Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Masked hypertension in renal transplant recipients

Abstract Purpose: Arterial hypertension is a risk factor affecting graft function in renal transplant recipients (RTRs). In pediatric RTRs, high prevalence of masked and nocturnal hypertension was reported. Most of the RTRs had a history of hypertension and some of them were normotensive at outpatient visits whereas home blood pressure (BP) levels were higher. Masked hypertension (MHT) is defined as a normal office BP but an elevated ambulatory BP. Previous reports have demonstrated the detrimental role of MHT in clinical outcomes in hypertensive patients. However, the true prevalence of MHT in RTRs is yet to be defined. Methods: A total of 113 RTRs (mean age 44 ± 16 years, 72 males, 41 females) with normal office BP (< 140/90 mmHg) were enrolled to the study from the outpatient renal transplantation clinic. Ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) was performed in all participants for a 24-h period. Average daytime BP values above 135 mmHg systolic and 85 mmHg diastolic were defined as MHT. Results: The prevalence of MHT in our cohort was 39% (n = 45). Fasting glucose and C-reactive protein levels were higher in patients with MHT compared with normal BP group (p = 0.02 and p = 0.04, respectively). RTRs with deceased donor type had higher prevalence of MHT than RTRs with living donor (40% vs 19%, p = 0.003). In multivariate analysis, deceased donor type could predict the MHT independent of age, gender, office systolic BP level, diabetes mellitus, serum creatinine, C-reactive protein, and glucose levels (OR = 3.62, 95% CI 1.16–11.31, p = 0.03). Conclusion: We demonstrated an increased prevalence of MHT in a typical renal transplant cohort. In addition, transplantation from a deceased donor may be a predictor of MHT. The prevalence of MHT may help to explain high rate of cardiovascular events in RTRs. Therefore, routine application of ABPM in RTRs may be plausible, particularly in RTRs with deceased donor type.
A simple 5-point scoring system, NaURSE (Na+, urea, respiratory rate and shock index in the elderly), predicts in-hospital mortality in oldest old.

BACKGROUND the mortality is high in acutely ill oldest old patients. Understanding the prognostic factors which influence mortality will help clinicians make appropriate management decisions. METHODS we analysed prospective mortality audit data (November 2008 to January 2009) to identify variables associated with in-patient mortality in oldest old. We selected those with P < 0.10 from univariate analysis and determined at which cut-point they served as the strongest predictor of mortality. Using these cut-off points, we constructed multivariate logistic regression models. A 5-point score was derived from cut-off points which were significantly associated with mortality tested in a smaller independent re-audit sample conducted in October 2011. RESULTS a total of 405 patients (mean 93.5 ± 2.7 years) were included in the study. The mean length of stay was 18.5 ± 42.4 days and 13.8% died as in-patients. Variables (cut-off values) found to be significantly associated with in-patient mortality were admission sodium (>145 mmol/l), urea (≥14 mmol/l), respiratory rate (>20/min) and shock index (>1.0): creating a 5-point score (NaURSE: NaURS in the Elderly). The crude mortality rates were 9.5, 19.9, 34.4, 66.7, and 100% for scores 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Using the cut-off point of ≥2, the NaURSE score has a specificity of 87% (83.1-90.3) and sensitivity of 39% (28.5-50.0), with an AUC value of 0.69 (0.63-0.76). An external independent validation study (n = 121) showed similar results. CONCLUSIONS the NaURSE score may be particularly useful in identifying oldest old who are likely to die in that admission to guide appropriate care.
MRI susceptometry: Image‐based measurement of absolute susceptibility of MR contrast agents and human blood

We present a novel NMR imaging technique that allows absolute determination of the magnetic susceptibility constant, χ, of a solution. By comparing the phase difference of MR images produced with an instant (echo planar) “offset” spin‐echo sequence, we obtain a direct measure of the magnetic field perturbations caused by the solution. We demonstrate this method with Gd(DTPA), Dy(DTPA), human red blood cells, and superparamagnetic iron oxide particles. © 1992 Academic Press, Inc.
Clinical Outcomes of Prenatally Diagnosed Cases of Isolated and Nonisolated Pericardial Effusion

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical outcome of fetal pericardial effusion (PE). Methods: This study involved a retrospective review of prenatally diagnosed PE cases. The criterion for inclusion was pericardial fluid in an area greater than 2 mm in diameter. Results: A total of 276 cases of PE and 252 cases diagnosed with other anomalies were initially reviewed. PE is associated with cardiac malformation, hydrops fetalis, extracardiac abnormalities, infections, anemias, intrauterine growth restriction, and aneuploidy markers in fetuses. Of these reviewed cases, 24 cases of isolated fetal PE were studied. In all cases, pericardial fluid filled an area ranging from 2 to 17 mm in diameter. Four cases of isolated PE had an abnormal postnatal condition, and 3 cases were excluded due to lack of follow-up. The size of the PE was not related to the regression of pericardial fluid, adverse outcomes or mortality rate associated with the isolated PE. All newborns were healthy, and there were no chromosomal abnormalities in the study population. Conclusions: There were no adverse clinical outcomes or chromosomal abnormalities in the fetuses diagnosed with isolated PE. Most cases of isolated PE resolved spontaneously and were associated with a good prognosis.
First comparison of the Velumount ® palatal device with continuous positive airway pressure ( CPAP ) , repetition effect in neuropsychological tests , and comparative study factors

Data of 18 patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) on therapy with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) (with good efficacy) and with the Velumount® device were collected by respiratory polygraphy, blood pressure measurement, questionnaires, and neuropsychological tests to compare for the first time the effects of the Velumount® device to the one of CPAP therapy. Number of side effects (p < 0.001), oxygen saturation (p < 0.01), and systolic blood pressure (p < 0.05) significantly decreased with the Velumount® device. Compliance, therapy satisfaction, and apneahypopnea index significantly (AHI; p < 0.01) increased with the Velumount® device. There was no significant difference in the proposed compliance adjusted AHI. Average improvements in neuropsychological performance lay within the range of the repetition effect. Alternatives to CPAP therapy (such as the Velumount® device) should be individually adapted to OSAS patients. The proposed comparative study factors should be considered in required follow-up comparative studies.
System, society and dominance effects in the adoption of tele-health: A tri-country comparison

Although there have been many studies of low skilled call centre operators, research on professional workers in call centres is less common and cross-national research on such operations even rarer. This article compares the labour process experiences of tele-nurses – registered nurses in call centre settings – across three countries: the UK, Australia and Sweden. Using cross-national, comparative ethnographies, through a system, society and dominance (SSD) approach, the article explores the common problems tele-nurses face as well as distinctive societal differences in the ways in which this branch of e-health care is being established. The outcomes reveal both societal diversity and mounting pressures towards a globalizing conformity between the three countries with regard to the working practices of tele-nursing. The findings have important implications for whether or not a professional project can be developed around tele-health care.
Constructing Risk Parity Portfolios: Rebalance, Leverage, or Both?

Typical multi-asset-class portfolios can be dominated by equity risk, even when the allocation to equities is relatively modest. Achieving risk parity between equities and fixed income in an unlevered portfolio would require significant rebalancing towards fixed income. While such rebalancing can lead to a reduction in risk, portfolios with high fixed-income allocations have historically underperformed equity-dominated portfolios. However, achieving risk parity through leverage, while keeping the initial asset allocation constant, would typically require substantial levels of leverage and could lead to a significant increase in portfolio volatility. The authors combine rebalancing and leverage to construct risk parity portfolios that target the same expected return and the same portfolio risk as the initial asset allocation and examine the performance of these portfolios in different market conditions.
Alpha v and alpha 3 integrin subunits are associated with myofibrils during myofibrillogenesis.

The development of the myofibrillar apparatus in skeletal muscle is a process in which transmembrane linkages with adhesion molecules are implicated. Integrins are one class of transmembrane adhesion receptors which appear to mediate these interactions. Two prominent linkages are at the myotendinous junction (MTJ), which residues at the ends of the cell and connects myofibrils to the tendon, and the costameres, which encircle the girth of the cell and connect the Z-disks to the sarcolemma. In this study we report that the alpha v integrin subunit is a prominent component of the costamere. The alpha v subunit is present initially on developing myotubes in a diffuse staining pattern with some concentration along nascent myofibrils. However, it appears in a striated pattern at the costamere and inconsistently at the M-line following the striation of alpha-actinin and titin but before that of desmin. Its recruitment to preformed striation suggests that it is incorporated into a pre-existing structure. The presence of alpha v in the costamere points to a role in lateral myofibrillar anchorage. In addition, we find that the alpha 3 subunit is transiently associated with myofibrils along portions of their lengths and at their ends during myofibrillogenesis. The alpha 3 subunit staining shows a novel localization and junctional structure. As myofibrils become striated the alpha 3 integrin dissociates from the localized pattern and becomes diffuse. This suggests a possible role in the stabilization of nascent myofibrils prior to striation. Antibody-induced perturbation of adhesion mediated by the integrin beta 1 subunit in developing myotubes inhibits assembly of the sarcomeric architecture. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Puberty in monkeys is triggered by chemical stimulation of the hypothalamus.

Gonadal quiescence prior to puberty in primates results from a diminished secretion of the pituitary gonadotropic hormones, follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone, which, in turn, is occasioned by an interruption of pulsatile release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamus during this phase of development. A discharge of GnRH may be provoked from the hypothalamus of prepubertal monkeys, however, by an i.v. injection of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), an analog of the putative excitatory neurotransmitter, aspartate. Since this action of NMDA is blocked by the specific NMDA receptor antagonist, DL-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid, the release of GnRH is likely mediated by NMDA receptors located either on the GnRH neurons themselves or on afferents to the GnRH cells. We report here that prolonged intermittent NMDA stimulation of GnRH neurons within the hypothalamus of the juvenile monkey for 16-30 wk results, with surprising ease, in the onset of precocious puberty with full activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-Leydig cell axis and initiation of spermatogenesis. These findings demonstrate that, in primates, the network of hypothalamic GnRH neurons, which in adulthood provides the drive to the gonadotropin-secreting cells of the anterior pituitary gland, must now be viewed together with the pituitary and gonads as a nonlimiting component of the control system that governs the onset of puberty in these species.
Field trial of cooperative sensing technique with energy detection

Reliable detection of other wireless systems is crucial for the systems that share the same frequency band. In wireless communication channels, there is uncertainty in the received signal level due to multipath fading and shadowing. Cooperative sensing techniques in which wireless stations share their sensing information can improve the detection probability of other systems. This paper presents the field trial results of a cooperative sensing scheme with energy detection and hard decision cooperation. The results demonstrate that the cooperation of wireless stations can relax the stringent sensitivity requirement of energy detection.
Does Cultural Adaptation Have a Role in Substance Abuse Treatment?

The changing ethnic composition of the nation and increasing requirements to use evidence-based treatments (EBTs) challenge mental health professionals to adapt treatments and interventions to be appropriate for their clients. This article applies the available information on cultural adaptation to substance abuse. The authors' review suggests that the most common approaches for adapting substance use interventions include some combination of either community involvement in the adaptation, existing research and literature, and/or consultation from experts to adapt EBTs. The challenges facing the development of culturally adapted interventions include the need for additional research to determine which specific EBTs warrant adaptation, the responsibility of maintaining the balance between fidelity and adaptation, and the challenge of intragroup diversity.
Sustainability of Malaysian current account balance: Evidence from ardl bounds tests approach

ABSTRACT:Malaysia has been experiencing sustained current account surplus during post-Asian crisis period. Although current account surplus is not as harmful as deficit, it cannot be sustained forever. Moreover, if the surplus is caused by bad reasons, such as, insufficient social insurance, inefficient financial intermediation, then it is reflected in deteriorating external competitiveness through more depreciated real exchange rate. Therefore, examination of current account sustainability is of crucial importance for the long-run health of the economy. Previous studies on Malaysian current account sustainability produce diverse results and leave it as an unsettled issue open to further research. In this backdrop this paper investigates the sustainability of Malaysia’s current account balance for the period 1970 – 2010. This paper employs inter-temporal budget constraint to understand the behavior of exports and imports of Malaysian economy. Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) method is applied to examine the long cointegrating relation between Malaysian exports and imports plus interest on external borrowing. Advantage of employing the ARDL method is that it does not require the variables to be integrated to the first order. This method can be applied to a set of stationary and nonstationary variables. The paper uses annual data over the periods 1970 – 2010. Export, import and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data are in current US dollars. Interest payment on long-term external borrowing in US dollars is used as a proxy for interest on net foreign debt. Estimation results indicate that these two variables are cointegrated, which implies that Malaysia’s current account is sustainable in the long run. Strong sustainability requires the coefficient of cointegrating vector to be one. In addition to ARDL method, coefficient of cointegrating vector is estimated by two other methods, namely, fully modified OLS (FMOLS) and dynamic OLS (DOLS). All three estimations show that the long-run coefficient is greater than one. This indicates that in the long-run export increases more than import plus interest on external borrowing. Therefore, if the excess export earnings in the long run cannot be utilized productively current account surplus may not sustain. It is, therefore, concluded that Malaysian current account is weakly sustainable. This findings call for policy intervention at macro level to make efficient utilization of excess saving to boost economic growth through promoting social insurance, facilitating efficient financial intermediation and encouraging private investment.
Identification of Rab18 as an Essential Host Factor for BK Polyomavirus Infection Using a Whole-Genome RNA Interference Screen

Polyomaviruses bind to a group of specific gangliosides on the plasma membrane of the cell prior to being endocytosed. They then follow a retrograde trafficking pathway to reach the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The viruses begin to disassemble in the ER and then exit the ER and move to the nucleus. However, the details of intracellular trafficking between the endosome and the ER are largely unknown. By implementing a whole human genome small interfering RNA screen, we identified Rab18, syntaxin 18, and the NRZ complex as key components in endosome-ER trafficking of the human polyomavirus BKPyV. These results serve to further elucidate the route BKPyV takes from outside the cell to its site of replication in the nucleus. ABSTRACT BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) is a human pathogen first isolated in 1971. BKPyV infection is ubiquitous in the human population, with over 80% of adults worldwide being seropositive for BKPyV. BKPyV infection is usually asymptomatic; however, BKPyV reactivation in immunosuppressed transplant patients causes two diseases, polyomavirus-associated nephropathy and hemorrhagic cystitis. To establish a successful infection in host cells, BKPyV must travel in retrograde transport vesicles to reach the nucleus. To make this happen, BKPyV requires the cooperation of host cell proteins. To further identify host factors associated with BKPyV entry and intracellular trafficking, we performed a whole-genome small interfering RNA screen on BKPyV infection of primary human renal proximal tubule epithelial cells. The results revealed the importance of Ras-related protein Rab18 and syntaxin 18 for BKPyV infection. Our subsequent experiments implicated additional factors that interact with this pathway and suggest a more detailed model of the intracellular trafficking process, indicating that BKPyV reaches the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lumen through a retrograde transport pathway between the late endosome and the ER. IMPORTANCE Polyomaviruses bind to a group of specific gangliosides on the plasma membrane of the cell prior to being endocytosed. They then follow a retrograde trafficking pathway to reach the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The viruses begin to disassemble in the ER and then exit the ER and move to the nucleus. However, the details of intracellular trafficking between the endosome and the ER are largely unknown. By implementing a whole human genome small interfering RNA screen, we identified Rab18, syntaxin 18, and the NRZ complex as key components in endosome-ER trafficking of the human polyomavirus BKPyV. These results serve to further elucidate the route BKPyV takes from outside the cell to its site of replication in the nucleus.
An AWGR-based bufferless interconnect for data centers

With the rapid growth of cloud computing, there is great interest in designing improved networks for data centers. In this paper a bufferless optical interconnect called CFDOS is proposed for data center networks, which exploits the unique wavelength routing characteristics of Arrayed Waveguide Grating Router (AWGR). We take full advantage of optical parallelism and wavelength division multiplexing in our design. A feedback acknowledgement scheme is proposed in order to remove the need for loopback buffers. CFDOS also features the separated data forwarding plane and control plane. In our study, we simulate and analyze the CFDOS architecture. Simulation results for CFDOS show good performance in terms of latency and throughput.
Recommendations for Standardizing Glucose Reporting and Analysis to Optimize Clinical Decision Making in Diabetes: The Ambulatory Glucose Profile

Underutilization of glucose data and lack of easy and standardized glucose data collection, analysis, visualization, and guided clinical decision making are key contributors to poor glycemic control among individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus. An expert panel of diabetes specialists, facilitated by the International Diabetes Center and sponsored by the Helmsley Charitable Trust, met in 2012 to discuss recommendations for standardizing the analysis and presentation of glucose monitoring data, with the initial focus on data derived from continuous glucose monitoring systems. The panel members were introduced to a universal software report, the Ambulatory Glucose Profile, and asked to provide feedback on its content and functionality, both as a research tool and in clinical settings. This article provides a summary of the topics and issues discussed during the meeting and presents recommendations from the expert panel regarding the need to standardize glucose Profile summary metrics and the value of a uniform glucose report to aid clinicians, researchers, and patients.
Egg and pigment production in Schistosoma mansoni infections of the white mouse.

Summary Worm burdens, egg elimination and retention, and schistosome pigment accumulated in the liver were studied in 111 white mice infected with Puerto Rican strain of S. mansoni, in infections lasting from 40 to 330 days. Ninety-four of these animals had been exposed to both sexes of worm, of which eight were given chemotherapy starting on the 57th day. Seventeen mice were exposed only to male worms. The purpose of the investigation was to provide an explanation for the sudden fall in fecal elimination of eggs after the first maximum is reached, which has been observed in different species of animal. In the laboratory mouse, egg elimination reached an early peak of 104 eggs per pair a day on the 60th day of infection, a rapid decline then taking place. This phenomenon cannot be attributed either to a decrease in the rate of oviposition or to a decreased worm burden at this early period, and the author postulates that immunologic factors may be involved. However, after the 141st day, dead flukes were seen frequently in liver-press preparations. By employing quantitative data for egg load and schistosome pigment, it was possible to prove that a spontaneous decline in the original worm burden had taken place in 45% of the mice killed after the 141st day. Only two of these animals were entirely rid of the infection. For the interval 43 to 65 days of infection the daily oviposition was found to be 257 per pair of flukes. Only 12% of the eggs produced from onset of oviposition to the 59th day after infection were passed in the feces. The total egg load retained in the tissues per pair of parasites rose until the 220th day, then remained essentially constant. Schistosome pigment extracted from the liver, however, increased continuously throughout the period investigated and was found to be a more useful quantitative index of infection. No “crowding effect” was apparent, either in egg or in pigment production.