Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Respiratory viruses: do they protect from or induce asthma?

Links between viral respiratory tract infections and asthma have been recognized for over 40 years, but there has been a considerable increase in interest and research into this topic over the last decade. This interest has been fuelled by the significant rise in the prevalence of asthma in many countries and by new insights into interactions between infection and allergy and how this affects the developing immune system. Many studies have been published exploring the associations between asthma and infection often resulting in contradictory findings. On the one hand some studies have suggested that infections in early childhood protect against the later development of allergic diseases (1) such as asthma – the so-called hygiene hypothesis . On the other hand there are also studies linking early life respiratory tract infections to an increased risk of asthma in later life, suggesting that viral infections may promote allergic sensitization and the development of asthma. The aim of this article therefore is to explore the complex interactions that exist between childhood viral respiratory tract infections and the development of asthma.
An integrated approach to achieving high software reliability

In this paper we address the development, testing, and evaluation schemes for software reliability, and the integration of these schemes into a unified and consistent paradigm. Specifically, techniques and tools for the three software reliability engineering phases are described. The three phases are (1) modeling and analysis, (2) design and implementation, and (3) testing and measurement. In the modeling and analysis phase we describe Markov modeling and fault-tree analysis techniques. We present system-level reliability models based on these techniques, and provide modeling examples for reliability analysis and study. We describe how reliability block diagrams can be constructed for a real-world system for reliability prediction, and how critical components can be identified. We also apply fault tree models to fault tolerant system architectures, and formulate the resulting reliability quantity. Finally, we describe two software tools, SHARPE and UltraSAN, which are available for reliability modeling and analysis purpose.
FISTA Algorithm for Radiography Images Enhancement with Background Blurring Removal

ABSTRACT Testing and detecting potential defects in works of art is usually required to cause minimal or no damage; industrial Radiography Testing (RT) is often the method of choice provided the images are of the required high quality and yield high defect detection sensitivity. Various digital image processing methods can be employed to achieve improved image quality and information extraction as required. The level and nature of the noise in the RT images is usually unknown. In addition to the different noises, the image quality is degraded by the blurring effect. In this study, a modified form of the Fast Iterative Shrinkage-Thresholding Algorithm (FISTA) with quadratic regularization strategy was developed and applied to remove the blurring. The output of the application of the method to number RT images of five art objects was evaluated by industrial radiography and antiquities experts. It was confirmed that the applied method was efficient and improved image quality and defect detection.
Clinical Risk Score for Persistent Postconcussion Symptoms Among Children With Acute Concussion in the ED.

IMPORTANCE Approximately one-third of children experiencing acute concussion experience ongoing somatic, cognitive, and psychological or behavioral symptoms, referred to as persistent postconcussion symptoms (PPCS). However, validated and pragmatic tools enabling clinicians to identify patients at risk for PPCS do not exist. OBJECTIVE To derive and validate a clinical risk score for PPCS among children presenting to the emergency department. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Prospective, multicenter cohort study (Predicting and Preventing Postconcussive Problems in Pediatrics [5P]) enrolled young patients (aged 5-<18 years) who presented within 48 hours of an acute head injury at 1 of 9 pediatric emergency departments within the Pediatric Emergency Research Canada (PERC) network from August 2013 through September 2014 (derivation cohort) and from October 2014 through June 2015 (validation cohort). Participants completed follow-up 28 days after the injury. EXPOSURES All eligible patients had concussions consistent with the Zurich consensus diagnostic criteria. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was PPCS risk score at 28 days, which was defined as 3 or more new or worsening symptoms using the patient-reported Postconcussion Symptom Inventory compared with recalled state of being prior to the injury. RESULTS In total, 3063 patients (median age, 12.0 years [interquartile range, 9.2-14.6 years]; 1205 [39.3%] girls) were enrolled (n = 2006 in the derivation cohort; n = 1057 in the validation cohort) and 2584 of whom (n = 1701 [85%] in the derivation cohort; n = 883 [84%] in the validation cohort) completed follow-up at 28 days after the injury. Persistent postconcussion symptoms were present in 801 patients (31.0%) (n = 510 [30.0%] in the derivation cohort and n = 291 [33.0%] in the validation cohort). The 12-point PPCS risk score model for the derivation cohort included the variables of female sex, age of 13 years or older, physician-diagnosed migraine history, prior concussion with symptoms lasting longer than 1 week, headache, sensitivity to noise, fatigue, answering questions slowly, and 4 or more errors on the Balance Error Scoring System tandem stance. The area under the curve was 0.71 (95% CI, 0.69-0.74) for the derivation cohort and 0.68 (95% CI, 0.65-0.72) for the validation cohort. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE A clinical risk score developed among children presenting to the emergency department with concussion and head injury within the previous 48 hours had modest discrimination to stratify PPCS risk at 28 days. Before this score is adopted in clinical practice, further research is needed for external validation, assessment of accuracy in an office setting, and determination of clinical utility.
Paucity of Intrahepatic Bile Ducts in Neonates: the First Case Series from Iran

Objective Paucity of interlobular bile ducts (PIBD), defined as absence or marked decrease in the number of interlobular bile ducts, is one of the causes of neonatal cholestasis. Treatment includes treating the intractable pruritus caused by persistent cholestasis. PIBD can be part of a familial syndrome of cholestasis named Alagille syndrome (AGS). We report clinical status of a case series of Iranian patients with PIBD. Methods In this retrospective study, patients with cholestasis admitted to the pediatric gastroenterology ward in a referral hospital in Shiraz from January 2006 to January 2010 and underwent liver biopsy were evaluated. Clinical and paraclinical status of children with the pathologic diagnosis of PIBD was assessed. Findings Disease was presented in all jaundiced patients with aged in average 3 days at presentation. Seven patients had the criteria of AGS. Despite medical treatment, cholestasis was not controlled in 6 (28.6%) patients. Liver transplantation led to the survival of 5 patients while the other patient who did not undergo liver transplantation died at 2 months of age. One patient underwent peritoneal dialysis due to renal insufficiency and died at 9 months of age. After 1-5 years of follow-up, the mortality rate was 9.5%. Conclusion In patients with intractable cholestasis, only patients that underwent liver transplantation survived. Thus, the most important criterion for liver transplantation in neonatal PIBD is intractable cholestasis. This is the first report that shows AGS can result in neonatal-onset renal insufficiency.
Indication for Light Sneutrinos and Gauginos from Precision Electroweak Data

The present standard model fit of precision data has a low confidence level, and is characterized by a few inconsistencies. We look for supersymmetric effects that could improve the agreement among the electroweak precision measurements and with the direct lower bound on the Higgs mass. We find that this is the case particularly if the 3.6 σ discrepancy between sin 2θeff from leptonic and hadronic asymmetries is finally settled more on the side of the leptonic ones. After the inclusion of all experimental constraints, our analysis selects light sneutrinos, with masses in the range 55-80 GeV, and charged sleptons with masses just above their experimental limit, possibly with additional effects from light gauginos. The phenomenological implications of this scenario are discussed.
Maspin, the Molecular Bridge between the Plasminogen Activator System and β1 Integrin That Facilitates Cell Adhesion*

Maspin is a non-inhibitory serine protease inhibitor (serpin) that influences many cellular functions including adhesion, migration, and invasion. The underlying molecular mechanisms that facilitate these actions are still being elucidated. In this study we determined the mechanism by which maspin mediates increased MCF10A cell adhesion. Utilizing competition peptides and mutation analyses, we discovered two unique regions (amino acid residues 190–202 and 260–275) involved in facilitating the increased adhesion function of maspin. In addition, we demonstrate that the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA)/uPA receptor (uPAR) complex is required for the localization and adhesion function of maspin. Finally, we showed that maspin, uPAR, and β1 integrin co-immunoprecipitate, suggesting a novel maspin-uPA-uPAR-β1 integrin mega-complex that regulates mammary epithelial cell adhesion.
Pain management in trauma: A review study

Abstract: Background: Pain in trauma has a role similar to the double-edged sword. On the one hand, pain is a good indicator to determine the severity and type of injury. On the other hand, pain can induce sever complications and it may lead to further deterioration of the patient. Therefore, knowing how to manage pain in trauma patients is an important part of systemic approach in trauma. The aim of this manuscript is to provide information about pain management in trauma in the Emergency Room settings. Methods: In this review we searched among electronic and manual documents covering a 15-yr period between 2000 and 2016. Our electronic search included Pub Med, Google scholar, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases. We looked for articles in English and in peer-reviewed journals using the following keywords: acute pain management, trauma, emergency room and injury. Results: More than 3200 documents were identified. After screening based on the study inclusion criteria, 560 studies that had direct linkage to the study aim were considered for evaluation based World Health Organization (WHO) pain ladder chart. Conclusions: To provide adequate pain management in trauma patients require: adequate assessment of age-specific pharmacologic pain management; identification of adequate analgesic to relieve moderate to severe pain; cognizance of serious adverse effects of pain medications and weighting medications against their benefits, and regularly reassessing patients and reevaluating their pain management regimen. Patient-centered trauma care will also require having knowledge of barriers to pain management and discussing them with the patient and his/her family to identify solutions.
A distinct role of RhoB in gastric cancer suppression

Although Rho family GTPases RhoA, RhoB and RhoC share more than 85% amino acid sequence identity, they may play distinct roles in tumor progression. RhoA and RhoC have been suggested to have positive effects on tumor progression, but the role of RhoB in cancer, particularly in gastric cancer, remains unclear. In our study, we have examined the expression levels of these three Rho GTPases in a large panel of specimens from gastric cancer patients by immunohistochemistry. We found that RhoA and RhoC expression were significantly elevated, while RhoB was reduced or absent, in surgically removed gastric cancer tissues when compared to normal gastric tissues. The significant reduction of RhoB expression was confirmed in another group of gastric cancer samples in comparison to the adjacent non‐neoplastic tissues. Then we transfected the plasmids containing RhoA, RhoB or RhoC cDNA into two gastric cancer cell lines, SGC7901 and AGS cells, respectively. By overexpression experiments, we found that RhoA promoted the gastric cancer cell proliferation and RhoC stimulated migration and invasion of the cancer cell. RhoB expression, however, significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of the gastric cancer cells and also enhanced the chemosensitivity of these cells to anticancer drugs. It appears that RhoB plays an opposing role from that of RhoA and/or RhoC in gastric cancer cells. Our work suggests that RhoB may play a tumor suppressor role and subsequently may have potential implications in future targeted therapy.
[11C]-Methionine PET: dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumours compared with other epileptogenic brain neoplasms

Background and objectives: Brain tumours responsible for longstanding partial epilepsy are characterised by a high prevalence of dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumour (DNT), whose natural evolution is much more benign than that of gliomas. The preoperative diagnosis of DNT, which is not yet feasible on the basis of available clinical and imaging data, would help optimise the therapeutic strategy for this type of tumour. This study tested whether [11C]-methionine positron emission tomography (MET-PET) could help to distinguish DNTs from other epileptogenic brain tumours. Methods: Prospective study of 27 patients with partial epilepsy of at least six months duration related to a non-rapidly progressing brain tumour on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A structured visual analysis, which distinguished between normal, moderately abnormal, or markedly abnormal tumour methionine uptake, as well as various regions of interest and semiquantitative measurements were conducted. Results: Pathological results showed 11 DNTs (41%), 5 gangliogliomas (18%), and 11 gliomas (41%). MET-PET visual findings significantly differed between the various tumour types (p<0.0002), regardless of gadolinium enhancement on MRI, and were confirmed by semiquantitative analysis (p<0.001 for all calculated ratios). All gliomas and gangliogliomas were associated with moderately or markedly increased tumour methionine uptake, whereas 7/11 DNTs had a normal methionine uptake, including all six located in the mesiotemporal structures. No DNT presented with a marked MET-PET abnormality. Conclusion: Normal MET-PET findings in patient with an epileptogenic and non-rapidly progressing brain tumour are suggestive of DNT, whereas a markedly increased tumour methionine uptake makes this diagnosis unlikely.
Development of Sustainable Building Materials from Agro- Industrial Wastes in Nigeria

One of the continuing challenges posed by unprecedented urbanisation in Nigeria, esti- mated at about 5% per annum, is the provision of adequate and affordable housing. The shortage in housing, due in part to the ever-rising prices of construction materials, makes it logical to consider alternative building materials. Paradoxically, Nigeria is grappling with the challenges of managing solid waste, many of which could find suitable applica - tions in the production of cement-, concrete- and clay-based walling, roofing and ceiling products as well as pozzolans for partial replacement for ordinary Portland cement. The objective of this chapter is to present information on the development, experimental inves tigations and practical application of sustainable building materials from agro-industrial wastes in Nigeria. Agroforestry residues such as bagasse and corn cob ashes have been found suitable as pozzolans; cement- and clay-bonded reinforced composite roofing tiles, hollow concrete blocks and stabilised clay bricks have been developed using a variety of lignocelluloses as sources of fibre reinforcement, while biomaterial substitutes for steel reinforcement in concrete have been tested. However, for these products to become widely acceptable, greater awareness has to be created among all stakeholders in the building construction industry, coupled with the development of appropriate building codes.
Sensitivity of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (64-Card Version) versus the Tower of London (Drexel Version) for detecting executive dysfunction in children with epilepsy

ABSTRACT Executive function deficits are common in children and adolescents with epilepsy. Though the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST) is often considered the “gold standard” for executive function assessment, its sensitivity—particularly in the case of the 64-card version (WCST-64)—is insufficiently established in pediatric samples, including children and adolescents with epilepsy. The present investigation assesses the sensitivity of the WCST-64 in children and adolescents with epilepsy in comparison to another measure: the Tower of London – Drexel Version (TOL-DX). A total of 88 consecutively referred children and adolescents with epilepsy were administered both the WCST-64 and TOL-DX as part of a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation. The sensitivity of WCST-64 and TOL-DX variables were established and relations with epilepsy severity measures and other executive function measures were assessed. Of the WCST-64 variables, Perseverative Responses is the most sensitive, but detected executive function impairment in only 19% of this clinically referred sample; in contrast, the TOL-DX Rule Violations detected executive function impairment in half of the sample. Further, TOL-DX performances are more strongly related to epilepsy severity variables and other executive function measures in comparison to the WCST-64. Despite its popularity amongst clinicians, the WCST-64 is not as sensitive to executive dysfunction in comparison to other measures of comparable administration time, such as the TOL-DX.
Participant Subjectivity and Involvement as a Basis for Discourse Segmentation

We propose a framework for analyzing episodic conversational activities in terms of expressed relationships between the participants and utterance content. We test the hypothesis that linguistic features which express such properties, e.g. tense, aspect, and person deixis, are a useful basis for automatic intentional discourse segmentation. We present a novel algorithm and test our hypothesis on a set of intentionally segmented conversational monologues. Our algorithm performs better than a simple baseline and as well as or better than well-known lexical-semantic segmentation methods.
Contribution of Interleukin-12 p35 (IL-12p35) and IL-12p40 to Protective Immunity and Pathology in Mice Infected with Chlamydia muridarum

ABSTRACT The p35 molecule is unique to interleukin-12 (IL-12), while p40 is shared by both IL-12 and IL-23. IL-12 promotes Th1 T cell responses, while IL-23 promotes Th17 T cell responses. The roles of IL-12p35- and IL-12p40-mediated responses in chlamydial infection were compared in mice following an intravaginal infection with Chlamydia muridarum. Mice deficient in either IL-12p35 or p40 both developed similar but prolonged infection time courses, confirming the roles of IL-12-mediated immune responses in clearing primary infection. However, all mice, regardless of genotype, cleared reinfection within 2 weeks, suggesting that an IL-12- or IL-23-independent adaptive immunity is protective against chlamydial infection. All infected mice developed severe oviduct hydrosalpinx despite the increased Th2 responses in IL-12p35- or IL-12p40-deficient mice, suggesting that Th2-dominant responses can contribute to Chlamydia-induced inflammatory pathology. Compared to IL-12p35 knockout mice, the IL-12p40-deficient mice exhibited more extensive spreading of chlamydial organisms into kidney tissues, leading to significantly increased incidence of pyelonephritis, which both confirms the role of IL-12 or IL-23-independent host responses in Chlamydia-induced pathologies and suggests that in the absence of IL-12/IFN-γ-mediated Th1 immunity, an IL-23-mediated response may play an important role in restricting chlamydial organisms from spreading into distal organs. These observations together provide important information for both understanding chlamydial pathogenesis and developing anti-Chlamydia vaccines.
Asymptomatic pulmonary embolism in patient with fistulizing mild Crohn's disease

A 32-year-old man was admitted to our clinic complaining of diarrhea and mild abdominal pain. He had a history of extra-abdominal fistulizing ileocolonic Crohn’s disease (CD) occurred after appendectomy and he had received azathioprine and adalimumab treatment for 3 months owing to activation of CD. The active fistula of the disease has not responded to treatment. His vital signs were within normal limits. Physical examination revealed extra-abdominal fistula with moderate output (between 200 and 400 mL per day) on the right lower abdomen. Blood tests showed a white cell count of 5000 per mm, erythrocyte sedimentation rate 45 mm/h, C-reactive protein 13.7 mg/L, total protein 5.1 g/dL, albumin 3.0 g/dL, creatinine 0.5 mg/dL and CD activity index was 165. During routine inspections for infliximab treatment, consolidation was found on the lateral side of the right middle lobe on the chest Xray (Fig. 1A). Thoracic computed tomography was taken for preliminary investigation of peripheral pulmonary lesions and nonmassive pulmonary embolism was detected on examination (Fig. 1B). Anticoagulant treatment was started with low-molecular-weight heparin. Because, from his mild clinical presentation and low-flow fistula, surgical procedure was not considered and adalimumab treatment was switched Infliximab treatment with azathioprine. Pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) is a common cardiovascular disease, complication of underlying venous thrombosis (1). The classic presentation of PTE is the abrupt onset of pleuritic chest pain, dyspnea and hypoxia. But patients with nonmassive PTE may have no obvious symptoms at presentation. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease are at increased risk of venous thromboembolism (2). Endothelial injury, stasis or turbulence of blood flow and blood hypercoagulability are three common predisposing factor for thrombus formation. CD, especially fistulizing form, may cause PTE with these three steps. Because of nonspecific clinical presentation, physician should be vigilant in patient with active or inactive CD for PTE.
Efficacy of localized phototherapy and photodynamic therapy for psoriasis: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Localized phototherapy including topical psoralen plus ultraviolet A (PUVA) and targeted ultraviolet B (UVB), and photodynamic therapy (PDT) have been increasingly used in the treatment of localized psoriasis. Yet, there are no systematic reviews or meta‐analyses that scientifically evaluated the pooled efficacy of these treatments in psoriasis. We searched Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases during the period of January 1980 to June 2012. Our systematic search resulted in 765 studies, 23 of them were included in the review. The primary outcome was 75% reduction in severity score from baseline. A meta‐analysis using random effect model found topical PUVA to be more effective than non‐laser targeted UVB [odds ratio: 3.48 (95% confidence interval 0.56–21.84), P = 0.183]. The pooled effect estimate of the efficacy (75% reduction in severity score) of topical PUVA, targeted UVB, and PDT were as follows: 77% (topical PUVA), 61% (targeted UVB), and 22% (PDT). Topical PUVA and targeted UVB phototherapy are very effective in the treatment of localized psoriasis. Topical PUVA seems more effective than non‐laser targeted UVB phototherapy. On the other hand, PDT has low efficacy and high percentage of side effects in treating localized psoriasis.