Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Topotecan in the treatment of elderly patients with relapsed small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND Almost 70% of all patients with lung cancer in the United States are>65 years of age, and the incidence of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) increases with age until the eighth decade of life. However, elderly patients are underrepresented in clinical trials and are often suboptimally treated. The validity of age as a prognostic factor for toxicity or survival remains controversial. PATIENTS AND METHODS To investigate the safety and efficacy of topotecan (an approved treatment for relapsed SCLC) in older patients, we performed a retrospective analysis in patients >or= 65 years of age versus patients < 65 years of age from 5 large topotecan trials. In all 5 trials, patients received topotecan 1.5 mg/m2 per day via a 30-minute intravenous infusion on days 1 through 5 of a 21-day cycle. Efficacy and tolerability outcomes were assessed for both age groups. RESULTS Topotecan was similarly tolerated in both age groups, with generally manageable hematologic toxicity. The incidence, duration, and onset of severe hematologic toxicities did not vary significantly with age. In the<65 age group, grade 4 neutropenia and leukopenia were reported in 72% and 32% of patients, respectively; in the >or= 65 age group, grade 4 neutropenia and leukopenia were reported in 77% and 31% of patients, respectively. Grade 4 thrombocytopenia was less common in the<65 age group. Nonhematologic toxicities, median time to progression, and overall survival were comparable between groups. CONCLUSION This is the first demonstration of the safety and efficacy of topotecan in older patients with recurrent SCLC. Future studies are needed to fully characterize the role of topotecan in the treatment of older patients.
Differences in Complication Rates Between Large Bore Needle and a Long Micropuncture Needle During Epicardial Access: Time to Change Clinical Practice?

Background—A dry epicardial access (EA) is increasingly used for advanced cardiovascular procedures. Conventionally used large bore needles (Tuohy or Pajunk needle; LBN) have been associated with low but definite incidence of major complications with EA. Use of micropuncture needle (MPN) may decrease the risk of complications. We intended to compare the outcomes of LBN with MPN for EA. Methods and Results—We report a multicenter observational study of consecutive patients who underwent EA for ventricular tachycardia ablation or Lariat procedure using the LBN or MPN. Oral anticoagulation was stopped before the procedure. Baseline characteristics and procedure-related complications were collected and compared. Of the 404 patients, LBN and MPN were used in 46% and 54% of patients, respectively. There was no significant difference in the incidence of inadvertent puncture of myocardium between LBN and MPN (7.6% versus 6.8%, P=0.76). However, there was a significantly higher rate of large pericardial effusions with LBN compared with MPN (8.1% versus 0.9%; P<0.001). The incidence of pleural effusions were not significantly different between both (1.6% versus 2.3%; P=0.64). LBN group had an increase in other complications compared with MPN (open heart surgery to repair cardiac laceration [6 versus 0], injury to liver [1 versus 0], coronaries [1 versus 0], and superior epigastric artery requiring surgical exploration [0 versus 1]). Conclusions—The use of MPN is associated with decreased incidence of major complications, and the need for surgical repair and routine use should be considered for EA.
Intrinsic Risk Factors for Inversion Ankle Sprains in Male Subjects: A Prospective Study

Background Many variables have been retrospectively associated with ankle sprains. However, very little is known about factors predisposing people to these injuries. Hypothesis Measurable intrinsic factors might predispose male athletes to ankle sprains. Study Design Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods A total of 241 male physical education students were evaluated for possible intrinsic risk factors for inversion sprains at the beginning of their academic study. The evaluated intrinsic risk factors included anthropometrical characteristics, functional motor performances, ankle joint position sense, isokinetic ankle muscle strength, lower leg alignment characteristics, postural control, and muscle reaction time during a sudden inversion perturbation. Subjects were followed prospectively for 1 to 3 years. Results A total of 44 (18%) of the 241 male subjects sustained an inversion sprain; 4 sprained both ankles. Cox regression analysis revealed that male subjects with slower running speed, less cardiorespiratory endurance, less balance, decreased dorsiflexion muscle strength, decreased dorsiflexion range of motion, less coordination, and faster reaction of the tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius muscles are at greater risk of ankle sprains. Conclusion Based on our findings, it is suggested that running speed, cardiorespiratory endurance, balance, dorsiflexion strength, coordination, muscle reaction, and dorsiflexion range of motion at the ankle are associated with the risk of ankle inversion sprains in male subjects.
Gene Regulatory Network Analysis for Triple-Negative Breast Neoplasms by Using Gene Expression Data

Purpose To better identify the physiology of triple-negative breast neoplasm (TNBN), we analyzed the TNBN gene regulatory network using gene expression data. Methods We collected TNBN gene expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas to construct a TNBN gene regulatory network using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression. In addition, we constructed a triple-positive breast neoplasm (TPBN) network for comparison. Furthermore, survival analysis based on gene expression levels and differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis were carried out to support and compare the network analysis results, respectively. Results The TNBN gene regulatory network, which followed a power-law distribution, had 10,237 vertices and 17,773 edges, with an average vertex-to-vertex distance of 8.6. The genes ZDHHC20 and RAPGEF6 were identified by centrality analysis to be important vertices. However, in the DEG analysis, we could not find meaningful fold changes in ZDHHC20 and RAPGEF6 between the TPBN and TNBN gene expression data. In the multivariate survival analysis, the hazard ratio for ZDHHC20 and RAPGEF6 was 1.677 (1.192–2.357) and 1.676 (1.222–2.299), respectively. Conclusion Our TNBN gene regulatory network was a scale-free one, which means that the network would be easily destroyed if the hub vertices were attacked. Thus, it is important to identify the hub vertices in the network analysis. In the TNBN gene regulatory network, ZDHHC20 and RAPGEF6 were found to be oncogenes. Further study of these genes could help to reveal a novel method for treating TNBN in the future.
Coordination of protein‐DNA interactions in the promoters of human H4, H3, and H1 histone genes during the cell cycle, tumorigenesis, and development

Coordinate transcriptional control of replication‐dependent human H4, H3, and H1 histone genes was studied by comparing levels of H3 and H1 histone promoter binding activities with those of H4 histone promoter factor HiNF‐D during the cell cycle of both normal diploid and tumor‐derived cells, as well as in fetal and adult mammalian tissues. Both H3 and H1 histone promoters interact with binding activities that, as with HiNF‐D, are maximal during S‐phase but at low levels in the G1‐phase of normal diploid cells. However, these analogous DNA binding activities are constitutively maintained at high levels throughout the cell cycle in four different transformed and tumor‐derived cells. Downregulation of the H3 and H1 histone promoter factors in conjunction with HiNF‐D is observed in vivo at the onset of quiescence and differentiation during hepatic development. Hence, our results indicate a tight temporal coupling of three separate protein‐DNA interactions in different histone promoters during the cell cycle, development, and tumorigenesis. This suggests that a key oscillatory, cell‐growth‐control mechanism modulates three analogous histone gene promoter protein‐DNA interactions in concert. The derangement of this mechanism in four distinct tumor cells implies that concerted deregulation of these histone promoter factors is a common event resulting from heterogeneous aberrations in normal cell growth mechanisms during tumorigenesis. We postulate that this mechanism may be involved in the coordinate regulation of the human H4, H3, and H1 histone multigene families.
Active voltage ripple compensation in PV Systems for domestic uses

Photo Voltaic (PV) generators today find application in the domestic field, where the decentralized power conversion concept has proven to be more advantageous than the conventional string architecture. According to the decentralized power conversion concept, PV modules are connected to a single phase AC grid through a two stage converter composed of a DC/DC converter and an inverter. The DC/DC converter accomplishes the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) and boosts the voltage. It must also include a suitable capacitor bank to solve the unbalance between the DC power generated by the modules and the AC power drawn by the grid. Such a power unbalance in fact generates a voltage ripple that negatively affects the MPPT, forcing the system to work only around its optimal operating point. On the other hand, electrolytic capacitors are highly disliked in PV systems for reliability reasons. Therefore, active current ripple reduction techniques have been proposed in the past, exploiting active filters that increase the complexity and the cost of the system. An alternative approach is proposed in this paper where an active filter is integrated into a Double Interleaved Boost Converter, without introducing extra power devices. According to the proposed approach the size of the electrolytic capacitor bank can be largely reduced, thus improving the reliability and the efficiency of PV systems.
Species concepts, diversity, and evolution in primates: Lessons to be learned from mouse lemurs

Humans primarily rely on vision when categorizing the world. If you just look at the same‐sized but strikingly differently colored Neotropical poison‐dart frogs such as strawberry frogs (Fig. ), you would be convinced that they must belong to different species. However, this is an excellent example of a polymorphic species, meaning that although these frogs look quite different, mating decisions are made based on their conspicuous and species‐specific advertisements calls, which are not primarily linked to specific color pattern. The situation is quite different among nocturnal primates living in dense forest environments, such as the tiny nocturnal Malagasy mouse lemurs. In this case, even geographically isolated, well‐accepted species look superficially quite similar and are therefore often termed cryptic species (Fig. ). Some morphs are a bit larger than others or show minor phenotypic differences, but morph‐specific differences are difficult to detect in living subjects. This phenomenon explains why, until the end of the last century, species diversity in mouse lemurs was assumed to be low, with only two morphologically distinct species. Over the last two decades, several international working groups, including our own, undertook a massive island‐wide sampling effort, including DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analyses of mouse lemurs. These revealed a 10‐fold higher species diversity, with 21 currently described species. Are these new species, mostly defined based on the phylogenetic species concept (sensu Cracraft ), or independent evolutionary lineages or, perhaps, only artifacts of taxonomic inflation? What is a species? How can we identify primate species? How and why do species emerge during evolution?
A new experimental model of focal seizures in the entorhinal cortex

Purpose: Despite intensive studies, our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying epileptogenesis remains largely unsatisfactory. Our defective knowledge derives in part from the lack of adequate experimental models of the distinct phases that characterize the epileptic event, that is, initiation, propagation, and cessation. The aim of our study is the development of a new brain slice model in which a focal seizure can be repetitively evoked at a precise and predictable site.
Plasma alkylresorcinols as a biomarker of whole-grain food consumption in a large population: results from the WHOLEheart Intervention Study.

BACKGROUND Small-scale, short-term intervention studies have suggested that plasma alkylresorcinol (AR) concentrations may be biomarkers of whole grain (WG) wheat and rye intakes. OBJECTIVE The objective was to determine whether plasma AR concentrations reflect self-reported WG food intake in a 16-wk WG intervention study and to establish which phenotypic characteristics influence plasma AR concentrations. DESIGN In a randomized parallel-group dietary intervention study, 316 overweight and obese participants with a WG intake of <30 g/d were recruited and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: control (no dietary change), intervention 1 (60 g WG/d for 16 wk), or intervention 2 (60 g WG/d for 8 wk followed by 120 g WG/d for 8 wk). Fasting blood samples were collected at baseline, 8 wk, and 16 wk for the measurement of plasma lipids and ARs. RESULTS Plasma samples from 266 study completers were analyzed. Total plasma AR concentrations increased with the WG intervention and could be used to distinguish between control subjects and those who consumed 60 or 120 g WG, but not between those who consumed 60 and 120 g WG. Plasma AR concentrations were higher in men, were positively associated with plasma triglyceride concentrations, and were negatively associated with nonesterified fatty acids. CONCLUSIONS Plasma AR concentrations were correlated with WG intake and could be used to distinguish between low- and high-WG consumers. Sex and plasma lipid concentrations independently influenced plasma AR concentrations, although plasma triglycerides may explain higher concentrations in men. This trial is registered as ISRCT no. 83078872.
Performance of Two Commercial Assays for Detecting Hepatitis E Virus RNA in Acute or Chronic Infections

ABSTRACT We assessed the performance of the Ceeram and Altona assays, the first two commercially available hepatitis E virus (HEV) RNA assays, using serial dilutions of 4 HEV-positive reference samples (genotypes 3a, 3c, 3e, and 3f). Both assays provided good analytical sensitivity and high reproducibility for detecting genotype 3 HEV RNA.
Health Care Transition: Youth, Family, and Provider Perspectives

Objective. This study examined the process of health care transition (HCT) posing the following questions: What are the transition experiences of youths and young adults with disabilities and special health care needs, family members, and health care providers? What are promising practices that facilitate successful HCT? What are obstacles that inhibit HCT? Methods. A qualitative approach was used to investigate these questions. Focus group interviews were conducted. Content and narrative analyses of interview transcripts were completed using ATLAS.ti. Results. Thirty-four focus groups and interviews were conducted with 143 young adults with disabilities and special health care needs, family members, and health care providers. Content analysis yielded 3 content domains: transition services, which presents a chronological understanding of the transition process; health care systems, which presents differences between pediatric and adult-oriented medicine and how these differences inhibit transition; and transition narratives, which discusses transition experience in the broader context of relationships between patients and health care providers. Conclusion. This study demonstrated the presence of important reciprocal relationships that are based on mutual trust between providers and families and are developed as part of the care of chronically ill children. Evidence supports the need for appropriate termination of pediatric relationships as part of the transition process. Evidence further supports the idea that pediatric and adult-oriented medicines represent 2 different medical subcultures. Young adults’ and family members’ lack of preparation for successful participation in the adult health care system contributes to problems with HCT.
Evaluation of platelet‐rich plasma and hydrostatic pressure regarding cell differentiation in nucleus pulposus tissue engineering

Generation of a biological nucleus pulposus (NP) replacement by tissue engineering appears to be a promising approach for the therapy of early stages of intervertebral disc degeneration. Thereby, autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represent an attractive cell source compared to cells of the NP that are already altered in their phenotype due to degenerative processes. This study compares the influence of 3D pellet culture and alginate beads, as well as that of different media compositions, by the addition of human platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) or transforming growth factor (TGF‐β1) in interaction with hydrostatic pressure on chondrogenic differentiation of human MSCs compared to NP cells. We found that gene expression of the chondrogenic markers aggrecan, collagen type 2 and collagen type 1 and Sox9 was considerably lower in cells cultivated with PRP compared to TGF‐β1. Immunohistology confirmed this result at protein level in pellet culture. Additionally, the pellet culture system was found to be more suitable than alginate beads. A positive influence of hydrostatic pressure could only be shown for individual donors. In summary, in comparison to TGF‐β1, human PRP did not induce adequate chondrogenic differentiation for both culture systems and cell types used. The mixture of growth factors in PRP promoted proliferation rather than chondrogenic differentiation. Based on these results, an application of PRP in human NP tissue‐engineering approaches cannot be recommended. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Personalized video preference estimation based on early fusion using multiple users' viewing behavior

This paper presents a novel method for personalized video preference estimation based on early fusion using multiple users' viewing behavior. The proposed method adopts supervised Multi-View Canonical Correlation Analysis (sMVCCA) to estimate correlation between different types of features. Specifically, we estimate optimal projections maximizing the correlation between three features of video, target user's viewing behavior and evaluation scores for video. Then novel video features (canonical video features), which reflect the target user's individual preference, are obtained by the estimated projections. Furthermore, our method computes sMVCCA-based canonical video features by using multiple users' viewing behavior and a target user's evaluation scores. This non-conventional approach using the multiple users' viewing behavior for the preference estimation of the target user is the biggest contribution of our method, and it enables early fusion of the canonical video features. Consequently, successful video recommendation that reflects the users' individual preference can be expected via the evaluation score prediction from the integrated canonical video features. Experimental results show the effectiveness of our method.
Can the Value-Added-Rate Reflect the Quality of Economic Growth?

(Institute of Economic & Social Development, Jiangsu Administration Institute, Nanjing 210009, China)2 ABSTRACT: It has been listed as one of the key indicators of the quality of the industrial sector and manufacturing sector in “Industrial transformation and upgrading plan (2011-2015)” and “Made in China 2025 Plan” respectively, for the industrial and manufacturing value added rate (Hereinafter referred to as the VAR). However, some facts are otherwise. For example, in the province of China, the increase in the industrial VAR level is almost the opposite of the economic development. The main conclusions have been drawn as follows: Firstly, there exists a threshold level of VAR. When the real VAR is below it, the larger the real VAR, the higher the quality of economic growth is. However, once the real VAR is above the threshold level, the trend shows the opposite trend. Therefore, we should be caution in practice, otherwise may backfire. Secondly, there exists a longterm co-integration relationship between the real VAR and the threshold level value, and there also exists an inverted U relationship between the real VAR and Total Factor Productivity. Finally, the threshold level of VAR varies considerably in different countries, and it is associated with the capital depreciation rate, population growth rate, saving rate and other macroeconomic indicators. Therefore, we need to fully implement “The Recommendations of the Thirteenth-Five-Year Plan of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on National Economic and Social Development” spirit, to enhance China’s VAR threshold level as to achieve consistency between the real VAR and quality of economic growth.
Mais Médicos program: provision of medical doctors in rural, remote and socially vulnerable areas of Brazil, 2013-2014.

INTRODUCTION The Mais Médicos program was introduced in 2013 with the aim of reducing the shortage of doctors in priority regions and diminishing regional inequalities in health. One of the strategies has been to offer 3-year contracts for doctors to work in primary healthcare services in small towns, inland, rural, remote, and socially vulnerable areas. This report describes the program's implementation and the allocation of doctors to these target areas in 2014. METHODS To describe the provision of doctors in the first year of implementation, we compared the doctor-to-population ratio in the 5570 municipalities of Brazil before and after the program, based on the Federal Board of Medicine database (2013), and the official dataset provided by the Ministry of Health (2014). RESULTS In its first public call (July 2013) 3511 municipalities joined the Mais Médicos program, requesting a total of 15 460 doctors; although the program prioritizes the recruitment of Brazilians, only 1096 nationals enrolled and were hired, together with 522 foreign doctors. As a consequence, an international cooperation agreement was set in place to recruit Cuban doctors. In 12 months the program recruited 14 462 doctors: 79.0% Cubans, 15.9% Brazilians and 5.1% of other nationalities, covering 93.5% of the doctors demanded; they were assigned to all the 3785 municipalities enrolled. The study reveals a major decrease in the number of municipalities with fewer than 0.1 doctors per thousand inhabitants, which dropped from 374 in 2013 to 95 in 2014 (75% reduction). Of the total, 294 doctors were sent to work in the country's 34 Indigenous Health Districts (100% coverage) and 3390 doctors were deployed in municipalities containing certified rural maroon communities (formed centuries ago by runaway slaves). After 1 year of implementation, the municipalities with maroon communities with less than 0.1 doctors per thousand inhabitants were reduced by 87% in the poorest north region. More than 30% of municipalities with maroon communities in the richest regions had more than 1.0 doctors per thousand inhabitants, whereas in the poorest regions fewer than 7% of municipalities reached that level. CONCLUSIONS The Mais Médicos program has granted medical assistance to these historically overlooked populations. However, it is important to evaluate the mid- and long-term sustainability of this initiative.