Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Flavonoids apigenin and quercetin inhibit melanoma growth and metastatic potential

Flavonoids are a class of polyphenolic compounds widely distributed in the plant kingdom, which display a variety of biological activities, including chemoprevention and tumor growth inhibition. Our aim was to investigate the effects of several polyphenols on the growth and metastatic potential of B16‐BL6 melanoma cells in vivo. Intraperitoneal administration of quercetin, apigenin, (–)‐epigallocathechin‐3‐gallate (EGCG), resveratrol, and the anti‐estrogen tamoxifen, at the time of i.m. injection of B16‐BL6 cells into syngeneic mice, resulted in a significant, dose‐dependent delay of tumor growth, without toxicity. The relative descending order of potency was EGCG > apigenin = quercetin = tamoxifen > resveratrol > control. Furthermore, polyphenols significantly potentiated the inhibitory effect of a non‐toxic dose of cisplatin. When tested for the ability to inhibit lung colonization, quercetin, apigenin, and tamoxifen (but not EGCG or resveratrol) significantly decreased the number of B16‐BL6 colonies in the lungs in a dose‐dependent manner, with quercetin and apigenin being more effective than tamoxifen. Interestingly, quercetin, apigenin, and tamoxifen (but not EGCG or resveratrol) significantly decreased the invasion of B16‐BL6 cells in vitro, with quercetin and apigenin being more effective than tamoxifen. This suggests that anti‐invasive activity is one of the mechanisms underlying inhibition of lung colonization by quercetin and apigenin. In conclusion, quercetin and apigenin inhibit melanoma growth and invasive and metastatic potential; therefore, they may constitute a valuable tool in the combination therapy of metastatic melanoma. Int. J. Cancer 87:595–600, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Categorical Outlook on Cellular Automata

In programming language semantics, it has proved to be fruitful to analyze context-dependent notions of computation, e.g., dataflow computation and attribute grammars, using comonads. We explore the viability and value of similar modeling of cellular automata. We identify local behaviors of cellular automata with coKleisli maps of the exponent comonad on the category of uniform spaces and uniformly continuous functions and exploit this equivalence to conclude some standard results about cellular automata as instances of basic category-theoretic generalities. In particular, we recover Ceccherini-Silberstein and Coornaert's version of the Curtis-Hedlund theorem.
Generalization of the language version determination problem

In this paper, we generalize the language version determination problem by relaxing the assumption of version subset relationship. The search algorithms proposed for the generalized problem involve constant search time using a hash table to implement the search for language versions. The hash table stores version features and their corresponding versions containing them. Maintaining the hash table is done by inserting newly developed versions in the version lists corresponding to those features newly added and those contained in the versions from which the new versions are developed, excluding the features being deleted.
INTRACELLULAR TRANSPORT OF SECRETORY PROTEINS IN THE PANCREATIC EXOCRINE CELL

Experiments have been carried out to determine whether intracellular transport of pancreatic secretory proteins is obligatorily coupled to protein synthesis or whether it is a separable process which can be independently regulated. To this intent, guinea pig pancreatic slices were pulse labeled with leucine-3H for 3 min and incubated post-pulse for 37 min in chase medium containing cycloheximide up to concentrations sufficient to inhibit protein synthesis by 98%. In controls, newly synthesized secretory proteins are transported over this interval to condensing vacuoles of the Golgi complex. Since the latter are recovered in the zymogen granule fraction upon cell fractionation, intracellular transport was assayed by measuring the amount of protein radioactivity found in the zymogen granule fraction after a (3 + 37) min incubation. The results indicated that at maximum inhibition of protein synthesis (5 x 10-4 M cycloheximide), transport proceeded with an efficiency ∼80% of control. Parallel radioautographic studies on intact slices confirmed these data and further indicated that all the steps of intracellular transport, including discharge to the acinar lumen, were independent of protein synthesis. We conclude that: (1) transport and protein synthesis are separable processes; (2) intracellular transport is not the result of a continuous delivery of secretory proteins from attached polysomes to the cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum; and (3) transport is not dependent on the synthesis of "specific" nonsecretory proteins within the time limits tested.
Hepatitis C infection in Egypt: prevalence, impact and management strategies

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major public health burden in Egypt, where it bears the highest prevalence rate in the world. Estimates for prevalence are based upon data reported from the 2008 and 2015 Egypt Demographic Health Surveys. In this review, we demonstrate the prevalence results of both surveys and analyze the difference in the results. The overall HCV prevalence is estimated to be declining. However, the clinical impact of chronic HCV infection is expected to grow considerably. A mathematical model shows that by increasing the rate of treatment, the expected number of patients will decline significantly in 2030. The current and expected future burden of chronic HCV infection to the Egyptian economy, including direct and indirect costs due to disability and loss of lives, has been estimated and discussed in this review. The economic burden will continue to grow, but a model shows that the introduction of highly effective therapies will result in a significant reduction in the cumulative total economic burden of HCV by 2030. In recognition of the HCV tremendous health and economic burden, the Egyptian government established the National Committee for Control of Viral Hepatitis to implement an integrated nationwide strategy to provide patient care and ensure global treatment access. This review illustrates the epidemiological and disease burden aspects of HCV in Egypt in addition to introducing the national plan and program for managing HCV, which has been successful so far in treating a large number of patients, with the aim of achieving disease control and eventual elimination in Egypt.
Patient‐identified impact of symptoms in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy

Introduction: The effects of spinal bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) on quality of life (QoL) are not well understood. This study describes symptoms from the patient's perspective and the impact these symptoms have on QoL. Methods: We conducted open‐ended interviews with 21 adult men with genetically confirmed SBMA. Using a qualitative framework technique, we coded and analyzed interviews to identify symptoms and resulting themes. Results: From these interviews, 729 quotations were extracted. We identified 200 SBMA‐specific symptoms and 20 symptomatic themes. Weakness was mentioned by all interviewees. Symptoms within the domain of mental health and the specific themes of emotional issues and psychological impact were also frequently mentioned. Discussion: Numerous symptoms affect QoL for patients with SBMA. We identified previously unrecognized symptoms that are important to address in enhancing clinical care for patients with SBMA and in developing tools to evaluate efficacy in future clinical trials. Muscle Nerve 57: 40–44, 2018
Image editing and creation with perception-motivated local features

This document describes four projects that, taken together, serve as a proof by example of the efficacy of a perception-motivated strategy for making graphics tools. More specifically, this strategy involves first selecting local features motivated by human perception and domain understanding, and then building algorithms that allow users to interactively edit these features. While the tools presented herein range over the domains of painting, compositing, and animation, all share a common philosophy—they spring from the isolation of a basic task-relevant feature and the creation of support algorithms that allow local edits of this feature at interactive rates. Gradient Paint is a paint program inspired by theories of color perception which allows artists to edit edges between colors rather than colors themselves. The system includes a new real-time integrator for image display and a set of brushes suited for working with edges. Local Layering introduces a notion of local overlap which allows artists to stack images as if they were paper cut-outs. In this work, I present a new way of representing stacked images and provide a provably correct and sufficient set of operators for navigating this representation. Soft Stacking is a continuous-domain extension of Local Layering which allows artists to stack images as if they were volumes of fog. I present both brush-based and optimization-based creation techniques for such continuous-domain stackings. 3D-like Texturing for 2D Animation is an attempt to provide 2D artists with a way to reap one of the primary benefits—coherent texturing—of creating 3D models. The system I describe, though imperfect, is able to construct a correspondence between various 2D drawings using only local shape information, and in such a way that the computer never creates a 3D model. These four projects showcase a new, and somewhat effective, strategy for creating graphics tools that transcend traditional art materials and computer constructs. Keywords: ambiguity, animation, artist tools, gradient domain, layering, locality, painting, perception, stacking, texturing
Neural characterization in partially observed populations of spiking neurons

Point process encoding models provide powerful statistical methods for understanding the responses of neurons to sensory stimuli. Although these models have been successfully applied to neurons in the early sensory pathway, they have fared less well capturing the response properties of neurons in deeper brain areas, owing in part to the fact that they do not take into account multiple stages of processing. Here we introduce a new twist on the point-process modeling approach: we include unobserved as well as observed spiking neurons in a joint encoding model. The resulting model exhibits richer dynamics and more highly nonlinear response properties, making it more powerful and more flexible for fitting neural data. More importantly, it allows us to estimate connectivity patterns among neurons (both observed and unobserved), and may provide insight into how networks process sensory input. We formulate the estimation procedure using variational EM and the wake-sleep algorithm, and illustrate the model's performance using a simulated example network consisting of two coupled neurons.
Hypocaloric high-protein diet improves clinical and biochemical markers in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

OBJECTIVE To investigate the role of hypocaloric highprotein diet, a prospective clinical study was conducted in NAFLD patients. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES Pre-versus post-interventional data were analyzed in 48 stable NAFLD patients (submitted to a hypocaloric high-protein diet during 75 days. Variables included anthropometrics (body mass index/ BMI and waist circumference/WC), whole-body and segmental bioimpedance analysis and biochemical tests. Diet compliance was assessed by interviews every two weeks. RESULTS BMI, WC and body fat mass remained relatively stable (-1.3%, -1.8% and -2.5% respectively, no significance). HDL- cholesterol increased (P < 0.05) whereas total, LDL and VLDL cholesterol, triglycerides, aspartate aminotransferase/ AST, gamma glutamyltransferase/GGT, alkaline phosphatase/ AP, fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin/ HbA1c decreased (P < 0.05). When patients were stratified according to increase (22/48, 45.8%) and decrease (21/48, 43.8%) of BMI, association between weight decrease and liver benefit could be elicited in such circumstances for ALT, AP and AST/ALT ratio. No change could be demonstrated in patients who gained weight. Multivariate assessment confirmed that waist circumference, ferritin, triacylglycerol, and markers of glucose homeostasis were the most relevant associated with liver enzymes. DISCUSSION Ours results are consistent with the literature of calorie restriction in the management of NAFLD. Changes in lifestyle and weight loss are recommended for NAFLD patients. European guidelines also support this recommendation. CONCLUSION This is the first study that demonstrated that a high protein, hypocaloric diet were associated with improvement of lipid profile, glucose homeostasis and liver enzymes in NAFLD independent on BMI decrease or body fat mass reduction.
- 114-Development and Evaluation of an Electronic Bulletin Board System Visualizing User Interaction

Today, many electronic Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) are established on the Internet and have been used in many researches of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL). And then, in this study, (1) the authors picked up and identified necessary functions and interfaces to exchange ideas. And then (2) the authors developed and evaluated a new electronic Bulletin Board System including the functions and the interfaces described above. In part (1), the authors carried out a research using standard Bulletin Board System displaying time-series. Accordingly, it was identified the necessity for displaying the relation between writings and visualizing user's impression and popularity of the writing. In part (2), the authors developed a system based on the above results. This system displays the writing connection using 3D-tree-structure. In addition, it can visualize the user’s impression and popularity using color variation. Then the authors carried out an experiment for the evaluation of this system. It was cleared that visualizing interactions are effective in interchanging ideas. But there is room for improvement in the method of visualizing and user-friendly operationally of this system.
Novel results and future perspectives of study of cardiovascular autonomic control in prediabetic patients

For quite a while, heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rhythm turbulence (HRT) have been subjects of research for patients with different cardiac pathology (1, 2). It's well known that diabetes mellitus associated with cardiac autonomic nervous dysfunction (CAND) results in changes to HRV and HRT parameters (3). CAND increases risk for cardiac arrhythmia, orthostatic hypotension, and myocardial infarction (MI). It also increases mortality in post-MI patients (4-6). Balcıoğlu et al. (7) demonstrated the association between prediabetic condition (isolated fasting hyperglycemia) and CAND in an article in the current issue of the Anatolian Journal of Cardiology entitled "Cardiac autonomic nervous dysfunction detected by both heart rate variability and heart rate turbulence in prediabetic patients with isolated impaired fasting glucose. " HRT abnormality, considered an autonomic imbalance, was found in prediabetic patients. According to Balcıoğlu et al. (7) and some other researchers (8, 9), damage to neurofibers responsible for regulating cardiac and vascular function under hyperglycemia is one reason for CAND in diabetic patients. This statement is supported by the association between isolated fasting hyperglycemia and all evaluated parameters of autonomic cardiac regulation. Those fi ndings are extremely important for preventive cardiovascular medicine in prediabetic patients. The authors report only 1 study limitation: They didn't include spectral analysis of HRV, which we hope they consider for future research. We would also like to emphasize that HRV and HRT are quite useful for anatomic cardiac regulation, but not the regulation of peripheral blood flow. Further research in the field, suggested by Dr. Balcıoğlu et al. (7), may create a new research subject "autonomic function of cardiovascular system" instead of "autonomic function of the heart" in prediabetic patients. The synchronization of low-frequency oscillations in HRV and photoplethysmographic waveform variability (PPGV) reflects the functional interaction between the heart and peripheral circulation by means of autonomic regulation mechanisms (10). In healthy patients, these slow oscillations in HRV and PPGV are continuously synchronized almost all the time (10). Synchronization of low-frequency oscillations may be useful in cardiac event risk stratification (11) and control of therapeutic treatment (12) in patients with hypertension and MI. Further research regarding the interaction between slow oscillations in HRV and PPGV among prediabetic patients may complete and expand the results of Dr. Balcıoğlu et al. (7).
Calibration of extrinsic parameters of a hybrid vision system for navigation comprising a very low resolution Time-of-Flight camera

A procedure to calibrate the relative position and orientation (extrinsic parameters) between a Time of Flight (ToF) camera and an RGB camera is presented. The proposed approach is particularly suited for ToF cameras characterized by very low resolution and a limited field of view. The presented experimental set-up is conceived to facilitate feature detection using both the ToF and RGB cameras. Three different methods for feature detection using the ToF camera, are described and their behaviors are evaluated and compared through experimental tests.
Low‐dose aspirin fails to inhibit increased platelet reactivity in patients with peripheral vascular disease

A study was performed to evaluate the effect of low‐dose aspirin (75 mg/day) on platelet reactivity in patients with peripheral vascular disease. Platelet function was measured in 31 patients with advanced peripheral vascular disease requiring surgery. Shear‐induced haemostasis and collagen‐induced thrombus formation were used as indicators of platelet reactivity. They were measured in non‐anticoagulated fresh whole blood samples ex vivo using a haemostatometer. Results were compared with those from 30 age‐ and sex‐matched controls. Shear‐induced haemostasis and collagen‐induced thrombus formation were also measured in 18 of the 31 patients before the start of aspirin administration (before operation) and I week after surgery. Patients with advanced peripheral vascular disease were found to have increased platelet reactivity with a mean(s.e.m.) shear‐induced haemostasis index of 1977(180) mmHgs compared with a control value of 3161(234) mmHg s (P < 0.001) and a mean(s.e.m.) collagen‐induced thrombus formation index of 3980(460) mmHg s compared with a control value of 5350(420) mmHg s (P = 0.02). Perioperative low‐dose aspirin failed to inhibit platelet function in patients with peripheral vascular disease.
E-commerce recommenders' authority: applying the user's opinion relevance in recommender systems

Considerable time is wasted in searching for information on the Internet because there is such a variety of items competing for attention. In an attempt to minimize this difficulty, and to provide support in the search for interesting and useful information, significant research efforts have been made --- from systems based on pure information recovery, to systems applying information filtering to recommend items. In this paper we describe a model (Mo-DROP) for the computation of the user's relevance of opinion (Recommneder's Rank metric) and its application in a specific domain of knowledge using information from Recommender Systems. The aim of this solution is to offer the users of a Recommender System conditions to identify other people's authority in a Collaborative Filtering mechanism. In addition, we present an extended example and an experiment applying this model and the Recommender's Rank metric.
Multifunctional Endoscopic Imaging System for Support of Early Cancer Diagnosis

During an endoscopic examination, physicians find lesions, diagnose malignancy, and perform biopsy as well as therapy. Our recent development multifunctional imaging system provides an enhanced image for each step of the examination. Four observational modes work on the same platform. They are conventional white light mode, autofluorescence imaging, narrow band imaging, and infrared imaging. In this paper, the system configuration and clinical performance are described.
Influence of Time of Sampling Onset on Parameters Used for Activation Time Determination in Computerized Intraoperative Mapping

The purpose of this work is to determine the sensitivity of the estimated time of peaks and maximum slopes, commonly used in activation time computations, to the instant at which sampling is initiated. Based on complex and quickly changing waveforms, 471 monopolar (MP) and bipolar (BP) epicardial responses in man were selected. These were decimated from 10 kHz to simulate sampling at frequencies ranging from 200 Hz to 2,000 Hz. The peak and maximum absolute slope for BP and the minimum slope for MP were computed repeatedly starting at successive 100 μsec intervals extending throughout the sampling period and compared with these parameters computed from the waveform sampled at 10 kHz. Slopes were estimated using each of four different algorithms. The average greatest shift (ACS) due to variations in sampling onset ranged from 11.2 ± 3.5 (200 Hz) to 0.3 ± 0.2 msec (2,000 Hz). For bipolar algorithms, the peak performed better than the slope algorithms (ACS: 5,9 ± 3,3 to 0.3 ± 1.0 msec). For MP algorithms, 2 point linear, and 3 and 5 point Lagrange slope estimates performed similarly (ACS: 5.6 ± 3.3 to 0.3 ± 0.2 msec); a 5 point least square fit algorithm performed poorly. Sampling MP and BP electrograms below 500 and 400, respectively, often caused maximum shifts > 4 msec. Thus, the resolution of the peak and estimated slope is not limited to the sampling period, variations in initiation of sampling can cause significant outliers especially at low sampling rates, and MP electrograms should be sampled faster than BP electrograms for comparable accuracy.
Sequence Polymorphism, Segmental Recombination and Toggling Amino Acid Residues within the DBL3X Domain of the VAR2CSA Placental Malaria Antigen

Plasmodium falciparum malaria remains one of the world's foremost health problems, primarily in highly endemic regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, where it is responsible for substantial morbidity, mortality and economic losses. Malaria is a significant cause of severe disease and death in pregnant women and newborns, with pathogenesis being associated with expression of a unique variant of the multidomain Plasmodium falciparum Erythrocyte Membrane Protein 1 (PfEMP1) called VAR2CSA. Here, we characterize the polymorphism of the DBL3X domain of VAR2CSA and identify regions under selective pressure among placental parasites from women living in endemic western Kenya. In addition to significant levels of polymorphism, our analysis reveals evidence for diversification through intra-segmental recombination and novel mutations that likely contributed to the high number of unique VAR2CSA sequence types identified in this study. Interestingly, we also identified a number of critical residues that may be implicated in immune evasion through switching (or toggling) to alternative amino acids, including an arginine residue within the predicted binding pocket in subdomain III, which was previously implicated in binding to placental CSA. Overall, these findings are important for understanding parasite diversity in pregnant women and will be useful for identifying epitopes and variants of DBL3X to be included in a vaccine against placental malaria.