Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
RBC washing, nitrite therapy, and anti-heme therapies prevent stored RBC toxicity after trauma-hemorrhage

Transfusion of stored red blood cells (RBCs) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in trauma patients. Pro-oxidant, pro-inflammatory and nitric oxide (NO) scavenging properties of stored RBC are thought to underlie this association. In this study we determined the effects of RBC washing, nitrite and anti-heme therapy on stored RBC-dependent toxicity in the setting of trauma-induced hemorrhage. A murine (C57bl/6) model of trauma-hemorrhage and resuscitation with 1 or 3 units of RBC stored for 0–10d was used. Tested variables included whether washing RBC to remove lower MWt components that scavenge NO, NO-repletion therapy using nitrite or mitigation of free heme-toxicity by heme scavenging or preventing TLR4 activation. Stored RBC toxicity was determined by assessment of acute lung injury indices (airway edema and inflammation) and survival. Transfusion with 5d RBC increased acute lung injury indexed by BAL protein and neutrophil accumulation. Washing 5d RBC prior to transfusion did not decrease this injury, whereas nitrite therapy did. Transfusion with 10d RBC elicited a more severe developed to simultaneously measure free heme and hemoglobin in stored RBC supernatants, which demonstrated significant increases of both in stored human and mouse RBC. Transfusion with free heme partially recapitulated the toxicity mediated by stored RBC. Furthermore, inhibition of TLR4 signaling, which is stimulated by heme, using TAK-242, or hemopexin-dependent sequestration of free heme significantly protected against both 5d and 10d mouse RBC-dependent toxicity. These data suggest that RBC washing, nitrite therapy and / or anti-heme and TLR4 strategies may prevent stored RBC toxicities. acquisition of resultant supernatant centrifuged again (2000 x g, 50µl of the supernatant was taken and diluted 10-fold with distilled water and absorbance spectrum (450–700nm) measured. For mouse RBCs, blood (~800uL) was collected from healthy male C57BL/6 mice via cardiac puncture in 50µl citrate buffer (trisodium citrate (22.0g/L), citric acid (8.0g/L), dextrose (24.5g/L)). Blood was filtered through neonatal Sepacell filters or through Sephadex G25 microcellulose column to remove leukocytes by gel filtration. Columns were washed with 10 times the volume of PBS or Adsol to eluate RBC (with no differences in hemolysis during processing observed (not The eluent was centrifuged at 1500 x g for 5 min, 4°C. The erythrocyte pellet was washed 3 times with cold Adsol and concentrated to a hematocrit of 60% with Adsol and stored in 0.7mL Eppendorf tubes with a head space of approximately 300uL. All solutions and procedures were performed under sterile conditions and used CPD anticoagulant and storage solutions obtained from the blood donation kit Express used form human blood collection. RBCs were stored at 4° C in the dark, for up to 10 days. LPS measurement in stored RBC using the Limulus Amebocyte lysate assay indicated levels were below detection limit (not stored red blood cells activate neutrophils and cause lung injury
Predictors of Mortality Hospice Enrollment and Evaluation of Its Causal Effect on Hospitalization of Dying Nursing Home Patients

Objective. To examine the patient, nursing home (NH), hospice provider, and local market factors associated with the selection of the Medicare hospice beneﬁt by eligible NHresidents, andevaluatethecausaleffectofhospice onend-of-lifehospitalization rates. Data Sources/Study Setting. Secondary data for 1995–1997 for NH residents. Study Design. This retrospective cohort study includes NH residents in ﬁve states (Kansa, Maine, New York, Ohio, South Dakota) who died in the years 1995–1997. Medicare claims identiﬁed hospice enrollment and hospitalizations. Geocoding of NHs, hospice providers, and hospitals was used to identify local markets. The two outcome measures are hospice enrollment and hospitalization of NH residents in their last 30 days of life. Data Collection/Extraction Method. A ﬁle was constructed linking MDS assessments to Medicare claims and denominator ﬁles, NH provider ﬁles (OSCAR), hospice provider of service ﬁles, and the area resource ﬁle. Principal Findings. Twenty-six percent and 44 percent of nonhospice residents were 30 of propensity weighting, Conclusions. Hospice selection introduces some bias in the evaluation of the causal effect of hospice on end-of-life hospitalization rates. However, even after adjusting for selection bias, hospice does have a powerful effect in reducing end-of-life hospitalization rates.
Linkage disequilibrium with predisposing DR3 haplotypes accounts for apparent effects of TNF and LTA polymorphisms on T1D susceptibility

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and lymphotoxin alpha (LTA) are immunomodulators that have been hypothesized to contribute to susceptibility to type 1 diabetes (T1D). Several polymorphisms in the TNF and LTA loci have been extensively studied for T1D association, with conflicting reports. In this study, we examined two TNF variants and one LTA variant for T1D association in 283 Caucasian, multiplex T1D families, for which complete HLA genotyping data are available. Initially, association with T1D was seen for LTA A1069G (intron A) (p = 0.011) {rs909253} and TNF G(-308)A (p< 1x 10 − 5 ) {rs1800629}, but no association was observed for TNF G(-238)A {rs361525}. After adjusting the data for linkage disequilibrium (LD) with DRB1-DQB1 haplotypes, however, only TNF G(-238) A showed significant association with T1D (p< 0.006). When HLA-DR3 haplotypes were examined, the A allele of TNF G(-238)A was significantly overtransmitted to affected offspring (p< 0.009). Including HLA-B data in the analysis revealed that TNF (-238)A is present exclusively on DR3 haplotypes that also carry HLA-B18. Transmission proportion of B18-DR3 haplotypes did not differ between those with TNF (-238)A and those with TNF (-238)G. Thus, variation at TNF does not affect the T1D risk for B18-DR3 haplotypes, and the apparent association of TNF(-238)A with T1D may simply reflect its presence on a high-risk haplotype.
Rapid GFR decline is associated with renal hyper ﬁ ltration and impaired GFR in adults with Type 1 diabetes

Background. Rapid glomerular ﬁ ltration rate (GFR) decline (>3 mL/min/1.73 m 2 ) is an increasingly recognized high-risk diabetic nephropathy (DN) phenotype in Type 1 diabetes. Rapid GFR decline is a recognized predictor of impaired GFR (<60 mL/min/1.73 m 2 ). However, the association between rapid GFR decline and renal hyper ﬁ ltration is not well described in Type 1 diabetes. We hypothesized that renal hyper- ﬁ ltration (estimated glomerular ﬁ ltration rate, eGFR ≥ 120 mL/ min/1.73 m 2 ) would predict rapid GFR decline over 6 years and that rapid GFR decline would predict impaired GFR at 6 years in adults with Type 1 diabetes. Methods. GFR was calculated by chronic kidney disease epidemiology (CKD-EPI) creatinine in 646 adults with Type 1 diabetes in the coronary artery calci ﬁ cation in Type 1 diabetes study. Logistic multivariable models were employed to investi-gate the relationships between renal hyper ﬁ ltration and rapid GFR decline, and rapid GFR decline and incident impaired GFR over 6 years. Results. Renal hyper ﬁ ltration predicted greater odds of rapid GFR decline over 6 years [odds ratio (OR): 5.00, 95% con ﬁ dence interval (CI): 3.03 – 8.25, P < 0.0001] adjusting for hemo-globin A1c (HbA1c), systolic blood pressure (SBP), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), sex, duration, log of albumin/ creatinine ratio and estimated insulin sensitivity. Furthermore, rapid GFR decline predicted greater odds of incident impaired eGFR (OR: 15.99, 95% CI 2.34 – 114.37, P = 0.006) in a similarly adjusted model. Sensitivity analyses with GFR calculated by CKD-EPI combined creatinine and cystatin C, and renal hyper ﬁ ltration de ﬁ ned as ≥ 135 mL/min/1.73 m 2 yielded similar results. Conclusions. In adults with Type 1 diabetes, rapid GFR decline over 6 years was associated with baseline renal hyper ﬁ ltration and incident GFR impairment. These observations may suggest an intermediate and predictive role of rapid GFR decline in the progression of DN. CRIC Study Investigators is the acknowledgements ABSTRACT Background. We conducted single-marker, gene- and path-way-based analyses to examine the association between renin – angiotensin – aldosterone system (RAAS) variants and chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression among Chronic Renal Insuf ﬁ ciency Cohort study participants. Methods. A total of 1523 white and 1490 black subjects were genotyped for 490 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 12 RAAS genes as part of the ITMAT-Broad-CARe array. CKD progression phenotypes included decline in estimated glomerular ﬁ ltration
Classification of cancer cells based on Haralick's Coefficients using Multi-spectral images

A feature can be defined as a type of data that captures useful information of the digital content of an im- age. There exist several features and in our case w e are inter- ested in the features of the co-occurrence matrix. In this paper, Haralick's parameters based GLCM are applied for classifica- tion of cancer cell of textured images if they cont ain healthy cells or cancerous cells. The objective of this wor k is the selec- tion of the most discriminating parameters for imag e classifi- cation. We demonstrate the efficiency of the propos ed ap- proach by computing four main Haralick's features on the multispectral images of healthy and cancerous cells in order to accelerate the operations of classification between different types of cancerous cells. In this work multi-spect ral images of sixteen bands have been considered and analysied. T he experimental results obtained on several multispect ral images show that the method is efficient for the classific ation of cancer cells of type Carcinoma (Ca) and Benign Hyperplasia (BH).
Activation of the glutaredoxin-1 gene by Nuclear Factor kappa B enhances signaling

The transcription factor, Nuclear Factor kappa B (NF- κ B) is a critical regulator of inflammation and immunity, and is negatively regulated via S-glutathionylation. The inhibitory effect of S-glutathionylation is overcome by glutaredoxin-1 (Grx1), which under physiological conditions catalyses deglutathionylation and enhances NF- κ B activation. The mechanisms whereby expression of the Glrx1 gene is regulated remain unknown. Here we examined the role of NF- κ B in regulating activation of Glrx1 . Transgenic mice which express a doxycyclin-inducible constitutively active version of inhibitory kappa B kinase-beta (CA-IKK β ) demonstrate elevated expression of Grx1. Transient transfection of CA-IKK β also resulted in significant induction of Grx1. A 2kb region Glrx1 promoter that contains two putative NF- κ B binding sites was activated by CA-IKK β , RelA/p50, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments confirmed binding of RelA to the promoter of Glrx1 in response to LPS. Stimulation of C10 lung epithelial cells with LPS caused transient increases in Grx1 mRNA expression, and time-dependent increases in S-glutathionylation of IKK β . Overexpression of Grx1 decreased S-glutathionylation of IKK β , prolonged NF- κ B activation, and increased levels of pro-inflammatory mediators. Collectively, this study demonstrates that the Glrx1 gene is positively regulated by NF-κ B, and suggests a feed forward mechanism to promote NF- κ B signaling by decreasing S-glutathionylation.
Interpretation of 41 Ca data using compartmental modeling in post-menopausal women

Calcium-41 (t1/2 = 105 years) can be used after a single dose to follow calcium metabolism over a subject’s lifetime. The aims of this study were to expand a 41Ca kinetic model and estimate bone resorption in women with stable bone loss, compare the rates with those calculated with classical isotope studies, and to use the model to simulate dynamic changes in urinary 41Ca:Ca ratios and bone balance for the design and interpretation of 41Ca studies. Forty-two women >5 years postmenopause were given 41Ca intravenously. Bone mineral content and bone mineral density of total body were measured by dualenergy X-ray absorptiometry at the beginning of the study. Urine collections were made periodically for up to ∼5 years while subjects were free living. Urinary 41Ca:Ca ratios were measured using accelerator mass spectrometry. The isotope data were analyzed by compartmental modeling. Four compartments were necessary to fit the urinary tracer data and total bone calcium. The final model included pathways for absorption, distribution, urinary excretion, and endogenous excretion and was used to calculate rates of bone turnover. Estimates of bone resorption in a subset of the women (n=13), studied previously in a 3-week balance and full kinetic study with 45Ca, agreed with those using 41Ca methodology. Thus, rates of bone resorption can be estimated from 41Ca urinary data in stable postmenopausal women. The model was used to simulate dynamic changes in urinary 41Ca:Ca ratios and bone balance, as a result of interventions that perturb calcium metabolism to aid in study design and interpretation. Correspondence to: Connie M. Weaver, weavercm@purdue.edu. HHS Public Access Author manuscript Anal Bioanal Chem. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2015 August 04. Published in final edited form as: Anal Bioanal Chem. 2011 February ; 399(4): 1613–1622. doi:10.1007/s00216-010-4454-5. A uhor M anscript
ADRB2 gene variants, DEXA body composition, and hypertension in Tobago men of African descent

Objective— Classic tissue effects of β 2 adrenergic receptor activation include skeletal muscle glycogenolysis and vascular smooth muscle relaxation, factors relevant to obesity and hypertension, respectively. In a population-based study, we examined two common amino acid substitutions in the β 2 adrenergic receptor gene ( ADRB2 ) in relation to body composition and blood pressure. Design and subjects— Cross-sectional analysis of 1893 African-descent men living in Tobago and participating in a prostate cancer screening study. Measurements— Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, blood pressure, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) body composition, and ADRB2 (Arg16Gly; Gln27Glu) genotype. Results— Twenty-six percent were obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 ) and 50% hypertensive. ADRB2 Arg16Gly and Gln27Glu alleles were in linkage disequilibrium (D ′ =0.96, r 2 =0.15). ADRB2 16Gly-containing and 27Glu-containing genotypes were equally frequent in low, medium, and high tertiles of percentage body fat mass (16Gly-containing genotypes: 73.4%, 74.4%, 74.5%, p trend =0.66; 27Glu-containing genotypes: 27.6%, 23.8%, 25.4%, p trend =0.39) and in normal blood pressure, pre-hypertensive, and hypertensive men (16Gly-containing genotypes: 73.4%, 72.8%, 74.4%, p trend =0.61; 27Glu-containing genotypes: 25.6%, 24.1%, 26.7%, p trend =0.50). Conclusion— In a high obesity and high hypertension risk population with ancestry in common with African-Americans, genetic variation defined by two common ADRB2 amino acid substitutions was not associated with body composition or hypertension.
Exploring Instructional Technology Consulting in Two Different Culture Settings

This study explored instructional technology consulting in two different culture settings by examining what comprises instructional technology consulting, the personal experience of instructional technology consultants, and their feelings about instructional technology consulting. The study took a general qualitative approach (McMillan & Schumacher, 2001) and used a phenomenological method (Creswell, 1998) to interview experienced instructional technology consultants both in the USA and in China. The three ultimate purposes of this study were: (1) to reveal the essence of instructional technology consulting; (2) to explore similarities and differences of instructional technology consulting in these two different cultures; and (3) to seek implications for better instructional technology consulting practice in these two different cultures. This paper shares with readers the research design, implementation process, research findings, and discussions of the implications.
CONJUGATE HEAT TRANSFER ANALYSIS OF AN INTERNALLY COOLED TURBINE BLADES WITH AN OBJECT ORIENTED CFD CODE

This paper presents the developments done on a CFD unstructured solver, based on OpenFOAM® CFD libraries, to perform conjugate heat transfer simulations. Such libraries permit polyhedral meshing and are based on a finite volume cell centered approach with both implicit and explicit discretization of differential operators. The solver uses a SIMPLE-like algorithm with a special treatment for the pressure corrector equation to deal with highly compressible flows. To speed up convergence of the conjugate temperature equation a fully implicit approach has been adopted to solve the coupling for energy between solid and fluid region. Moreover an implicit treatment of generic interface has been developed and applied in this test, allowing treatment of non conformal cyclic patches. The validation case to be shown is a subsonic test over the NASA C3X blade, cooled with ten internal ducts. Numerical and experimental results are compared in terms of pressure and temperature distribution on the blade wall at midspan, as well as heat transfer coefficient profiles. The mesh is a 1.3 million hybrid hexahedral, in the fluid, tetrahedral, in the solid domain.
Identification of modal interaction and small signal stability in autonomous microgrid operation

The detailed models of renewable energy resources based distributed generation (DG) unit, namely, wind energy conversion system, photovoltaic and diesel engine are presented in this study. Combination of different DG units in three microgrid (MG) structures is considered to investigate small signal stability and possible interaction between sensitive modes, particularly in autonomous mode of MG operation. Evaluation of oscillatory condition suggested that gain controller variation significantly influenced MG stability and system dynamic response. Moreover, since modal interaction potentially occurred due to gain change, it is necessary to identify the interaction accurately to ensure stable MG operation. The conventional identification method of eigen-interaction is conducted by observing the movements of engaged eigenvalues. However, the eigen-trajectories method is less sensitive to identify the occurrence of weak interaction. To provide more sensitive identification method, cross-participation factor (CPF) and modal interaction index (MII) analysis are proposed. Deviation of eigen-trajectories after approaching a particular interaction point, higher values of CPF and MII confirmed the occurrence of interactions. The presented works contribute for MGs gain setting consideration and proposing novel methodologies in identifying modal interaction.
Understanding Premature Atherosclerosis in Pediatric SLE: Risk Factors of Increased Carotid Intima Medial Thickness (CIMT) in the Atherosclerosis Prevention in Pediatric Lupus Erythematosus (APPLE) Cohort

Objective— To evaluate risk factors of sub-clinical atherosclerosis in a pediatric SLE population. Methods— A prospective multicenter cohort of 221 patients underwent baseline measurements of carotid intima medial thickening (CIMT) as part of the Atherosclerosis Prevention in Pediatric Lupus Erythematosus (APPLE) trial. SLE disease measures, medications, and traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis were assessed. A standardized protocol was used to assess thickness of the bilateral common carotids and mean maximal IMT of 12 segments. Univariable analysis identified potential associations with CIMT that were examined in multivariable linear regression modeling. Results— Based on mean-mean common or mean-max CIMT as the dependent variable, univariable analysis showed significant associations with increased CIMT: increasing age, longer SLE duration, minority status, higher BMI, male sex, increased creatinine clearance, higher Lp(a), proteinuria, azathioprine use, and prednisone dose. Azathioprine use (P=0.005
Oxidized alginate hydrogels for BMP-2 delivery in long bone defects

Autograft treatment of large bone defects and fracture non-unions is complicated by limited tissue availability and donor site morbidity. Polymeric biomaterials such as alginate hydrogels provide an attractive tissue engineering alternative due to their biocompatibility, injectability, and tunable degradation rates. Irradiated RGD-alginate hydrogels have been used to deliver proteins such as bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), to promote bone regeneration and restoration of function in a critically sized rat femoral defect model. However, slow degradation of irradiated alginate hydrogels may impede integration and remodeling of the regenerated bone to its native architecture. Oxidation of alginate has been used to promote degradation of alginate matrices. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of alginate oxidation on BMP-2 release and bone regeneration. We hypothesized that oxidized-irradiated alginate hydrogels would elicit an accelerated release of BMP-2, but degrade faster in vivo , facilitating the formation of higher quality, more mature bone compared to irradiated alginate. Indeed, oxidation of irradiated alginate did accelerate in vitro BMP-2 release. Notably, the BMP-2 retained within both constructs was bioactive at 26 days, as observed by induction of alkaline phosphatase activity and positive Alizarin Red S staining of MC3T3-E1 cells. From the in vivo study, robust bone regeneration was observed in both groups through 12 weeks by radiography, micro-CT analyses, and biomechanical testing. Bone mineral density (BMD) was significantly greater for the oxidized-irradiated alginate group at 8 weeks. Histological analyses of bone defects revealed enhanced degradation of oxidized-irradiated alginate and suggested the presence of more mature bone after 12 weeks of healing.
Mobile interaction with the real world

The main goal of the workshop is to discuss approaches that use a mobile device (e.g. mobile phone, smartphone, PDA) for interactions with objects in the real world. Relevant topics include (but are not limited to) mobile interaction with the real world; mobile devices as user interfaces for terminals and vending machines; and Frameworks, middleware and APIs for the development of applications that take mobile interactions with the real world into account. The workshop combines technical presentations with the presentation of prototypes and focussed discussions to drive interaction between participants.
Synergistic associations of COMT and BDNF with executive function in aging are selective and modified by APOE

Genetic polymorphisms of Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT ) and Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF ) have shown promising but inconsistent linkages with executive function (EF) in normal aging. We tested (a) independent contributions of COMT and BDNF risk, (b) potential magnification by risk-related interactions or additive effects with age, and (c) effect modification through stratification by Apolipoprotein E ( APOE ; risk ( ε 4+)). Multiple linear regression models were applied with non-demented older adults ( N = 634; range: 53–95 years) for an EF latent variable. No independent effects of BDNF or COMT on EF were observed. Additive (but not interactive) effects of COMT , BDNF, and age showed that older adults with a high-risk allelic combination performed differentially worse. Of two tested models of synergistic effects, the additive approach selectively supported a magnification hypothesis, which was qualified by the presence or absence of APOE ε 4.