Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aortic stiffness as a tissue biomarker for predicting future cardiovascular events in asymptomatic hypertensive subjects

Classical risk scores may underestimate the risk of cardiovascular events in specific risk groups suitable for early prevention, such as asymptomatic hypertensive subjects. Arterial stiffness and wave reflection are now well accepted as the most important determinants of increasing systolic and pulse pressures in aging societies, thus affording a major contribution to stroke and myocardial infarction. A major reason for measuring arterial stiffness in hypertensive patients comes from the demonstration that arterial stiffness has a predictive value for cardiovascular events, beyond classical cardiovascular risk factors. Aortic stiffening also gives direct evidence of target organ damage, and improves the determination of the overall cardiovascular risk of asymptomatic hypertensive subjects. In clinical practice, the measurement of aortic stiffness may avoid patients being mistakenly classified as at low or moderate risk, when they actually have an abnormally high aortic stiffness placing them within a higher-risk group. The present mini-review successively addresses the concept of ‘tissue’ biomarker, applies it to arterial stiffness, describes the methodology of measurement, gives some pathophysiological links in order to explain the occurrence of stroke and myocardial infarction in patients with high arterial stiffness, and raises the issue of whether arterial stiffness is a surrogate marker.
Ethnic variations in suicidal ideation and behaviors: a prominent subtype marked by nonpsychiatric factors among asian americans.

OBJECTIVE Main objectives were to utilize multivariate rather than traditional regression approaches to capture the heterogeneity of subtypes of suicidal ideation and behaviors within ethnic minority groups. Mental illness is associated with suicidal ideation and behaviors in a vast majority of the general population, making psychopathology a common identifier of suicide risk. Yet recent studies suggest a need to better characterize suicidal ideation and behaviors among ethnic minorities and Asian Americans who do not exhibit the most commonly assessed risk factors. METHOD The present study examined adults 18 years of age or older from the National Latino and Asian American Study and utilized latent class analysis to classify 191 Asian Americans with a history of serious suicidal ideation or attempts from a community sample into subtypes. RESULTS Two main subtypes resulted, including 48% in a "psychiatric" and 52% in a "nonpsychiatric" subtype of suicidal ideation and behaviors. The nonpsychiatric subtype was predominantly characterized by sociocultural factors (discrimination, family conflict, and low acculturation), medical problems, and limited functioning. The nonpsychiatric was less likely than the psychiatric subtype to seek help for mental health but was no different in access to a medical doctor, highlighting possible points of outreach. CONCLUSIONS Findings advance the culture and suicide literature by highlighting how current research and practice that characterize suicidal ideation and behaviors as a mental health phenomenon may not comprehensively identify suicidality among an ethnic minority group.
Electrochemical Fingerprint of Arsenic (III) by Using Hybrid Nanocomposite-Based Platforms

Arsenic, one of the most abundant mineral and also one to the most toxic compounds. Due to its high toxicity sensitive analytical methods are highly important, taking into account that the admitted level is in the range of µg L−1. A novel and easy to use platform for As(III) detection from water samples is proposed, based on gold and platinum bi metallic nanoparticles and a conductive polymer (polyaniline). The electrochemical detection was achieved after optimization of cathodic pre-concentration and stripping parameters by square wave anodic stripping voltammetry at modified screen-printed carbon-based electrochemical cells, proving its applicability for disposable and cost-effective in situ analysis of arsenic.
Scavenger Receptor-AI–Targeted Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for In Vivo MRI Detection of Atherosclerotic Lesions

Objective—In search of molecular imaging modalities for specific detection of inflammatory atherosclerotic plaques, we explored the potential of targeting scavenger receptor-AI (SR-AI), which is highly expressed by lesional macrophages and linked to effective internalization machinery. Approach and Results—Ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide particles were conjugated to a peptidic SR-AI ligand (0.371 mol Fe/L and 0.018 mol PP1/L). In vitro incubation of human or murine macrophages with SR-AI–targeted USPIO led to significantly higher iron uptake in vitro than with nontargeted USPIO, as judged by quantitative atomic absorption spectroscopy and Perl’s staining. Incremental uptake was strictly mediated by SRs. SR-AI–targeted USPIO displayed accelerated plasma decay and a 3.5-fold increase (P=0.01) in atherosclerotic plaque accumulation on intravenous injection into apolipoprotein E–deficient mice compared with nontargeted USPIO. In addition, atherosclerotic humanized LDLr−/− chimeras with leukocyte expression of human SR-AI showed a significant improvement in contrast-to-noise ratio (2.7-fold; P=0.003) in the atherosclerotic aortic arch plaques 24 hours after injection of SR-AI–targeted USPIO compared with chimeras with leukocyte SR-AI deficiency. Conclusions—Collectively, our data provide several lines of evidence that SR-AI–targeted molecular imaging of USPIO-based contrast agents holds great promise for in situ detection of inflammatory plaques in manifest atherosclerosis.
Patients with bullous pemphigoid and linear IgA disease show a dual IgA and IgG autoimmune response to BP180.

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) and linear IgA disease (LAD) are autoimmune subepidermal blistering skin diseases associated with autoantibodies against the transmembrane hemidesmosomal protein BP180/type XVII collagen. It has been demonstrated previously that BP is characterized predominantly by IgG autoantibodies, while autoantibodies in LAD mainly belong to the IgA isotype. The aim of the present study was to investigate the hypothesis that there is a significant overlap in the autoantibody isotype profiles associated with these two diseases. Several new recombinant forms of BP180 were generated in the baculovirus expression system, including the full-length protein. IgG autoantibodies to BP 180 were detectable in 39 of 40 (98%) of BP sera; interestingly, 88% of BP sera also contained IgA anti-BP180 autoantibodies. Similarly, anti-BP180 reactivity in LAD sera (n=22) was also attributed to both an IgA (68%) and an IgG (76%) autoantibody response. IgA and IgG autoantibodies to the intracellular portion of BP180 were found in 14% and 28% of BP sera, respectively, and in 8% of LAD sera (same percentage for both isotypes). Our findings clearly demonstrate that both BP and LAD patients have a dual IgA and IgG autoimmune response to BP180 which is directed not only to the ectodomain, but also to the intracellular portion of this protein.
Computer Modeling of Alzheimer’s Disease—Simulations of Synaptic Plasticity and Memory in the CA3-CA1 Hippocampal Formation Microcircuit

This paper aims to present computer modeling of synaptic plasticity and memory in the CA3-CA1 hippocampal formation microcircuit. The computer simulations showed a comparison of a pathological model in which Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was simulated by synaptic degradation in the hippocampus and control model (healthy) of CA3-CA1 networks with modification of weights for the memory. There were statistically higher spike values of both CA1 and CA3 pyramidal cells in the control model than in the pathological model (p = 0.0042 for CA1 and p = 0.0033 for CA3). A similar outcome was achieved for frequency (p = 0.0002 for CA1 and p = 0.0001 for CA3). The entropy of pyramidal cells of the healthy CA3 network seemed to be significantly higher than that of AD (p = 0.0304). We need to study a lot of physiological parameters and their combinations of the CA3-CA1 hippocampal formation microcircuit to understand AD. High statistically correlations were obtained between memory, spikes and synaptic deletion in both CA1 and CA3 cells.
Comparison and Combination of Thermal, Fluorescence, and Hyperspectral Imaging for Monitoring Fusarium Head Blight of Wheat on Spikelet Scale

Optical sensors have shown high capabilities to improve the detection and monitoring of plant disease development. This study was designed to compare the feasibility of different sensors to characterize Fusarium head blight (FHB) caused by Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium culmorum. Under controlled conditions, time-series measurements were performed with infrared thermography (IRT), chlorophyll fluorescence imaging (CFI), and hyperspectral imaging (HSI) starting 3 days after inoculation (dai). IRT allowed the visualization of temperature differences within the infected spikelets beginning 5 dai. At the same time, a disorder of the photosynthetic activity was confirmed by CFI via maximal fluorescence yields of spikelets (Fm) 5 dai. Pigment-specific simple ratio PSSRa and PSSRb derived from HSI allowed discrimination between Fusarium-infected and non-inoculated spikelets 3 dai. This effect on assimilation started earlier and was more pronounced with F. graminearum. Except the maximum temperature difference (MTD), all parameters derived from different sensors were significantly correlated with each other and with disease severity (DS). A support vector machine (SVM) classification of parameters derived from IRT, CFI, or HSI allowed the differentiation between non-inoculated and infected spikelets 3 dai with an accuracy of 78, 56 and 78%, respectively. Combining the IRT-HSI or CFI-HSI parameters improved the accuracy to 89% 30 dai.
A Conifer ABI3-Interacting Protein Plays Important Roles during Key Transitions of the Plant Life Cycle1[C][W][OA]

ABI3 (for ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE3), a transcription factor of the abscisic acid signal transduction pathway, plays a major role during seed development, dormancy inception, and dormancy maintenance. This protein appears to also function in meristematic and vegetative plant tissues and under certain stress conditions. We have isolated the ABI3 gene ortholog (CnABI3) from yellow cedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis) and found that it was functionally similar to other ABI3 genes of angiosperms. Here, we report that using a yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) two-hybrid approach, we have identified another protein of yellow cedar (CnAIP2; for CnABI3 INTERACTING PROTEIN2) that physically interacts with CnABI3. Functional analyses revealed that CnAIP2 plays important roles during key transitions in the plant life cycle: (1) CnAIP2 impaired seed development and reduced seed dormancy; (2) CnAIP2 promoted root development, particularly the initiation of lateral roots, and the CnAIP2 gene promoter was exquisitely auxin sensitive; and (3) CnAIP2 promoted the transition from vegetative growth to reproductive initiation (i.e. flowering). The nature of the effects of CnAIP2 on these processes and other evidence place CnAIP2 in the category of a “global” regulator, whose actions are antagonistic to those of ABI3.
Hyperspectral Image Super-Resolution via Subspace-Based Low Tensor Multi-Rank Regularization

Recently, combining a low spatial resolution hyperspectral image (LR-HSI) with a high spatial resolution multispectral image (HR-MSI) into an HR-HSI has become a popular scheme to enhance the spatial resolution of HSI. We propose a novel subspace-based low tensor multi-rank regularization method for the fusion, which fully exploits the spectral correlations and non-local similarities in the HR-HSI. To make use of high spectral correlations, the HR-HSI is approximated by spectral subspace and coefficients. We first learn the spectral subspace from the LR-HSI via singular value decomposition, and then estimate the coefficients via the low tensor multi-rank prior. More specifically, based on the learned cluster structure in the HR-MSI, the patches in coefficients are grouped. We collect the coefficients in the same cluster into a three-dimensional tensor and impose the low tensor multi-rank prior on these collected tensors, which fully model the non-local self-similarities in the HR-HSI. The coefficients optimization is solved by the alternating direction method of multipliers. Experiments on two public HSI datasets demonstrate the advantages of our method.
Relative Telomere Length and Cardiovascular Risk Factors

(1) Background: Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences located at the extremities of chromosomes that maintain genetic stability. Telomere biology is relevant to several human disorders and diseases, specifically cardiovascular disease. To better understand the link between cardiovascular disease and telomere length, we studied the effect of relative telomere length (RTL) on cardiovascular risk factors in a large population-based sample. (2) Methods: RTL was measured by a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction in subjects of the population-based Gutenberg Health Study (n = 4944). We then performed an association study of RTL with known cardiovascular risk factors of smoking status as well as systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. (3) Results: A significant correlation was shown for RTL, with age as a quality control in our study (effect = −0.004, p = 3.2 × 10−47). Analysis of the relation between RTL and cardiovascular risk factors showed a significant association of RTL in patients who were current smokers (effect = −0.016, p = 0.048). No significant associations with RTL were seen for cardiovascular risk factors of LDL cholesterol (p = 0.127), HDL cholesterol (p = 0.713), triglycerides (p = 0.359), smoking (p = 0.328), diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.615), systolic blood pressure (p = 0.949), or BMI (p = 0.903). In a subsequent analysis, we calculated the tertiles of RTL. No significant difference across RTL tertiles was detectable for BMI, blood pressure, lipid levels, or smoking status. Finally, we studied the association of RTL and cardiovascular risk factors stratified by tertiles of age. We found a significant association of RTL and LDL cholesterol in the oldest tertile of age (effect = 0.0004, p = 0.006). (4) Conclusions: We determined the association of relative telomere length and cardiovascular risk factors in a population setting. An association of telomere length with age, current smoking status, as well as with LDL cholesterol in the oldest tertile of age was found, whereas no associations were observed between telomere length and triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, or BMI.
Effects of antithymocyte globulin on bone marrow CD34+ cells in aplastic anaemia and myelodysplasia

The mechanism of action of antithymocyte globulin (ATG) in the treatment of aplastic anaemia (AA) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) is poorly understood and may involve many different mechanisms. The aim of this in vitro study was to investigate further the effect of ATG on haemopoietic progenitor cells. A total of 16 patients (10 AA and 6 MDS) and 12 normal control subjects were studied. Purified bone marrow (BM) CD34+ cells were cultured in committed progenitor assay in the presence of ATG and autologous serum, then scored on day 14 for granulocyte–monocyte colony‐forming units (CFU‐GM) and erythroid colonies. ATG was found to be inhibitory to haemopoietic progenitor cells at high concentrations (1000 μg/ml and 100 μg/ml). This was confirmed by CD34‐FITC and 7AAD staining of purified normal CD34+ cells after overnight incubation with ATG. In contrast, at lower doses (0.1–10 μg/ml), ATG produced an increase in colony growth in most normal, MDS and AA BM CD34+ cells. The greatest effect was in patients with non‐severe AA, in whom the greatest increase in CFU‐GM was seen at 0.5 μg/ml (P < 0.02) and 0.1 μg/ml (P = 0.02) and erythroid colonies at 0.1 μg/ml (P < 0.05). Serum ATG levels peaked during infusion to levels that were found to be toxic to haemopoietic progenitor cells in vitro and fell thereafter to levels that were associated with the highest colony numbers (0.1 and 0.5 μg/ml) in vitro. These results suggest that an increase in haemopoietic progenitor cells by ATG may be one of several important mechanisms for haematological recovery in AA and MDS.
Patellar-Trochlear Morphology in Pediatric Patients From 2 to 11 Years of Age: A Descriptive Analysis Based on Computed Tomography Scanning

Background: Despite the critical role the trochlea plays in patellofemoral (PF) pathology, the development of the trochlea is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was 2-fold: (1) Describe quantitative osseous and soft tissue anatomy of the patella and trochlea in skeletally immature cadaveric specimens utilizing known measurements used in PF instability, and (2) evaluate additional measurement techniques in the sagittal plane as they relate to PF morphologic development. Methods: Thirty-one skeletally immature fresh frozen cadaveric knees between the ages of 2 and 11 years old were evaluated using 0.625 mm computed tomography scans. In the axial plane, measurements included condylar height asymmetry, trochlear facet asymmetry, trochlear depth, osseous sulcus angle, cartilaginous sulcus angle, patella sulcus angle, and tibial tubercle-trochlear groove distance. In the sagittal plane, measurements included previously undescribed measurements of trochlear length and condylar height asymmetry which are based on the anterior femoral cortex. Results: Analysis of trochlear morphology using condylar height asymmetry (both axial and sagittal), trochlear facet asymmetry, and trochlear depth and length demonstrated an increase in the size of the medial and lateral trochlea as age increased. There was more variability in the change of size of the medial trochlea (height, length, and facet length) than the lateral trochlea. The osseous sulcus angle, cartilaginous sulcus angle, and patella sulcus angle decreased (became deeper) with age until after 8 years and then plateaued. Conclusions: This cadaveric analysis demonstrated that there is an increase in the medial and lateral trochlear height as age increased by all measurements analyzed. The findings also demonstrate that the shape of the patella and trochlea change concurrently, which suggests that there may be interplay between the 2 during development. These new sagittal measurement techniques evaluating the medial, central, and lateral trochlear height and length with respect to age may help guide clinicians when investigating patellar instability in skeletally immature patients. Levels of Evidence: Level IV.
Sociocultural Influences on Men's Penis Size Perceptions and Decisions to Undergo Penile Augmentation: A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND An increasing number of men are dissatisfied with their penis size and are seeking cosmetic procedures to enhance their penis size. However, less is known about the social and cultural factors that influence men to consider these procedures. OBJECTIVES To investigate the sociocultural factors impacting on men's attitudes toward their penis size and also their decisions to undergo penile augmentation. METHODS One-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with 6 adult men who had previously undergone a penile augmentation. The men were asked about the sociocultural factors that they thought contributed to dissatisfaction with their penis size, and their motivations for having penile augmentation. All interviews were audio recorded and then transcribed verbatim. Interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS Three main themes emerged from the interviews, namely "influence of pornography", "comparison with peers" and "indirect appearance-related teasing". The men noted that the large penises of male actors in pornography had skewed their perception of normal penis size. All men had compared their penis size with their peers, usually in the locker room, and often felt their own penis was smaller as a result. None of the participants had received direct negative comments about their penis size, but were aware that having a small penis was a source of mockery from exposure to jokes on mainstream media sources. CONCLUSIONS These new insights into sociocultural factors, namely media and peers, which influence men's desire for penile augmentation may assist clinicians in enhancing their communication with prospective patients.
When a Slice Is Not Enough! Comparison of Whole-Brain versus Standard Limited-Slice Perfusion Computed Tomography in Patients with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

Introduction: Cerebral perfusion computed tomography (PCT) provides crucial information in acute stroke and has an increasing role in traumatic brain injury (TBI) management. Most studies on TBI patients utilize 64-slice scanners, which are limited to four brain slices (limited-brain PCT, LBPCT). Newer 320-slice scanners depict the whole brain perfusion status (WBPCT). We aimed to identify the additional information gained with WBPCT when compared to LBPCT. Patients and methods: Forty-nine patients with severe TBI were investigated within 48 h from admission with WBPCT. Findings from LBPCT were compared with findings from WBPCT. Results: A perfusion abnormality was identified in 39 (80%) and 37 (76%) patients by WBPCT and LBPCT, respectively (p = 0.8). There were 90 and 68 perfusion abnormalities identified by WBPCT and LBPCT, respectively (p < 0.001). In the 39 patients with a perfusion abnormality detected by WBPCT, 15 (38%) had further perfusion abnormalities outside the LBPCT area of coverage. Thirty-six (92%) patients had a larger perfusion abnormality upon WBPCT compared with LBPCT. Additional information gained showed some statistically significant correlation with clinical outcome. Conclusions: In severe TBI patients, WBPCT provides extra information compared to LBPC. The limitations of LBPCT should be considered when evaluating studies reporting on PCT findings and their association with outcomes.
Homocysteine, rather than age of onset, is a better predictor for cognitive function in older adults with bipolar disorder

The association between older‐age bipolar disorder and cognitive impairments may be mediated by vascular burden. The aim of the study was to examine the difference of cognitive function between older people with late‐onset bipolar disorder (LOBD) and early‐onset bipolar disorder (EOBD) by considering rigorous vascular risk burden evaluation, comprehensive cognitive tests, and relevant biochemistry data.
C-terminal BRE inhibits cellular proliferation and increases sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs of MLL-AF9 acute myeloid leukemia cells

Abstract BRE (Brain and Reproductive Organ-Expressed) is an anti-apoptotic protein and a core component of DNA-repair BRCA1-A complex. Microarray-detected high BRE gene expression has been found to be associated with better patient survival in AML (acute myeloid leukemia) with MLL-AF9 translocation, and radiotherapy-treated non-familial breast cancer. A recent finding suggests that the high BRE gene expression in MLL-AF9 AML could be attributed to the additional expression of a transcript variant encoding a novel C-terminal BRE isoform. Using THP-1 as the MLL-AF9 AML cell model, we found that ectopic expression of the C-terminal BRE, which could not form an intact BRCA1-A complex, indeed increased cellular sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs and inhibited cell proliferation, while the complete opposite was achieved by the ectopic expression of full-length BRE. Our findings suggest that the C-terminal BRE-encoding transcript could be responsible for better patient survival and may have therapeutic potential for cancer.