Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Difference or Disparity: Will Big Data Improve Our Understanding of Sex and Cardiovascular Disease?

Variations in clinical outcomes, such as mortality rates and complications,1–4 between men and women have been reported in cardiovascular disease for many years. However, whether these are the result of divergent underlying biology, which we often refer to as a difference, or whether they are the consequence of inadequate or inappropriate treatment, which we would refer to as a disparity, remains unclear. Even the definitions of these 2 words are not universally agreed upon, and they are often used interchangeably.5,6 However, the distinction is important to inform the solutions clinical leaders and policymakers might put into place. The major barrier to understand the proportion of variation that is because of different biology versus variation that is because of disparate treatment or differential response to treatment, particularly in complex real-world settings, is that we rarely have the opportunity to concurrently examine data that might elucidate each. However, our growing ability to leverage big data through novel analytics may begin to change that in meaningful ways. The objective of this piece is to present information on areas in which existing data suggest that there are differences, areas in which existing data suggest that there are disparities, and ways in which new big data sources and analytic techniques may allow us to disentangle the 2. Women have long been reported to have ≤2-fold higher rates of in-hospital mortality in the setting of acute myocardial infarction compared with their male counterparts1,2; this relationship is particularly powerful in women <50 years of age and when assessed in community settings.3,4 However, women are typically older when they present with cardiovascular disease, and studies suggest that much, though not all, of the increased mortality risk for women with acute myocardial infarction may be explained …
Bronchiolitis obliterans after lung transplantation: high-resolution CT findings in 15 patients.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to compare the high-resolution CT findings in patients with pathologically proven bronchiolitis obliterans after lung transplantation with high-resolution CT findings in control subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS High-resolution CT examinations of 15 patients with pathologically proven bronchiolitis obliterans after lung transplantation and 18 control subjects were retrospectively evaluated by two independent observers who were unaware of the diagnosis in each case. All 33 subjects underwent inspiratory high-resolution CT. Five patients with bronchiolitis obliterans and 16 control subjects underwent expiratory CT. RESULTS Findings in patients with bronchiolitis obliterans included bronchial dilatation in 80%, mosaic perfusion in 40%, bronchial wall thickening in 27%, and air trapping in 80%, compared with the control subjects with bronchial dilatation in 22%, mosaic perfusion in 22%, and air trapping in 6%. The combination of bronchial dilatation on the inspiratory CT scan and air trapping on the expiratory CT scan was seen only in patients with bronchiolitis obliterans. We calculated good agreement between the two observers (kappa > or = .63). CONCLUSION Air trapping and bronchial dilatation were the two most sensitive and specific findings on high-resolution CT scans of patients with bronchiolitis obliterans. The combination of these two findings was seen exclusively in patients with bronchiolitis obliterans.
Prosodic marking in speech repair

Spontaneous self-corrections in speech pose a communication problem; the speaker must make clear to the listener not only that the original Utterance was faulty, but where it was faulty and how the fault is to be corrected. Prosodic marking of corrections making the prosody of the repair noticeably different from that of the original utterance offers a resource which the speaker can exploit to provide the listener with such information. A corpus of more than 400 spontaneous speech repairs was analysed, and the prosodic characteristics compared with the syntactic and semantic characteristics of each repair. Prosodic marking showed no relationship at all with the syntactic characteristics of repairs. Instead, marking was associated with certain semantic factors: repairs were marked when the original utterance had been actually erroneous, rather than simply less appropriate than the repair; and repairs tended to be marked more often when the set of items encompassing the error and the repair was small rather than when it was large. These findings lend further weight to the characterization of accent as essentially semantic in function. 1. Some determinants of intonational marking in self-corrections At least two people are in trouble when a speaker interrupts the flow of speech in order to make a self-correction. The first person is the speaker himself* who apparently became aware of some unclarity or error in what he just said. The second person is a listener who is confronted with an abrupt break, and with the task to find out whether what is going to follow is just a continuation, as after a mere hesitation, or whether it is a repair of something said previously. In the latter case, moreover, she has to find out what the reparandum is, and to replace it by the appropriate items in the correction. This will be called the listener's continuation problem. * For ease of reference we will in the following treat the speaker, i.e. the trouble maker, as male and the listener, i.e. the victim, as female. JOURNAL OF SEMANTICS, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 205-217 205
Centrally administered angiotensin‐(1–7) increases the survival of stroke‐prone spontaneously hypertensive rats

What is the central question of this study? Activation of angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2, resulting in production of angiotensin‐(1–7) and stimulation of its receptor, Mas, exerts beneficial actions in a number cardiovascular diseases, including ischaemic stroke. A potential beneficial role for angiotensin‐(1–7) in haemorrhagic stroke has not previously been reported. What is the main finding and its importance? Central administration of angiotensin‐(1–7) into stroke‐prone spontaneously hypertensive rats, a model of haemorrhagic stroke, increases lifespan and improves the neurological status of these rats, as well as decreasing microglial numbers in the striatum (implying attenuation of cerebral inflammation). These actions of angiotensin‐(1–7) have not previously been reported and identify this peptide as a potential new therapeutic target in haemorrhagic stroke.
Updates in Reproduction Coming from the Endocannabinoid System

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is an evolutionarily conserved master system deeply involved in the central and local control of reproductive functions in both sexes. The tone of these lipid mediators—deeply modulated by the activity of biosynthetic and hydrolyzing machineries—regulates reproductive functions from gonadotropin discharge and steroid biosynthesis to the formation of high quality gametes and successful pregnancy. This review provides an overview on ECS and reproduction and focuses on the insights in the regulation of endocannabinoid production by steroids, in the regulation of male reproductive activity, and in placentation and parturition. Taken all together, evidences emerge that the activity of the ECS is crucial for procreation and may represent a target for the therapeutic exploitation of infertility.
From Data to Predictions and Decisions: Enabling Evidence-Based Healthcare

Nearly 2500 years ago, Hippocrates kicked off a revolution in healthcare by calling for the careful collection and recording of evidence about patients and their illnesses. This call—which first introduced the goal of sharing data among physicians to provide the best care possible for patients—established a foundation for the evolution of modern healthcare. Although 25 centuries have passed since Hippocrates’ call, we have not yet attained the dream of true evidence-based healthcare. Large quantities of data about wellness and illness continue to be dropped on the floor, rather than collected and harnessed to optimize the provision of care. We are simply not yet doing the best that we can.
On the acidity and reactivity of HNO in aqueous solution and biological systems

The gas phase and aqueous thermochemistry and reactivity of nitroxyl (nitrosyl hydride, HNO) were elucidated with multiconfigurational self-consistent field and hybrid density functional theory calculations and continuum solvation methods. The pKa of HNO is predicted to be 7.2 ± 1.0, considerably different from the value of 4.7 reported from pulse radiolysis experiments. The ground-state triplet nature of NO− affects the rates of acid-base chemistry of the HNO/NO− couple. HNO is highly reactive toward dimerization and addition of soft nucleophiles but is predicted to undergo negligible hydration (Keq = 6.9 × 10−5). HNO is predicted to exist as a discrete species in solution and is a viable participant in the chemical biology of nitric oxide and derivatives.
Trace-Based Reconfigurable Acceleration with Data Cache and External Memory Support

This paper presents a binary acceleration approach based on extending a General Purpose Processor (GPP) with a Reconfigurable Processing Unit (RPU), both sharing an external data memory. In this approach repeating sequences of GPP instructions are migrated to the RPU. The RPU resources are selected and organized off-line using execution trace information. The RPU core is composed of Functional Units (FUs) that correspond to single CPU instructions. The FUs are arranged in stages of mutually independent operations. The RPU can enable several stages in tandem, depending on the data dependencies. External data memory accesses are handled by a configurable dual-port cache. A prototype implementation of the architecture on a Spartan-6 FPGA was validated with 12 benchmarks and achieved an overall geometric mean speedup of 1.91x.
Memberships in a superordinate level: re‐thinking European Union as a multi‐national society

This paper attempts to understand how people give meaning to the social categories they belong to in the context of superordinate group formation. The context of investigation is the European Integration. Participants were Greek and French nationals aged between 28 and 50. First, the lay theories within which the social categories acquire their meaning were investigated through the analysis of qualitative data. 37 open-ended interviews (19 French, 18 Greek participants) were analysed using an interpretative phenomenological approach (Smith et al., 1999). Second, a questionnaire type study investigated the perception of the status-position of each national group (n = 293, French 145, Greeks 148). It is argued that, within commonly shared theories about European integration, the status-position of the subgroups guides the selection of elements upon which different representations of social categories are constructed.
Abnormal carbohydrate metabolism in chronic renal failure. The potential role of accelerated glucose production, increased gluconeogenesis, and impaired glucose disposal.

To delineate the potential role of disordered glucose and glucose-precursor kinetics in the abnormal carbohydrate metabolism of chronic renal failure, alanine and glucose production and utilization and gluconeogenesis from alanine were studied in patients with chronic compensated renal insufficiency and in normal volunteers. With simultaneous primed injection-continuous infusions of radiolabeled alanine and glucose, rates of metabolite turnover and precursor-product interrelationships were calculated from the plateau portion of the appropriate specific activity curves. All subjects were studied in the postabsorption state. In 13 patients with chronic renal failure (creatinine = 10.7+/-1.2 mg/100 ml; mean+/-SEM), glucose turnover was found to be 1,035+/-99.3 mumol/min. This rate was increased 56% (P = 0.003) over that observed in control subjects (664+/-33.5 mumol/min). Alanine turnover was 474+/-96.0 mumol/min in azotemic patients. This rate was 191% greater (P = 0.007) than the rate determined in control subjects (163+/-19.4 mumol/min). Gluconeogenesis from alanine and the percent of glucose production contributed by gluconeogenesis from alanine were increased in patients with chronic renal failure (192% and 169%, respectively) as compared to controls (P < 0.05 for each). Alanine utilization for gluconeogenesis was increased from 40.2+/-3.86 mumol/min in control subjects to 143+/-39.0 mumol/min in azotemic patients (P < 0.05). The percent of alanine utilization accounted for by gluconeogenesis was not altered in chronic renal insufficiency. In nondiabetic azotemic subjects, mean fasting glucose and immunoreactive insulin levels were increased 24.3% (P = 0.005) and 130% (P = 0.046), respectively.These results in patients with chronic renal failure demonstrate (a) increased glucose production and utilization, (b) increased gluconeogenesis from alanine, (c) increased alanine production and utilization, and (d) a relative impairment to glucose disposal. We conclude that chronic azotemia is characterized by increased rates of glucose and glucose precursor flux and by a relative impairment to glucose disposal. These findings may suggest an underlying hepatic and peripheral insensitivity to the metabolic action of insulin in patients with chronic renal insufficiency.
The Fixation and Processing of the Iconic Gestures That Accompany Talk

In everyday communication, semantic information is transmitted by both speech and the gestures that accompany speech. Listeners, therefore, need to monitor two quite different sources of information, more or less simultaneously. But we know little about the nature or timing of this process.This study analysed participants’ attentional focus on speech—gesture combinations, differing in both span and viewpoint, using a remote eye tracker. It found that participants spent most time fixating the face with just 2.1% of the time looking at gestures, but with certain categories of gesture, up to 26.5% of the stroke phases were successfully fixated. In other words, visual attention moves unconsciously and quickly to these information-rich movements. It was also found that low-span Character-Viewpoint gestures attracted most fixations and were looked at longest. Such gestures are particularly communicative, and the way these gestures attract visual attention may well be a crucial factor.
Problem Behavior and Acculturation in Moroccan Immigrant Adolescents in the Netherlands

The gender specificity of the relation between acculturation and problem behavior in Moroccan immigrant adolescents in the Netherlands was examined. Three previously identified classes of adolescents with similar patterns of acculturation were used: an integrated, separated, and ambivalent class. Girls with an ambivalent acculturation pattern showed more problems than the other girls on parent- and adolescent-reported internalizing and externalizing behavior. For boys, no effects of acculturation on problem behavior were found. The high number of conflicts between parents and their ambivalently acculturated daughters partly explained the relation between acculturation and problem behavior. The findings emphasized that gender and parent—child conflict should be considered when attempting to understand the complex relation between acculturation and problem behavior.
Alterations of K+ currents in isolated human ventricular myocytes from patients with terminal heart failure.

Prolongation of the action potential has been postulated to be a major reason for the altered diastolic relaxation of the heart in patients with severe heart failure. To investigate the electrophysiological basis for this action potential prolongation in terminal heart failure, K+ currents were recorded in single ventricular myocytes isolated from 16 explanted hearts of patients undergoing transplantation. Results from diseased hearts were compared with ventricular cells isolated from six undiseased donor hearts. Action potential duration was significantly prolonged in cells from patients with heart failure. A delayed rectifier K+ current was hardly detectable in most cells, and if it could be recorded, it was very small in both diseased and undiseased cells. When currents were normalized for cell surface area, the average current density of the inward rectifier K+ current was significantly reduced in diseased cells when compared with normal control cells (hyperpolarization at -100 mV, -15.9 +/- 2.2 vs -9.0 +/- 1.2 microA/cm2; P < .01). In addition, a large transient outward K+ current could be recorded in human myocytes. The average current density of the time-dependent component of this transient outward K+ current was significantly reduced in heart failure (depolarization at +40 mV, 9.1 +/- 1.0 vs 5.8 +/- 0.64 microA/cm2; P < .01). Action potential prolongation in severe heart failure may partially be explained by a reduction in current densities of the inward rectifier K+ current and of the transient outward K+ current. These alterations may thereby have a significant effect on cardiac relaxation.
Waves of early transcriptional activation and pluripotency program initiation during human preimplantation development

The events regulating human preimplantation development are still largely unknown owing to a scarcity of material, ethical and legal limitations and a lack of reliable techniques to faithfully amplify the transcriptome of a single cell. Nonetheless, human embryology is gathering renewed interest due to its close relationship with both stem cell biology and epigenetic reprogramming to pluripotency and their importance in regenerative medicine. Carefully timed genome-wide transcript analyses of single oocytes and embryos uncovered a series of successive waves of embryonic transcriptional initiation that start as early as the 2-cell stage. In addition, we identified the hierarchical activation of genes involved in the regulation of pluripotency. Finally, we developed HumER, a database of human preimplantation gene expression, to serve the scientific community. Importantly, our work links early transcription in the human embryo with the correct execution of the pluripotency program later in development and paves the way for the identification of factors to improve epigenetic reprogramming.
Sleepless in academia

The conditions under which women academics work provide the impetus for this article. Current trends in feminist and other writing are moving us away from dwelling on the disadvantages women experience in the academy. Yet the findings from the two Canadian studies reported here suggest that issues around children and career, anxieties about evaluation, and fatigue and stress shape the daily lives of women academics. The women do find ways and means of coping and resisting, sometimes collectively, although one of the major responses—working harder and sleeping less—might be considered somewhat short of empowering. We also look at what the prospects are for changes in university policies and practices.
Peer Group Pressure, Young People and Smoking: new developments and policy implications

Peer group pressure is widely regarded as a crucial factor affecting young people's early experimentation with tobacco and their subsequent willingness to continue smoking. Indeed, the prevailing wisdom among health professionals and policy makers is that young people are victims of pressures to conformity exerted over them by their peer group. In recent years health education programmes have reflected this belief by focusing on ways of enabling young people to resist peer group pressure and boosting their confidence to say 'No'. Research with 15-16-year-olds in the East Midlands of England, however, has raised serious doubts about the explanatory value of the peer group pressure thesis in terms of the contemporary experiences of young people. In focus group discussions and interviews the young people largely rejected the idea that they were victims of peer pressure. There were three themes behind the rejection. First, from the perspective of the young people, the notion of peer pressure was at odds with the idea of individual autonomy and self-determination, which they valued highly. Second, in their opinion the notion of peer pressure wrongly portrayed the young people as 'victims', thus underplaying their active and conscious collaboration in joining in with the group. Third, the notion of peer pressure did not take into account the multiplicity of peer groups and the flexibility of their composition. The findings suggest that, as we enter the new millennium, the notion of peer group pressure needs to be reconsidered in view of the growing heterogeneity of peer group relationships experienced by young people and the growing emphasis on individualism and self-identity associated with late modern society.
Clinical usefulness and cost effectiveness of home blood pressure telemonitoring: meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies

Objective: To systematically review data from randomized controlled studies on the effectiveness of home blood pressure telemonitoring (HBPT) versus usual care with respect to improvement of BP control, healthcare resources utilization and costs, patient's quality of life and adverse events. Methods: Electronic databases were searched for publications in English. The benefit and relative risk (RR) were estimated applying a random-effect model. Results: Twenty-three randomized controlled trials with a high level of heterogeneity were selected (7037 patients). Compared to usual care, HBPT improved office SBP by 4.71 mmHg [95% confidence interval (CI): 6.18, 3.24; P < 0.001] and DBP by 2.45 mmHg (3.33, 1.57; P < 0.001). A larger proportion of patients achieved office BP normalization (<140/90 mmHg nondiabetic patients and <130/80 mmHg diabetic patients) in the intervention group [RR: 1.16 (1.04, 1.29); P < 0.001]. HBPT led to a significantly larger prescription of antihypertensive medications [+0.40 (+0.17,+0.62), P < 0.001], but to therapeutic adherence and rate of office consultations similar to usual care. Healthcare costs were significantly (P < 0.001) larger in the HBPT group [+662.92 (+540.81, +785.04) euros per patient], but were similar to those of the usual care when only medical costs were considered [−12.4 (−930.52, +906.23) euros; P = 0.767]. Use of HBPT helped improving the physical component of quality of life [SF-12 or SF-36 questionnaire: +2.78 (+1.15, +4.41) P < 0.001]. No difference was observed in the risk of adverse events [RR: 1.22 (0.86, 1.71); P = 0.111]. Conclusion: HBPT may represent a useful tool to improve hypertension control and associated healthcare outcomes, although it is still more costly compared with usual care.
Leptin ,neuropeptide Y ,β-endorphin ,gonadotropin ,and estradiol levels in girls before menarche

More than two decades of clinical studies have provided us with the opportunity to develop and implement criteria that distinguish three phases during pre-menarche ,paralleling rising levels of estrogens, namely 'pre-estrogenization' ,'onset of estrogenization' and 'full estrogenization'. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between somatic features and levels of leptin ,neuropeptide Y (NPY) ,β-endorphin ,gonadotropin and estradiol in pubertal girls before menarche. Weight ,height ,body mass index (BMI) ,tertiary sex features ,estrogen-related changes in hymen ,fat and lean body mass were studied on a quarterly basis in 45 girls. At the same time ,ovarian and uterine dimensions were established sonographically and serum was obtained for the determination of leptin ,NPY ,β-endorphin, gonadotropin ,and estradiol levels. Onset of estrogenization in girls was marked by weight loss ,followed by an increase in total ,fat and lean body mass ,and pubertal acceleration of growth. At the time of full estrogenization ,lower NPY and β-endorphin levels were observed ,accompanied by an increase in gonadotropin secretion. Changes in leptin levels are consistent with a role of this hormone in metabolic signaling.