Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Practice Guidelines in Acute Pancreatitis

Guidelines for clinical practice are intended to suggest preferable approaches to particular medical problems as established by interpretation and collation of scientifically valid research, derived from extensive review of published literature. When data are not available that will withstand objective scrutiny, a recommendation may be made based on a consensus of experts. Guidelines are intended to apply to the clinical situation for all physicians without regard to specialty. Guidelines are intended to be flexible, not necessarily indicating the only acceptable approach, and should be distinguished from standards of care that are inflexible and rarely violated. Given the wide range of choices in any health care problem, the physician should select the course best suited to the individual patient and the clinical situation presented. These guidelines are developed under the auspices of the American College of Gastroenterology and its practice parameters committee. These guidelines are also approved by the governing boards of the American Gastroenterological Association, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Expert opinion is solicited from the outset for the document. Guidelines are reviewed in depth by the committee, with participation from experienced clinicians and others in related fields. The final recommendations are based on the data available at the time of the production of the document and may be updated with pertinent scientific developments at a later time. The following guidelines are intended for adults and not for pediatric patients.
THE PARADOX OF GROUP SIZE IN COLLECTIVE ACTION: A THEORY OF THE CRITICAL MASS. II. *

Many sociologists incorrectly believe that larger groups are less likely to support collective action than smaller ones. The effect of group size. infact, depends on costs. If the costs of collective goods rise with the number who share in them, larger groups act less frequently than smaller ones. If the costs vary little with group size, larger groups should exhibit more collective action than smaller ones because larger groups have more resources and are more likely to have a critical mass of highly interested and resourceful actors. The positive effects of group size increase with group heterogeneity and nonrandom social ties. Paradoxically, when groups are hetero­ geneous, fewer contributors may be needed to provide a good to larger groups, making collective action less complex and less expensive.
Promiscuous gene expression in thymic epithelial cells is regulated at multiple levels

The role of central tolerance induction has recently been revised after the discovery of promiscuous expression of tissue-restricted self-antigens in the thymus. The extent of tissue representation afforded by this mechanism and its cellular and molecular regulation are barely defined. Here we show that medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) are specialized to express a highly diverse set of genes representing essentially all tissues of the body. Most, but not all, of these genes are induced in functionally mature CD80hi mTECs. Although the autoimmune regulator (Aire) is responsible for inducing a large portion of this gene pool, numerous tissue-restricted genes are also up-regulated in mature mTECs in the absence of Aire. Promiscuously expressed genes tend to colocalize in clusters in the genome. Analysis of a particular gene locus revealed expression of clustered genes to be contiguous within such a cluster and to encompass both Aire-dependent and –independent genes. A role for epigenetic regulation is furthermore implied by the selective loss of imprinting of the insulin-like growth factor 2 gene in mTECs. Our data document a remarkable cellular and molecular specialization of the thymic stroma in order to mimic the transcriptome of multiple peripheral tissues and, thus, maximize the scope of central self-tolerance.
Rapid Formation of Molecular Clouds and Stars in the Solar Neighborhood

We show how molecular clouds in the solar neighborhood might be formed and produce stars rapidly enough to explain stellar population ages, building on results from numerical simulations of the turbulent interstellar medium and general considerations of molecular gas formation. Observations of both star-forming regions and young, gas-free stellar associations indicate that most nearby molecular clouds form stars only over a short time span before dispersal; large-scale flows in the diffuse interstellar medium have the potential for forming clouds sufficiently rapidly and for producing stellar populations with ages much less than the lateral crossing times of their host molecular clouds. We identify four important factors for understanding rapid star formation and short cloud lifetimes. First, much of the accumulation and dispersal of clouds near the solar circle might occur in the atomic phase; only the high-density portion of a cloud's life cycle is spent in the molecular phase, thus helping to limit molecular cloud "lifetimes. " Second, once a cloud achieves a high enough column density to form H2 and CO, gravitational forces become larger than typical interstellar pressure forces; thus, star formation can follow rapidly upon molecular gas formation and turbulent dissipation in limited areas of each cloud complex. Third, typical magnetic fields are not strong enough to prevent rapid cloud formation and gravitational collapse. Fourth, rapid dispersal of gas by newly formed stars, passing shock waves, and reduction of shielding by a small expansion of the cloud after the first events of star formation might limit the length of the star formation epoch and the lifetime of a cloud in its molecular state. This picture emphasizes the importance of large-scale boundary conditions for understanding molecular cloud formation and implies that star formation is a highly dynamic, rather than quasi-static, process and that the low Galactic star formation rate is due to low efficiency rather than slowed collapse in local regions.
Capitation, salary, fee-for-service and mixed systems of payment: effects on the behaviour of primary care physicians.

BACKGROUND It is widely believed that the method of payment of physicians may affect their clinical behaviour. Although payment systems may be used to achieve policy objectives (e.g. cost containment or improved quality of care), little is known about the effects of different payment systems in achieving these objectives. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the impact of different methods of payment (capitation, salary, fee for service and mixed systems of payment) on the clinical behaviour of primary care physicians (PCPs). SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group specialised register; the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register; MEDLINE (1966 to October 1997); BIDS EMBASE (1980 to October 1997); BIDS ISI (1981 to October 1997); EconLit (1969 to October 1997); HealthStar (1975 to October 1997) Helmis (1984 to October 1997); health economics discussion paper series of the Universities of York, Aberdeen, Sheffield, Bristol, Brunel, and McMaster; Swedish Institute of Health Economics; RAND corporation; and reference lists of articles. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised trials, controlled before and after studies and interrupted time series analyses of interventions comparing the impact of capitation, salary, fee for service (FFS) and mixed systems of payment on primary care physician satisfaction with working environment; cost and quantity of care; type and pattern of care; equity of care; and patient health status and satisfaction. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed study quality. MAIN RESULTS Four studies were included involving 640 primary care physicians and more than 6400 patients. There was considerable variation in study setting and the range of outcomes measured. FFS resulted in more primary care visits/contacts, visits to specialists and diagnostic and curative services but fewer hospital referrals and repeat prescriptions compared with capitation. Compliance with a recommended number of visits was higher under FFS compared with capitation payment. FFS resulted in more patient visits, greater continuity of care, higher compliance with a recommended number of visits, but patients were less satisfied with access to their physician compared with salaried payment. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS It is noteworthy that so few studies met the inclusion criteria. There is some evidence to suggest that the method of payment of primary care physicians affects their behaviour, but the findings' generalisability is unknown. More evaluations of the effect of payment systems on PCP behaviour are needed, especially in terms of the relative impact of salary versus capitation payments.
Pouring Skills with Planning and Learning Modeled from Human Demonstrations

We explore how to represent, plan and learn robot pouring. This is a case study of a complex task that has many variations and involves manipulating non-rigid materials such as liquids and granular substances. Variations of pouring we consider are the type of pouring (such as pouring into a glass or spreading a sauce on an object), material, container shapes, initial poses of containers and target amounts. The robot learns to select appropriate behaviors from a library of skills, such as tipping, shaking and tapping, to pour a range of materials from a variety of containers. The robot also learns to select behavioral parameters. Planning methods are used to adapt skills for some variations such as initial poses of containers. We show using simulation and experiments on a PR2 robot that our pouring behavior model is able to plan and learn to handle a wide variety of pouring tasks. This case study is a step towards enabling humanoid robots to perform tasks of daily living.
On the design and performance of algebraic space-time codes for BPSK and QPSK modulation

The authors previously developed an algebraic approach to space-time code design that unifies most of the known results on trellis space-time codes and opens the door for more sophisticated space-time code constructions. We present algebraic constructions for trellis and block space-time codes for BPSK and QPSK modulated systems. The new designs benefit from the algebraic approach and are general for arbitrary number of transmit antennas in quasistatic fading channels. We also provide simulation results comparing the frame error rate performance of various constructions. These simulation results establish the performance advantage achieved by algebraic space-time codes compared to previously known codes in various scenarios.
Bone Block Allograft Impregnated With Bone Marrow Aspirate

Purpose:To evaluate the influence of bone marrow aspirate when added to bone block allograft to repair osseous defects. Background:Bone-marrow aspirate has been combined with xenograft and allograft particulate material and has produced a significant quantity of new bone growth. However, the use of allograft bone blocks has advantages in some clinical situations. This article discusses cell-based therapies by means of in vivo transplantation of stem cells derived from bone-marrow aspirate and incorporated into allograft corticocancellous bone block for bone regeneration. Materials:A technique for combining bone-marrow aspirate with block allografts was developed. To evaluate its influence in repairing osseous defects, a maximum of 3 to 4 mL of bone marrow was aspirated from the anterior iliac crest of 5 patients who had severely atrophic maxillary and mandibular ridges. Five sites were grafted with allograft bone blocks saturated with bone-marrow aspirate and secured with bone screws (ACE Surgical Supply Company, Inc. Brockton, MA). At one of the sites a core specimen was taken 4 months after implant placement and submitted for standard histologic and histomorphometric analysis. Results:After 4 to 8 months of healing, all the grafts had integrated into the recipient bone. Implants were placed at all 5 sites and osseointegrated successfully. Examination of the bone core showed the graft to be well-integrated, with 54% of the core consisting of bone and 46% of marrow. Eighty-nine percent of the bone was vital. Conclusion:Impregnation of bone-marrow aspirate into allograft bone block activates the body's ability to form new bone. The bone-marrow aspiration technique is less invasive than harvesting autogenous bone from a second surgical site, offers predictable results, and is cost effective.
Conversion of Agro-industrial Wastes into Lipids Suitable for Biodiesel Production

Microorganisms that can accumulate lipids at more than 20% of their dry mass are defined as oleaginous species. The majority of these lipids are triacylglycerol containing long-chain fatty acids, which are comparable to conventional vegetable oils. The recent, increasing interest towards the oleaginous microorganisms is due to the potential use of microbial triglycerides as feedstock for biodiesel production. The oleaginous yeasts used in this thesis work appear to be very promising, due to their versatility, as they allow the use of different kinds of residues as nutrients. In particular, Lipomyces starkeyi is so far one of the best used, as it has been proved to store large amounts of lipids. Lipomyces starkeyi were first grown in the presence of olive oil mill wastewaters (OMW), a medium difficult to process by biological treatments, due to the antimicrobial activities of their phenolic components. We demonstrated that Lipomyces can produce, without external organic supplements, a significant reduction of both the total organic carbon (TOC) and the total phenols content, leading to a significant increase of the germination index. The fatty acid distribution showed a prevalence of oleic acid, demonstrating the potential of L. starkeyi as a source of lipids to be used as a feedstock for the synthesis of II generation biodiesel. The performance of Lipomyces was improved by a preliminary dilution of OMW. Lipomyces were able to grow also in the presence of wastewaters from cheese factory, leading to a satisfactory growth and to a significant reduction of the TOC levels. Cellulosic agricultural residues were also evaluated as feedstock for oleaginous yeasts. Lipomyces starkeyi were first grown in the hydrolysate of tomato wastes, containing mainly peel and seeds, at different nitrogen contents. The yeasts showed a favorable growth, with no need of addition of external nutrients. Hydrolysates of Sorghum and Giant Reed were also studied as nutrients for the Lipomyces starkeyi. The conditions to maximize the lipid yield and the efficiency of the biomass conversion were found in terms of H2SO4 concentration (for the preliminary hydrolysis) and of medium composition (for the yeasts growth). Detoxification of hydrolysate with overlime and activated charcoal was carried out to reduce the concentration of microbial growth inhibitors, improving the growth of the yeasts in the undiluted hydrolysate. In conclusion, the potential of oleaginous yeasts was demonstrated by the satisfactory microbial growth in the presence of different waste materials, and by the favorable composition of the triglycerides. Further studies are ongoing to optimize the preliminary hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials and the lipid fraction of the yeasts.
Brain Beats: Tempo Extraction from EEG Data

This paper addresses the question how music information retrieval techniques originally developed to process audio recordings can be adapted for the analysis of corresponding brain activity data. In particular, we conducted a case study applying beat tracking techniques to extract the tempo from electroencephalography (EEG) recordings obtained from people listening to music stimuli. We point out similarities and differences in processing audio and EEG data and show to which extent the tempo can be successfully extracted from EEG signals. Furthermore, we demonstrate how the tempo extraction from EEG signals can be stabilized by applying different fusion approaches on the mid-level tempogram features.
Combination SGLT2 inhibitor and GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy: a complementary approach to the treatment of type 2 diabetes

ABSTRACT Among persons with type 2 diabetes (t2d), the development of glucose intolerance involves dysfunction in several organs and tissues, including the muscle, liver, pancreas, kidney, gastrointestinal tract, adipose tissue, and brain. individuals with t2d typically have a number of comorbidities, including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and being overweight or obese, and are, consequently, at high cardiovascular risk. guidelines recommend a comprehensive care strategy that includes treatment of diabetes-related complications and comorbidities beyond those related to hyperglycemia. use of glucose-lowering therapies with complementary activities that address multiple facets of the disease may improve long-term outcomes for patients with t2d. two recent drug classes developed for use in t2d, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (glp-1ras) and sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (sglt2) inhibitors, have been shown in clinical trials to have beneficial effects on glycemic control, body weight, cardiovascular risk factors, and (for liraglutide, semaglutide, and empagliflozin) cardiovascular outcomes, while having an acceptable safety profile. between them, these drug classes directly or indirectly affect many of the organs and tissues involved in the pathogenesis of t2d, and their beneficial effects on glycemic- and cardiovascular-related parameters are likely to be complementary and potentially additive. in the largest clinical trial of a glp-1ra and an sglt2 inhibitor in combination (duration-8), patients with t2d (n = 685) who received exenatide plus dapagliflozin added to their treatment regimen for 28 weeks had significantly greater reductions from baseline in glycated hemoglobin, body weight, and systolic blood pressure compared with patients who received either drug as monotherapy. this review summarizes the complementary aspects of these drug classes and presents the available data among patients receiving dual therapy with a glp-1ra and an sglt2 inhibitor.
Propranolol vs corticosteroids for infantile hemangiomas: a multicenter retrospective analysis.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether propranolol therapy is safe and effective and superior to oral corticosteroids for treating infantile hemangiomas (IHs). DESIGN Multicenter retrospective chart review. SETTING University of Miami and Miami Children's Hospital, Miami, Florida. Patients The study included 110 patients with IHs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The percentage of clearance was quantified by documented serial global photography and clinical examinations (length, height, and width) to segregate patients into 2 groups: patients who had clearance of 75% or more and patients who had less than 75% clearance. RESULTS The mean duration of treatment was 7.9 months for propranolol and 5.2 months for oral corticosteroids. Fifty-six of 68 patients (82%) who were receiving propranolol achieved clearance of 75% or more compared with 12 of 42 patients (29%) who were receiving oral corticosteroids (P < .01). Adverse effects were minimal in the propranolol group: 1 patient had hypoglycemia and 2 patients had a nonspecifice skin eruption that was not associated with propranolol therapy. All 42 patients in the corticosteroid group had 1 or more adverse effects (P < .01). Relapse after discontinuation of propranolol therapy occurred in 2 of the 68 patients; however, both patients responded to propranolol therapy on reinitiation of treatment. Surgical referrals after treatment were required in 8 patients (12%) in the propranolol group and 12 patients (29%) in the oral corticosteroid group (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS Propranolol therapy was more clinically effective and more cost-effective than oral corticosteroids in treating IHs. It also resulted in fewer surgical interventions and demonstrated better tolerance, with minimal adverse effects, compared with oral corticosteroids. Therefore, propranolol should be considered a first-line agent given its safety and efficacy in the treatment of IHs.
Long term calcium intake and rates of all cause and cardiovascular mortality: community based prospective longitudinal cohort study

Objective To investigate the association between long term intake of dietary and supplemental calcium and death from all causes and cardiovascular disease. Design Prospective longitudinal cohort study. Setting Swedish mammography cohort, a population based cohort established in 1987-90. Participants 61 433 women (born between 1914 and 1948) followed-up for a median of 19 years. Main outcome measures Primary outcome measures, identified from registry data, were time to death from all causes (n=11 944) and cause specific cardiovascular disease (n=3862), ischaemic heart disease (n=1932), and stroke (n=1100). Diet was assessed by food frequency questionnaires at baseline and in 1997 for 38 984 women, and intakes of calcium were estimated. Total calcium intake was the sum of dietary and supplemental calcium. Results The risk patterns with dietary calcium intake were non-linear, with higher rates concentrated around the highest intakes (≥1400 mg/day). Compared with intakes between 600 and 1000 mg/day, intakes above 1400 mg/day were associated with higher death rates from all causes (hazard ratio 1.40, 95% confidence interval 1.17 to 1.67), cardiovascular disease (1 49, 1.09 to 2.02), and ischaemic heart disease (2.14, 1.48 to 3.09) but not from stroke (0.73, 0.33 to 1.65). After sensitivity analysis including marginal structural models, the higher death rate with low dietary calcium intake (<600 mg/day) or with low and high total calcium intake was no longer apparent. Use of calcium tablets (6% users; 500 mg calcium per tablet) was not on average associated with all cause or cause specific mortality but among calcium tablet users with a dietary calcium intake above 1400 mg/day the hazard ratio for all cause mortality was 2.57 (95% confidence interval 1.19 to 5.55). Conclusion High intakes of calcium in women are associated with higher death rates from all causes and cardiovascular disease but not from stroke.
Exploring the HIFs, buts and maybes of hypoxia signalling in disease: lessons from zebrafish models

ABSTRACT A low level of tissue oxygen (hypoxia) is a physiological feature of a wide range of diseases, from cancer to infection. Cellular hypoxia is sensed by oxygen-sensitive hydroxylase enzymes, which regulate the protein stability of hypoxia-inducible factor α (HIF-α) transcription factors. When stabilised, HIF-α binds with its cofactors to HIF-responsive elements (HREs) in the promoters of target genes to coordinate a wide-ranging transcriptional programme in response to the hypoxic environment. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the discovery of the HIF-1α transcription factor, and in recent years the HIF-mediated hypoxia response is being increasingly recognised as an important process in determining the outcome of diseases such as cancer, inflammatory disease and bacterial infections. Animal models have shed light on the roles of HIF in disease and have uncovered intricate control mechanisms that involve multiple cell types, observations that might have been missed in simpler in vitro systems. These findings highlight the need for new whole-organism models of disease to elucidate these complex regulatory mechanisms. In this Review, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of hypoxia and HIFs in disease that have emerged from studies of zebrafish disease models. Findings from such models identify HIF as an integral player in the disease processes. They also highlight HIF pathway components and their targets as potential therapeutic targets against conditions that range from cancers to infectious disease. Summary: Hypoxia signalling, mediated by HIF, is a crucial pathway in many disease processes. Here, we review current knowledge of HIF signalling and disease, focusing on recent findings from zebrafish models.