Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum Visfatin is Specific Significant Predictor of Rheumatoid Arthritis Severity : A Comparative Study versus Interleukin-6 and Clinical Severity Scores

Objectives: To determine serum levels of visfatin in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) of varying duration of disease and to correlate it with serum interleukin (IL)-6 and clinical and radiological severity scores. Patients & Methods: The study included 70 patients fulfilled either four of seven ACR criteria or having morning stiffness ≥60 minutes, symmetrical arthritis and small joint arthritis for at least 6 months and 20 cross matched age and gender volunteers (Control group). Patients' data including age, gender, weight, height and calculation of body mass index (BMI) were determined. All patients underwent clinical evaluation for disease activity assessed using a 28 joint disease activity score, (DAS-28), pain using visual analogue scale (VAS) and functional disability using the Swedish version of the Stanford health assessment questionnaire (HAQ) to calculate the Disability Index (DI). Postero-anterior radiographs of hands, wrists, and forefeet were taken and joint destruction was classified according to Larsen–Dale index. Blood samples were obtained from patients and controls for ELISA estimation of Rheumatoid factor (RF) and serum IL-6 and visfatin. Results: Mean DAS-28 score was 3.9±0.8; range: 1.4-6.8, mean VAS joint pain score was 60.2±5.2; range: 51-71 and mean DI was 12.3±5.1. Erosive lesions were identified in 43 patients (61.4%), while the remaining 27 patients (38.6%). Fifty-one patients (72.9%) were RF positive; 34 had joint erosions and 17 patients were free of erosion. Estimated serum levels of IL-6 and visfatin were significantly higher in patients compared to controls with significantly higher levels in patients had erosive lesions compared to those free of erosion. There was positive significant correlation between presence of radiological evidence of presence bone erosion and patients' age, clinical data and disease severity scores and serum levels of IL-6 and visfatin. Serum levels of IL-6 and visfatin were found to be specific predictors of radiological evidence of bone erosion. Conclusion: There was a positive significant correlation between serum visfatin levels and clinical and radiological severity of RA and could be considered as specific predictor for RA radiological severity. [Khaled Amer and Waleed M. Fathy. Serum Visfatin is Specific Significant Predictor of Rheumatoid Arthritis Severity: A Comparative Study versus Interleukin-6 and Clinical Severity Scores. Life Science Journal 2012; 9(1):809-816]. (ISSN: 1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite. com. 117
Tracing the Thread of Plastid Diversity through the Tapestry of Life

Plastids (chloroplasts) are endosymbiotic organelles derived from previously free‐living cyanobacteria. They are dependent on their host cell to the degree that the majority of the proteins expressed in the plastid are encoded in the nuclear genome of the host cell, and it is this genetic dependency that distinguishes organelles from obligate endosymbionts. Reduction in the size of the plastid genome has occurred via gene loss, substitution of nuclear genes, and gene transfer. The plastids of Chlorophyta and plants, Rhodophyta, and Glaucocystophyta are primary plastids (i.e., derived directly from a cyanobacterium). These three lineages may or may not be descended from a single endosymbiotic event. All other lineages of plastids have acquired their plastids by secondary (or tertiary) endosymbiosis, in which a eukaryote already equipped with plastids is preyed upon by a second eukaryote. Considerable gene transfer has occurred among genomes and, at times, between organisms. The eukaryotic crown group Alveolata has a particularly complex history of plastid acquisition.
A Cloned Pig Model for Examining Atherosclerosis Induced by High Fat, High Cholesterol Diets

The pig is a recognized model for the onset of coronary heart disease and heart attacks. Previous studies have shown that serum cholesterol levels in the pig can be elevated using a high fat, high cholesterol (HFHC) diet. What has been lacking is a genetically defined model corresponding to human ApoE4 susceptibility that can be linked to diets capable of inducing atherosclerosis. This study used a cloned pig model to examine the impact of cholesterol levels with the development of aorta fatty deposits leading to atherosclerosis. Diets were formulated using vegetable sources of protein to provide similar intakes of metabolizable energy, calcium, phosphorous and principal amino acids in both control and HFHC groups. After 60 days, the HFHC group demonstrated a 40-fold increase in aortic fatty streak lesion area combined with 6- and 11-fold increases in total and LDL cholesterol, respectively, over control diet fed cloned pigs. Previous studies have suffered from either imbalanced total caloric intake, an overall imbalance in the nutrition of the control versus HFHC groups or genetic heterogeneity when evaluating dietary constraints related to atherosclerosis. This study demonstrated that cloned, genetically-defined ApoE4 pigs provided balanced nutrition diets provide an experimental system ideally suited to examining atherosclerosis and the onset of coronary heart disease.
Isotopic ecology ten years after a call for more laboratory experiments

About 10 years ago, reviews of the use of stable isotopes in animal ecology predicted explosive growth in this field and called for laboratory experiments to provide a mechanistic foundation to this growth. They identified four major areas of inquiry: (1) the dynamics of isotopic incorporation, (2) mixing models, (3) the problem of routing, and (4) trophic discrimination factors. Because these areas remain central to isotopic ecology, we use them as organising foci to review the experimental results that isotopic ecologists have collected in the intervening 10 years since the call for laboratory experiments. We also review the models that have been built to explain and organise experimental results in these areas.
Development of a polarized laser scanning microscope and its use to quantitative analysis of rock textures.

走査型レーザー顕微鏡(laser scanning microscope, LSM)によって岩石組織をデジタル画像として直接読み取り,定量的に解析する方法を報告する. LSMはレーザーを光源とする走査型の光学顕微鏡である. レーザー光の指向性と,これを利用した共焦点法によって,解像度のよい鮮明な画像が得られることに加え,試料の深さ方向にも解像度をもっという利点がある. LSMを用いた表面形状解析では,結晶粒界を鮮明に可視化することができる. 岩石鉱物の観察のため,偏光フィルターを挿入して単ニコル・直交ニコル像の取得を可能にした. 光源にはKr-Arレーザー(青・緑・赤の3波長同時発振)を備えており,カラー画像の取得や分光顕微鏡としての様々な応用が可能である. 得られたデジタル顕微鏡画像を用いて鉱物の光学的性質の画像解析や,特定鉱物のマッピングなどの画像処理を行った.
Transobturator and retropubic tape procedures in stress urinary incontinence: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of effectiveness and complications

Background Various types of suburethral tapes inserted via the transobturator route (tension‐free vaginal tape obturator route [TVTO] and transobturator tape [TOT]) have been widely adopted for treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) before proper evaluation of their effectiveness and complications.
Agent Models of 3 D Virtual Worlds

Architectural design has relevance to the design of virtual worlds that create a sense of place through the metaphor of buildings, rooms, and inhabitable spaces. The design and implementation of virtual worlds has focused on the design of 3D form for fast rendering to allow real time exploration of the world. Using platforms that were originally designed for computer games, some virtual worlds now contain preprogrammed interactive behaviors. We present an agent model of virtual worlds in which the objects in the world have agency, that is, the objects can sense their environment, reason about their goals, and make changes to the environment. This agent model is presented and illustrated using a wall agent. Following from the wall agent, we generalize how agency can be attached to any 3D model in a virtual world.
Treatment of acute pulmonary embolism with dabigatran versus warfarin

Summary Dabigatran was non-inferior to warfarin for prevention of recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE), and dabigatran had a lower rate of bleeding compared with warfarin in two large-scale randomised trials, RE-COVER and RE-COVER II. In this study, we investigate the efficacy and safety of dabigatran versus warfarin according to the index event that qualified the patient for enrollment, either symptomatic pulmonary embolism (PE) with or without deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), or DVT alone. We then analyse the anticoagulant effect of dabigatran vs warfarin on patients enrolled with PE. The pooled dataset for the efficacy analysis consisted of 2553 and 2554 patients who were randomised to dabigatran and warfarin, respectively. Recurrent VTE/VTE-related death during the study period and additional 30-day follow-up occurred in 2.7 % of all patients on dabigatran and in 2.4 % on warfarin (hazard ratio [HR] 1.09 [95 % confidence interval 0.77, 1.54]). In patients with PE as their index event, recurrent VTE/VTE-related death occurred in 2.9 % vs 3.1 % of patients (HR 0.93 [0.53, 1.64]). There were significantly fewer major bleeding events in patients treated with dabigatran than with warfarin (HR 0.60 [0.36, 0.99]). The pattern was similar both in patients with PE and in those with DVT alone as the index event. These analyses of the pooled dataset from the RECOVER and RE-COVER II trials indicate that dabigatran is as effective as warfarin in preventing recurrent VTE, regardless of whether patients present with symptomatic PE (with or without DVT) or with symptomatic DVT alone. Dabigatran was also associated with a lower risk of bleeding than warfarin, regardless of the index event.
Focal generation of paroxysmal fast runs during electrographic seizures

Purpose: A cortically generated Lennox‐Gastaut type seizure is associated with spike‐wave/poly‐spike‐wave discharges at 1.0–2.5 Hz and fast runs at 7–16 Hz. Here we studied the patterns of synchronization during runs of paroxysmal fast spikes.
Wear-resistant cobalt-based coatings for injection moulds by cold spray

In this study, cold spray and high-velocity oxy fuel processes were respectively used in applying cobalt-based and nickel-based alloys on steel injection moulds. Effects of changes in the main cold spray deposition parameters and in powder composition of the cobalt-based alloy were optimised in terms of machinability and hardness improvements. A four-cavity mould was configured to allow the comparison of wear resistance between coated and heat-treated inserts in severe operating conditions. Real parts were produced by injection moulding, using a glass–fibre-reinforced polymer. Surface topography of the inserts was characterised in defined key-zones after polishing and at each scheduled stop of the moulding process. Experimental results showed that steel mould inserts coated by thermal spray and then polished can be a valid alternative to heat-treated steel for most applications.
Wash exhibits context-dependent phenotypes and, along with the WASH regulatory complex, regulates Drosophila oogenesis

ABSTRACT WASH, a Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome (WAS) family protein, has many cell and developmental roles related to its function as a branched actin nucleation factor. Similar to mammalian WASHC1, which is embryonic lethal, Drosophila Wash was found to be essential for oogenesis and larval development. Recently, however, Drosophila wash was reported to be homozygous viable. Here, we verify that the original wash null allele harbors an unrelated lethal background mutation; however, this unrelated lethal mutation does not contribute to any Wash oogenesis phenotypes. Significantly, we find that: (1) the homozygous wash null allele retains partial lethality, leading to non-Mendelian inheritance; (2) the allele's functions are subject to its specific genetic background; and (3) the homozygous stock rapidly accumulates modifications that allow it to become robust. Together, these results suggest that Wash plays an important role in oogenesis via the WASH regulatory complex. Finally, we show that another WAS family protein, SCAR/WAVE, plays a similar role in oogenesis and that it is upregulated as one of the modifications that allows the wash allele to survive in the homozygous state. Summary: Drosophila Wash loss-of-function mutant is not homozygous lethal, but plays essential roles in oogenesis and its loss in the ovary leads to compensation by the related family member Scar.
Accounting for and responding to HIV-associated mortality.

The successful scale up of ART over the last 15 years is therefore largely an African success story. The evaluation of Botswana’s public ART programme published in this issue of AIDS provides a national example of the progress made by almost all high HIV-burden countries in Africa [2]. By the end of 2014, the national programme had started almost 250 000 people on ART, from 3500 in 2002. Adult mortality during the first year on ART declined from 7 to 2%, likely as a result of the progressively earlier access to treatment, with average CD4þ at start of ART rising from 88 cells/ml in 2002 to 258 cells/ml in 2013.
Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Stigma and Other Determinants of Participation in TANF and Medicaid Author ( s ) :

We developed a conceptual framework to examine the association between stigma, enrollment barriers (e.g., difficult application), knowledge, state policy, and participation in the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and adult Medicaid programs. Survey data from 901 community health center patients, who were potential and actual participants in these programs, indicated that while images of the Medicaid program and its recipients were generally positive, stigma associated with welfare stereotypes reduced both TANF and Medicaid enrollment. Expectations of poor treatment when applying for Medicaid, enrollment barriers, and misinformation about program rules were also associated with reduced Medicaid enrollment. States that enacted strict welfare reform policies were potentially decreasing TANF participation, while states with more simplified and generous programs were potentially increasing Medicaid participation. The results suggest that the image of the adult Medicaid program remains tied to perceptions about welfare and provides guidance to policymakers about how to improve participation rates. 2004 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.
Evolution of altruism: spatial dispersion and consumption strategies

The work presented here is concerned with the evolution of altruistic behaviour in a population of agents subject to an open-ended evolutionary process. In this context, it is well known that genotypic relatedness plays a key role with respect to the level of altruism that can be observed. Such relatedness may be enforced through particular selection mechanism (e.g. kin-recognition) as well as particular dispersion strategies (e.g. low dispersion favours local interactions). This paper presents results on the importance of the evolution of particular dispersion strategies whenever consumption strategies are enforced. A key result from this paper is that whenever altruism is difficult to display when consuming food (i.e. being unable to share while eating), higher dispersion behaviour are evolved, which is a counterintuitive result at first sight.
Peptides inhibiting heparanase procoagulant activity significantly reduce tumour growth and vascularisation in a mouse model

Summary Heparanase is implicated in angiogenesis and tumour progression. We previously demonstrated that heparanase might also affect the haemostatic system in a non-enzymatic manner. It forms a complex and enhances the activity of the blood coagulation initiator tissue factor (TF). Peptides that we generated from TF pathway inhibitor (TFPI)-2, which inhibit heparanase procoagulant activity, were recently demonstrated to attenuate inflammation in a sepsis mouse model. The present study was designated to explore peptides effects on tumour growth and vascularisation. Cell lines of mouse melanoma (B16), mouse breast cancer (EMT-6), and human breast cancer (MDA-231) were injected subcutaneously to mice. Inhibitory peptides 5, 6 and 7 were injected subcutaneously in the area opposite to the tumour side. In the three tumour cell lines, peptides 5, 6 and 7 inhibited tumour growth and vascularisation in a dose-dependent manner, reaching a 2/3 reduction compared to control tumours (p<0.001). Additionally, a survival advantage (p<0.05) and reduced plasma thrombin-antithrombin complex (p<0.05) were observed in the treatment groups. Peptides delayed tumour relapse by six days and inhibited relapsed tumour size (p<0.001). In vitro, peptides did not inhibit tumour cell proliferation, migration or heparanase degradation of heparan sulfate chains, but significantly decreased tube formation. In conclusion, peptides inhibiting heparanase procoagulant activity significantly reduced tumour growth, vascularisation, and relapse. The procoagulant domain in heparanase protein may play a role in tumour growth, suggesting a new mechanism of coagulation system involvement in cancer.
Collagen fibrils from physiologically distinct tendons follow unique paths to failure

ix List of Abbreviations Used . x Acknowledgements . xii Chapter
Delivery of cancer care in rural India: Experiences of establishing a rural comprehensive cancer care facility

Shripad D. Banavali Department of Medical Oncology, Tata Memorial Center; Mumbai, Maharashtra, India E-mail: banavali_2000@yahoo.com Copyright : © Indian Journal of Medical and Paediatric Oncology This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons AttributionNoncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Experimental Characterization of Straw Jets via Image Processing Techniques

This paper presents a non-intrusive experimental technique to characterize the dense particle laden jet flow produced by straw blowers machine. These flows are often encountered in agricultural contexts for bedding, feeding or mulching applications. The experimental set up consists of a straw blower machine, a white background tarp and a color video camera filming the straw jet over a twelve meter test section, in daylight conditions. The technique is based on an image processing routine to detect and track straw particles from the video sequence. In particular, the processing combines two segmentation techniques: 1) a color segmentation, using k-means clustering in the CIElab color space and 2) an adaptive background subtraction, using Eigen-Background decomposition. For a set of four test cases, the straw jet trajectories obtained were complemented –and validated– with the measurement of straw distribution at the ground using a mesh of panels.
Nutritional and Health Benefits of Inulin and Oligofructose Controlled Trial of Oligofructose in the Management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

A double-blind crossover trial of oligofructose (Raftilose P95) 2 g three times daily against sucrose (1 g) three times daily was performed in patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome. Each treatment was followed for 4 wk. Patients consumed a standardized diet during the last 14 d of each treatment period, and symptoms were assessed using a previously validated questionnaire. Fecal weight and pH, whole-gut transit time and fasting breath hydrogen concentrations were measured at the start of the study and at the end of each treatment period. Oligofructose produced no significant change in any of these parameters even when patients were divided into those with predominant diarrhea (n 5 14) and those with predominant constipation (n 5 7). Oligofructose at a dose of 6 g/d had no therapeutic value in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. J. Nutr. 129: 1451S–1453S, 1999.
Tazarotene cream in the treatment of psoriasis: Two multicenter, double-blind, randomized, vehicle-controlled studies of the safety and efficacy of tazarotene creams 0.05% and 0.1% applied once daily for 12 weeks.

BACKGROUND Tazarotene in a gel formulation is widely used in the treatment of psoriasis. OBJECTIVE To determine the efficacy and safety of tazarotene 0.1% and 0.05% creams in the treatment of psoriasis. METHODS A total of 1303 patients participated in 2 clinical trials. Patients applied tazarotene creams 0.1% and 0.05% or vehicle once daily to all psoriatic lesions for 12 weeks followed by a 12-week posttreatment period. RESULTS Both creams were significantly more effective than vehicle on the basis of an overall assessment of psoriasis, a global response to treatment, and reduction in plaque elevation and scaling. Therapeutic effect was maintained during the posttreatment period. Common adverse events included signs and symptoms of skin irritation. CONCLUSION Tazarotene creams were associated with significant reductions in the severity of the clinical signs of psoriasis and were found to be safe with acceptable tolerability. Tazarotene cream 0.1% was generally more effective, although slightly less well tolerated, than the 0.05% cream.
Multicast Path Setup Incorporating Evicting

In this paper, we propose a novel multicast path setup scheme, which incorporates the evicting process. Compared with the previous work, our scheme either overcomes the limitation in evicting times or reduces the setup latency. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.5755/j01.eee. 18.8. 2637
FABRICATION, MORPHOLOGY, AND STRUCTURE OF ELECTROSPUN PAN-BASED CARBON NANOFIBERS

This study reports the fabrication, morphology and structure of carbon nanofibers prepared by electrospinning a precursor of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/dimethyl formamide (DMF), followed by carbonization of the electrospun nanofibers. Effects of PAN concentration (4-12 wt.%) and applied voltage (5-15 kV) on the morphology and distribution of the as-spun nanofibers diameter were investigated. Fibers with diameter ranging from 100 nm to 1600 nm were obtained depending on the electrospinning condition. The diameters of the as-spun nanofibers increased with increasing the solution concentration. On the other hand, the diameters of the fibers decreased with increasing applied voltage. The optimal parameters for obtaining the PAN-nanofibers with narrow size distribution of 481 ± 101 nm and without beads formation along the fibers were revealed. These good nanofibers were subjected to carbonization in either argon or nitrogen atmosphere at 1000 °C for 2 h. Carbonization in nitrogen and argon resulted in the nanofibers of 249 ± 37 nm and 225 ± 31 nm in diameter with 97.2 % and 95.9 % in purity, respectively, but the thermal-resistant ability was not much different. The D and G peaks from Raman scattering were analyzed using Gaussian-Lorentzian curve-fitting, and the graphitic crytallite domain size (L a ) was estimated from the ratio of the integrated intensity of D and G peaks. The domain size of the graphite layers was 2.87 ± 0.31 nm and 3.02 ± 0.79 nm for the nanofibers carbonized under nitrogen and argon atmosphere, respectively.
Systemic and Cellular Reflections on Ageing and the Circadian Oscillator – A Mini-Review

From circulation to digestion to excretion, a circadian clock synchronizes most aspects of mammalian physiology with the solar day. During normal ageing, this daily coordination gradually erodes, and during pathological ageing such erosion is exacerbated. Recent experiments suggest that therapies aimed at sustaining circadian function increase quality of life in elderly patients. Hence, a better understanding of the interactions between the circadian clock and ageing – at both cellular and systemic levels – could lead to direct benefits for aged individuals.