Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FDG-PET-CT for staging of high-risk breast cancer patients reduces the number of further examinations: A pilot study

Abstract Aim. To determine the additional value of FDG-PET-CT as compared to conventional staging (CS) in high-risk breast cancer patients. Patients and methods. Thirty-one high-risk breast cancer patients, 14 of whom had recurrent breast cancer, were included in this study, which took place between June 2005 and March 2008. None of the patients had clinical signs of distant metastases. FDG-PET-CT scanning was added to CS, which consisted of a chest x-ray, liver ultrasonography or CT, and bone scintigraphy. Median follow-up was 17 months (6–41 months). FDG-PET-CT was considered to have additional value to CS if it led to a change in treatment plan or if it made additional examinations to confirm or deny findings on CS unnecessary. Results. FDG-PET-CT was considered to have additional value to CS in 13 patients (42% [95% CI: 23–61]). In five patients (16% [95% CI: 1–31]), FDG-PET-CT led to a change in treatment plan by identifying nodal metastases in the internal mammary chain (IMC; N = 3) or in the mediastinum (N = 2). In nine patients (29% [95% CI: 11–47]), FDG-PET-CT would have prevented the need for additional examinations; in seven of these nine patients, distant metastases were suggested in bone or liver on CS, but these did not show FDG uptake. Conclusions. FDG-PET-CT was found to have additional value to CS in 42% of the patients. To optimize cost-effectiveness, the main challenge now is to improve the selection of patients in whom FDG-PET-CT has additional value to CS.
Expression Level of a Chimeric Kinase Governs Entry into Sporulation in Bacillus subtilis

ABSTRACT Upon starvation, Bacillus subtilis cells switch from growth to sporulation. It is believed that the N-terminal sensor domain of the cytoplasmic histidine kinase KinA is responsible for detection of the sporulation-specific signal(s) that appears to be produced only under starvation conditions. Following the sensing of the signal, KinA triggers autophosphorylation of the catalytic histidine residue in the C-terminal domain to transmit the phosphate moiety, via phosphorelay, to the master regulator for sporulation, Spo0A. However, there is no direct evidence to support the function of the sensor domain, because the specific signal(s) has never been found. To investigate the role of the N-terminal sensor domain, we replaced the endogenous three-PAS repeat in the N-terminal domain of KinA with a two-PAS repeat derived from Escherichia coli and examined the function of the resulting chimeric protein. Despite the introduction of a foreign domain, we found that the resulting chimeric protein, in a concentration-dependent manner, triggered sporulation by activating Spo0A through phosphorelay, irrespective of nutrient availability. Further, by using chemical cross-linking, we showed that the chimeric protein exists predominantly as a tetramer, mediated by the N-terminal domain, as was found for KinA. These results suggest that tetramer formation mediated by the N-terminal domain, regardless of the origin of the protein, is important and sufficient for the kinase activity catalyzed by the C-terminal domain. Taken together with our previous observations, we propose that the primary role of the N-terminal domain of KinA is to form a functional tetramer, but not for sensing an unknown signal.
Determinants of the Behavioral Lock-in of Rural Residents’ Direct Biomass Energy Consumption in China

The transition from traditional to modern energy is widely accepted as a critical facilitator of improved health, social, and livelihood outcomes, but over three quarters of China’s rural population are still persisting with traditional energy practices. Using panel data on 28 provinces during 1991–2014, this paper investigates how institutional pressure, status quo inertia, and the allure of power and control affect rural residents’ direct biomass energy consumption (RRDBEC) in China. The empirical results show that: (1) the institutional pressure of the number of staff in rural energy administrative agencies facilitates the lock-in of RRDBEC, but government funding on rural energy development has an opposite impact; (2) status quo inertia, depicted by the lagged term of planting proportion of grain and the expenditure proportion of meat, is verified to lock RRDBEC; (3) the allure of power and control, depicted by the lagged term of ownership of firewood-saving stoves, strengthens the lock-in of RRDBEC; (4) income level, education level, and dependency ratio are verified as significant and negative determinants of RRDBEC, while fuel prices lock RRDBEC. Therefore, the policy implications include transforming the functions of rural energy administrative agencies, increasing government funds, carrying out public education of health and environment awareness, and providing economic incentives.
Nonlinear modeling of the dynamic effects of arterial pressure and CO/sub 2/ variations on cerebral blood flow in healthy humans

The effect of spontaneous beat-to-beat mean arterial blood pressure fluctuations and breath-to-breath end-tidal CO/sub 2/ fluctuations on beat-to-beat cerebral blood flow velocity variations is studied using the Laguerre-Volterra network methodology for multiple-input nonlinear systems. The observations made from experimental measurements from ten healthy human subjects reveal that, whereas pressure fluctuations explain most of the high-frequency blood flow velocity variations (above 0.04 Hz), end-tidal CO/sub 2/ fluctuations as well as nonlinear interactions between pressure and CO/sub 2/ have a considerable effect in the lower frequencies (below 0.04 Hz). They also indicate that cerebral autoregulation is strongly nonlinear and dynamic (frequency-dependent). Nonlinearities are mainly active in the low-frequency range (below 0.04 Hz) and are more prominent in the dynamics of the end-tidal CO/sub 2/-blood flow velocity relationship. Significant nonstationarities are also revealed by the obtained models, with greater variability evident for the effects of CO/sub 2/ on blood flow velocity dynamics.
Acqusition patent body of knowledge by professors A lesson from university professors in the biotechnology sector in Taiwan

University patents are important to the success of university entrepreneurship. Their production seems to be associated with gaining patent knowledge properly, mostly supplied by patent attorneys. The issue related to the ways used by university professors to act with patent body of knowledge (PatBoK) has become more important to the success of university patenting. By surveying 111 university professors, it showed that patent professionals are the main suppliers of PatBoK to university professors, and only experience of patenting seem to affect such finding.
Public Hearing and People Aspiration in Legalizing Law: A Case Study of Indonesian Islamic Banking Act

In Muslim’s view, the legislation can be basically considered as a part of Muslim struggle to impose their Islamic law in accordance with the existing political system. This paper attempts to address the discussion of the political background of various parties having involved in the since the formation of the Act No. 21 of 2008 on Islamic Banking, that is virtually considered as the champion of political Islam attempts in the post authoritarian regime. This study conducted by in-depth interview with Islamic economist experts reveals that the legislation of Islamic banking cannot be separated from the roles of Muslim organizations to propose their aspirations, and through legislative function of public hearing by using political and legal means as instruments to achieve the objectives aspired, simultaneously connected to religious and economic aspirations of Muslim. Moreover, the legalization of the Islamic Banking Act, philosophically, contains a mission to realize the objectives of the State, broadly related to aspects of people benefit covering economic prosperity and happiness of Indonesian society in general.
Glycine Antagonist and NO° Synthase Inhibitor Protect the Developing Mouse Brain against Neonatal Excitotoxic Lesions

The prevention of cerebral palsy and neuroprotection of the immature brain continue to be health care priorities. The pathophysiology of perinatal brain lesions associated with cerebral palsy seems to be multifactorial and includes pre- and perinatal factors such as preconceptional events, hormone and growth factors deficiencies, maternal infections with production of cytokines, and hypoxic/ischemic perfusion failures. Excitotoxic cascade could represent a common pathway that leads to neural cell death and subsequent brain damage. Brain injuries induced by ibotenate, a glutamatergic analog, which are essentially mediated through the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, mimic some aspects of the white matter cysts and transcortical necrosis observed in human perinatal brain damage. The purpose of the present study was to assess the protective role of several pharmacological agents, administered in conjunction with ibotenate, against induced excitotoxic lesions. We injected ibotenate in the developing mouse brain 5 d postnatally, after the full settlement of neuronal layers. Co-treatment with kynurenic acid, and antagonist of the facilitating glycine site of the N-methyl-D-asparate receptor, or with NG-nitro-L-arginine, an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthesis, induced a dose-dependent neuroprotective effect. Conversely, zinc gluconate, a blocking agent of the channel linked to the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, and a free radical scavenger (U74389F), were unable to protect the developing brain against excitotoxic attack. These data help to clarify some molecular mechanisms involved in excitotoxic lesions of the developing mouse brain and permit us to envision new strategies in the prevention of cerebral palsy.
Approximating Symmetric Positive Semidefinite Tensors of Even Order

Tensors of various orders can be used for modeling physical quantities such as strain and diffusion as well as curvature and other quantities of geometric origin. Depending on the physical properties of the modeled quantity, the estimated tensors are often required to satisfy the positivity constraint, which can be satisfied only with tensors of even order. Although the space [Formula: see text] of 2m(th)-order symmetric positive semi-definite tensors is known to be a convex cone, enforcing positivity constraint directly on [Formula: see text] is usually not straightforward computationally because there is no known analytic description of [Formula: see text] for m > 1. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for enforcing the positivity constraint on even-order tensors by approximating the cone [Formula: see text] for the cases 0 < m < 3, and presenting an explicit characterization of the approximation Σ(2) (m) ⊂ Ω(2) (m) for m ≥ 1, using the subset [Formula: see text] of semi-definite tensors that can be written as a sum of squares of tensors of order m. Furthermore, we show that this approximation leads to a non-negative linear least-squares (NNLS) optimization problem with the complexity that equals the number of generators in Σ(2) (m). Finally, we experimentally validate the proposed approach and we present an application for computing 2m(th)-order diffusion tensors from Diffusion Weighted Magnetic Resonance Images.
In vitro activity of the antiasthmatic drug zafirlukast against the oral pathogens Porphyromonas gingivalis and Streptococcus mutans

Oral infections are among the most common diseases worldwide. Many protocols for the prevention and treatment of oral infections have been described, yet no golden standard has been developed so far. The antiseptic chlorhexidine and antibiotics are often used in these treatment procedures. However, long-term use of chlorhexidine can lead to side effects and extensive use of antibiotics can promote the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which in turn can compromise the effectiveness of the treatment. Consequently, it remains important to search for new antibacterial agents for the treatment of oral infections. In this study, we report on the antibacterial activity of the antiasthma drug zafirlukast against oral pathogens Porphyromonas gingivalis and Streptococcus mutans. Furthermore, its activity against oral biofilms grown on titanium surfaces was confirmed. In addition, we demonstrated that zafirlukast displays no cytotoxicity against human osteoblasts. Combined, this study paves the way for further research to determine the potential of zafirlukast to be used as a new antibiotic against oral pathogens.
Induction of porphyrin synthesis in etiolated bean leaves by chelators of iron.

Primary leaves of 7- to 9-day-old etiolated seedlings of Phaseolus vulgaris L. var. Red Kidney infiltrated in darkness with aqueous solutions of alpha, alpha'-dipyridyl, o-phenanthroline, pyridine-2-aldoxime, pyridine-2-aldehyde, 8-hydroxyquinoline, or picolinic acid synthesize large amounts of magnesium protoporphyrin monomethyl ester and lesser amounts of magnesium protoporphyrin, protoporphyrin, and protochlorophyllide. Pigment formation proceeds in a linear manner for up to 21 hours after vacuum infiltration with 10 mm alpha, alpha'-dipyridyl. Etiolated tissues of Zea mays L. , Cucumis sativus L. , and Pisum sativum L. respond in the same way to dipyridyl treatment. Compounds active in eliciting this response are aromatic heterocyclic nitrogenous bases which also act as bidentate chelators and form extremely stable complexes with iron; other metal ion chelators, such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, salicylaldoxime, and sodium diethyldithiocarbamate, do not elicit any pigment synthesis. The ferrous, ferric, cobaltous, and zinc chelates of alpha, alpha'-dipyridyl are similarly ineffective. If levulinic acid is supplied to etiolated bean leaves together with alpha, alpha'-dipyridyl, porphyrin production is inhibited and delta-aminolevulinic acid accumulates in the tissue. Synthesis of porphyrins proceeds in the presence of 450 micrograms per milliliter chloramphenicol or 50 micrograms per milliliter cycloheximide with only partial diminution. We propose that heme or an iron-protein complex blocks the action of the enzyme(s) governing the synthesis of delta-aminolevulinic acid in etiolated leaves in the dark and that iron chelators antagonize this inhibition, leading to the biosynthesis of delta-aminolevulinic acid and porphyrins.
How Do We Prevent the Vulnerable Atherosclerotic Plaque From Rupturing? Insights From In Vivo Assessments of Plaque, Vascular Remodeling, and Local Endothelial Shear Stress

Coronary atherosclerosis progresses both as slow, gradual enlargement of focal plaque and also as a more dynamic process with periodic abrupt changes in plaque geometry, size, and morphology. Systemic vasculoprotective therapies such as statins, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and antiplatelet agents are the cornerstone of prevention of plaque rupture and new adverse clinical outcomes, but such systemic therapies are insufficient to prevent the majority of new cardiac events. Invasive imaging methods have been able to identify both the anatomic features of high-risk plaque and the ongoing pathobiological stimuli responsible for progressive plaque inflammation and instability and may provide sufficient information to formulate preventive local mechanical strategies (eg, preemptive percutaneous coronary interventions) to avert cardiac events. Local endothelial shear stress (ESS) triggers vascular phenomena that synergistically exacerbate atherosclerosis toward an unstable phenotype. Specifically, low ESS augments lipid uptake and catabolism, induces plaque inflammation and oxidation, downregulates the production, upregulates the degradation of extracellular matrix, and increases cellular apoptosis ultimately leading to thin-cap fibroatheromas and/or endothelial erosions. Increases in blood thrombogenicity that result from either high or low ESS also contribute to plaque destabilization. An understanding of the actively evolving vascular phenomena, as well as the development of in vivo imaging methodologies to identify the presence and severity of the different processes, may enable early identification of a coronary plaque destined to acquire a high-risk state and allow for highly selective, focal preventive interventions to avert the adverse natural history of that particular plaque. In this review, we focus on the role of ESS in the pathobiologic processes responsible for plaque destabilization, leading either to accelerated plaque growth or to acute coronary events, and emphasize the potential to utilize in vivo risk stratification of individual coronary plaques to optimize prevention strategies to preclude new cardiac events.
Inhibition of Retinoic Acid Receptor Function and Retinoic Acid-regulated Gene Expression in Mouse Melanoma Cells by Calreticulin

Calcium is a second messenger that controls a wide variety of cellular functions. Because of its multiple actions, there is a stringent requirement for calcium homeostasis, and this is achieved in part by a system of transport and storage proteins such as calreticulin located in the endoplasmic reticulum. Calreticulin is also found in the nucleus, suggesting that it may have a role in transcriptional regulation. It has been reported that calreticulin can inhibit steroid-regulated gene transcription by preventing receptor binding to DNA. Here we report that overexpression of the calreticulin gene in B16 mouse melanoma cells resulted in a decrease in retinoic acid (RA)-stimulated reporter gene expression. Gel shift analysis showed that purified calreticulin inhibited the binding of endogenous RAR to a β-RA response element oligonucleotide, only if added prior to the addition of the oligonucleotide. Co-immunoprecipitation studies suggest a physical interaction between RAR and calreticulin. Transfection of the calreticulin gene into B16 cells inhibited the RA induction of protein kinase Cα, a marker of RA-induced differentiation. We also found that cyclic AMP increased the expression of calreticulin. Cyclic AMP may act to antagonize RA action by both decreasing RAR expression (Y. Xiao, D. Desai, T. Quick, and R. M. Niles, J. Cell Physiol., in press) and stimulating calreticulin levels.
A New Variational Method for Bias Correction and Its Applications to Rodent Brain Extraction

Brain extraction is an important preprocessing step for further analysis of brain MR images. Significant intensity inhomogeneity can be observed in rodent brain images due to the high-field MRI technique. Unlike most existing brain extraction methods that require bias corrected MRI, we present a high-order and $L_{0}$ regularized variational model for bias correction and brain extraction. The model is composed of a data fitting term, a piecewise constant regularization and a smooth regularization, which is constructed on a 3-D formulation for medical images with anisotropic voxel sizes. We propose an efficient multi-resolution algorithm for fast computation. At each resolution layer, we solve an alternating direction scheme, all subproblems of which have the closed-form solutions. The method is tested on three T2 weighted acquisition configurations comprising a total of 50 rodent brain volumes, which are with the acquisition field strengths of 4.7 Tesla, 9.4 Tesla and 17.6 Tesla, respectively. On one hand, we compare the results of bias correction with N3 and N4 in terms of the coefficient of variations on 20 different tissues of rodent brain. On the other hand, the results of brain extraction are compared against manually segmented gold standards, BET, BSE and 3-D PCNN based on a number of metrics. With the high accuracy and efficiency, our proposed method can facilitate automatic processing of large-scale brain studies.
Warm Glow, Good Feelings, and Contingent Valuation

In the contingent valuation (CV) literature, confusion exists about warm glow and embedding effects. I show that i) some writers follow Andreoni’s (1989) definition of warm glow, but others think that subjects answering CV questions load up, free of charge, on “good feelings” from supporting the environment; ii) Andreoni’s warm glow would lead to embedding effects only in extreme circumstances; iii) Andreoni’s warm glow should be counted in valuation studies; and iv) there is scant evidence for good feelings being the source of embedding effects. In fact, embedding effects may not be limited to CV studies.
Effectiveness of medical treatment in overcoming the ureteral double-J stent related symptoms.

BACKGROUND We investigated whether the frequency of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) increased in patients in whom double-J stents were applied. We also evaluated several medical therapy protocols to treat symptoms related with ureteral stents. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 108 patients, in whom unilateral double-j stent was applied during ureteral stone treatment, were included. Before the double-J stent was applied, all patients completed storage components of the "International Prostate Symptom Score" (IPSSs), quality of life components of the IPSS (IPSS-QOL) and "Overactive Bladder Questionnaire" (OABq) forms and scores were calculated. After the procedure, cases were randomized into 5 groups, an antiinflammatory was given to Group 1, spasmolytic to Group 2, anticholinergic to Group 3 and α-blocker to Group 4. No additional drug was given to Group 5 as this control group. During the fourth week of the procedure, IPSSs, IPSS-QOL and OABq forms were again completed and scores were compared with the previous ones. RESULTS When all the cases were evaluated, the IPSSs, IPSS-QOL and OABq scores of patients in whom the double-J stent was applied were statistically significantly higher the procedure. Compared to the control group, the cases where the double-J stent was applied showed a higher IPSSs, IPSS-QOL and OABq scores and none of the medical therapies could prevent this increase. INTERPRETATION The frequency of LUTS increased in cases where the ureteral stent was applied and discomfort continued as long as the stent stayed in the body.