Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of Malnutrition Assessed by Bioimpedance Analysis and Anthropometry in Children on Peritoneal Dialysis

Objective To evaluate the sensitivity of anthropometry and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) in detecting alterations in body composition of children treated with peritoneal dialysis (PD), and to determine the prevalence of malnutrition in this population, in short- and long-term PD duration, using anthropometric and BIA-derived indices. Patients Eighteen children treated with automated PD (11 males, 7 females; mean age 8.7 ± 4.7 years). Design Eighteen patients were studied using anthropometry and BIA at the start (t0) and after 6 months (t1) of PD, 15 of these patients at 12 months (t2), and 8 at 24 months (t3) of PD. Midarm muscle circumference (MAMC), arm muscle area (AMA), and arm fat area (AFA) were calculated from anthropometric measures according to Frisancho (FrisanchoAR. New norms of upper limb fat and muscle areas for assessment of nutritional status. Am J Clin Nutr 1981; 34:2540–5.). The bioelectrical measures of resistance (R) and reactance (Xc) were obtained directly from the impedance signal; phase angle (PA) and distance (D) were calculated using mathematical formulas. Nutritional status was assessed by anthropometric measurements and BIA-derived indices, expressed as standard deviation scores (SDS), and by a score system based on BIA and anthropometric parameters. The percentage of children with values of anthropometric and BIA-derived indices below the 3rd percentile or between the 3rd and 25th percentiles, and the percentage of children with scores of 7 – 12 and 4 – 6 were calculated in order to detect patients with severe or moderate derangement of nutritional status. Results The mean SDS values of Xc, PA, and D significantly improved (p = 0.05, p = 0.001, p = 0.02) during the first 6 months of PD and remained almost stable during the following months. The SDS values of the anthropometric indices were less compromised than those of the BIA-derived indices, particularly at the start of dialysis. By 6 months, the percentages of children with values of BIA and anthropometric indices below the 3rd percentile had decreased. The percentages of patients with moderate and severe derangement of BIA and anthropometric indices remained substantially unchanged after 12 months. However, at 24 months, the percentage of patients with moderate derangement of BIA indices increased. All these findings were confirmed by the nutritional score system. Conclusion BIA is more sensitive than anthropometry in detecting alterations in body composition of children on PD. The prevalence of malnutrition, high at the commencement of PD, decreases during the first year of treatment but not over the long term.
Novel Essential Role of Ethanol Oxidation Genes at Low Temperature Revealed by Transcriptome Analysis in the Antarctic Bacterium Pseudomonas extremaustralis

Temperature is one of the most important factors for bacterial growth and development. Cold environments are widely distributed on earth, and psychrotolerant and psychrophilic microorganisms have developed different adaptation strategies to cope with the stress derived from low temperatures. Pseudomonas extremaustralis is an Antarctic bacterium able to grow under low temperatures and to produce high amounts of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). In this work, we analyzed the genome-wide transcriptome by RNA deep-sequencing technology of early exponential cultures of P. extremaustralis growing in LB (Luria Broth) supplemented with sodium octanoate to favor PHA accumulation at 8°C and 30°C. We found that genes involved in primary metabolism, including tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) related genes, as well as cytochromes and amino acid metabolism coding genes, were repressed at low temperature. Among up-regulated genes, those coding for transcriptional regulatory and signal transduction proteins were over-represented at cold conditions. Remarkably, we found that genes involved in ethanol oxidation, exaA, exaB and exaC, encoding a pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ)-dependent ethanol dehydrogenase, the cytochrome c550 and an aldehyde dehydrogenase respectively, were up-regulated. Along with RNA-seq experiments, analysis of mutant strains for pqqB (PQQ biosynthesis protein B) and exaA were carried out. We found that the exaA and pqqB genes are essential for growth under low temperature in LB supplemented with sodium octanoate. Additionally, p-rosaniline assay measurements showed the presence of alcohol dehydrogenase activity at both 8°C and 30°C, while the activity was abolished in a pqqB mutant strain. These results together with the detection of ethanol by gas chromatography in P. extremaustralis cultures grown at 8°C support the conclusion that this pathway is important under cold conditions. The obtained results have led to the identification of novel components involved in cold adaptation mechanisms in this bacterium, suggesting for the first time a role of the ethanol oxidation pathway for bacterial growth at low temperatures.
Monitoring Integration over Time Supports a Role for Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes and Ongoing Replication as Determinants of Reservoir Size

ABSTRACT The dynamics of HIV reservoir accumulation off antiretroviral therapy (ART) is underexplored. Levels of integrated HIV DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were longitudinally monitored before and after antiviral therapy. HIV integration increased over time in both elite controllers (ECs; n = 8) and noncontrollers (NCs; n = 6) before ART, whereas integration remained stable in patients on ART (n = 4). The median annual fold change was higher in NCs than in ECs and negatively correlated with CD4/CD8 T-cell ratio. Cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) function as assessed by infected CD4 T-cell elimination (ICE) and granzyme B activity did not significantly change over time in ECs, suggesting that the gradual increase in integrated HIV DNA observed in ECs was not a result of progressive loss of immune-mediated control. Also, acutely infected (n = 7) but not chronically infected (n = 6) patients exhibited a significant drop in integrated HIV DNA 12 months after ART initiation. In conclusion, in the absence of ART, integrated HIV accumulates over time both in NCs and in ECs, at variable individual rates. Starting ART early in infection leads to a greater drop in integrated HIV DNA than does initiating treatment after years of infection. The increase in integrated HIV DNA over time suggests that early treatment may be of benefit in limiting HIV reservoirs. IMPORTANCE The establishment of a latent reservoir represents a barrier to cure among HIV-infected individuals. The dynamics of HIV reservoir accumulation over time in patients before antiviral therapy is underexplored, in large part because it is difficult to accurately and reproducibly measure the size of HIV reservoir in this setting. In our study, we compared the dynamics of integrated HIV DNA over time in ECs and NCs before and after ART was initiated. We found that integrated HIV DNA levels progressively increase over time in the absence of ART, but with a higher, albeit variable, rate in NCs compared to ECs. In addition, integrated HIV DNA declines more dramatically when ART is initiated in acute rather than chronic HIV infection, suggesting important differences between acute and chronic infection. Our study highlights the role of HIV replication and CTL control in reservoir accumulation in sanctuary sites and why ART appears to be more effective in acute infection.
Changes in the gray matter volume during compensation after vestibular neuritis: a longitudinal VBM study.

PURPOSE Peripheral vestibular dysfunction following vestibular neuritis (VN) often persists but functional recovery of balance can be variable. The authors compared structural changes in the brain before and after post-VN compensation and related it to the functional recovery. METHODS Nine patients diagnosed with unilateral VN were included. Brain MRI and clinical observation were performed within 2 days of acute VN diagnosis and were repeated 3 months after the first exam. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis for longitudinal data was performed using VBM8 toolbox running within SPM8. Changes in local grey matter volume (GMV) were examined using a paired t-test and clinical relevance was tested using correlation analyses with functional improvement. RESULTS Significant increases in GMV were observed in the vestibular cortex, bilateral hippocampus, visual cortices and the cerebellum. GMV decreased in cerebellar regions, including the vermis, and in the prefrontal cortex. Increases in GMV in visual cortices and cerebellum were associated with the poorest recovery of balance, which might be explained by functional substitution. CONCLUSIONS The structural layout of vestibular compensation suggests that memory and motor planning are closely related to this process. Vision seems to be a major source of functional substitution, as has been previously demonstrated. This study, however, is the first longitudinal analysis of brain structural changes associated with recovery of balance following unilateral VN.
To Fix or to Float? A New Theoretical Assessment

More than fifty years after the creation of the International Monetary Fund, the issue of appropriate exchange rate regimes for emerging economies is still controversial. Empirical studies suggest that these economies are borrowing constraint on the international financial markets. This paper highlights this constraint through a simple small open economy model of flexible prices to study the choice of the exchange regimes for emerging countries. The financial constraint acts as a real friction and alters the choice of the optimal exchange regime in the face of real and monetary shocks. The paper concludes that a fixed regime is never optimal.
The Child Quality-Quantity Tradeoff, England, 1780-1880: A Fundamental Component of the Economic Theory of Growth is Missing

In recent theorizing, modern economic growth was created by substituting child quality for quantity. However evidence for this tradeoff is minimal. In England the Industrial Revolution occurred in a period 1780-1879 of substantial human capital investment, but no fertility control, huge random variation in family sizes, and uncorrelated family size and parent quality. Yet family size variation had little effect on educational attainment, occupational status, or longevity, for both prosperous and poor families. More children reduced inherited wealth, but even that effect largely disappeared by the next generation. There is no quality-quantity tradeoff. Growth theory must proceed in other directions.
On identifying leaves: A comparison of CNN with classical ML methods

Convolution neural networks (CNNs) eliminate the need for feature extraction which is one of the most important and time-consuming part of traditional machine learning (ML) methods. However, the challenge of training a deep CNN model with a limited amount of training data still remains. Transfer learning and parameter fine-tuning have emerged as solutions to this problem. Following the recent trends, we address the task of visual identification of leaves in images by modifying a trained model on a similar problem. In particular, we show that a pre-trained CNN model on a large dataset (ImageNet) can be used to train a model from a small training set (ImageCLEF2013 Plant Identification). The resulting model outperforms the classical machine learning methods using local binary patterns (LBPs), a well utilized feature in the field.
The arthroscopic treatment of osteochondritis dissecans of the knee with autologous bone sticks.

PURPOSE To present a new surgical technique for the fixation of partial dislocated osteochondral fragments in athletes with osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the knee. TYPE OF STUDY Retrospective case series. METHODS Autologous bone sticks were taken from the ipsilateral tibial metaphysis and used in the arthroscopic fixation of unilateral osteochondritis dissecans of the knee in 11 patients (5 female and 6 male). Patient age ranged from 11 to 20 years (mean, 16 years). Fixation of the partially dislocated fragments of the OCD of the knee was performed following a modified arthroscopic procedure and autologous bone graft. RESULTS Follow-up ranged from 15 to 108 months (mean, 48 months). Based on modified criteria of Hughston et al., results were satisfactory in 90.9% and unsatisfactory in 9.1% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS Arthroscopic fixation of OCD of the knee with autologous bone sticks is technically simple and nonaggressive and provides satisfactory results in most cases.
Quality of life in elders living alone in Taiwan.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to identify and describe predictors of QOL of elders who live alone in Taiwan. BACKGROUND Despite a growing population of elders who live alone, research on their quality of life, important for policy decisions and health care provider interventions is virtually absent. METHODS A descriptive correlational design surveyed 192 Taiwanese elders living alone, selected at random from urban and rural areas. During home visits elders completed the WHO-QOL-BREF, Social Support Scale and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) in addition to providing demographic data. RESULTS Multiple linear regressions showed that six variables predicted physical health and the psychological wellbeing QOL domains, accounting for 74.5 and 60.1% of the variance, respectively. Four variables predicted 46.7 and 34.3% of the environmental and the social relationship QOL domains, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Elders who live alone in rural areas and suffer from depression are at high risk for a low quality of life. However, elders living alone reported a better quality of life than their institutionalized counterparts. Interventional research and policy decisions focused on treatment for depression and providing social support networks, as these elders age, will be particularly important. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE By understanding variables associated with elders' quality of life, nurses can coordinate interventions to improve their quality of life. Poorly educated rural women who live alone are particularly vulnerable. Nursing assessment of quality of life indicators and implementation of strategies for increased social support are needed for high-risk elders.
A Case Series of Adult-Onset Rasmussen’s Encephalitis: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenges

Rasmussen’s encephalitis (RE) is a rare neurologic disorder characterized by progressive cerebral hemiatrophy and medically refractory epilepsy. The majority of current literature on this topic is focused on the pediatric population. In this case series, we will review three cases of adult-onset RE, as defined by fulfillment of the 2005 Bien criteria. The diagnostic challenge of characterizing this rare disease will be highlighted by the extensive serum, CSF, and pathologic sampling in all three patients. MR imaging and EEG data will be examined over time to characterize hallmark findings as well as progression. In addition, we will review the various forms of therapy attempted in these three patients, namely anti-epileptic drug therapy and immunomodulatory therapy. We will also utilize this case series to critically evaluate the broader context of atypical presentations of this disease and the value of current diagnostic criteria.
A strong expression of CD44-6v correlates with shorter survival of patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

CD44 is a ubiquitous cell-surface glycoprotein that displays many variant isoforms (CD44v) generated by alternative splicing of exons 2v to 10v. The expression of variant isoforms is highly restricted and correlated with specific processes, such as leukocyte activation and malignant transformation. We have herein studied CD44v expression in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and, for comparison, in normal myelopoiesis. Protein expression of total CD44 and of CD44-3v, -6v, and -9v isoforms has been measured using specific monoclonal antibodies and flow cytometry. The composition of variant exon transcripts has been analyzed by semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction followed by Southern hybridization with exon-specific probes. Our data show that (1) CD44-6v isoforms are expressed on 12.0% +/- 2.5% of normal CD34(+) cells; this expression is sharply upregulated through monopoiesis and, inversely, downregulated during granulopoiesis. Also, CD44-3v and CD44-9v isoforms are detected on 10% and 14% of normal monocytes, respectively. (2) Sixty-nine from a total of 95 AML patients display a variable proportion (range, 5% to 80%) of CD44-6v+ leukemic cells. (3) A shorter overall survival characterizes the group of AML patients displaying more than 20% of CD44-6v+ leukemic cells (8 months v 18 months, P < .02). These data suggest, for the first time, that the protein expression of CD44-6v containing isoforms may serve as a new prognostic factor in AML.
Total Hip Replacement in Inflammatory Hip Disease using the Charnley Prosthesis

The Charnley low-friction arthroplasty was performed on 73 hips in 55 patients with inflammatory joint disease, usually for intolerable pain. Sixty-five of these operations were reviewed at a special clinic or by postal questionnaire; 57 hips were painfree or gave rise to only occasional discomfort, in 58 there was an increased range of movement, and in 46 of the 59 hips assessed clinically, the results were excellent or good. The most serious complication was deep infection, which occurred in 7 operations.
Toll‐Like Receptor 4 Expression in Decidual Cells and Interstitial Trophoblasts Across Human Pregnancy

Toll‐like receptor‐4 (TLR‐4) protects against Gram‐negative bacteria expressed lipopolysaccharide and ‘danger signals’ from injured or dying cells. Although decidual cells (DCs) and interstitial trophoblasts (ITs) are in close contact, TLR‐4 has been studied extensively only in ITs.
Cardioprotection Via Activation of Protein Kinase C-&dgr; Depends on Modulation of the Reverse Mode of the Na+/Ca2+ Exchanger

Background— Pretreatment with the volatile anesthetic sevoflurane protects cardiomyocytes against subsequent ischemic episodes caused by a protein kinase C (PKC)-&dgr; mediated preconditioning effect. Sevoflurane directly modulates cardiac Ca2+ handling, and because Ca2+ also serves as a mediator in other cardioprotective signaling pathways, possible involvement of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) in relation with PKC-&dgr; in sevoflurane-induced cardioprotection was investigated. Methods and Results— Isolated right ventricular rat trabeculae were subjected to simulated ischemia and reperfusion (SI/R), consisting of superfusion with hypoxic glucose-free buffer for 40 minutes after rigor development, followed by reperfusion with normoxic glucose containing buffer. Preconditioning with sevoflurane before SI/R improved isometric force development during contractile recovery at 60 minutes after the end of hypoxic superfusion (83±7% [sevo] versus 57±2% [SI/R];n=8; P<0.01). Inhibition of the reverse mode of the NCX by KB-R7943 (10 &mgr;mol/L) or SEA0400 (1 &mgr;mol/L) during preconditioning attenuated the protective effect of sevoflurane. KB-R7943 and SEA0400 did not have intrinsic effects on the contractile recovery. Furthermore, inhibition of the NCX in trabeculae exposed to sevoflurane reduced sevoflurane-induced PKC-&dgr; translocation toward the sarcolemma, as demonstrated by digital imaging fluorescent microscopy. The degree of PKC-&dgr; phosphorylation at serine643 as determined by western blot analysis was not affected by sevoflurane. Conclusions— Sevoflurane-induced cardioprotection depends on the NCX preceding PKC-&dgr; translocation presumably via increased NCX-mediated Ca2+ influx. This may suggest that increased myocardial Ca2+ load triggers the cardioprotective signaling cascade elicited by volatile anesthetic agents similar to other modes of preconditioning.
Image Piece Learning for Weakly Supervised Semantic Segmentation

The task of semantic segmentation is to infer a predefined category label for each pixel in the image. For most cases, image segmentation is established as a fully supervised task. These methods all built on the basis of having access to sufficient pixel-wise annotated samples for training. However, obtaining the satisfied ground truth is not only labor intensive but also time-consuming, which severely hinders the generality of these fully supervised methods. Instead of pixel-level ground truth, weakly supervised approaches learn their models from much less prior information, e.g., image-level annotation. In this paper, we propose a novel conditional random field (CRF) based framework for weakly supervised semantic segmentation. Enlightened by jigsaw puzzles, we start the approach with merging superpixels from an image into larger pieces by a newly designed strategy. Then pieces from all the training images are gathered and associated with appropriate semantic labels by CRF. Thus, the piece library is constructed, achieving remarkable universality and flexibility. In the case of testing, we compare the superpixels with image pieces in the library and assign them the labels that minimize the potential energy. In addition, the proposed framework is fit for domain adaption and obtains promising results, which is of great practical value. Extensive experimental results on PASCAL VOC 2007, MSRC-21, and VOC 2012 databases demonstrate that our framework outperforms or is comparable to state-of-the-art segmentation methods.
Walking and running economy: inverse association with peak oxygen uptake.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that V˙O2peak is positively correlated with the regression coefficients of the curve-linear relationship between V˙O2 and speed during a protocol consisting of submaximal walking and running. METHODS Nineteen healthy men (mean ± SD: age = 26.4 ± 6.4 yr, height = 179.9 ± 7.2 cm, weight = 77.7 ± 8.7 kg, % fat = 16.3 ± 7.3) and 21 healthy women (age = 25.6 ± 4.9 yr, height = 167.2 ± 5.4 cm, weight = 61.6 ± 7.7 kg, % fat = 24.0 ± 6.8) underwent an incremental treadmill test to determine VO2peak and on two separate days performed an exercise protocol consisting of treadmill walking on a level grade at 2.0 mph (54 m·min−¹), 3.0 mph (80 m·min−¹), and 4.0 mph (107 m·min−¹) and running at 6.0 mph (161 m·min−¹). Subjects exercised for 5 min at each velocity, with 3 min of rest in between each exercise bout. Pulmonary ventilation (VE) and gas exchange were measured breath-by-breath each minute. The average of VO2 values obtained during the last 2 min of exercise for both exercise sessions was used in polynomial random coefficient regression analysis. RESULTS In the polynomial random coefficient regression analysis for walking speeds only, both linear (r = 0.31, P = 0.053) and quadratic (r = 0.35, P = 0.029) coefficients were modestly correlated with VO2peak. Steady-state VO2 during walking at 3.0 and 4.0 mph and running at 6.0 mph was also modestly correlated with VO2peak (r = 0.30-0.48). CONCLUSIONS The results confirm our hypothesis and suggest that, as walking speed increases, the increase in VO2 is positively correlated with the VO2peak. Our findings are consistent with the notion that cardiorespiratory fitness and exercise economy are inversely related.