Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOAC) and Their Use Today

The ideal anticoagulant is oral, has a wide therapeutic range, predictable pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, a rapid onset of action, an available antidote, minimal side effects and minimal interactions with other drugs or food. With the development of the novel direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC), we now have an alternative to the traditional vitamin K antagonists (VKA) for the prevention and treatment of thrombosis. DOACs have limited monitoring requirements and very predictable pharmacokinetic profiles. They were shown to be non-inferior or superior to VKA in the prophylaxis or treatment of thromboembolic events. Particularly in terms of safety they were associated with less major bleeding, including intracranial bleeding, thus providing a superior benefit for the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. Despite these advantages, there are remaining limitations with DOACs: their dependence on renal and hepatic function for clearance and the lack of an approved reversal agent, whereas such antidotes are successively being made available. DOACs do not need regular monitoring to assess the treatment effect but, on the other hand, they interact with other drugs and interfere with functional coagulation assays. From a practical point of view, the properties of oral administration, simple dosing without monitoring, a short half-life allowing for the possibility of uncomplicated switching or bridging, and proven safety overwhelm the disadvantages, making them an attractive option for short- or long-term anticoagulation.
Solving discrete algebraic Riccati equations: A new recursive method

In this paper, an iterative algorithm is proposed to solve discrete time algebraic Riccati equations (DARE) with a sign indefinite quadratic term, which arise from linear discrete time H∞ control. By constructing two positive semidefinite matrix sequences, we obtain the stabilizing solution of the given DARE. The algorithm has a global convergence property.
Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Pregabalin Treatment for Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

OBJECTIVE—To evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of pregabalin across the effective dosing range, to determine differences in the efficacy of three times daily (TID) versus twice daily (BID) dosage schedules, and to use time-to-event analysis to determine the time to onset of a sustained therapeutic effect using data from seven trials of pregabalin in painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Data were pooled across seven double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials using pregabalin to treat painful DPN with dosages of 150, 300, and 600 mg/day administered TID or BID. Only one trial included all three of these dosages, and TID dosing was used in four. All studies shared fundamental selection criteria, and treatment durations ranged from 5 to 13 weeks. RESULTS—Pooled analysis showed that pregabalin significantly reduced pain and pain-related sleep interference associated with DPN (150, 300, and 600 mg/day administered TID vs. placebo, all P ≤ 0.007). Only the 600 mg/day dosage showed efficacy when administered BID (P ≤ 0.001). Pain and sleep interference reductions associated with pregabalin appear to be positively correlated with dosage; the greatest effect was observed in patients treated with 600 mg/day. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the median time to onset of a sustained (≥30% at end point) 1-point improvement was 4 days in patients treated with pregabalin at 600 mg/day, 5 days in patients treated with pregabalin at 300 mg/day, 13 days in patients treated with pregabalin at 150 mg/day, and 60 days in patients receiving placebo. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were dizziness, somnolence, and peripheral edema. CONCLUSIONS—Treatment with pregabalin across its effective dosing range is associated with significant, dose-related improvement in pain in patients with DPN.
Polyphenolic Characterization and Antioxidant Activity of Malus domestica and Prunus domestica Cultivars from Costa Rica

The phenolic composition of skin and flesh from Malus domestica apples (Anna cultivar) and Prunus domestica plums (satsuma cultivar) commercial cultivars in Costa Rica, was studied using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-DAD-ESI-MS) on enriched-phenolic extracts, with particular emphasis in proanthocyanidin and flavonoids characterization. A total of 52 compounds were identified, including 21 proanthocyanidins ([(+)-catechin and (−)-epicatechin]) flavan-3-ols monomers, five procyanidin B-type dimers and two procyanidin A-type dimers, five procyanidin B-type trimers and two procyanidin A-type trimers, as well as one procyanidin B-type tetramer, two procyanidin B-type pentamers, and two flavan-3-ol gallates); 15 flavonoids (kaempferol, quercetin and naringenin derivatives); nine phenolic acids (protochatechuic, caffeoylquinic, and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives); five hydroxychalcones (phloretin and 3-hydroxyphloretin derivatives); and two isoprenoid glycosides (vomifoliol derivatives). These findings constitute the first report of such a high number and diversity of compounds in skins of one single plum cultivar and of the presence of proanthocyanidin pentamers in apple skins. Also, it is the first time that such a large number of glycosylated flavonoids and proanthocyanidins are reported in skins and flesh of a single plum cultivar. In addition, total phenolic content (TPC) was measured with high values observed for all samples, especially for fruits skins with a TPC of 619.6 and 640.3 mg gallic acid equivalents/g extract respectively for apple and plum. Antioxidant potential using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhidrazyl (DPPH) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) methods were evaluated, with results showing also high values for all samples, especially again for fruit skins with IC50 of 4.54 and 5.19 µg/mL (DPPH) and 16.8 and 14.6 mmol TE/g (ORAC) respectively for apple and plum, indicating the potential value of these extracts. Significant negative correlation was found for both apple and plum samples between TPC and DPPH antioxidant values, especially for plum fruits (R = −0.981, p < 0.05) as well as significant positive correlation between TPC and ORAC, also especially for plum fruits (R = 0.993, p < 0.05) and between both, DPPH and ORAC antioxidant methods (R = 0.994, p < 0.05).
Effect of Commuter Time on Emergency Medicine Residents

Background The impact of resident work hours on resident well-being and patient safety has long been a controversial issue. Objectives What has not been considered in resident work hour limitations is whether resident commuting time has any impact on a resident's total work hours or well-being. Methods A self-administered electronic survey was distributed to emergency medicine residents in 2016. Results The survey response was 8% (569/6828). Commuter time was 30 minutes or less in 70%. Two residents reported a commuter time of 76 to 90 minutes and one resident had a commuter time of 91 to 105 minutes. None reported commuter times greater than 105 minutes. Of most concern was that 29.3% of the residents reported falling asleep while driving their car home from work. We found 12% of respondents reporting being involved in a car collision while commuting. For residents with commute times greater than one hour, 66% reported they had fallen asleep while driving. When asked their opinion on the effect of commute time, those with commute times greater than one hour (75% of residents) responded that it was detrimental. Conclusions While the majority of emergency medicine residents in this survey have commuter times of 30 minutes or less, there is a small population of residents with commuter times of 76 to 105 minutes. At times, residents whose commute is up to 105 minutes each way could be traveling a total of more than 3.5 hours for each round trip. Given that these residents often work 12-hour shifts, these extended commuter times may be having detrimental effects on their health and well-being.
Alexithymia and the Processing of Emotional Facial Expressions (EFEs): Systematic Review, Unanswered Questions and Further Perspectives

Alexithymia is characterized by difficulties in identifying, differentiating and describing feelings. A high prevalence of alexithymia has often been observed in clinical disorders characterized by low social functioning. This review aims to assess the association between alexithymia and the ability to decode emotional facial expressions (EFEs) within clinical and healthy populations. More precisely, this review has four main objectives: (1) to assess if alexithymia is a better predictor of the ability to decode EFEs than the diagnosis of clinical disorder; (2) to assess the influence of comorbid factors (depression and anxiety disorder) on the ability to decode EFE; (3) to investigate if deficits in decoding EFEs are specific to some levels of processing or task types; (4) to investigate if the deficits are specific to particular EFEs. Twenty four studies (behavioural and neuroimaging) were identified through a computerized literature search of Psycinfo, PubMed, and Web of Science databases from 1990 to 2010. Data on methodology, clinical characteristics, and possible confounds were analyzed. The review revealed that: (1) alexithymia is associated with deficits in labelling EFEs among clinical disorders, (2) the level of depression and anxiety partially account for the decoding deficits, (3) alexithymia is associated with reduced perceptual abilities, and is likely to be associated with impaired semantic representations of emotional concepts, and (4) alexithymia is associated with neither specific EFEs nor a specific valence. These studies are discussed with respect to processes involved in the recognition of EFEs. Future directions for research on emotion perception are also discussed.
Intraday Repeatability of Bruch's Membrane Opening-Based Neuroretinal Rim Measurements.

Purpose To assess possible intraday variability in Bruch's membrane opening-based (BMO) assessment of neuroretinal rim by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) of the optic nerve head (ONH) as well as to evaluate its independence from intraindividual IOP changes. Methods In this noninterventional, prospective cohort study, 51 consecutively enrolled patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension underwent standardized SD-OCT of the ONH and IOP assessment at two different time points with a time gap of 5 hours on the same day. Random effects models, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots were used to analyze repeatability of BMO minimum rim width (BMO-MRW) and area (BMO-MRA) and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness measurements. Results Mean BMO area was 1.86 ± 0.30 mm2. At baseline, mean BMO-MRW was 206.46 ± 0.86 μm, mean BMO-MRA was 0.89 ± 0.34 mm2, and mean RNFL thickness was 71.61 ± 0.20 μm. Within intraindividual measurements, mean difference was 2.95 μm or 1.76% for BMO-MRW, 0.02 mm2 or 2.68% for BMO-MRA, and 1.18 μm or 1.89% for RNFL thickness. Comparing time points, η2 was 0.001 (P = 0.757) for RNFL thickness, 0.043 (P = 0.01) for BMO-MRA, and 0.07 (P = 0.06) for BMO-MRW. Intraclass correlation coefficients were greater than 0.994, respectively. Variability of morphometric parameters did not correlate to intraindividual IOP fluctuations. Conclusions Assessment of BMO-MRW by SD-OCT shows high intraday repeatability, which is comparable to the parameter RNFL thickness. Variability seems not to be driven by typical moderate intraday fluctuations of IOP. The two-dimensional parameter BMO-MRA incorporates a fairly higher intraindividual variability.
DESIGN AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A VACUUM SYSTEM FOR INTERFEROMETRIC MEASUREMENTS OF MEMS RESONATORS

Recently there has been great interest of developing silico n-based microelectromechanical resonators that can be utilized as a frequency reference for e.g. wireless communication applications. The advantage of these MEMS resonators is their small size and integrability as opposed to traditional quartz oscillators. In ambient ai r pressure however, significant performance losses take place due to air damping the oscillation. Therefore the resonators must operate in vacuum in their final applications. Optical interferometric probing has been proven useful in research and development of MEMS resonators as a tool to obtain direct information of the acoustic phenomena associated with the devices, since only indirect characterizat ion of these devices is possible by studying their electrical respones. In this thesis a vacuum system enabling interferometric measurements of MEMS devices in low pressure has been designed and characterized. The sample under study is positioned inside a custom built vacuum chamber equipped with a window enabling optical probing. In addition, the system provides the ability to ach ieve a stable pressure between 0.1 mbar and atmospheric pressure for further analysis of the pressure dependent behaviour of the resonator. A square plate resonator sample[1] was used for testing the system. The resonator was excited with frequencies around its square extensional resonance mode of 13.1 MHz. In vacuum as compared to atmospheric pressure, a nine-fold increase of the quality factor of the resonator was observed together with a 250 ppm decrease of the resonance frequency. A treshold for the pressure-limited behaviour of the sample was found to be 10 mbar, below which no performance gain of the resonator was achieved by lowering the pressure.
Curcumin inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma growth by targeting VEGF expression

Morbidity and mortality owing to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common primary liver cancer, has increased in recent years. Curcumin is a polyphenol compound that has been demonstrated to exert effective antiangiogenic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitumor effects. However, its clinical effects in HCC remain elusive. The main aim of the present study was to determine the antiangiogenic effects of curcumin in HCC. H22HCC cells were treated with different concentrations of curcumin in vitro. In addition, a mouse xenograft model was used and analyzed for expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein and proteins of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT) signaling pathway. Curcumin treatment inhibited H22 cell proliferation and promoted H22 cell apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. In addition, curcumin treatment inhibited tumor growth in vivo at the concentrations of 50 and 100 mg/kg. Furthermore, curcumin treatment significantly decreased VEGF expression and PI3K/AKT signaling. The present findings demonstrated that curcumin inhibited HCC proliferation in vitro and in vivo by reducing VEGF expression.
Island Evolution and Systematic Revision of Comoran Snakes: Why and When Subspecies Still Make Sense

Species delimitation and species concepts have been a matter of debate among biodiversity researchers in the last decades, resulting in integrative taxonomy approaches and the use of modern species concepts, such as the phylogenetic, evolutionary or general lineage species concepts. The discussion of subspecies status and concepts has been addressed much less extensively, with some researchers completely refraining from recognizing subspecies. However, allopatric insular populations that are particularly differentiated have traditionally been assigned subspecies status. We studied the molecular phylogeny and morphology of endemic Comoran tree snakes of the genus Lycodryas. Taking an integrative taxonomic approach, we used the concept of independent lines of evidence to discriminate between evidence for specific and subspecific status. Molecular (mtDNA) and morphological data provided sufficient evidence to support four different taxa within Comoran Lycodryas. In a revision of this group, we propose two species, each with two subspecies. We present a discussion of the strong sexual dichromatism unique to Comoran Lycodryas within the genus and related genera that may be explained by sexual selection in combination with the absence of major predators. Then, we discuss the effects of insular evolution and the “island rule” on morphological traits in Comoran Lycodryas and in Liophidium mayottensis, another snake endemic to the Comoros. The absence of larger-bodied snakes may have promoted an increase in body size and the number of dorsal scale rows in these species. Finally, we discuss the subspecies concept, its applications and its significance for integrative taxonomy and for limiting taxonomic inflation. We emphasize that taxon descriptions should be based on an integrative approach using several lines of evidence, preferably in combination with statements on the underlying species concepts or operational criteria, to increase the objectivity and comparability of descriptions.
Quantitative structural multiclass lipidomics using differential mobility: electron impact excitation of ions from organics (EIEIO) mass spectrometry[S]

We report a method for comprehensive structural characterization of lipids in animal tissues using a combination of differential ion mobility spectrometry (DMS) with electron-impact excitation of ions from organics (EIEIO) mass spectrometry. Singly charged lipid ions in protonated or sodiated forms were dissociated by an electron beam having a kinetic energy of 10 eV in a branched radio-frequency ion trap. We established a comprehensive set of diagnostics to characterize the structures of glycerophospholipids, sphingolipids, and acylglycerols, including glycosylated, plasmalogen, and ester forms. This EIEIO mass spectrometer was combined with DMS as a separation tool to analyze complex lipid extracts. Deuterated quantitative standards, which were added during extraction, allowed for the quantitative analysis of the lipid molecular species in various lipid classes. We applied this technique to the total lipids extracted from porcine brain, and we structurally characterized over 300 lipids (with the exception of cis/trans double-bond isomerism in the acyl chains). The structural dataset of the lipidomes, whose regioisomers were distinguished, exhibit a uniquely defined distribution of acyl chains within each lipid class; that is, sn-1 and sn-2 in the cases of glycerophospholipids or sn-2 and (sn-1, sn-3) in the cases of triacylglycerols.
Cohort Profile Update: The Lothian Birth Cohorts of 1921 and 1936

The original Lothian Birth Cohorts of 1921 (LBC1921) and 1936 (LBC1936) were designed as follow-up studies to the Scottish Mental Surveys of 1932 (SMS1932) and 1947 (SMS1947), respectively. The SMS1932 took place simultaneously across schools in Scotland on 1 June 1932, and used the Moray House Test (No. 12; MHT) of general intelligence. Almost every child attending school and born in 1921 (N 1⁄4 87 498) was tested. The same MHT was administered to almost every child born in 1936 and attending school on 4 June 4 1947 for the SMS1947 (N 1⁄4 70 805). As described in the Cohorts Profile published in 2012, decades later, participants of both Surveys, mostly living in Edinburgh and the surrounding area (the Lothians) in older age, were invited to participate in the Lothian Birth Cohort (LBC) studies. Between 1999 and 2001, 550 of the SMS1932 were recruited to Wave 1 of the LBC1921 study, at a mean age of 79 years. Between 2004 and 2007, 1091 members of SMS1947 were recruited to Wave 1 of the LBC1936 study, at a mean age of 70 years. Both cohorts re-sat the MHT at initial follow-up. In addition, a large amount of other cognitive, psychosocial, lifestyle, medical, biomarker, genetic, brain imaging and other data were collected. There are baseline protocol articles for LBC1921 and LBC1936, and a separate baseline brain imaging protocol article for LBC1936. What is the reason for the new data collection?
Interactions in clay-based rotogravure coating colours

The rheological behaviour of rotogravure coating colours containing a coarse clay and a series of alkalisensitive latices has been determined as a function of pH and shear rate (30-39,000 S-'). The colours, and suspensions of the latices alone, exhibited large increases in viscosity between pH 6.0 and 7.5, i.e. in the region of pKa values at which the ionisation of carboxylic groups occurs. Photon correlation spectroscopic studies demonstrate that this effect is associated with an increase in the hydrodynamic size of the latex particles. Unexpectedly, it was observed that the pH at which the viscosity increase occurred was higher in the colours than in the latex suspensions themselves. One possible explanation for this is that the ionisation of the later polyacid groups is suppressed in the chemical environment of the coating colour. Alternatively, the results point to an interaction between the ionised latex and clay. As expected, the effect is less pronounced at higher shear rates (>l000 S-') where pigment-latex particle packing effects predominate. Finally, oscillation experiments showed that the coating colours (but not the separate components) developed considerable elasticity, as has been seen for offset colours and has been implicated in runnability and post-blade levelling phenomena. Materials The pigment used in this work was a coarse English clay having the physical properties shown in table I. Four commercial rotogravure latices were used in this study. Binders SA-1 and SA-2 were carboxylated copolymers of styrene and butyl acrylate. Binders SB-l and SB-2 were carboxylated copolymers of styrene and butadiene. All except SB-2 were alkali-thickening. Samples of each were serum exchanged with 10-4 M HCl using an AmiconR membrane having a molecular weight cut-off of 50,000 amu. The method was based on published work by Ahmed et al. (1980). The level of carboxylation of each binder was estimated by titration of the cleaned and protonated latex after diafiltration. The method of Elkasser et al. (1985) was used, in which an excess of NaOH was added, followed after 24 hours by conductometric back titration of unreacted base with HCI. The results are shown in table 2. To obtain a measure of carboxylation, it was assumed that poly(acry1ic acid) was present, although, of course, other organic acids of similar functionality may have been used by the manufacturers. It should be noted that these results do not necessarily imply that all the carboxyl groups are present on the surface of latex particles since soluble polymers ADDRESS O F THE AUTHORS: ECC International Ltd., John Keay House, St. Austell, Cornwall, PL25 4DJ, England.
Analyzing Medium Access Techniques in Wireless Body Area Networks

This paper presents comparison of Access Techniques used in Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol for Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs). Comparison is performed between Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA), Pure ALOHA and Slotted ALOHA (S-ALOHA). Performance metrics used for comparison are Throughput (T), Delay (D) and Offered Load (G). The main goal for comparison is to show which technique gives highest Throughput and lowest Delay with increase in Load. Energy efficiency is major issue in WBAN that is why there is need to know which technique performs best for energy conservation and also gives minimum delay. Simulations are performed for different scenarios and results are compared for all techniques. We suggest TDMA as best technique to be used in MAC protocol for WBANs due to its high throughput and minimum delay with increase in load. MATLAB is the tool that is used for simulation.