Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of GATA3 Rs3824662 Gene Polymorphism with Response to Induction Therapy in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Background: The malignant transformation and multiplication of lymphoid precursor cells in the bone marrow, blood, and extramedullary tissues is known as acute lymphoblastic leukemia. ALL susceptibility has been linked to the GATA3 SNP rs3824662. Numerous studies have found a link between the rs3824662 risk allele and a worse prognosis and relapse. Aim: To evaluate the frequency of GATA3 gene single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP rs3824662) in newly diagnosed Iraqi patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and its correlation to response to induction therapy. Patients and methods : A cross-sectional study was conducted on 53 patients (33 adult and 20 pediatric patients) with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Sanger sequencing polymerase chain reaction-based techniques have been employed by us to enable the detection of GATA3 rs3824662 gene polymorphism. Results : For the adult group genotype frequency of GATA3 rs3824662 wild type (CC) was 19 (57.6%) of patients, and heterozygous state (CA) genotype was detected in 14 (42.4%) of patients while the homozygous state (AA) genotype was not detected in the adult group of this study. In the pediatric group of ALL patients wild type (CC) was detected in 11 (55%) of patients, the heterozygous state (CA) genotype was present in 6 (30%) of patients, while the homozygous state (AA) genotype was detected in 3(15% ) of patients. There was no significant association between the GATA3 rs3824662 genotype and response to induction therapy, p-value = 0.54. Conclusion: The GATA3 rs3824662 AA genotype and A allele could be risk factors for childhood and adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia. There was a nonsignificant association between the GATA3 rs3824662 genotype and response to induction therapy
Prognostic Significance of Severe Vitamin D Deficiency in Patients with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked with adverse events in various liver diseases. The present study aimed to recognize the association between severe vitamin D deficiency and disease progression, hepatobiliary malignancies, liver-related mortality, and the need for liver transplantation in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Patients with a diagnosis of PSC (n = 354), followed by the autoimmune liver disease clinic at the University of Alberta, were included. Patients with vitamin D levels < 25 nmol/L were defined as severely deficient. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using the Cox proportional hazards regression models. The mean vitamin D level was 59 ± 2 nmol/L, and 63 patients (18%) had a severe vitamin D deficiency. Patients with a severe vitamin D deficiency were 2.5 times more likely to experience hepatobiliary malignancies (HR 2.55, 95% CI, 1.02–6.40, p = 0.046). A severe vitamin D deficiency at diagnosis (HR 1.82, 95% CI, 1.05–3.15, p = 0.03) and persistent deficiencies over time (HR 2.26, 95% CI, 1.17–4.37, p = 0.02) were independently associated with a higher risk of poor clinical liver outcomes. A severe vitamin D deficiency at diagnosis and persistent deficiency at longitudinal assessments were associated with liver-related mortality or the need for liver transplantation.
Short-Term Outcomes and Risk Factors of In-Hospital Mortality in Patients Suffering Acute Mesenteric Ischemia after Cardiac Surgery: Role of Opioids and Lactic Acid

Acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) is associated with poor clinical results after cardiac surgery. The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of AMI on short-term outcomes and all relevant risk factors of in-hospital mortality after cardiac surgery. Moreover, we aimed to investigate the role of opioids and lactic acid in the detection and prevention of AMI. Between August 2011 and September 2015, 176 consecutive patients with gastrointestinal complications after undergoing open-heart surgery were identified and included in this study. All patients were divided into two groups: AMI group (n = 39) and non-AMI group (n = 137). In terms of comorbidities, the groups were fairly equal and showed no significant differences. Dialysis was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in patients that suffered from AMI. Moreover, gastro-intestinal symptoms such as muscular defense (p = 0.004) and the laparotomy rate (p < 0.001) were significantly higher in the AMI group. Likewise, in-hospital mortality (p < 0.001) was significantly higher in patients with detected AMI. Univariate (p < 0.001) and multivariate analysis (p = 0.025) of both groups revealed that lactic acid value >2 mmol/L and present treatment with opioids are independent combined predictors of mesenteric ischemia in patients after undergoing cardiac surgery. Moreover, multivariate analysis showed peripheral vascular disease (p = 0.004), dialysis (p = 0.010), and septic shock (p = 0.003) as relevant predictors of in-hospital mortality. Prolonged analgetic treatment with opioids and sudden increase of lactic acid levels are independent combined predictors of mesenteric ischemia in patients after undergoing cardiac surgery. Furthermore, peripheral vascular disease, dialysis, and septic shock are relevant predictors for in-hospital mortality.
Westerly Wind Bursts and Their Relationship with Intraseasonal Variations and ENSO. Part I: Statistics

Abstract Statistical features of the relationship among westerly wind bursts (WWBs), the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and intraseasonal variations (ISVs) were examined using 40-yr European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analysis data (ERA-40) for the period of January 1979–August 2002. WWBs were detected over the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, but not over the Atlantic Ocean. WWB frequencies for each region were lag correlated with a sea surface temperature anomaly over the Nino-3 region. WWBs tended to occur in sequence, from the western to eastern Pacific, leading the El Nino peak by 9 months to 1 month, respectively, and after around 11 months, over the Indian Ocean. These results suggest that WWB occurrences are not random, but interactive with ENSO. Composite analysis revealed that most WWBs were associated with slowdowns of eastward-propagating convective regions like the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO), with the intensified Rossby wave response. However, seasonal .
Comparative analysis of peel extract and juice obtained from wild and cultivated pomegranate fruits

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is a deciduous shrub or a small tree with perennial rootstock, belonging to the Punicaceae family (Holland et al., 2009). The edible part of pomegranate is about 57-85% of the whole fruit, among which juice accounts for 36-63% (Ge et al., 2021). This would mean that 25-43% of the fruit consists of peel and seeds. Pomegranate is rich in bioactive compounds, both in the edible part and in the part that represents waste material. Previous findings have shown that pomegranate peel (PP) contains ellagic acid, ellagitannins such as punicalagin and punicalin, as well as proanthocyanidins and flavonoids (Jain et al., 2012). These secondary metabolites of pomegranate possess substantial healthpromoting properties, including antidiabetic, antioxidant, immunomodulatory as well as anticarcinogenic effects (Jain et al., 2012). In addition, some compounds were found to have potential to prevent cardiovascular diseases (Hamoud et al., 2014). In this research, the active components from pomegranate peel (wild and cultivated) were isolated using maceration as an extraction technique. Thereafter, the quantification of the most dominant compounds in the obtained extracts and juice was performed using HPLC analysis. The objective of this study was to determine and compare the content of the main bioactive compounds obtained from the peel and juice of wild and cultivated pomegranates from different locations. Materials and methods
The wave-digital method and some of its relativistic implications

The advantageous robustness properties obtainable in digital filtering and numerical integration by using the wave-digital principles are essentially due to the extensive use of concepts such as passivity and losslessness, which in turn rely directly on the use of the energy concept. If some of the ideas developed in this context are carried over to relativity theory, one discovers some alternative results that show interesting similarities as well as noteworthy differences to the classical ones. It is shown that by making some assumptions that, although differing from the conventional ones, are at least not a priori physically unreasonable, one is almost naturally led to the alternative expressions. This fact alone justifies the present interest in the subject.
A Curvature Sensor Utilizing the Matteucci Effect in Amorphous Wire

The study of wearable sensors for human disease monitoring has developed into an important research area due to its potential for personalized health care. Various sensor types have been proposed for assessing the range of joint movement in patients with progressive diseases or following post-surgical treatments. Many of these methods suffer from poor accuracy, sensitivity, and linearity or are very expensive and complex to implement. To overcome some of these limitations, this paper reports on the development of a novel flexible sensor for the measurement of bending by utilizing the Matteucci effect in the amorphous wire. This paper describes a bend sensor that utilizes positive magnetostrictive amorphous wire to achieve a measurement sensitivity equal to 5.68 ± 0.02 mV/cm with a resolution of ±0.2° over a measuring range of 64 to 143°.
GENERIC APPROXIMATE SPARSE INVERSE MATRIX TECHNIQUES

During the last decades explicit preconditioning methods have gained interest among the scientific community, due to their efficiency for solving large sparse linear systems in conjunction with Krylov subspace iterative methods. The effectiveness of explicit preconditioning schemes relies on the fact that they are close approximants to the inverse of the coefficient matrix. Herewith, we propose a Generic Approximate Sparse Inverse (GenASPI) matrix algorithm based on ILU(0) factorization. The proposed scheme applies to matrices of any structure or sparsity pattern unlike the previous dedicated implementations. The new scheme is based on the Generic Approximate Banded Inverse (GenAbI), which is a banded approximate inverse used in conjunction with Conjugate Gradient type methods for the solution of large sparse linear systems. The proposed GenASPI matrix algorithm, is based on Approximate Inverse Sparsity patterns, derived from powers of sparsified matrices and is computed with a modified procedure based on the GenAbI algorithm. Finally, applicability and implementation issues are discussed and numerical results along with comparative results are presented.
Small hydropower plants’ impacts in urban areas: Assessment of water quality from an environmental, social, and economic perspective

Water is the basis for the life of organisms and is used for various purposes, especially in agriculture, industry, municipal, and energy production. Assessing water quality in terms of its various uses is not without significance. This study investigates the water quality within two small hydropower plants in an urban area from natural, social and economic perspectives. Wroclaw I and Wroclaw II hydropower plants on the Odra River in Poland were selected as case studies. This study presents the results of four-year research (2017-2020) for points located upstream and downstream of the intake. The following elements were assessed: physicochemical status, trophic status, assessment of fish living conditions, and water quality indices. The results show that hydropower plants improved the average physicochemical status of BOD5 (by 6.19% comparing the results downstream and upstream of the hydropower plant), dissolved oxygen (3.S5%), PO4 - P (3.31%), and electrical conductivity (0.52%), however, they worsened in the case of the pH (by 2.63%) and NO3-N (by 1.S3%). Water near the study cases is classified as mesotrophic or eutrophic. The conditions for the existence of salmonids and cyprinids were not met due to the increased concentrations of NO2 and BOD5 values. In the case of salmonids, also due to the temperature and dissolved oxygen concentration. The water quality indices differed and indicated the quality from poor to good, depending on the classification. This study provides important insights for policymakers regarding the impacts of small hydropower plants on water quality in urban areas.
A new spiky soliton and an explosive mode of the nonlinear drift wave equation

A new type of nonlinear wave modes which occurs in the electrostatic drift waves in an inhomogeneous magnetized plasma is presented. The author predicts the existence of a new type of spiky solitary wave and an explosive mode with a negative potential as stationary solutions of this equation. These solutions are a consequence of a density gradient and not connected with a temperature gradient. These new nonlinear wave solutions appear to make a step forward in the general scheme of nonlinear normal modes for plasma waves. Using these nonlinear wave modes, the author can explain the solitary structure and the explosive event concerning nonlinear drift waves propagating in space. >
miRNA Molecules—Late Breaking Treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases?

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of non-coding RNAs that play a critical role in regulating epigenetic mechanisms in inflammation-related diseases. Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), which primarily include ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), are characterized by chronic recurrent inflammation of intestinal tissues. Due to the multifactorial etiology of these diseases, the development of innovative treatment strategies that can effectively maintain remission and alleviate disease symptoms is a major challenge. In recent years, evidence for the regulatory role of miRNAs in the pathogenetic mechanisms of various diseases, including IBD, has been accumulating. In light of these findings, miRNAs represent potential innovative candidates for therapeutic application in IBD. In this review, we discuss recent findings on the role of miRNAs in regulating inflammatory responses, maintaining intestinal barrier integrity, and developing fibrosis in clinical and experimental IBD. The focus is on the existing literature, indicating potential therapeutic application of miRNAs in both preclinical experimental IBD models and translational data in the context of clinical IBD. To date, a large and diverse data set, which is growing rapidly, supports the potential use of miRNA-based therapies in clinical practice, although many questions remain unanswered.
Comparison of Anti-inflammatory Effect between Intracameral Triamcinolone Acetonide and Topical Dexamethasone after Phacoemulsification

Background: Despite better surgical methods and intraocular lenses, phacoemulsification has emerged as the most widely used and gold standard in cataract surgery today. One of the most typical surgical consequences is postoperative inflammation. Surgical trauma damages the blood aqueous barrier, allowing proteins and inflammatory cells to flow into the anterior chamber. Objective: The aim of the current study is to compare the effectiveness of a single intracameral dose of triamcinolone and topical dexamethasone in controlling inflammation following phacoemulsification. Patients and methods: The current clinical trial included 60 eyes divided into two equal groups; Group A included 30 eyes which received single intracameral injection of triamcinolone acetonide (ICTA) 1 mg at the end of surgery, and Group B included 30 eyes which was given topical dexamethasone eye drops 5 times per day for 1 week and the dose decreased gradually. Results: It is found that there was no statistically significant difference between the two studied groups regarding corneal edema, anterior chamber (AC) cells at 1 day and 1 week after surgery. All cases of the two groups were found negative for corneal edema, AC cells at 1 month and 3 rd month postoperative. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of mean BCVA or intraocular pressure (IOP) at any time point (P >0.05) postoperatively. Our results show that there was highly significant difference between the two studied groups regarding conjunctival irritation at 1 day, 1 week and 1 month and there is non-significant difference at 3 rd month. No significant complications like endophthalmitis were observed. Conclusion: Intracameral triamcinolone injection was demonstrated to be a promising safe alternative to topical dexamethasonen with comparable efficacy in terms of the management of postoperative inflammation after phacoemulsification and was associated with minimal complications and higher compliance.
Bank capital regulation and the Modigliani-Miller Theorem: a Post-Keynesian perspective

Abstract This paper challenges the validity for bank regulation of the Modigliani-Miller (MM) Theorems. We argue that the Modigliani–Miller analysis cannot be applied to banks because when lending creates deposits the asset side of banks varies together with the liability side and equity behaves more like a sticky variable. Hence, from an endogenous money point of view and Minsky’s Financial Instability Hypothesis (FIH), much of the debate on bank capital adequacy rules is misleading because: First, it is not at a bank’s discretion to decide the mix of its funding when it provides credit. Secondly, bank liability management might have implications for financial stability as far as it reduces the liquidity in the economy. Bank regulation in the lines of MM Theorems misses both points as long as it disregards the endogenous process of money supply and the effects of financial fragility. In this sense, refutation of the validity of MM Theorems for bank regulation lends support to a Minskian cash-flow oriented bank regulation for the detection of Ponzi finances.
Viscous flow in a deformable rotating container

The steady-state flow in a rotating container is examined when the container is deformed into an ellipsoidal figure which is fixed in inertial space. The analysis is carried out for a fluid of small viscosity, and to the second order in Rossby number. Results show a vortex existing along the rotation axis, this being an interior manifestation of non-linear boundary-layer effects. These effects are a direct consequence of the forced oscillation being at twice the rotational frequency. The configuration is chosen to suggest the effects of gravitational body tides on the dynamics of the core of the earth. This problem is related to the similar problem of a precessing spheroid, and an experiment is described which tests the present theory and confirms previous experimental data from precessing spheroids.
Long-Term Outcome Following Liver Transplantation for Primary Hepatic Tumors—A Single Centre Observational Study over 40 Years

The incidence of pediatric liver tumors in general has been rising over the last years and so is the number of children undergoing liver transplantation for this indication. To contribute to the ongoing improvement of pre- and post-transplant care, we aim to describe outcome and risk factors in our patient cohort. We have compared characteristics and outcome for patients transplanted for hepatoblastoma to other liver malignancies in our center between 1983 and 2022 and analysed influential factors on tumor recurrence and mortality using nominal logistic regression analysis. Of 39 children (16 f) who had transplants for liver malignancy, 31 were diagnosed with hepatoblastoma. The proportion of malignant tumors in the transplant cohort rose from 1.9% (1983–1992) to 9.1% in the current decade (p < 0.0001). Hepatoblastoma patients were transplanted at a younger age and were more likely to have tumor extent beyond the liver. Post-transplant bile flow impairment requiring intervention was significantly higher compared to our total cohort (48 vs. 24%, p > 0.0001). Hearing loss was a common side effect of ototoxic chemotherapy in hepatoblastoma patients (48%). The most common maintenance immunosuppression were mTor-inhibitors. Risk factors for tumor recurrence in patients with hepatoblastoma were higher AFP before transplant (AFPpre-LTX), a low ratio of AFPmax to AFPpre-LTX and salvage transplantation. Liver malignancies represent a rising number of indications for liver transplantation in childhood. Primary tumor resection can spare a liver transplant with all its long-term complications, but in case of tumor recurrence, transplantation might have inferior outcome. The rate of acute biopsy-proven rejections and biliary complications in comparison to our total transplant cohort needs further investigations.
Supplementation of Mother’s Own Milk with Preterm Donor Human Milk: Impact on Protein Intake and Growth in Very Low Birth Weight Infants—A Randomized Controlled Study

This randomized study investigates whether feeding very low birth weight (VLBW) infants with mother’s own milk (MOM) supplemented with either preterm (PDM) or term donor milk (TDM), when MOM is insufficient, has a positive impact on infants’ protein intake and growth. A hundred and twenty VLBW infants were randomized into two groups. Group A (43 infants) received MOM supplemented with PDM, whereas Group B (77 infants) was fed with MOM supplemented with TDM, for the first three weeks of life (donor milk period). Breast milk fortifier was added when milk feeds exceeded 50 mL/Kg/day. After the donor milk period, both groups were fed with formula when MOM was not available or the milk bank was unable to provide TDM. Protein intake was higher in Group A than in Group B at initiation of milk fortification (p = 0.006), as well as during the 3-week donor milk period (p = 0.023) and throughout hospitalization (p = 0.014). Moreover, Group A presented higher Δz-score for body weight (p = 0.019) and head circumference (p = 0.001) from birth to the end of donor milk period, and higher mean body weight at discharge (p = 0.047) compared to Group B. In conclusion, when donor milk is required, PDM positively impacts protein intake and growth in VLBW infants (NCT05675397).
A Straightforward Cytometry-Based Protocol for the Comprehensive Analysis of the Inflammatory Valve Infiltrate in Aortic Stenosis

Aortic stenosis (AS) is a frequent cardiac disease in old individuals, characterized by valvular calcification, fibrosis, and inflammation. Recent studies suggest that AS is an active inflammatory atherosclerotic-like process. Particularly, it has been suggested that several immune cell types, present in the valve infiltrate, contribute to its degeneration and to the progression toward stenosis. Furthermore, the infiltrating T cell subpopulations mainly consist of oligoclonal expansions, probably specific for persistent antigens. Thus, the characterization of the cells implicated in the aortic valve calcification and the analysis of the antigens to which those cells respond to is of utmost importance to develop new therapies alternative to the replacement of the valve itself. However, calcified aortic valves have been only studied so far by histological and immunohistochemical methods, unable to render an in-depth phenotypical and functional cell profiling. Here we present, for the first time, a simple and efficient cytometry-based protocol that allows the identification and quantification of infiltrating inflammatory leukocytes in aortic valve explants. Our cytometry protocol saves time and facilitates the simultaneous analysis of numerous surface and intracellular cell markers and may well be also applied to the study of other cardiac diseases with an inflammatory component.