Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fertility preservation options in breast cancer patients

Abstract The purpose of this review is to analyse current options for fertility preservation in young women with breast cancer (BC). Considering an increasing number of BC survivors, owing to improvements in cancer treatment and delaying of childbearing, fertility preservation appears to be an important issue. Current fertility preservation options in BC survivors range from well-established standard techniques to experimental or investigational interventions. Among the standard options, random-start ovarian stimulation protocol represents a new technique, which significantly decreases the total time of the in vitro fertilisation cycle. However, in patients with oestrogen-sensitive tumours, stimulation protocols using aromatase inhibitors are currently preferred over tamoxifen regimens. Cryopreservation of embryos and oocytes are nowadays deemed the most successful techniques for fertility preservation in BC patients. GnRH agonists during chemotherapy represent an experimental method for fertility preservation due to conflicting long-term outcome results regarding its safety and efficacy. Cryopreservation of ovarian tissue, in vitro maturation of immature oocytes and other strategies are considered experimental and should only be offered within the context of a clinical trial. An early pretreatment referral to reproductive endocrinologists and oncologists should be suggested to young BC women at risk of infertility, concerning the risks and benefits of fertility preservation options. Chinese abstract 本文旨在分析目前针对年轻乳腺癌患者生殖力保护的选择方法。 由于癌症治疗技术的进步及延迟生育，越来越多的乳腺癌似乎应将其生殖力保护视为一项重要的问题。 目前乳腺癌幸存者生殖力保护的选择范围囊括了完善的标准技术及实验性或临床性干预研究。 标准方法中，随机启动卵巢刺激方案作为一项新技术可显著降低体外受精周期的总体时长。 然而，目前对于雌激素敏感的肿瘤患者，使用芳香化酶抑制剂刺激方案优于接受他莫昔芬治疗。 胚胎和卵母细胞冻存被认为是当今乳腺癌患者生殖力保护最成功的技术。 由于应用GnRH激动剂的远期疗效尚存争议，且考虑其安全性和有效性，目前将化疗期间应用GnRH激动剂视为患者生殖力保护的实验性方法。 卵巢组织冻存、卵母细胞体外成熟技术及其他技术都处于实验性阶段，且仅处于临床试验范围内。 对于存在不孕不育风险的年轻乳腺癌患者，在权衡生殖力保护方法利弊后，应给予早期及时转至生殖内分泌专家和肿瘤学专家进行诊治。
A Distribution Free Test for the Equality of Scales

Situations where scale parameters are not nuisance factors to be controlled but outcomes to be explained arise in many contexts such as quality control, agricultural production systems, experimental education, the pharmaceutical industry and biology. Tests for homogeneity of variances are often of interest also as a preliminary to analysis of variance, dose-response modelling or discriminant analysis. The literature on tests for the equality of scales is vast. A test which usually stands out in terms of power and robustness against non normality is the modified Levene W50 test, however in the literature no test is found to be the most powerful one for every distribution. The goal of the article is to propose an effective method for comparing scales. More precisely, we propose a test for the equality of scales that, even though was not the most powerful one for every distribution, it has good overall performance under every type of distribution. This test has the form of a combined resampling test. It is important to note that non combined tests show good performance only in particular contexts. Size and power of the proposed test are studied via simulation and compared with many other robust tests for scale. A practical application to industrial quality control is discussed.
Reduced-intensity conditioning allogeneic stem cell transplantation for relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma: a multicenter experience.

BACKGROUND Despite therapeutic approach that combines rituximab-containing chemotherapy, followed or not by autologous stem cell transplantation (auto-SCT), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) patients experience relapses. Reduced-intensity conditioning allogeneic stem cell transplantation (RIC-allo-SCT) at time of relapse may represent an attractive strategy. PATIENTS AND METHODS We report a multicenter retrospective analysis. Seventy MCL patients underwent RIC-allo-SCT in 12 centers. RESULTS Median age at transplantation was 56 years and median time from diagnosis to transplantation was 44 months. The median number of previous therapies was 2 (range, 1-5) including autologous transplantation in 47 cases. At time of transplantation, 35 patients were in complete remission, 20 were in partial response and 15 in stable disease or progressive disease. The median follow-up for living patients was 24 months. The 2-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 50% and 53%, respectively. The 1- and 2-year transplant-related mortality rates were 22% and 32%, respectively. The statistical analysis demonstrated that disease status at transplantation was the only parameter influencing EFS and OS. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that RIC-allo-SCT may be an effective therapy in MCL patients with a chemo-sensitive disease at time of transplantation, irrespective of the number of lines of prior therapy. Studies are warranted to investigate the best type of RIC regimen.
A flywheel energy storage system with Matrix Converter controlled Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor

This paper presents an experimental characterization of a flywheel energy storage system. The device is based on steel seamless tube mounted as a vertical axis flywheel storing kinetic energy. The motor/generator is a permanent magnet synchronous machine controlled by an AC-AC matrix converter. The matrix control method uses a discrete-time model of the converter system to predict the future values of the input currents for all the 27 possible output voltage vectors generated by the matrix converter. An optimal controller minimizes current errors using a weighted cost functional. This flywheel and control process is intended for dynamic voltage restorer (DVR) to mitigate voltage sags.
Optic Nerve Head (ONH) Topographic Analysis by Stratus OCT in Normal Subjects: Correlation to Disc Size, Age, and Ethnicity

PurposeTo study optic nerve head (ONH) topography parameters measured by Stratus optical coherence tomography (OCT) in normal subjects and to analyze ONH data for differences in relation to disc size, ethnicity, and age. MethodsThree hundred sixty-seven normal subjects underwent Stratus optical coherence tomography ONH measurement using the fast optic disc scan protocol software package 3.0. Only ONH scans meeting specific qualification criteria were included for data analysis ensuring appropriate scan quality and reliability. ONH topographic parameters of qualified scans were analyzed for differences in regards to optic disc size, age, and ethnicity. ResultsTwo hundred and twelve qualified ONH scans were included for data analysis. Mean disc area was 2.27±0.41 mm2 and optic cup area, rim area, and horizontal integrated rim width increased with disc size, whereas vertical integrated rim area did not. Vertical integrated rim area, horizontal integrated rim width, and rim area decreased and cup area increased with age. Mean optic disc area was larger in African-Americans as compared with Hispanics or Whites and this difference was statistically significant. ConclusionsOptic cup area, rim area, and horizontal integrated rim width correlated to disc size. Vertical integrated rim area, horizontal integrated rim width, rim area, and cup area, changed with age. African-American optic discs had larger disc area measurements as compared with Whites optic discs and this difference was statistically significant.
Gut microbiome and lipid metabolism: from associations to mechanisms

Purpose of review The gut microbiome has now been convincingly linked to human metabolic health but the underlying causality and mechanisms remain poorly understood. This review focuses on the recent progress in establishing the associations between gut microbiome species and lipid metabolism in humans and discusses how to move from association toward causality and mechanistic understanding, which is essential knowledge to bring the observed associations into clinical use. Recent findings Recent population-based association studies have shown that the gut microbiota composition can explain a substantial proportion of the interindividual variation in blood triglycerides and HDL-cholesterol level and predict metabolic response to diet and drug. Faecal transplantation has suggested that this is a causal effect of microbiome on host metabolism, although the underlying mechanism remains largely unexplored. Summary The gut microbiome is transitioning from being a ‘missing’ organ to a potential target for therapeutic applications. Due to the complex interplay between the gut microbiome, the host genome, and diet, a systematic approach is required to pave the way for therapeutic development.
Hydrosalpinx and IVF outcome: cumulative results after salpingectomy in a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND A randomized controlled trial of salpingectomy prior to IVF in patients with hydrosalpinges has been conducted in Scandinavia. The results from the first transfer cycle have been published and clearly demonstrated an improved pregnancy outcome after salpingectomy had been performed in patients with hydrosalpinges large enough to be visible on ultrasound. The present article is aimed at analysing the effect of salpingectomy on cumulative birth rate, including all individual transfer cycles. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 186 women underwent 452 cycles. Among the 77 women randomized to no surgical intervention, 24 underwent salpingectomy after one or two failed cycles. Cumulative results were analysed by Cox regression, taking into account the number of cycles per patient and the presence of a salpingectomy after a previous transfer. Salpingectomy implied a significant increase in birth rate (hazard ratio 2.1, 95% CI 1.6-3.6, P = 0.014). Within the subgroup of patients with ultrasound-visible hydrosalpinges, the birth rate was even higher (hazard ratio 3.8, 95% CI 1.5-9.2, P = 0.004). Implantation rate was significantly higher in patients who had undergone salpingectomy (27.2% versus 20.2, P = 0.03) and, in the subgroup of patients with ultrasound-visible hydrosalpinges, the difference was even larger (30.3% versus 17.1%, P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS The results of the cumulative cycles strengthen the recommendation for a laparoscopic salpingectomy prior to IVF in patients with ultrasound-visible hydrosalpinges.
Ozone-derived Oxysterols Affect Liver X Receptor (LXR) Signaling

When inhaled, ozone (O3) interacts with cholesterols of airway epithelial cell membranes or the lung-lining fluid, generating chemically reactive oxysterols. The mechanism by which O3-derived oxysterols affect molecular function is unknown. Our data show that in vitro exposure of human bronchial epithelial cells to O3 results in the formation of oxysterols, epoxycholesterol-α and -β and secosterol A and B (Seco A and Seco B), in cell lysates and apical washes. Similarly, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid obtained from human volunteers exposed to O3 contained elevated levels of these oxysterol species. As expected, O3-derived oxysterols have a pro-inflammatory effect and increase NF-κB activity. Interestingly, expression of the cholesterol efflux pump ATP-binding cassette transporter 1 (ABCA1), which is regulated by activation of the liver X receptor (LXR), was suppressed in epithelial cells exposed to O3. Additionally, exposure of LXR knock-out mice to O3 enhanced pro-inflammatory cytokine production in the lung, suggesting LXR inhibits O3-induced inflammation. Using alkynyl surrogates of O3-derived oxysterols, our data demonstrate adduction of LXR with Seco A. Similarly, supplementation of epithelial cells with alkynyl-tagged cholesterol followed by O3 exposure causes observable lipid-LXR adduct formation. Experiments using Seco A and the LXR agonist T0901317 (T09) showed reduced expression of ABCA1 as compared with stimulation with T0901317 alone, indicating that Seco A-LXR protein adduct formation inhibits LXR activation by traditional agonists. Overall, these data demonstrate that O3-derived oxysterols have pro-inflammatory functions and form lipid-protein adducts with LXR, thus leading to suppressed cholesterol regulatory gene expression and providing a biochemical mechanism mediating O3-derived formation of oxidized lipids in the airways and subsequent adverse health effects.
The Role of Integrated Assessment Models in Climate Policy: A User's Guide and Assessment

This paper considers the role of integrated assessment models (IAMs) in the construction of climate policy. We focus on questions involving the role of IAMs in estimating the social cost of carbon (SCC), how best to handle the considerable scientific uncertainty underlying the IAMs from the perspective of judgement or another substitute. The perspective we adopt in tackling these questions is rooted in the specific needs of the existing U.S. institutions responsible for making and implementing climate policy, specifically regulatory agencies within the Executive Branch and Congress should it choose to take up climate legislation. Our discussion has three premises. First, policy makers need a numerical value and an uncertainty range for the SCC for policy evaluation and implementation. Second, whatever the true value of the SCC is, it is not zero. Third, considerable uncertainty surrounds the current state of scientific knowledge about the current and future costs of climate change. The evolving nature of the science and the ultimate goal of informing first-best policy suggests to us that the official SCC-the SCC used for regulatory analysis by the U.S. government--should not be thought of as a single number or even a range of numbers, but more broadly as a process that yields updated estimates of those numbers and ranges. Viewed in this way, the ultimate goal of the process is scientific credibility, public acceptance, and political and legal viability.
Use of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor to prevent recurrent clozapine-induced neutropenia on drug rechallenge: A systematic review of the literature and clinical recommendations

Background: Clozapine is the most effective medication for treatment-refractory schizophrenia; however, its use is contraindicated in people who have had previous clozapine-induced neutropenia. Co-prescription of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor may prevent recurrent neutropenia and allow continuation or rechallenge of clozapine. Objective and methods: Systematic review of literature reporting the use of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor to allow rechallenge or continuation of clozapine in people with previous episodes of clozapine-induced neutropenia. The efficacy of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor and predictors of successful rechallenge will be determined to elucidate whether evidence-based recommendations can be made regarding the use of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor in this context. Results: A total of 17 articles were identified that reported on clozapine rechallenge with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor support. In all, 76% of cases were able to continue clozapine at median follow-up of 12 months. There were no clear clinical or laboratory predictors of successful rechallenge; however, initial neutropenia was more severe in successful cases compared to unsuccessful cases. Cases co-prescribed lithium had lower success rates of rechallenge (60%) compared to those who were not prescribed lithium (81%). The most commonly reported rechallenge strategy was use of filgrastim 150–480 µg between daily to three times a week. There were no medication-specific side effects of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor reported apart from euphoria in one case. Three cases who failed granulocyte-colony stimulating factor had bacterial infection at time of recurrent neutropenia. No deaths were reported. Conclusion: Preliminary data suggest granulocyte-colony stimulating factor is safe and effective in facilitating rechallenge with clozapine. Clinical recommendations for use are discussed.
The symptom checklist-90-revised and mild traumatic brain injury

Objective: Assessment of emotional functioning is a critical aspect of the clinical neuropsychological evaluation of individuals following mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). The objective of this study was to examine the utility of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised as a brief tool for assessing psychological and symptomatic distress following MTBI. Method: A contrasted groups approach, involving three clinical groups (MTBI, Whiplash Associated Disorder, Type I Diabetes) and a non-clinical control group, was used in this study. Results: The group with MTBI scored significantly higher on the majority of primary symptom dimensions and global distress indices of the SCL-90-R compared to both the diabetes and non-clinical control groups. Analysis of individual cases further revealed that 68.2% of the participants in the group with MTBI were classified as positive cases, a rate significantly higher than that of the diabetes and non-clinical control groups. The group with MTBI did not differ significantly from the group of individuals with whiplash associated disorder with respect to elevation of primary symptom dimensions or global distress indices, or the number of cases classified as positive. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the SCL-90-R has considerable utility as a general measure of psychological and symptomatic distress following MTBI.
Local Community Entrepreneurship: A Case Study of the Lenggong

Entrepreneurship has been acknowledged as the best approach to empower the socio-economic development of rural communities in various countries. Lenggong Valley is in its first phase of tourism development and entrepreneurship of local community is still under studied in Lenggong. By looking at various business activities that could be generated by the development, their involvement in business would contribute to a better economic return. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the entrepreneurship of local community in Lenggong Valley. Based on quantitative face to face survey conducted on 500 residents in Lenggong Valley, the finding indicates that some of the local communities in Lenggong are already involved in entrepreneurship activities; however their business survivability should be a concern as they face limited financial sources and support. Furthermore, the majority of them are still involve in agricultural related activities making an indication that major effort is required to transform their life-style from agriculture to entrepreneurship. The finding provides a suggestion to the government on the needs to implement various entrepreneurship related programme in Lenggong Valley. Strategies to increase their involvement could be done through innovative programs, awareness, preparedness, and education on future entrepreneurs. Having newly declared as a world heritage site, this paper demonstrates the preliminary result on the need for a deeper examination on local community entrepreneurship in Lenggong Valley.
Correlation between antimicrobial consumption and antimicrobial resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a hospital setting: a 10‐year study

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest threats to human health. One of the most important factors leading to the emergence of resistant bacteria is overuse of antibiotics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between antimicrobial usage and bacterial resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) over a 10‐year period in the Clinical Center Niš, one of the biggest tertiary care hospitals in Serbia. We focused on possible relationships between the consumption of carbapenems and beta‐lactam antibiotics and the rates of resistance of P. aeruginosa to carbapenems.
Sex and evolution.

This book explores the relationship between various types of reproduction and the evolutionary process. Starting with the concept of meiosis, George C. Williams states the conditions under which an organism with both sexual and asexual reproductive capacities will employ each mode. He argues that in low-fecundity higher organisms, sexual reproduction is generally maladaptive, and persists because there is no ready means of developing an asexual alternative. The book then considers the evolutionary development of diverse forms of sexuality, such as anisogamy, hermaphroditism. and the evolution of differences between males and females in reproductive strategy. The final two chapters examine the effect of genetic recombination on the evolutionary process itself.
Epithelial cell transformation sequence 2 is a potential biomarker of unfavorable survival in human gliomas.

BACKGROUND High-grade primary gliomas are invasive and have poor outcome. The identification of biomarkers predictive of outcome in patients with gliomas is crucial for clinical follow-up. Epithelial cell transformation sequence 2 (ECT2) modulates cancer invasion, progression, metastasis and cell cycle regulation. However, its role in determining the clinical outcome of human gliomas warrants further elucidation. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study hypothesized that ECT2 is over-expressed in human gliomas. We analysis de-linked data (GDS1815/219787_s_at/ECT2) in primary high-grade glioma, and exclude 23 sheets of data without detailed information. An additional database (GDS1962/234992_x_at/ECT2) was also included to evaluation ECT2 gene expression in each pathologic grading. RESULTS Analysis of the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) profile showed that ECT2 mRNA expression level was higher in WHO grade IV (n = 81) than in grade II (n = 7, P = 0.0126) gliomas and non-tumor controls (n = 23; P = 1.65 Χ 10⁻⁸). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed unfavorable survival in patients with high ECT2 mRNA levels (n = 10) than in those with low ECT2 expression (n = 67) (median survival, 106 vs. 46 weeks, P < 0.0001, by log-rank test, Hazard ratio: 0.07850, 95% CI: 0.02402-0.2565). CONCLUSIONS ECT2 expression is positively correlated with WHO pathologic grading and unfavorable survival, suggesting that ECT2 may be a potential therapeutic candidate in human gliomas.
Hyperspectral image compression using learned classified dictionary

In this paper, we present an efficient compression algorithm for hyperspectral images. The last decade has seen a growing interest in the study of dictionary learning and sparse representation, which have been proved to perform well on natural image compression. Because of the special techniques of hyperspectral imaging, hyperspectral images have some distinct properties when compared with natural images that can affect the design of a compression algorithm. We focus on these properties and propose a novel hyperspectral image compression algorithm by using mixed dictionary and fast representation. Experimental results show that our compression algorithm provides a competitive compression performance compared with most existing compression algorithms.