Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Oral allergy syndrome successfully treated with pollen immunotherapy.

BACKGROUND Some patients with allergic rhinitis have oral allergic reactions to fresh fruits and vegetables. This phenomenon has been termed "oral allergy syndrome" and is proposed to be due to cross-reacting allergens in the foods and pollens. METHODS We report a patient with allergic rhinitis and oral allergy syndrome treated with pollen immunotherapy. Prior to immunotherapy, eating any fresh fruit or vegetable caused immediate itching and swelling of his tongue and throat. Prick skin test titration with pollens and foods was performed before and after 13 months of immunotherapy. Specific IgE immunoassay was performed with the same extracts on serum obtained before and after 7 and 13 months of immunotherapy. IgE immunoblots were performed on the same extracts separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis using sera from the same time periods. RESULTS After 1 year on immunotherapy, the patient's allergic rhinitis symptoms resolved, and he was able to eat fresh fruits and vegetables without reaction. Skin testing and specific IgE immunoassay demonstrated a marked reduction in sensitivity to not only the pollens but the foods as well. Immunoblots revealed that the intensity of IgE binding to most components of the extracts, some common to pollens and foods, declined during immunotherapy. CONCLUSIONS These results support the notion that oral allergy syndrome is due to cross-reacting allergens in foods and pollens and may be amenable to treatment with pollen immunotherapy.
Reduced angiomotin p130 expression correlates with poor prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma

Aims Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and it still results in a poor prognosis despite research and development of a treatment modality. Angiomotin (AMOT) was first described as a protein involved in angiogenesis, and although the oncogenic and tumour-suppressive roles of AMOT were recently reported, the biological function of AMOT has not yet been clarified. The aim of this study was thus to evaluate the relationship between reduced AMOT p130 expression and clinicopathological parameters, including patients' survival. Methods We enrolled 67 patients with lung adenocarcinoma in this study and measured the immunoreactivity of AMOT p130 in a tissue microarray. The data were analysed using a χ2 test, Cox regression hazards model and log-rank test with Kaplan–Meier curves. Results Reduced AMOT p130 expression is related to lung adenocarcinoma developed at a young age with statistical significance, but there is no statistical significance for the other clinicopathological parameters. Kaplan–Meier curves with log-rank test showed that reduced AMOT p130 expression had significantly better survival rate compared with the retained group (p=0.002). Univariable and multivariable analyses of the disease free survival revealed that the decreased AMOT expression was an independent prognostic factor (p=0.004, p=0.008, respectively). Conclusions Decreased AMOT p130 could be an independent indicator of poor survival in patients with lung adenocarcinoma.
Opioid Abuse in Chronic Pain--Misconceptions and Mitigation Strategies.

Chronic pain not caused by cancer is among the most prevalent and debilitating medical conditions but also among the most controversial and complex to manage. The urgency of patients’ needs, the demonstrated effectiveness of opioid analgesics for the management of acute pain, and the limited therapeutic alternatives for chronic pain have combined to produce an overreliance on opioid medications in the United States, with associated alarming increases in diversion, overdose, and addiction. Given the lack of clinical consensus and research-supported guidance, physicians understandably have questions about whether, when, and how to prescribe opioid analgesics for chronic pain without increasing public health risks. Here, we draw on recent research to address common misconceptions regarding the abuse-related risks of opioid analgesics and highlight strategies to minimize those risks.
Lifetime Maximization for Connected Target Coverage in Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper, we consider the connected target coverage (CTC) problem with the objective of maximizing the network lifetime by scheduling sensors into multiple sets, each of which can maintain both target coverage and connectivity among all the active sensors and the sink. We model the CTC problem as a maximum cover tree (MCT) problem and prove that the MCT problem is NP-Complete. We determine an upper bound on the network lifetime for the MCT problem and then develop a (1+w)H(M circ) approximation algorithm to solve it, where w is an arbitrarily small number, H(M circ)=1 lesilesM circ(1/i) and M circ is the maximum number of targets in the sensing area of any sensor. As the protocol cost of the approximation algorithm may be high in practice, we develop a faster heuristic algorithm based on the approximation algorithm called Communication Weighted Greedy Cover (CWGC) algorithm and present a distributed implementation of the heuristic algorithm. We study the performance of the approximation algorithm and CWGC algorithm by comparing them with the lifetime upper bound and other basic algorithms that consider the coverage and connectivity problems independently. Simulation results show that the approximation algorithm and CWGC algorithm perform much better than others in terms of the network lifetime and the performance improvement can be up to 45% than the best-known basic algorithm. The lifetime obtained by our algorithms is close to the upper bound. Compared with the approximation algorithm, the CWGC algorithm can achieve a similar performance in terms of the network lifetime with a lower protocol cost.
Cryptanalysis of an Exquisite Mutual Authentication Scheme with Key Agreement Using Smart Card

The weakness of an exquisite authentication scheme based on smart cards and passwords proposed by Liao et al. [C. H. Liao, H. C. Chen, and C. T. Wang, An Exquisite Mutual Authentication Scheme with Key Agreement Using Smart Card, Informatica, Vol. 33, No. 2, 2009, 125-132. ] is analyzed. Five kinds of weakness are presented in different scenarios. The analyses show that Liao et al.’s scheme is insecure for practical application.
Urinary Albumin Excretion Predicts Cardiovascular and Noncardiovascular Mortality in General Population

Background—For the general population, the clinical relevance of an increased urinary albumin excretion rate is still debated. Therefore, we examined the relationship between urinary albumin excretion and all-cause mortality and mortality caused by cardiovascular (CV) disease and non-CV disease in the general population. Methods and Results—In the period 1997 to 1998, all inhabitants of the city of Groningen, the Netherlands, aged between 28 and 75 years (n=85 421) were sent a postal questionnaire collecting information about risk factors for CV disease and CV morbidity and a vial to collect an early morning urine sample for measurement of urinary albumin concentration (UAC). The vital status of the cohort was subsequently obtained from the municipal register, and the cause of death was obtained from the Central Bureau of Statistics. Of these 85 421 subjects, 40 856 (47.8%) responded, and 40 548 could be included in the analysis. During a median follow-up period of 961 days (maximum 1139 days), 516 deaths with known cause were recorded. We found a positive dose-response relationship between increasing UAC and mortality. A higher UAC increased the risk of both CV and non-CV death after adjustment for other well-recognized CV risk factors, with the increase being significantly higher for CV mortality than for non-CV mortality (P =0.014). A 2-fold increase in UAC was associated with a relative risk of 1.29 for CV mortality (95% CI 1.18 to 1.40) and 1.12 (95% CI 1.04 to 1.21) for non-CV mortality. Conclusions—Urinary albumin excretion is a predictor of all-cause mortality in the general population. The excess risk was more attributable to death from CV causes, independent of the effects of other CV risk factors, and the relationship was already apparent at levels of albuminuria currently considered to be normal.
Visual Impression Modeling Using SVM for Automatic Image Classification

This paper proposes an association method between image contents and their impression words for content-based image retrieval. Currently most of the image retrieval systems are based on ambiguous index terms assigned by the indexer or contents creator. Important issues are to improve the appropriateness and to reduce the effort of assigning the index terms. In this paper, we propose an analysis method of the relations between the content and the impression words (e.g. " fresh"," natural"," pop") given by the professional photographers, and applying them to automatic image classification system based on visual impression. In our method, according to visual impressions, a user classifies training examples into some groups labeled with impression words (impression group). Commercial photographs giving us similar impressions have typical arrangement patterns of objects. By applying clustering method based on minimum description length principle, we estimated a composition common to the photographs giving us similar impressions. To each region of the estimated composition, by constructing classifiers for the impression groups using SVM, and integrating the outputs of the classifiers using region importance factor, we have achieved 70 to 80% recognition ratio, 10% better than the method without composition analysis.
Successful use of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor in a patient with multiple chemical sensitivities

A 53‐year‐old man with multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS) received the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) citalopram for treatment of depression. The treatment was successful and, in parallel to the remission of the depressive symptoms, all MCS symptoms vanished. This suggests that a subgroup of MCS patients may have an atypical depression, that they should be psychiatrically evaluated, and that antidepressive pharmacological treatment may be considered in cases of MCS.
Peri‐implantation and late gestation maternal undernutrition differentially affect fetal sheep skeletal muscle development

Poor prenatal nutrition is associated with a greater risk of adult glucose intolerance and insulin insensitivity in the offspring. Skeletal muscle is the primary tissue for glucose utilization, and insulin resistance in muscle is the earliest identifiable abnormality in the pre‐diabetic patient. We investigated the effect of early and late gestation undernutrition on structure and markers of growth and glucose metabolism regulation in the fetal triceps brachii (TB, slow‐ and fast‐twitch myofibres) and soleus (slow‐twitch myofibres) muscles. Pregnant sheep were fed 100% nutrient requirements (C, n= 8) or a restricted diet peri‐implantation (PI, n= 9; 40%, 1–31 days gestation (dGA) (term ∼147)) or in late gestation (L, n= 6; 50%, 104–127 dGA). At 127 ± 1 dGA we measured myofibre and capillary density in the fetal TB and soleus muscles, and mRNA levels in the TB of insulin receptor (InsR), glucose transporter‐4 (GLUT‐4) and type 1 insulin‐like growth factor receptor (IGF‐1R). Total myofibre and capillary densities were lower in the TB, but not the soleus, of PI and L fetuses. The predominant effect in the L group was on slow‐twitch myofibres. In TB, InsR, GLUT‐4 and IGF‐1R mRNA levels were greater in L group fetuses. Our finding of reduced myofibre density is consistent with a redistribution of resources at the expense of specific peripheral tissues by early and late gestation undernutrition which may be mediated by a decrease in capillary density. The increase in key regulatory components of glucose uptake following late gestation undernutrition may constitute a short‐term compensation to maintain glucose homeostasis in the face of fewer type I (insulin‐sensitive) myofibres. However, together these adaptations may influence the risk of later metabolic disease and thus our findings have implications for future strategies aimed at improving maternal diet.
Kinesthetic interaction

In physical and occupational therapy two people interact through force and motion. Other common examples of this interaction include lifting and moving a bulky object, teaching manual skills, dancing, and handing off a baton or a drinking glass. These tasks involve kinesthetic interaction, a communication channel distinct from spoken language and gestures. Understanding kinesthetic interaction should be important in designing robots to assist with physical and occupational therapy. In this paper we describe our experiments on kinesthetic interaction between two people cooperating on a 1 degree of freedom task. We characterize the interaction forces between the two people, dividing them into a productive "net force" and an orthogonal "difference force. " Our results suggest three effects (1) an emergent specialization of the two participants into different roles, (2) an oscillation of forces at about 8 Hz, and (3) a steady force in opposition to one another that could be analogous to co-contraction in an individual.
Phosphorylated AKT expression is associated with PIK3CA mutation, low stage, and favorable outcome in 717 colorectal cancers

AKT (AKT1, AKT2, and AKT3) was a downstream effector of phosphatidylinositide‐3‐kinase (PI3K) and played crucial roles in protein synthesis, cellular metabolism, survival, and proliferation. The PI3K/AKT pathway was commonly activated in human cancers and was recognized as a potential target for anticancer therapy. Nonetheless, clinical, molecular, or prognostic features of AKT‐activated colon cancer remained uncertain.
Homocysteine activates NADH/NADPH oxidase through ceramide-stimulated Rac GTPase activity in rat mesangial cells.

BACKGROUND We recently demonstrated that homocysteine (Hcys) increases superoxide (O2-) production via NADH/NADPH oxidase in renal mesangial cells. This O2- production contributes to increased expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP-1) and consequent deposition of collagen in response to Hcys. However, the mechanism by which Hcys activates NADH/NADPH oxidase remains unknown. Given that ceramide is an intracellular activator of this oxidase in several cell types, the present study tests the hypothesis that Hcys activates NADH/NADPH oxidase through a ceramide-mediated signaling pathway in rat mesangial (MG) cells, resulting in O2- production. METHODS Rat MG cells were incubated with L-homocysteine (L-Hcys) to determine the mechanism by which Hcys activates NADH/NADPH oxidase. Thin layer chromatography (TLC), Western blot analysis, Rac GTPase activity pull down assay, and NADH/NADPH oxidase activity measurements were performed. RESULTS TLC analysis demonstrated that L-Hcys increased de novo production of ceramide in MG cells. L-Hcys and increased ceramide did not alter the amount of NADH/NADPH oxidase subunit p47phox and p67phox in both membrane and cytosolic fractions from MG cells. However, L-Hcys or ceramide markedly increased the level of GTP-bound Rac, which was accompanied by enhanced activity of NADH/NADPH oxidase. These Hcys or ceramide-induced actions were substantially blocked by a Rac GTPase inhibitor, GDPbetaS, and a de novo ceramide synthesis inhibitor, fumonisin B1 (FB1). CONCLUSION These results indicate that Hcys activates NADH/NADPH oxidase by stimulating de novo ceramide synthesis, and subsequently enhancing Rac GTPase activity in rat MG cells. This ceramide-Rac GTPase signaling pathway may mediate Hcys-induced oxidative stress in these glomerular cells.
The distribution of stress in the neighbourhood of a crack in an elastic solid

The distribution of stress produced in the interior of an elastic solid by the opening of an internal crack under the action of pressure applied to its surface is considered. The analysis is given for ‘Griffith’ cracks (§2) and for circular cracks (§3), it being assumed in the latter case that the applied pressure varies over the surface of the crack. For both types of crack the case in which the pressure is constant over the entire crack surface is considered in some detail, the stress components being tabulated and the distribution of stress shown graphically. The effect of a crack (of either type) on the stress produced in an elastic body by a uniform tensile stress is considered and the conditions for rupture deduced.
Fishnet, a fisheye web browser with search term popouts: a comparative evaluation with overview and linear view

Fishnet is a web browser that always displays web pages in their entirety, independent of their size. Fishnet accomplishes this by using a fisheye view, i.e. by showing a focus region at readable scale while spatially compressing page content above and below that region. Fishnet offers search term highlighting, and assures that those terms are readable by using "popouts". This allows users to visually scan search results within the entire page without scrolling.The scope of this paper is twofold. First, we present fishnet as a novel way of viewing the results of highlighted search and we discuss the design space. Second, we present a user study that helps practitioners determine which visualization technique--- fisheye view, overview, or regular linear view---to pick for which type of visual search scenario.
Automated measurement of retinal vascular tortuosity

Automatic measurement of blood vessel tortuosity is a useful capability for automatic ophthalmological diagnostic tools. We describe a suite of automated tortuosity measures for blood vessel segments extracted from RGB retinal images. The tortuosity measures were evaluated in two classification tasks: (1) classifying the tortuosity of blood vessel segments and (2) classifying the tortuosity of blood vessel networks. These tortuosity measures were able to achieve a classification rate of 91% for the first problem and 95% on the second problem, which confirms that they capture much of the ophthalmologists' notion of tortuosity.
Revealing Substructure in the Galactic Halo: The SEKBO RR Lyrae Survey

We present a search for RR Lyrae variable stars from archival observations of the Southern Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt Object survey. The survey covers 1675 deg2 along the ecliptic to a mean depth of V = 19.5, i.e., a heliocentric distance of ~50 kpc for RR Lyrae stars. The survey reveals 2016 RR Lyrae candidates. Follow-up photometric monitoring of a subset of these candidates shows ~24% contamination by non-RR Lyrae variables. We derive a map of overdensity of RR Lyrae stars in the halo that reveals a series of structures coincident with the leading and trailing arms of debris from the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy. One of the regions of overdensity is found on the trailing arm, 200° from the main body of the Sagittarius dwarf at a distance of ~45 kpc. This distant detection of the stellar population of the outer trailing arm of Sagittarius offers a tight constraint on the motion of the dwarf galaxy. A distinctly separate region of overdensity is seen toward the Virgo overdensity.
A Modified Technique for Direct, Fibre-Reinforced, Resin-Bonded Bridges: Clinical Case Reports

This article presents new modifications to the clinical technique of fabricating directly applied resin-bonded fibre- reinforced bridges. Torsional and flexural strength is achieved by means of a reinforced polyethylene fibre ribbon substructure surrounded by laminated layers of microhybrid and microfilled resins. The modifications provide a simple method for creating a better pontic-ridge relation and improved overall esthetics. Early clinical experience suggests that this technique has the potential to give patients a relatively conservative, esthetic and periodontally noninvasive alternative for anterior tooth replacement.
Post‐exposure treatment with isoproterenol attenuates pulmonary edema in phosgene‐exposed rabbits

This study investigated the post‐treatment effect of isoproterenol (ISO) on pulmonary parameters in rabbits whole‐body‐exposed to a lethal dose of the toxic gas phosgene. Phosgene is widely used in industry as a chemical intermediate for the production of plastics, drugs and polyurethane products. The results of this study are from five study groups: 10‐min perfused baseline; uninjured controls exposed to air; phosgene‐exposed; phosgene‐exposed isoproterenol‐treated intravascularly and intratracheally (ISO IV+IT); and phosgene‐exposed isoproterenol‐treated intratracheally (ISO IT). Treatment with ISO was administered as either a continuous intravascular infusion (24 μg min−1) from the beginning to end of perfusion (IV) and a 24‐μg intratracheal bolus (IT) or just an IT bolus immediately prior to the start of perfusion. Rabbits of 2.5–3 kg were exposed to a cumulative dose of phosgene to attain a concentration × time exposure‐effect of 1500 ppm⋅min. Lungs were isolated in situ and perfused 50–60 min after the start of exposure with Krebs–Henseleit buffer at 40 ml min−1. Pulmonary artery pressure (Ppa), tracheal pressure (Pt) and lung weight gain (lwg) were continuously measured. Leukotrienes (LT) C4/D4/E4 were measured in the perfusate every 20 min during perfusion. At the immediate conclusion of the experiment, lung tissue was frozen in liquid N2 and analyzed for glutathione (GSH) and cyclic 3′,5′‐adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). Post‐treatment with ISO by either IV+IT or IT routes 50+ min after phosgene exposure significantly lowered Ppa, Pt and lwg. Phosgene‐exposed rabbits post‐treated with ISO IT had significantly higher levels of reduced GSH (3 ± 0.4 nmol mg−1 protein), GSH/GSSG ratios (3.3 ± 0.6 nmol mg−1 protein) and percentage of total as reduced GSH (75 ± 2.5%) compared with phosgene‐exposed rabbits: 1.9 ± 0.3, 2 ± 0.3 and 58 ± 6.3%, respectively. The ISO (IV+IT) post‐treatment route significantly increased reduced GSH (6.2 ± 1.7 nmol mg−1 protein), GSH/GSSG ratio (5.9 ± 0.8 nmol mg−1 protein) and percentage of total as reduced GSH (85 ± 1.7%) when compared to the phosgene‐only group. The ISO IT and ISO IV+IT treatments significantly reduced perfusate LTC4/D4/E4 150 min after the start of exposure by 90% and 48%, respectively. These data suggest that protective mechanisms for ISO involve reduced vascular pressure, decreased LTC4/D4/E4‐mediated pulmonary capillary permeability and a favorable lung tissue redox state compared with untreated phosgene‐exposed rabbits. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.