Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early aortic growth in acute descending aortic dissection

Abstract OBJECTIVES Acute aortic dissection leads to the destabilization of the aortic wall, followed by an immediate increase in aortic diameter. It remains unclear how the aortic diameter changes during the dissection’s acute and subacute phases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the change in aortic geometry within 30 days after the onset of a descending aortic dissection. METHODS Patients with acute type B and non-A non-B dissection who had at least 2 computed tomography angiography scans obtained within 30 days after the onset of dissection were evaluated. Exclusion criteria were a thrombosed false lumen, connective tissue disorders and endovascular or open aortic repair performed prior to the second computed tomography angiography. RESULTS Among 190 patients with acute aortic dissection, 42 patients met our inclusion criteria. Their aortic geometry was analysed according to the computed tomography angiography scans obtained between 0–3 (N = 35), 4–7 (N = 9) and 8–30 (N = 12) days after the dissection onset. The highest aortic diameter growth rate was observed in the first quartile of the thoracic aorta and measured 0.66 (0.06; 1.03), 0.29 (−0.01; 0.41) and 0.06 (−0.13; 0.26) mm/day at 0–3, 4–7 and 8–30 days after the dissection, respectively. Proximal entry location (P = 0.037) and entry located at the arch concavity (P = 0.008) were associated with a higher aortic diameter increase. CONCLUSIONS Early rapid growth occurs during the first week after the descending aortic dissection—most intensely over the first 3 days, and this is associated with the location of the dissection’s entry.
Use of the Locking Attachment Plate for Internal Fixation of Periprosthetic Femur Fractures

Introduction The locking attachment plate (LAP) can be added to a locking compression plate (LCP) to allow the fixation of locking screws bicortically around a femoral implant. We aimed to examine surgical and fracture characteristics associated with healing for periprosthetic femur fractures (PPFFx) treated with constructs employing LAP fixation. We hypothesize that the addition of an LAP provides stable peri-implant fixation. Materials &Methods We retrospectively reviewed a consecutive series of 28 PPFFx surgically treated with LCP-LAP constructs by 4 surgeons from 2015-2020. Fractures were classified and grouped using the Vancouver Classification System and included 12 B1, 2 B2, 11 C fractures, and 3 fractures around other stemmed implants. Primary outcome measures included hardware failure such as screw pullout, broken screws, and plate fracture. Clinical complications including infection, non-union, malunion, and reoperation were recorded. Results No LAP failures, screw pullout, or broken screws were observed. Two fractured plates (7.1%) occurred in patients with Vancouver C fracture types. Overall complication rate was 17.9% and included 3 non-unions, 1 deep infection, and 1 implant loosening with painful hardware, each requiring reoperation. Differences were observed between unions and nonunions for total number of screws (12.4 vs 14.7, P = .005) and number of locking screws used (8.04 vs 11.3, P = .03). Conclusion The LAP provides adequate fixation and low failure rates where fixation is required around a well-fixed stem. When failures occur, it is from plate breakage and not due to failure of fixation at the area of plate-stem overlap.
The effect of respondent incentives on panel attrition in a sequential mixed-mode design

This paper evaluates the effect of switching an existing panel study from a unimode face-to-face design to a sequential mixed-mode design (web followed by face-to-face interviewing) on attrition. I use large-scale randomised experimental data from the Innovation Panel of Understanding Society. While the introduction of a mixed-mode design increases panel attrition one wave after the mode switch (IP6), the effect is eroded at subsequent waves (IP7-IP9). The offer of higher incentives to sample members in the mixed-mode group cancels the negative effect of mixed-mode on attrition one wave after the mode switch (IP6) and leads to higher response over time (IP7-IP9).
Solubilization, purification, and ligand binding characterization of G protein-coupled receptor SMO in native membrane bilayer using styrene maleic acid copolymer

Smoothened (SMO) protein is a member of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family that is involved in the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway. It is a putative target for treating various cancers, including medulloblastoma and basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Characterizing membrane proteins such as SMO in their native state is highly beneficial for the development of effective pharmaceutical drugs, as their structures and functions are retained to the highest extent in this state. Therefore, although SMO protein is conventionally solubilized in detergent micelles, incorporating the protein in a lipid-based membrane mimic is still required. In this study, we used styrene maleic acid (SMA) copolymer that directly extracted membrane protein and surrounding lipids as well as formed the so-called polymer nanodiscs, to solubilize and purify the SMO transmembrane domain encapsulated by SMA-nanodiscs. The obtained SMA-nanodiscs showed high homogeneity and maintained the physiological activity of SMO protein, thereby enabling the measurement of the dissociation constant (Kd) for SMO ligands SMO-ligands Shh Signaling Antagonist V (SANT-1) and Smoothened Agonist (SAG) using ligand-based solution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. This work paves the way for investigating the structure, function, and drug development of SMO proteins in a native-like lipid environment.
A novel model to predict severe COVID-19 and mortality using an artificial intelligence algorithm to interpret chest radiographs and clinical variables

Background Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could develop severe disease requiring admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). This article presents a novel method that predicts whether a patient will need admission to the ICU and assesses the risk of in-hospital mortality by training a deep-learning model that combines a set of clinical variables and features in chest radiographs. Methods This was a prospective diagnostic test study. Patients with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection between March 2020 and January 2021 were included. This study was designed to build predictive models obtained by training convolutional neural networks for chest radiograph images using an artificial intelligence (AI) tool and a random forest analysis to identify critical clinical variables. Then, both architectures were connected and fine-tuned to provide combined models. Results 2552 patients were included in the clinical cohort. The variables independently associated with ICU admission were age, fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) on admission, dyspnoea on admission and obesity. Moreover, the variables associated with hospital mortality were age, FiO2 on admission and dyspnoea. When implementing the AI model to interpret the chest radiographs and the clinical variables identified by random forest, we developed a model that accurately predicts ICU admission (area under the curve (AUC) 0.92±0.04) and hospital mortality (AUC 0.81±0.06) in patients with confirmed COVID-19. Conclusions This automated chest radiograph interpretation algorithm, along with clinical variables, is a reliable alternative to identify patients at risk of developing severe COVID-19 who might require admission to the ICU. In patients with #COVID19, an automated chest radiograph interpretation algorithm, along with clinical variables, is a reliable alternative to identify patients at risk of developing severe COVID-19, who might require admission to the intensive care unit https://bit.ly/3Kf61TK
Isolation of Thymol from Trachyspermum ammi Fruits for Treatment of Diabetes and Diabetic Neuropathy in STZ-Induced Rats

Terpenoids and phenols from Trachyspermum ammi (T. ammi) have reported some pharmacological actions. The objective of the work was to isolate the active constituent, its identification by spectroscopic techniques, and evaluation of the antidiabetic and neuroprotective activity from T. ammi on STZ Wistar rats. The dried fruits of T ammi were kept in a hydrodistillation apparatus to collect essential oil. The isolated fraction went through TLC, UV, FTIR, HPLC, HRMS, C13, and 1H NMR for characterization. Two dosage concentrations from the isolated compound were prepared as 10 and 20 mg/kg for treatment groups. The groups were tested for thermal and mechanical hyperalgesia, writhing, grip strength, spontaneous locomotor test, neuromuscular coordination tests, and histopathological and lipid profile analysis. Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin (45 mg/kg i.p.) and 12 weeks of treatment-induced diabetic neuropathy in Wistar rats. Biomarkers were evaluated to understand the neuropathic protection of thymol on STZ-treated Wistar rats. The biomarker studies (SOD, NO, LPO, Na+K+ATPase, and TNF-α) further confirmed thymol's diabetic neuropathy protective action. This study suggests that isolated compound thymol was antidiabetic and neuroprotective as it has shown controlled glucose levels defensive nerve damage in STZ Wistar rats. P < 0.05 level of significance was observed in the levels of endogenous biomarkers, fasting blood glucose levels, actophotometer response, and response latency in treated groups compared to the diabetic group, whereas P < 0.001 level of significance during lipid profile levels, thermal algesia, and neuromuscular comparison tests was noted in treated groups compared to the diabetic group.
Comparative Pharmacokinetics of Seven Major Compounds in Normal and Atherosclerosis Mice after Oral Administration of Simiao Yong'an Decoction

Simiao Yong'an decoction (SMYAD), a classic traditional Chinese medicine formula, has been used to treat atherosclerosis (AS) in clinical in China, but its therapeutic mechanism and pharmacodynamic material basis are not clear. In this study, the AS model was caused by a high-fat diet and perivascular carotid collar placement (PCCP), and SMYAD was orally administered to the model and normal mice. A rapid, sensitive, selective, and reliable method using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) system combined with a Q Exactive HF-X mass spectrometer (UHPLC-Q Exactive HF-X MS) was established and validated for the simultaneous determination of seven compounds, including harpagide, chlorogenic acid, swertiamarin, sweroside, angoroside C, liquiritin, and isoliquiritigenin in the plasma of normal and AS mice. The specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, recovery, and stability of the method were all within the acceptable criteria. The results showed that some pharmacokinetic behaviors of harpagide, chlorogenic acid, and isoliquiritigenin were significantly different among the two groups of mice. The specific parameter changes were harpagide (AUC0–t and AUC0–∞ were 11075.09 ± 2132.38 and 16221.95 ± 5622.42 ng·mL−1·h, respectively; CLz/F was 2.45 ± 0.87 L/h/mg), chlorogenic acid (t1/2 was 21.59 ± 9.16 h; AUC0–∞ was 2637.51 ± 322.54 ng·mL−1·h; CLz/F was 13.49 ± 1.81 L/h/mg) and isoliquiritigenin (AUC0–t and AUC0–∞ were 502.25 ± 165.65 and 653.68 ± 251.34 ng·mL−1·h, respectively; CLz/F was 62.16 ± 23.35 L/h/mg) were altered under the pathological status of AS. These differences might be partly ascribed to the changes in gastrointestinal microbiota, nonspecific drug transporters, and cytochrome P450 activity under the AS state, providing research ideas and experimental basis for pharmacological effects and pharmacodynamic material basis.
Coherence estimates between Hadamard matrices and Daubechies wavelets

Traditionally the compressive sensing theory have been focusing on the three principles of sparsity, incoherence and uniform random subsampling. Recent years research have shown that these principles yield insufficient results in many practical setups. This has lead to the development of the principles of asymptotic sparsity, asymptotic incoherence and multilevel random subsampling. As a result of these principles, the current theory is limited to unitary sampling and sparsifying operators. For large scale reconstruction, the theory is further restricted to operators whose product can be computed in OpN log2Nq operations, due to memory constraints of computers. Accordingly this has increased the popularity of the Fourier and Hadamard sampling operators, for applications where these operators can model the underlying sampling structure. As the sparsifying operator the wavelet transform have proven to yield satisfactory results in most setups. Since all of these operators needs to be unitary, this have restricted us to only consider Daubechies compactly supported orthonormal wavelets. By using wavelets as the sparsifying transform it has been proven that a Fourier sampling basis will be asymptotically incoherent to a unitary wavelet basis. The same result can easily be calculated numerically between a Hadamard sampling basis and a Daubechies wavelet basis. However, any theoretical result of this fact have been lacking. The purpose of this text is to provide such a theoretical result.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of Ado-trastuzumab emtansine for the treatment of residual invasive HER2-positive breast cancer

ABSTRACT Objective Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression occurs in up to 30% of breast cancer cases. Ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) is approved to treat residual HER2-positive breast cancer after neoadjuvant therapy. The aim of this study was to determine the quality-adjusted time with symptoms or toxicity and without symptoms or toxicity (Q-TWiST) of T-DM1 compared to trastuzumab for residual invasive HER2-positive breast cancer. Methods The authors developed an analytical model extracting individual patient data and estimated invasive disease-free survival and overall survival over a 30-year time horizon. Only direct costs from adjuvant treatment were considered as well as relapse treatment from Brazilian and American payer perspectives. Heart events were considered for utility and cost analysis. Results The 30-year projection utilizing the Weibull method estimated a mean invasive disease-free survival of 16.4 years for T-DM1 and 10.4 for Trastuzumab, in addition to a mean overall survival of 18.1 and 15.4 years, respectively. We determined a Q-TWiST gain of 3,812 years for the T-DM1 arm when compared to trastuzumab and an Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio per Q-TWiST of US$ 11,467.65 in the United States and US$ 3,332.73 in Brazil. Conclusion Ado-trastuzumab emtansine is cost-effective from both Brazilian and American perspectives.
High Pain Intensity is a Risk Factor of Non-Resolving TMD: A Three-Year Follow-Up of a Patient Group in a Norwegian Interdisciplinary Evaluation Program

Purpose To investigate the outcome of patients with long-term refractory temporomandibular disorders (TMD) three years after a Norwegian interdisciplinary evaluation program with attention to patient satisfaction, function, pain, and psychosocial variables. Patients and Methods The study population consisted of 60 long-term refractory TMD patients who were investigated by a Norwegian interdisciplinary team. A questionnaire that covered medical history, function, pain, lifestyle factors, TMD-status and follow-up from their general medical practitioner (GMP) was sent to the patients three years after the evaluation. Questionnaires that assessed function (Mandibular Functional Index Questionnaire [MFIQ] and Roland Morrison Scale [RMS]), pain intensity (General Pain Intensity questionnaire [GPI]) and psychosocial factors (Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale [HADS]); a 2-item version of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire [CSQ]) were included in the package. Results Thirty-nine out of 60 TMD patients completed the questionnaires. Improvements in TMD symptoms were reported in 10 patients (26%), were unchanged in 16 patients (41%) and worsened in 13 patients (33%). Only 8 patients (21%) were satisfied with the follow-up of the suggested treatments from their GMP. Significant improvements of symptoms were noted in MFIQ (jaw function), GPI (including pain intensity at maximum and suffering from pain), and CSQ (pain related catastrophizing), in all 39 TMD patients as one group. However, a subgroup analysis showed that the significant improvements were mostly within patients who reported improvement of TMD symptoms. A high pain intensity at baseline was a significant risk factor (OR = 5.79, 95% CI: 1.34, 24.96) for patients who reported worsening of TMD symptoms at follow-up. Conclusion High pain intensity at baseline was a significant risk factor for poorer recovery three years after an interdisciplinary evaluation. Our data support the notion that improved coping with TMD pain includes both decreased pain intensity, CSQ and MFIQ scores.
Financial Stressors and Resources Associated With Financial Exploitation

Abstract Background and Objectives The prevalence of older adult financial exploitation (FE) is increasing. Population-based survey estimates of FE in the older adult population range from 5% to 11%. Given the growing prevalence of FE victimization in older adult populations, understanding the population’s vulnerability to FE has increased in importance. This study investigates a conceptual framework in an attempt to understand how financial stressors and resources are associated with substantiated FE in a sample consisting largely of Black older adults. Research Design and Methods The study uses a cross-sectional design to investigate group differences among a total sample of 142 community-dwelling older adult participants, 62 of whom sought services to address FE and 80 with no history of FE. Results The group of older adults who sought services to address FE was more likely to be unmarried and had fewer years of education. Measures of financial literacy and perceived financial vulnerability had protective and risk effects, respectively. Discussion and Implications The present study found that sociodemographic and financial stress and resource measures have significant relationships with FE. These findings support the conceptual framework describing their relationship. This new conceptual framework provides a guiding factor in better understanding vulnerability to FE in older adults. The study also adds to the paucity of research completed on FE with Black older adults.
Predicting surface abundance of federally threatened Jollyville Plateau Salamanders (Eurycea tonkawae) to inform management activities at a highly modified urban spring

Urban expansion has contributed to the loss of habitat for range restricted species across the globe. Managing wildlife populations within these urban settings presents the challenge of balancing human and wildlife needs. Jollyville Plateau Salamanders (Eurycea tonkawae) are a range restricted, federally threatened, species of neotenic brook salamander endemic to central Texas. Almost the entire geographic range of E. tonkawae is embedded in the Austin, Cedar Park, and Round Rock metropolitan areas of Travis and Williamson counties, Texas. Among E. tonkawae occupied sites, Brushy Creek Spring has experienced some of the most extensive anthropogenic disturbance. Today the site consists of small groundwater outlets that emerge in the seams within a concrete culvert underlying a highway. Salamanders persist within this system though they are rarely detected. Here, we model the occurrence of salamanders within the surface habitat of Brushy Creek Spring using generalized linear models. In the absence of available data regarding the amount of water that is discharged from the spring, we use accumulated rainfall as a proxy for discharge to estimate salamander abundance. Additionally, we present evidence of reproduction, recruitment, and subterranean movement by E. tonkawae throughout this site. Infrastructure maintenance is inevitable at Brushy Creek Spring. We intend for our results to inform when maintenance should occur, i.e., during environmental conditions when salamanders are less likely to be observed in the surface habitat, to avoid unnecessary impacts to this federally threatened species.
Assessment of the readiness of restorations manufactured by CAD/CAM in terms of marginal fit (Part I)

Background The master cast is the gold standard for the control and eventual adjustment of restorations produced by conventional procedures. Some digital workflow bypasses the master cast and relies completely on the precision of the CAD/CAM restoration. Aim To examine the reproducibility of the margins of CAD/CAM restorations generated from a single digital scan. Also, to check the readiness of these restorations for delivery directly after fabrication without adjustment on a master cast and thereby eliminate the need for the master cast. Methods A total of 18 metal substructures made from cobalt chrome alloy were fabricated utilizing a single STL file. The circumference was divided into eight zones. The vertical marginal discrepancy (VMD) was measured at each zone of each metal substructure, with optical microscopy at ×200 magnification. Results Measurements of vertical marginal discrepancy were in a range of (−94: 300) with a mean of 62 ± 60 μm. A one-way ANOVA test revealed that the mean VMD is significantly different among the 18 substructures (F17, 1,134 = 63.948, p < 0.001). Conclusion Although all the received substructures were fabricated from the same scan file, they were not identical and varied widely, and they were going outside the acceptable range in some zones. Within the limitations of this study, the marginal fit can be improved by extraoral adjustments on the master cast. Thus, skipping the master cast deprives the dentist of delivering a restoration of higher quality.
Overcoming T cell dysfunction in acidic pH to enhance adoptive T cell transfer immunotherapy

ABSTRACT The high metabolic activity and insufficient perfusion of tumors leads to the acidification of the tumor microenvironment (TME) that may inhibit the antitumor T cell activity. We found that pharmacological inhibition of the acid loader chloride/bicarbonate anion exchanger 2 (Ae2), with 4,4’-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2’-disulfonicacid (DIDS) enhancedCD4+ andCD8+ T cell function upon TCR activation in vitro, especially under low pH conditions. In vivo, DIDS administration delayed B16OVA tumor growth in immunocompetent mice as monotherapy or when combined with adoptive T cell transfer of OVA-specificT cells. Notably, genetic Ae2 silencing in OVA-specificT cells improvedCD4+/CD8+ T cell function in vitro as well as their antitumor activity in vivo. Similarly, genetic modification of OVA-specificT cells to overexpress Hvcn1, a selectiveH+ outward current mediator that prevents cell acidification, significantly improved T cell function in vitro, even at low pH conditions. The adoptive transfer of OVA-specificT cells overexpressing Hvcn1 exerted a better antitumor activity in B16OVA tumor-bearingmice. Hvcn1 overexpression also improved the antitumor activity of CAR T cells specific for Glypican 3 (GPC3) in mice bearing PM299L-GPC3tumors. Our results suggest that preventing intracellular acidification by regulating the expression of acidifier ion channels such as Ae2 or alkalinizer channels like Hvcn1 in tumor-specificlymphocytes enhances their antitumor response by making them more resistant to the acidic TME. Graphical abstract