Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pre-tertiary hospital care of patients with chronic kidney disease in India.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES There is paucity of data available on how chronic kidney disease (CKD) is treated before referral to a tertiary hospital. This study was conducted to assess pre-tertiary hospital care of patients with CKD 5 at their presentation to nephrology services at a tertiary care hospital. METHODS Over a period of 8 months, consecutive patients with CKD 5 presenting at the Nephrology services at Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, and their relatives were interviewed to assess the pre-tertiary hospital care and knowledge about CKD 5 and its treatment. RESULTS A total of 561 patients with CKD 5 were enrolled. The mean duration (months) of known CKD was 12.4 +/- 23.1 and known CKD 5 was 3.2 +/- 3.5. Of these, 369 patients (65.8%) had been under the care of a nephrologist; 305 patients had CKD 5 as the initial presentation of renal illness. Vaccination against hepatitis B had been initiated in only 133 patients (23.7%). Only 172 patients(38%) had an adequately controlled blood pressure. Care under a nephrologist was more likely to result in appropriate investigation, treatment and patient education though blood pressure control did not differ. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION Paucity of symptoms in the initial stages of certain forms of CKD probably led to 50 per cent of patients presenting with CKD 5 as the initial presentation of renal disease. Inadequate vaccination against hepatitis B infection highlights the need for appropriate vaccination. Prevention of CKD and its progression are important targets which requires physician awareness at all levels. Early referral to a nephrologist's care is more likely to result in appropriate investigations and treatment.
Racial factors cannot explain superior Japanese outcomes in stomach cancer.

OBJECTIVE To compare the stage-stratified survival of Japanese patients treated in Honolulu according to Western techniques with that of Japanese patients treated in Tokyo according to Japanese techniques, thus eliminating race as a potentially confounding variable. DESIGN AND PATIENTS Of 312 Honolulu Japanese patients surviving Western-type gastric resection for neoplasm between 1974 and 1985, 279 were identified with invasive gastric adenocarcinoma unassociated with any second malignancy. This Honolulu cohort, treated by Western methods, was retrospectively compared with a similar, previously described cohort of 3176 Tokyo Japanese patients treated according to Japanese methods. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES American Joint Committee on Cancer/Union Internationale Contre le Cancer criteria for stage-stratified survival. RESULTS Despite non-TNM prognostic factors favoring higher survival for the Honolulu Japanese patients, for every TNM stage, we observed higher survival for the Tokyo Japanese patients who were treated according to Japanese techniques. For stage I disease, the survival rates were 86% vs 96%, respectively (P < .001); for state II, 69% vas 77% (P = .15); for stage III, 21% vs 49% (P < .001); and for stage IV, 4% vs 14% (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS Because all patients in this study are Japanese, race-related factors or the "different-disease" hypothesis cannot explain these results. Lymphadenectomy-related stage-migration and/or differing therapeutic efficacy seem more likely explanations.
Association of endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene G894T polymorphism and serum nitric oxide levels in patients with preeclampsia and gestational hypertension*

Abstract Objective: Pregnancy-induced hypertension is one of the most important cause of maternal-fetal morbidity and mortality. Pregnancy-related hypertensive disorders are usually associated with diminished nitric oxide (NO) levels. We aimed to evaluate the role of serum NO levels and eNOS gene G894T polymorphism on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Methods: Eighty patients with gestational hypertension or preeclampsia, and 80 healthy pregnants were enrolled to analyze serum NO levels and G894T polymorphism of the eNOS gene. NO level was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The G894T polymorphism of the eNOS gene was determined by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Results: There was no significant difference between groups in terms of G894T/eNOS genotype and allele frequencies (p > 0.05). Serum NO levels were significantly lower in the patients group. In the control group, subjects with thymine-thymine (TT) genotype had significantly lower NO levels when compared to subjects with guanine-guanine (GG) or guanine-thymine (GT) genotype (p < 0.05). Conclusions: We failed to demonstrate an association between eNOS gene G894T polymorphism and serum NO levels in patients with pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorders. We established a relation between pregnancy-induced hypertension and low NO levels.
Weight gain after lung reduction surgery is related to improved lung function and ventilatory efficiency.

RATIONALE Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) is associated with weight gain in some patients, but the group that gains weight after LVRS and the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon have not been well characterized. OBJECTIVES To describe the weight change profiles of LVRS patients enrolled in the National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT) and to correlate alterations in lung physiological parameters with changes in weight. METHODS We divided 1,077 non-high-risk patients in the NETT into groups according to baseline body mass index (BMI): underweight (<21 kg/m(2)), normal weight (21-25 kg/m(2)), overweight (25-30 kg/m(2)), and obese (>30 kg/m(2)). We compared BMI groups and LVRS and medical groups within each BMI stratum with respect to baseline characteristics and percent change in BMI (%ΔBMI) from baseline. We examined patients with (ΔBMI ≥ 5%) and without (ΔBMI < 5%) significant weight gain at 6 months and assessed changes in lung function and ventilatory efficiency (Ve/Vco(2)). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The percent change in BMI was greater in the LVRS arm than in the medical arm in the underweight and normal weight groups at all follow-up time points, and at 12 and 24 months in the overweight group. In the LVRS group, patients with ΔBMI ≥ 5% at 6 months had greater improvements in FEV(1) (11.53 ± 9.31 vs. 6.58 ± 8.68%; P < 0.0001), FVC (17.51 ± 15.20 vs. 7.55 ± 14.88%; P < 0.0001), residual volume (-66.20 ± 40.26 vs. -47.06 ± 39.87%; P < 0.0001), 6-minute walk distance (38.70 ± 69.57 vs. 7.57 ± 73.37 m; P < 0.0001), maximal expiratory pressures (12.73 ± 49.08 vs. 3.54 ± 32.22; P = 0.0205), and Ve/Vco(2) (-1.58 ± 6.20 vs. 0.22 ± 8.20; P = 0.0306) at 6 months than patients with ΔBMI < 5% at 6 months. CONCLUSIONS LVRS leads to weight gain in nonobese patients, which is associated with improvement in lung function, exercise capacity, respiratory muscle strength, and ventilatory efficiency. These physiological changes may be partially responsible for weight gain in patients who undergo LVRS.
Multicanonical communication system modeling-application to PMD statistics

The authors extend multicanonical sampling to the determination of probability density functions in communications systems. The resulting easily programmed iterative procedure generates the probability of both frequent and rare events with equivalent accuracy. The applicability of the technique is verified through a calculation of the differential group delay probability distribution in a multisection polarization emulator.
Biologically Relevant Dynamical Behaviors Realized in an Ultra-Compact Neuron Model

We demonstrate a variety of biologically relevant dynamical behaviors building on a recently introduced ultra-compact neuron (UCN) model. We provide the detailed circuits which all share a common basic block that realizes the leaky-integrate-and-fire (LIF) spiking behavior. All circuits have a small number of active components and the basic block has only three, two transistors and a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR). We also demonstrate that numerical simulations can faithfully represent the variety of spiking behavior and can be used for further exploration of dynamical behaviors. Taking Izhikevich’s set of biologically relevant behaviors as a reference, our work demonstrates that a circuit of a LIF neuron model can be used as a basis to implement a large variety of relevant spiking patterns. These behaviors may be useful to construct neural networks that can capture complex brain dynamics or may also be useful for artificial intelligence applications. Our UCN model can therefore be considered the electronic circuit counterpart of Izhikevich’s (2003) mathematical neuron model, sharing its two seemingly contradicting features, extreme simplicity and rich dynamical behavior.
Adapting a cheap game controller as a natural 3D input

Due to the huge size of the market for interactive games, game controllers are very cheap. Because of this they are a popular choice as input devices for research in user interfaces. The Software Development Kit that comes with each controller also makes it appealing compared with the effort of creating an original input device. We present a natural user interface for 3D interaction that uses a game controller. Our design is based on five core characteristics: i) It uses cheap hardware as an interface; ii) It implements a 6DoF interaction; iii) It allows 3D manipulation of an object; iv) We test the interface by experiment; and v) We compare the natural interface with a standard mouse interface doing a similar task. Results from the experiment showed that our natural interface is easy to use and has a faster completion times compared with the standard modeling interface.
Deletion of FHL2 Gene Impaired Ischemia-Induced Blood Flow Recovery by Modulating Circulating Proangiogenic Cells

Objective—The four and a half Lin11, Isl-1 and Mec-3 (LIM) domain protein 2 (FHL2) is a member of the four and a half LIM domain-only (FHL) gene family, and has been shown to play an important role in inhibiting inflammatory angiogenesis. Here, we tested the hypothesis that impaired ischemia-induced neovascularization in mice lacking FHL2 is related to a defect in proangiogenic cell mobilization and functions in vasculogenesis. Approach and Results—Unilateral hindlimb ischemia surgery was conducted in FHL2−/− mice and wild-type (FHL2+/+) mice. After hindlimb ischemia surgery, expression of FHL2 protein was noted in ischemic tissues of wild-type mice. All FHL2-null mice (100%) suffered from spontaneous foot amputation, but only 20% of wild-type mice had ischemia-induced foot amputation after ischemic surgery. Blood flow recovery was significantly impaired in FHL2−/− mice when compared with that in wild-type mice as determined by laser Doppler imaging. Histological analysis revealed that the capillary density in the ischemic limb was increased in wild-type mice, whereas no such increase was noted in FHL2−/− mice. Flow cytometry demonstrated that the number of CD34+ or CD34+/Sca-1+/Flk-1+ in peripheral blood after ischemic surgery significantly decreased in FHL2-null mice than those in wild-type mice after hindlimb ischemia surgery. FHL2 deficiency impaired ex vivo angiogenesis in mouse aortic-ring culture assay, which revealed that the mean density of the microvessels was significantly higher in the wild-type aorta than in the FHL2−/− aorta. Western blot analysis showed that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin-6, matrix metalloproteinase-2, matrix metalloproteinase-9, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 levels were significantly downregulated in ischemic muscles in FHL2-null mice compared with wild-type mice. Deletion of FHL2 protein by FHL2 small interfering RNA impaired VEGF production under hypoxia conditions, and also suppressed endothelial progenitor cell angiogenic functions, but these effects could be recovered by administration of VEGF. Conclusions—Deficiency of FHL2 impairs ischemia-induced neovascularization, and these suppressive effects may occur through a reduction in proangiogenic cell mobilization, migration, and vasculogenesis functions.
Does tobacco-control mass media campaign exposure prevent relapse among recent quitters?

OBJECTIVE To determine whether greater mass media campaign exposure may assist recent quitters to avoid relapse. METHOD Using date of data collection and postcode, media market estimates of televised tobacco-control advertising exposure measured by gross ratings points (GRPs) were merged with a replenished cohort study of 443 Australians who had quit in the past year. Participants' demographic and smoking characteristics prior to quitting, and advertising exposure in the period after quitting, were used to predict relapse 1 year later. RESULTS In multivariate analysis, each increase in exposure of 100 GRPs (i.e., 1 anti-smoking advertisement) in the three-month period after the baseline quit was associated with a 5% increase in the odds of not smoking at follow-up (OR = 1.05, 95% CI 1.02-1.07, p < 0.001). This relationship was linear and unmodified by length of time quit prior to the baseline interview. At the mean value of 1081 GRPs in the 3 months after the baseline-quit interview, the predicted probability of being quit at follow-up was 52%, whereas it was 41% for the minimum (0) and 74% for the maximum (3,541) GRPs. CONCLUSION Greater exposure to tobacco-control mass media campaigns may reduce the likelihood of relapse among recent quitters.
Differential Association of Cx37 and Cx40 Genetic Variants in Atrial Fibrillation with and without Underlying Structural Heart Disease

Atrial fibrillation (AF) appears in the presence or absence of structural heart disease. The majority of foci causing AF are located near the ostia of pulmonary veins (PVs), where cardiomyocytes and vascular smooth muscle cells interdigitate. Connexins (Cx) form gap junction channels and participate in action potential propagation. Genetic variants in genes encoding Cx40 and Cx37 affect their expression or function and may contribute to PV arrhythmogenicity. DNA was obtained from 196 patients with drug-resistant, symptomatic AF with and without structural heart disease, who were referred for percutaneous catheter ablation. Eighty-nine controls were matched for age, gender, hypertension, and BMI. Genotyping of the Cx40 −44G > A, Cx40 +71A > G, Cx40 −26A > G, and Cx37 1019C > T polymorphisms was performed. The promoter A Cx40 polymorphisms (−44G > A and +71A > G) showed no association with non-structural or structural AF. Distribution of the Cx40 promoter B polymorphism (−26A > G) was different in structural AF when compared to controls (p = 0.03). There was no significant difference with non-structural AF (p = 0.50). The distribution of the Cx37 1019C > T polymorphism was different in non-structural AF (p = 0.03) but not in structural AF (p = 0.08) when compared to controls. Our study describes for the first time an association of drug-resistant non-structural heart disease AF with the Cx37 1019C > T gene polymorphism. We also confirmed the association of the Cx40 − 26G > A polymorphism in patients with AF and structural disease.
The effect of a classroom activity break on physical activity levels and adiposity in primary school children

Despite recognition that regular physical activity is essential for good health, many children do not accumulate sufficient daily physical activity. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a classroom‐based activity break on accelerometer‐determined moderate‐to‐vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) and adiposity in primary school children.
Lactobacillus reuteri-Specific Immunoregulatory Gene rsiR Modulates Histamine Production and Immunomodulation by Lactobacillus reuteri

ABSTRACT Human microbiome-derived strains of Lactobacillus reuteri potently suppress proinflammatory cytokines like human tumor necrosis factor (TNF) by converting the amino acid l-histidine to the biogenic amine histamine. Histamine suppresses mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activation and cytokine production by signaling via histamine receptor type 2 (H2) on myeloid cells. Investigations of the gene expression profiles of immunomodulatory L. reuteri ATCC PTA 6475 highlighted numerous genes that were highly expressed during the stationary phase of growth, when TNF suppression is most potent. One such gene was found to be a regulator of genes involved in histidine-histamine metabolism by this probiotic species. During the course of these studies, this gene was renamed the Lactobacillus reuteri-specific immunoregulatory (rsiR) gene. The rsiR gene is essential for human TNF suppression by L. reuteri and expression of the histidine decarboxylase (hdc) gene cluster on the L. reuteri chromosome. Inactivation of rsiR resulted in diminished TNF suppression in vitro and reduced anti-inflammatory effects in vivo in a trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced mouse model of acute colitis. A L. reuteri strain lacking an intact rsiR gene was unable to suppress colitis and resulted in greater concentrations of serum amyloid A (SAA) in the bloodstream of affected animals. The PhdcAB promoter region targeted by rsiR was defined by reporter gene experiments. These studies support the presence of a regulatory gene, rsiR, which modulates the expression of a gene cluster known to mediate immunoregulation by probiotics at the transcriptional level. These findings may point the way toward new strategies for controlling gene expression in probiotics by dietary interventions or microbiome manipulation.
An impossibility result for reconstruction in the degree-corrected stochastic block model

We consider the Degree-Corrected Stochastic Block Model (DCSBM): a random graph on n nodes, having i.i. d. weights (φu) n u=1 (possibly heavy-tailed), partitioned into q ≥ 2 asymptotically equalsized clusters. The model parameters are two constants a, b > 0 and the finite second moment of the weights Φ. Vertices u and v are connected by an edge with probability φuφv n a when they are in the same class and with probability φuφv n b otherwise. We prove that it is information-theoretically impossible to estimate the clusters in a way positively correlated with the true community structure when (a− b)Φ ≤ q(a+ b). As by-products of our proof we obtain (1) a precise coupling result for local neighbourhoods in DC-SBM’s, that we use in [11] to establish a law of large numbers for local-functionals and (2) that long-range interactions are weak in (power-law) DC-SBM’s.
Association of a Myosin Immunoanalogue with Cell Envelopes ofAspergillus fumigatus Conidia and Its Participation in Swelling and Germination

ABSTRACT A myosin immunoanalogue was identified in conidia ofAspergillus fumigatus by Western blotting, indirect immunofluorescence assay, and gold immunoelectron microscopy with two different antimyosin antibodies. The distribution pattern of this protein was followed during the early stages of germination. A single 180-kDa polypeptide, detected predominantly in a cell envelope extract, was found to cross-react with monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies raised against vertebrate muscle myosin. Immunoelectron microscopy permitted precise localization of this polypeptide, indicating that myosin analogue was mainly distributed along the plasma membrane of resting and swollen conidia. In germinating conidia, indirect immunofluorescence microscopy revealed myosin analogue at the periphery of germ tubes, whereas actin appeared as dispersed punctate structures in the cytoplasm that were more concentrated at the site of germ tube emergence. A myosin ATPase inhibitor, butanedione monoxime, greatly reduced swelling and blocked germination. In contrast, when conidia were treated with cytochalasin B, an inhibitor of actin polymerization, swelling was not affected and germination was only partially reduced. Butanedione monoxime-treated conidia showed accumulation of cytoplasmic vesicles and did not achieve cell wall reorganization, unlike swollen conidia. Collectively, these results suggest an essential role for this myosin analogue in the deposition of cell wall components during germination of A. fumigatus conidia and therefore in host tissue colonization.
A general framework for association analysis of heterogeneous data

Multivariate association analysis is of primary interest in many applications. Despite the prevalence of high-dimensional and non-Gaussian data (such as count-valued or binary), most existing methods only apply to low-dimensional data with continuous measurements. Motivated by the Computer Audition Lab 500-song (CAL500) music annotation study, we develop a new framework for the association analysis of two sets of high-dimensional and heterogeneous (continuous/binary/count) data. We model heterogeneous random variables using exponential family distributions, and exploit a structured decomposition of the underlying natural parameter matrices to identify shared and individual patterns for two data sets. We also introduce a new measure of the strength of association, and a permutation-based procedure to test its significance. An alternating iteratively reweighted least squares algorithm is devised for model fitting, and several variants are developed to expedite computation and achieve variable selection. The application to the CAL500 data sheds light on the relationship between acoustic features and semantic annotations, and provides effective means for automatic music annotation and retrieval.
Risk estimation to human health caused by the mercury content of Sushi and Sashimi sold in Japanese restaurants in Brazil

ABSTRACT Although fish is a healthy alternative for meat, it can be a vehicle for mercury (Hg), including in its most toxic organic form, methylmercury (MeHg). The objective of the present study was to estimate the risk to human health caused by the consumption of sushi and sashimi as commercialized by Japanese food restaurants in the city of Campinas (SP, Brazil). The total Hg content was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry with thermal decomposition and amalgamation, and the MeHg content calculated considering that 90% of the total Hg is in the organic form. The health risk was estimated from the values for the provisional tolerable weekly ingestion (PTWI) by both adults and children. The mean concentrations for total Hg were: 147.99, 6.13, and 3.42 µg kg−1 in the tuna, kani, and salmon sushi samples, respectively, and 589.09, 85.09, and 11.38 µg kg−1 in the tuna, octopus and salmon sashimi samples, respectively. The tuna samples showed the highest Hg concentrations. One portion of tuna sashimi exceeded the PTWI value for MeHg established for children and adults. The estimate of risk for human health indicated that the level of toxicity depended on the type of fish and size of the portion consumed.
Quantitative Comparison of Linear Flux-Switching Permanent Magnet Motor With Linear Induction Motor for Electromagnetic Launch System

To incorporate the merits of simple and robust movers of induction linear motors and higher power factor and high efficiency of permanent magnet linear motors, a new long primary double-sided linear flux-switching permanent magnet (DSLFSPM) motor is proposed, investigated, and quantitatively compared with linear induction motors (LIM) for the electromagnetic launch system. First, the topology, operation principle, and electromagnetic performance of the DSLFSPM motor have been investigated. Then, in order to analyze the LIMs comprehensively, three LIMs have been designed based on the same overall dimensions and other key parameters. Finally, the electromagnetic performance of DSLFSPM motor and LIMs have been compared and summarized. The results show that the DSLFSPM motor has some merits such as higher efficiency, higher power factor, more robust mover, larger thrust force, and smaller force ripple than LIM motors. In order to validate the simulation results, a small-scale prototype of DSLFSPM motor has been built and measured.