Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early suppression of disease activity is essential for maintenance of work capacity in patients with recent-onset rheumatoid arthritis: five-year experience from the FIN-RACo trial.

OBJECTIVE To explore the impact of an early treatment response on maintenance of work capacity in patients with early, active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS In the Finnish Rheumatoid Arthritis Combination Therapy trial, 195 patients with recent-onset RA were randomized to receive either a combination of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) with prednisolone or a single DMARD with or without prednisolone for 2 years. Treatment responses were evaluated according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria. After a 5-year followup, the cumulative number of days of sick leave and RA-related permanent work disability was calculated for each of the 162 patients who were available for the active work force at baseline. RESULTS Of the 159 patients assessed at 6 months, 29 were in clinical remission, 66 achieved an ACR50 response but not remission, 29 achieved an ACR20 response but not an ACR50 response, and 35 failed to achieve an ACR20 response. In these 4 groups, the median numbers of work disability days per patient-year from 6 months through 60 months of followup were 0 (interquartile range [IQR] 0-3), 4 (IQR 0-131), 16 (IQR 0-170), and 352 (16-365), respectively (P < 0.001). Pairwise multiple comparisons showed a statistically significant difference between all groups except the ACR50 and ACR20 groups. At 12 months, 30 patients were in remission. None of the 44 patients in remission at 6 or 12 months became permanently work disabled over the 5-year followup, as compared with 15 patients in the ACR50 group (23%), 6 in the ACR20 group (21%), and 19 without an ACR20 response at 6 months (56%). CONCLUSION Prompt induction of remission translates into maintenance of work capacity. At 6 months, an ACR50 response is no better than an ACR20 response with regard to future productivity, while failure to achieve an ACR20 response carries a high risk for work disability.
fMRI and sleep correlates of the age‐related impairment in motor memory consolidation

Behavioral studies indicate that older adults exhibit normal motor sequence learning (MSL), but paradoxically, show impaired consolidation of the new memory trace. However, the neural and physiological mechanisms underlying this impairment are entirely unknown. Here, we sought to identify, through functional magnetic resonance imaging during MSL and electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings during daytime sleep, the functional correlates and physiological characteristics of this age‐related motor memory deficit. As predicted, older subjects did not exhibit sleep‐dependent gains in performance (i.e., behavioral changes that reflect consolidation) and had reduced sleep spindles compared with young subjects. Brain imaging analyses also revealed that changes in activity across the retention interval in the putamen and related brain regions were associated with sleep spindles. This change in striatal activity was increased in young subjects, but reduced by comparison in older subjects. These findings suggest that the deficit in sleep‐dependent motor memory consolidation in elderly individuals is related to a reduction in sleep spindle oscillations and to an associated decrease of activity in the cortico‐striatal network. Hum Brain Mapp 35:3625–3645, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Vers une meilleure utilisabilité des mémoires de traduction, fondée sur un alignement sous-phrastique

La traduction assistee par ordinateur a connu un grand essor dans les annees 1990 avec l'arrivee des environnements a memoires de traduction. Ces systemes exploitent la redondance des textes techniques produits et traduits dans l'industrie, en proposant aux traducteurs de reutiliser des traductions archivees et d'accroitre ainsi leur productivite. Ces memoires utilisent, sans analyse, des segments de textes (le plus souvent des phrases entieres) dont le decoupage et l'alignement sont garantis par le traducteur. Pourtant ces memoires recelent des gisements d'information importants au niveau sous-phrastique dont les utilisateurs ne peuvent pas beneficier. Le formalisme TransTree permet de representer des correspondances sous-segmentales enchassees bilingues. Ces correspondances complexes (les amphigrammes) forment une structure arborescente exprimable en XML. Une transformation de surface conduit a une visualisation dynamique mettant en evidence les differents niveaux de correspondance entre sous-segments. TransTree s'accompagne d'une methode generale de construction par voie statistique, fondee sur les arbres binaires de secabilite. Cette methode permet d'etablir des amphigrammes a partir des correspondances entre mots typographiques. Il est possible d'abstraire des patrons de traduction (amphigrammes generiques) par classification des exemples rencontres dans le corpus. Quelques experimentations ont ete effectuees pour valider le pouvoir d'expression du formalisme, explorer differentes options de construction et esquisser un algorithme de reconstitution d'un segment cible a partir d'un segment source inconnu avec la connaissance extraite des memoires de traduction.
Prevalence and Correlates of Rectal Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Among Female Clients at Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinics

Background The prevalence and correlates of rectal sexually transmitted infections are well described among men who report receptive anal intercourse (AI); however, little is known about the epidemiology of rectal sexually transmitted infections among women. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of women attending public sexually transmitted disease clinics in Los Angeles County, California. Women were eligible for inclusion in this study if they reported AI in the previous 90 days, were tested for rectal chlamydia and gonorrhea, and were seen between January 2008 and December 2010. Results Among the 2084 clinic visits by women in this analysis, chlamydia and gonorrhea percent positivity by anatomic site was 12% (n = 144) for urogenital chlamydia, 14.6% (n = 171) for rectal chlamydia, 3.3% (n = 66) for urogenital gonorrhea, and 3.0% (n = 60) for rectal gonorrhea, with 25% of chlamydia cases and 19% of gonorrhea cases having rectal-only infections. Among women 25 years or younger, rectal infections were higher in visits in which women reported sex with an injection drug user (46.5% vs. 15.5%; P < 0.01) or sex with a HIV–positive partner (66.7% vs. 15.8%; P = 0.02). Among women older than 25 years, rectal infections were higher in visits where women reported substance use (10.6% vs. 5.8%; P ⩽ 0.01). In multivariable models controlling for age and the presence of a urogenital infection, these associations remained. Conclusions Chlamydia and gonorrhea positivity was high among women reporting AI, and a large proportion of these cases would be missed in the absence of rectal testing. The high-risk behaviors of women with rectal infections highlight the need for rectal screening recommendations.
Rice actin-binding protein RMD is a key link in the auxin–actin regulatory loop that controls cell growth

Significance The positive feedback loop between the auxin pathway and actin cytoskeleton is essential for auxin self-organizing responsive signaling during plant development; however, its underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Here, we showed that an actin-binding protein, rice morphology determinant (RMD), acts as a key component mediating the auxin–actin loop pathway, affecting cell growth and morphogenesis. Auxin directly promotes RMD expression via binding of Oryza sativa auxin response factor 23 (OsARF23) and OsARF24 heterodimers on the RMD promoter, triggering changes in F-actin organization. In turn, RMD-dependent F-actin arrays affect auxin intracellular signaling, including polar auxin transport, localization and recycling of auxin efflux carriers, and auxin distribution in root cells. Our work identifies RMD as a key link in the auxin–actin self-organizing regulatory loop that is required for auxin-mediated cell growth. The plant hormone auxin plays a central role in plant growth and development. Auxin transport and signaling depend on actin organization. Despite its functional importance, the mechanistic link between actin filaments (F-actin) and auxin intracellular signaling remains unclear. Here, we report that the actin-organizing protein Rice Morphology Determinant (RMD), a type II formin from rice (Oryza sativa), provides a key link. Mutants lacking RMD display abnormal cell growth and altered configuration of F-actin array direction. The rmd mutants also exhibit an inhibition of auxin-mediated cell elongation, decreased polar auxin transport, altered auxin distribution gradients in root tips, and suppression of plasma membrane localization of auxin transporters O. sativa PIN-FORMED 1b (OsPIN1b) and OsPIN2 in root cells. We demonstrate that RMD is required for endocytosis, exocytosis, and auxin-mediated OsPIN2 recycling to the plasma membrane. Moreover, RMD expression is directly regulated by heterodimerized O. sativa auxin response factor 23 (OsARF23) and OsARF24, providing evidence that auxin modulates the orientation of F-actin arrays through RMD. In support of this regulatory loop, osarf23 and lines with reduced expression of both OsARF23 and OsARF24 display reduced RMD expression, disrupted F-actin organization and cell growth, less sensitivity to auxin response, and altered auxin distribution and OsPIN localization. Our findings establish RMD as a crucial component of the auxin–actin self-organizing regulatory loop from the nucleus to cytoplasm that controls rice cell growth and morphogenesis.
Detection and characterization of invasive circulating tumor cells derived from men with metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer

The Vitatex cell‐adhesion matrix (CAM) platform allows for isolation of invasive circulating tumor cells (iCTCs). Here we sought to determine the utility of prostate‐specific membrane antigen (PSMA) as a metastatic castration‐resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) iCTC biomarker, to identify solitary cells and clusters of iCTCs expressing either epithelial, mesenchymal, or stem cell markers, and to explore the feasibility of iCTC epigenomic analysis. CTCs were isolated and enumerated simultaneously using the Vitatex and CellSearch platforms in 23 men with mCRPC. CAM‐avid iCTCs were identified as nucleated cells capable of CAM uptake, but without detectable expression of hematopoietic lineage (HL) markers including CD45. iCTCs were enumerated immunocytochemically (ICC) and by flow cytometry. Whole‐genome methylation status was determined for iCTCs using the Illumina HumanMethylation27 BeadChip. Thirty‐four samples were collected for iCTC analysis. A median of 27 (range 0–800) and 23 (range 2–390) iCTCs/mL were detected by ICC and flow, respectively. In a subset of 20 samples, a median of seven CTCs/mL (range 0–85) were detected by the CellSearch platform compared to 26 by the CAM platform. iCTC clusters were observed in 17% of samples. iCTCs expressing PSMA as well as markers of EMT and stemness were detectable. The iCTC methylation profile highly resembled mCRPC. More CTCs were recovered using the CAM platform than the CellSearch platform, and the CAM platform allowed for the detection of iCTC clusters, iCTCs expressing EMT and stem‐cell markers, and characterization of the iCTC methylome. Correlation with clinical data in future studies may yield further insight into the functional significance of these findings.
Dissociation of yeast hexokinase by hydrostatic pressure.

The pressure-induced dissociation of the isozymes P1 and P2 of hexokinase was investigated by studies of the spectral shift of the intrinsic protein fluorescence and by the fluorescence polarization of dansyl conjugates. The free energy of association of the monomers at atmospheric pressure, Katm, was -14.2 kcal mol-1 at 20 degrees C and -11.4 kcal mol-1 at 0 degrees C. The positive enthalpy indicates that the association of the monomers is entropy-driven, overcoming the negative enthalpy of hydration of the subunit interfaces. At 0 degrees C and 1 bar, glucose stabilizes the association by -1.1 kcal mol-1 and the binding of both adenosine 5'-(beta, gamma-methylenetriphosphate) (AMPPCP) and glucose by an even larger amount, -1.34 kcal mol-1. Paradoxically, adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP), or AMPPCP, in the absence of glucose destabilizes the association by +0.34 kcal mol-1, while adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP) stabilizes it by -0.6 kcal mol-1. Comparison of dV0, the apparent standard volume of association, at different pHs and temperatures indicates that its value (115-160 mL mol-1) is strongly dependent upon the ionization of a group at the subunit interface with a pK near neutrality. Under dissociating pressures, trypsin action results in permanent dissociation of the dimer, confirming earlier observations of Colowick by less direct methods. The P1 and P2 enzymes differ in Katm and dV0 and markedly so in the effects of salt upon the stability of the dimer. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Spiribacter roseus sp. nov., a moderately halophilic species of the genus Spiribacter from salterns.

Four pink-pigmented, non-motile, Gram-staining-negative and moderately halophilic curved rods, designated strains SSL50T, SSL25, SSL97 and SSL4, were isolated from a saltern located in Isla Cristina, Huelva, south-west Spain. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that they were members of the genus Spiribacter, most closely related to Spiribacter curvatus UAH-SP71T (99.3-99.5 % sequence similarity) and Spiribacter salinus M19-40T (96.5-96.7 %). Other related strains were Alkalilimnicola ehrlichii MLHE-1T (95.1-95.3 %), Arhodomonas recens RS91T (95.1-95.2 %) and Arhodomonas aquaeolei ATCC 49307T (95.0-95.1 %), all members of the family Ectothiorhodospiraceae. The major fatty acids were C18 : 1ω6c and/or C18 : 1ω7c, C16 : 0 and C12 : 0. The DNA G+C range was 64.0-66.3 mol%. The DNA-DNA hybridization values between strains SSL50T, SSL25, SSL97, SSL4 and S. piribacter. curvatus UAH-SP71T were 37-49 %. The average nucleotide identity (ANIb) values between the genome of strain SSL50T and those of the two other representatives of the genus Spiribacter, S. curvatus UAH-SP71T and S. salinus M19-40T, were 82.4 % and 79.1 %, respectively, supporting the proposal of a novel species of the genus Spiribacter. On the basis of the polyphasic analysis, the four new isolates are considered to represent a novel species of the genus Spiribacter, for which the name Spiribacter roseus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SSL50T (=CECT 9117T=IBRC-M 11076T).
L-carnitine supplementation for the management of fatigue in patients with cancer: an eastern cooperative oncology group phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

PURPOSE L-carnitine, a popular complementary and alternative medicine product, is used by patients with cancer for the treatment of fatigue, the most commonly reported symptom in this patient population. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of L-carnitine supplementation as a treatment for fatigue in patients with cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS In this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, patients with invasive malignancies and fatigue were randomly assigned to either 2 g/d of L-carnitine oral supplementation or matching placebo. The primary end point was the change in average daily fatigue from baseline to week 4 using the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI). RESULTS Three hundred seventy-six patients were randomly assigned to treatment with L-carnitine supplementation or placebo. L-carnitine supplementation resulted in significant carnitine plasma level increase by week 4. The primary outcome, fatigue, measured using the BFI, improved in both arms compared with baseline (L-carnitine: -0.96, 95% CI, -1.32 to -0.60; placebo: -1.11, 95% CI -1.44 to -0.78). There were no statistically significant differences between arms (P = .57). Secondary outcomes, including fatigue measured by the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue instrument, depression, and pain, did not show significant difference between arms. A separate analysis of patients who were carnitine-deficient at baseline did not show statistically significant improvement in fatigue or other outcomes after L-carnitine supplementation. CONCLUSION Four weeks of 2 g of L-carnitine supplementation did not improve fatigue in patients with invasive malignancies and good performance status.
Abnormalities in myocardial segmental wall motion during lumbar epidural anesthesia.

The effect of lumbar epidural anesthesia on myocardial wall motion was compared in two groups of patients using precordial two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE). All patients were scheduled to undergo lower abdominal or peripheral surgery. Group 1 included five healthy ASA PS 1 subjects and group 2 included 10 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). In all patients 12.5 ml of 2% lidocaine HCl was injected into the lumbar epidural space, and systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and heart rate were continuously monitored. 2DE evaluation was performed before and at 10, 20, 30, and 60 min (T10-T60) after epidural lidocaine injection. The left ventricular wall was divided into 16 segments for parasternal long-axis, short-axis and apical four-chamber views. The wall motion of each segment was graded on a scale from 1 (dyskinesia) to 6 (hyperkinesia), with 5 representing normal motion. A decrease in segmental wall motion greater than or equal to 2 grades was considered indicative of ischemia. Plasma lidocaine and catecholamine levels were measured before and 10, 20, and 60 min after epidural lidocaine injection. Peak plasma lidocaine levels in groups 1 and 2 were 2.79 +/- 1.06 micrograms/ml (mean +/- SD) and 2.58 +/- 1.48 micrograms/ml at 10 min, respectively (NS). Plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine levels were unchanged from baseline. Systolic pressures decreased significantly in group 2 from T10 to T60. Diastolic pressure decreased significantly in the same group from T20 to T60, and in group 1 only at T10. Mean arterial pressure decreased significantly in both groups at T30, without change in heart rate. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions in improving emotional and functional status in hearing or visually impaired older adults: a systematic review with meta-analyses

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of non-equipment based rehabilitation interventions for older adults with an age-related hearing or visual impairment. Data sources: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, PsychInfo, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Review methods: Two authors independently assessed trial eligibility, extracted data and assessed methodological quality. Controlled studies with more than 80% of participants aged ≥ 55 years and with rehabilitation interventions either separately or in combination with technical device provision were included. Meta-analyses were undertaken for the primary outcomes: emotional status, functional status, self-efficacy and social participation. All studies were categorized into 3 subgroups of intervention approaches (cognitive restructuring, education, and problem-solving), and subgroup analysis was performed. Results: Fourteen studies were identified: six on hearing impairment and eight on visual impairment, involving 1622 sensory impaired participants (mean age 70). Methodological quality of the studies was modest. Eight studies offered data for meta-analysis. No significant effects in favour of interventions on either emotional or functional status, self-efficacy, or social participation were found. In the subgroup analysis, only the problem-solving approach showed a positive effect on emotional status. Conclusions: This review found no effects of non-equipment based rehabilitation interventions on emotional and functional status, self-efficacy, and social participation. However, subgroup analysis showed problem-solving as a potential effective approach for positively affecting emotional status.
Synthesis of Apolipoprotein A‐1 in Pig Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells

In an approach toward the identification of hitherto unknown proteins involved in the function of the blood–brain barrier, we constructed a pig brain microvessel‐derived cDNA library that is enriched in blood–brain barrier specific sequences by means of subtractive cloning. Sequence analysis of selected clones revealed that one of the cDNAs encoded porcine apolipoprotein (apo) A‐1. The identity of apo A‐1 mRNA was further confirmed by in vitro translation of RNA from brain microvascular endothelial cells and subsequent immunoprecipitation with an antibody against human apo A‐1. We further investigated the expression of apo A‐1 mRNA in several tissues and in endothelial cells of the pig. It is shown that cultured brain microvascular endothelial cells provide an in vitro model to study the expression and function of apo A‐1 in the microvasculature of the brain.
Evaluation of Blocking Probability for Downlink in Poisson Networks

In recent years, wireless network modeling using stochastic geometry tools, like Poisson Point Process (PPP), has acquired the attention of researchers. Modeling of interference, coverage, and capacity for cellular networks using PPP is presented in literature. However, the blocking probability remains to be investigated. In this letter, we present an analytical framework for evaluation of network blocking probability for downlink. The services can be categorized using multiple classes based on the average resource units required by the service. The multi-class service scenario is modeled using multi-dimensional Markov Chain. The Markov chain is further approximated using the Erlang approximation method to evaluate the activity factor of a base station (BS). Moreover, an approximate closed form expression for coverage probability is derived, which is applicable to interference as well as noise limited scenario. Exploiting the coupling between coverage and activity factor, we determine the class-wise arrival rate. Further, the class-wise arrival rates are used to determine the networks blocking probability. We validate the proposed analytical framework through the extensive simulation.
Human posture recognition approach based on ConvNets and SVM classifier

The aim of active and assisted living (AAL) is to develop tools to assist the elderly people in the ageing status. Human posture recognition algorithms can help monitor aged people in home environments. Different types of sensors can be used for such a task. A case in point is the RGBD sensors, which are cost-effective and provide rich information about the environment. This work aims to propose a posture recognition approach exploiting skeleton data extracted from Kinect. Our approach is based on the pose prediction using key joints features. We exploit the Convolution Neural Network for pose estimation and a multiclass Support Vector Machine to perform posture classification. The proposed approach has been tested on a publicly available dataset for activity recognition, namely CAD60. Our approach compares favorably previous works for both human pose estimation and posture recognition.