Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Beta2-microglobulin and phosphate clearances using a wearable artificial kidney: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND Additional small-solute clearances during standard thrice-weekly hemodialysis treatments have not improved patient survival. However, these treatments have limited middle-molecule clearances. Thus, newer therapies designed to increase middle-molecule clearances need to be developed and evaluated. STUDY DESIGN Pilot clinical trial to measure beta(2)-microglobulin and phosphate clearances with a wearable hemodialysis device. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS 8 regular hemodialysis patients under the care of a university teaching hospital. INTERVENTION Patients were fitted with a wearable hemodialysis device for 4 to 8 hours. OUTCOMES All patients tolerated the treatment. RESULTS Average amount of beta(2)-microglobulin removed was 99.8 +/- 63.1 mg, with mean clearance of 11.3 +/- 2.3 mL/min, and an average of 445.2 +/- 326 mg of phosphate was removed, with mean plasma phosphate clearance of 21.7 +/- 4.5 mL/min. These clearances compared favorably with mean urea and creatinine plasma clearances (21.8 +/- 1.6 and 20.0 +/- 0.8 mL/min, respectively). LIMITATIONS Proof-of-concept preliminary trial. Additional studies are warranted to confirm these positive preliminary data. CONCLUSIONS This wearable artificial kidney potentially provides effective beta(2)-microglobulin and phosphate clearances and, by analogy, middle-molecule clearances.
Gene expression fingerprints in human tubulointerstitial inflammation and fibrosis as prognostic markers of disease progression.

BACKGROUND Gene expression profiling of nephropathies may facilitate development of diagnostic strategies for complex renal diseases as well as provide insight into the molecular pathogenesis of kidney diseases. To test molecular based renal disease categorization, differential gene expression profiles were compared between control and hydronephrotic kidneys showing varying degrees of inflammation and fibrosis. METHODS RNA expression profiles from 9 hydronephrotic and 3 control kidneys were analyzed using small macroarrays dedicated to genes involved in cell-cell contact, matrix turnover, and inflammation. In parallel, the degree of tubulointerstitial inflammation, fibrosis, and tubular atrophy using light microscopy and quantitative immunohistochemical parameters was determined. RESULTS Hierarchic clustering and self-organizing maps led to a gene expression dendrogram with three distinct nodes representing the control group, four kidneys with high inflammation, and five kidneys giving high fibrosis scores. To evaluate the clinical applicability of the marker set, the expression of nine genes (6Ckine, IL-8, MMP-9, MMP-3, MMP-7, urokinase R, CXCR5, integrin-beta4, and pleiotrophin) was tested in tubulointerstitial samples from routine renal biopsies. Seven mRNA markers showed differential regulation in inflammation and fibrosis in the biopsy population. Clinical follow-up revealed stringent correlation between gene expression data and progression of renal disease, and allowed segregation of the biopsies into progressive or stable disease course based on gene expression profiles. CONCLUSION This study suggests the feasibility of gene expression-based disease categorization in human nephropathies based on the extraction of marker gene sets.
Executive Functioning: A Comparison of the Tower of LondonDX and the D-KEFS Tower Test

This study compared the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) Tower Test to the Tower of London (TOL)DX in assessing executive functioning (EF) during a psycho-educational assessment by examining students’ performances on both tests. Forty-two university students were administered both tests in a counterbalanced order. Findings indicate that students did not perform significantly differently on the D-KEFS Tower Test than on the TOLDX, but that the tests only shared 22% of their variance. Although the moderate correlation found between overall achievement scores indicates that the D-KEFS Tower Test assesses some similar EF abilities as the TOLDX, the different problem spaces between these tests may be tapping into different constructs and may account for the non-shared variance.
The Use of Leucocytes as an Aid in the Diagnosis of a Variant of Glycogen Storage Disease Type II (Pompe's Disease)

Abstract. By determining the ratio of the acid‐ and neutral maltase activities of leucocytes it is possible to detect muscle acid maltase deficiency (Variant of glycogen storage disease Type II). It is not possible to detect the heterozygotes with this ratio. However, this can be done by analyzing the kinetics of the inhibition by turanose of the acid maltase in the leucocytes. Electrophoresis of leucocyte homogenates shows separation of two distinct bands from the starting position in controls but only one band in patients.
Chromogranin mRNA Levels in the Brain as a Marker for Acute and Chronic Changes in Neuronal Activity: Effect of Treatments Including Seizures, Osmotic Stimulation and Axotomy in the Rat

Chromogranin/secretogranins are a family of acidic, soluble proteins with a widespread distribution in secretory vesicles of endocrine and nervous tissues. The effects of experimental stimuli of differing duration and intensity on chromogranin B and secretogranin II mRNA levels in relevant areas of the rat brain were examined by in situ hybridization histochemistry using 35S‐labelled oligonucleotides. Effects of two ‘chronic stimulation’ paradigms were studied—the effect of 4 days of water or food deprivation on mRNA levels in the hypothalamus and the effect of unilateral cervical vagotomy on transcript levels in the dorsal vagal complex 1, 2 and 7 days after surgery. After 4 days of water deprivation secretogranin II mRNA was significantly increased in the supraoptic nucleus (366 ± 21% of control, P < 0.01), the magnocellular paraventricular nucleus (209 ± 20% of control, P < 0.01) and the parvocellular paraventricular nucleus (147 ± 6% of control, P < 0.01). Conversely, the level of secretogranin II mRNA in the supraoptic nucleus was decreased (61 ± 13% of control, P < 0.05) after 4 days of food deprivation. Seven days after unilateral cervical vagotomy, secretogranin II and chromogranin B mRNA levels were markedly decreased in the ipsilateral dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (25 ± 4 and 47 ± 8% of contralateral values respectively, P < 0.01). Rapid changes in chromogranin mRNA were also detected following shorter duration ‘acute stimulation’—in the hypothalamus after hypertonic saline injection, in the hippocampus after electrical stimulation‐induced kindled seizures, and in the cerebral cortex after unilateral craniotomy. A large increase in secretogranin II mRNA was detected in the supraoptic nucleus (202 ± 25% of control, P < 0.01) and the magnocellular paraventricular nucleus (168 ± 29% of control, P < 0.05) 3 h after a single intraperitoneal injection of hypertonic (1.8 M) saline. Markedly increased levels of secretogranin II (125–160% of control) and chromogranin B (140–230% of control) mRNA were observed in granule cells of the dentate gyrus 0.5–2 h after amygdaloid stimulation‐induced seizures. A moderate increase in secretogranin II mRNA (144 ± 11% of contralateral side, P < 0.01) was found in the underlying cerebral cortex 2.5 h after unilateral craniotomy. These results indicate that measurement of changes in chromogranin mRNA, particularly secretogranin II, is a useful means of assessing both rapid and long‐lasting increases and decreases in neuronal activity and, in contrast to immediate early gene mRNA levels, may better reflect specific changes in neuronal secretory activity associated with transmitter/peptide release.
Experiments With a Powerful Parser

Abstract : A description is given of a sophisticated computer program for the syntactic analysis of natural languages. The study discusses the notation used to write rules and the extent to which these rules can be made to state the same linguistic facts as a transformational grammar. Whereas most existing programs apply context-free phrase-structure grammars, this new program can analyze sentences with context-sensitive grammars and with grammars of a class very similar to transformational grammars. The program, which is written for the IBM 7040/44 computer, is nondeterministic: The various interpretations of an ambiguous sentence are all worked on simultaneously; at no stage does the program develop one interpretation rather than another. If two interpretations differ only in some small part of a partial syntactic structure, then only one complete structure is stored with two versions of the ambiguous part. The unambiguous portion is worked on only once for both interpretations. Although the current version of the program is written in ALGOL, with very little regard for efficiency, the basic algorithm is inherently much more efficient than any of its competitors. (Author)
Approaches to understanding the importance and clinical implications of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) signaling in prostate cancer

The development and maintenance of the prostate are dependent upon a complex series of interactions occurring between the epithelial and stromal tissues (Hayward and Cunha [ 2000 ]: Radiol. Clin. N. Am. 38:1–14). During the process of prostatic carcinogenesis, there are progressive changes in the interactions of the nascent tumor with its surrounding stroma and extracellular matrix. These include the development of a reactive stromal phenotype and the possible promotion, by stromal cells, of epithelial proliferation and loss of differentiated function (Hayward et al. [ 1996 ]: Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 784:50–62; Grossfeld et al. [ 1998 ]: Endocr. Related Cancer 5:253–270; Rowley [ 1998 ]: Cancer Metastasis Rev. 17:411–419; Tuxhorn et al. [ 2002 ]: Clin. Cancer Res. 8:2912–2923). Many molecules play an as yet poorly defined role in establishing and maintaining a growth quiescent glandular structure in the adult. Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a candidate regulator of prostatic epithelial differentiation and may play a role in restricting epithelial proliferation. PPARγ agonists are relatively non‐toxic and have been used with limited success to treat some prostate cancer patients. We would propose that a more complete understanding of PPARγ biology, particularly in the context of appropriate stromal–epithelial and host–tumor interactions would allow for the selection of patients most likely to benefit from this line of therapy. In particular, it seems reasonable to suggest that the patients most likely to benefit may be those with relatively indolent low stage disease for whom this line of therapy could be a useful additive to watchful waiting. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Compact high impedance surface based on interdigital capacitors

This paper proposes a compact high impedance surface based on interdigital capacitors. Compared with another surface which follows a similar compacting principle, the new structure increases the interdigital capacitance and obtains a lower resonance frequency. This performance is confirmed using several measurement methods, involving plane-wave incidence, coupling between small monopoles and suspended microstrip lines. An equivalent circuit of the proposed structure is also presented, which models its frequency behaviour for design purposes.
Impulse noise reduction based on lifting wavelet transform

This paper presents a novel method to restore signal corrupted with impulse noise by using time-varying lifting wavelet filters (TVLWF). It is difficult to remove such a noise by conventional linear niters and the Donoho's wavelet shrinkage method. Using the TVLWF, we can detect the locations of impulse noise and estimate their amplitude by which impulse noise can be removed. Proposed noise reduction method is tested on an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal corrupted with mixed Gaussian and random-valued impulse noise. Major improvement is obtained in comparison with conventional median filter.
Design of a binding scaffold based on variable lymphocyte receptors of jawless vertebrates by module engineering

Repeat proteins have recently been of great interest as potential alternatives to immunoglobulin antibodies due to their unique structural and biophysical features. We here present the development of a binding scaffold based on variable lymphocyte receptors, which are nonimmunoglobulin antibodies composed of Leucine-rich repeat modules in jawless vertebrates, by module engineering. A template scaffold was first constructed by joining consensus repeat modules between the N- and C-capping motifs of variable lymphocyte receptors. The N-terminal domain of the template scaffold was redesigned based on the internalin-B cap by analyzing the modular similarity between the respective repeat units using a computational approach. The newly designed scaffold, termed “Repebody,” showed a high level of soluble expression in bacteria, displaying high thermodynamic and pH stabilities. Ease of molecular engineering was shown by designing repebodies specific for myeloid differentiation protein-2 and hen egg lysozyme, respectively, by a rational approach. The crystal structures of designed repebodies were determined to elucidate the structural features and interaction interfaces. We demonstrate general applicability of the scaffold by selecting repebodies with different binding affinities for interleukin-6 using phage display.
Self-referenced 1.5 µm fiber frequency combs at GHz repetition rates

Tremendous advances in recent years to the optical frequency comb, particularly frequency combs deriving from solid-state and fiber architectures, have enabled a host of important new applications to emerge applications which include optical arbitrary waveform generation (OAWG), high-speed photonic analog-to-digital conversion (EPIC), space exploration (AstroComb) as well as precision spectroscopy and optical clocks. Fiber-based frequency combs have increasingly become attractive alternatives to solid-state systems due to their compact size and robust operation and have recently demonstrated performance comparable to their more traditional counterparts. One area for improvement, however, is in the repetition rate of such systems, as fiber frequency combs based on Ytterbium (Yb) and Erbium (Er) technologies currently only operate with repetition rates <1GHz and <300MHz, respectively, while solid-state frequency combs have been demonstrated up to 10GHz. This thesis reports on the development of a 1 GHz repetition rate Erbium-doped fiber laser frequency comb and discusses its potential to be scaled to even higher repetition rates. Nanojoule femtosecond pulses are produced at a GHz repetition rate and used to generate over an octave of supercontinuum spanning 1 im-2.4[tm. Carrier-envelope offset frequency (fceo) detection using f-2f self-referencing provides confirmation that the continuum's frequency comb structure remains intact after undergoing amplification, compression, and supercontinuum generation. The fceo beat, along with the laser repetition rate frep, are locked to stable microwave reference oscillators, yielding, to the best of our knowledge, the first octave-spanning selfreferenced optical frequency comb centered at the 1.5 m telecom band generated at or above a GHz repetition rate. Thesis Supervisor: Erich P. Ippen Title: Elihu Thomson Professor of Electrical Engineering Professor of Physics
Non-invasive neuroimaging: Generalized Linear Models for interpreting functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy signals

Cognitive activity is related to important changes in the local blood flow level and in the oxygenation of the blood. These two effects lead to a modification of the optical properties of the cerebral cortex. With the aid of the functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) technique it is possible, through optical measures, to achieve information about the hemodynamic features of the brain activation. The aim of this study was to find a method to identify and to map the cerebral areas activated during a sustained attention task (Conner's continuous performance test - CPT) in a group of healthy subjects. This information will be of fundamental interest for a following study on a group of patients that will be administered the same examination. We propose a new analysis method based on the theory of generalized linear model (GLM) in order to obtain intuitive cerebral activation maps during the performing of cognitive tasks
In Vitro Translation of the Two RNAs of Nodamura Virus, a Novel Mammalian Virus with a Divided Genome

Nodamura virus is a small ribovirus containing two RNA molecules. Both RNAs were found to be active messengers for protein synthesis in cell-free extracts prepared from wheat embryo or HeLa cells. RNA 2 directed synthesis of a 43,000-dalton product, p43, whose tryptic fingerprint was similar to that of the major viral coat protein, vp40 (molecular weight, 40,000). Though p43 appears to be a precursor of vp40, processing did not occur in the cell-free extracts. RNA 1 directed synthesis of a 105,000-dalton protein, p105. Its tryptic fingerprint revealed no evidence of coat protein sequences. Hence, the two RNAs represent genes with few, if any, redundant coding sequences.
Age and physical activity effects on reaction time and digit symbol substitution performance in cognitively active adults.

University professors (N = 56), divided into two age groups (< 50 years and > 50 years) and two physical activity level groups (high and low), were tested on three tasks requiring increasingly complex cognitive processing--simple reaction time (SRT), choice reaction time (CRT), and on a digit symbol substitution test (DSST). A significant main effect for exercise, with high active subjects performing better than low active subjects, was found for SRT (p < .001) and CRT (p < .01) but not for DSST (p < .09). Significant main effects for age, with younger subjects performing better than older subjects, were found on DSST (p < .01) and CRT (p < .05) but not for SRT (p < .09). The observation that the effect of age was more pronounced with increasing task complexity is consistent with previous research. However, the tendency for exercise effects to decrease with increasing task complexity is not consistent with former findings, suggesting that perhaps the controlled high level of cognitive activity of subjects in this study may have offset the usual effects of exercise on information processing speed. No significant Age x Activity Level interactions were found on any of the dependent raw score data. However, compared to normative scores of the population at large, there was a slight increase in DSST percentile ranks with age for the older aerobically active professors, whereas a decrease occurred for the inactive subjects.
Closed-form 2D angle estimation with arbitrary sampling lattices over a circular aperture

Simultaneous estimation of the azimuth and elevation arrival angle of each of a number of co-channel signals incident upon an array of antennas is addressed. A new closed-form algorithm that works for filled circular arrays (FCAs) with any sampling lattice is developed. Although based on TLS-ESPRIT, the algorithm does not require arrays exhibiting translational symmetry. The only constraint imposed on the array for the algorithm to perform properly is that the spacing between adjacent sensors across the aperture be roughly a half-wavelength or less on average. A set of ESPRIT-like equations with unknowns are of the form sin(/spl theta//sub i/)e/sup j/spl phi/i/, where /spl theta//sub i/ and /spl phi//sub i/ are the elevation and azimuth of the i-th source, respectively, is constructed by means of linear combinations of the received signals exploiting a recurrence property satisfied by Bessel functions. Simulations verifying the efficacy of the algorithm in conjunction with rectangular, hexagonal, polar raster, and random sampling lattices have been performed. An illustrative simulation is presented and compared with performance predicted by theoretical analysis.
Total Arch Replacement with Stented Elephant Trunk Technique: A Proposed Treatment for Complicated Stanford Type B Aortic Dissection

Abstract Objectives: The treatment of Stanford type B aortic dissections involving the arch or associated with proximal aortic aneurysms remains a surgical challenge. We report our results with total arch replacement with the stented elephant trunk (SET) procedure for these complicated Stanford type B aortic dissections. Methods: Between December 2003 and June 2008, 31 patients were admitted for complicated type B dissection (12 acute, 19 chronic). The mean age at operation was 44.3 ± 10.6 years (range: 22‐68 years). The surgeries were performed by using total arch replacement combined with SET implantation. Enhanced computed tomography (CT) was performed before discharge as well as 3 months and annually to evaluate the condition of the graft and the residual false lumen. Results: The procedure was successful in all but two patients; two patients died of multiple organ failure following surgery. No paraplegia was observed after surgery. Follow‐up was completed in 27 of 29 patients and the mean follow‐up period was 18.4 ± 12.3 months (range: 6‐54 months). During follow‐up CT scans, thrombus formation was observed in the descending aortic false lumen excluded by the stented graft in most patients. One patient died during follow‐up while two patients with Marfan syndrome underwent successful operations for replacement of the remaining descending and abdominal aorta. Conclusion: Total arch replacement with the SET procedure has emerged as a viable option for complicated type B dissections and is associated with low morbidity and mortality. At mid‐term follow‐up, most patients have either thrombosed or have had no further increase in the false lumen of the descending aorta.
Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation for Extensive-Stage Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Retrospective Analysis

Purpose Extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (esSCLC) is an incurable disease and represents a therapeutic challenge because of its poor prognosis. Studies in prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) in esSCLC have shown a decreased incidence of symptomatic brain metastases in patients who respond to systemic chemotherapy. However, its effect on overall survival is debatable. We evaluated the benefit of PCI in patients with esSCLC in terms of overall survival, progression-free survival, incidence of brain metastases, recurrence rate, and exposure to postrecurrence therapies. Materials and Methods We retrospectively reviewed electronic charts from patients diagnosed with esSCLC from 2008 to 2014 at our institution. All patients had negative baseline brain imaging before chemotherapy and PCI and received at least 4 cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy in the first-line setting without progressive disease on follow-up. PCI was performed at the discretion of the treating physician. Analyses were based on descriptive statistics. Survival curves were calculated by Kaplan-Meier method. Results Among 46 eligible patients, 16 (35%) received PCI and 30 (65%) did not. Compared with no PCI, PCI led to improved progression-free survival (median, 10.32 v 7.66 months; hazard ratio, 0.4521; 95% CI, 0.2481 to 0.8237; P < .001) and overall survival (median, 20.94 v 11.05 months; hazard ratio, 0.2655; 95% CI, 0.1420 to 0.4964; P < .001) as well as lower incidence of brain metastases (19% v 53%; P = .0273) and higher exposure to second-line chemotherapy (87% v 57%; P = .0479). Conclusion Careful patient selection for PCI can improve not only brain metastases control and higher second-line chemotherapy exposure but also patient survival.