Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Retroperitoneal Laparoscopic Approach for Retrocaval Ureter : Our Experience on 27 Cases

Introduction: Aim of this study was to describe the retroperitoneoscopic ureterouretostomy technique for retrocaval ureter. Materials and Methods: Retrospective single centre study of 27 patients who underwent retroperitoneal laparoscopic ureteroureterostomy for retrocaval ureter. Treatment success was defined as the absence of stenosis, reduction of hydronephrosis and complete resolution of symptoms. Intra and post-operative complications and short-term follow-up were assessed. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed. Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare hydronephrosis grade and symptoms resolution after 3, 6 and 12 months. Results: Median operative time was 131 min (IQR: 90-160) and median estimated blood loss was 28,5 ml (10-30); median hospital stay was 3,8 days (IQR: 3-4). No intra-operative complications or conversion to open surgery were observed. After surgery 15% (4 of 27) had a grade 1 of Clavien-Dindo complications. The double-J ureteral stent was removed 4-6 weeks postoperatively. The Contrast-enhanced CT scan performed at 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery, showed no ureteral stricture along the anastomotic tract, perfect ureteric anastomosis and a decrease of hydronephrosis, confirmed at ultrasonography. Conclusion: Retroperitoneal laparoscopic approach allows to identifying inferior vena cava and ureter faster, with less influence of abdominal organs. Our study showed a feasible and safe surgical approach in a large case series.
A single‐nucleotide polymorphism of miR‐196a‐2 and vitiligo: an association study and functional analysis in a Han Chinese population

Recent evidence indicates that oxidative stress and genetic factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of vitiligo. SNPs in miRNAs involved in oxidative stress could potentially influence the development of vitiligo. In this case–control study, we investigated the association of a functional SNP of rs11614913 in miR‐196a‐2 with risk of vitiligo. A significantly lower risk of vitiligo was associated with the rs11614913 miR‐196a‐2 CC genotype (adjusted OR, 0.77; CI, 0.60–0.98). In addition, TYRP1 gene expression was considerably down‐regulated by the rs11614913 C allele in miR‐196a‐2, which lowered the levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reduced the proportion of early apoptosis in human melanocytes in response to H2O2 treatment. Our data suggest that the rs11614913 C allele in miR‐196a‐2 confers potential protection against oxidative effects on human melanocytes through the modulation of the target gene, TYRP1, which may account for the decreased risk of vitiligo in this study population.
On model matching problems of input-output switching systems

In this paper we consider the model matching problem where linear switched systems are involved. We focus on the worst-case l∞ induced norm and consider the problem when the involved systems have independent or matched switching sequences. We show that a switched compensation which can switch independently of the plant has no advantage over an LTI compensation. Moreover, if the plant is strictly causal, even a switched compensation which has the same switching as the plant does not provide a better performance over an LTI compensation. We further generalize the results of [1] to MIMO systems and present an exact expression to compute the worst-case l∞ induced norm. Using that, one can cast a class of model matching problems as a Linear Programming.
Juxtaposition of the Two Distal CX3C Motifs via Intrachain Disulfide Bonding Is Essential for the Folding of Tim10*

The TIM10 complex, composed of the homologous proteins Tim10 and Tim9, chaperones hydrophobic proteins inserted at the mitochondrial inner membrane. A salient feature of the TIM10 complex subunits is their conserved “twin CX3C” motif. Systematic mutational analysis of all cysteines of Tim10 showed that their underlying molecular defect is impaired folding (demonstrated by circular dichroism, aberrant homo-oligomer formation, and thiol trapping assays). As a result of defective folding, clear functional consequences were manifested in (i) complex formation with Tim9, (ii) chaperone activity, and (iii) import into tim9ts mitochondria lacking both endogenous Tim9 and Tim10. The organization of the four cysteines in intrachain disulfides was determined by trypsin digestion and mass spectrometry. The two distal CX3C motifs are juxtaposed in the folded structure and disulfide-bonded to each other rather than within each other, with an inner cysteine pair connecting Cys44 with Cys61 and an outer pair between Cys40 and Cys65. These cysteine pairs are not equally important for folding and assembly; mutations of the inner Cys are severely affected and form wrong, non-native disulfides, in contrast to mutations of the outer Cys that can still maintain the native inner disulfide pair and display weaker functional defects. Taken together these data reveal this specific intramolecular disulfide bonding as the crucial mechanism for Tim10 folding and show that the inner cysteine pair has a more prominent role in this process.
In vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Royleanone Derivatives Against Gram‐Positive Bacterial Pathogens

Infections caused by multiresistant bacterial pathogens are a significant problem worldwide, turning the search for natural compounds to act as alternatives to antibiotics of major importance. The aim of the present study was to investigate the in vitro antimicrobial activity of 7α‐acetoxy‐6β‐hydroxyroyleanone (1), isolated from Plectranthus grandidentatus (Lamiaceae), and 11 additional royleanone abietane derivatives of 1 (2–12) against important Gram‐positive human bacterial pathogens. Results showed that the aromatic and alkylic esters 2, 3 and 5 are more active than 1 against Enterococcus and Staphylococcus (minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 0.98 to 62.50 µg/mL). Moreover, 7α‐acetoxy‐6β‐hydroxy‐12‐O‐(4‐chloro)benzoylroyleanone (2) gave rise to a new antibacterial‐prototype (MIC values of 3.91–15.63 µg/mL against Staphylococcus and of 0.98–3.91 µg/mL against Enterococcus). The results showed that the compounds under analysis also present antimicrobial activity against resistant bacteria. The hydrophobic extra‐interactions with bacterial targets seem to play an important role on the activity of royleanones derivatives. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Intrinsic Activity of the Benzodiazepine Antagonist Ro 15-1788 in Man: An Electrophysiological Investigation

Ten healthy volunteers were injected i.v. with 5 mg Ro 15-1788, a specific benzodiazepine antagonist, or placebo in a double-blind randomised design. In the EEG, Ro 15-1788 led--with some topographical variations--to a diminution of theta and alpha power, an increase of alpha mean frequency and a decrease of delta mean frequency. In auditory evoked potentials, the N1P2 and P2N2 amplitudes decreased. The electrophysiological changes induced by Ro 15-1788 are consistent with a central stimulant action. Ro 15-1788 induced some slight behavioural and subjective changes.
Development of Ambient Air Quality Population-Weighted Metrics for Use in Time-Series Health Studies

Abstract A robust methodology was developed to compute population-weighted daily measures of ambient air pollution for use in time-series studies of acute health effects. Ambient data, including criteria pollutants and four fine particulate matter (PM) components, from monitors located in the 20-county metropolitan Atlanta area over the time period of 1999–2004 were normalized, spatially resolved using inverse distance-square weighting to Census tracts, denormalized using descriptive spatial models, and population-weighted. Error associated with applying this procedure with fewer than the maximum number of observations was also calculated. In addition to providing more representative measures of ambient air pollution for the health study population than provided by a central monitor alone and dampening effects of measurement error and local source impacts, results were used to evaluate spatial variability and to identify air pollutants for which ambient concentrations are poorly characterized. The decrease in correlation of daily monitor observations with daily population-weighted average values with increasing distance of the monitor from the urban center was much greater for primary pollutants than for secondary pollutants. Of the criteria pollutant gases, sulfur dioxide observations were least representative because of the failure of ambient networks to capture the spatial variability of this pollutant for which concentrations are dominated by point source impacts. Daily fluctuations in PM of particles less than 10 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10) mass were less well characterized than PM of particles less than 2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) mass because of a smaller number of PM10 monitors with daily observations. Of the PM2.5 components, the carbon fractions were less well spatially characterized than sulfate and nitrate both because of primary emissions of elemental and organic carbon and because of differences in measurement techniques used to assess these carbon fractions.
The problem of tuning metaheuristics: as seen from the machine learning perspective

A metaheuristic is a generic algorithmic template that can be used for finding high quality solutions of hard combinatorial optimization problems. To arrive at a functioning algorithm, a metaheuristic needs to be configured: typically some modules need to be instantiated and some parameters need to be tuned. We call these two problems "structural" and "parametric" tuning, respectively. More generally, we refer to the combination of the two problems as "tuning". Tuning is crucial to metaheuristics optimization both in academic research and for practical applications. Nevertheless, a precise definition of the tuning problem is missing in the literature. In this thesis, we show that the problem of tuning a metaheuristic can be described and solved as a machine learning problem. Using the machine learning perspective, we are able to provide a formal definition of the tuning problem. Moreover, we propose F-Race, a generic metaheuristic tuning algorithm. Our machine learning perspective also allows us to highlight some flaws in current metaheuristics research methodologies. Based on this discussion, we propose some methodological guidelines for future empirical analysis in metaheuristics research. The thesis also contains an experimental analysis of F-Race and some examples of practical applications.
The role oftheomega subunitofRNApolymerase in expression ofthe relA gene inEscherichia coli

The rpoZ gene for the omega subunit of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase constitutes single operon with the spoT gene, which is responsible for the maintenance of stringent response under nutrient starvation conditions. To identify the physiological role of the omega subunit, we compared the gene expression profile of wild-type Escherichia coli with that of an rpoZ deleted strain by microarray analysis using an E. coli DNA chip. Here we report on a set of genes which show changes in expression profile following the removal of rpoZ. We have seen that relA, which is responsible for the synthesis of the stringent factor ppGpp and many ribosomal proteins, exhibited noticeable changes in mRNA levels and were therefore further analyzed for their expression using a GFP/RFP twofluorescent protein promoter assay vector. In the absence of rpoZ, the promoter for the relA gene was severely impaired, but the promoters from the ribosomal protein genes were not affected as much. Taking these results together we propose that the omega subunit is involved in regulation of the relA gene, but induction of the stringently controlled genes in the absence of rpoZ is, at least in part, attributable to a decrease in ppGpp level.
Percutaneous mechanical fragmentation and stent placement for the treatment of early posttransplantation portal vein thrombosis.

BACKGROUND Early portal vein thrombosis is a rare but severe complication of liver transplantation requiring retransplantation or at least surgical thrombectomy, both hampered by high morbidity and mortality. METHODS We describe of a case of successful long-term recanalization of early posttransplantation portal vein thrombosis by a minimally invasive percutaneous transhepatic angiographic approach using both mechanical fragmentation and pharmacological lysis of the thrombus followed by stent placement. RESULTS Mechanical fragmentation and contemporaneous local urokinase administration resulted in complete removal of the clot; the use of a vascular stent after balloon dilatation allowed restoration of normal blood flow to the liver after 9 months of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS This case report confirms the possibility of successful recanalization of the portal vein after early posttransplantation thrombosis by a minimally invasive angiographic approach. Balloon dilatation and placement of a vascular stent could help to decrease the risk of recurrent thrombosis.
Effect of foot and ankle position on tarsal tunnel compartment volume.

BACKGROUND Tarsal tunnel pressure is increased when the foot and ankle are positioned in eversion or inversion from neutral, aggravating symptoms of tarsal tunnel syndrome in some patients. Space-occupying lesions may cause tarsal tunnel syndrome. We hypothesized that positional change of the foot and ankle from neutral to eversion or inversion causes decreased tarsal tunnel compartment volume that may aggravate symptoms of posterior tibial nerve entrapment. METHODS MRI of 13 ankles in nine healthy subjects in three positions (neutral, eversion, inversion) were obtained with respect to the malleolar-calcaneal plane; this plane was defined by the distal tip of the anterior colliculus of the medial malleolus, the medial tubercle of the posterior calcaneal tuberosity, and the lateral tubercle of the posterior calcaneal tuberosity. The borders of the tarsal tunnel noted on the MRI were traced with a computer digitizing apparatus to determine the cross-sectional area of the tarsal tunnel on each image, and the slice thickness and interspace distance for the seven central images were used to calculate tarsal tunnel volume. RESULTS The mean tarsal tunnel volume was significantly greater when the foot and ankle were in neutral position (21.5 +/- 0.9 cm(3)) than in either full eversion (18.0 +/- 0.9 cm(3); p = or < 0.001) or inversion (20.3 +/- 1.0 cm(3); p = or < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The results support the hypothesis that eversion and inversion of the foot and ankle cause decreased compartment volume of the tarsal tunnel and increased tarsal tunnel pressure that may contribute to symptoms of posterior tibial nerve entrapment in tarsal tunnel syndrome. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Neutral immobilization of the foot and ankle may relieve symptoms of posterior tibial nerve entrapment in tarsal tunnel syndrome by minimizing pressure on the nerve and maximizing tarsal tunnel compartment volume available for the nerve.
Mutations selected in the hepatitis C virus NS3 protease domain during sequential treatment with boceprevir with and without pegylated interferon alfa‐2b

Summary. Treatment with hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐NS3‐protease inhibitors lead to the selection of resistant variants. Viral kinetics and resistance profiles in patients who are re‐treated with the same protease inhibitor are unknown. Viral kinetics and NS3‐resistance mutations obtained by clonal sequencing of the NS3‐protease were analyzed in nine HCV‐genotype‐1‐infected nonresponder patients who were sequentially treated with boceprevir (400 mg t.i.d.) for 1 week, peginterferon‐alfa‐2b for 2 weeks and combination of the two for 2 weeks in varying order. In addition to predominant wild‐type isolates, previously described boceprevir‐resistant mutations (V36, T54, R155, A156, V170) were observed. Furthermore, two resistant mutations (Q41, F43) were detected for the first time in vivo. In three patients, mutations selected after initial treatment with boceprevir were re‐selected during subsequent boceprevir exposure. However, mutational patterns after the first and second exposure to boceprevir were different in five patients. In one patient, a viral variant (V55A) known to reduce susceptibility to boceprevir was the predominant variant observed at baseline and throughout treatment and was associated with a shallow viral decline. Different resistance mutations were selected during treatment with boceprevir ± peginterferon. Sequential short‐term dosing of boceprevir was not associated with accumulation of resistant variants but pre‐existing variants may impair virologic response.
Prenatal Diagnosis of Anomalies of the Corpus Callosum over a 13-Year Period

Abstract Purpose: The clinical use of detailed fetal neurosonography has increased over the past decade. This retrospective study explored the spectrum and frequency of different forms of corpus callosum anomalies (CCAs) in a level III center setting. Materials and Methods: Between 1999 and 2012, 48 907 detailed second and third trimester scans were performed. Among them, 140 (0.29 %) cases of CCA were diagnosed. We differentiated between complete and partial agenesis, hypoplastic corpus callosum (CC) and isolated and non-isolated forms. Results: The 140 cases with CCA included 107 with complete agenesis (76 %), 20 with partial agenesis (14 %) and 13 with a hypoplastic CC (9 %). Of them, 29 % (41/140) were isolated and 71 % (99/140) were non-isolated cases. Analysis of three time periods demonstrated an increase in the diagnosis of all types of CCA (1999 – 2004: n = 26; 2005 – 2008: n = 32; 2009 – 2012: n = 82), whereas the ratio between isolated and non-isolated types remained stable. The median gestational age at diagnosis was 25.0 weeks and did not change over the years. Non-isolated forms were associated with additional non-chromosomal cerebral anomalies in 22.2 % (22/99), extracerebral non-chromosomal malformations in 40.4 % (40/99), aneuploidies in 21.2 % (21/99), and syndromes in 16.2 % (16/99). All aneuploid fetuses except one showed cerebral or extracerebral malformations. Conclusion: The rise in prenatal diagnosis of CCA reflects the increased use of systematic fetal neurosonography over the years. Despite an overall increase in diagnosed cases, the relationship between isolated CCAs and complex forms remained stable. Since the percentage of coexisting anomalies is high, a detailed assessment by a specialist is recommended.
Polo-Like Kinase Cdc5 Controls the Local Activation of Rho1 to Promote Cytokinesis

The links between the cell cycle machinery and the cytoskeletal proteins controlling cytokinesis are poorly understood. The small guanine nucleotide triphosphate (GTP)–binding protein RhoA stimulates type II myosin contractility and formin-dependent assembly of the cytokinetic actin contractile ring. We found that budding yeast Polo-like kinase Cdc5 controls the targeting and activation of Rho1 (RhoA) at the division site via Rho1 guanine nucleotide exchange factors. This role of Cdc5 (Polo-like kinase) in regulating Rho1 is likely to be relevant to cytokinesis and asymmetric cell division in other organisms.
Tissue‐based proteomics reveals FXYD3, S100A11 and GSTM3 as novel markers for regional lymph node metastasis in colon cancer

Regional lymph node metastasis negatively affects prognosis in colon cancer patients. The molecular processes leading to regional lymph node metastasis are only partially understood and proteomic markers for metastasis are still scarce. Therefore, a tissue‐based proteomic approach was undertaken for identifying proteins associated with regional lymph node metastasis. Two complementary tissue‐based proteomic methods have been employed. MALDI imaging was used for identifying small proteins (≤25 kDa) in situ and label‐free quantitative proteomics was used for identifying larger proteins. A tissue cohort comprising primary colon tumours without metastasis (UICC II, pN0, n = 21) and with lymph node metastasis (UICC III, pN2, n = 33) was analysed. Subsequent validation of identified proteins was done by immunohistochemical staining on an independent tissue cohort consisting of primary colon tumour specimens (n = 168). MALDI imaging yielded ten discriminating m/z species, and label‐free quantitative proteomics 28 proteins. Two MALDI imaging‐derived candidate proteins (FXYD3 and S100A11) and one from the label‐free quantitative proteomics (GSTM3) were validated on the independent tissue cohort. All three markers correlated significantly with regional lymph node metastasis: FXYD3 (p = 0.0110), S100A11 (p = 0.0071), and GSTM3 (p = 0.0173). FXYD3 and S100A11 were more highly expressed in UICC II patient tumour tissues. GSTM3 was more highly expressed in UICC III patient tumour tissues. By our tissue‐based proteomic approach, we could identify a large panel of proteins which are associated with regional lymph node metastasis and which have not been described so far. Here we show that novel markers for regional lymph metastasis can be identified by MALDI imaging or label‐free quantitative proteomics and subsequently validated on an independent tissue cohort. Copyright © 2012 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The scale of the problem of obstructive lung disease in Africa becomes clearer, but where are the solutions?

If you breathe in toxic air, lung damage will result. In much of sub-Saharan Africa as well as Asia, massive exposures to a range of toxic air from household air pollution, ambient air pollution and occupational exposures occur with consequent rising morbidity and mortality. The headline statistics are extraordinary: globally, in 2015, 2.8 people million died from household air pollution and 4.2 million people from ambient air pollution [1]. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is now the third leading cause of death, with 3.2 million deaths worldwide and the same number dying from lower respiratory tract infections [2]. The prevalence of COPD is rising inexorably in Africa [3] but do we really understand the roots of rising tide of COPD and its relationship to air pollution? COPD is a common and important disease in rural Tanzania, and may relate to biomass smoke exposure http://ow.ly/MCv030hKe86
LINEAR ORDERS REALIZED BY C.E. EQUIVALENCE RELATIONS

Abstract Let E be a computably enumerable (c.e.) equivalence relation on the set ω of natural numbers. We say that the quotient set $\omega /E$ (or equivalently, the relation E) realizes a linearly ordered set ${\cal L}$ if there exists a c.e. relation ⊴ respecting E such that the induced structure ( $\omega /E$ ; ⊴) is isomorphic to ${\cal L}$ . Thus, one can consider the class of all linearly ordered sets that are realized by $\omega /E$ ; formally, ${\cal K}\left( E \right) = \left\{ {{\cal L}\,|\,{\rm{the}}\,{\rm{order}}\, - \,{\rm{type}}\,{\cal L}\,{\rm{is}}\,{\rm{realized}}\,{\rm{by}}\,E} \right\}$ . In this paper we study the relationship between computability-theoretic properties of E and algebraic properties of linearly ordered sets realized by E. One can also define the following pre-order $ \le _{lo} $ on the class of all c.e. equivalence relations: $E_1 \le _{lo} E_2 $ if every linear order realized by E 1 is also realized by E 2. Following the tradition of computability theory, the lo-degrees are the classes of equivalence relations induced by the pre-order $ \le _{lo} $ . We study the partially ordered set of lo-degrees. For instance, we construct various chains and anti-chains and show the existence of a maximal element among the lo-degrees.