Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Usefulness of Continuous 24-hour Ventricular Late Potential to Predict Prognosis in Patients with Heart Failure.

OBJECTIVES An estimated 50,000 patients have heart failure (HF) in Japan, and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is the typical predictor of prognosis. The identification of a noninvasive marker to predict most high-risk patients is urgently needed. This study aimed to log the continuous ventricular late potential (LP) by using high-resolution ambulatory monitoring in patients with HF with non-sustained ventricular tachycardia, and determine the association between the LP variation and prognosis. METHODS The 90 hospitalized patients were classified into cardiogenic death (n = 10) and non-death (n = 80) groups. The LVEF, LP, and coefficient of variation (CV) of the filtered QRS (fQRS), and low-amplitude signal < 40 µV for the terminal QRS portion of (LAS40) of both groups were evaluated. The maximum fQRS over 24 h was defined as the maximum fQRS (Max-fQRS). RESULTS The results were as follows: (1) cardiogenic death occurred in 32% (10/31 patients) with an LVEF ≤ 45% and a Max-fQRS ≤ 114 ms; (2) cardiogenic death occurred in 38% (10/26 patients) with a LAS40-CV ≥ 0.09; and (3) using LVEF, Max-fQRS, and LAS40-CV as the three predictors, the specificity and accuracy were 83% and 82%, respectively, with an odds ratio of 12.3. CONCLUSIONS LAS40 variations and increases might be new risk indicators of prognosis.
The Clinical Utility of Dynamic Contour Tonometry and Ocular Pulse Amplitude

PurposeTo determine if ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) as measured by dynamic contour tonometry (DCT) is related to severity of glaucoma, and if intraocular pressure (IOP) as measured by DCT is related to central corneal thickness (CCT). MethodsPatients were selected from the Duke Eye Center glaucoma clinic. Fifty-five eyes of 32 patients were included; right and left eyes were analyzed separately. CCT, OPA, DCT IOP, Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT), Tonopen applanation tonometry (TAT), and systemic blood pressure were measured. Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study score and mean deviation of visual field, and vertical and horizontal cup-disc ratios were recorded in a masked manner. Descriptive statistics were obtained, and OPA, DCT IOP, GAT, and TAT underwent univariate analyses to assess for relationships with predictor variables. ResultsOPA, DCT IOP, GAT, and TAT were positively associated with CCT and with having no surgical intervention for right and left eyes, and were negatively associated with vertical and horizontal cup-disc ratios. ConclusionsIncreased OPA seems to correlate with less severe glaucoma and with increased CCT. DCT IOP seems to be affected by CCT along with GAT and TAT.
Ileal amino acid digestibility assay for the growing meat chicken--comparison of ileal and excreta amino acid digestibility in the chicken

1. The apparent and true amino acid digestibilities in sorghum, wheat, soyabean meal, meat-and-bone meal, fish meal and blood meal for growing meat chickens were determined using an assay based on the collection of digesta from the terminal ileum and comparison was made with digestibility values determined using an excreta-based assay. 2. Five-week-old meat chickens were given maize-soyabean meal basal diet or mixtures of the basal diet and test diets containing the 6 ingredients as the sole source of dietary protein (50:50 on weight basis). Apparent amino acid digestibility values of assay diets at ileal and excreta levels were calculated using chromic oxide as the indigestible marker. True digestibility values were calculated using endogenous outputs determined by feeding a protein-free diet. Amino acid digestibilities of the ingredients were calculated by difference. 3. The site of measurement had no influence on endogenous amino acid output, the exceptions being aspartic acid and glutamic acid. The output of these two amino acids was higher in the excreta. 4. Significant differences were found between ileal and excreta-based digestibility of certain amino acids in some ingredients, with excreta values being usually higher than the ileal values, indicating a net catabolism of amino acids in the large intestine. The degree of net amino acid disappearance was found to be variable among amino acids and ingredients. In general, threonine had the lowest digestibility at the ileal level and, compared with other amino acids, the highest degredation during passage through the hindgut. 5. The results showed that digestibility determination based on excreta collection will overestimate the uptake for some amino acids in some feeds. The degree of overestimation was often considerable, ranging from 8.9% (apparent digestibility of threonine in soyabean meal) to 56% (apparent digestibility of aspartic acid in wheat). It is concluded that digestibility values measured at the terminal ileum provide a more reliable measure of amino acid availability than those measured in the excreta.
A Correlation Study on the Variabilities in Pulse Transit Time, Blood Pressure, and Heart Rate Recorded Simultaneously from Healthy Subjects

This paper proposes to use the pulse transit time variability (PTTV) as an indicator of the variability in hemodynamics and studies its correlation with other cardiovascular variabilities, especially the blood pressure variability (BPV), which receives increasing attentions as an independent indicator of autonomic regulation and abnormalities in cardiovascular system. Continuous blood pressure (BP), electrocardiogram (ECG), and photoplethysmographic (PPG) signal were collected simultaneously from 11 healthy subjects in resting state. Two types of pulse transit time (PTT), defined by different characteristic points of ECG and PPG signals, were measured beat by beat noninvasively. Correlation coefficient was employed to quantify the relationship between the beat-to-beat variabilities in any pair of the target cardiovascular parameters. Significant correlations were consistently observed among the variabilities in systolic BP, pulse BP and PTTf , which was defined as the time interval between the peak of ECG R-wave and the frontal foot of the PPG pulse within the same cardiac cycle. The results of this study indicate that variability in PTTf is highly associated with that in BP and can be potentially used for BPV estimation for healthy subjects at static body state
Restricted Interests and Autism: Further Assessment of Preferences for a Variety of Leisure Items

Researchers have yet to identify the conditions under which people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder demonstrate restricted interests; it is possible that the impression of restricted interests is strengthened when a limited variety of items are included in a client’s preference assessments. This study will extend past research on preferences of children with autism by (a) examining participants’ preferences for unreplenished (familiar) play or leisure items versus items that are replenished frequently, (b) assessing if participants who prefer replenished items select items with properties that are matched or unmatched to their most preferred unreplenished item, and (c) assessing if participants who show an exclusive preference for unreplenished items will select replenished items during response-restriction and enhanced-replenished pool manipulations. Participants were four adolescents with autism and a caregiver-reported history of restricted interests. One participant selected both unreplenished (familiar) items and replenished (novel) items without further manipulations. The remaining three participants only selected replenished-matched leisure items after additional manipulations. Results are discussed in terms of the ethical and practical importance of assessing a range of potential reinforcers, particularly with clients who demonstrate restricted interests.
Escitalopram, but Not Its Major Metabolites, Exhibits Antiplatelet Activity in Humans

Background: Clinical depression has been identified as an independent risk factor for increased mortality during follow-up in patients suffered from acute coronary events, whereas increased platelet activity has been proposed as one of the mechanisms for this association. Some evidence suggests that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and/or their metabolites exhibit potent antiplatelet properties. Methods: We assessed the in vitro effects of preincubation with escalating (50-200 nmol/L) concentrations of escitalopram (ESC) S-desmethyl-citalopram (S-DCT), and S-di-desmethyl-citalopram, (S-DCT) on platelet aggregation through the expression of major surface receptors using flow cytometry and quantitatively using platelet function analyzers in 20 healthy volunteers. Results: Pretreatment of blood samples with ESC with ESC resulted in a significant inhibition of platelet aggregation induced by ADP (P = 0.0001) and by collagen with the highest dose (P = 0.001). Surface platelet expressions of glycoprotein Ib (CD42) (P = 0.04), lysosome associated membrane protein-3 (CD63) (P = 0.02), and GP37 (CD165) (P = 0.03) was decreased in the ESC-pretreated samples. Closure time by the Platelet Function Analyzer-100 analyzer was prolonged for the 200 nmol/L dose (P = 0.02), indicating platelet inhibition under high shear conditions. Two major metabolites of ESC, namely S-DCT and S-DDCT, did not affect platelet activity. Conclusion: Escitalopram, but not its metabolites, exhibited selective inhibition of human platelet properties. The direct antiplatelet effect of ESC requires further prospective or ex vivo testing to determine the possible clinical advantage of this finding.
Proportional bandwidth allocation in DiffServ networks

By analyzing the steady state throughput of TCP flows in differentiated service (DiffServ) networks, we show that current DiffServ networks are biased in favor of those flows that have a smaller target rate, which results in unfair bandwidth allocation. In order to solve this unfairness problem, we propose an adaptive marking scheme, which allocates bandwidth in a manner which is proportional to the target rates of the aggregate TCP flows in the DiffServ network. This scheme adjusts the target rate according to the congestion level of the network, so that the aggregate flow can obtain its fair share of the bandwidth. Since it utilizes edge-to-edge feedback information without measuring or keeping any per-flow state, this scheme is scalable and does not require any additional signaling protocol or any significant changes to the current TCP/IP protocol. It can he implemented in a distributed manner using only two-bit feedback information, which is carried in the TCP acknowledgement. Using extensive simulations, we show that the proposed scheme can provide each aggregate flow with its fair share of the bandwidth, which is proportional to the target rate, under various network conditions
Management of refractory congestive heart failure--a nephrological challenge.

filtration rate (GFR) was <50 ml/min/1.73 m 2 [2]. Conversely, congestive heart failure is present in at least 25% of patients with chronic renal disease [3,4]. In this population, the prevalence of heart failure increases with the continuous deterioration in renal function, especially in elderly patients [5]. A recent study evaluated the prevalence and clinical correlates of congestive heart failure using data of 4024 incident haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients in 1996 and 1997, a national random sample from Wave 2 of the US Renal Data System Dialysis Morbidity and Mortality Study. In this population, congestive heart failure was present in 36% of patients. In a multivariate analysis, age, female sex, hypertension, diabetes, measures of atherosclerosis and structural cardiac abnormalities were found to be associated with the presence of congestive heart failure. This national study stressed the association of the above parameters with the presence of heart failure even at the start of renal replacement therapy. Furthermore, the study identified the serum albumin level as a
Comprehensive sampling of gene expression in human cell lines with massively parallel signature sequencing

Whereas information is rapidly accumulating about the structure and position of genes encoded in the human genome, less is known about the complexity and relative abundance of their expression in individual human cells and tissues. Here, we describe the characteristics of the transcriptomes of two cultured cell lines, HB4a (normal breast epithelium) and HCT-116 (colon adenocarcinoma), using massively parallel signature sequencing (MPSS). We generated in excess of 107 short signature sequences per cell line, thus providing a comprehensive snapshot of gene expression, within the technical limitations of the method. The number of genes expressed at one copy per cell or more in either of the lines was estimated to be between 10,000 and 15,000. The vast majority of the transcripts found in these cells can be mapped to known genes and their polyadenylation variants. Among the genes that could be identified from their signature sequences, ≈8,500 were expressed by both cell lines, whereas 6,000 showed cellular specificity. Taking into account sequence tags that map uniquely to the genome but not to known transcripts, overall the data are consistent with an upper limit of 17,000 for the total number of genes expressed at more than one copy per cell in one or both of the two cell lines examined.
An open-label, randomized study comparing efficacy and safety of intravenous piperacillin/tazobactam and ampicillin/sulbactam for infected diabetic foot ulcers.

BACKGROUND Soft tissue and bone infections of the lower limb continue to be a frequent and serious complication in patients with diabetes mellitus. The best choice of antimicrobial for the empiric treatment of moderate to severe diabetic foot infections has not been established clearly. METHODS We conducted a prospective, randomized, open-label, multicenter trial comparing piperacillin/tazobactam (P/T) (4 g/0.5 g q8h) and ampicillin/sulbactam (A/S) (2 g/1 g q6h) as a parenteral treatment for 314 adult patients with moderate-to-severe infected diabetic foot ulcers. Patients with polymicrobial infections involving methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus also received vancomycin 1 g q12h. RESULTS Clinical efficacy rates (cure or improvement) were statistically equivalent overall (81% for P/T vs. 83.1% for A/S), and median duration of treatment was similar in the clinically evaluable populations (nine days for P/T, 10 days for A/S). Drug-related adverse events for both study drugs were comparable in frequency and type. CONCLUSIONS Although both study drugs provide safe and effective empiric treatment for moderate-to-severe infected diabetic foot ulcers, piperacillin/tazobactam has the advantage of covering Pseudomonas aeruginosa (bacteriologic success rate of 85.7%), the most commonly isolated gram-negative pathogen in this study.
Color Doppler evaluation of left gastric vein hemodynamics in cirrhosis with portal hypertension and its correlation with esophageal varices and variceal bleed

Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the value of Doppler evaluation of left gastric vein hemodynamics when monitoring portal hypertension patients, by correlating Doppler ultrasonography (USG) parameters with the severity of esophageal varices and occurrence of variceal bleeding. Methods: This study was carried out on 100 patients using Doppler USG and endoscopy. Forty-seven of these were patients with cirrhosis with portal hypertension, who had not had a recent variceal bleed (group 1) and 26 were patients with cirrhosis with portal hypertension, with a recent history of bleeding (group 2). The control group comprised of 27 subjects who did not have liver disease or varices on endoscopy (group 3). The hemodynamic parameters, namely the diameter of the left gastric vein and the direction and flow velocity in the vessel, were compared in these groups, with the grade of esophageal varices. Results: Hepatofugal flow velocity in the left gastric vein was higher in patients with large-sized varices compared to those patients with small-sized varices (P < 0.001). The left gastric vein hepatofugal flow velocity was higher in patients with a recent variceal bleed than in those patients without a history of a recent variceal bleed (P < 0.0149). Large-sized varices were more commonly found in patients with a history of a recent variceal bleed (P < 0.0124). Conclusion: Left gastric vein hemodynamics were found to correlate with the severity of the varices and the occurrence of recent variceal bleed in patients with cirrhosis with portal hypertension. Evaluation of the left gastric vein portal dynamics could be helpful in monitoring the progress of the disease in these patients.
Computerized Three‐Dimensional Reconstruction of Cartilage Canals in Chick Tibial Chondroepiphysis

Cartilage canals have been extensively investigated, in particular as to their mode of formation, morphologic distribution, function and fate. We studied the morphological pattern of the cartilage canals of the right upper chondroepiphysis of the tibia of chick embryos, Hamburger–Hamilton stages 35–42, in serial sagittal wax sections and in reconstructions made with AutoCAD software. The spatial arrangement of the canals is presented in a series of drawings made according to computerized images. The canals were penetrated from three distinct surfaces: the anterior and superior surfaces of the tubercle and the posterior surfaces of the medial and lateral condyles. Immediately after entering, nearly all the canals were extended toward the medial or lateral aspects of the chondroepiphysis, from which no canals took their origin. All of the cartilage canals connected with the perichondrium, and their branching did not follow a specific pattern. The condylar canals did not unite with the tubercular ones.
Blockchain Technology and Decentralized Governance: Is the State Still Necessary?

La versione italiana di questo documento e disponibile al seguente link: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2731132The core technology of Bitcoin, the blockchain, has recently emerged as a disruptive innovation with a wide range of applications, potentially able to redesign our interactions in business, politics and society at large. Although scholarly interest in this subject is growing, a comprehensive analysis of blockchain applications from a political perspective is severely lacking to date. This paper aims to fill this gap and it discusses the key points of blockchain-based decentralized governance, which challenges to varying degrees the traditional mechanisms of State authority, citizenship and democracy. In particular, the paper verifies to which extent blockchain and decentralized platforms can be considered as hyper-political tools, capable to manage social interactions on large scale and dismiss traditional central authorities. The analysis highlights risks related to a dominant position of private powers in distributed ecosystems, which may lead to a general disempowerment of citizens and to the emergence of a stateless global society. While technological utopians urge the demise of any centralized institution, this paper advocates the role of the State as a necessary central point of coordination in society, showing that decentralization through algorithm-based consensus is an organizational theory, not a stand-alone political theory.
Stress and Alterations in Bones: An Interdisciplinary Perspective

Decades of research have demonstrated that physical stress (PS) stimulates bone remodeling and affects bone structure and function through complex mechanotransduction mechanisms. Recent research has laid ground to the hypothesis that mental stress (MS) also influences bone biology, eventually leading to osteoporosis and increased bone fracture risk. These effects are likely exerted by modulation of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activity, resulting in an altered release of growth hormones, glucocorticoids and cytokines, as demonstrated in human and animal studies. Furthermore, molecular cross talk between mental and PS is thought to exist, with either synergistic or preventative effects on bone disease progression depending on the characteristics of the applied stressor. This mini review will explain the emerging concept of MS as an important player in bone adaptation and its potential cross talk with PS by summarizing the current state of knowledge, highlighting newly evolving notions (such as intergenerational transmission of stress and its epigenetic modifications affecting bone) and proposing new research directions.
Glucose and lactate metabolism during brain activation

The dependence of brain function on blood glucose as a fuel does not exclude the possibility that lactate within the brain might be transferred between different cell types and serve as an energy source. It has been recently suggested that 1) about 85% of glucose consumption during brain activation is initiated by aerobic glycolysis in astrocytes, triggered by demand for glycolytically derived energy for Na+‐dependent accumulation of transmitter glutamate and its amidation to glutamine, and 2) the generated lactate is quantitatively transferred to neurons for oxidative degradation. However, astrocytic glutamate uptake can be fuelled by either glycolytically or oxidatively derived energy, and the extent to which “metabolic trafficking” of lactate might occur during brain function is unknown. In this review, the potential for an astrocytic–neuronal lactate flux has been estimated by comparing rates of glucose utilization in brain and in cultured neurons and astrocytes with those for lactate release and uptake. Working brain tissue and isolated brain cells release large amounts of lactate. Cellular lactate uptake occurs by carrier‐mediated facilitated diffusion and is normally limited by its dependence on metabolism of accumulated lactate to maintain a concentration gradient. The rate of this process is similar in cultured astrocytes and glutamatergic neurons, and, at physiologically occurring lactate concentrations, lactate uptake corresponds at most to 25% of the rate of glucose oxidation, which accordingly is the upper limit for “metabolic trafficking” of lactate. Because of a larger local release than uptake of lactate and the necessity for rapid lactate clearance to maintain the intracellular redox state to support lactate production in the presence of normal oxygen levels, brain activation in vivo is probably, in many cases, accompanied by a substantial overflow of glycolytically generated lactate, both to different brain areas and under some conditions (spreading depression, hyperammonemia) to circulating blood. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.