Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Therapeutic Effects and Effects on Actual Driving Performance of Chronically Administered Buspirone and Diazepam in Anxious Outpatients

Two groups of 12 outpatients each (six men and six women) with generalized anxiety disorder, participated in this study. Each patient was treated single-blind with placebo during the first 7 days (baseline), followed by a double-blind drug treatment period of 4 consecutive weeks (active) and ending again with 7 days single-blind placebo treatment (washout). One group received buspirone 5 mg three times a day in the first week and continued with 10 mg in the morning, 5 mg in the afternoon, and 5 mg in the evening during the second, third, and fourth weeks. The other group received diazepam 5 mg three times a day in all 4 weeks. On the evening of the seventh day of each treatment week the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety and the Symptom Check List (90 items) were applied to assess the therapeutic effects, followed by an on-the-road driving test that started 1.5 hours after the last drug or placebo intake. The test consisted of operating an instrumented vehicle over a 100 kilometer highway circuit while attempting to maintain a constant speed and a steady lateral position within the right traffic lane. Two patients in the diazepam group were unable to complete their test after the first and second treatment week, respectively, because of serious sedative reactions. Both buspirone and diazepam were equally effective in reducing overall anxiety symptoms. The specific profiles showed that buspirone also reduced concomitant depressive symptoms and symptoms of interpersonal sensitivity and anger-hostility. In contrast, diazepam was found to be slightly more effective in reducing somatic symptoms and to positively affect sleep disturbances. Moreover, abrupt discontinuation of diazepam resulted in a relapse of psychic anxiety symptoms comparable with the placebo-baseline level and a partial relapse of somatic anxiety symptoms. Chronic treatment with buspirone had no significant effects on lateral position and speed control. In contrast, diazepam significantly impaired control of lateral position in the first 3 weeks of treatment. There was no significant impairment in the fourth treatment week and the placebo-washout week. Speed control was significantly impaired only in the first week. The relevance of the trend toward decreasing performance impairment during chronic treatment remains to be established.
Higher risk of venous thrombosis during early use of oral contraceptives in women with inherited clotting defects.

BACKGROUND Results of recent studies show that the risk for venous thrombosis is highest during initial oral contraceptive use. This suggests a subgroup of females who are at immediate risk of thrombosis when exposed to oral contraceptives. OBJECTIVE To determine whether women with inherited clotting defects who use oral contraceptives develop venous thrombosis at an earlier stage than do those without inherited clotting defects. METHODS Analysis of the data from the Leiden Thrombophilia Study, a population-based case-control study with data on duration of oral contraceptive use and recently detected genetic coagulation disorders. Patients had a first episode of objectively proven deep vein thrombosis. Patients and controls were considered thrombophilic when they had protein C deficiency, protein S deficiency, antithrombin deficiency, factor V Leiden mutation, or prothrombin 20210 A mutation. RESULTS Risk of developing deep vein thrombosis was greatest in the first 6 months and the first year of oral contraceptive use. Compared with prolonged use, the risk of developing deep vein thrombosis was 3-fold higher in the first 6 months of use (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.6-14.8) and 2-fold higher in the first year of use (95% CI, 0.6-6.1). Patients who developed venous thrombosis in the early periods of use were more often thrombophilic. Among women with thrombophilia, the risk of developing deep vein thrombosis during the first 6 months of oral contraceptive use (compared with prolonged use) was increased 19-fold (95% CI, 1.9-175.7), and in the first year of use, it was increased 11-fold (95% CI, 2.1-57.3). CONCLUSIONS Women with inherited clotting defects who use oral contraceptives develop venous thrombosis not only more often but also sooner than do those without inherited clotting defects. Venous thrombosis in the first period of oral contraceptive use might indicate the presence of an inherited clotting defect.
Ascorbate acts as a highly potent inducer of chromate mutagenesis and clastogenesis: linkage to DNA breaks in G2 phase by mismatch repair

Here we examined the role of cellular vitamin C in genotoxicity of carcinogenic chromium(VI) that requires reduction to induce DNA damage. In the presence of ascorbate (Asc), low 0.2–2 μM doses of Cr(VI) caused 10–15 times more chromosomal breakage in primary human bronchial epithelial cells or lung fibroblasts. DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) were preferentially generated in G2 phase as detected by colocalization of γH2AX and 53BP1 foci in cyclin B1-expressing cells. Asc dramatically increased the formation of centromere-negative micronuclei, demonstrating that induced DSB were inefficiently repaired. DSB in G2 cells were caused by aberrant mismatch repair of Cr damage in replicated DNA, as DNA polymerase inhibitor aphidicolin and silencing of MSH2 or MLH1 by shRNA suppressed induction of γH2AX and micronuclei. Cr(VI) was also up to 10 times more mutagenic in cells containing Asc. Increasing Asc concentrations generated progressively more mutations and DSB, revealing the genotoxic potential of otherwise nontoxic Cr(VI) doses. Asc amplified genotoxicity of Cr(VI) by altering the spectrum of DNA damage, as total Cr-DNA binding was unchanged and post-Cr loading of Asc exhibited no effects. Collectively, these studies demonstrated that Asc-dependent metabolism is the main source of genotoxic and mutagenic damage in Cr(VI)-exposed cells.
Tumor size and effectiveness of electrochemotherapy

Abstract Background. Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is an effective and safe method for local treatment of tumors. However, relatively large variability in effectiveness of ECT has been observed, which likely results from different treatment conditions and tumor characteristics. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between tumor size and effectiveness of a single-session ECT. Materials and methods. A systematic search of various bibliographic databases was performed and nine studies eligible for this study were extracted. Different statistical methods including meta-analysis were applied to analyze the data. Results. The results of analysis based on data from 1466 tumors of any histotype show significantly lower effectiveness of ECT on tumors with maximal diameter equal to or larger than 3 cm (complete response (CR) of 33.3%, objective response (OR) of 68.2%) in comparison to smaller tumors (CR% of 59.5%, OR% of 85.7%). The results of meta-analysis indicated that ECT performed on tumors smaller than 3 cm statistically significantly increases the probability of CR by 31.0% and OR by 24.9% on average in comparison to larger tumors. The analysis of raw data about the size and response of tumors showed statistically significant decrease in effectiveness of ECT progressively with increasing tumor diameter. The biggest drop in CR% was detected at tumor diameters as small as 2 cm. Conclusions. The standard operating procedures for ECT should be reexamined and refined for the treatment of large tumors. We propose that future clinical trials should include accurate ECT treatment planning and/or multiple ECT cycles, besides a prolonged observation for tumor response evaluation.
Structure and Rigidity in Maximally Random Jammed Packings of Hard Particles

Packings of hard particles have served as a powerful, yet simple model for a wide variety of physical systems. One particularly interesting subset of these packings are so-called maximally random jammed (MRJ) packings, which constitute the most disordered packings that exist subject to the constraint of jamming (mechanical stability). In this dissertation, we first investigate the consequences of recently-discovered sequential linear programming (SLP) techniques to present previously-unknown possibilities for MRJ packings of twoand three-dimensional hard disks and spheres, respectively. We then turn our focus away from the limit of jamming and identify some structural signatures accompanying various compression processes towards jammed states that are indicative of an incipient rigid structure. In Chapter 2, we utilize the Torquato-Jiao SLP algorithm to construct MRJ packings of equal-sized spheres in three dimensions that possess substantial qualitative differences from previous putative MRJ states. We turn towards two dimensions in Chapter 3 and establish the existence of highly disordered, jammed packings of equalsized disks that were previously thought not to exist. We discuss the implications that these findings have for our understanding of disorder in packing problems. In Chapter 4, we utilize a novel SLP algorithm we call the “pop test” to scrutinize the conjectured link between jamming and hyperuniformity. We uncover deficiencies in standard protocols’ abilities to construct truly-jammed states accompanied by a correlated deficiency in exact hyperuniform behavior, suggesting that precise jamming is a particularly subtle matter in probing this connection. In Chapter 5, we consider the direct correlation function as a means of identifying various static signatures of jamming as we compress packings towards both ordered and disordered jammed states with particular attention paid to the growing suppression of long-ranged density fluctuations (“hyperuniformity”). In Chapter 6, we continue this investigation by studying our packings as they approach jamming through the lens of so-called “geiii ometric” and “force” percolation problems, tuning the relevant parameters to study the configurations in the vicinity of their percolation thresholds and look for signs of an incipient contact network.
Use of RF-based technique as a metrology tool for TSV reliability analysis

In this work, radio frequency (RF) based measurement technique is used as a prognostic tool for the assessment of the effect of thermal cycling on the reliability of through-silicon via (TSV) stacked dies. It was found that RF signal integrity in TSV daisy chains degraded with thermal cycling. Focused ion beam (FIB) based failure analysis, showed that the root cause for this trend was due to the formation and propagation of voids with thermal cycling.
Evaluating the cost-effectiveness of catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation.

Background The pursuit of a clearer understanding of the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation (AFib) and the development of new technology has resulted in a surge of interest in the surgical ablation for AFib. Here, we report our 8-year experience in the surgical treatment and management of AFib alongside, evaluating the cost-effectiveness in southern Mainland China over a 1-year follow-up. Methods Data of 3,068 patients from March 2011 through June 2019 was retrospectively extracted from The Provincial National Cardiac Database of Xiangya Second Hospital. The activities considered (and costs calculated) were outpatient consultations, hospital admissions, and drug treatment. Quality of life (QoL) questionnaires were also carried out to assess whether concomitant AFib correction procedures increase risk in patients, or improve patient's QoL. Results A total of 3,068 patients completed the questionnaires at a minimum of one time-point during the follow-up. The total cost was combined to obtain incremental costs per quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). The total costs of the AFib catheter ablation group were remarkably higher compared to surgery as usual group. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was $76,513,227 (¥542,287,667) per QALY, with an acceptability line graph for cost at 43%. Conclusions AFib is an extraordinarily costly and worrisome public health problem. Precision medicine is vital as it provides a platform for the clinical translation of targeted interventions that are designed to help treat and prevent AFib. Thus, to improve the QoL expectancy outcome(s), both therapeutic and surgical interventions should be aimed at addressing the underlying heart disease rather than restoring sinus rhythm.
The Perirhinal Cortex and Long-Term Familiarity Memory

To analyse the functions of the perirhinal cortex, the activity of single neurons in the perirhinal cortex was recorded while macaques performed a delayed matching-to-sample task with up to three intervening stimuli. Some neurons had activity related to working memory, in that they responded more to the sample than to the match image within a trial, as shown previously. However, when a novel set of stimuli was introduced, the neuronal responses were on average only 47% of the magnitude of the responses to the set of very familiar stimuli. Moreover, it was shown in three monkeys that the responses of the perirhinal cortex neurons gradually increased over hundreds of presentations (mean = 400 over 7–13 days) of the new set of (initially novel) stimuli to become as large as those to the already familiar stimuli. Thus perirhinal cortex neurons represent the very long-term familiarity of visual stimuli. Part of the impairment in temporal lobe amnesia may be related to the difficulty of building representations of the degree of familiarity of stimuli. A neural network model of how the perirhinal cortex could implement tong-term familiarity memory is proposed using Hebbian associative learning.
Natural flavonoids as potential multifunctional agents in prevention of diabetic cataract

Natural flavonoids as potential multifunctional agents in prevention of diabetic cataract Cataract is one of the earliest secondary complications of diabetes mellitus. The lens is a closed system with limited capability to repair or regenerate itself. Current evidence supports the view that cataractogenesis is a multifactorial process. Mechanisms related to glucose toxicity, namely oxidative stress, processes of non-enzymatic glycation and enhanced polyol pathway significantly contribute to the development of eye lens opacity under conditions of diabetes. There is an urgent need for inexpensive, non-surgical approaches to the treatment of cataract. Recently, considerable attention has been devoted to the search for phytochemical therapeutics. Several pharmacological actions of natural flavonoids may operate in the prevention of cataract since flavonoids are capable of affecting multiple mechanisms or etiological factors responsible for the development of diabetic cataract. In the present paper, natural flavonoids are reviewed as potential agents that could reduce the risk of cataract formation via affecting multiple pathways pertinent to eye lens opacification. In addition, the bioavailability of flavonoids for the lens is considered.
TSentiment: On gamifying Twitter sentiment analysis

Social media platforms contain interesting information that can be used to directly measure people' feelings and, thanks to the use of communication technologies, also to geographically locate these feelings. Unfortunately, the understanding is not as easy as one may think. Indeed, the large volume of data makes the manual approach impractical and the diversity of language combined with the brevity of the texts makes the automatic approach quite complicated. In this paper, we consider the gamification approach to sentimentally classify tweets and we propose TSentiment, a game with a purpose that uses human beings to classify the polarity of tweets (e.g., positive, negative, neutral) and their sentiment (e.g., joy, surprise, sadness, etc.). We created a dataset of more than 65,000 tweets, we developed a Web-based game and we asked students to play the game. Obtained results showed that the game approach was well accepted and thus it can be useful in scenarios where the identification of people' feelings may bring benefits to decision making processes.
Leaf life span and the leaf economic spectrum in the context of whole plant architecture

The leaf economics spectrum (LES) has been an organizing framework of plant functional ecology for the past decade. The LES describes a set of trade‐offs among traits related to plant carbon balance. Species with a long leaf life span (LLS) invest additional material for leaf protection and structural support and consequently tend to have a lower leaf photosynthetic rate per unit mass than species with a shorter LLS. While the LES is most apparent in comparing species with extreme differences in their traits, it has nonetheless been adopted as a general explanation of leaf trait variation at all scales and in all plants. It highlights the ‘trait‐based’ approach to plant ecology, which has generally used a small set of traits to predict whole organism and even whole ecosystem attributes. Few studies have investigated the relationships between LES traits and organismal attributes not directly related to carbon economy. We explored the LES in 32 deciduous woody species of Viburnum (Adoxaceae). We found no evidence for any mass‐based LES trade‐offs. Rather, on an area basis, photosynthetic rates were positively correlated with leaf mass per area (LMA); higher LMA was associated with greater investment in photosynthetic tissue, with most of the variation due to changes in the thickness of photosynthetic mesophyll. Species’ mean LLS varied between 19 and 26 weeks and was not correlated with other LES traits. Instead, LLS was strongly associated with the diverse set of whole‐plant branching patterns in Viburnum. In the most common growth pattern, LLS was significantly correlated with flowering time, because branches end in terminal inflorescences, and all leaves and inflorescences are pre‐formed in overwintering buds. Synthesis. Plants may recover the cost of their leaves early in the growing season, allowing LLS to vary independently of the plant carbon budget. In deciduous species, LLS may be strongly influenced by whole plant architecture, which, in Viburnum, is evolutionarily conserved. In general, positive area‐based LES trait relationships will limit the relevance of LLS to this spectrum and allow LLS to vary for reasons that are not directly related to carbon economy.
Pressure as a probe of the physics of ABO3 relaxor ferroelectrics

Results on a variety of mixed ABO3 oxides have revealed a pressure-induced ferroelectric-to-relaxor crossover and the continuous evolution of the energetics and dynamics of the relaxation process with increasing pressure. These common features have suggested a mechanism for the crossover phenomenon in terms of a large decrease in the correlation length for dipolar interactions with pressure a unique property of soft mode or highly polarizable host lattices. The pressure effects as well as the interplay between pressure and dc biasing fields are illustrated for some recent results on PZN−9.5 PT, PMN and PLZT 6/65/35.
The role of molecular chaperones in clathrin mediated vesicular trafficking

The discovery that the 70 kD “uncoating ATPase,” which removes clathrin coats from vesicles after endocytosis, is the constitutively expressed Hsc70 chaperone was a surprise. Subsequent work, however, revealed that uncoating is an archetypal Hsp70 reaction: the cochaperone auxilin, which contains a clathrin binding domain and an Hsc70 binding J domain, recruits Hsc70*ATP to the coat and, concomitant with ATP hydrolysis, transfers it to a hydrophobic Hsc70-binding element found on a flexible tail at the C-terminus of the clathrin heavy chain. Release of clathrin in association with Hsc70*ADP follows, and the subsequent, persistent association of clathrin with Hsc70 is important to prevent aberrant clathrin polymerization. Thus, the two canonical functions of Hsp70—dissociation of existing protein complexes or aggregates, and binding to a protein to inhibit its inappropriate aggregation—are recapitulated in uncoating. Association of clathrin with Hsc70 in vivo is regulated by Hsp110, an Hsp70 NEF that is itself a member of the Hsp70 family. How Hsp110 activity is itself regulated to make Hsc70-free clathrin available for endocytosis is unclear, though at synapses it's possible that the influx of calcium that accompanies depolarization activates the Ca++/calmodulin dependent calcineurin phosphatase which then dephosphorylates and activates Hsp110 to stimulate ADP/ATP exchange and release clathrin from Hsc70*ADP:clathrin complexes.
Managing base station location privacy

Many of today's location services map locations of wireless base stations and use them to localize mobile devices. Severe security and privacy risks exist when unauthorized third-party location services are able to localize mobile devices. In this work we examine a software module that helps network operators to prevent third parties from aggregating wireless base station identifiers by making the identifiers dynamic. This software operates in the infrastructure and does not require any changes of handsets nor any modification of air interface standards. We also examine another software module that provides authorized mobile devices with the ability to locate themselves at different accuracy levels depending on their permission levels. This module operates in the infrastructure with any air interface and does not require standardization. We analyze the effect of the proposed modules on malicious third-party location services, examine their performance, and analyze potential location service countermeasures.
Experience with rituximab in scleroderma: results from a 1-year, proof-of-principle study

Objective. To assess the efficacy of rituximab (RTX) in SSc. Methods. Fourteen patients with SSc were evaluated. Eight patients were randomized to receive two cycles of RTX at baseline and 24 weeks [each cycle consisted of four weekly RTX infusions (375 mg/m2)] in addition to standard treatment, whereas six patients (control group) received standard treatment alone. Lung involvement was assessed by pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and chest high-resolution CT (HRCT). Skin involvement was assessed both clinically and histologically. Results. There was a significant increase of forced vital capacity (FVC) in the RTX group compared with baseline (mean ± s.d.: 68.13 ± 19.69 vs 75.63 ± 19.73, at baseline vs 1-year, respectively, P = 0.0018). The median percentage of improvement of FVC in the RTX group was 10.25%, whereas that of deterioration in the controls was 5.04% (P = 0.002). Similarly, diffusing capacity of carbon monoxide (DLCO) increased significantly in the RTX group compared with baseline (mean ± s.d.: 52.25 ± 20.71 vs 62 ± 23.21, at baseline vs 1-year respectively, P = 0.017). The median percentage of improvement of DLCO in the RTX group was 19.46%, whereas that of deterioration in the control group was 7.5% (P = 0.023). Skin thickening, assessed with the Modified Rodnan Skin Score (MRSS), improved significantly in the RTX group compared with the baseline score (mean ± s.d.: 13.5 ± 6.84 vs 8.37 ± 6.45 at baseline vs 1-year, respectively, P < 0.001). Conclusion. Our results indicate that RTX may improve lung function in patients with SSc. To confirm our encouraging results we propose that larger scale, multicentre studies with longer evaluation periods are needed.