examined SP-A in BAL and lung tissue of patients with IPF who met the stricter recommended criteria for IPF at the time of diagnosis and prior to the beginning of treatment. PATIENTS Twenty-six patients with IPF confirmed at biopsy and 22 patients with hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) were compared with 9 normal volunteers. INTERVENTIONS All patients were subjected to pulmonary function testing, BAL, and lung biopsy prior to the beginning of treatment. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS We measured SP-A in BAL fluids and performed SP-A immunohistochemistry on lung specimens. Lung tissues of patients with IPF showed extensive type II cell hyperplasia, usually containing greatly increased levels of immunoreactive SP-A. By enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we found a twofold increase over normal values in BAL SP-A without changes in total phospholipids. These data were in agreement with semiquantitative assessments of SP-A by protein immunoblotting and by Western blotting of sodium dodecyl sulfate gels. Patients with HP exhibited a threefold increase of BAL SP-A. CONCLUSIONS The reasons for the difference between our results and previously published reports describing decreased SP-A levels in IPF is not clear. It may relate to the stricter criteria for diagnosis, the absence of treatment prior to BAL, differences in the patient population, or to other methodologic differences.
Prochinima – Using Pico Projector to Tell Situated Stories

In this paper we explore the use of Prochinima, a mobile and ubiquitous storytelling tool concept utilizing small projectors and ready-made animations. We tested Prochinima in a field trial, where 6-10 year old children were using the system and creating stories, as well as capturing the stories on video. In addition to analyzing Prochinima’s ability to support children’s storytelling and collaboration, we explore the affect of mobility and context on storytelling. Moreover, we discuss the importance of creativity and supporting user's own content creation. We also argue that fun and playfulness is connected to the freedom of creativity.
Use of secondary preventive medications after the first attack of acute coronary syndrome

Background It is not well-known to what extent evidence-based medications, such as β-blockers, hypolipidemic medications, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, are prescribed after an attack of acute coronary syndrome in the general healthcare setting and what is the compliance of patients with these prescriptions. Design We conducted a countrywide record linkage study. Methods We used record linkage of the National Hospital Discharge Register, Causes of Death Register, and Social Insurance Institution's drug reimbursement records to identify drug purchases of patients aged 35-74 years hospitalized for the first nonfatal acute coronary syndrome in Finland during 1995-2003 (n = 53 353). Results In 2003 about 28 and 15% of the patients did not receive hypolipidemic medications or β-blockers, respectively, after their acute coronary syndrome and a further 6 and 10% discontinued the use about 3 months later. Patients aged 65-74 years were less likely to receive hypolipidemic medications [odds ratio (OR) 0.55; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.53-0.58] and β-blockers (OR 0.77; 95% CI, 0.74-0.81) than younger patients. Diabetic patients received less hypolipidemic medications (OR 0.82; 95% CI, 0.78-0.86) and were more likely to discontinue the medication (OR 1.15; 95% CI, 1.05-1.26) than nondiabetic patients. In proportional hazards regression analyses the regular use of hypolipidemic medication or β-blockers was associated with lower risk of cardiovascular death: adjusted hazard ratios 0.47 (95% CI, 0.41-0.53) and 0.54 (95% CI, 0.49-0.60), respectively. Conclusions Our study showed that the evidence-based use of medications after acute coronary syndrome was suboptimal in Finland, particularly in elderly and diabetic patients. Consistent use of these medications, however, was associated with a better prognosis.
MicroRNA-494 Targeting Both Proapoptotic and Antiapoptotic Proteins Protects Against Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Cardiac Injury

Background— MicroRNAs (miRs) participate in many cardiac pathophysiological processes, including ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced cardiac injury. Recently, we and others observed that miR-494 was downregulated in murine I/R-injured and human infarcted hearts. However, the functional consequence of miR-494 in response to I/R remains unknown. Methods and Results— We generated a mouse model with cardiac-specific overexpression of miR-494. Transgenic hearts and wild-type hearts from multiple lines were subjected to global no-flow I/R with the Langendorff system. Transgenic hearts exhibited improved recovery of contractile performance over the reperfusion period. This improvement was accompanied by remarkable decreases in both lactate dehydrogenase release and the extent of apoptosis in transgenic hearts compared with wild-type hearts. In addition, myocardial infarction size was significantly reduced in transgenic hearts on I/R in vivo compared with wild-type hearts. Similarly, short-term overexpression of miR-494 in cultured adult cardiomyocytes demonstrated an inhibition of caspase-3 activity and reduced cell death on simulated I/R. In vivo treatment with antisense oligonucleotide miR-494 increased I/R-triggered cardiac injury relative to the administration of mutant antisense oligonucleotide miR-494 and saline controls. We further identified that 3 proapoptotic proteins (PTEN, ROCK1, and CaMKII&dgr;) and 2 antiapoptotic proteins (FGFR2 and LIF) were authentic targets for miR-494. Importantly, the Akt-mitochondrial signaling pathway was activated in miR-494–overexpressing myocytes. Conclusions— Our findings suggest that although miR-494 targets both proapoptotic and antiapoptotic proteins, the ultimate consequence is activation of the Akt pathway, leading to cardioprotective effects against I/R-induced injury. Thus, miR-494 may constitute a new therapeutic agent for the treatment of ischemic heart disease.
Effect of novobiocin on cisplatin cytotoxicity and dna interstrand cross‐link formation in a cisplatin‐resistant, small‐cell lung carcinoma cell line

Studies were performed to determine whether novobiocin can be used to enhance cisplatin (CDDP) cytotoxicity in a human small‐cell lung carcinoma cell line, GLC4/CDDP, resistant to CDDP. Continuous incubation with novobiocin enhanced the cytotoxicity of CDDP treatment 1.9‐fold in the parental cell line GLC4, but had no effect on its cytotoxicity in the resistant cell line GLC4/CDDP. Short incubation with novobiocin enhanced the cytotoxicity of CDDP treatment in GLC4 and GLC4/CDDP by a factor of 4.1 and 2.8, respectively. Using the latter schedule, the amount of CDDP‐induced DNA interstrand cross‐links (DNA ISC) at 4 hr as well as at 24 hr after novobiocin and CDDP treatment was higher in GLC4 than in GLC4/CDDP. In this case, the amount of DNA ISC had increased 1.6‐fold in GLC4and 1.3‐fold in GLC4/CDDP at 4hr, and 2.7‐fold and 1.4‐fold, respectively, in these cell lines at 24 hr after treatment compared to CDDP treatment alone. Our results suggest an effect of novobiocin on the formation of DNA ISC. The decreased efficacy of novobiocin, an inhibitor of DNA topoisomerase (Topo) II catalytic activity, in GLC4/CDDP may be due to the increased Topo II activity previously found in the resistant cells. In the present study, we showed that increased Topo II activity was not due to changes in amounts of Topo II in nuclei or nuclear extracts of GLC4/CDDP. Further analysis of the chromatin, that includes Topo II, showed that the chromatin in nuclei of GLC4/CDDP was more sensitive to micrococcal nuclease digestion than GLC4. In addition, the amount of a 56‐kDa protein was increased 2‐fold in nuclei and nuclear matrices from GLC4/CDDP. The reduced efficacy of novobiocin to increase the CDDP cytotoxicity as well as the formation of DNA ISC in GLC4/CDDP compared to GLC4 may be due to changes in the chromatin structure of the resistant cells.
MUTATIONS IN THE ATP‐BINDING DOMAIN AFFECT THE SUBCELLULAR DISTRIBUTION OF MITOTIC CENTROMERE‐ASSOCIATED KINESIN (MCAK)

Mitotic centromere‐associated kinesin (MCAK) is important for anaphase chromosome segregation. MCAK is diffusely localized to both the cytoplasm and the nucleus during interphase. At prophase MCAK is recruited to mitotic centromeres. It is associated with centromeres throughout mitosis and then returns to exhibiting a diffuse nuclear and cytoplasmic localization during interphase. MCAK has several predicted nuclear localization sequences. The subcelluar distribution of expressed deletion constructs of GFP‐MCAK suggest that the nucleocytoplasmic ratio of MCAK protein is dependent on a balance between several predicted nuclear localization sequences (NLS) and a putative nuclear exclusion sequence (NES) in the amino‐terminal region of MCAK. Amino acid substitutions in the ATP‐binding domain of the MCAK motor affect nuclear localization, which, in turn, influences the degree of centromere binding.
Information geometry of divergence functions

Measures of divergence between two points play a key role in many engineering problems. One such measure is a distance function, but there are many important measures which do not satisfy the properties of the distance. The Bregman divergence, KullbackLeibler divergence and f -divergence are such measures. In the present article, we study the differential-geometrical structure of a manifold induced by a divergence function. It consists of a Riemannian metric, and a pair of dually coupled affine connections, which are studied in information geometry. The class of Bregman divergences are characterized by a dually flat structure, which is originated from the Legendre duality. A dually flat space admits a generalized Pythagorean theorem. The class of f -divergences, defined on a manifold of probability distributions, is characterized by information monotonicity, and the Kullback-Leibler divergence belongs to the intersection of both classes. The f -divergence always gives the α-geometry, which consists of the Fisher information metric and a dual pair of ±α-connections. The α-divergence is a special class of f -divergences. This is unique, sitting at the intersection of the f -divergence and Bregman divergence classes in a manifold of positive measures. The geometry derived from the Tsallis q-entropy and related divergences are also addressed.
Latitude survey observations of neutron monitor multiplicity

We have recently augmented the electronics for our neutron monitor (NM) latitude survey so as to record the elapsed time (δT) between detected neutrons in each proportional tube, in order to examine time correlations in the data as a function of cutoff rigidity and primary spectrum. We quantify the dependence of counting rate on dead time, with particular focus on the longer dead times that were once employed in FSU/Russian stations. Our observations show that monitor dead time has little influence on the observed depth of Forbush decreases, indicating that the cosmic ray spectral shape is little changed in the decrease. However, the use of a different dead time significantly alters the response of the monitor as a function of cutoff rigidity. In spite of the general success of our calculation in reproducing the data, unexplained discrepancies are still present. Copyright 2004 by the American Geophysical Union.
Identification of an amino acid that defines the fusogenicity of mumps virus

Recombinant cDNA clones representing the fusion (F) and hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) proteins of two mumps virus strains different in fusogenicity were constructed. Upon transfection of COS7 cells, extensive cell fusion was observed only when cells expressed the F protein of the fusing strain together with the HN protein derived from either strain. Mutational analyses further showed that the amino acid at position 195 of the F protein plays a critical role in determining the extent of cell fusion induced by mumps virus, since replacement of Ser-195 by Tyr significantly reduced the fusion inducibility of otherwise fusion-competent F protein.
4-Carboxy-2-methyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium-5-carboxylate monohydrate

In the title compound, C6H6N2O4·H2O, one carboxyl group is deprotonated and one imidazole N atom is protonated. The organic molecule, excluding methyl H atoms, is essentially planar, with an r.m.s. deviation of 0.0156 (1) Å. In the crystal structure, intermolecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link molecules into chains along the b axis; these chains are further linked via O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds involving the water O atoms and carboxyl O atoms, generating a two-dimensional supramolecular framework.
Discovery and microbial content of the driest site of the hyperarid Atacama Desert, Chile.

The Atacama Desert is the driest and oldest desert on Earth. Eleven years ago, the Yungay region was established as the driest site of this hyperarid desert and also close to the dry limit for life on Earth. Since then, much has been published about the extraordinary characteristics of this site and its pertinence as a Mars analogue model. However, as a result of a more systematic search in the Atacama here, we describe a new site, María Elena South (MES), which is much drier than Yungay. The mean atmospheric relative humidity (RH) at MES was 17.3%, with the RH of its soils remaining at a constant 14% at the depth of 1 m, a value that matches the lowest RH measurements taken by the Mars Science Laboratory at Gale Crater. Remarkably, we found a number of viable bacterial species in the soil profile at MES using a combination of molecular dependent and independent methods, unveiling the presence of life in the driest place on the Atacama Desert reported to date.
Andrology: Deleterious effects of khat addiction on semen parameters and sperm ultrastructure

The semen parameters and sperm ultrastructural morphology have been described in semen samples from two groups of Yemeni subjects. The first 'exposed' group comprised 65 khat addicts, while the second control group included 50 non-khat addict subjects. The mean age was 39.94 +/- 13.85 and 35.72 +/- 11.35 years in the exposed and control groups respectively, without a significant difference. The mean duration of khat addiction among the addicts was 25.34 +/- 12.96 years (range 6.00-48.00). Statistically significant differences were detected between the semen parameters of the two groups. Such parameters, including semen volume, sperm count, sperm motility, motility index and percentage of normal spermatozoa, were lower among addicts. Significant negative correlation was also found between the duration of khat consumption and all semen parameters (r ranged from -0.30 to -0.74). At the transmission electron microscopy level, a counting system was incorporated to compare the numbers of normal spermatozoa with deformed and dead spermatozoa in ultrathin plastic sections. The total mean percentage of deformed spermatozoa was approximately 65%. Different patterns of sperm deformation were demonstrated, and included both the head and flagella in complete spermatozoa, aflagellate heads, headless flagella and multiple heads and flagella. Deformed heads showed aberrated nuclei with immature nuclear chromatin and polymorphic intranuclear inclusions; these were associated with acrosomal defects. The deformed flagella demonstrated numeric aberrations of the axonemal 9 + 2 configuration and structural defects of their associated elements. Persistent cytoplasmic droplets were observed frequently. This study has shown for the first time the deleterious effects of khat addiction on semen parameters in general and sperm morphology in particular of all addicts, especially those who have consumed khat for longer periods of time.
Accumulator-Based Compaction of Test Responses

An accumulator-based compaction (ABC) scheme for parallel compaction of test responses is introduced. The asymptotic and transient coverage drop introduced by accumulators with binary and 1's complement adders is studied using Markov chain models. It is proven that the asymptotic coverage drop in ABC with binary adders is 2/sup -k/, where k is the number of bits in the adder that the fault can reach. In ABC with 1's complement adders, the asymptotic coverage drop for a fairly general class of faults is (2n-1)/sup -1/, where n is the total number of bits. The analysis of transient behavior relates the coverage drop with the probability of fault injection, the size of the accumulator, and the length of the test experiment. The process is characterized by damping factors derived for various values of these parameters. >
Improvements in Speaker Characterization Using Spectral Subband Energy Based on Harmonic plus Noise Model

We previously proposed the use of Spectral Subband Energy Ratio (SSER) as speaker features in a speaker veriﬁcation system[1]. Those SSER features were derived from two distinct components-the harmonic and noise speech parts, which were decomposed by the Harmonic plus Noise Model(HNM) from the original speech. In this paper, we report several recent improvements to this approach. First, we go into the details of the two distinct speech components and achieve a surprising better performance by only extracting the separate Spectral Subband Energy features from each component. Second, we propose a soft unvoiced/voiced (U/V) decision method to preserve more speech data during HNM analysis and feature extraction. Greatly improved experiment results have shown the efﬁciency of this soft U/V decision. Finally, a further prelim-inary attempt to extract features from linear frequency domain to mel-frequency domain has also been examined.
Commentary: Role of Temperament in Developmental Models of Psychopathology

The articles in this special section provide exciting and useful perspectives on the role of temperament in the development of child and adolescent psychopathology. These articles are valuable both in summarizing what is known and in highlighting issues that must be addressed before further progress can be made. In the future, it will be essential to distinguish between the constructs of temperament and psychopathology in ways that are both scientifically valid and useful to the study of developmental psychopathology. In particular, because existing measures of temperament were not designed to study relations between temperament and psychopathology, new measures are needed that focus on relevant aspects of temperament and are not confounded by the inclusion of items that are close synonyms and antonyms of psychopathology. If circular and mentalistic thinking can be avoided, important advances can be expected from studies of temperament and psychopathology in the context of development.