Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neoadjuvant versus Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients with Resectable Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer

Introduction: In regards to resectable muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) patients, contemporary guidelines recommend treatment with radical cystectomy and perioperative chemotherapy (neoadjuvant or adjuvant). In addition, the 5-year survival rate ranges from 36% to 48% in connection to T3 or T4 staged tumors or lymph node metastatic tumors. Perioperative treatment can improve overall survival, and the most robust evidence are in favor of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of perioperative chemotherapy on the survival of patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) who underwent radical cystectomy (RC). Methods: The medical records of ninety-four patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) that were treated with radical cystectomy and perioperative chemotherapy from 2008 to 2018 were retrospectively analyzed at Songklanagarind hospital. Neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy groups were classified. Univariable and multivariable regression analyses were used to predict overall survival (OS) after treatment. The survival rates for each group were estimated and compared using long-rank testing. Results: Overall, we identified 94 eligible patients of whom 20 patients (21.2%) received neoadjuvant and 74 patients (78.8%) received adjuvant chemotherapy. The 5-year survival rate of the neoadjuvant group was 55.7%, and in regards to the adjuvant group it was 30.4%. A multivariable analysis yielded that, patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy had longer survival than those treated with adjuvant chemotherapy (p =0.039). The median survival here as log rank compares median survival. Conclusion: The overall survival of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) was better than adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) in regards to muscle-invasive bladder cancer. These data could support the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in MIBC prior to radical cystectomy.
Slow light generated via Brillouin scattering in small core chalcogenide photonic crystal fiber

In this paper, we have calculated the highly efficient generation of the slow light based on the Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in a small core As2Se3 chalcogenide PCF. A Brillouin gain coefficient, gB. of 9.05 10-9 m.W-1 is found around the acoustic frequency of 8.08 GHz in small core diameter of 1.69 μm with 1.5 μm2 effective mode area at 1550 nm. A Brillouin gain of 77.3 dB was achieved with only 10 mW pump power in a 10-m fiber length, which leads to the optical time delay of 94 ns. In terms of the proposed figure of merit, it shows 2.77 dB/mW/m which is about 110 times more efficient than conventional single-mode fibers. These fibers are expected to have potential applications in realization of compact slow light devices.
Euphorbia tirucalli latex loaded polymer nanoparticles: Synthesis, characterization, in vitro release and in vivo antinociceptive action

The encapsulation of drugs in micro and nanocarriers has helped to resolve mechanisms of cellular resistance and decrease drug side effects as well. In this study, poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) was used to encapsulate the Euphol active substance-containing latex from Euphorbia tirucalli (E-latex). The nanoparticles (NP) were prepared using the solvent evaporation method and the physical and chemical properties were evaluated using spectrophotometric techniques. FTIR was used to prove the formation of the ester bond between the E-latex and PLGA-NP. The UV-Vis spectroscopic technique was used to show that more than 75% of the latex was encapsulated; the same technique was used to determine the release profile of the compound at different pH values, as well as determining the speed with which the process occurs through kinetic models, and it was observed that the best adjustments occurred for the Korsmeyer-Peppas model and the Higuchi model. The DLS technique was used to determine the diameter of the particles produced as well as their zeta potential (ZP). The sizes of the particles varied from 497 to 764 nm, and it was observed that the increase in E-latex concentration causes a reduction in the diameter of the NP and an increase in the ZP (-1.44 to -22.7 mV), due to more functional groups from latex film being adsorbed to the NPs surfaces. The thermogravimetric experiments exhibit the glass transition temperatures (Tg) that is appropriate for the use of formulated NPs as a stable drug delivery device before use. The in vivo activity of E-NPs (30 and 100 mg/Kg/p.o.) was tested against carrageenan-induced mechanical hypernociception. The data demonstrated a significantly antinociceptive effect for E-NPs, suggesting that E-latex nanoencapsulation preserved its desired properties.
Histological, elemental, and ultrastructural analysis of melanin in mantle of Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas)

Colorful shell of bivalve is mainly because of the biological pigments, of which melanin plays an important role in shell color formation. More and more studies focus on the genes function involved in melanin synthesis, but relatively few studies address the biochemical character and ultrastructure of melanin in bivalve from microscopic perspective. Here, we investigated the histological structure of mantle of Crassostrea gigas with orange shell color. Distribution of melanin in mantle was verified with histochemical staining. In addition, immunofluorescence technique showed that strongly positive signal of CgTYR was specific to the mantle margin, which is consistence with the location of brown granules in H&E staining. The further result of elementary composition of melanin displayed that metal Ca, Fe, and Zn were detected using scanning transmission electron microscope and energy dispersive spectroscopy mapping methods. Next, based on TEM observations, it was speculated that the series of cellular events leading to the formation and release of melanin. Melanocyte in the primary stage showed many mitochondria and rough endoplasmic reticulum as well as an extensive Golgi complex with numerous vesicles intermingled with melanosome. Subsequently, melanosome was expended and their hue gradually intensified, and Golgi complex and mitochondria were still observed in the cytoplasm. Finally, after melanosome was discharged into intercellular spaces, the disintegration of membranes in some cells, and severe cellular vacuolization. These data enrich the understanding of ultrastructural characteristic and formation of melanin in mantle of bivalve and pave the way for further investigating shell coloration at the cellular level.
Slant submanifolds of complex projective and complex hyperbolic spaces

An interesting class of submanifolds of Hermitian manifolds is the class of slant submanifolds which are submanifolds with constant Wirtinger angle. In [1–4,7,8] slant submanifolds of complex projective and complex hyperbolic spaces have been investigated. In particular, it was shown that there exist many proper slant surfaces in CP^2 and inCH^2 and many proper slant minimal surfaces in C2. In contrast, in the first part of this paper we prove that there do not exist proper slant minimal surfaces inCP^2 and in CH^2. In the second part, we present a general construction procedure for obtaining the explicit expressions of such slant submanifolds. By applying this general construction procedure, we determine the explicit expressions of special slant surfaces of CP^2 and of CH^2. Consequently, we are able to completely determine the slant surface which satisfies a basic equality. Finally, we apply the construction procedure to prove that special θ-slant isometric immersions of a hyperbolic plane into a complex hyperbolic plane are not unique in general.
Characterization of health concerns in people with neurofibromatosis type 1

Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is a common cancer predisposition syndrome. Affected individuals require lifelong surveillance and often suffer progressive disfigurement due to cutaneous neurofibromas. The aim of this research was to characterize health concerns and quality of life (QOL) in a population cohort.
Factors Controlling Low-Cloud Evolution over the Eastern Subtropical Oceans: A Lagrangian Perspective Using the A-Train Satellites

AbstractA Lagrangian technique is developed to sample satellite data to quantify and understand factors controlling temporal changes in low-cloud properties (cloud cover, areal-mean liquid water path, and droplet concentration). Over 62 000 low-cloud scenes over the eastern subtropical/tropical oceans are sampled using the A-Train satellites. Horizontal wind fields at 925 hPa from the ERA-Interim are used to compute 24-h, two-dimensional, forward, boundary layer trajectories with trajectory locations starting on the CloudSat/CALIPSO track. Cloud properties from MODIS and AMSR-E are sampled at the trajectory start and end points, allowing for direct measurement of the temporal cloud evolution. The importance of various controls (here, boundary layer depth, lower-tropospheric stability, and precipitation) on cloud evolution is evaluated by comparing cloud evolution for different initial values of these controls. Viewing angle biases are removed and cloud anomalies (diurnal and seasonal cycles removed) are u.
Effect of intraoperative support mode on circulating inflammatory biomarkers after lung transplantation surgery.

BACKGROUND Processes that activate the immune system during lung transplantation can lead to primary graft dysfunction (PGD) or allograft rejection. METHODS We analyzed cytokine expression profiles after reperfusion and allograft outcomes in a cohort of patients (n=59) who underwent lung transplantation off-pump (n=26), with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB; n=18), or with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO; n=15). Peripheral blood was collected from patients at baseline and at 6 and 72 hours after reperfusion. To adjust for clinical differences between groups, we utilized a linear mixed model with overlap weighting. RESULTS PGD3 was present at 48 or 72 hours after reperfusion in 7.7% (2/26) of off-pump cases, 20.0% (3/15) of ECMO cases, and 38.9% (7/18) of CPB cases (p=0.04). The ECMO and CPB groups had greater reperfusion-induced increases in MIP-1B, IL-6, IL-8, IL-9, IL1-ra, TNF-alpha, RANTES, eotaxin, IP-10, and MCP-1 levels than did the off-pump group. Cytokine expression profiles after reperfusion were not significantly different between ECMO and CPB groups. CONCLUSION Our data suggest that, compared with an off-pump approach, the intraoperative use of ECMO or CPB during lung transplantation is associated with greater reperfusion-induced cytokine release and graft injury.
Influence of Immediate Dentin Sealing on the Marginal Gaps of Laminate Veneers: Machinable Monolithic Zirconia Versus Pressable Lithium Disilicate: An in vitro study.

PURPOSE To investigate the influence of immediate dentin sealing (IDS) vs delayed dentin sealing (DDS) on the marginal gaps of machinable monolithic zirconia vs pressable lithium disilicate laminate veneers. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 40 maxillary lateral incisors were used and received butt-joint laminate veneer preparation. The samples were divided into two groups (n = 20 each) according to ceramic material: pressable lithium disilicate ceramic (PLD) was used in the first group, and machinable monolithic zirconia (MMZ) was used in the second. Each group was then divided into two subgroups according to the bonding protocol: IDS was employed in one, and DDS in the other (n = 10 each). The marginal gap widths were measured using digital microscopy and statistically analyzed. RESULTS The smallest marginal gaps were observed in MMZ-DDS (57.2 ± 8.4 μm), followed by PLD-DDS (62.4 ± 2.7 μm) and MMZ-IDS (63.5 ± 1.9 μm). The largest marginal gaps were observed in PLD-IDS (81.5 ± 6.3 μm). Two-way ANOVA revealed that the bonding technique (P < .001) and ceramic material (P < .001) both showed significant differences. CONCLUSIONS MMZ produced better marginal accuracy than PLD. IDS seems to have a predisposition to significantly wider marginal gaps than DDS, but these gaps are within the clinically acceptable range. The marginal accuracy of ceramic veneers appears to be related to the bonding technique as well as the material of construction.
Metformin and growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A hidden treasure

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic endocrine disorder due to the reduction of insulin sensitivity and relative deficiency of insulin secretion. Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) belongs to the transforming growth factor beta (TGF‐β) superfamily and was initially identified as macrophage inhibitory cytokine‐1 (MIC‐1). GDF15 is considered a cytokine with an anti‐inflammatory effect and increases insulin sensitivity, reduces body weight, and improves clinical outcomes in diabetic patients. GDF15 acts through stimulation of glial‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) family receptor α‐like (GFRAL), which is highly expressed in the brain stem to induce taste aversion. Metformin belongs to the group of biguanides that are derived from the plant Galega officinalis. It is interesting to note that metformin is an insulin‐sensitizing agent used as a first‐line therapy for T2DM that has been shown to increase the circulating level of GDF15. Thus, the present review aims to determine the critical association of the GDF15 biomarker in T2DM and how metformin agents affect it. This review illustrates that metformin activates GDF15 expression, which reduces appetite and leads to weight loss in both diabetic and nondiabetic patients. However, the present review cannot give a conclusion in this regard. Therefore, experimental, preclinical, and clinical studies are warranted to confirm the potential role of GDF15 in T2DM patients.
CD229 interacts with RASAL3 to activate RAS/ERK pathway in multiple myeloma proliferation

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable plasma cell malignancy, while CAR-T therapy offers a new direction for the treatment of MM. Recently, signaling lymphocytic activation molecule family 3 (CD229), a cell surface immune receptor belonging to the signaling lymphocyte activating molecule family (SLAMF), is emerging as a CAR-T therapeutic target in MM. However, a clear role of CD229 in MM remains elusive. In this study, MM patients with elevated CD229 expression achieved poor prognosis by analyzing MM clinical databases. In addition, CD229 promoted MM cell proliferation in vitro as well as in xenograft mouse model in vivo. Mechanism study revealed that CD229 promoted MM cell proliferation by regulating the RAS/ERK signaling pathway. Further exploration employed co-immunoprecipitation coupled with mass spectrometry to identify RASAL3 as an important downstream protein of CD229. Additionally, we developed a co-culture method combined with the immunofluorescence assay to confirm that intercellular tyrosine phosphorylation mediated self-activation of CD229 to activate RAS/ERK signaling pathway via interacting with RASAL3. Taken together, these findings not only demonstrate the oncogenic role of CD229 in MM cell proliferation, but also illustrate the potential of CD229 as a promising therapeutic target for MM treatment.
Learning by Seeing More Classes

Traditional pattern recognition models usually assume a fixed and identical number of classes during both training and inference stages. In this paper, we study an interesting but ignored question: can increasing the number of classes during training improve the generalization and reliability performance? For a <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$k$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mi>k</mml:mi></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="zhang-ieq1-3225117.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula>-class problem, instead of training with only these <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$k$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mi>k</mml:mi></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="zhang-ieq2-3225117.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> classes, we propose to learn with <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$k+m$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mi>k</mml:mi><mml:mo>+</mml:mo><mml:mi>m</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="zhang-ieq3-3225117.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> classes, where the additional <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$m$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mi>m</mml:mi></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="zhang-ieq4-3225117.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> classes can be either real classes from other datasets or synthesized from known classes. Specifically, we propose two strategies for constructing new classes from known classes. By making the model see more classes during training, we can obtain several advantages. First, the added <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$m$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mi>m</mml:mi></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="zhang-ieq5-3225117.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> classes serve as a regularization which is helpful to improve the generalization accuracy on the original <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$k$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mi>k</mml:mi></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="zhang-ieq6-3225117.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> classes. Second, this will alleviate the overconfident phenomenon and produce more reliable confidence estimation for different tasks like misclassification detection, confidence calibration, and out-of-distribution detection. Lastly, the additional classes can also improve the learned feature representation, which is beneficial for new classes generalization in few-shot learning and class-incremental learning. Compared with the widely proved concept of data augmentation (dataAug), our method is driven from another dimension of augmentation based on additional classes (classAug). Comprehensive experiments demonstrated the superiority of our classAug under various open-environment metrics on benchmark datasets.
The Monsoon of East Asia and its Global Associations—A Survey

Abstract Observations concerning the summer and winter monsoons of East Asia and their global associations are reviewed. The seasonal mean structure, transient variation, including intraseasonal to interannual, and synoptic to planetary scale fluctuations are discussed separately for the two monsoon components. Similarities and differences between the East Asian monsoon and that of India are also surveyed. We also present a description of the current status of monsoon related observational and theoretical research and highlight important scientific problems. The importance of understanding the long-term anomalies of the monsoon is stressed, and an attempt is made to put the East Asian monsoon in a global perspective with a view towards identifying with the problems of long-range weather forecasting or short-term climate prediction, in general. Finally, sonic future directions of research are suggested.
Multilocus molecular phylogenetic-led discovery and formal recognition of four novel root-colonizing Fusarium species from northern Kazakhstan and the phylogenetically divergent Fusarium steppicola lineage

ABSTRACT In this study, DNA sequence data were used to characterize 290 Fusarium strains isolated during a survey of root-colonizing endophytic fungi of agricultural and nonagricultural plants in northern Kazakhstan. The Fusarium collection was screened for species identity using partial translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF1) gene sequences. Altogether, 16 different Fusarium species were identified, including eight known and four novel species, as well as the discovery of the phylogenetically divergent F. steppicola lineage. Isolates of the four putatively novel fusaria were further analyzed phylogenetically with a multilocus data set comprising partial sequences of TEF1, RNA polymerase II largest (RPB1) and second-largest (RPB2) subunits, and calmodulin (CaM) to assess their genealogical exclusivity. Based on the molecular phylogenetic and comprehensive morphological analyses, four new species are formally described herein: F. campestre, F. kazakhstanicum, F. rhizicola, and F. steppicola.
Stochastic stability and robust stabilization of semi‐Markov jump linear systems

The semi‐Markov jump linear system (S‐MJLS) is more general than the Markov jump linear system (MJLS) in modeling some practical systems. Unlike the constant transition rates in the MJLS, the transition rates of the S‐MJLS are time varying. This paper focuses on the robust stochastic stability condition and the robust control design problem for the S‐MJLS with norm‐bounded uncertainties. The infinitesimal generator for the constructed Lyapunov function is first derived. Numerically solvable sufficient conditions for the stochastic stability of S‐MJLSs are then established in terms of linear matrix inequalities. To reduce the conservativeness of the stability conditions, we propose to incorporate the upper and lower bounds of the transition rate and meanwhile apply a new partition scheme. The robust state feedback controller is accordingly developed. Simulation studies and comparisons demonstrate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed methods. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bone Metabolism in Patients with Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Case-control Study

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the hair follicles. The aim of this case-control study was to assess whether HS is associated with disturbances in trabecular bone score, bone mineral density, bone remodelling markers, and calciotropic hormones. A total of 81 patients and 79 controls of similar age and sex were included. Demographic, anthropometric, laboratory data, trabecular bone score, bone mineral density, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD), serum amino-terminal pro-peptide of type 1 collagen (PINP), and C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (CTX) concentrations were assessed in both groups. Patients with HS had lower serum 25OHD levels than controls, and approximately 62% of them had vitamin D deficiency. Serum PINP was increased and CTX was decreased in patients with HS. Fully adjusted trabecular bone score values were lower in patients with HS compared with controls. Adjusted lumbar bone mineral density was similar in HS and controls, whilst total hip bone mineral density was lower in patients with HS. There were no statistical differences regarding disease severity in terms of 25OHD, serum turnover markers, bone mineral density, or trabecular bone score values. This study shows that patients with HS have lower trabecular bone score and total hip bone mineral density values than population-based controls. In addition, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is high in subjects with HS.
“If not me, who?”: Awareness- and Self-Advocacy-Related Experiences of Adults With Diverse Rare Disorders

In a two-study project, researchers used qualitative methods and inductive thematic analyses to investigate the lived awareness- and advocacy-related experiences of 27 adults with over 35 different rare diseases, disorders, or disabilities (RDs). In Study 1, participants in two focus groups described how a lack of RD awareness led to experiences with several types of stigma, complicated their expressions and disclosures of disability, and spurred them to work towards awareness. Participant priorities identified in Study 1 motivated researchers to design and conduct Study 2. In Study 2, researchers interviewed 18 RD self-advocates about their lived experiences with and ideas regarding advocacy. Their recommendations included increasing social and systemic support, education, and media and professional representation. Advocates in Study 2 also warned of potential roadblocks to self-advocacy and change, including systemic invalidation and bias, lack of access to activist spaces, and limited time and energy for advocacy. Overall, analyses exposed the complex and interwoven influences of RD awareness and advocacy.