Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aberrant Methylation of the 5' CpG Island of TSLC1 Is Common in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma and Is First Manifest in High-Grade PanINs

The recently identified tumor-suppressor gene TSLC1 on chromosome 11q23.2 is frequently inactivated in human non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma by DNA methylation-associated silencing. The aim of this study was to determine if TSLC1 is inactivated in adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. We analyzed 17 pancreatic cancer cell lines, 91 primary pancreatic adenocarcinoma, 46 pancreatic intraepithelial (PanIN) precursor lesions and 15 microscopically normal pancreata for methylation of the 5’ CpG island of the TSLC1 gene through methylation-specific PCR. We observed 5’ CpG methylation of TSLC1 in 4 of 17 cell lines (24%). In each cell line the aberrant methylation was associated with loss of TSLC1 expression by RT-PCR that was reversible after treatment with the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2’- deoxycytidine. Furthermore, we observed that TSLC1 was methylated in 25 of 91 primary pancreatic adenocarcinomas (27%), and in 2 of 7 high-grade PanIN-3 lesions (29%), but not in low-grade PanIN (0 of 9 PanIN-2 and 0 of 30 PanIN-1) lesions or in normal pancreata (n=15). We conclude that epigenetic silencing of TSLC1 expression through 5’ CpG island associated methylation is common in pancreatic adenocarcinoma and is a late event in pancreatic neoplastic development.
Correlates and consequences of diffuse atherosclerosis in men with coronary heart disease. Veterans Affairs High-Density Lipoprotein Intervention Trial Study Group.

BACKGROUND Peripheral atherosclerosis is a strong and independent predictor of mortality even in patients with known coronary heart disease. However, the prevalence, correlates, and potential adverse effects on quality of life associated with combined coronary heart disease and clinically evident cerebrovascular or lower-extremity atherosclerosis are not known. Identification of patients with "diffuse atherosclerosis" may enhance treatment of modifiable risk factors and alter therapeutic strategies. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 2531 men younger than 73 years with coronary heart disease, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels of 3.62 mmol/L (140 mg/dL) or less, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level of 1.03 mmol/L (40 mg/dL) or less who were participating in Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study 363 (the Veterans Affairs High-Density Lipo-protein Intervention Trial. Baseline demographic, medication, comorbidity, and atherosclerotic risk factor data were assessed by means of a standardized questionnaire. All plasma lipid levels were determined after a 12-hour fast by a central standardized lipid laboratory. Health status was determined by baseline reported symptoms, medical comorbidities, and the Psychological General Well-being Index. Clinically evident diffuse atherosclerosis was defined as a documented history of lower-extremity atherosclerosis or cerebrovascular disease. RESULTS The mean age of all participants was 63.5 years. The mean plasma lipid values were as follows: total cholesterol, 4,52 mmol/L (174.6 mg/dL); high-density lipo-protein cholesterol, 0.81 mmol/L (31.5 mg/dL); low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, 2.88 mmol/L (111.2 mg/dL); and triglycerides, 1.81 mmol/L (160.6 mg/dL). Diffuse atherosclerosis was present in 525 (21%). Lower-extremity atherosclerosis was reported in 10%, while cerebrovascular disease was present in 13%. After controlling for other variables, the following factors were associated with the presence of diffuse atherosclerosis: increased age, being unmarried, being retired, having less than a high school education, increased alcohol use, hypertension, cigarette smoking, and diabetes. There was no association between lipid levels and the presence of diffuse atherosclerosis. After adjustment for age, race, and comorbidities, men with diffuse disease still had a reduced quality of life compared with men without diffuse atherosclerosis, as defined by having a greater number of clinical symptoms, lower psychological well-being scores, and more advanced or complicated coronary heart disease. CONCLUSIONS Clinically evident diffuse atherosclerosis is common in men with coronary heart disease and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Because diffuse atherosclerosis is associated with a reduced quality of life and several modifiable risk factors, early detection and aggressive risk factor intervention appear justified.
Improves Treatment Programs of Lung Cancer Using Data Mining Techniques

Lung cancer is a deadly disease, but there is a big chance for the patient to be cured if he or she is correctly diagnosed in early stage of his or her case. At a first glance, lung X-ray chest films being considered as the most reliable method in early detection of lung cancers, the serious mistake in some diagnosing cases giving bad results and causing the death, the computer aided diagnosis systems are necessary to support the medical staff to achieve high capability and effectiveness. Clinicians could predict patient’s behavior future and improve treatment programs by using data mining techniques and they can be better managing the health of patients today, in addition they do not become the problems of tomorrow. The lung cancer biological database which contains the medical images (chest X-ray) classifies the digital X-ray chest films into three categories: normal, benign and malignant. The normal ones are those characterizing a healthy patient (non nodules);, lung nodules can be either benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancer). Two steps are major in computer-aided diagnosis systems: pattern recognition approach, which is a combination of a feature extraction process and a classification process using neural network classifier.
Open surgical wounds: how does Aquacel compare with wet-to-dry gauze?

OBJECTIVE To compare the healing rates of a hydrofibre dressing (Aquacel) and normal wet-to-dry gauze in the treatment of open surgical wounds. METHOD Fifty patients with open surgical wounds were randomized to receive either saline-moistened gauze or Aquacel. The rate of wound healing was measured as ml/day (deep wounds) or cm2/day (superficial wounds) at each dressing change until an investigator blinded to the patient group diagnosed the wounds as having healed or the patient was withdrawn from the study. RESULTS Of the 50 patients, seven were withdrawn from the study after the first evaluation. Of the remaining 43 patients, 21 had been randomly allocated to the gauze group and 22 to the Aquacel group. For deep wounds, a mean change in the wound healing rate of 1.9 +/- 1.3 cm3/day was reported for the gauze group and 2.9 +/- 2.3 cm3/day for the Aquacel group. These results approach statistical significance (p = 0.082). For superficial wounds, the mean change in the healing rate was 1.6 +/- 1.5 cm2/day for the gauze group and 1.9 +/- 2.2 cm2/day for the Aquacel group, but this was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION Aquacel appears to be at least as effective as wet-to-dry gauze in the healing of open surgical wounds.
Validation of building energy modeling tools: Ecotect™, Green Building Studio™ and IES™

Building energy modeling (BEM) helps architects, engineers and green building consultants in designing increasingly energy-efficient buildings. When used in conjunction with Building Information Modeling (BIM), integration of energy modeling into the design process allows the environmental ramifications of design decisions to be tested in a relatively seamless way. While energy modeling has proven useful as a design tool, there is a need to validate the accuracy of BEM tools. A case study was conducted to compare the results of energy simulations obtained by three BEM tools (Ecotect™, Green Building Studio™, and IES<;VE>™) against measured data for two academic buildings located in Gainesville, Florida. A LEED Gold-certified building and a non-LEED-certified building were investigated in the case study. Research findings showed that the three BEM tools were not able to accurately predict actual building energy consumption in the majority of analyzed cases.
Multi-channel speech enhancement in driving environment

Speech enhancement algorithms based on microphone array have been applied to intelligent speech communication systems, such as vehicle systems, teleconferencing and hearing aids. This paper proposed an improved generalized sidelobe canceller(GSC) algorithm to eliminate the intense noise interference of the speech, which is recorded in the driving environment. First, it introduced low-frequency suppression; then, it utilized source location to improve the blocking matrix, thus effectively reducing the speech leakage; finally, the multi-band spectral subtraction algorithm was combined for denoising model. Experimental results show that the proposed microphone array based speech enhancement method has a significant performance in terms of both SNR and intelligibility.
Treatment of Selective Mutism: Focus on Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

Selective mutism is a pediatric psychiatric disorder that occurs when a child consistently fails to speak in specific situations in which speaking is expected, such as at school and social gatherings, but speaks appropriately in other settings. Selective mutism often is diagnosed when a child starts school and does not talk to teachers or peers, but talks to family members at home; the condition is frequently accompanied by anxiety and shyness. Although the underlying etiology of the condition remains unclear, psychotherapy is the preferred initial treatment, with the support of parents and teachers. If the child does not respond to psychotherapy, addition of pharmacologic treatment should be considered, depending on the severity of symptoms and presence of other illnesses. Although data are limited to case reports and trials with small patient populations and short follow‐up periods, some patients with selective mutism respond to therapy with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Fluoxetine is the most studied SSRI as treatment for the condition, although further investigation is required to determine the optimal dosage and duration of therapy.
Randomized, single-centered, phase II clinical trial of nimotuzumab plus cisplatin and S-1 as first-line therapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer.

e21021 Background: Nimotuzumab, a humanized IgG1 anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody, has demonstrated efficacy associated with an absence of severe skin toxicity in many phase I/II cancer trials. METHODS This is a single-center, randomized, parallel assignment and open-label study of nimotuzumab (N: 200 mg iv on day 1, 8 and 15, repeat every 3 weeks) + cisplatin (C: 30mg/m2/day, on day 1 and day 2, repeat every 3 weeks) + S-1 (S: 80mg/m2/day, twice daily on day 1-14, followed 7 days off), vs cisplatin (C: 30mg/m2/day, on day 1 and day 2, repeat every 3 weeks) + S-1 (S: 80mg/m2/day, twice daily on day 1-14, followed 7 days off) as first line in patients with advanced or metastatic gastric cancer. If tumor control was achieved, NCS and CS were continued until unacceptable toxicity or disease progression. The primary endpoint was ORR and the secondary endpoints included TTP, PFS, 1-year survival rates and safety. RESULTS 40 patients, 27 men and 13 women, median age 54 years (21-74 years) ECOG PS 0-2 were treated with NCS (n = 20) or CS (n = 20). Up to 2011-01-14, 36 patients (NCS 19 cases compared with CS 17) have undergone efficacy assessment. The objective response rate (ORR) was 63.2% (12/19) in NCS group compared with 64.7% (11/17) in CS group. Until the same day, 18 patients have achieved progression in both groups (NCS 10 vs. FCS 8), median TTP was 5.5 months in NCS group compared with 3 months in CS group, and average TTP was 5.3 months in NCS group compared with 3.1 months in CS group. The incidence of adverse events was similar between both groups. No adverse events of grade 3 skin rash or grade 3 infusion-related reactions were observed. CONCLUSIONS Initial results have demonstrated benefit in TTP improvement and showed a potential improvement of OS. This study supports that nimotuzumab combine with cisplatin and S-1 has better outcomes compare to cisplatin and S-1. The further study is ongoing.
Multi-site Stimulation Quiets Network-wide Spontaneous Bursts and Enhances Functional Plasticity in Cultured Cortical Networks

We culture high-density cortical cultures on multi-electrode arrays (MEAs), which allow us to stimulate and record from thousands of neurons. One of the modes of activity in these high-density cultures is dish-wide synchronized bursting. Unlike in vivo, these synchronized patterns persist for the lifetime of the culture. Such aberrant patterns of activity might be due to the fact that cortical cultures are sensory-deprived and arrested in development. We have devised methods to control this spontaneous activity by multi-electrode electrical stimulation and to study long-term functional neural plasticity, on a background of such burst-quieting stimulation. Here, we investigate whether burst quieting reveals long-term plasticity induced by tetanic stimulation. Spatio-temporal activity patterns (STAPs) that result from probe pulses were clustered and quantified in quieted and non-quieted cultures. Burst-quieted cultures show more tetanus-induced functional change than cultures which are allowed to express spontaneous bursts. The methods developed for this study will help in the understanding of network dynamics and appreciation of their role in long-term plasticity and information processing in the brain
COMPLIANCE COSTS OF CORPORATE INCOME TAXATION IN PORTUGAL

The evaluation of taxpayers� compliance costs has grown in significance within tax research over the last years. In 2007, a survey questionnaire of business taxpayers was conducted in Portugal to evaluate compliance costs for the fiscal year of 2004. This paper presents the findings of that survey, as well as the main determinants of business compliance costs in Portugal. Specifically, its goals are threefold: to estimate the magnitude of the cost of complying with the Portuguese corporate income tax; to investigate the determinants of these costs, including both aspects of the firm�s operations and aspects of the tax system and, finally, to discuss the policy implications of the findings. The results show that compliance costs of corporate income taxation are related to the size of enterprises, the market where they operate as well as the complexity variables.
Cotransplantation of Polymerized Hemoglobin Reduces &bgr;-Cell Hypoxia and Improves &bgr;-Cell Function in Intramuscular Islet Grafts

Background Muscle is a promising alternative site for islet transplantation that facilitates rapid restoration of islet vascularization. However, the development of fibrosis suggests massive cellular death after transplantation. This study tested the hypothesis that islet graft function is limited by hypoxia-related death early after intramuscular transplantation, but that this can be overcome by cotransplantation of an oxygen carrier, that is, polymerized bovine hemoglobin (PolyHb). Methods Two hundred islets were transplanted with or without different doses of PolyHb intramuscularly to nondiabetic C57BL/6 and diabetic C57BL/6 nu/nu mice. &bgr;-cell hypoxia and apoptosis were evaluated by immunohistochemistry after injection of the biochemical marker pimonidazole or by staining for caspase-3, respectively. Blood glucose concentrations were monitored for 30 days after islet transplantation and animals were then subjected to an intravenous glucose tolerance test. Results Substantial hypoxia was observed in control islet grafts during the first 4 days after transplantation. Cotransplantation of PolyHb resulted in a dose-dependent reduction of &bgr;-cell hypoxia, but &bgr;-cell apoptosis was only reduced by cotransplantation of low-dose PolyHb (0.03 mg/g body weight) due to the inflammatory effects of higher PolyHb concentrations. Cotransplantation of low-dose PolyHb resulted in improved islet graft function 30 days after transplantation in diabetic mice, with a glucose tolerance comparable to transplantation of 50% more islets. Conclusion We conclude that cotransplantation of islets with PolyHb can be used to effectively bridge the critical hypoxic phase immediately after transplantation, improve islet graft function, and reduce the number of islets needed for successful intramuscular transplantation.
Mechanism for self-organization of periodic structures on a metal surface by femtosecond laser pulses

The physical mechanism for the self-organization of periodic grating structures on a metal surface under the irradiation of a femtosecond laser pulse is presented, and the experimental result of laser fluence dependence on grating spaces is successfully interpreted for the first time. The fluence dependence is qualitatively reproduced by the energy spectroscopy of ions emitted from the surface.
Performance of the CHARGE-AF risk model for incident atrial fibrillation in the EPIC Norfolk cohort

Background Identification of individuals at risk for developing atrial fibrillation (AF) will help to target screening and preventive interventions. We aimed to validate the CHARGE-AF model (including variables age, race, height, weight, blood pressure, smoking, antihypertensive medication, diabetes, myocardial infarction and heart failure) for prediction of five-year incident AF in a representative European population with a wide age range. Methods and results The CHARGE-AF model was calculated in 24,020 participants of the population-based EPIC Norfolk study with 236 cases of hospitalization with diagnosis of AF within five years. The model showed good discrimination (c-statistic 0.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.75–0.85), but weak calibration (Chi2-statistic 142) with an almost two-fold overestimation of AF incidence. A recalibration to characteristics of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Norfolk cohort improved calibration considerably (Chi2-statistic 13.3), with acceptable discrimination in participants both >65 and ≤65 years of age (c-statistics 0.70, 95% CI 0.61–0.77 and 0.83, 95% CI 0.74–0.88). The recalibrated model also showed good discrimination in participants free of cardiovascular disease (c-statistics 0.80, 95% CI 0.75–0.84). Categories of predicted risk (<2.5%, 2.5–5% or >5%) showed good concordance with observed five-year AF incidence of 0.62%, 3.49% and 8.74% (log rank test p < 0.001), respectively. Conclusion A recalibration of the CHARGE-AF model is necessary for accurate predictions of five-year risk of AF in the EPIC Norfolk population. The recalibrated model showed good discrimination across a wide age range and in individuals free of cardiovascular disease, and hence is broadly applicable in primary care to identify people at risk for development of AF.
Tacrine: First Drug Approved for Alzheimer's Disease

OBJECTIVE: To review the pharmacology, biopharmaceutics/pharmacokinetics, clinical efficacy, adverse effects, and therapeutic considerations regarding the use of tacrine in patients with Alzheimer's disease. DATA SOURCES: Data from the scientific and professional literature were analyzed, interpreted, and summarized. Citations were obtained by performing a MEDLINE search using the following indexing terms: tacrine, tetrahydroaminoacridine, and Alzheimer's drug therapy. Data also were obtained from a summary of the New Drug Application (Summary Basis of Approval of Cognex) and from the approved product labeling. STUDY SELECTION: Studies in Alzheimer's disease have been plagued by methodologic inconsistencies and deficiencies. Only efficacy studies subsequent to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) issuance of recommendations for studies in Alzheimer's disease (1991) were used. Therefore, only double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel design studies of at least three-month's duration using the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale and the Clinical Interview-Based Impression of Change as efficacy parameters were included. DATA EXTRACTION: Trials were assessed according to the criteria listed above. Results were evaluated on the basis of both completed patients and last observation carried forward models. DATA SYNTHESIS: Tacrine is a cholinesterase inhibitor that increases the availability of acetylcholine in muscarinic neurons. It has a mean bioavailability after oral administration of about 17 percent and an elimination half-life of approximately three hours. Although drug interactions are poorly studied, tacrine is metabolized by isoenzyme P-450IA2 and may interact with other drugs metabolized by this isoenzyme. Tacrine has been shown to have efficacy in mildly to moderately impaired Alzheimer's patients on both psychometric testing and a clinician's structured interview. Although efficacious, its effects are not dramatic, and it does not affect the ultimate course of the disease. Adverse effects are frequent, and significantly elevated hepatic transaminase concentrations may occur in approximately 25 percent of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Tacrine is the first drug approved by the FDA for treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Although it may improve psychometric test scores in mild to moderately impaired patients, it is not a panacea and does not affect the course of the disease. Patients must be monitored closely for elevated transaminase, cholinergic adverse effects, and interactions with drugs metabolized through P-450IA2.
Body fat and muscle thickness distributions in untrained young females.

Brightness-mode (B-mode) ultrasound was used to measure fat and muscle thicknesses on 44 untrained females (age = 18-29 yr, body density = 1.050 +/- 0.009 (SD)g.ml-1, %fat = 21.5 +/- 4.1%) at eight sites (triceps, biceps, forearm, subscapular, abdomen, quadriceps, hamstrings, and posterior calf). The correlation coefficients between fat and muscle thickness were not significant at any measurement site except for the triceps (r = -0.32, P < 0.05). Intercorrelation analyses among the eight sites were significant (P < 0.05) in almost all cases for fat thickness, while mainly between adjoining sites for muscle thickness. However, both tissues had a low degree of generality in thickness among sites. Fat thickness at all measurement sites was significantly correlated with body density except for the posterior calf; the best correlation was found with the quadriceps (r = -0.73). On the other hand, for muscle thickness, only the forearm and triceps were significantly correlated with body density. These results show 1) the extent of muscled and fat thicknesses are independent each of other within the same region, 2) fat and muscle thicknesses have a high degree of specificity in site distribution, and 3) fat thickness measurements determined from B-mode ultrasound may be of significant value assessing total body composition.
On an RLS-like LMS adaptive filter

A unified and generalized framework for a recursive least squares (RLS)-like least mean square (LMS) algorithm is proposed, which adopts the cost function of the RLS to minimize the mean square error. This paper aims to explore, in a systematic way, the corresponding ideas scattered and multiple-time re-invented in the literature, and introduces a unified approach in the same spirit as in [1], which relates LMS with the Kalman filter. The proposed alternative to the RLS is favored when the matrix inversion lemma is not useful, such as the case of multivariate or multichannel data where the input is not a vector. Furthermore, all the derivations are conducted in the quaternion domain and are hence generalizable to complex- and real-valued models. The resulting algorithm has a neat form and a similar complexity to the RLS. Through experiments, the method is shown to exhibit performance close to or even better than the RLS algorithm. Other aspects, such as the choice of descent directions and variable stepsizes, are also discussed to support the analysis.