Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hemophagocytic Syndrome-Like Tuberculosis-Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome After the Initiation of Hepatic Tuberculosis Treatment

A 25-year-old Nepalese woman was referred to our hospital because of fever and intermittent abdominal pain with inguinal lymphadenopathy, which had lasted for several months. A liver biopsy of the positron emission tomography-positive lesion led to a diagnosis of hepatic tuberculosis. After the initiation of antituberculosis treatment, her symptoms resolved. However, 11 days after treatment initiation, chest and back pain, high-grade fever, and vomiting appeared and gradually worsened. She developed anemia and her serum ferritin level was elevated. Hemophagocytic syndrome due to the initial deterioration of tuberculosis was suspected and steroid therapy was initiated with the continuation of the antituberculosis drugs. Thereafter, the patient’s condition improved remarkably.
Measuring drop size in continuous liquid-liquid mixers

Etude realisee dans deux configurations d'appareil agite (agitateur place au fond de l'appareil; agitateur place au centre) dans des conditions d'ecoulement en continu et en discontinu avec des retenues elevees (X v <0,75) de la phase dispersee pour des dispersions organique et aqueuse continues
Oscillator circuit for monitoring the gas damping effect of piezoelectric microresonators

In this work, an aluminium nitride based piezoelectric resonator (05-mode) was fabricated and characterized to study how various factors, such as pressure, gas composition, the resonator geometry or the order of the vibrational mode, influence the resonant frequency and quality factor of micro resonators. In order to determine the resonant parameters of interest, an interface circuit was implemented and included within a closed-loop scheme. The effect of viscosity and density of the gases under test on the resonant parameters can be determined through a calibration process using different gases, an impedance analyser and theoretical values of density and viscosity reported in the literature. Depending on gas species different gas damping effects in the molecular, transitional and viscous flow regimes were observed. However, as the resonant mode number increases and therefore the resonant frequency, the acoustic wavelength reduces, the contribution of acoustic effects on the energy loss cannot be neglected any more in comparison with viscous effects. Our results demonstrate the performance of the resonator in different gases (Air, N2, Ar, CO2 and He) and pressures (0.1-950 mbar) by developing and applying specific experimental setup.
Macro-Modeling of Reinforced Concrete Structural Walls: State-of-the-Art

During the past decades, various analytical macroscopic models of structural walls have been developed for simulating the seismic behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) walls. Due to the inherently complicated characteristics of RC walls, macroscopic models that can capture all the important response characteristics with good accuracy and applicability are very challenging to establish. A thorough review of the four main types of mathematical macro models of RC walls, i.e., the vertical-line-element-model, the 2-D shear panel element model, the equivalent truss model and the fiber-based model, is presented to discuss the methodology behind each model and examine the corresponding merits and disadvantages. Suggestions are also made for the further research of the macro modeling of structural walls.
Bridging structural MRI with cognitive function for individual level classification of early psychosis via deep learning

Introduction Recent efforts have been made to apply machine learning and deep learning approaches to the automated classification of schizophrenia using structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) at the individual level. However, these approaches are less accurate on early psychosis (EP) since there are mild structural brain changes at early stage. As cognitive impairments is one main feature in psychosis, in this study we apply a multi-task deep learning framework using sMRI with inclusion of cognitive assessment to facilitate the classification of patients with EP from healthy individuals. Method Unlike previous studies, we used sMRI as the direct input to perform EP classifications and cognitive estimations. The proposed deep learning model does not require time-consuming volumetric or surface based analysis and can provide additionally cognition predictions. Experiments were conducted on an in-house data set with 77 subjects and a public ABCD HCP-EP data set with 164 subjects. Results We achieved 74.9 ± 4.3% five-fold cross-validated accuracy and an area under the curve of 71.1 ± 4.1% on EP classification with the inclusion of cognitive estimations. Discussion We reveal the feasibility of automated cognitive estimation using sMRI by deep learning models, and also demonstrate the implicit adoption of cognitive measures as additional information to facilitate EP classifications from healthy controls.
LSU Digital LSU Digital Mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) implicated in plasticity Mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) implicated in plasticity of the reproductive axis during social status transitions of the reproductive axis during social status transitions

The highly conserved brain-pituitary-gonadal (BPG) axis controls reproduction in all vertebrates, so analyzing the regulation of this signaling cascade is important for understanding reproductive competence. The protein kinase mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) functions as a conserved regulator of cellular growth and metabolism in all eukaryotes, and also regulates the reproductive axis in mammals. However, whether mTOR might also regulate the BPG axis in non-mammalian vertebrates remains unexplored. We used complementary experimental approaches in an African cichlid ﬁ sh, Astatotilapia burtoni, to demonstrate that mTOR is involved in regulation of the brain, pituitary, and testes when males rise in rank to social dominance. mTOR or downstream components of its signaling pathway (p-p70S6K) were detected in gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH1) neurons, the pituitary, and testes. Transcript levels of mtor in the pituitary and testes also varied when re- productively-suppressed subordinate males rose in social rank to become dominant reproductively-active males, a transition similar to puberty in mammals. Intracerebroventricular injection of the mTORC1 inhibitor, rapa- mycin, revealed a role for mTOR in the socially-induced hypertrophy of GnRH1 neurons. Rapamycin treatment also had e ﬀ ects at the pituitary and testes, suggesting involvement of the mTORC1 complex at multiple levels of the reproductive axis. Thus, we show that mTOR regulation of BPG function is conserved to ﬁ shes, likely playing important roles in regulating reproduction and fertility across all male vertebrates. animal. While mTOR ’ s role in regulation of the neuroendocrine reproductive axis was previously shown in mammals (primarily in fe-males), our data reveal its involvement in the brain-pituitary-gonadal axis of male ﬁ shes. mTOR, or components of its downstream signaling pathways, are expressed in GnRH1 neurons of the brain, in the pituitary, and in the testis of the cichlid ﬁ sh A. burtoni . We show socially-induced di ﬀ erences in mTOR activity between reproductively-sup-pressed subordinate males, and males that were given an opportunity to rise in rank to become reproductively-active dominant males, a transition similar to puberty in mammals. Treatment with the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin also in ﬂ uenced mTOR pathway activity in the brain, pituitary, and testes, including inhibition of the canonical socially-in-duced GnRH1 neuron hypertrophy. These data suggest that the rapa-mycin-sensitive mTORC1 complex plays a role in the physiological function of GnRH1 neurons, pituitary gonadotropes, and germ cells of the testis. Our integrative analysis that extends the discovered function of mTOR to the reproductive axis in males of a non-mammal provides support for the hypothesis that mTOR signaling is a conserved and crucial mechanism involved in male reproductive competence across vertebrates.
HIV-1 Infectivity Lines: Ligand Binding, Biological Activity, and CXCR4 Chemokine Receptor in Human T Cell Identification and Characterization of the

The CXCR4 chemokine receptor has been shown to respond to the C-X-C chemokine stromal-derived factor (SDF-1) and has recently been shown to be an important coreceptor for HIV-1 infection. In the present paper we have tested a number of human T lymphocyte cell lines, including Jurkat, HUT78, CEM, and Sup-T1 for the presence of CXCR4 receptors. We found that these T cell lines bind SDF-1 a and SDF-1 b with high afﬁnity. The CXCR4 Ab 12G5 inhibited both SDF-1 binding and HIV-1 LAI mediated fusion of CEM. Scatchard analysis revealed the presence of approximately 150,000 SDF-1 a -binding sites per cell with a K d between 5 and 10 nM. Cross-competition experiments using unlabeled SDF-1 a and SDF-1 b revealed that both chemokines are equally capable of displacing their radiolabeled counterparts. Internalization studies with [125]I-SDF-1 a revealed that Jurkat cells internalized greater than 90% of the ligand by 2 h at 37°C. SDF-1 a was also chemotactic for Jurkat cells and caused an increase in the rate of extracellular acidiﬁcation that was half-maximal at 18 nM SDF-1 a and could be inhibited by pretreatment with the SDF-1 proteins, pertussis toxin, or the Ab 12G5. Finally, SDF-1 a also caused an increase in the cytosolic Ca 2 1 concentration in Sup-T1 cells that was abolished by preincubating the cells with pertussis toxin or PMA and inhibited by the Ab 12G5. This molecular characterization of CXCR4 receptors should prove useful b desensitizes the CXCR4 receptor to SDF-1 a . Jurkat cells were perfused with 300 nM SDF-1 b and after the initial signal had decayed, the cells were washed to remove the SDF-1 b and were further stimulated with 100 nM SDF-1 a . D, Dose-response curve for SDF-1 a stimulation of Jurkat cells. Jurkat cells were stimulated with increasing concentrations of SDF-1 a and the increase in acidiﬁcation rate was monitored using a microphysiometer. Data have been normalized percentage biologic response. Data two
different methods for overcoming the class imbalance problem Padua Research Archive - Institutional Repository

Many classification problems must deal with imbalanced datasets where one class – the majority class – outnumbers the other classes. Standard classification methods do not provide accurate predictions in this setting since classification is generally biased towards the majority class. The minority classes are oftentimes the ones of interest (e.g., when they are associated with pathological conditions in patients), so methods for handling imbalanced datasets are critical. Using several different datasets, this paper evaluates the performance of state-of-the-art classification methods for handling the imbalance problem in both binary and multi-class datasets. Different strategies are considered, including the one-class and dimension reduction approaches, as well as their fusions. Moreover, some ensembles of classifiers are tested, in addition to stand-alone classifiers, to assess the effectiveness of ensembles in the presence of imbalance. Finally, a novel ensemble of ensembles is designed specifically to tackle the problem of class imbalance: the proposed ensemble does not need to be tuned separately for each dataset and outperforms all the other tested approaches.
Pelvic Organ Prolapse and Its Associated Factors Among Women Attending the Gynecology Outpatient Clinic at a Tertiary Hospital in Southwestern Uganda

Purpose To determine the prevalence, clinical stage at presentation and factors associated with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) among women attending the gynecology outpatient clinic at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH), Uganda. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study at the gynecology outpatient clinic of MRRH from September 2019 to January 2020. Women aged 18–90 years were systematically sampled and recruited into this study. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect participants’ socio-demographic, obstetric, gynecological and medical factors. POP stage was obtained by using the pelvic organ prolapse-quantification system. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was done to determine factors associated with pelvic organ prolapse. Results Of 338 participants enrolled, the prevalence of POP was 27.5% [n = 93, 95% Cl: 23.0–32.5]. POP stages were stage I 11.8% (n = 11), stage II 63.4% (n = 59), stage III 16.1% (n = 15) and stage IV 8.9% (n = 8). Grand-multiparity (aOR 17.1, 95% CI: 1.1–66.6), birth weight more than 3.5kg (aOR 3.7, 95% CI: 1.1–12.6), perineal tears (aOR 6.5, 95% CI: 2.1–20.2), peasant farmer (aOR 6.9, 95% CI: 1.6–29.9) and duration of labour in the first delivery >24 hours (aOR 5.7, 95% CI: 1.2–29) were significantly associated with POP. Conclusion POP is common among women attending the gynecology clinic at MRRH with most of them presenting with stage II. There should be routine screening for POP to enable early identification and management especially in those who are grand multiparous, peasant farmers and have a history of perineal tears.
Does Serum Osteocalcin Level Affect Carotid Atherosclerosis in Post-Menopausal Diabetic Females? A Case-Control Study

Purpose To determine the association between serum osteocalcin and carotid intima media thickness (CIMT) in a group of post-menopausal females with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Patients and Methods This cross-sectional study enrolled 75 postmenopausal women with T2DM and 40 age matched postmenopausal healthy females. Age, body mass index, blood pressure were recorded for all subjects. Laboratory tests including fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and lipid profile were measured. Serum osteocalcin was measured using ELISA. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by DEXA scan. CIMT was assessed with B-mode ultrasonography. Results Patients with T2DM had significantly lower serum osteocalcin compared to control (63.73±27.20 vs 136.16±21.96 pg/mL, P<0.001). Patients with osteoporosis had significantly lower osteocalcin level compared to those with normal BMD. Patients with T2DM had a significant negative correlation between serum osteocalcin and CIMT (r= −0.332; P=0.003), FBG (r= −0.732; P< 0.001), HbA1c (r=−0.672; P< 0.001), and HOMA-IR (r= −0.672; P< 0.001). However, multiple linear regression analysis revealed that CIMT in patients with diabetes was only significantly associated with age (P= 0.001), duration of diabetes (P< 0.001), SBP (P< 0.001), HOMA-IR (P=0.033), LDL (P=0.005), and HDL (P< 0.001). Furthermore, serum insulin (β= −0.183, P=0.033), FBG (β= −0.604, P< 0.001) and LDL (β= −0.195, P= 0.02) were independently negatively correlated with serum osteocalcin. Conclusion In this study, Postmenopausal women with diabetes had significantly lower osteocalcin compared to non-diabetic women. Although serum osteocalcin was negatively correlated with CIMT, multivariate regression analysis revealed that osteocalcin level was only independently related to worse glycemic parameters in postmenopausal women with T2DM.
Non-severe burn injury increases cancer incidence in mice and has long-term impacts on the activation and function of T cells

Abstract Background Recent evidence suggests that burn patients are at increased risk of hospital admission for infection, mental health conditions, cardiovascular disease and cancer for many years after discharge for the burn injury itself. Burn injury has also been shown to induce sustained immune system dysfunction. This change to immune function may contribute to the increased risk of chronic disease observed. However, the mechanisms that disrupt long-term immune function in response to burn trauma, and their link to long-term morbidity, remain unknown. In this study we investigated changes to immune function after burn injury using a murine model of non-severe injury. Methods An established mouse model of non-severe burn injury (full thickness burn equivalent to 8% total body surface area) was used in combination with an orthotopic model of B16 melanoma to investigate the link between burns and cancer. Considering that CD8+ T cells are important drivers of effective tumour suppression in this model, we also investigated potential dysregulation of this immune population using mouse models of burn injury in combination with herpes simplex virus infection. Flow cytometry was used to detect and quantify cell populations of interest and changes in immune function. Results We demonstrate that 4 weeks after a non-severe burn injury, mice were significantly more susceptible to tumour development than controls using an orthotopic model of B16 melanoma. In addition, our results reveal that CD8+ T cell expansion, differentiation and memory potential is significantly impaired at 1 month post-burn. Conclusions Our data suggests that CD8+ T cell-mediated immunity may be dysfunctional for a sustained period after even non-severe burn injury. Further studies in patients to validate these findings may support clinical intervention to restore or protect immunity in patients after burn injury and reduce the increased risk of secondary morbidities observed.
A Probing of the Issue of Detecting IgG, IgG4 and IgA Antibodies to Laminin 332 Epitopes in Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid: A Clinical-Laboratory Experience of a Single Central European University Dermatology Department

Purpose Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) is a very rare autoimmune bullous disease, affecting predominantly the mucosae and characterized by autoantibodies to the epithelial basement membrane components. Laminin 332 (Ln-332) is one of the most probable antigens with association with malignancy. The laboratory diagnosis of Ln-332-mediated autoimmunity is troublesome. The aim here was to comparatively examine IgG, IgG4, and IgA autoantibodies specific to α3, β3 or γ2 subunits of Ln-322 in MMP patients using the BIOCHIP mosaic-based indirect immunofluorescence technique (IIF). Patients and Methods Sera from 15 MMP patients were studied. BIOCHIP mosaic-based Ln-332 IIF, direct immunofluorescence, ELISA tests for anti-BP180/BP20 IgG antibodies and statistical analyses were performed. Results Of all the 15 sera examined for IgG4 antibodies, only 1 (6.67%) reacted with the α3 chain, 0 with the β3 chain, and 0 with the γ2 chain. No positive reactivity was seen with the IgG and IgA antibodies. BIOCHIP mosaic-based IIF with Ln-332 showed 100% sensitivity, 8% specificity, 21% positive predictive value, and 100% negative predictive value in relation to the diagnostic gold standard of DIF. The concomitant malignancies were revealed in three cases. Conclusion The detection of antibodies to Ln-332 chains is occasional in Polish MMP sufferers. Still, the evaluation of IgG4 antibodies in MMP can reduce the false-negative results.
Systematic Analysis of Chemokines Reveals CCL18 is a Prognostic Biomarker in Glioblastoma

Background Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive brain tumor in adults, in which chemokines are often upregulated and may play pivotal roles in their development and progression. Chemokines are a large subfamily of cytokines with leukocyte chemotactic activities involved in various tumor progression. However, gene expression patterns of the chemokines on a global scale were not known in GBM. Methods Differentially expressed chemokine genes in glioma and normal samples were screened by using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Cox regression identified the prognosis-related genes in each glioma subtype. The protein expression levels of chemokines in 72 glioma tissues were detected by ELISA. Results We found that the transcripts of seven chemokines, including CCL2, CCL8, CCL18, CCL28, CXCL1, CXCL5, and CXCL13, were highly expressed in GBM that evidenced by involving immune cell infiltration regulation and accompanied with worse outcomes of GBM patients. The prognostic nomogram construction demonstrated that CCL18 held the highest risk score in patients with GBM. Furthermore, experiments on 72 glioma tissue samples confirmed that CCL18 protein expression was positively associated with tumor grade and IDH1 status but inversely with glioma patients’ overall survival (OS). Conclusion Our study reveals comprehensive and comparable roles of chemokine members in glioblastoma, and identified CCL18 as a critical driver of GBM malignant behaviors, therefore providing a potential target for developing prognosis and therapy in human glioblastoma.
Trends in Corneal Topography and Tomography Imaging for Keratoconus Management

Purpose To describe trends in the use of corneal topography and tomography for the management of keratoconus patients at a single academic institution and to identify how these trends may be associated with different procedural interventions. Patients and Methods In this retrospective cohort study, keratoconus patients treated from 2012 to 2019 were identified. The electronic health record was reviewed for the presence of corneal topography or tomography imaging completed within seven days of the first visit and the highest level of intervention at the first and most recent visit. Patients were grouped as pediatric (<18 years) or adult (≥18 years). Chi-square tests and linear regressions were used to evaluate trends and to determine which factors were predictive for receiving corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) versus other surgical interventions (intrastromal corneal ring segments, lamellar keratoplasty, or penetrating keratoplasty) by the most recent visit. Results A total of 873 keratoconus patients met inclusion criteria. The use of corneal topography at the first visit remained relatively consistent from 2012 to 2019, while corneal tomography usage at the first visit increased from 3.9% in 2015, when corneal tomography was introduced, to 52.8% in 2019. Each year was associated with an 11.2% ± 1.9% increase in the use of corneal tomography at the first visit in pediatric patients and 6.7% ± 0.5% in adult patients. Use of corneal tomography at the first visit was a significant predictor for receiving CXL procedures (P < 0.001) and a negative predictor for requiring other surgical interventions (P = 0.032) when controlling for the year of the first visit. Conclusion Obtaining corneal tomography at the first visit has become the standard of care in keratoconus, especially for pediatric patients. Moreover, the increase in corneal tomography imaging has coincided with an increase in CXL procedures and decrease in other surgical interventions.