Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Toll-like receptor 4 gene Asp299Gly polymorphism in ischemic cerebrovascular disease: a meta-analysis

Epidemiological studies have evaluated the association between Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene Asp299Gly (rs4986790) polymorphism and the risk of ischemic cerebrovascular disease, but the results are inconsistent. In an effort to clarify earlier inconclusive results, a meta-analysis was performed. We searched the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane database, Clinicaltrials.gov, Current Controlled Trials, CNKI, CBMdisc, Chinese Clinical Trial Registry and Google Scholar until up to 20 July 2013. Additionally, hand searching of the references of identified articles was performed. Original observational studies investigating the association between TLR4 gene Asp299Gly polymorphism and ischemic cerebrovascular disease risk were included. All statistical analyses were performed using Stata 11.0. The search strategy identified 1038 potentially relevant articles, seven of which were included in the final meta-analysis, covering a total of 1767 cases and 2785 controls. Overall, no significant association was found between TLR4 gene Asp299Gly polymorphism and ischemic cerebrovascular disease risk (for G allele versus A allele: OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.75–1.21, p = 0.69; for G/G+A/G versus A/A: OR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.75–1.22, p = 0.73). In addition, the similar results were obtained in the sensitivity analysis based on studies with the high quality. In summary, the present meta-analysis indicates that TLR4 gene Asp299Gly polymorphism is not associated with increased ischemic cerebrovascular disease risk.
Percutaneous nephrostomy in the management of malignant ureteral obstruction secondary to bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Malignant ureteral obstruction (MUO) is a common late manifestation of metastatic bladder cancer. We investigated the effectiveness of percutaneous nephrostomy (PN) in our patients with MUO associated with bladder cancer as judged by the serum creatinine concentration in the presence of unilateral or bilateral obstruction and in relation to the treatment results. PATIENTS AND METHODS The records of 23 consecutive patients with a mean age of 55 years (21 men, 2 women) who underwent PN were retrospectively reviewed. Eleven had unilateral obstruction. We assessed normalization of creatinine concentration, survival, and quality of life after PN in patients with either unilateral or bilateral obstruction. RESULTS The mean serum creatinine concentration before PN was 6 mg/dL (range 2.1-24.6 mg/dL). Percutaneous nephrostomy provided improvement to normal renal function in 19 patients (83%). The mean survival of patients after PN was 4.9 months (range 1-14 months). No independent factor playing a significant prognostic role was determined. The overall complication rate was 30% (7/23), namely kinking or dislodgment of nephrostomy tubes. After PN, all patients were able to undergo treatment for bladder cancer. CONCLUSIONS Percutaneous nephrostomy, with a low morbidity rate, is a safe urinary diversion technique in bladder cancer-induced MUO. It relieves at least the devastating effects of uremia and allows appropriate treatment for the malignancy.
Relapses in multibacillary leprosy.

paragraph 5 of Dr. Chatterjee's comments. However, we do not accept his opinion that "a fìeld study can substitute for a hospitalbased trial. " In our vlew, both clinicai (or hospital-based) trials and fìeld trials are interlinked but are not interchangeable. In developing new combinai regimens, one must begin somewhere; determining the comparative effectiveness of various drug regimens through controlled clinicai trials seems to be the most rational and feasible starting point. With respect to paragraphs 6 and 7 of Dr. Chatterjee's comments, we emphasize that the aim of the clinicai trial is to compare the effectivcness of various drug regimens against ,1I. leprae. It is beyond argument that the response oforganisms to antimicrobials cannot be directly measured in most treated lepromatous or untreated nonlepromatous patients, bui only in preyiously untreated lepromatous patients. Certainly, more elTective regimens should be developed for those patients who have failed to respond properly to the standard multidrug therapy. Nevertheless, the majority of these failures have occurred among paucibacillary patients whose clinicai response is unsatisfactory: at the moment, it is not clear that the inadequate response results from insuflìcient antimicrobial treatment. It is likely that protocols with different approaches (e.g., immunotherapy) and parameters should be developed for studies among these patients. Although one should not exaggerate the complexity of planning and conducting a controlled clinicai trial, the complexity should not be underestin ated. In our limited experience, due to various limitations, very few institutes in the world are capable of conducting a controlled clinical iria) independently and properly. Multi-institute collaboration probably is the most feasible approach to solve the potential problems, technical and logistic, faced by a trial. —Jacques H. Grosset, M.D. Ji Baohong, M.D.
X‐ray crystallographic study of xylopentaose binding to Pseudomonas fluorescens xylanase A

The structure of the complex between a catalytically compromised family 10 xylanase and a xylopentaose substrate has been determined by X‐ray crystallography and refined to 3.2 Å resolution. The substrate binds at the C‐terminal end of the eightfold βα‐barrel of Pseudomonas fluorescens subsp. cellulosa xylanase A and occupies substrate binding subsites −1 to +4. Crystal contacts are shown to prevent the expected mode of binding from subsite −2 to +3, because of steric hindrance to subsite −2. The loss of accessible surface at individual subsites on binding of xylopentaose parallels well previously reported experimental measurements of individual subsites binding energies, decreasing going from subsite +2 to +4. Nine conserved residues contribute to subsite −1, including three tryptophan residues forming an aromatic cage around the xylosyl residue at this subsite. One of these, Trp 313, is the single residue contributing most lost accessible surface to subsite −1, and goes from a highly mobile to a well‐defined conformation on binding of the substrate. A comparison of xylanase A with C. fimi CEX around the +1 subsite suggests that a flatter and less polar surface is responsible for the better catalytic properties of CEX on aryl substrates. The view of catalysis that emerges from combining this with previously published work is the following: (1) xylan is recognized and bound by the xylanase as a left‐handed threefold helix; (2) the xylosyl residue at subsite −1 is distorted and pulled down toward the catalytic residues, and the glycosidic bond is strained and broken to form the enzyme‐substrate covalent intermediate; (3) the intermediate is attacked by an activated water molecule, following the classic retaining glycosyl hydrolase mechanism. Proteins 2000;41:362–373. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Prediction of relaxin-3-induced downstream pathway resulting in anxiolytic-like behaviors in rats based on a microarray and peptidome analysis

Abstract The effect of the intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of relaxin-3 (RLX3) was evaluated using anxiety-related behavioral tests in rats. RLX3-injected animals showed normal locomotion activity in a habituated environment and declined anxiety cognition in the elevated plus maze test and the shock probe-burying test. The measurement of spontaneous locomotor activity in a novel environment also suggested that RLX3 reduced the stress response. To elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of the downstream signaling pathways underlying RLX3 activity and its relation to anxiolytic and hyperphagic behavior phenotypes, RLX3-i.c. v. -injected rat hypothalamic responses were examined using a microarray analysis. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software listed the phenotype-relating genes and they showed characteristic expression patterns in the rat hypothalamus. When peptidome data sets for the same listed genes was analyzed using a semi-quantitative approach, the expressions of two neuropeptides were found to have increased. One of these neuropeptides, oxytocin (Oxt), exhibited increased expression in both the microarray and the peptidomic analysis, and a Western blot analysis validated the mass spectrometry results. A cross-omics data analysis is useful for predicting downstream signaling pathways, and the anxiolytic-like behavior of RLX3 may be mediated by an oxytocin signaling pathway in rats. These results suggest that RLX3 acts as an anxiolytic peptide and that the downstream pathways mediated by its receptors may be potential candidates for the treatment of anxieties in the future.
Effects of gonadectomy and androgen treatment on aromatase activity in the fetal monkey brain.

We studied the ability of neural tissues from fetal rhesus macaques to aromatize androgens to estrogens and assessed whether androgens are involved in the regulation of aromatase activity during development. Fetuses of both sexes, obtained on approximately Day 100 of gestation, were gonadectomized and immediately given intraabdominal Silastic capsules containing dihydrotestosterone. Sham-gonadectomized (intact) and gonadectomized, sham-implanted groups were also studied. Three weeks after the initial operation, the fetuses were delivered by cesarean section. To examine the developmental pattern of aromatase activity in the brain, fetuses were also delivered at two earlier times in gestation (at approximately 50 days and approximately 80 days). Whole-homogenates of preoptic area plus anterior hypothalamus (POA), hypothalamus (HT), amygdala (AMYG), and cerebral cortex (CTX) were incubated for 1 h in a phosphate buffer with saturating concentrations of [1 beta-3H] androstenedione. The amount of 3H2O formed was used as an index to estimate aromatase activity. The aromatase reaction exhibited Michaelis-Menten kinetics with an apparent Km of approximately 0.03 microM in all tissues from 120-day-old fetuses. Activity measured with the 3H2O assay closely corresponded with levels determined by product isolation. The highest levels of aromatase activity were found in the POA. Neither gonadectomy nor treatment with androgen affected aromatase in fetal tissue; activities in males were significantly greater than in females for the AMYG and CTX, but not for the POA or HT. The levels of aromatase activity detected in the HT and CTX of both sexes on Days 50 and 80 of gestation were at least ten times greater than the levels measured in adults. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Psychotherapy and bulimia nervosa. Longer-term effects of interpersonal psychotherapy, behavior therapy, and cognitive behavior therapy.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for bulimia nervosa has a specific therapeutic effect and determine whether a simplified behavioral treatment (BT) of CBT is as effective as the full treatment. DESIGN Randomized controlled trial involving three psychological treatments. Two planned comparisons, CBT with interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), and CBT with BT. Closed 12-month follow-up period. Independent assessors. SETTING Secondary referral center. PATIENTS Seventy-five consecutively referred patients with bulimia nervosa. Patients with concurrent anorexia nervosa were excluded. INTERVENTIONS Cognitive behavior therapy, IPT, BT conducted on an individual outpatient basis. There were nineteen sessions over 18 weeks. Six experienced therapists administered all three treatments. There was no concurrent treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Frequency of binge eating and purging. RESULTS High rate (48%) of attrition and withdrawal among the patients who received BT. Over follow-up, few patients undergoing BT met criteria for a good outcome (cessation of all forms of binge eating and purging). Patients in the CBT and IPT treatments made equivalent, substantial, and lasting changes across all areas of symptoms, although there were clear temporal differences in the pattern of response, with IPT taking longer to achieve its effects. CONCLUSIONS Bulimia nervosa may be treated successfully without focusing directly on the patient's eating habits and attitudes to shape and weight. Cognitive behavior therapy and IPT achieved equivalent effects through the operation of apparently different mediating mechanisms. A further comparison of CBT and IPT is warranted. The behavioral version of CBT was markedly less effective than the full treatment.
Opinion fluctuation and fashion phenomena of a long-range opinion dynamics

In this paper, we study the opinion fashion based on a bounded-confidence opinion dynamics with weariness mechanism. The opinion of a group of agents fluctuates between two stubborn agents' opinion values and demonstrates fashion phenomena because of the time-varying weariness bias in the confidence range. Each agent updates its opinion using other agents' opinion values according to its confidence bound and its long-range opinion interactions. We show fashion phenomena with different confidence or weariness parameters, and provide simple analysis for the fashion characteristics.
Effect of different partitioning strategies of face imprint on thermal face recognition

Face recognition using thermal images has received high attention by researchers in recent years. Since skin temperature can be visualized using thermographic cameras, a unique imprint can be achieved for thermal image of a person's face. In this study, we have investigated the effect of using different partitioning strategies of face imprint on thermal face recognition. First, we have proposed a simple and reliable approach for face extraction using ellipse mask. Then, the face imprint has been attained using anisotropic diffusion filter and morphological processing. The face imprint is related to distribution of blood vessels under the face skin. In the next step, the face imprint has been partitioned using different strategies including rectangular, circular and polar approaches. The number of minutiae point in each partition has been computed. Finally, a SVM classifier based on one-against-one approach has been used for face recognition. This paper presents a framework to find the best partitioning approach resulting in highest performance. Based on the results, the rectangular partitioning was found as the best partitioning approach for face imprint, due to its highest performance (92.27%).
High-k and low-loss thermoplastic composites for Fused Deposition Modeling and their application to 3D-printed Ku-band antennas

Four types of high-permittivity and low-loss electromagnetic composites for Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) based on Cyclo-Olefin Polymer (COP) and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), reinforced by Ba<sub>0.55</sub>Sr<sub>0.45</sub>TiO<sub>3</sub>, MgCaTiO<sub>2</sub>, or TiO<sub>2</sub> co-fired micro-fillers, have been prepared and characterized up to 17 GHz using cavity resonators. Thin-sheet specimens made of 25% v/v COP-MgCaTiO<sub>2</sub>, prepared by FDM, exhibit a relative permittivity ε<sub>r</sub> of ~ 4.74 and loss tangent tanδ<sub>d</sub> lower than 0.0018, while 25% v/v COP-Ba<sub>0.55</sub>Sr<sub>0.45</sub>TiO<sub>3</sub> specimens exhibit relative permittivity ε<sub>r</sub> of ~ 4.92 and loss tangent tanδ<sub>d</sub> lower than 0.0115. Meanwhile, 30% v/v COP-TiO<sub>2</sub> specimens exhibit a relative permittivity ε<sub>r</sub> of ~ 4.56 and a record low loss tangent tanδ<sub>d</sub> lower than 0.0014, while the 6% v/v ABS-Ba<sub>0.55</sub>Sr<sub>0.45</sub>TiO<sub>3</sub> specimens demonstrate relative permittivity ε<sub>r</sub> of ~ 3.98 and loss tangent tanδd below 0.0088. Rectangular edge-fed patch antennas operating at ~ 17 GHz are fabricated using 3D printing to compare the size and performance against designs that used commercial microwave laminates.
Risk‐based analysis of polychlorinated biphenyl toxicity in harbor seals

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have been associated with adverse health effects in marine mammals. However, the complex mixtures to which free‐ranging populations are exposed constrain the elucidation of cause‐and‐effect relationships between specific POPs and the observed health risks. In this study, we 1) assembled data from studies showing polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)‐associated effects on the health of free‐ranging harbor seals in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, 2) carried out additional POP analyses on seal samples to broaden the available data on contaminant residues, and 3) derived estimates of individual POPs and their toxic risks. Taken together, these components were used to generate a new toxicity reference value (TRV) for the protection of marine mammal health. In this case study of seals in British Columbia, Canada, and Washington State, USA, PCBs were the single most abundant POP and were correlated with several adverse health effects. PCB exposures consistently exceeded regulatory toxicity thresholds for fish‐eating wildlife. Nursing seal pups were at particular risk, reflecting their greatly increased dietary intake of PCBs and their sensitivity to developmental toxicity. Based on the collective evidence obtained, we propose TRVs (consisting of 5% tissue residue concentration and dose) of 1.3 mg/kg lipid weight tissue residue in blubber and 0.05 mg/kg lipid weight tolerable daily intake in prey. Insofar as the TRVs are lower than previously established TRVs and regulatory guidelines, our study highlights the current underestimation of risks associated with PCBs in high‐trophic‐level wildlife. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2010;6:631–640. © 2010 SETAC
Mobile instant messaging for rural community health workers: a case from Malawi

ABSTRACT Background: Mobile instant messaging (MIM) tools, such as WhatsApp, have transformed global communication practice. In the field of global health, MIM is an increasingly used, but little understood, phenomenon. Objectives: It remains unclear how MIM can be used by rural community health workers (CHWs) and their facilitators, and what are the associated benefits and constraints. To address this gap, WhatsApp groups were implemented and researched in a rural setting in Malawi. Methods: The multi-site case study research triangulated interviews and focus groups of CHWs and facilitators with the thematic qualitative analysis of the actual conversations on WhatsApp. A survey with open questions and the quantitative analysis of WhatsApp conversations were used as supplementary triangulation sources. Results: The use of MIM was differentiated according to instrumental (e.g. mobilising health resources) and participatory purposes (e.g. the enactment of emphatic ties). The identified benefits were centred on the enhanced ease and quality of communication of a geographically distributed health workforce, and the heightened connectedness of a professionally isolated health workforce. Alongside minor technical and connectivity issues, the main challenge for the CHWs was to negotiate divergent expectations regarding the social versus the instrumental use of the space. Conclusions: Despite some challenges and constraints, the implementation of WhatsApp was received positively by the CHWs and it was found to be a useful tool to support distributed rural health work.
Diurnal Variation of Episcleral Venous Pressure in Healthy Patients: A Pilot Study

PurposeTo study diurnal episcleral venous pressure (EVP) and its relation to intraocular pressure (IOP) in healthy patients. The influences of supine position and lid closure on EVP were also studied. DesignExperimental observational study. Participants and MethodsTwelve healthy patients with no eye disease had their IOP and EVP measured at 16h00, 22h00, 22h30, 06h00, 06h30, 09h00, 12h00, and 16h00. Measurements at 22h30, 06h00, and 06h30 were performed on supine patients, and the measurement at 06h00 was with the eye that had been closed for the whole night. In a second experiment, EVP was measured on patients who were lying supine from 22h30 to 16h00 with one eye closed during the day. Main Outcome MeasuresEpiscleral venous pressure and IOP at varying time points during a 24-hour period. ResultsEpiscleral venous pressure was relatively constant throughout the day except for a slight reduction at 22h00. After lying down, the EVP increased by 3.6 mm Hg and remained increased as long as the patient remained in this position. Eyelid closure did not affect EVP. IOP measured with the Tono-Pen closely followed the variations in EVP. ConclusionEpiscleral venous pressure remains relatively constant throughout the day. It increases in the supine position with a corresponding increase in IOP. Lid closure does not influence EVP or IOP.
Evidence that the Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron chondroitin lyase II gene is adjacent to the chondro-4-sulfatase gene and may be part of the same operon

The chondroitin lyase II gene from Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron has previously been cloned in Escherichia coli on a 7.8-kilobase (kb) fragment (pA818). In E. coli, the chondroitin lyase II gene appeared to be expressed from a promoter that was about 0.5 kb from the beginning of the gene. However, when a subcloned 5-kb fragment from pA818 which contained the chondroitin lyase II gene and the promoter from which the gene is expressed in E. coli was introduced into B. thetaiotaomicron on a multicopy plasmid (pEG800), the chondroitin lyase specific activity of B. thetaiotaomicron was not altered. Further evidence that the promoter that is recognized in E. coli may not be the promoter from which the chondroitin lyase II gene is transcribed in B. thetaiotaomicron was obtained by making an insertion in the B. thetaiotaomicron chromosome at a point which is 1 kb upstream from the chondroitin lyase II gene. This insertion stopped synthesis of the chondroitin lyase II gene product, as would be predicted if the gene was part of an operon and was transcribed in B. thetaiotaomicron from a promoter that was at least 1 kb upstream from the chondroitin lyase II gene. A region of pA818 which was adjacent to the chondroitin lyase II gene and which included the region used to make the insertional mutation was found to code for chondro-4-sulfatase, an enzyme that breaks down one of the products of the chondroitin lyase reaction. The upstream insertion mutant of B. thetaiotaomicron which stopped synthesis of chondroitin lyase II had no detectable chondro-4-sulfatase activity. This mutant was still able to grow on chondroitin sulfate, although the rate of growth was slower than that of the wild type.
Predictive Temperature-Aware DVFS

In this paper, we propose predictive temperature-aware dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) using the performance counters that are already embedded in commercial microprocessors. By using the performance counters and simple regression analysis, we can predict the localized temperature and efficiently scale the voltage/frequency. When localized thermal problems that were not detected by thermal sensors are found after layout (or fabrication), the thermal problems can be avoided by the proposed software solution without delaying time-to-market. The evaluation results show that in a Linux-based laptop with the Intel Core2 Duo processor, DVFS using the performance counters performs comparable to DVFS using the thermal sensor.