Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intravenous nicorandil for treatment of the urgent phase acute heart failure syndromes: A randomized, controlled trial

Background: Vasodilators, such as nitroglycerin, have long been first-line treatments for acute heart failure syndromes (AHFS). Nicorandil is a vasodilator with dual potassium channel opening and nitrate properties. However, there are no randomized controlled studies of intravenous nicorandil safety and efficacy in the urgent phase AHFS. We examined the symptomatic, hemodynamic, and echocardiographic effects and safety, and 60-day clinical outcomes of intravenous nicorandil, in addition to standard therapy, in patients with AHFS in the urgent phase. Methods: In this prospective, randomized controlled trial, 106 AHFS patients were randomized within one hour of arrival to receive either standard therapy (control group, n=56) or standard therapy plus simultaneous intravenous nicorandil (0.2 mg/kg bolus followed by 0.2 mg/kg/h for 24 h; nicorandil group, n=50). Outcomes were assessed at 60 days. Results: Patients in the nicorandil group exhibited greater improvement of dyspnea as measured by change in a five-point Likert scale compared to those in the control group (after 1 h infusion: p=0.006, 6 h; p<0.001). The nicorandil group also showed significantly improved E/e′, an estimate of left ventricular filling pressure, at 1 and 24 h (p=0.001 and p=0.004, respectively). In addition, intravenous nicorandil therapy was safe and did not cause side effects such as excessive hypotension or reflex tachycardia. However, it did not reduce all-cause mortality and readmission rates at 60 days. Conclusions: Addition of intravenous nicorandil to standard therapy for urgent phase AHFS improved dyspnea and left ventricular diastolic function but not 60-day outcome.
Proteomic Properties Reveal Phyloecological Clusters of Archaea

In this study, we propose a novel way to describe the variety of environmental adaptations of Archaea. We have clustered 57 Archaea by using a non-redundant set of proteomic features, and verified that the clusters correspond to environmental adaptations to the archaeal habitats. The first cluster consists dominantly of hyperthermophiles and hyperthermoacidophilic aerobes. The second cluster joins together halophilic and extremely halophilic Archaea, while the third cluster contains mesophilic (mostly methanogenic) Archaea together with thermoacidophiles. The non-redundant subset of proteomic features was found to consist of five features: the ratio of charged residues to uncharged, average protein size, normalized frequency of beta-sheet, normalized frequency of extended structure and number of hydrogen bond donors. We propose this clustering to be termed phyloecological clustering. This approach could give additional insights into relationships among archaeal species that may be hidden by sole phylogenetic analysis.
Zebrafish Lacking Circadian Gene per2 Exhibit Visual Function Deficiency

The retina has an intrinsic circadian clock, but the importance of this clock for vision is unknown. Zebrafish offer many advantages for studying vertebrate vision and circadian rhythm. Here, we explored the role of zebrafish per2, a light-regulated gene, in visual behavior and the underlying mechanisms. We observed that per2 mutant zebrafish larvae showed decreased contrast sensitivity and visual acuity using optokinetic response (OKR) assays. Using a visual motor response (VMR) assay, we observed normal OFF responses but abnormal ON responses in mutant zebrafish larvae. Immunofluorescence showed that mutants had a normal morphology of cone photoreceptor cells and retinal organization. However, electron microscopy showed that per2 mutants displayed abnormal and decreased photoreceptor ribbon synapses with arciform density, which resulted in retinal ON pathway defect. We also examined the expression of three cone opsins by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and the expression of long-wave-sensitive opsin (opn1lw) and short-wave-sensitive opsin (opn1sw) was reduced in mutant zebrafish larvae. qRT-PCR analyses also showed a down-regulation of the clock genes cry1ba and bmal1b in the adult eye of per2 mutant zebrafish. This study identified a mechanism by which a clock gene affects visual function and defined important roles of per2 in retinal information processing.
Acclimation to Fluctuating Light Impacts the Rapidity of Response and Diurnal Rhythm of Stomatal Conductance1[CC-BY]

Fluctuating light influences stomatal responses in Arabidopsis independently of the growth light intensity. Plant acclimation to growth light environment has been studied extensively; however, the majority of these studies have focused on light intensity and photo-acclimation, with few studies exploring the impact of dynamic growth light on stomatal acclimation and behavior. To assess the impact of growth light regime on stomatal acclimation, we grew Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants in three different lighting regimes (with the same average daily intensity), fluctuating with a fixed pattern of light, fluctuating with a randomized pattern of light (sinusoidal), and nonfluctuating (square wave), to assess the effect of light regime dynamics on gas exchange. We demonstrated that gs (stomatal conductance to water vapor) acclimation is influenced by both intensity and light pattern, modifying the stomatal kinetics at different times of the day and resulting in differences in the rapidity and magnitude of the gs response. We also describe and quantify the response to an internal signal that uncouples variation in A and gs over the majority of the diurnal period and represents 25% of the total diurnal gs. This gs response can be characterized by a Gaussian element and when incorporated into the widely used Ball-Berry model greatly improved the prediction of gs in a dynamic environment. From these findings, we conclude that acclimation of gs to growth light could be an important strategy for maintaining carbon fixation and overall plant water status and should be considered when inferring responses in the field from laboratory-based experiments.
Functional Assessment Scales in a General Intensive Care Unit. A Review

Patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) are often exposed to prolonged immobilization, thus they lose their functional ability. Therefore, it is crucial to assess patients’ functional ability during their stay in and upon their discharge from the ICU. Several scales have been used so far for the assessment of functional ability, impairment and/or disability in ICU patients. These outcome measures include several assessment scales, such as the Barthel Index, the Functional Independence Measure, the Functional Status Score for the ICU, the Physical Function ICU Test Modified Rankin Scale, the Karnofsky Scale Index, the 4P questionnaire, the Glasgow Outcome Scale, and the Disability Rating Scale. The choice of the most appropriate assessment scale will depend on the specific patient population, the diagnosis and rehabilitation phase and the psychological properties of the available measurement. The aim of the present review is to describe the functional assessment scales for ICU, to examine the psychometric evidence for reliability and validity and to summarize the strengths and the weaknesses of these scales. I N t r O D U c t I O N During an intensive care unit (ICU) stay, patients are often exposed to prolonged bed rest, dysfunction of vital organs, sepsis, hypoxemia and neuromuscular drug toxicity. As a result, the cardiovascular system status may be impaired and critical illness neuromuscular syndromes may occur. Both of the these conditions may delay ventilator weaning and increase ICU and hospital stay. In particular, the prolonged immobility and inactivity may result in loss of muscle strength and endurance, and loss of balance and neuromuscular coordination, further leading to total functional impairment, and thus impaired quality of life. Research has shown that after 1 week of bed rest, muscle strength may decrease as much as 20%, with an additional 20% loss of remaining strength occurring each subsequent week. Therefore, examining the functional ability and starting early mobilization of ICU patients should increase the weaning success rate, decrease ICU and hospital stay, and improve their quality of life in the ICU and beyond. Due to the functional impairment of ICU patients during their stay in the unit, there is a need to assess functional ability upon their discharge from the unit. Furthermore, the cost of caring for the survivors of ICU after their discharge from the unit is quite high and the impact of an effective functional treatment for them would be significant economically and socially. Thus, the development and use of a functional revIew Critical Care Medicine Department, Evagelismos General Hospital of Athens, University of Athens, Athens, Greece HOSPITAL CHRONICLES 2013, 8(4): 164–170
A new heat-warning-system based on a wireless body area network for protecting firefighters in indoor operations

A new Heat-Warning-System is presented to protect firefighters in indoor operations. With the proposed Heat-Warning-System, a permanent monitoring of the body core temperature can be done, in order to protect the firefighter from a collapse. Furthermore, by placing several temperature sensors around the thorax on particular positions, the relative location of dangerous heat sources can be estimated. For the placement of the sensor nodes, an empirical channel model in combination with a cuboid body model was used, to estimate the individual transmission path losses by taking into account the influence of the human body. Finally, the Heat-Warning-System is tested and moreover the locating functionality of dangerous heat sources is shown.
Caveolin-1 Plays a Crucial Role in Inhibiting Neuronal Differentiation of Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells via VEGF Signaling-Dependent Pathway

In the present study, we aim to elucidate the roles of caveolin-1(Cav-1), a 22 kDa protein in plasma membrane invaginations, in modulating neuronal differentiation of neural progenitor cells (NPCs). In the hippocampal dentate gyrus, we found that Cav-1 knockout mice revealed remarkably higher levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the more abundant formation of newborn neurons than wild type mice. We then studied the potential mechanisms of Cav-1 in modulating VEGF signaling and neuronal differentiation in isolated cultured NPCs under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Hypoxic embryonic rat NPCs were exposed to 1% O2 for 24 h and then switched to 21% O2 for 1, 3, 7 and 14 days whereas normoxic NPCs were continuously cultured with 21% O2. Compared with normoxic NPCs, hypoxic NPCs had down-regulated expression of Cav-1 and up-regulated VEGF expression and p44/42MAPK phosphorylation, and enhanced neuronal differentiation. We further studied the roles of Cav-1 in inhibiting neuronal differentiation by using Cav-1 scaffolding domain peptide and Cav-1-specific small interfering RNA. In both normoxic and hypoxic NPCs, Cav-1 peptide markedly down-regulated the expressions of VEGF and flk1, decreased the phosphorylations of p44/42MAPK, Akt and Stat3, and inhibited neuronal differentiation, whereas the knockdown of Cav-1 promoted the expression of VEGF, phosphorylations of p44/42MAPK, Akt and Stat3, and stimulated neuronal differentiation. Moreover, the enhanced phosphorylations of p44/42MAPK, Akt and Stat3, and neuronal differentiation were abolished by co-treatment of VEGF inhibitor V1. These results provide strong evidence to prove that Cav-1 can inhibit neuronal differentiation via down-regulations of VEGF, p44/42MAPK, Akt and Stat3 signaling pathways, and that VEGF signaling is a crucial target of Cav-1. The hypoxia-induced down-regulation of Cav-1 contributes to enhanced neuronal differentiation in NPCs.
Penile Rehabilitation and Neuromodulation

Erectile dysfunction (ED) following treatment for clinically localized prostate cancer, particularly radical prostatectomy (RP), is a major quality of life issue that remains unsatisfactorily addressed. With the introduction and use of cavernous nerve–sparing procedures over the past 25 years, many men recover erections postoperatively that enable sexual intercourse unlike in the prior surgical era, when permanent ED postoperatively was certain. Despite this advance, 26–100% of these patients may never recover normal erectile function (EF). Recent advances in the understanding of ED after RP have stimulated great attention to develop penile rehabilitation programs and neuromodulation. The purpose of penile rehabilitation is to prevent adverse corpus cavernosal tissue structural alterations and thereby maximize the chances of recovering functional erections. Rehabilitation programs are common in clinical practice, but there is no definitive evidence to support their efficacy. Neuromodulation represents another strategy for promoting erection recovery postoperatively. This therapy involves the application of neuroprotective interventions, conceivably targeting biological elements involved in the erection response that are affected by neuropathic injury. Well-conducted, controlled trials with adequate follow-up are required in order to determine the erection preservative benefits of these therapeutic strategies. The purpose of this essay is to describe the mechanisms related to post-RP ED, assess the need for penile rehabilitation and neuromodulation following surgery, and analyze the basic science and clinical trial evidence associated with these applications for preserving EF following prostate cancer treatment.
A Molecular Insight into Algal-Oomycete Warfare: cDNA Analysis of Ectocarpus siliculosus Infected with the Basal Oomycete Eurychasma dicksonii

Brown algae are the predominant primary producers in coastal habitats, and like land plants are subject to disease and parasitism. Eurychasma dicksonii is an abundant, and probably cosmopolitan, obligate biotrophic oomycete pathogen of marine brown algae. Oomycetes (or water moulds) are pathogenic or saprophytic non-photosynthetic Stramenopiles, mostly known for causing devastating agricultural and aquacultural diseases. Whilst molecular knowledge is restricted to crop pathogens, pathogenic oomycetes actually infect hosts from most eukaryotic lineages. Molecular evidence indicates that Eu. dicksonii belongs to the most early-branching oomycete clade known so far. Therefore Eu. dicksonii is of considerable interest due to its presumed environmental impact and phylogenetic position. Here we report the first large scale functional molecular data acquired on the most basal oomycete to date. 9873 unigenes, totalling over 3.5Mb of sequence data, were produced from Sanger-sequenced and pyrosequenced EST libraries of infected Ectocarpus siliculosus. 6787 unigenes (70%) were of algal origin, and 3086 (30%) oomycete origin. 57% of Eu. dicksonii sequences had no similarity to published sequence data, indicating that this dataset is largely unique. We were unable to positively identify sequences belonging to the RXLR and CRN groups of oomycete effectors identified in higher oomycetes, however we uncovered other unique pathogenicity factors. These included putative algal cell wall degrading enzymes, cell surface proteins, and cyclophilin-like proteins. A first look at the host response to infection has also revealed movement of the host nucleus to the site of infection as well as expression of genes responsible for strengthening the cell wall, and secretion of proteins such as protease inhibitors. We also found evidence of transcriptional reprogramming of E. siliculosus transposable elements and of a viral gene inserted in the host genome.
Giant GIST of the stomach: a successful case of safe resection with preoperative simulation using three-dimensional CT angiography

Rationale: We report a very rare case of safely resectable giant gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) with preoperative three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) angiography in spite of no neoadjuvant treatment. Patient's concern: A 71-year-old woman presented to our hospital with an abdominal giant tumor. As this giant tumor could not be accurately diagnosed by preoperative investigation, we had to perform her surgical treatment without neoadjuvant treatment. However, preoperative 3D-CT angiography clearly showed that the tumor was supplied by the right gastroepiploic artery (RGA). Based on the preoperative information, a surgical procedure was undertaken. Diagnosis: Giant tumor of stomach with suspicion of GIST. Interventions: Laparotomy guided by 3D-CT imaging including angiography. Outcome: The giant tumor originated from the greater curvature of the distal stomach and was supplied by the RGA, as expected. The tumor was resected easily under the accurate preoperative anatomical information. The tumor measured 20 cm × 20 cm in size and weighed 2500 g (Fig. 2C and D). Histopathological examination showed evidence of growth of spindle-shaped cells and a low mitotic index (3 per 50 high-power field, Fig. 3B). Immunohistochemical examination showed positive immunoreactions for KIT, CD34, and DOG1 (Fig. 3 C–E), but negative ones for SMA and S-100 protein (Fig. 3F and G). Consequently, we made a final diagnosis of an extra luminal GIST of the stomach. The post-operative course was uneventful, and so the patient was discharged on postoperative day 13. Lessons: Making full use of an imaging procedure such as 3D-CT angiography is one of the effective tools for the surgical management of giant-size tumors including giant GISTs.
Phosphate and organic fertilizer recovery from black water

In this thesis the integration of treatment systems for black and grey water was investigated to improve resource recovery within source-separated sanitation concepts. Special focus was set on phosphate and organic fertilizer recovery from vacuum collected black water. Currently, the soil application of black water sludge is prohibited in the Netherlands due to elevated heavy metal concentrations.
Network dynamics of HIV risk and prevention in a population-based cohort of young Black men who have sex with men

Abstract Critical to the development of improved HIV elimination efforts is a greater understanding of how social networks and their dynamics are related to HIV risk and prevention. In this paper, we examine network stability of confidant and sexual networks among young black men who have sex with men (YBMSM). We use data from uConnect (2013–2016), a population-based, longitudinal cohort study. We use an innovative approach to measure both sexual and confidant network stability at three time points, and examine the relationship between each type of stability and HIV risk and prevention behaviors. This approach is consistent with a co-evolutionary perspective in which behavior is not only affected by static properties of an individual's network, but may also be associated with changes in the topology of his or her egocentric network. Our results indicate that although confidant and sexual network stability are moderately correlated, their dynamics are distinct with different predictors and differing associations with behavior. Both types of stability are associated with lower rates of risk behaviors, and both are reduced among those who have spent time in jail. Public health awareness and engagement with both types of networks may provide new opportunities for HIV prevention interventions.
The influence of chronic kidney disease and age on revascularization rates and outcomes in acute myocardial infarction – a cohort study

Background: There is a paucity of data on the complex interaction between chronic kidney disease, age and its impact on management and outcomes in acute myocardial infarction. Methods: A state based claims dataset that collects data on all hospitalizations (representing 32.3% of the Australian population) was used to identify all patients admitted with a principal diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (ICD10 codes: I21.0–I21.4) over a four-year period. Patients were linked to the state death registry and followed until death or end of follow-up (31 December 2009). Chronic kidney disease was defined as the presence of any of 65 ICD10 diagnostic codes for chronic kidney disease. The primary outcomes were receipt of revascularization, length of hospital stay and mortality adjusted for age, comorbidities and prior revascularization at presentation. Results: Of the 40,472 patients with acute myocardial infarction, chronic kidney disease was present in 4814 patients (11.9%). Median follow-up was 2.8 years (range 0–5.5 years). In the multivariable model, there was a marked interaction between chronic kidney disease and age (p<0.001). Chronic kidney disease was a powerful marker of lower revascularization rates (median age group of 70–79 years: odds ratio 0.68; 95% confidence interval 0.59–0.78; p<0.001), especially in those over the age of 50 years. The impact of chronic kidney disease on length of stay (median age group of 70–79 years vs. referent age group 18–39 years: incidence rate ratio 1.41; 95% confidence interval 1.32–1.51; p<0.001) and long-term mortality (median age group of 70–79 years: hazard ratio 2.19; 95% confidence interval 2.01–2.39; p<0.001) was mitigated with increasing age. Conclusion: Chronic kidney disease is an important deterrent for the receipt of revascularization in older patients, but age is the primary determinant of length of stay and mortality.
Supplemented Morus nigra extract‐based medium associated with FSH enables the survival and growth of isolated ovine secondary ovarian follicles

The effects of Morus nigra ethanolic extract, without or with addition of supplements associated or not with FSH, on in vitro culture of ovine secondary follicles were evaluated. In experiment 1, isolated secondary follicles were cultured for 12 days in α-MEM alone (control) or in different concentrations of M. nigra extract (MN 0.025; 0.05 or 0.1 mg/ml). In experiment 2, culture media were α-MEM supplemented with BSA, insulin, transferrin, selenium, glutamine, hypoxanthine and ascorbic acid (α-MEM+ ) or this medium associated with FSH (α-MEM+ + FSH), or 0.1 mg/ml M. nigra without supplements (MN 0.1) or supplemented (MN 0.1+ ) without or with FSH (MN 0.1+ + FSH). In experiment 1, 0.1 mg/ml M. nigra showed the highest percentages (p < .05) of normal follicles and fully grown oocytes, besides a higher follicular diameter than α-MEM and other M. nigra extract concentrations. Moreover, MN 0.1 showed lower (p < .05) glutathione (GSH) levels and similar (p > .05) mitochondrial activity compared to α-MEM. In experiment 2, MN 0.1+ + FSH showed similar results (p > .05) to α-MEM+ + FSH for all parameters evaluated, except for the daily growth rate, which was higher (p < .05) in MN 0.1+ + FSH. The GSH levels were higher in MEM+ than all treatments. In addition, oocytes from follicles cultured in MN 0.1+ + FSH showed ability to resume meiosis. In conclusion, M. nigra extract (0.1 mg/ml) added by supplements and FSH can be an efficient medium for ovine secondary follicle development.
Microscope Illumination: LEDs are the Future

Light microscopes in laboratories and hospitals are used for examining many different types of samples—from industrial research to life-science research and clinical screening. These procedures use conventional bright-field, differential phase contrast (DIC), and fluorescence microscopy among other techniques. In all cases, the light source on the microscope has a crucial influence on the quality of images viewed and the conclusions reached.