Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Surgery and Prolonged Spironolactone Therapy in Patients with Hypertension, Aldosterone Excess, and Low Plasma Renin

The effect of prolonged preoperative treatment with spironolactone has been studied in a series of 67 patients with hypertension, aldosterone excess, and low plasma renin. In the series as a whole a highly significant reduction in both systolic and diastolic pressures was achieved, with no evidence of escape from control during therapy lasting several years in some cases. The drug was equally effective in controlling blood pressure in patients with and without adrenocortical adenomata. Occasional unresponsive patients were encountered in both groups; pretreatment blood urea levels in these were significantly higher than in the responsive patients. The hypotensive effect of spironolactone usually predicted the subsequent response to adrenal surgery. Spironolactone in all cases corrected plasma electrolyte abnormalities; significant increases in total exchangeable (or total body) potassium and significant reductions in total exchangeable sodium, total body water, extracellular fluid, and plasma volumes were seen. Plasma urea rose during treatment and there was a slight fall in mean body weight. Significant increases in peripheral venous plasma renin and angiotensin II concentrations occurred during treatment. In two patients no increase in aldosterone secretion rate was found during treatment, although plasma aldosterone rose in three of four subjects studied. Severe side effects were rare; in only two of the 67 patients did the drug have to be stopped. In addition to its routine preoperative use, spironolactone can now be advised as long-term therapy in selected patients.
Strain in the ostrich mandible during simulated pecking and validation of specimen‐specific finite element models

Finite element (FE) analysis is becoming a frequently used tool for exploring the craniofacial biomechanics of extant and extinct vertebrates. Crucial to the application of the FE analysis is the knowledge of how well FE results replicate reality. Here I present a study investigating how accurately FE models can predict experimentally derived strain in the mandible of the ostrich Struthio camelus, when both the model and the jaw are subject to identical conditions in an in‐vitro loading environment. Three isolated ostrich mandibles were loaded hydraulically at the beak tip with forces similar to those measured during force transducer pecking experiments. Strains were recorded at four gauge sites at the dorsal and ventral dentary, and medial and lateral surangular. Specimen‐specific FE models were created from computed tomography scans of each ostrich and loaded in an identical fashion as in the in‐vitro test. The results show that the strain magnitudes, orientation, patterns and maximum : minimum principal strain ratios are predicted very closely at the dentary gauge sites, even though the FE models have isotropic and homogeneous material properties and solid internal geometry. Although the strain magnitudes are predicted at the postdentary sites, the strain orientations and ratios are inaccurate. This mismatch between the dentary and postdentary predictions may be due to the presence of intramandibular sutures or the greater amount of cancellous bone present in the postdentary region of the mandible and requires further study. This study highlights the predictive potential of even simple FE models for studies in extant and extinct vertebrates, but also emphasizes the importance of geometry and sutures. It raises the question of whether different parameters are of lesser or greater importance to FE validation for different taxonomic groups.
PET time-of-flight performance using analytic modeling and offset point-sources measurements

We present initial findings from performance testing of a time-of-flight (TOF) PET scanner with respect to the scanner's TOF discriminatory power when compared with a theoretical model. A 2-D geometric model was produced to provide the difference in distance-of-flight of the two photons from a point source to the detector ring. The effectiveness of the discriminatory power was quantified by the percentage of events that were correctly assigned to the sinogram associated with the difference in TOF of the photons.
Structural Factors Influencing the Efficacy of Neuromuscular Transmission

Neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) in different species share many features of structure and function. At the same time, important differences distinguish, for example, human NMJs from those in other species. An understanding of the biological context of the human NMJ helps in the interpretation of the effects of disease on the biophysical properties of neuromuscular transmission. Many NMJs consist of a number of spot‐like synaptic regions 1–5 μm across. Usually only a few multimolecular “quanta” of transmitter are released from each presynaptic “bouton” by a single nerve impulse. The total number of quanta released from an NMJ is roughly proportional to its total area. For example, human NMJs are about 10‐fold smaller than those in frogs and release about 20 quanta/impulse versus 100–200 in frog NMJ. Although human NMJs release relatively few quanta, the effect of the transmitter is amplified by the high density of voltage‐gated sodium channels (NaV1.4) in the highly folded postsynaptic membrane. A genetic influence on NMJ size has recently been discovered in some patients with limb‐girdle myasthenia (LGM). Mutations of the gene encoding Dok‐7, an essential component of the agrin–muscle‐specific kinase pathway that controls postsynaptic differentiation at the mammalian NMJ, results in impaired transmission because the NMJs are abnormally small and have reduced folding but have a normal local density of normal acetylcholine receptors. This condition emphasizes the importance of structural features in achieving reliability of neuromuscular transmission.
Direct evidence of a role for amino acid 101 of VP-1 in central nervous system disease in Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus infection

The DA virus, a member of the TO subgroup of Theiler's virus, invokes a chronic demyelinating disease in its natural host, the mouse, RNA transcripts from a cDNA clone, pDAFL3, are infectious, and the resulting virus, DAFL3, produces in mice a disease indistinguishable from that caused by the DA virus. Using oligonucleotide-directed site-specific mutagenesis, a single nucleotide, cytosine at position 3305 (viral genome), was changed in this infectious cDNA to a thymine. The mutated nucleotide is located in an area coding for a neutralizing epitope on loop II of VP-1. Virus OSM101, produced from the mutagenized plasmid pDA101, had the same growth characteristics and plaque phenotype in vitro as the virus DAFL3 produced from clone pDAFL3. However, in vivo in the mouse, virus OSM101 was markedly less neurovirulent than DAFL3. Central nervous system tissues from mice infected 4 to 6 weeks previously with the OSM101 virus contained less infectious virus and fewer infected cells than central nervous system tissues from animals infected with the control virus, DAFL3. Thus, we demonstrated that the single nucleotide change resulting in an amino acid substitution at position 101 (threonine to isoleucine) of VP-1 determines one aspect of Theiler's virus persistence and disease in mice.
Swelling of Müller cells induced by AP3 and glutamate transport substrates in rat retina

Previous studies have shown that a single systemic injection of 2‐amino‐3‐phosphonopropionate (AP3), an agonist/antagonist at metabotropic glutamate receptors, produces marked swelling of rodent Müller cells. To investigate the effects of AP3 on Müller cells, we used in vitro retinal segments prepared from 30 day old rats. Incubation with AP3 for 1 h or more caused severe swelling of Müller cells with the appearance of mitotic cellular profiles in the outer nuclear layer. The Müller cell swelling was mimicked by substrates for glutamate transporters, suggesting that AP3 may produce its effects via transport into glial cells. To determine whether AP3 is a substrate for glutamate transporters, we studied cultured rat hippocampal astrocytes using whole‐cell patch clamp recordings. In hippocampal astrocytes, AP3 activated currents via an Na+‐dependent glutamate transporter. Consistent with this, substitution of extracellular sodium with choline blocked Müller cell swelling in the rat retina. These results indicate that the acute glial swelling produced by AP3 results primarily from a fluid shift that accompanies the transport of AP3 and sodium into Müller cells. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Angiopoietin‐2 levels as a biomarker of cardiovascular risk in patients with hypertension

Background. Abnormal angiogenesis is a pathophysiological component of cardiovascular disease (CVD), where circulating biomarkers of angiogenesis are associated with increased CVD risk in hypertension. We hypothesized that raised levels of angiopoietin (Ang)‐1 and ‐2 would predict events in patients with hypertension treated for CVD. Methods. We measured angiopoietin levels by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 251 hypertensive participants (85% male; mean age 63.5 years; 192 free of previous CVD events). Plasma angiopoietin levels were related to the subsequent CVD events over a mean follow‐up period of 57.1 (SD 11) months. Results. There were 11 cases of myocardial infarction (MI) and 18 cases of stroke during follow‐up. Ang‐2 was a significant predictor of MI, stroke, and composite CVD events, with the greatest event‐free survival amongst those in the lower tertile (all P<0.05). Ang‐1 was not predictive of CVD outcomes. Of CVD risk factors at recruitment (blood pressure, body mass index, plasma glucose, serum and high‐density lipoprotein (HDL)‐cholesterol), Ang‐2 was the only discriminator of incident MI (area under curve (AUC) = 73%, P = 0.013), where a value >4.3 ng/mL optimized specificity and sensitivity. On Cox regression analysis (CVD treatments and risk factors), raised Ang‐2 was an independent predictor of MI, P<0.05, but not stroke or composite outcomes. Conclusions. Among patients with hypertension, raised levels of Ang‐2 were predictive of MI, and further study is warranted to evaluate the use of this biomarker in CVD management, risk stratification, and prevention.
The Development of German Open-Ended Real Estate Funds

In Germany, open-ended real estate funds have faced the highest cash inflows in their history turning them into a major player on the German market. At the same time, on the regulatory side, the “Fourth Financial Markets Promotion Act” significantly increased the possibilities for German funds to invest internationally. This paper examines the history, construction and characteristics of German open-ended real estate funds. They are compared to other forms of indirect real estate investment and the most important improvements brought about by the Fourth Financial Markets Promotion Act are described. Fund managers in the future will increase the percentage of their portfolios invested abroad, increasing the importance of German open-ended real estate funds.
Gaze-independent BCI spellers based on covert attention and feature attention

One of the foremost goals of rehabilitative Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) research is to design a mental typewriter, that enables paralyzed patients to communicate with their environment based on their brain activity. For the most popular candidate, the so called Matrix Speller, a recent study has shown that the spelling accuracy completely breaks down when the user is not allowed to fixate the target symbol by gaze but rather a central fixation point. This observation raises the need for BCI spellers that work effectively also for patients who have lost the ability to shift their gaze to a required position. Here we will present three variants of visual spellers that are based on covert spatial attention and on non-spatial feature attention. The results of our study with 13 healthy participants impressively demonstrate that these spellers obtain a similar spelling performance during center fixation as the orignal Matrix Speller with target fixation.
Lung cancer development in the patient with granulomatosis with polyangiitis during long term treatment with cyclophosphamide: first documented case

A 65‐year‐old man was diagnosed with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) at the age of 47, when cytoplasmic anti‐neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (C‐ANCA) serology was positive, and he had multiple nodular shadows in both lungs. He had been treated with prednisolone, cyclophosphamide (CPA) and plasma exchange. At the age of 64, a nodular shadow was newly detected in the right lower lung field and serum tumour marker increased. Subsequent positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan demonstrated accumulations of fluorodexyglucose (FDG) in the same area, mediastinum lymph nodes, thoracic wall, right iliac bone, and right retroperitoneum. The diagnosis of squamous cell lung cancer cT2bN2M1b Stage4 was made with endobronchial ultrasound‐guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS‐TBNA). There are no reports of cases that lung cancer has developed with GPA during the long‐term treatment with CPA. We suggest that in such patients, the differential diagnosis should include not only the relapse of GPA, but also the rare possibility of development of carcinomas.
Effets des tendances à long terme de l'obésité sur l'utilisation de soins de santé au Québec

Les personnes obeses sont plus a risque de souffrir de problemes de sante tels que le dia- bete, l’hypertension et les maladies cardiaques. Elles sont egalement susceptibles d’utiliser davantage de ressources medicales que les personnes de poids sante et, ce faisant, d’augmen- ter les couts du systeme de sante. La prevalence de l’obesite etant en hausse depuis le milieu des annees 80 au Quebec, il y a lieu de croire que l’utilisation de ressources medicales, et donc les depenses en sante liees a l’obesite, ne feront qu’augmenter dans les prochaines annees. Ce memoire utilise un modele de microsimulation dynamique pour projeter la sante et la preva- lence de l’obesite de la population quebecoise entre 2010 et 2050, afin d’identifer l’utilisation future des ressources medicales attribuables a l’obesite. L’approche longitudinale du modele permet de prendre en consideration des differences d’esperance de vie entre les individus qui souffrent d’obesite et ceux de poids sante. Ceci permet de prendre en consideration l’arbi- trage entre la duree de vie et les annees ou les individus souffrent de maladies, ce qui a un effet important sur l’utilisation de ressources. Sur une periode de 40 ans, l’elimination de l’obesite permettrait de reduire, annuellement, de 864 055 le nombre de nuits d’hospitalisa- tion de courte duree et de 665 000 le nombre de consultations aupres d’omnipraticiens et de medecins specialistes. Inversement, il y aurait une augmentation significative du nombre de personnes en institution. En utilisant des couts moyens pour les consultations aupres de me- decins, pour les nuits d’hospitalisation et pour l’institutionnalisation, il ressort des analyses que l’obesite est responsable de 2,6 % des depenses de sante au Quebec. Similairement, une personne souffrant d’obesite coute, au cours de sa vie, environ 14 % de plus que si elle n’en souffrait pas.
Spatiotemporal Mobilization of Toll/IL-1 Receptor Domain-Containing Adaptor Molecule-1 in Response to dsRNA1

TLR3 recognizes viral dsRNA and induces antiviral immune responses. TLR3-mediated cell activation relies on Toll/IL-1R (TIR) domain-containing adaptor molecule-1 (TICAM-1, also named TIR domain-containing adaptor inducing IFN-β or TRIF), which recruits downstream signaling molecules to activate the transcription factors IFN regulatory factor 3 (IRF-3) and NF-κB. The mechanisms by which TICAM-1 is activated and transmits signals remain largely unknown. In this study we show that TICAM-1 alters its distribution profile from a diffuse cytoplasmic form to a speckle-like structure in response to dsRNA. The receptor-interacting protein 1 (RIP1), a crucial signaling molecule for TICAM-1-mediated NF-κB activation, accumulated in the TICAM-1 speckles. In addition, NF-κB-activating kinase-associated protein 1 (NAP1), a downstream molecule linking TICAM-1 and the IRF-3-activating kinase TBK1 (TANK-binding kinase 1), was also recruited to the TICAM-1 speckles. Notably, a transient colocalization of TICAM-1 and TLR3 was observed before the extensive formation of the TICAM-1 speckles. Thus, the spatiotemporal mobilization of TICAM-1 in response to dsRNA and the formation of the TICAM-1 speckles containing RIP1 and NAP1 are important for the activation of the TLR3-TICAM-1 pathway.
Channel estimation and signal reconstruction for massive MIMO with non-orthogonal pilots

This paper analyzes the minimum mean square error (MMSE) channel estimation for a target terminal in a singlecell massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system with non-orthogonal pilots. To minimize the sum mean square error (SMSE) of all terminals, the correlation between the available pilot sequences should be as weak as possible. Based on this conclusion, when the pilot process is long enough, the orthogonal Procrustes principle (OPP) is proposed directly to reconstruct mutually orthogonal pilot sequences. When the pilot process is not long enough, the optimal pilot sequences are reconstructed through an additional block matrix method. If the number of base station (BS) antennas is high but finite, simulation results verify the effectiveness of the reconstructed pilot sequences in obtaining better system performance.
Regulation of host innate immunity by hepatitis C virus: crosstalk between hepatocyte and NK/DC.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in humans is remarkably efficient in establishing viral persistence, leading to the development of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. CD8+ T cells are involved in controlling HCV infection; but, in chronic HCV patients, severe CD4+ and CD8+ T cell dysfunction has been observed. This suggests that HCV may employ numerous mechanisms to counteract or possibly suppress the host T cell responses. The primary site of HCV replication occurs within hepatocytes in the liver. As a result of liver enodothelial cells perforated by fenestrations, parenchymal cells (hepatocytes) are not separated by a basal membrane, and thereby HCV-infected hepatocytes are extensively capable of interacting with innate immune cells including NK, DC. Recent studies reveal that the function of NK and DC function is significantly impaired in chronic HCV patients. Given a critical role of NK and DC in limiting HCV replication at the early phase of viral infection, it is likely that HCV-infected hepatocytes might be responsible for impairing NK and DC function by enhancing the expression of immunoregulatory molecules (either soluble or cell surface). Thus, this impairment of innate immunity attributes to the failure of generating effective T cell responses to clear HCV infection. In this article, we will review studies highlighting the regulation of innate immunity by HCV and crosstalk between hepatocytes and NK/DC in the hepatic environment.
Cardiovascular findings on computed tomography in patients with unclear finding situation and trauma of unknown origin

Abstract Incidental cardiovascular findings are common and can be found in up to 70% of patients. Previously, several reports about incidental findings (IFs) on whole body computed tomography (CT) were published. However, no previous study investigated cardiovascular IFs in patients with unclear finding situation and trauma of unknown origin on whole body CT. The radiological database of 2 university hospitals was screened for patients with trauma of unknown origin and unclear finding situation investigated by whole body CT. The images were retrospectively analyzed by 2 radiologists in consensus. The findings were classified according to their clinical relevance. Clinically nonrelevant findings like valvular sclerosis, aortic sclerosis, or anatomic variants were excluded from this study. Moreover, the radiology reports were analyzed to assess initial reporting by the radiologist. Overall, we identified 60 patients with a mean age of 63 years. A total of 98 clinically relevant cardiovascular IFs (CRCIF) were identified in 60 (75%) patients (1.6 CRCIF per patient). The most prevalent finding was cardiomegaly in 23 patients, followed by coronary sclerosis in 21 patients and aortic ectasia in 11 patients; other findings were rarer. Sixty-one findings were reported (62.2%) and 37 were nonreported (37.8%). Thirty patients (50%) showed no traumatic event on whole body CT. CRCIFs are common in patients with unclear finding situation and trauma of unknown origin. Despite initial indication for trauma detection, the whole body CT should carefully be evaluated for CRCIF because of the high prevalence of clinically relevant findings. Notably, 37.76% of the findings were not reported by the radiologist.
Object detection in quantized feature space

In this paper, we present a method for the detection of objects in a quantized feature space. Quantizing the feature space is a preprocessing step to compact the amount of data in large scale image retrieval and classification applications. A drawback, compared to the use of non-quantized features, is the loss in the ability to precisely detect and localize common objects across the images. Our method can handle this limitation and is based on the frequently used Bag of Visual Keypoints representation in combination with a sliding window approach. Thereby, it does not need any knowledge about the objects. Experiments on real and synthetic images show the good performance of our approach.
The future of solar photovoltaics: A new challenge for chemical physics

Abstract In recent times, photovoltaic (PV) technologies for solar energy conversion have gained greater recognition. World production of PV cells and modules over the last five years grew at an average of around 40 % a year. The history of modern PV science started more than half a century ago. However, the period that followed exploited the mid-20th century developments in the basics of solid-state physics and semiconductor science. With only a few exceptions, almost no major achievements were attained during a long period of time. The present paper offers an attempt of a critical retrospective look at the history and current progress of solar PV research from a personal viewpoint. It also addresses the current status of research on conventional solid-state PV devices and compares it with the alternative organic and molecular PV systems. The paper briefly describes the potential of new types of organic and mesoscopic dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). The paper shows that chemical physics rather than traditional solid-state physics is expected to lead to exciting challenges in the future of PV science.