Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The cyclooxygenase hydroperoxide product PGG(2) activates synaptic nitric oxide synthase: a possible antioxidant response to membrane lipid peroxidation.

Nitric oxide is a potent inhibitor of membrane lipid peroxidation. It is unknown, however, whether nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity increases under conditions of membrane lipid peroxidation. Importantly, cyclooxygenase (COX)-catalyzed peroxidation of arachidonic acid is well-established to be increased by lipid hydroperoxides. The results of the present study demonstrate that the COX hydroperoxide product prostaglandin G(2) (PGG(2)) greatly stimulated NOS activity in synaptosomal membrane fractions from rat brain in a dose-dependent (EC(50) = 0.2 microM) manner in the presence of ATP and the antioxidant urate. NOS activation was also produced, albeit to a lesser extent, by 15-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15-HPETE) but not by the corresponding hydroxy compounds PGH(2) and 15-HETE or by hydrogen peroxide. These findings demonstrate that PGG(2)-activated synaptic NOS by a hydroperoxide-mediated pathway and support the view that NOS activation may be an important physiological response to lipid peroxidation.
A DARE for VaR

This paper introduces a new class of models for the Value-at-Risk (VaR) and Expected Shortfall (ES), called the Dynamic AutoRegressive Expectiles (DARE) models. Our approach is based on a weighted average of expectile-based VaR and ES models, i.e. the Conditional Autoregressive Expectile (CARE) models introduced by Taylor (2008a) and Kuan et al. (2009). First, we briefly present the main non-parametric, parametric and semi-parametric estimation methods for VaR and ES. Secondly, we detail the DARE approach and show how the expectiles can be used to estimate quantile risk measures. Thirdly, we use various backtesting tests to compare the DARE approach to other traditional methods for computing VaR forecasts on the French stock market. Finally, we evaluate the impact of several conditional weighting functions and determine the optimal weights in order to dynamically select the more relevant global quantile model.
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis recovery following prolonged prednisolone therapy in infants.

CONTEXT The duration of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis suppression after glucocorticoid treatment is uncertain. OBJECTIVE We aimed to determine the duration of HPA axis suppression in prednisolone-treated infants and the age at which circadian variation in salivary cortisol is established in healthy infants. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Before the adoption of propranolol treatment by the Vascular Birthmarks Clinic, 12 infants with infantile hemangioma received high-dose prednisolone for 12 to 25 weeks' duration, weaned over 4 to 6 weeks, and ceased at age 21 to 31 weeks. Parents collected serial salivary samples at two time points per day (before first and last feed) until circadian variation in salivary cortisol (measured by radioimmunoassay) was observed, when a confirmatory 1 μg Synacthen test was performed. Ten healthy control infants had serial salivary cortisol measurements to determine the age at which circadian variation is established. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE We defined circadian variation as evening salivary cortisol <50% of the early morning level on two consecutive sampling weeks. RESULTS Circadian variation appeared within 6 weeks (median 2.7, range 1.4-5.4) of prednisolone cessation. All confirmatory Synacthen tests were normal (peak serum cortisol >600 nmol/L) and were performed within 12 weeks of prednisolone cessation. Healthy controls developed circadian variation at median 16 weeks of age (range 8-24). CONCLUSION HPA recovery occurred within 6 to 12 weeks, shorter than empirical recommendations, to give stress cover for 6 to 12 months. Reduced duration of stress-cover precautions may reduce parental anxiety and side effects from unnecessary glucocorticoid use. Healthy control infants established circadian variation in salivary cortisol between 2 and 6 months of age.
Electromagnetic Mathematical Modeling of 3D Supershaped Dielectric Lens Antennas

The electromagnetic analysis of a special class of 3D dielectric lens antennas is described in detail. This new class of lens antennas has a geometrical shape defined by the three-dimensional extension of Gielis’ formula. The analytical description of the lens shape allows the development of a dedicated semianalytical hybrid modeling approach based on geometrical tube tracing and physical optic. In order to increase the accuracy of the model, the multiple reflections occurring within the lens are also taken into account.
Transcriptome and proteome dynamics in chemostat culture reveal how Campylobacter jejuni modulates metabolism, stress responses and virulence factors upon changes in oxygen availability

Summary Campylobacter jejuni, the most frequent cause of food‐borne bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide, is a microaerophile that has to survive high environmental oxygen tensions, adapt to oxygen limitation in the intestine and resist host oxidative attack. Here, oxygen‐dependent changes in C. jejuni physiology were studied at constant growth rate using carbon (serine)‐limited continuous chemostat cultures. We show that a perceived aerobiosis scale can be calibrated by the acetate excretion flux, which becomes zero when metabolism is fully aerobic (100% aerobiosis). Transcriptome changes in a downshift experiment from 150% to 40% aerobiosis revealed many novel oxygen‐regulated genes and highlighted re‐modelling of the electron transport chains. A label‐free proteomic analysis showed that at 40% aerobiosis, many proteins involved in host colonisation (e.g., PorA, CadF, FlpA, CjkT) became more abundant. PorA abundance increased steeply below 100% aerobiosis. In contrast, several citric‐acid cycle enzymes, the peptide transporter CstA, PEB1 aspartate/glutamate transporter, LutABC lactate dehydrogenase and PutA proline dehydrogenase became more abundant with increasing aerobiosis. We also observed a co‐ordinated response of oxidative stress protection enzymes and Fe‐S cluster biogenesis proteins above 100% aerobiosis. Our approaches reveal key virulence factors that respond to restricted oxygen availability and specific transporters and catabolic pathways activated with increasing aerobiosis.
Characteristic updrafts for computing distribution‐averaged cloud droplet number and stratocumulus cloud properties

[1] A computationally effective framework is presented that addresses the contribution of subgrid-scale vertical velocity variations in predictions of cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) in large-scale models. Central to the framework is the concept of a “characteristic updraft velocity” , which yields CDNC value representative of integration over a probability density function (PDF) of updraft (i.e., positive vertical) velocity. Analytical formulations for are developed for computation of average CDNC over a Gaussian PDF using the Twomey droplet parameterization. The analytical relationship also agrees with numerical integrations using a state-of-the-art droplet activation parameterization. For situations where the variabilities of vertical velocity and liquid water content can be decoupled, the concept of is extended to the calculation of cloud properties and process rates that complements existing treatments for subgrid variability of liquid water content. It is shown that using the average updraft velocity (instead of ) for calculations of Nd, re, and A (a common practice in atmospheric models) can overestimate PDF-averaged Nd by 10%, underestimate re by 10%–15%, and significantly underpredict autoconversion rate between a factor of 2–10. The simple expressions of presented here can account for an important source of parameterization “tuning” in a physically based manner.
Epidemiology and Clinical Features of Invasive Fungal Disease in a US Healthcare Network

Abstract Background A better understanding of the epidemiology and clinical features of invasive fungal disease (IFD) is integral to improving outcomes. Here we aimed to describe the incidence, clinical features and outcomes of IFD in a large US healthcare network. Methods We developed a novel method of IFD cohort discovery to query all available records in the Intermountain Healthcare electronic data warehouse from 2006 to 2015 for clinical data associated with IFD (Figure 1). Resulting data were overlaid in 124 different combinations to identify high-probability IFD cases. The cohort was manually reviewed and exclusions applied. EORTC/MSG definitions were adapted to categorize IFD in a broad patient population. Linear regression was used to model variation in incidence over time. Results 3,391 IFD episodes occurred in 3,171 patients. Mean incidence was 27.4 cases/100,000 patients per year (Figure 2). Estimated mean annual increase was 0.24 cases/100,000 patients (r2 = 0.09, P = 0.21). Candidiasis was most common (56%). Dimorphic fungi, primarily Coccidioides, comprised 24%, followed by aspergillosis (9%). Mean age was 50 years; pediatric cases accounted for 13%. 19.2% of patients had an active malignancy or primary immunodeficiency, 6.9% were transplant recipients, and 27.5% were on immunosuppression. Lymphopenia preceded IFD in 24.4% of patients. Hospital admission occurred in 75%; median length of stay was 12 days. All-cause mortality was 17% at 42 days and 28.6% at 1 year. 42-day mortality was highest in aspergillosis (27.5%), 20.5% for Candida, and lowest for dimorphic fungi (7.5%). Conclusion In this population, IFD was not uncommon, affected a broad spectrum of patients and had high observed mortality. Table 1: N % IFD episodes 3391 100 Proven 2259 66.6 Probable 868 25.6 Possible 264 7.8 Age (mean, SD) 50 (23.8) Male 1744 51.4 Charlson score (median, IQI) 3 (1, 6) Any malignancy 461 13.6 Leukemia/lymphoma 211 6.2 Allogeneic BMT 106 3.1 Autologous BMT 16 0.5 Solid organ transplant 79 2.3 Other (HIV, etc.) 551 16.2 IS medication 932 27.5 Lymphopenia 828 24.4 Neutropenia 258 7.6 Hospitalization 2529 74.6 Length of stay, days (median, IQI) 12 (5, 26) 42-day mortality 575 17.0 1-year mortality 971 28.6 BMT-bone marrow transplant; IS-immunosuppressive Figure 1. Cohort discovery flowchart.Figure 2. Trends in invasive fungal disease incidence. Disclosures B. Webb, Astellas Pharma Global Development, Inc.: Grant Investigator, Research grant. J. Ferraro, Astellas Pharma Global Development, Inc.: Grant Investigator, Research support. S. Rea, Astellas Pharma Global Development, Inc.: Grant Investigator, Research support. J. Kammerer, Astellas Pharma Global Development, Inc.: Employee, Salary. S. Kaufusi, Astellas Pharma Global Development, Inc.: Grant Investigator, Research support. B. Goodman, Astellas Pharma Global Development, Inc.: Grant Investigator, Research support. G. Martin, Astellas Pharma Global Development, Inc.: Grant Investigator, Research support. J. Spalding, Astellas Pharma Global Development, Inc.: Employee, Salary
Localization of NADPH‐diaphorase in the brain of the chicken

NADPH‐diaphorase, an enzyme catalyzed reaction thought to reflect the activity of nitric oxide synthase in the mammalian nervous system, was mapped in the brain of the chicken. Intensely stained neurons and fibers were found in most parts of the telencephalon, in particular in the neostriatum, paleostriatum augmentatum, olfactory tubercle, lobus parolfactorius, hyperstriatum accessorium, and hyperstriatum ventrale. Medial to the nucleus taeniae, an accumulation of stained cells was observed that appeared to merge with a band of stained neurons located dorsal to the occipitomesencephalic tract. These are considered to belong to the nucleus interstitialis of the dorsal olfactory projection. Further caudally, neurons with different staining intensities were found in the lateral hypothalamic area, lateral mammillary nucleus, periventricular organ, ventral tegmental area, medial spiriform nucleus, optic tectum, isthmooptic nucleus, mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus, interpeduncular nucleus, and central gray of the mesencephalon. A particularly dense cluster of NADPH‐diaphorase positive neurons was located in the locus coeruleus. It is proposed that these might represent cholinergic cells intermingled with catecholaminergic neurons, thus forming the avian counterpart of the tegmental cholinergic nuclei of mammals. Several NADPH‐diaphorase reactive neurons were seen in the parabrachial nucleus and medial and dorsal vestibular nucleus, as well as scattered in the reticular formation. In the caudal medulla, intensely stained cells were grouped around the central canal. Therefore the pattern of expression of NADPH‐diaphorase, and thus possibly of nitric oxide synthase, within the avian and mammalian brain might be largely conserved. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A clinical study about contrast nephropathy: Risk factors and the role of beta blockers

Objective: There is still a group of patient that have unpredictable risk for the development of contrast nephropathy (CN). There is also an effort to find more effficient strategies to prevent CN. Carvedilol, metoprolol and nebivolol seem to have theoretical potentials for the prevention of CN. In this study, we aimed to investigate their effects on the prevention of CN. We also aimed to define the risk factors associated with the development of CN in our study group. Methods: In this prospective, cross-sectional study, the patients were divided into four groups according to whether they were taking 25 mg/day carvedilol (n:56), 5 mg/day nebivolol (n:60), 50 mg/day metoprolol (n:68) or none (n:63). We made analysis to determine the agents’ efficiency on the prevention of CN. We also performed multiple logistic regression analysis including all groups to define the risk factors associated with CN. Results: The incidents of CN were the lowest in the carvedilol group (4%) while the worst performance occurred in those taking metoprolol (10%). The difference between the groups in terms of the development of CN did not reach statistical significance (p>0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed age (p=0.003), higher triglyceride levels (p=0.011) and family history of coronary artery disease (p=0.038) to be the predictors of CN. Conclusion: In this study, we didn’t find any relation between the development of CN and carvedilol, metoprolol or nebivolol usage. We found age, higher levels of triglyceride and family history of coronary artery disease to be risk factors for predicting CN.
Influence of soot carbon on the bioaccumulation of sediment‐bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by marine benthic invertebrates: An interspecies comparison

The sorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to soot carbon in marine sediments has been hypothesized to reduce PAH bioavailability. This hypothesis was tested for eight species of marine benthic invertebrates (four polychaete worms, Clymenella torquata, Nereis virens, Cirriformia grandis, and Pectinaria gouldii, and four bivalve mollusks, Macoma balthica, Mulinia lateralis, Yoldia limatula, and Mya arenaria) that span a wide range of feeding behavior, ability to metabolize PAHs, and gut chemistry. Organisms were exposed for 20 d to two PAH‐spiked sediments, one with soot and one without soot. The soot treatment generally resulted in lower bioaccumulation than the no soot treatment, though the differences between treatments were not significant for all species. All but one species accumulated significant PAH concentrations in their tissues from the soot treatment, indicating that soot‐bound PAH cannot be dismissed as unavailable to infaunal benthic biota. Bioaccumulation factors were correlated negatively to both the organisms' ability to metabolize PAHs and the gut fluid contact angle, supporting the hypotheses that high PAH metabolism results in lower bioaccumulation factors and bioavailability of PAHs may be limited partially by PAH solubilization in the gut lumen. The variability in bioaccumulation due to the soot treatment was much less than the variability between species and between PAH analytes. Comparatively low bioaccumulation was observed in Nereis virens, a species commonly used in bioaccumulation tests. These results suggest that more effort is needed in understanding the salient characteristics of species present in a threatened environment, rather than focusing solely on the sediment geochemistry (e.g., soot and organic carbon content) and contaminant characteristics when predicting ecological risk of PAH‐contaminated sediments.
Strategies for enhancing research in aging health disparities by mentoring diverse investigators

Introduction The Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR) program was launched in 1997. Its goal is to build infrastructure to improve the well-being of older racial/ethnic minorities by identifying mechanisms to reduce health disparities. Methods Its primary objectives are to mentor faculty in research addressing the health of minority elders and to enhance the diversity of the workforce that conducts elder health research by prioritizing the mentorship of underrepresented diverse scholars. Results Through 2015, 12 centers received RCMAR awards and provided pilot research funding and mentorship to 361 scholars, 70% of whom were from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. A large majority (85%) of RCMAR scholars from longstanding centers continue in academic research. Another 5% address aging and other health disparities through nonacademic research and leadership roles in public health agencies. Conclusions Longitudinal, team-based mentoring, cross-center scholar engagement, and community involvement in scholar development are important contributors to RCMAR’s success.
Learning Words Using Augmented Reality

This paper presents an Augmented Reality (AR) game for learning words. Thirty-two children played the AR game and the equivalent real game. We have compared the results of the two games. The results indicate that children did not found significant differences between the two games except for one question, but 81% of the children liked most the AR game.
Risk Stratification Using Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers in Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment: An Exploratory Analysis.

BACKGROUND Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers can distinguish Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients from normal controls; however, their interpretation and potential for use in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) remains unclear. OBJECTIVE To examine whether biomarker levels allow for risk stratification among MCI patients who are at increased risk to develop AD, thus allowing for improved targeting of early interventions for those whose risk are higher. METHODS We analyzed data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative on MCI patients (n = 195) to estimate their risk of developing AD for up to 6 years on the basis of baseline CSF biomarkers. We used time-dependent receiver operating characteristic analysis to identify the best combination of biomarkers to discriminate those who converted to AD from those who remained stable. We used these data to construct a multi-biomarker score and estimated the risk of progression to AD for each quintile of the multi-biomarker score. RESULTS We found that Aβ(1-42) and P-tau(181p) were the best combination among CSF biomarkers to predict the overall risk of developing AD among MCI patients (area under the curve = 0.77). The hazard ratio of developing AD among MCI patients with high-risk (3rd-5th quintiles) biomarker levels was about 4 times greater than MCI patients with low-risk (1st quintile) levels (95% confidence interval, 1.93-7.26). CONCLUSION Our study identifies MCI patients at increased risk of developing AD by applying a multi-biomarker score using CSF biomarker results. Our findings may be of value to MCI patients and their clinicians for planning purposes and early intervention as well as for future clinical trials.
Treatment of Giardiasis after Nonresponse to Nitroimidazole

During January 2008–October 2013, a total of 12 cases of giardiasis at the Chaim Sheba and Shaare Zedek Medical Centers, Israel, did not respond to nitroimidazole; 83.3% were associated with travel and 33% with immunoglobulin deficiency. Among 110 published cases, the most effective treatment was quinacrine (efficacy 90%–100%), but its availability is limited.
The Diagnosis and Management of Lipodystrophy Syndromes: A Multi-Society Practice Guideline

Objective: Lipodystrophy syndromes are extremely rare disorders of deficient body fat associated with potentially serious metabolic complications, including diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia, and steatohepatitis. Due to their rarity, most clinicians are not familiar with their diagnosis and management. This practice guideline summarizes the diagnosis and management of lipodystrophy syndromes not associated with HIV or injectable drugs. Participants: Seventeen participants were nominated by worldwide endocrine societies or selected by the committee as content experts. Funding was via an unrestricted educational grant from Astra Zeneca to the Pediatric Endocrine Society. Meetings were not open to the general public. Evidence: A literature review was conducted by the committee. Recommendations of the committee were graded using the system of the American Heart Association. Expert opinion was used when published data were unavailable or scarce. Consensus Process: The guideline was drafted by committee members and reviewed, revised, and approved by the entire committee during group meetings. Contributing societies reviewed the document and provided approval. Conclusions: Lipodystrophy syndromes are heterogeneous and are diagnosed by clinical phenotype, supplemented by genetic testing in certain forms. Patients with most lipodystrophy syndromes should be screened for diabetes, dyslipidemia, and liver, kidney, and heart disease annually. Diet is essential for the management of metabolic complications of lipodystrophy. Metreleptin therapy is effective for metabolic complications in hypoleptinemic patients with generalized lipodystrophy and selected patients with partial lipodystrophy. Other treatments not specific for lipodystrophy may be helpful as well (eg, metformin for diabetes, and statins or fibrates for hyperlipidemia). Oral estrogens are contraindicated.
Evaluation of equations for fat-free mass based on anthropometry in infants and young children in South Asia

Rapid postnatal growth in low-birth weight infants increases the risk of hypertension, CHD and type 2 diabetes in adult life. To provide validated tools to study the growth in South Asian infants, we evaluated two published equations to measure total body water (TBW) and fat-free mass (FFM) based on anthropometry in 6- to 24-month-old infants, using 2H2O dilution. In a method-comparison study in seventy-eight infants aged 6–24 months (forty-two girls and thirty-six boys) from the urban poor attending an immunisation clinic of a hospital in Kolkata, we measured their length to the nearest 0·1 cm, weight to the nearest 10 g and TBW using 2H2O dilution. The calculated TBW in kg (TBWkg) and FFM in kg (FFMkg) using two equations based on the length and weight were each compared with TBWkg and FFMkg calculated from 2H2O dilution. The mean FFMkg were 7·31 (sd 1·11), 7·13 (sd 1·08) and 7·26 (sd 1·13) by the 2H2O dilution method, and the anthropometry equations of Mellits and Cheek (AN-1) and Morgenstern et al. (AN-2), respectively. The mean of the paired difference in FFMkg was 0·18 (sem 0·06) and 0·04 (sem 0·07) between 2H2O, and AN-1 and AN-2, respectively. There is a good agreement for FFM derived by AN-2 with 2H2O dilution. The former is 1 % lower than that obtained from the reference method (P = 0·28). The AN-2 equation is useful for evaluating FFM in infants in India.