Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cementless femoral components in bicondylar hybrid knee arthroplasty in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A 10-year survivorship analysis

Background: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has been established as a successful surgical treatment in the late stages of rheumatoid joint destruction. The purpose of this study was to review the clinical outcome and survivorship in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients undergoing TKA in hybrid technique with a cementless fixation of the femoral component. Methods: We analysed retrospectively 66 RA patients who underwent 72 TKAs (P.F.C. Sigma®). Mean follow-up time was 124 ± 41 months. To evaluate postoperative clinical outcome, knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS) and Oxford knee score (OKS) were assessed. Kaplan–Meier analysis was used to calculate survivorship. The primary outcome was revision for any reason. Results: Thirty-four patients (36 knees) died and two patients (2 knees) were lost to follow-up. Three patients (four knees) did not agree to participate. Twenty-seven patients (30 knees) were available for assessing clinical scores. The average scores were 85 ± 14 for KOOS and 34 ± 10 for OKS. In three patients (three knees), revision was necessary, including restricted range of motion (n = 1), instability (n = 1), and infection (n = 1). There were no cases of loosening in this cohort study. The survival rates were 100% at 5 years, 97.1% at 10 years (95% CI 89.0–99.2%) and 95.6% at 15 years (95% CI 86.9–98.5%). Conclusions: This study confirms that excellent clinical results and a good 10-year survivorship can be obtained with hybrid fixation technique in TKA in the unique population of RA patients.
ORIGINAL PAPER: A survey of the use of over-the-counter homeopathic medicines purchased in health stores in central Manchester

Background: There is little research on the use of over-the-counter (OTC) homeopathic medicines. Objectives: To obtain data on conditions treated by OTC homeopathy; perceived effectiveness; how long respondents had used OTC homeopathy; if respondents combined them with prescription drugs; reasons for using OTC homeopathy. Methods: 75 users of OTC homeopathy completed questionnaires while purchasing OTC homeopathic remedies in three health food shops in central Manchester. Results: The most frequently treated conditions were respiratory, mental/psychological and bruises/injuries. Respondents perceived OTC homeopathy to be effective for relieving these conditions. There was a trend for respondent’s first using OTC homeopathy 4 or more years previously. Thirteen per cent combined it prescription drugs. The most strongly endorsed reasons for using OTC homeopathy were that was a natural treatment and was perceived as harmless. Conclusions: This study and possible future larger scale studies may show which conditions/ailments are being treated by OTC homeopathy and the reasons why people choose to use it. Such information may lead to further integration within the NHS. Homeopathy (2002) 91, 225–229.
Defining the SUMO System in Maize: SUMOylation Is Up-Regulated during Endosperm Development and Rapidly Induced by Stress1[OPEN]

The SUMO system in maize encodes conserved and novel machinery and is up-regulated during endosperm development and rapidly induced by stress. In response to abiotic and biotic challenges, plants rapidly attach small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) to a large collection of nuclear proteins, with studies in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) linking SUMOylation to stress tolerance via its modification of factors involved in chromatin and RNA dynamics. Despite this importance, little is known about SUMOylation in crop species. Here, we describe the plant SUMO system at the phylogenetic, biochemical, and transcriptional levels with a focus on maize (Zea mays). In addition to canonical SUMOs, land plants encode a loosely constrained noncanonical isoform and a variant containing a long extension upstream of the signature β-grasp fold, with cereals also expressing a novel diSUMO polypeptide bearing two SUMO β-grasp domains in tandem. Maize and other cereals also synthesize a unique SUMO-conjugating enzyme variant with more restricted expression patterns that is enzymatically active despite a distinct electrostatic surface. Maize SUMOylation primarily impacts nuclear substrates, is strongly induced by high temperatures, and displays a memory that suppresses subsequent conjugation. Both in-depth transcript and conjugate profiles in various maize organs point to tissue/cell-specific functions for SUMOylation, with potentially significant roles during embryo and endosperm maturation. Collectively, these studies define the organization of the maize SUMO system and imply important functions during seed development and stress defense.
A randomized trial of induction docetaxel–cisplatin–5FU followed by concomitant cisplatin-RT versus concomitant cisplatin-RT in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (GORTEC 2006-02)

Background Concomitant chemotherapy (CT)-radiotherapy (RT) is a standard of care in locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and a role for induction CT is not established. Methods Patients with locally advanced NPC, WHO type 2 or 3, were randomized to induction TPF plus concomitant cisplatin-RT or concomitant cisplatin-RT alone. The TPF regimen consisted of three cycles of Docetaxel 75 mg/m2 day 1; cisplatin 75 mg/m2 day 1; 5FU 750 mg/m2/day days 1-5. RT consisted of 70 Gy in 7 weeks plus concomitant cisplatin 40 mg/m2 weekly. Results A total of 83 patients were included in the study. Demographics and tumour characteristics were well balanced between both arms. Most of the patients (95%) in the TPF arm received three cycles of induction CT. The rate of grade 3-4 toxicity and the compliance (NCI-CTCAE v3) during cisplatin-RT were not different between both arms. With a median follow-up of 43.1 months, the 3-year PFS rate was 73.9% in the TPF arm versus 57.2% in the reference arm [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.44; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.20-0.97, P = 0.042]. Similarly the 3 years overall survival rate was 86.3% in the TPF arm versus 68.9% in the reference arm (HR = 0.40; 95% CI: 0.15-1.04, P = 0.05). Conclusion In conclusion, several important aspects can be emphasized: the compliance to induction TPF was good and TPF did not compromise the tolerance of the concomitant RT-cisplatin phase. The improved PFS and overall survival rates needs to be confirmed by further trials.
Ecomorphological diversifications of Mesozoic marine reptiles: the roles of ecological opportunity and extinction

Abstract. Mesozoic marine ecosystems were dominated by several clades of reptiles, including sauropterygians, ichthyosaurs, crocodylomorphs, turtles, and mosasaurs, that repeatedly invaded ocean ecosystems. Previous research has shown that marine reptiles achieved great taxonomic diversity in the Middle Triassic, as they broadly diversified into many feeding modes in the aftermath of the Permo-Triassic mass extinction, but it is not known whether this initial phase of evolution was exceptional in the context of the entire Mesozoic. Here, we use a broad array of disparity, morphospace, and comparative phylogenetic analyses to test this.Metrics of ecomorphology, including functional disparity in the jaws and dentition and skull-size diversity, show that the Middle to early Late Triassic represented a time of pronounced phenotypic diversification in marine reptile evolution. Following the Late Triassic extinctions, diversity recovered, but disparity did not, and it took over 100Myr for comparable variation to recover in the Campanian and Maastrichtian. Jurassic marine reptiles generally failed to radiate into vacated functional roles. The signatures of adaptive radiation are not seen in all marine reptile groups. Clades that diversified during the Triassic biotic recovery, the sauropterygians and ichthyosauromorphs, do show early diversifications, early high disparity, and early burst, while less support for these models is found in thalattosuchian crocodylomorphs andmosasaurs.Overall, the Triassic represented a special interval in marine reptile evolution, as a number of groups radiated into new adaptive zones.
Ontogeny of long distance migration

The movements of some long-distance migrants are driven by innate compass headings that they follow on their first migrations (e.g., some birds and insects), while the movements of other first-time migrants are learned by following more experienced conspecifics (e.g., baleen whales). However, the overall roles of innate, learned, and social behaviors in driving migration goals in many taxa are poorly understood. To look for evidence of whether migration routes are innate or learned for sea turtles, here for 42 sites around the world we compare the migration routes of >400 satellite-tracked adults of multiple species of sea turtle with ∼45 000 Lagrangian hatchling turtle drift scenarios. In so doing, we show that the migration routes of adult turtles are strongly related to hatchling drift patterns, implying that adult migration goals are learned through their past experiences dispersing with ocean currents. The diverse migration destinations of adults consistently reflected the diversity in sites they would have encountered as drifting hatchlings. Our findings reveal how a simple mechanism, juvenile passive drift, can explain the ontogeny of some of the longest migrations in the animal kingdom and ensure that adults find suitable foraging sites. Read More: http://www.esajournals. org/doi/abs/10.1890/13-2164.1
Review of mid-infrared plasmonic materials

Abstract. The field of plasmonics has the potential to enable unique applications in the mid-infrared (IR) wavelength range. However, as is the case regardless of wavelength, the choice of plasmonic material has significant implications for the ultimate utility of any plasmonic device or structure. In this manuscript, we review the wide range of available plasmonic and phononic materials for mid-IR wavelengths, looking in particular at transition metal nitrides, transparent conducting oxides, silicides, doped semiconductors, and even newer plasmonic materials such as graphene. We also include in our survey materials with strong mid-IR phonon resonances, such as GaN, GaP, SiC, and the perovskite SrTiO3, all of which can support plasmon-like modes over limited wavelength ranges. We will discuss the suitability of each of these plasmonic and phononic materials, as well as the more traditional noble metals for a range of structures and applications and will discuss the potential and limitations of alternative plasmonic materials at these IR wavelengths.
Partially-supervised learning in Independent Factor Analysis

Independent Factor Analysis (IFA) is used to recover latent components (or sources) from their linear observed mixtures within an un- supervised learning framework. Both the mixing process and the source densities are learned from the observed data. The sources are assumed to be mutually independent and distributed according to a mixture of Gaussians. This paper investigates the possibility of incorporating partial knowledge on the cluster belonging of some samples to estimate the IFA model. Semi-supervised and partially supervised learning cases can thus be handled. Experimental results demonstrate the ability of this approach to enhance estimation accuracy and remove indeterminacy commonly en- countered in unsupervised IFA such as the permutation of the sources.
Hepatorenal Syndrome: A Critical Update

Abstract Acute kidney injury (AKI) is common in cirrhotic patients with ascites. Although not the primary etiology of AKI in cirrhotic patients, hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) is a unique form of AKI that develops only in cirrhotic patients. Intense renal vasoconstriction is the hallmark of HRS. Different mechanisms contribute to renal vasoconstriction, with splanchnic vasodilatation and reduced effective blood volume playing a central role. Diagnostic criteria for HRS have been developed and were recently modified, but diagnosing HRS and differentiating it from other causes of AKI in cirrhotic patients continues to be a difficult task in some patients. Given its overall dismal prognosis, strategies to prevent HRS have been developed and proved to be effective in reducing HRS prevalence among cirrhotic patients. Liver transplantation is the ultimate treatment, but more than one treatment modality can be utilized as a bridge to transplantation. This review provides an update on our current understanding of HRS with emphasis on the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms involved, difficulties in diagnosis, and different treatment modalities.
Cognitive improvement following ischemia/reperfusion injury induced by voluntary running-wheel exercise is associated with LncMALAT1-mediated apoptosis inhibition

Previous human and animal studies demonstrated that voluntary exercise may improve cognitive function and facilitate neuronal plasticity in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) models. However, the possible underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1), a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), may be associated with the functions and dysfunctions of endothelial cells. The present study investigated whether spontaneous running-wheel (RW) exercise-induced MALAT1 expression changes may be associated with the cognitive improvement of mice following I/R injury. The expression of MALAT1 was evaluated using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Artificial MALAT1 and MALAT1 lentiviral mall interfering (siRNA) were used to alter MALAT1 expression levels in vivo. The Morris Water Maze test was performed to evaluate spatial learning and memory retention in the mice. Changes in the apoptotic rates of hippocampal neurons and levels of apoptosis-associated proteins were also detected. The data revealed that MALAT1 increased in the hippocampus of mice in the RW-treated I/R group and that this was associated with neurological, learning and memory improvement, reduced infarction volumes, decreased apoptosis and alterations to expression levels of apoptosis-associated proteins. Following RW training in I/R-injured mice, lentiviral MALAT1 siRNA conduction partially attenuated the protections induced by voluntary RW. However, exogenous MALAT1 treatment increased the protection. The current findings suggested that voluntary RW protected hippocampal neurons from I/R injury and promoted cognitive restoration, which was associated with lncRNA MALAT1-mediated apoptosis inhibition.
Circulating microRNAs strongly predict cardiovascular death in patients with coronary artery disease—results from the large AtheroGene study

Introduction Stratification for subsequent coronary events among patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) is of considerable interest because of the potential to guide secondary preventive therapies. Recently, we identified eight microRNAs (miRNAs), which facilitated acute coronary syndrome (ACS) diagnosis. In this study, we aimed to evaluate their potential role as prognostic biomarkers for cardiovascular disease. Methods The serum concentrations of eight candidate miRNAs -miR-19a, miR-19b, miR-132, miR-140-3p, miR-142-5p, miR-150, miR-186, and miR-210 were measured in a cohort of 1112 patients with documented CAD—including 430 patients with ACS and 682 patients with stable angina pectoris. Cardiovascular death was the main outcome measure. Results During a median follow-up of 4.0 years, most miRNAs reliably predicted cardiovascular death in ACS patients. Cox regression analyses indicated that in particular miR-132 (HR 2.85 per 1 SD increase, P = 0.022), miR-140-3p (HR 2.88 per 1 SD increase, P = 0.022), and miR-210 (HR 3.10 per 1 SD increase, P = 0.039) were able to precisely predict cardiovascular death. Circulating miR-132, miR-140-3p, and miR-210 clearly improved various model performance measures, including C-statistics (AUC [area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve] for miR-132: 0.737; AUC for miR-140-3p: 0.756; AUC for miR-210: 0.754). Conclusions This is the largest study so far evaluating the prognostic value of circulating miRNAs in cardiovascular disease. Our study shows that single miRNAs derived from peripheral blood predict mortality in secondary prevention settings, and thereby represent valuable biomarkers for risk estimation in CAD.
Elastic Symbiotic Scaling of Operators and Resources in Stream Processing Systems

Distributed stream processing frameworks are designed to perform continuous computation on possibly unbounded data streams whose rates can change over time. Devising solutions to make such systems elastically scale is a fundamental goal to achieve desired performance and cut costs caused by resource over-provisioning. These systems can be scaled along two dimensions: the operator parallelism and the number of resources. In this paper, we show how these two dimensions, as two symbiotic entities, are independent but must mutually interact for the global benefit of the system. On the basis of this observation, we propose a fine-grained model for estimating the resource utilization of a stream processing application that enables the independent scaling of operators and resources. A simple, yet effective, combined management of the two dimensions allows us to propose ELYSIUM, a novel elastic scaling approach that provides efficient resource utilization. We implemented the proposed approach within Apache Storm and tested it by running two real-world applications with different input load curves. The outcomes backup our claims showing that the proposed symbiotic management outperforms elastic scaling strategies where operators and resources are jointly scaled.
The efficacy and risk of cerebrospinal fluid drainage for thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair: a retrospective observational comparison between drainage and non-drainage.

Objectives We reviewed our experiences with thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) repair to assess the efficacy of cerebrospinal fluid drainage (CSFD) to prevent the neurological deficits and complications associated with CSFD. Methods Between 2002 and 2015, 118 patients underwent TAAA repair. Seventy-eight patients underwent CSFD for 2.7 ± 1.1 days after surgery. CSFD was not performed for the other 40 patients due to an urgent situation, chronic disseminated intravascular coagulation or anatomical difficulties. Results There were 5 in-hospital deaths (4.2%). The neurological complications included paraplegia ( n = 14, 11.9%), paraparesis ( n = 3, 2.5%), cerebral infarction ( n = 11, 9.3%) and intracranial haemorrhage ( n = 1, 0.85%), none related to CSFD. The complications related to CSFD included headaches ( n = 13, 11.0%), subdural haematoma (which was treated conservatively) ( n = 1, 0.85%), a neurological symptom of the bilateral thighs ( n = 1, 0.85%), pale haemorrhagic discharge ( n = 2, 1.7%) and a fractured catheter ( n = 1, 0.85%). Eight patients had paraplegia and 1 patient had paraparesis among the 78 patients who underwent CSFD (9/78, 11.5%); among the 40 patients who did not undergo CSFD, 6 had paraplegia and 2 had paraparesis (8/40, 20.0%). A multivariate analysis demonstrated that CSFD had a significant protective effect for the spinal cord (odds ratio = 0.045, P = 0.007). Conclusions CSFD effectively prevented spinal cord dysfunction in TAAA repair. However, some serious complications occurred, including subdural haematoma and a fractured catheter. It is therefore important to recognize both the efficacy and the risks of CSFD in TAAA repair.
Predictors of Adherence to Psychological Treatment for Insomnia and Pain: Analysis from a Randomized Trial

Objectives: Poor adherence to psychological treatment for insomnia is common and limits treatment gains. Very little is known about predictors of adherence among patients with chronic pain, although adherence is theorized to be more critical and more challenging for these patients. This secondary data analysis examines predictors of drop-out and therapy nonattendance in an osteoarthritis population receiving psychological treatment for insomnia and pain. Methods: Data were analyzed from the “Lifestyles” trial, a randomized controlled trial of a 6-week group cognitive behavioral pain coping skills intervention (CBT-P), group cognitive-behavioral therapy for pain and insomnia (CBT-PI), and an education only attention control group (EOC). The current analysis focuses on 122 participants randomized to CBT-PI from 6 primary care clinics. Measures of treatment acceptability, demographics, and symptoms were collected at baseline. Factor analysis was used to clarify the boundaries of these domains, and hierarchical regression was used to examine the incremental predictive power of these patient characteristics on therapy attendance. Results: Ratings of treatment acceptability were distinct from demographic and medical variables and baseline symptoms. Treatment acceptability was significantly related to session attendance and drop-out (rs ranging from 0.24 to 0.32) and was also one of the strongest predictors of session attendance (&bgr;=0.20; P<0.05). Discussion: Perceptions of treatment acceptability early in treatment represent a potentially modifiable target to enhance adherence to psychological treatment for insomnia and pain among patients with chronic pain. This work represents an important step towards understanding how to best maximize sleep treatments for this patient population.
Study sponsorship and the nutrition research agenda: analysis of randomized controlled trials included in systematic reviews of nutrition interventions to address obesity

Abstract Objective To categorize the research topics covered by a sample of randomized controlled trials (RCT) included in systematic reviews of nutrition interventions to address obesity; to describe their funding sources; and to explore the association between funding sources and nutrition research topics. Design Cross-sectional study. Subjects RCT included in Cochrane Reviews of nutrition interventions to address obesity and/or overweight. Results Two hundred and thirteen RCT from seventeen Cochrane Reviews were included. Funding source and authors’ conflicts of interest were disclosed in 82·6 and 29·6 % of the studies, respectively. RCT were more likely to test an intervention to manipulate nutrients in the context of reduced energy intake (44·2 % of studies) than food-level (11·3 %) and dietary pattern-level (0·9 %) interventions. Most of the food industry-sponsored studies focused on interventions involving manipulations of specific nutrients (66·7 %). Only 33·1 % of the industry-funded studies addressed dietary behaviours compared with 66·9 % of the non-industry-funded ones (P=0·002). The level of food processing was poorly considered across all funding sources. Conclusions The predominance of RCT examining nutrient-specific questions could limit the public health relevance of rigorous evidence available for systematic reviews and dietary guidelines.