Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Patterns and rates of viral evolution in HIV-1 subtype B infected females and males

Biological sex differences affect the course of HIV infection, with untreated women having lower viral loads compared to their male counterparts but, for a given viral load, women have a higher rate of progression to AIDS. However, the vast majority of data on viral evolution, a process that is clearly impacted by host immunity and could be impacted by sex differences, has been derived from men. We conducted an intensive analysis of HIV-1 gag and env-gp120 evolution taken over the first 6–11 years of infection from 8 Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) participants who had not received combination antiretroviral therapy (ART). This was compared to similar data previously collected from men, with both groups infected with HIV-1 subtype B. Early virus populations in men and women were generally homogenous with no differences in diversity between sexes. No differences in ensuing nucleotide substitution rates were found between the female and male cohorts studied herein. As previously reported for men, time to peak diversity in env-gp120 in women was positively associated with time to CD4+ cell count below 200 (P = 0.017), and the number of predicted N-linked glycosylation sites generally increased over time, followed by a plateau or decline, with the majority of changes localized to the V1-V2 region. These findings strongly suggest that the sex differences in HIV-1 disease progression attributed to immune system composition and sensitivities are not revealed by, nor do they impact, global patterns of viral evolution, the latter of which proceeds similarly in women and men.
Impact of various solid carriers and spray drying on pre/post compression properties of solid SNEDDS loaded with glimepiride: in vitro-ex vivo evaluation and cytotoxicity assessment

Abstract Development of self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SNEDDS) of glimepiride is reported with the aim to achieve its oral delivery. Lauroglycol FCC, Tween-80, and ethanol were used as oil, surfactant, and co-surfactant, respectively as independent variables. The optimized composition of SNEDDS formulation (F1) was 10% v/v Lauroglycol FCC, 45% v/v Tween 80, 45% v/v ethanol, and 0.005% w/v glimepiride. Further, the optimized liquid SNEDDS were solidified through spray drying using various hydrophilic and hydrophobic carriers. Among the various carriers, Aerosil 200 was found to provide desirable flow, compression, dissolution, and diffusion. Both, liquid and solid-SNEDDS have shown release of more than 90% within 10 min. Results of permeation studies performed on Caco-2 cell showed that optimized SNEDDS exhibited 1.54 times higher drug permeation amount and 0.57 times lower drug excretion amount than that of market tablets at 4 hours (p < .01). Further, the cytotoxicity study performed on Caco-2 cell revealed that the cell viability was lower in SNEDDS (92.22% ± 4.18%) compared with the market tablets (95.54% ± 3.22%; p > .05, i.e. 0.74). The formulation was found stable with temperature variation and freeze thaw cycles in terms of droplet size, zeta potential, drug precipitation and phase separation. Crystalline glimepiride was observed in amorphous state in solid SNEDDS when characterized through DSC, PXRD, and FT-IR studies. The study revealed successful formulation of SNEDDS for glimepiride.
Body dissatisfaction and psychological distress in adolescents: Is self-esteem a mediator?

This brief report tests the mediating effect of self-esteem in the relationship between body dissatisfaction and symptoms of depression and anxiety. A sample of 409 adolescents (females = 58.4%) aged between 14 and 18 years completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Contour Drawing Rating Scale, the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Overall, results for the indirect effects analysis were significant for both anxiety and depression, which confirmed the mediating role of self-esteem. Thus, a negative perception of one’s body image has the effect of lowering self-esteem, which in turn increases psychological distress.
Automating PACS quality control with the Vanderbilt image processing enterprise resource

Precise image acquisition is an integral part of modern patient care and medical imaging research. Periodic quality control using standardized protocols and phantoms ensures that scanners are operating according to specifications, yet such procedures do not ensure that individual datasets are free from corruption; for example due to patient motion, transient interference, or physiological variability. If unacceptable artifacts are noticed during scanning, a technologist can repeat a procedure. Yet, substantial delays may be incurred if a problematic scan is not noticed until a radiologist reads the scans or an automated algorithm fails. Given scores of slices in typical three-dimensional scans and widevariety of potential use cases, a technologist cannot practically be expected inspect all images. In large-scale research, automated pipeline systems have had great success in achieving high throughput. However, clinical and institutional workflows are largely based on DICOM and PACS technologies; these systems are not readily compatible with research systems due to security and privacy restrictions. Hence, quantitative quality control has been relegated to individual investigators and too often neglected. Herein, we propose a scalable system, the Vanderbilt Image Processing Enterprise Resource (VIPER) to integrate modular quality control and image analysis routines with a standard PACS configuration. This server unifies image processing routines across an institutional level and provides a simple interface so that investigators can collaborate to deploy new analysis technologies. VIPER integrates with high performance computing environments has successfully analyzed all standard scans from our institutional research center over the course of the last 18 months.
Clinically‐oriented proteomic investigation of sickle cell disease: Opportunities and challenges

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an autosomal recessively inherited β‐hemoglobinopathy causing a sickling hemoglobin (HbS) to be expressed in the erythrocyte. Due its unique biophysical properties and tendency to form polymers in deoxygenated conditions, HbS causes dramatic erythrocyte deformation and damage ultimately leading to diffuse hemolysis, vasco‐occlusion, and vasculopathy in affected individuals. Albeit SCD was the first molecular disease identified in the human several decades ago, the progress in caring for patients with SCD has been globally limited and faces considerable biological, medical, psychological, and economic challenges. The aim of this review is to illustrate the opportunities lying ahead for proteomic discovery in SCD. It also establishes a tentative conceptual framework for clinically oriented investigations. The ultimate target is the translation of findings into validated and actionable improvements at the bedside. Thanks to significant technological advances, proteomics is poised to play an important role for patients affected by hematological disorders, and SCD could be a paradigm for impactful research.
Pediatric lung transplantation and end of life care in cystic fibrosis: Barriers and successful strategies

Pediatric lung transplantation has advanced over the years, providing a potential life‐prolonging therapy to patients with cystic fibrosis. Despite this, many challenges in lung transplantation remain and result in worse outcomes than other solid organ transplants. As CF lung disease progresses, children and their caregivers are often simultaneously preparing for lung transplantation and end of life. In this article, we will discuss the current barriers to success in pediatric CF lung transplantation as well as approaches to end of life care in this population.
Value of Structural and Hemodynamic Parameters for the Early Detection of Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma

ABSTRACT Purpose: To compare the diagnostic value of ocular blood flow parameters and choroidal thickness (CT) with standard structural parameters for early glaucoma detection. Methods: A total of 32 patients with pre-perimetric glaucoma were compared with 30 age-matched normal subjects. The thickness of the ganglion cell complex (GCC), retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), and the choroid and foveal loss volume (FLV) were measured by means of optical coherence tomography (OCT). Retrobulbar blood velocities (Color Doppler Imaging), corneal compensated intraocular pressure (IOPcc), and corneal hysteresis (CH) were also evaluated. Mean ocular perfusion pressure (MOPP) was calculated by measuring IOP and mean arterial blood pressure as MOPP = ([2/3 diastolic BP + 1/3 systolic BP] × 2/3-IOP). The value of each diagnostic indicator (z-value) was calculated using the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results: The following indicators had the largest AUC and diagnostic value (z-value): mean blood flow velocity in the vortex veins (AUC 1.0; z-value 5.35) and central retinal vein (0.85; 3.74), diastolic blood flow velocity in the central retinal artery (0.73; 2.74) and lateral short posterior ciliary arteries (0.71; 2.53), IOPcc (0.74; −2.9), CH (0.69; 2.24), CT (0.69; −2.28), GCC (0.67; 2.05), and FLV (0.66; −1.86) to discriminate pre-perimetric glaucoma from healthy subjects. Conclusions: Interestingly, ocular hemodynamic parameters performed better than structural parameters in detecting early glaucoma. This highlights the potential of techniques to measure ocular blood flow in glaucoma diagnostics independently of the question whether perfusion abnormalities are a cause or a consequence of the disease.
Propensity score estimators for the average treatment effect and the average treatment effect on the treated may yield very different estimates

Objective Propensity score matching is typically used to estimate the average treatment effect for the treated while inverse probability of treatment weighting aims at estimating the population average treatment effect. We illustrate how different estimands can result in very different conclusions. Study design We applied the two propensity score methods to assess the effect of continuous positive airway pressure on mortality in patients hospitalized for acute heart failure. We used Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the important differences in the two estimates. Results Continuous positive airway pressure application increased hospital mortality overall, but no continuous positive airway pressure effect was found on the treated. Potential reasons were (1) violation of the positivity assumption; (2) treatment effect was not uniform across the distribution of the propensity score. From simulations, we concluded that positivity bias was of limited magnitude and did not explain the large differences in the point estimates. However, when treatment effect varies according to the propensity score (E[Y(1)–Y(0)|g(X)] is not constant, Y being the outcome and g(X) the propensity score), propensity score matching ATT estimate could strongly differ from the inverse probability of treatment weighting-average treatment effect estimate. We show that this empirical result is supported by theory. Conclusion Although both approaches are recommended as valid methods for causal inference, propensity score-matching for ATT and inverse probability of treatment weighting for average treatment effect yield substantially different estimates of treatment effect. The choice of the estimand should drive the choice of the method.
Potentially preventable hospitalizations in dementia: family caregiver experiences

ABSTRACT Background: Health crises in persons living with dementia challenge their caregivers to make pivotal decisions, often under pressure, and to act in new ways on behalf of their care recipient. Disruption of everyday routines and heightened stress are familiar consequences of these events. Hospitalization for acute illness or injury is a familiar health crisis in dementia. The focus of this study is to describe the lived experience of dementia family caregivers whose care recipients had a recent unplanned admission, and to identify potential opportunities for developing preventive interventions. Methods: Family caregivers (n = 20) of people with dementia who experienced a recent hospitalization due to an ambulatory care sensitive condition or fall-related injury completed phone interviews. Interviews used semi-structured protocols to elicit caregivers’ reactions to the hospitalization and recollections of the events leading up to it. Results: Analysis of interview data identified four major themes: (1) caregiver is uncertain how to interpret and act on the change; (2) caregiver is unable to provide necessary care; (3) caregiver experiences a personal crisis in response to the patient's health event; (4) mitigating factors may prevent caregiver crises. Conclusions: This study identifies a need for clinicians and family caregivers to work together to avoid health crises of both caregivers and people with dementia and to enable caregivers to manage the health of their care recipients without sacrificing their own health and wellness.
The African Group on the United Nations Human Rights Council: Shifting geopolitics and the liberal international order

During the early years of the United Nations Human Rights Council, formed in 2006, the African Group obstructed efforts to scrutinize and improve human rights in specific countries, notably in the cases of Darfur and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, in recent years the African Group has become willing to address country-specific human rights violations, particularly in Côte d'Ivoire, Libya, and Eritrea. This article documents the African Group's shift and asks why it occurred. Against the backdrop of debates about whether the liberal international order can survive a decline in American dominance, the study of the African Group's shift grants us insight into the elements that underpin liberal internationalism. Three explanations for the African Group's shift are considered: an improvement in the domestic human rights profile of African Group members, changes to the internal dynamics of the African Group, and the influence of the United States. The article concludes that American power was decisive, a finding that raises doubt about whether the liberal international order will survive a decline in American power. In 2005, former Secretary-General of the united nations, Kofi Annan, described the organization's Commission for Human Rights (CHR) as ‘increasingly undermined by its own lack of credibility and professionalism’. Many states, Annan argued, were using the CHR not to promote human rights but to protect themselves from criticism, thereby damaging the reputation of the entire UN system. Annan proposed replacing the CHR with a Human Rights Council (HRC). The new body was created in 2006. The HRC was supposed to ‘redress’ the faults of its predecessor, but initially seemed no better. In the assessment of Bertrand Ramcharan, a former acting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: A key problem of the Council is that the African and Asian groups have been allocated 26 out of the 47 seats. Many countries in these two regions have severe governance problems and have experienced numerous conflicts and situations of gross human rights violations . [T]hey band together to prevent discussions of situations of gross human rights violations and forthright criticism of such violations. The present majority is unlikely to give up its numerical advantage. Unless the HRC can get over this difficulty, however, it will continue to be constrained in its capacity to act fairly to situations of gross violations. Since Ramcharan made this statement in late 2010, appraisals of the HRC have become more favourable. A widespread view is that ‘despite a shaky start, [the HRC] is generally seen to be performing well’. Following Ramcharan, the HRC's increased responsiveness to human rights problems depended on some early obstructers becoming less antagonistic. Indeed, in recent years the African Group on the HRC has become increasingly willing to address human rights problems in specific countries. This article asks why this shift occurred.
The uterine leiomyoma and placenta previa: a meta-analysis

Abstract Background Some epidemiological studies have reported that uterine leiomyoma may increase the risk of placenta previa. To date, the meta-analysis has not been carried out for assessing the relationship between uterine leiomyoma and placenta previa. This meta-analysis was carried out to estimate the association between uterine leiomyoma and the risk of placenta previa. Methods A systematic search was conducted out in major databases PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus from the earliest possible year to June 2017. The heterogeneity across studies was explored by Q-test and I2 statistic. The publication bias was assessed by Begg’s and Egger’s tests. The results were showed using odds ratio (OR) estimate with its 95% confidence intervals (CI) using a random-effects model. Results The literature search included 1218 articles until to June 2017 with 255,886 women. Based on OR estimates obtained from case-control and cohort studies, there was significant association between uterine leiomyoma and placenta previa in studies adjusted (2.21; 95%CI: 1.48, 2.94). Conclusions We showed based on reports in observational studies that uterine leiomyoma is a risk factor for placenta previa in studies adjusted.
Civil Society Capture: Top-Down Interventions from Below?

ABSTRACT Driven by the failure of internationally led top-down peacebuilding interventions, international donors have increasingly posited that civil society actors can play a crucial role in peacebuilding and conflict resolution. This has led to a notable increase in the support for civil society in order to integrate local perspectives into peacebuilding and statebuilding interventions over the past decades. Using the case of Cyprus, this paper challenges this premise and argues that this support continues to create homogenized discourses that are not representative of the diversity of local notions of peace. Rather, most types of international support cause civil society actors to adapt their agendas to external priorities, and exclude alternative, less professionalized and critical voices. Local peace actors who resist liberal governmentality have access neither to the monetary support needed to sustain their peace work, nor to international protection for their cause. At the same time, those actors working in line with the international endeavour remove themselves from the ‘everyday’ of local realities so that peace interventions yet again fall into the old trap of top-down interventions.
Enhanced word embedding similarity measures using fuzzy rules for query expansion

Query expansion has been widely used to select additional words that are related to the original query words in the field of information retrieval. In this paper, we present a novel query expansion method that jointly uses fuzzy rules and a word embedding similarity calculation. The expansion words are generated using a word embedding method and selected according to their semantic similarity to the original query. Fuzzy rules are used to enhance the word similarity calculations and reweight expansion words. When measuring and ranking the relevance of a retrieved document, the original query and the expansion words with their weights are considered. We conduct experiments on the query expansion in document ranking tasks. Experimental results from the document ranking task show that the proposed method is able to significantly outperform state-of-the-art baseline methods.
Global Convergence of the (1 + 1) Evolution Strategy to a Critical Point

Abstract We establish global convergence of the (1 + 1) evolution strategy, that is, convergence to a critical point independent of the initial state. More precisely, we show the existence of a critical limit point, using a suitable extension of the notion of a critical point to measurable functions. At its core, the analysis is based on a novel progress guarantee for elitist, rank-based evolutionary algorithms. By applying it to the (1 + 1) evolution strategy we are able to provide an accurate characterization of whether global convergence is guaranteed with full probability, or whether premature convergence is possible. We illustrate our results on a number of example applications ranging from smooth (non-convex) cases over different types of saddle points and ridge functions to discontinuous and extremely rugged problems.
Preoperative albumin/globulin ratio has predictive value for patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

This study evaluated the predictive value of the preoperative albumin/globulin ratio (AGR) in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) retrospectively, which has not been reported before. The current study enrolled 241 newly diagnosed LSCC patients in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University between January 2005 and December 2010. The optimal AGR cut-off value for overall survival (OS) was determined to be 1.28. Univariate survival analysis identified sex, low AGR, T classification, histological grade and nodal metastasis as factors associated with poor OS. Additionally, a low AGR, T classification, nodal metastasis, and histological grade were associated with poor disease-free survival (DFS) in LSCC patients. In multivariate survival analysis, nodal metastasis and a low AGR remained significant for OS and DFS. Our preliminary study revealed that low preoperative AGR could serve as a valuable and easily-assessed blood-based indicator to predict the prognosis of LSCC patients.
Formation of adult organs through metamorphosis in ascidians

The representative characteristic of ascidians is their vertebrate‐like, tadpole shape at the larval stage. Ascidians lose the tadpole shape through metamorphosis to become adults with a nonmotile, sessile body and a shape generally considered distinct from that of vertebrates. Solitary ascidians including Ciona species are extensively studied to understand the developmental mechanisms of ascidians, and to compare these mechanisms with their counterparts in vertebrates. In these ascidian species, the digestive and circulatory systems are not well developed in the larval trunk and the larvae do not take food. This is in contrast with the inner conditions of vertebrate tadpoles, which have functional organs comparable to those of adults. The adult organs and tissues of these ascidians become functional during metamorphosis that is completed quickly, suggesting that the ascidian larvae of solitary species are a transient stage of development. We here discuss how the cells and tissues in the ascidian larval body are converted into those of adults. The hearts of ascidians and vertebrates use closely related cellular and molecular mechanisms that suggest their shared origin. Hox genes of ascidians are essential for forming adult endodermal structures. To fully understand the development and evolution of chordates, a complete elucidation of the mechanisms underlying the adult tissue/organ formation of ascidians will be needed. WIREs Dev Biol 2018, 7:e304. doi: 10.1002/wdev.304