Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immunoglobulin G4-associated cholangitis: clinical profile and response to therapy.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Immunoglobulin (Ig)G4-associated cholangitis (IAC) is the biliary manifestation of a steroid-responsive multisystem fibroinflammatory disorder in which affected organs have a characteristic lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate rich in IgG4-positive cells. We describe clinical features, treatment response, and predictors of relapse in IAC and compare relapse rates in IAC with intrapancreatic vs proximal bile duct strictures. METHODS We reviewed clinical, serologic, and imaging characteristics and treatment response in 53 IAC patients. RESULTS IAC patients generally were older (mean age, 62 y) men (85%), presenting with obstructive jaundice (77%) associated with autoimmune pancreatitis (92%), increased serum IgG4 levels (74%), and abundant IgG4-positive cells in bile duct biopsy specimens (88%). At presentation, biliary strictures were confined to the intrapancreatic bile duct in 51%; the proximal extrahepatic/intrahepatic ducts were involved in 49%. Initial presentation was treated with steroids (n = 30; median follow-up period, 29.5 months), surgical resection (n = 18; median follow-up period, 58 months), or was conservative (n = 5; median follow-up period, 35 months). Relapses occurred in 53% after steroid withdrawal; 44% relapsed after surgery and were treated with steroids. The presence of proximal extrahepatic/intrahepatic strictures was predictive of relapse. Steroid therapy normalized liver enzyme levels in 61%; biliary stents could be removed in 17 of 18 patients. Fifteen patients treated with steroids for relapse after steroid withdrawal responded; 7 patients on additional immunomodulatory drugs remain in steroid-free remission (median follow-up period, 6 months). CONCLUSIONS IAC should be suspected in unexplained biliary strictures associated with increased serum IgG4 and unexplained pancreatic disease. Relapses are common after steroid withdrawal, especially with proximal strictures. The role of immunomodulatory drugs for relapses needs further study.
The First New Zealanders: Patterns of Diet and Mobility Revealed through Isotope Analysis

Direct evidence of the environmental impact of human colonization and subsequent human adaptational responses to new environments is extremely rare anywhere in the world. New Zealand was the last Polynesian island group to be settled by humans, who arrived around the end of the 13th century AD. Little is known about the nature of human adaptation and mobility during the initial phase of colonization. We report the results of the isotopic analysis (carbon, nitrogen and strontium) of the oldest prehistoric skeletons discovered in New Zealand to assess diet and migration patterns. The isotope data show that the culturally distinctive burials, Group 1, had similar diets and childhood origins, supporting the assertion that this group was distinct from Group 2/3 and may have been part of the initial colonizing population at the site. The Group 2/3 individuals displayed highly variable diets and likely lived in different regions of the country before their burial at Wairau Bar, supporting the archaeological evidence that people were highly mobile in New Zealand since the initial phase of human settlement.
Decline of disease activity and autoantibodies to desmoglein 3 and envoplakin by oral prednisolone in paraneoplastic pemphigus with benign thymoma.

ejd.2012. 1742 Auteur(s) : Norito Ishii, Takahiro Hamada, Hiroshi Koga, Ryosuke Sogame, Bungo Ohyama, Shunpei Fukuda, Yohei Natsuaki, Teruki Dainichi, Tadashi Karashima, Takekuni Nakama, Daisuke Tsuruta, Takashi Hashimoto hashimot@med.kurume-u.ac. jp Department of Dermatology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume University Institute of Cutaneous Cell Biology, Fukuoka 830-0011, Japan A 79-year-old Japanese female presented with a 2-month history of painful oral mucosal erosions and skin lesions [. ]
Semen Quality as a Predictor of Subsequent Morbidity: A Danish Cohort Study of 4,712 Men With Long-Term Follow-up

Semen quality has been suggested to be a biological marker of long-term morbidity and mortality; however, few studies have been conducted on this subject. We identified 5,370 men seen for infertility at Frederiksberg Hospital, Denmark, during 1977-2010, and 4,712 of these men were followed in the Danish National Patient Registry until first hospitalization, death, or the end of the study. We classified patients according to hospitalizations and the presence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, testicular cancer, or prostate cancer. We found a clear association between sperm concentration below 15 million/mL and all-cause hospitalizations (hazard ratio = 1.5, 95% confidence interval: 1.4, 1.6) and cardiovascular disease (hazard ratio = 1.4, 95% confidence interval: 1.2, 1.6), compared with men with a concentration above 40 million/mL. The probabilities for hospitalizations were also higher with a low total sperm count and low motility. Men with a sperm concentration of 195-200 million/mL were, on average, hospitalized for the first time 7 years later than were men with a sperm concentration of 0-5 million/mL. Semen quality was associated with long-term morbidity, and a significantly higher risk of hospitalization was found, in particular for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus. Our study supports the suggestion that semen quality is a strong biomarker of general health.
Preliminary Proceedings of the 1st International Workshop on Aspect-Based and Model-Based Separation of Concerns in Software Systems (ABMB)

In this paper, we present a concern-based technique for software architecture modelling. We use the new UML 2 Package Merge relationship as a technique for the separation of concerns. We present the advantages of using the UML Package Merge relationship for software architecture modelling, and we propose a set of extensions for its limitations.
Recent Direct Measurement of the Top Quark Mass and Quasi-Infrared Fixed Point

We note that the recent direct measurement of the top quark mass at 173.3±5.6 (stat) ±6.2 (syst) by DO, collaboration severely constrains the theoretically attractive infrared fixed point scenario of the top quark Yukawa coupling in supersymmetric GUTs. For one-step unified models the above-mentioned measurement bounds the arbitrary but experimentally determinable parameter tan β to the range 1.3≤tan β≤2.1. Further crunch on the top quark mass may determine tan β even more accurately within the fixed point scenario. On the other hand, an experimental value of tan β>2.1 will rule out the fixed point scenario bounding to 0.022 from above.
AGR2 Gene Function Requires a Unique Endoplasmic Reticulum Localization Motif*

Background: Whether AGR2 promotes adenocarcinoma growth as a secreted or ER-localized protein is not known. Results: A unique carboxyl-terminal motif, KTEL, is required for AGR2 ER localization and function. Conclusion: Not all ER localization motifs are interchangeable. Significance: Specific ER localization signals may be required for protein function. AGR2's tumor-promoting effects are mediated from the ER and not as a secreted protein. Soluble proteins are enriched in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by retrograde transport from the Golgi that is mediated by the KDEL receptors. In addition to the classic carboxyl-terminal KDEL motif, a variety of sequence variants are also capable of receptor binding that result in ER localization. Although different ER localization signals that exhibit varying affinities for the KDEL receptors exist, whether there are functional implications was unknown. The present study determines whether AGR2 requires a specific ER localization signal to be functionally active. AGR2 is expressed in most human adenocarcinomas and serves a role in promoting growth and the transformed phenotype. Using two different cell lines in which AGR2 induces expression of either the EGFR ligand amphiregulin or the transcription factor CDX2, only the highly conserved wild-type carboxyl-terminal KTEL motif results in the appropriate outcome. Deletion of the KTEL motif results in AGR2 secretion and loss of AGR2 function. AGR2 function is also lost when ER residence is achieved with a carboxyl-terminal KDEL or KSEL instead of a KTEL motif. Thus variations in ER localization sequences may serve a specific functional role, and in the case of AGR2, this role is served specifically by KTEL.
Teaching Automated Diagnostic Systems for Doppler Ultrasound Blood Flow Signals to Biomedical Engineering Students using MATLAB

This paper presents an initiative to teach the concept of automated diagnostic systems for Doppler ultrasound blood flow signals to biomedical engineering students. The approach was based on illustrative applications that highlight the performance of multilayer perceptron neural networks (MLPNN) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS). Following a brief description of the artificial neural networks (ANNs) and ANFIS, applications of the models to the Doppler signals obtained from ophthalmic artery and internal carotid artery were done by means of a series of MATLAB functions. The functions involved in the neural network and fuzzy logic toolboxes of MATLAB can be used to develop automated diagnostic systems for the signal under study. The authors suggest that the use of MATLAB exercises will assist the students in gaining a better understanding of the various automated diagnostic systems in blood flow signals.
Stochastic Lexicalized Tree-adjoining Grammars

The notion of stochastic lexicalized tree-adjoining grammar (SLTAG) is formally defined. The parameters of a SLTAG correspond to the probability of combining two structures each one associated with a word. The characteristics of SLTAG are unique and novel since it is lexieally sensitive (as N-gram models or Hidden Markov Models) and yet hierarchical (as stochastic context-free grammars). Then, two basic algorithms for SLTAG arc introduced: an algorithm for computing the probability of a sentence generated by a SLTAG and an inside-outside-like iterative algorithm for estimating the parameters of a SLTAG given a training corpus.Finally, we should how SLTAG enables to define a lexicalized version of stochastic context-free grammars and we report preliminary experiments showing some of the advantages of SLTAG over stochastic context-free grammars.
Randomized Multi-Channel Interrogation Algorithm for Large-Scale RFID Systems

A radio frequency identification (RFID) system consists of a set of readers and several objects, equipped with small computer chips, called tags. In a dense RFID system, where several readers are placed together to improve the read rate and correctness, readers and tags can frequently experience packet collision. A common approach to avoid collision is to use a distinct frequency channel for interrogation for each reader. Various multi-channel anti-collision protocols have been proposed for RFID readers. However, due to their heuristic nature, most algorithms may not fully utilize the achievable system performance. In this paper, we develop an optimization-based distributed randomized multi-channel interrogation algorithm, called FDFA, for large-scale RFID systems. For this purpose, we develop elaborate models for reader-to-tag and reader-to-reader collision problems. FDFA algorithm is guaranteed to find a local optimum of a max-min fair resource allocation problem to balance the processing load among readers. Simulation results show that FDFA has a significantly better performance than the existing heuristic algorithms in terms of the number of successful interrogations. It also better utilizes the frequency spectrum.
Abruptio placentae in cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis): male bias

Abruptio placentae is a serious problem with a high rate of maternal and fetal mortality and documented sexual dimorphism in reoccurrence. Macaca fascicularis is a well‐described reproductive model; however, there are no data available regarding sexual dimorphism in abruptio placentae in these species.
Biomarkers for the differentiation of anemia and their clinical usefulness

The World Health Organization defines anemia as the point at which the amount of hemoglobin in the circulation falls below World Health Organization cutoffs for specific age and sex groups. Anemia is a worldwide problem of complex etiology and is associated with many factors. The purpose of this review was to describe the biomarkers used to identify the nature of anemia in patients and in the community. The important biomarkers are the automated red cell counts, tests for nutritional deficiencies, hemoglobinopathies, and inflammation. Diseases are important potential initiators of anemia, but biomarkers of specific diseases are not included in this review, only the underlying feature common to all disease – namely, inflammation.
PI3K inhibition in inflammation: Toward tailored therapies for specific diseases

In the past decade, the availability of genetically modified animals has enabled the discovery of interesting roles for phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase‐γ (PI3Kγ) and ‐δ (PI3Kδ) in different cell types orchestrating innate and adaptive immune responses. Therefore, these PI3K isoforms appear to be attractive drug targets for the treatment of diseases caused by unrestrained immune reactions. Currently, pharmacological targeting of PI3Kγ and/or PI3Kδ represents one of the most promising challenges for companies interested in the development of novel safe treatments for inflammatory diseases. In this review we provide a general outline of PI3Kγ‐ and PI3Kδ‐specific functions in distinct subsets of inflammatory cells. We also discuss the therapeutic impact of novel compounds targeting PI3Kγ, PI3Kδ or both, in mouse models of autoimmune disorders (systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis), respiratory diseases (allergic asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and cardiovascular dysfunctions (atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction).
Surgical treatment of spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma: a 5-year experience.

OBJECT Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma (SSEH) is a rare disease. The goal of this study was to clarify the treatment results and management options in SSEH. METHODS Patients with SSEH who were surgically treated in the authors' center between June 2003 and June 2008 were included in this study. Patients were treated as early as possible if their neurological deficits were incomplete or had been complete for 12 hours or less. The patients were assigned to 1 of 2 groups based on completeness of preoperative cord dysfunction (complete vs incomplete deficit). Surgical outcomes of the 2 groups were compared by functional performance, coded as Nurick grades at 1, 3, and 6 months after the operation. Also compared were duration of hospital stay and the number of days needed to regain the ability to function independently (defined as Nurick Grades 1 and 2) after the operation. RESULTS There were 17 patients (7 female and 10 male) with pathologically confirmed SSEH. Coagulopathy, greater size (length) of SSEH, and preoperative complete spinal dysfunction were found to contribute to poor postoperative functional recovery (p < 0.05). Patients with incomplete preoperative deficits (ASIA Impairment Scale Grades B, C, and D) were able to achieve functional independent recovery within a month after surgery and had significantly better outcomes (lower Nurick grades) at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively than those with complete deficits (p < 0.001, p = 0.027, and p = 0.027, respectively). Median time to independent functional recovery and median length of hospital stay were significantly shorter in patients with incomplete preoperative deficits than in those with complete deficits (6 vs 110 and 9 vs 58 days, respectively; both p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Impaired preoperative hemostasis contributes to larger size of SSEH, high probability of postoperative recurrence of spinal epidural hematoma, and poor functional recovery following surgical evacuation. Incomplete spinal cord dysfunction before surgery predicts good outcome and warrants emergent evacuation of SSEH especially in the cervical and thoracic regions, where the clots are located in proximity to the spinal cord.
Large deviation property of waiting times for Markov and mixing processes

In this work, we study the asymptotic properties of the waiting time until the opening string in the realization of a process first appears in an independent realization of the same or a different process. We first establish that the normalized waiting time between two independent realizations of a single source obeys the large deviation property for a class of mixing processes. Using the method of Markov types, we extend the result to when both the sequences are realizations of two distinct irreducible and aperiodic Markov sources.
The plug flow of fiber suspensions in pipes

The published experimental data concerning the plug flow with a clear water annulus was analyzed using the exact solution of Navier-Stokes equations. The plug flow regime between the maximum and the minimum on the friction loss versus flow velocity curve was considered. The calculations yielded the annulus thickness, the shear stress at the plug surface and the ratio of plug velocity to bulk velocity. This new analysis led to the realization that the clear water annulus initiates upstream of the test section and that the occurrence of maxiumum and minimun is caused by the upstream flow conditions. The mechanisms of flow are postulated.
Colostrinin Decreases Hypersensitivity and Allergic Responses to Common Allergens

Background: Colostrinin™ (CLN), isolated from mothers’ pre-milk fluid (colostrum), is a uniform mixture of low-molecular-weight, proline-rich polypeptides. CLN induces neurite outgrowth of pheochromocytoma cells, extends the lifespan of diploid fibroblast cells, inhibits β-amyloid-induced apoptosis and improves cognitive functions when administered to Alzheimer’s disease patients. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate potential allergic responses to CLN and its impact on allergic sensitization and inflammation caused by common allergens. Methods: We used a well-characterized mouse model of allergic airway inflammation. Changes in IgE/IgG1 and mucin levels, airway eosinophilia and hyperreactivity to methacholine were determined by ELISA, differential cell counting and whole-body plethysmography, respectively. Results: CLN did not increase IgE/IgG1 levels or induce cutaneous hypersensitivity reaction, airway inflammation and mucin production. Importantly, CLN significantly (p < 0.001) decreased IgE/IgG1 production, airway eosinophilia, mucin production and hypersensitivity induced by allergenic extracts from ragweed pollen grains and house dust mites. Conclusion: CLN itself is non-allergenic; however, it is effective in preventing allergic responses to known indoor and outdoor allergens. These data support the safe application of CLN and its potential use in the prevention of allergic inflammation in humans.
Desalination Aspects of PSSA-g-PEG Copolymer and its Graphene Composite Membranes

In this study, polystyrene sulfonic acid (PSSA) was copolymerized with 1% polyethylene glycol (PEG 600), then Graphene (G) was added at different individually percent of 0.1, 0.5 and 1%, respectively. The resultant membrane designated as (PSSA-g-PEG)/G and was characterized using FTIR, SEM, XRD and TGA analysis. Then, membrane efficiency was determined by measuring the salt rejection and the water flux measured under different parameters such as temperature, pressure and composites concentrations. We found that, increasing temperature and pressure increased membrane water flux, but increasing G portion slightly increased water flux except before and at concentration 0.5% where increasing water flux was growing.
The Association of the Skin Microbiota With Health, Immunity, and Disease

The human skin is densely colonized by a highly diverse microbiota comprising all three domains of life. Long believed to represent mainly a source of infection, the human skin microbiota is nowadays well accepted as an important driver of human (skin) health and well‐being. This microbiota is influenced by many host and environmental factors and interacts closely with the skin immune system. Although cause and effect are usually difficult to discriminate, changes in the skin microbiota clearly play a role in the pathobiology of many types of skin disease and cosmetic disorders. Consequently, treatment and prevention strategies have to respect this role, rendering pre‐ and probiotic and even transplantation therapies an additional option to the use of antibiotics.
Prescription Analysis of Pediatric Outpatient Practice in Nagpur City

Background: Medication errors are probably one of the most common types of medical errors, as medication is the most common health-care intervention. Knowing where and when errors are most likely to occur is generally felt to be the first step in trying to prevent these errors. Objective: To study prescribing patterns and errors in pediatric OPD prescriptions presenting to four community pharmacies across Nagpur city and to compare the prescription error rates across prescriber profiles. Materials and Methods: The study sample included 1376 valid pediatric OPD prescriptions presenting to four randomly selected community pharmacies in Nagpur, collected over a period of 2 months. Confirmed errors in the prescriptions were reviewed and analyzed. The core indicators for drug utilization studies, mentioned by WHO, were used to define errors. Results: The 1376 prescriptions included in the study were for a total of 3435 drugs, prescribed by 41 doctors. Fixed dose formulations dominated the prescribing pattern, many of which were irrational. Prescribing by market name was almost universal and generic prescriptions were for merely 254 (7.4%) drugs. The prescribing pattern also indicated polypharmacy with the average number of drugs per encounter of 2.5. Antibiotics were included in 1087 (79%) prescriptions, while injectable drugs were prescribed in 22 (1.6%) prescriptions. The prescription error score varied significantly across prescriber profiles. Conclusion: The findings of our study highlight the continuing crisis of the irrational drug prescribing in the country.
Thermal Management of Hybrid Vehicle Battery Systems

Complete system design, including mechanical, electrical and thermal control, is critical to realize the benefits of Li-Ion technology in automotive batteries. In order to meet the technical requirements in a demanding automotive environment efficient thermal and electric control strategies have to be developed and implemented. These strategies must deliver on two opposing goals: a wide operation window to support optimal vehicle performance and protection of the battery from states which could negatively influence reliability, safety and long term endurance. This is true for all applications ranging from small batteries in Mild Hybrid Vehicles to large batteries for Full Electric Vehicles. Due to the wide variety of performance requirements in these vehicle applications the control strategies must be flexible and adaptable. The special requirements of these applications and the applied technologies