Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk factors for death in septic shock

Abstract The aim of this study was to compare septic shock directly associated-mortality between severe trauma patients and nontrauma patients to assess the role of comorbidities and age. We conducted a retrospective study in an intensive care unit (ICU) (15 beds) of a university hospital (928 beds). From January 2009 to May 2015, we reviewed 2 anonymized databases including severe trauma patients and nontrauma patients. We selected the patients with a septic shock episode. Among 385 patients (318 nontrauma patients and 67 severe trauma patients), the ICU death rate was 43%. Septic shock was directly responsible for death among 35% of our cohort, representing 123 (39%) nontrauma patients and 10 (15%) trauma patients (P < 0.0). A sequential organ failure assessment score above 12 (odds ratio [OR]: 6.8; 95% confident interval (CI) [1.3–37], P = 0.025) was independently associated with septic shock associated-mortality, whereas severe trauma was a protective factor (OR: 0.26; 95% CI [0.08–0.78], P = 0.01). From these independent risk factors, we determined the probability of septic shock associated-mortality. The receiver-operating characteristics curve has an area under the curve at 0.76 with sensitivity of 55% and specificity of 86%. Trauma appears as a protective factor, whereas the severity of organ failure has a major role in the mortality of septic shock. However, because of the study's design, unmeasured confounding factors should be taken into account in our findings.
Impact of Air Exposure on Vasotocinergic and Isotocinergic Systems in Gilthead Sea Bream (Sparus aurata): New Insights on Fish Stress Response

The hypothalamus-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) and hypothalamus-sympathetic-chromaffin cell (HSC) axes are involved in the regulation of the stress response in teleost. In this regard, the activation of a complex network of endocrine players is needed, including corticotrophin-releasing hormone (Crh), Crh binding protein (Crhbp), proopiomelanocortin (Pomc), thyrotropin-releasing hormone (Trh), arginine vasotocin (Avt), and isotocin (It) to finally produce pleiotropic functions. We aimed to investigate, using the gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) as a biological model, the transcriptomic response of different endocrine factors (crh, crhbp, pomcs, trh), neuropeptides (avt and it), and their specific receptors (avtrv1a, avtrv2, and itr) in four important target tissues (hypothalamus, pituitary, kidney and liver), after an acute stress situation. We also investigated several stress hormones (catecholamines and cortisol). The stress condition was induced by air exposure for 3 min, and hormonal, metabolic and transcriptomic parameters were analyzed in a time course response (15 and 30 min, and 1, 2, 4, and 8 h post-stress) in a total of 64 fish (n = 8 fish per experimental group; p = 0.05; statistical power = 95%). Our results showed that plasma noradrenaline, adrenaline and cortisol values increased few minutes after stress exposure. At hypothalamic and hypophyseal levels, acute stress affected mRNA expression of all measured precursors and hormonal factors, as well as their receptors (avtrs and itr), showing the activation, at central level, of HPI, HSC, and Avt/It axes in the acute stress response. In addition, stress response also affected mRNA levels of avtrs and itr in the head kidney, as well as the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (star) and tyrosine hydroxylase (th) expression, suggesting their participation in the HPI and HSC axes activation. Moreover, the pattern of changes in hepatic avtrs and itr gene expression also highlights an important role of vasotocinergic and isotocinergic pathways in liver metabolic organization after acute stress events. Our results demonstrate, both at transcriptional and circulating levels of several hormones, the existence of a complex activation of different endocrine pathways in S. aurata related to the stress pathways, where vasotocinergic and isotocinergic systems can also be considered key players of the acute stress response orchestration.
The ICL-TUM-PASSAU Approach for the MediaEval 2015 "Affective Impact of Movies" Task

In this paper we describe the Imperial College London, Technische Universitat Munchen and University of Passau (ICL+TUM+PASSAU) team approach to the MediaEval's "Affective Impact of Movies" challenge, which consists in the automatic detection of affective (arousal and valence) and violent content in movie excerpts. In addition to the baseline features, we computed spectral and energy related acoustic features, and the probability of various objects being present in the video. Random Forests, AdaBoost and Support Vector Machines were used as classification methods. Best results show that the dataset is highly challenging for both affect and violence detection tasks, mainly because of issues in inter-rater agreement and data scarcity.
Nano-Silica effect on the physicomechanical properties of geopolymer composites

Addition of nano- (NS) to geopolymer composites has been studied through measurement of compressive strengths, FTIR and XRD analysis. Alumino-silicate materials are coarse aggregate included waste concrete and demolished walls with its cementing binder, cement kiln dust (CKD) used and can possess a pronouncing activation for the geopolymer reaction resulting from the high alkali contents within. Materials prepared at water/binder ratios in a range of 0.30: 0.40 under curing of and 100% Relative Humidity (R.H.), while the used activator is sodium hydroxide in the ratio of 2 wt. %. First, CKD is added in the ratio from 10 up to 50 wt. , %, and the demolished walls was varied depending on the used CKD content, while using constant ratio of waste concrete (40 wt., %). Second step, depending on the optimum CKD ratio resulted from the first one (40 wt. %), so the control geopolymer mix composed of cement kiln dust, demolished walls and waste concrete in the ratio (40:20:40, wt %). Nano-silica partially replaced waste concrete by 1 up to 8%. Results indicated that, compressive strengths of geopolymer mixes incorporating nano-silica were obviously higher than those control one, especially at early ages and specially with 3%NS.
Diagnosis of demyelinating brain lesion simulating brain tumors on fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition magnetic resonance imaging

Background: A single inflammatory demyelinating brain lesion sometimes mimics a brain tumor on conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and thus poses a considerable diagnostic challenge. We assessed the usefulness of a new MRI technique, fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition (FIESTA), for the diagnosis of inflammatory demyelinating disease (IDD). Methods: Three patients (2 males, 1 female) with a histopathologically proven inflammatory demyelinating brain lesion which mimicked a brain tumor on MRI were evaluated with a post-contrast three-dimensional FIESTA sequence before biopsy and treatment. Those images were compared with the images of intra-axial brain tumors (n = 147). Results: Preoperative FIESTA showed an iso- or slightly hyperintense distinct intralesional structure that appeared reticulate or broad-line in patients with IDD. These structures traversed a hyperintense demyelinating lesion in the deep grey matter (DGM) and were connected to the surrounding extralesional area, which appeared to be dense fibers between DGM. Such distinct intralesional structures were not observed in most brain tumors. Conclusion: Reticulate or broad-line-like intralesional structures on FIESTA may, therefore, be suggestive of IDD rather than indicate a brain tumor.
Angiopoietin-Like 4 Attenuates Brain Edema and Neurological Deficits in a Mouse Model of Experimental Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Background Angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) is neuroprotective when administered acutely for the treatment of cerebral ischemia. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the preventive effects of ANGPTL4 on the formation of brain edema and to determine whether it promotes the recovery of neurological function following intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Material/Methods Recombinant human ANGPTL4 (rhANGPTL4; 40 μg/kg) or a vehicle was administered intraperitoneally 5 min prior to bacterial collagenase-induced ICH in male C57/B6J mice. Behavioral tests were performed prior to ICH and at days 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 after ICH. Brain edema and hematoma volume were examined separately using the wet weight/dry weight method and hematoxylin-eosin staining. The integrity of the tight and adherens junctions was quantified via immunofluorescence. The ultrastructure of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) was examined using transmission electron microscopy. Vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin, claudin-5, Src, and phospho-Src in the ipsilateral and contralateral striatum were detected by Western blot analysis. Results RhANGPTL4 reduced brain edema and hematoma volume and improved neurological functional recovery over the subsequent 4 weeks when compared with the control group. rhANGPTL4 significantly increased VE-cadherin and claudin-5-positive areas and relative amounts in the peri-hematoma region compared with the control group. In addition, ANGPTL4 significantly reduced the ratio of phospho-Src to Src. The significant reduction of Src kinase activity in the peri-hematoma region of ANGPTL-treated mice was paralleled by a decrease in vascular permeability and edema formation. Conclusions These results suggest that ANGPTL4 is a relevant target for vasculoprotection and cerebral protection during stroke.
Nitrofurantoin-induced interstitial pneumonitis: albeit rare, should not be missed

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a rare adverse effect of nitrofurantoin and can range from benign infiltrates to a fatal condition. Nitrofurantoin acts via inhibiting the protein synthesis in bacteria by helping reactive intermediates and is known to produce primary lung parenchymal injury through an oxidant mechanism. Stopping the drug leads to complete recovery of symptoms. In this report, we present a case of nitrofurantoin-induced ILD with the recovery of symptoms and disease process after stopping the drug.
Phylogenetic framework for coevolutionary studies: a compass for exploring jungles of tangled trees

Abstract Phylogenetics is used to detect past evolutionary events, from how species originated to how their ecological interactions with other species arose, which can mirror cophylogenetic patterns. Cophylogenetic reconstructions uncover past ecological relationships between taxa through inferred coevolutionary events on trees, for example, codivergence, duplication, host-switching, and loss. These events can be detected by cophylogenetic analyses based on nodes and the length and branching pattern of the phylogenetic trees of symbiotic associations, for example, host–parasite. In the past 2 decades, algorithms have been developed for cophylogetenic analyses and implemented in different software, for example, statistical congruence index and event-based methods. Based on the combination of these approaches, it is possible to integrate temporal information into cophylogenetical inference, such as estimates of lineage divergence times between 2 taxa, for example, hosts and parasites. Additionally, the advances in phylogenetic biogeography applying methods based on parametric process models and combined Bayesian approaches, can be useful for interpreting coevolutionary histories in a scenario of biogeographical area connectivity through time. This article briefly reviews the basics of parasitology and provides an overview of software packages in cophylogenetic methods. Thus, the objective here is to present a phylogenetic framework for coevolutionary studies, with special emphasis on groups of parasitic organisms. Researchers wishing to undertake phylogeny-based coevolutionary studies can use this review as a “compass” when “walking” through jungles of tangled phylogenetic trees.
Motor expertise interacts with physical enactment to enhance action memory

ABSTRACT Previous research on action memory showed the advantage for performing the action in memorising the action phrases. We tested if performing the action would help participants with or without motor expertise to memorise the novel action poses. Thirty novel action poses performed by an expert were photographed to constitute memory and interference stimuli. Eighty college students observed to remember the randomly displayed stimuli; however, half were asked to perform the displayed stimuli. Both free-recall and recognition tests were administered immediately and 24 h after the memory task. The results showed that acting was better than observing for memorising the novel action poses, which not only promoted the absolute retention but also alleviated the retention loss caused by interference. Motor expertise enhanced the overall memory performance by promoting a deeper motor encoding. Based on our results, novices should act with (rather than just observe) the model to learn novel motor skills.
Tracking control of optimal quantization feedback control systems with variable discrete quantizer

Networked control systems (NCSs) have been receiving much attention in the field of remote robot operation, surgery and some operations. In the NCSs, data needs to be quantized since it is transmitted over a limited network channel. In earlier works, we considered an NCS with a variable discrete quantizer. In the system, both input and a parameter of the quantizer are optimized online with the help of model predictive control (MPC) so that the system is stabilized. However, the method is not applied to the tracking control, directly. This paper addresses an extension of the quantized feedback control system in order to consider the tracking control performance as well as the stabilization of the system. In the system, the center of the quantization is considered as a variable to be optimized. The optimization problem is reduced to a mixed integer quadratic programming so that the tracking control can be realized online. Experimental results are demonstrated to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Modeling interdependent animal movement in continuous time

This article presents a new approach to modeling group animal movement in continuous time. The movement of a group of animals is modeled as a multivariate Ornstein Uhlenbeck diffusion process in a high‐dimensional space. Each individual of the group is attracted to a leading point which is generally unobserved, and the movement of the leading point is also an Ornstein Uhlenbeck process attracted to an unknown attractor. The Ornstein Uhlenbeck bridge is applied to reconstruct the location of the leading point. All movement parameters are estimated using Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling, specifically a Metropolis Hastings algorithm. We apply the method to a small group of simultaneously tracked reindeer, Rangifer tarandus tarandus, showing that the method detects dependency in movement between individuals.
Translocase of Inner Membrane 50 Functions as a Novel Protective Regulator of Pathological Cardiac Hypertrophy

Background Translocase of inner membrane 50 (TIM50) is a member of the translocase of inner membrane (TIM) complex in the mitochondria. Previous research has demonstrated the role of TIM50 in the regulation of oxidative stress and cardiac morphology. However, the role of TIM50 in pathological cardiac hypertrophy remains unknown. Methods and Results In the present study we found that the expression of TIM50 was downregulated in hypertrophic hearts. Using genetic loss‐of‐function animal models, we demonstrated that TIM50 deficiency increased heart and cardiomyocyte size with more severe cardiac fibrosis compared with wild‐type littermates. Moreover, we generated cardiomyocyte‐specific TIM50 transgenic mice in which the hypertrophic and fibrotic phenotypes were all alleviated. Next, we tested reactive oxygen species generation and the activities of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase, and also respiratory chain complexes I, II, and IV, finding that all the activities were regulated by TIM50. Meanwhile, expression of the ASK1‐JNK/P38 axis was increased in TIM50‐deficient mice, and TIM50 overexpression decreased the activity of the ASK1‐JNK/P38 axis. Finally, we treated mice with the antioxidant N‐acetyl cysteine to reduce oxidative stress. After N‐acetyl cysteine treatment, the deteriorative hypertrophic and fibrotic phenotypes caused by TIM50 deficiency were all remarkably reversed. Conclusions These data indicated that TIM50 could attenuate pathological cardiac hypertrophy primarily by reducing oxidative stress. TIM50 could be a promising target for the prevention and therapy of cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure.
A scalable traffic engineering technique in an SDN‐based data center network

Data center has recently emerged as a common infrastructure that includes numerous servers and host diversity of applications and cloud‐based services. In this paper, a dynamic method is proposed for traffic engineering in software‐defined data center networks helping to design an optimal demand‐path mapping with a tolerable computational complexity. To achieve the aim of this study, we used a linear programming to define the problem statement and then modeled the problem as a Path‐based multicommodity flow. To reduce time complexity, first, a decomposition technique is used to divide the problem model into smaller subproblems, which are then solved simultaneously by applying parallelizing techniques (ie, multiple‐core computing and OpenMP). Next, a suitable iterative algorithm is utilized to quickly converge subproblem solutions leading to an answer to the master problem. Simulation results show that solving time is considerably improved compared with a number of reported schemes devoted to this topic. In addition, implementing the proposed method serially yields an optimum solution, which takes significantly shorter time to reach than that of the generic (the LP model that is not decomposed) approach.
Inducing death in tumor cells: roles of the inhibitor of apoptosis proteins

The heterogeneous group of diseases collectively termed cancer results not just from aberrant cellular proliferation but also from a lack of accompanying homeostatic cell death. Indeed, cancer cells regularly acquire resistance to programmed cell death, or apoptosis, which not only supports cancer progression but also leads to resistance to therapeutic agents. Thus, various approaches have been undertaken in order to induce apoptosis in tumor cells for therapeutic purposes. Here, we will focus our discussion on agents that directly affect the apoptotic machinery itself rather than on drugs that induce apoptosis in tumor cells indirectly, such as by DNA damage or kinase dependency inhibition. As the roles of the Bcl-2 family have been extensively studied and reviewed recently, we will focus in this review specifically on the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family. IAPs are a disparate group of proteins that all contain a baculovirus IAP repeat domain, which is important for the inhibition of apoptosis in some, but not all, family members. We describe each of the family members with respect to their structural and functional similarities and differences and their respective roles in cancer. Finally, we also review the current state of IAPs as targets for anti-cancer therapeutics and discuss the current clinical state of IAP antagonists.
Angular reconstitution-based 3D reconstructions of nanomolecular structures from superresolution light-microscopy images

Significance Superresolution imaging techniques have become an essential tool to study the organization and structure of biological molecules with previously unimagined detail. It is becoming clear, however, that structural heterogeneity, dynamics, and low labeling densities can impede the potential of such technologies. Here, we describe a model-free method based on single-particle reconstruction algorithms to extract 3D isotropic structural information from 2D superresolution images of nanometer-sized supramolecular structures, such as DNA origami or protein complexes. We expect our work will help bridge the gap between superresolution microscopy and conventional electron microscopy. Superresolution light microscopy allows the imaging of labeled supramolecular assemblies at a resolution surpassing the classical diffraction limit. A serious limitation of the superresolution approach is sample heterogeneity and the stochastic character of the labeling procedure. To increase the reproducibility and the resolution of the superresolution results, we apply multivariate statistical analysis methods and 3D reconstruction approaches originally developed for cryogenic electron microscopy of single particles. These methods allow for the reference-free 3D reconstruction of nanomolecular structures from two-dimensional superresolution projection images. Since these 2D projection images all show the structure in high-resolution directions of the optical microscope, the resulting 3D reconstructions have the best possible isotropic resolution in all directions.
Anti-Pseudomonal Activity of Leaf Extracts of Myrtaceae Plants against β-Lactamase-Producing Strains

Article history: Received: 30 May 2013 Accepted: 7 Aug 2013 Available online: 23 Sep 2013 ZJRMS 2014 Oct; 16(10): 33-37 Background: Due to occurrence of extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, There is a need for a reliable method to treat clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa that increasingly reported from worldwide. Also the prevalence of multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa producing betalactamase reported from different parts of the world during the last decades. The Eucalyptus contains a number of compounds with antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial properties and used to control several diseases derived from microbial infections. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, Eucalyptus camaldulensis (E. camaldulensis) was used to evaluate the antimicrobial effects against lactamase-producing strains of P. aeruginosa methanol extract of the leaves of this plant, with concentrations of 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg/mL were prepared, and antibacterial activities were evaluated by well diffusion method on strains P. aeruginosa isolated from patients. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was determine by the microplate method.The frequency of the gene encoding bla OXA-10 was studied by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: In this study, methanol extract of eucalyptus leaves at concentrations of 400 mg/mL was high activity against P. aeruginosa. Minimum inhibitory concentration of the extract on the growth of these bacteria was change to 25 mg/mL. Also MBC of extract showed range from 50 mg/mL respectively. Conclusion: Result from these finding suggest that, eucalyptus extract, has an inhibitory effect on strains that carrier betalactamase. Also, the effect of extract, risesed by increasing the concentration. The results of this study suggest the traditional use of E. camaldulensis leaves as an antibacterial agent. Copyright © 2014 Zahedan University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.