Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Infarct size and long-term left ventricular remodelling in acute myocardial infarction patients subjected to transcoronary delivery of progenitor cells

Introduction Infarct size (IS) is a fundamental determinant of left-ventricular (LV) remodelling (end-systolic and end-diastolic volume change, ΔESV, ΔEDV) and adverse clinical outcomes after myocardial infarction (MI). Our prior work found that myocardial uptake of transcoronary-delivered progenitor cells is governed by IS. Aim To evaluate the relationship between IS, stem cell uptake, and the magnitude of LV remodelling in patients receiving transcoronary administration of progenitor cells shortly after MI. Material and methods Thirty-one subjects (age 36–69 years) with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI)-treated anterior ST-elevation MI (peak CK-MB 584 [181–962] U/l, median [range]) and sustained left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 45% were studied. On day 10 (median) 4.3 × 106 (median) autologous CD34+ cells (50% labelled with 99mTc-extametazime) were administered via the infarct-related artery (left anterior descending). ΔESV, ΔEDV, and mid circumferential myocardial strain (mCS) were evaluated at 24 months. Results Infarct mass (cMRI) was 57 [11–112] g. Cell label myocardial uptake (whole-body γ-scans) was proportional to IS (r = 0.62), with a median 2.9% uptake in IS 1st tercile (≤ 45 g), 5.2% in 2nd (46–76 g), and 6.7% in 3rd (> 76 g) (p = 0.0006). Cell uptake in proportion to IS attenuated the IS-ΔESV (p = 0.41) and IS-ΔEDV (p = 0.09) relationship. At 24 months, mCS improved in IS 2nd tercile (p = 0.028) while it showed no significant change in smaller (p = 0.87) or larger infarcts (p = 0.58). Conclusions This largest human study with labelled CD34+ cell transplantation shortly after MI suggests that cell uptake (proportional to IS) may attenuate the effect of IS on LV adverse remodelling. To boost this effect, further strategies should involve cell types and delivery techniques to maximize myocardial uptake.
90K/Mac-2 BP Is a New Predictive Biomarker of Response to Infliximab Therapy in IBD Patients

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), comprising Crohn’s disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC), are multifactorial disorders characterized by a chronic inflammatory status with the secretion of cytokines and immune mediators. Biologic drugs targeting pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as infliximab, are broadly used in the treatment of IBD patients, but some patients lose responsiveness after an initial success. The research into new biomarkers is crucial for advancing personalized therapies and monitoring the response to biologics. The aim of this single center, observational study is to analyze the relationship between serum levels of 90K/Mac-2 BP and the response to infliximab, in a cohort of 48 IBD patients (30 CD and 18 UC), enrolled from February 2017 to December 2018. In our IBD cohort, high 90K serum levels were found at baseline in patients who then developed anti-infliximab antibodies at the fifth infusion (22 weeks after the first), becoming non-responders (9.76 ± 4.65 µg/mL compared to 6.53 ± 3.29 µg/mL in responder patients, p = 0.005). This difference was significant in the total cohort and in CD, but not significant in UC. We then analyzed the relationship between serum levels of 90K, C-reactive protein (CRP), and Fecal calprotectin. A significant positive correlation was found at baseline between 90K and CRP, the most common serum inflammation marker (R = 0.42, p = 0.0032). We concluded that circulating 90K could be considered a new non-invasive biomarker for monitoring the response to infliximab. Furthermore, 90K serum level determination, before the first infliximab infusion, in association with other inflammatory markers such as CRP, could assist in the choice of biologics for the treatment of IBD patients, thereby obviating the need for a drug switch due to loss of response, and so improving clinical practice and patient care.
Hubungan Nilai Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) Dan Kadar C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Dengan Tingkat Keparahan Penyakit Pada Pasien Covid-19

Pasien yang terinfeksi SARS CoV-2 mengalami serangkaian proses inflamasi. Inflamasi yang dipicu oleh virus meningkatkan Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR). Peningkatan NLR memicu progresivitas COVID-19 dan secara signifikan berhubungan dengan keparahan dari penyakit. Selain NLR, C-Reactive Protein (CRP) juga sebagai penanda respon inflamasi akut, yang meningkat dengan cepat. Peningkatan CRP diprediksi sebagai prediktor independen dari keparahan COVID-19. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui hubungan antara NLR dan CRP dengan tingkat keparahan penyakit pada pasien COVID-19. Metode: Metode penelitian ini adalah observasional analitik dengan desain cross sectional, sumber data rekam medis pada 84 pasien COVID-19 yang melakukan pemeriksaan NLR dan CRP pada hari yang sama pada tahun 2021. Analisis data yang digunakan adalah uji Chi-square dengan CI 95% (α= 0,05). Hasil: Dari penelitian didapatkan rata-rata NLR dan CRP pasien COVID-19 cenderung tinggi yaitu 9,92 dan 42,93. Sebanyak 13,1% memiliki NLR normal pada pasien dengan gejala ringan. Sebanyak 86,9% memiliki NLR tidak normal pada pasien dengan gejala sedang, berat dan kritis. Sebanyak 10,7% memiliki CRP normal pada pasien dengan gejala ringan. Sebanyak 89,3% memiliki CRP tidak normal pada pasien dengan gejala sedang, berat dan kritis. Kesimpulan: Dapat disimpulkan terdapat korelasi yang signifikan (p value = 0,002) pada NLR dan (p value = 0,009) pada CRP dengan tingkat keparahan penyakit pada pasien COVID-19. Pemeriksaan NLR dan CRP diperlukan sebagai identifikasi awal untuk memprediksi kondisi pasien yang berisiko mengalami perburukan gejala menjadi lebih berat.
Run-up and backwash bore formation from dam-break flow on an inclined plane

Nonlinear shallow water equations are employed to model the inviscid slumping of fluid along an inclined plane and analytical solutions for the motion are derived using the hodograph transformation to reveal the run-up and the inception of a bore on the backwash. Starting from rest, the fluid slumps along the inclined plane, attaining a maximum run-up, before receding and forming a relatively thin and fast moving backwash. This interacts with the less rapidly moving fluid within the interior to form a bore. The evolution of the bore and the velocity and height fields either side of it are also calculated to reveal that it initially grows in magnitude before diminishing and intersecting with the shoreline. This analytical solution reveals features of the solution, such as the onset of the bore and its growth and decline, previously known only through numerical computation and the method presented here may be applied quite widely to the run-up of other initial distributions of fluid.
ADVANCES IN DESCRIBING RECENT ANTARCTIC CLIMATE VARIABILITY

Antarctica is a challenging region for conducting meteorological research because of its geographic isolation, climate extremes, vastness, and lack of permanent human inhabitants. About 15 observing stations have been in continuous operation since the onset of the modern scientific era in Antarctica during the International Geophysical Year in 1957/58. Identifying and attributing natural- and human-caused climate change signals from the comparatively short Antarctic dataset is confounded by large year-to-year fluctuations of temperature, atmospheric pressure, and snowfall. Yet there is increasing urgency to understand Antarctica's role in the global climate system for a number of reasons, most importantly the potential consequences of ice-mass loss on global sea level rise. Here, we describe recently-created records that allow Antarctic near-surface temperature and snowfall changes to be assessed in all of Antarctica's 24 glacial drainage systems during the past five decades. The new near-surface temperat.
Genetics and pathophysiology of mitral valve prolapse

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is a common condition affecting 2–3% of the general population, and the most complex form of valve pathology, with a complication rate up to 10–15% per year in advanced stages. Complications include mitral regurgitation which can lead to heart failure and atrial fibrillation, but also life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia and cardiovascular death. Sudden death has been recently brought to the forefront of MVP disease, increasing the complexity of management and suggesting that MVP condition is not properly understood. MVP can occur as part of syndromic conditions such as Marfan syndrome, but the most common form is non-syndromic, isolated or familial. Although a specific X-linked form of MVP was initially identified, autosomal dominant inheritance appears to be the primary mode of transmission. MVP can be stratified into myxomatous degeneration (Barlow), fibroelastic deficiency, and Filamin A-related MVP. While FED is still considered a degenerative disease associated with aging, myxomatous MVP and FlnA-MVP are recognized as familial pathologies. Deciphering genetic defects associated to MVP is still a work in progress; although FLNA, DCHS1, and DZIP1 have been identified as causative genes in myxomatous forms of MVP thanks to familial approaches, they explain only a small proportion of MVP. In addition, genome-wide association studies have revealed the important role of common variants in the development of MVP, in agreement with the high prevalence of this condition in the population. Furthermore, a potential genetic link between MVP and ventricular arrhythmia or a specific type of cardiomyopathy is considered. Animal models that allow to advance in the genetic and pathophysiological knowledge of MVP, and in particular those that can be easily manipulated to express a genetic defect identified in humans are detailed. Corroborated by genetic data and animal models, the main pathophysiological pathways of MVP are briefly addressed. Finally, genetic counseling is considered in the context of MVP.
Nonlinear modelling of periodic threshold autoregressions using Tsmars

We present new methods for modelling nonlinear threshold‐type autoregressive behaviour in periodically correlated time series. The methods are illustrated using a series of average monthly flows of the Fraser River in British Columbia. Commonly used nonlinearity tests of the river flow data in each month indicate nonlinear behaviour in certain months. The periodic nonlinear correlation structure is modelled nonparametrically using TSMARS, a time series version of Friedman's extended multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) algorithm, which allows for categorical predictor variables. We discuss two methods of using the computational algorithm in TSMARS for modelling and fitting periodically correlated data. The first method applies the algorithm to data from each period separately. The second method models data from all periods simultaneously by incorporating an additional predictor variable to distinguish different behaviour in different periods, and allows for coalescing of data from periods with similar behaviour. The models obtained using TSMARS provide better short‐term forecasts for the Fraser River data than a corresponding linear periodic AR model.
Transcutaneous Cervical Spinal Cord Stimulation Combined with Robotic Exoskeleton Rehabilitation for the Upper Limbs in Subjects with Cervical SCI: Clinical Trial

(1) Background: Restoring arm and hand function is a priority for individuals with cervical spinal cord injury (cSCI) for independence and quality of life. Transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) promotes the upper extremity (UE) motor function when applied at the cervical region. The aim of the study was to determine the effects of cervical tSCS, combined with an exoskeleton, on motor strength and functionality of UE in subjects with cSCI. (2) Methods: twenty-two subjects participated in the randomized mix of parallel-group and crossover clinical trial, consisting of an intervention group (n = 15; tSCS exoskeleton) and a control group (n = 14; exoskeleton). The assessment was carried out at baseline, after the last session, and two weeks after the last session. We assessed graded redefined assessment of strength, sensibility, and prehension (GRASSP), box and block test (BBT), spinal cord independence measure III (SCIM-III), maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), ASIA impairment scale (AIS), and WhoQol-Bref; (3) Results: GRASSP, BBT, SCIM III, cylindrical grip force and AIS motor score showed significant improvement in both groups (p ≤ 0.05), however, it was significantly higher in the intervention group than the control group for GRASSP strength, and GRASSP prehension ability (p ≤ 0.05); (4) Conclusion: our findings show potential advantages of the combination of cervical tSCS with an exoskeleton to optimize the outcome for UE.
Energy and force prediction for a nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge actuator

A three-species physical model is presented for dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) actuator under atmospheric pressure. The governing equations are solved for temporal and spatial distribution of electric potential and charge species using the finite element based multiscale ionized gas flow code. The plasma model is loosely coupled with compressible Navier-Stokes equations through momentum and energy source terms. Two cases of rf powered and nanosecond pulsed barrier discharge actuators are simulated. Based on the imparted time average electrohydrodynamic force and power deposition to the neutral gas, the nanosecond pulsed DBD actuator creates significant pressure variations within few microseconds. These results are in reasonable agreement with recently reported experimental shadow images.
Dietary Inflammatory Index, Obesity, and the Incidence of Colorectal Cancer: Findings from a Hospital-Based Case-Control Study in Malaysia

Obesity-mediated inflammation represents a key connection between the intake of foods with high inflammatory potential and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. We aimed to explore the association between energy-adjusted dietary inflammatory index (E-DII) in relation to CRC risk in both obese and non-obese subjects. This study included 99 histopathologically confirmed CRC cases, 73 colonic polyps cases, and 141 healthy controls from tertiary medical centres in both urban and suburban areas in Peninsular Malaysia. The subjects were categorised into body mass index (BMI) < 25 kg/m2 and BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 groups. E-DII scores were computed based on dietary intake assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusted for potential cofounders. The mean dietary energy intake and mean BMI values of the subjects tended to increase as the E-DII scores increased (p for trend < 0.001). E-DII was significantly related to CRC risk only in obese subjects (OR = 1.45; 95% CI = 1.30–1.77; p < 0.001 for trend). Stratified analyses of risk factors showed significant associations between E-DII and CRC risk by age group (p for interaction = 0.030), smoking status (p for interaction = 0.043), and anthropometric indices for both males and females (p for interaction < 0.001) in the most pro-inflammatory E-DII quartile vs. the lowest E-DII quartile. Overall, pro-inflammatory diets were associated with an increased incidence of CRC in the Malaysian population, particularly in obese subjects.
Adaptive sup-norm regularized simultaneous multiple quantiles regression

When modelling multiple conditional quantiles of univariate and/or multivariate responses, it is of great importance to share strength among them. The simultaneous multiple quantiles regression (SMQR) technique is a novel regularization method that explores the similarity among multiple conditional quantiles and performs simultaneous model selection. However, the SMQR suffers from estimation inefficiency and model selection inconsistency because it applies the same amount of shrinkage to each predictor variable without assessing its relative importance. To overcome such a limitation, we propose the adaptive sup-norm regularized SMQR (ASMQR) method, which allows different amounts of shrinkage to be imposed on different variables according to their relative importance. We show that the proposed ASMQR method, a generalized form of the adaptive lasso regularized quantile regression (ALQR) method, possesses the oracle property and that it is a better tool for selecting a common subset of significant variables than the ALQR and SMQR methods through a simulation study.
A Resilience Evaluation Framework on Ultrasonic Microphone Jammers

Covert eavesdropping via microphones has always been a major threat to user privacy. Benefiting from the acoustic non-linearity property, the ultrasonic microphone jammer (UMJ) is effective in resisting this long-standing attack. However, prior UMJ researches underestimate adversary's attacking capability in reality and miss critical metrics for a thorough evaluation. The strong assumptions of adversary unable to retrieve information under low word recognition rate, and adversary's weak denoising abilities in the threat model make these works overlook the vulnerability of existing UMJs. As a result, their UMJs’ resilience is overestimated. In this paper, we refine the adversary model and completely investigate potential eavesdropping threats. Correspondingly, we define a total of 12 metrics that are necessary for evaluating UMJs’ resilience. Using these metrics, we propose a comprehensive framework to quantify UMJs’ practical resilience. It fully covers three perspectives that prior works ignored to some degree, i.e., ambient information, semantic comprehension, and collaborative recognition. Guided by this framework, we can thoroughly and quantitatively evaluate the resilience of existing UMJs towards eavesdroppers. Our extensive assessment results reveal that most existing UMJs are vulnerable to sophisticated adverse approaches. We further outline the key factors influencing jammers’ performance and present constructive suggestions for UMJs’ future designs.
Discovery of Ureido-Based Apcin Analogues as Cdc20-specific Inhibitors against Cancer

Cdc20 is a promising drug target that plays an important role in the mid-anaphase process of cellular mitosis, and Apcin is the only reported core structure of the Cdc20-specific inhibitor. Some potent Apcin derivatives were obtained in our previous research, and a structure–activity relationship was determined. In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of ureido-based Apcin derivatives. The proliferation-inhibition experiments on four cancer-cell lines showed that ureido skeleton could promote the anti-proliferation activity of purine-substituted compounds, whereas the ureido analogues with pyrimidine substitutes showed no significant improvement in the inhibitory effect compared with the original ones. Further tests confirmed that ureido-based compounds can enhance the binding affinity to Cdc20 by increasing the levels of Cdc20 downstream proteins. Compound 27 revealed a remarkably antitumor activity pattern against Hela (IC50 = 0.06 ± 0.02 μM) and potent binding affinity to Cdc20. Moreover, compound 20 induced caspase-dependent apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest at the G2/M phase, and compound 27 induced caspase-dependent apoptosis and promoted microtubule polymerization. Finally, a molecular-docking simulation was performed for compounds 20 and 27 to predict the potential ligand–protein interactions with the active sites of the Cdc20 proteins.
The Role of “Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model (PBPK)” New Approach Methodology (NAM) in Pharmaceuticals and Environmental Chemical Risk Assessment

Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models are mechanistic tools generally employed in the pharmaceutical industry and environmental health risk assessment. These models are recognized by regulatory authorities for predicting organ concentration–time profiles, pharmacokinetics and daily intake dose of xenobiotics. The extension of PBPK models to capture sensitive populations such as pediatric, geriatric, pregnant females, fetus, etc., and diseased populations such as those with renal impairment, liver cirrhosis, etc., is a must. However, the current modelling practices and existing models are not mature enough to confidently predict the risk in these populations. A multidisciplinary collaboration between clinicians, experimental and modeler scientist is vital to improve the physiology and calculation of biochemical parameters for integrating knowledge and refining existing PBPK models. Specific PBPK covering compartments such as cerebrospinal fluid and the hippocampus are required to gain mechanistic understanding about xenobiotic disposition in these sub-parts. The PBPK model assists in building quantitative adverse outcome pathways (qAOPs) for several endpoints such as developmental neurotoxicity (DNT), hepatotoxicity and cardiotoxicity. Machine learning algorithms can predict physicochemical parameters required to develop in silico models where experimental data are unavailable. Integrating machine learning with PBPK carries the potential to revolutionize the field of drug discovery and development and environmental risk. Overall, this review tried to summarize the recent developments in the in-silico models, building of qAOPs and use of machine learning for improving existing models, along with a regulatory perspective. This review can act as a guide for toxicologists who wish to build their careers in kinetic modeling.
Interface orbital moment anisotropy in CoPd multilayers

The orbital moment anisotropy of CoPd multilayers was measured using transverse magnetic circular X-ray dichroism. We show that this anisotropy is due to the Co interface layer and can be directly linked to the magnetocrystalline anisotropic energy. The measured quantitative relationship can presently not be reproduced by theory.
In vivo assessment of antibacterial and growth promoting effect of soursop (Annona muricata Linn.) leaf extract in broiler chickens

Phytochemicals have demonstrated considerable influence against pathogenic microbes in vitro without antimicrobial resistance. A number of studies have also reported an improved growth performance in poultry with their supplementation. In vivo antimicrobial efficacy of soursop leaf extract (SLE) was evaluated in a 49-day study on the growth performance (GP), intestinal microbes and morphology of broiler chickens. Two hundred day-old chicks (Arbor Acres) were randomly distributed to five treatments and four replicates, with ten birds each in a completely randomized design. The treatments included: CTRL (control), 5.0, 7.5, 10.0 and 12.5% SLE per litre of drinking water. Ciprofloxacin 10% was administered to the control group as antibiotics in drinking water at 1ml/2L. Feed intake (FI), weight gain (WG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were evaluated. Two birds per replicate were sacrificed on day 49 and eviscerated. Ileum and caeca content were collected and cultured for total coliforms, Lactobacillus, Salmonella and Escherichia coli. Mid-ileum section was cut, rinsed with distilled water and fixed in 10% formalin for evaluation of villus height and crypt depth. Analysis of variance was used for data analysis at p<0.05 confidence. Weight gain increased from 7.5% SLE while FI reduced from 10.0% and above giving the best FCR at 12.5% SLE. SLE improved WG, eliminated salmonella and reduced total coliform (1.30 to 0.00) in the ileum section. Total coliforms were eliminated, Salmonella and Escherichia colli decreased (6.02 to 1.85; 6.91 to 2.24) in the caeca section. It was concluded that SLE reduced pathogenic intestinal microbes, improved intestinal morphology and feed conversion ratio in broiler chickens.