Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coley's toxin revisited: immunotherapy or plasminogen activator therapy of cancer?

The origins of modern immunotherapy for cancer can be traced to reports from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries describing tumor regression associated with systemic bacterial infections. Such occurrences were apparently part of nineteenth century medical lore [1,2] and provided a basis for the work of Dr William B. Coley, a surgeon at The Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases in New York City. From 1891 until his death in 1936, Coley studied the effects of inoculation with live bacterial cultures on human malignancy. His work was the subject of numerous published reports, which were summarized in detail in 1953 [3], and by the middle of the twentieth century an international literature, approximating 500 papers, existed on this subject. The clinical effects reported originally for this treatment, taken at face value, were no less than astounding! Complete, prolonged regression of advanced malignancy was described in many cases. Based on the combined reported experience, an estimated 80% 5-year survival was claimed in disease for which no treatment was otherwise available [3]. Coley’s hypothesis was that an immune reaction against a toxin present in the infectious material cross-reacted with and destroyed the tumor cells. In 1953, Coley’s daughter, Helen Coley Nauts, established The Cancer Research Institute (http://www.cancerresearch.org/index.html) in her father’s memory that continues to support research on the immunotherapy of malignancy.
Birth outcomes after exposure to mebendazole and pyrvinium during pregnancy – A Danish nationwide cohort study

Abstract Mebendazole and pyrvinium are anthelmintics used to treat infections with pinworms, a common infection in children. Other indications for treatment with mebendazole are infections with soil-transmitted helminths. These infections are rare in Denmark, but affect more than 1.5 billion people worldwide. Limited safety data of anthelmintics during pregnancy exists and the purpose of this study was to investigate the association between exposure to mebendazole or pyrvinium during pregnancy and the adverse pregnancy outcomes: congenital malformations, stillbirths, neonatal mortality and small for gestational age. The Danish Fertility Database was used to identify all births in Denmark from 1997 to 2007. Maternal exposure to anthelmintics was identified through The Danish Prescription Registry. Of 713667 births, 2567 mothers redeemed a prescription for mebendazole; 1588 for pyrvinium. Logistic regression analysis adjusted for potential confounders. We found no association between exposure to mebendazole and major congenital malformations (OR = 0.7 (CI 95% 0.5–1.1)) or other negative birth outcomes and we found no association between exposure to pyrvinium and major congenital malformations (OR = 0.8 (CI 95% 0.4–1.5)) or other negative birth outcomes. No increased risk was found of having negative birth outcomes after exposure at any trimester during pregnancy.
A primary and backup cooperative protection system based on wide area agents

This paper presents a study of wide area agents based on communication for primary and backup coordinated protection. Agents are used to give each protection component control capacity as well as the ability to communicate with other agents. We feel that this method naturally points toward a new philosophy for primary and backup protection. Simulations are used to illustrate concepts, using a simulation engine called EPOCHS that combines the EMTDC/PSCAD power simulator with the NS2 network communications simulator. Results show the improved performance of our protection scheme. In this new protection system, agents were embedded in each of the conventional protection components to construct an IED relay. The agent searches for relevant information by communicating with other agents. Agent communication can take place at the same substation or at remote substations. This information can be used to detect primary and remote faults, relay misoperation, breaker failures, and to compensate such problems with a much better performance than can be done in traditional schemes. Preliminary results give us hope that the proposed protection scheme may be able to contribute toward the mitigation of wide-area disturbances and the power blackouts that frequently follow them.
Alterations of radioimmunoassayable growth hormone and prolactin during hypothroidism.

Induction of hypothyroidism by treatment of rats with propylthiouracil (PTU) or radioactive iodine reduced pituitary and plasma growth hormone concentrations. Radioimmunoassayable pituitary and plasma growth hormone was diminished after three weeks of PTU ingestion. By four weeks, plasma growth hormone had fallen to barely detectable levels in most animals. Pituitary growth hormone concentration reached the lowest value by 40 days and remained depressed throughout 98 days of PTU ingestion. After treatment for 21 days with PTU, rats given tap water had progressively increasing pituitary growth hormone concentrations reaching control levels within 19 days. Rats given PTU and thyroxine injections to prevent hypothyroidism had no appreciable change in pituitary or plasma growth hormone concentrations. Administration of cortisol to chronically hypothyroid animals failed to increase pituitary growth hormone content. When rats bearing the growth hormone— and prolactin— producing tumor MtTWl5 were rendered hypoth.
Biphasic actions of HMGB1 signaling in inflammation and recovery after stroke

Abstract Stroke induces a complex web of pathophysiology that may evolve over hours to days and weeks after onset. It is now recognized that inflammation is an important phenomenon that can dramatically influence outcomes after stroke. In this minireview, we explore the hypothesis that inflammatory signals after stroke are biphasic in nature. The high‐mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein is discussed as an example of this idea. HMGB1 is normally present in the nucleus. Under ischemic conditions, it is released extracellularly from many types of cells. During the acute phase poststroke, HMGB1 promotes necrosis and influx of damaging inflammatory cells. However, during the delayed phase poststroke, HMGB1 can mediate beneficial plasticity and recovery in many cells of the neurovascular unit. These emerging findings support the hypothesis that inflammation after stroke can be both detrimental and beneficial, depending on the cellular situations involved.
Practice and Preparation Time Facilitate System-Switching in Perceptual Categorization

Mounting evidence suggests that category learning is achieved using different psychological and biological systems. While existing multiple-system theories and models of categorization may disagree about the number or nature of the different systems, all assume that people can switch between systems seamlessly. However, little empirical data has been collected to test this assumption, and recent available data suggest that system-switching is difficult. The main goal of this article is to identify factors influencing the proportion of participants who successfully learn to switch between procedural and declarative systems on a trial-by-trial basis. Specifically, we tested the effects of preparation time and practice, two factors that have been useful in task-switching, in a system-switching experiment. The results suggest that practice and preparation time can be beneficial to system-switching (as calculated by a higher proportion of switchers and lower switch costs), especially when they are jointly present. However, this improved system-switching comes at the cost of a larger button-switch interference when changing the location of the response buttons. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for empirical research on system-switching and theoretical work on multiple-systems of category learning.
Einführung eines integrativen Therapiekonzeptes in die akutmedizinische Versorgung

Die integrative Medizin stellt eine Weiterentwicklung der konventionellen Medizin unter Einbezug komplementärer Verfahren dar [1]. Entsprechend der integrativen Medizin im Erwachsenenalter beruht die integrative Pädiatrie auf einem gesundheitsbezogenen, ganzheitlichen Konzept, welches den Säugling, das Kind oder den Jugendlichen in all seinen Lebensbereichen betrachtet. Ein besonderes Augenmerk wird dabei auf die Beziehung zwischen Arzt und Patient bzw. dessen Eltern gelegt. Ziel ist es, unter Einbeziehung der entsprechenden wissenschaftlichen Evidenz, alle geeigneten therapeutischen Verfahren, Gesundheitsexperten und Disziplinen zu vereinen, um bestmögliche Gesundheit und Heilung zu erreichen [2, 3].
A study in phonetic symbolism.

The tabulated results, of which we have given a brief sample, have the disadvantage of drowning out significant individual variations. For a preliminary report such a method of presentation is at least suggestive; but it would be important to know to what extent individuals differ significantly in their ability to feel symbolism in sound contrasts. The schedules need to be gone over from the point of view of working out individual indices of 'symbolic sensitiveness' to sounds.
Influence of Alternate Electron Acceptors on the Metabolic Fate of Hydroxybenzoate Isomers in Anoxic Aquifer Slurries

The biodegradation of hydroxybenzoate isomers was investigated with samples obtained from two sites within a shallow anoxic aquifer. The metabolic fates of the substrates were compared in denitrifying, sulfate-reducing, and methanogenic incubations. Under the latter two conditions, phenol was detected as a major intermediate of p-hydroxybenzoate, but no metabolites were initially found with m- or o-hydroxybenzoate. However, benzoate accumulation was noted when metabolic inhibitors were used with these samples. About 9 to 17 days was required for >95% removal of the parent isomers under these conditions. When aquifer slurries were amended with nitrate, the equivalent removal of the hydroxybenzoates occurred within 4 days. In the denitrifying incubations, phenol was formed from all three hydroxybenzoates and accounted for about 30% of the initial substrate amendment. No benzoate was measured in these samples. All metabolites were identified by chromatographic mobility, mass spectral profiles, or both. Autoclaved controls were uniformly incapable of transforming the parent substrates. These results suggest that the anaerobic fate of hydroxybenzoate isomers depends on the relative substitution pattern and the prevailing ecological conditions. Furthermore, since these compounds are central metabolites formed during the breakdown of many aromatic chemicals, our findings may help provide guidelines for the reliable extrapolation of metabolic fate information from diverse anaerobic environments.
Po2: augmented haptics for interactive gameplay

User gestures are important in current gaming platforms, where users' movements are tracked and their actions trigger events in the games. We introduce Power of 2 (Po2), a new haptic technology that augments illusive tactile sensations on gesture-based gameplays. Po2 utilizes two vibrating actuators on two hands and renders illusory tactile motion on and across the hands. With carefully designed psychophysical studies, we determined parametric models to robustly control the perception of an illusory object and its motion on and in between two hands. These models are embedded in computer algorithms and programmed to produce cohesive multisensory experiences. Synchronized with a wide range of user gestures and interactive media, such as sound and visuals, Po2 creates highly dynamic and animated gameplay experiences with wearable and mobile handheld devices.
The HMM synthesis algorithm of an embedded unified speech recognizer and synthesizer

In this paper we present an embedded uniﬁed speech recognizer and synthesizer using identical, speaker independent Hidden-Markov-Models. The system was prototypically realized on a signal processor extended by a ﬁeld programmable gate array. In a ﬁrst section we will give a brief overview of the system. The main part of the paper deals with a specially designed unit based HMM synthesis algorithm. In a last section we state the results of an informal listening evaluation of the speech synthesizer.
The role of sunlight in the cutaneous production of vitamin D3.

INTRODUCTION . 375 HISTORICAL REVIEW. 376 PHOTOCHEMISTRY OF PROVITAMIN D AND ITS PHOTOISOMERS . 377 FORMA nON OF VITAMIN D3 IN SKIN. 378 Photobiology of Vitamin D3 . 378 Action Spectra for the Formation of Previtamin D3 and Its Photoisomers . 380 Factors that Regulate the Cutaneous Production of Vitamin D3. 382 Photodegradation of Vitamin D3. 387 Artificial Light Sources and Vitamin D . 387 EPIDEMIOLOGY OF VITAMIN D . 388 Vitamin D Deficiency in Children and Adults . 388 Environmental Factors . 391 CONCLUSION . 393
An analysis of cervical discography with surgical verification.

HIS report presents the results of our study of cervical discography and the findings at operation. Cervical discography has not been previously evaluated in this manner. Our purpose was to assess the accuracy of preoperative cervical discography and to correlate discographic and myelographic findings. The anterior surgical approach usually precludes inspection of the posterior aspect of the interspace, while the posterior approach (cervical laminectomy), affords ample opportunity to observe the disc for evidence of protrusion or osteophytes. From June, 1958, through December, 1966, cervical laminectomy was performed on 42 patients who had previously been examined by cervical discography. In this group, 49 interspaces were inspected at operation. Pantopaque myelography was used to evaluate 36 of the 49 interspaces. Method
Pathogen Removal Performance of Best Management Practices In Charlotte and Wilmington, North Carolina

Pathogens are a target pollutant in many parts of North Carolina, particularly in areas that drain to shellfish waters. Single storm limits have been established for pathogen indicators in fresh water (200 cfu/ 100 ml for fecal coliform, 126 col/100 ml for E. coli, and 33 cfu/100 ml for enterrococcus) and marine waters (35 cfu/100 ml for enterrococcus) being used as full body recreational areas in an attempt to reduce public health risks. Runoff samples collected in coastal counties have often exceeded fecal counts of 20,000 cfu/ 100 ml (Bright 2007). The NCSU Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department monitored 14 total stormwater BMPs, 9 in Charlotte, NC, and 5 in Wilmington, NC, to evaluate their efficiency with respect to indicator bacteria removal. The study locations included 2 bioretention areas, 4 stormwater wetlands, 3 wet ponds, 2 dry detention, and 3 proprietary BMPs.
Epithelial to mesenchymal transition is impaired in colon cancer cells with microsatellite instability.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Colorectal cancers (CRCs) displaying DNA microsatellite instability (MSI) are associated with a favorable natural history, but the molecular basis for this observation has not been defined. We sought to determine whether the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is impaired in MSI-positive CRCs that characteristically have a mutant transforming growth factor-beta receptor type II (TGFBR2) gene. METHODS The induction of EMT by transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) was analyzed by phase contrast microscopy, immunofluorescence, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, immunoblotting, and cellular migration, and invasion assays. Expression of EMT markers was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in a series of human colorectal tumors. RESULTS TGF-beta1 induced changes in cellular morphology, gene expression, motility, and invasion consistent with EMT in microsatellite stable (MSS) colon cancer cells, whereas cells with MSI and mutant TGFBR2 were unresponsive to TGF-beta1. These effects did not require Smad4, but depended on the recruitment of extracellular signal-regulated kinase. Tumor cells with MSI but wild-type TGFBR2 underwent EMT in response to TGF-beta1, indicating that TGFBR2 genotype is a key determinant of the EMT response in tumors with MSI. In human colorectal tumors, expression of EMT markers was significantly associated with adverse clinicopathologic features and the absence of MSI. CONCLUSIONS These findings define a unique genotype-phenotype relationship between TGFBR2 and EMT that may contribute to the improved prognosis consistently observed in colon cancers with MSI.
Enhanced blue-light sensitivity P on N Silicon Photomultipliers

Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) have known a fast development in recent years, due to their excellent single photon detection capability and very fast timing response. In this paper we present the results of the electro-optical characterization performed on the first STMicroelectronics P on N SiPMs prototypes properly designed for their possible application in Positron Emission Tomography (PET). We will show that the performances of the new devices are extremely promising in terms of high photon detection efficiency and fast timing response in blue wavelength range.
Management of renal tumors involving the inferior vena cava.

PURPOSE We reviewed our experience of the resection of renal tumors involving the inferior vena cava (IVC) from 1987 to 1992 with the hypothesis that retrohepatic IVC involvement of renal tumors can be managed without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and circulatory arrest with acceptable morbidity and mortality rates. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed our experience of radical nephrectomies for renal tumors from 1987 to 1992 (n = 69). Of these, 13 had involvement of the IVC (19%). Three of the patients had right atrial extension requiring CPB with circulatory arrest. Three patients had retrohepatic involvement, and seven had infrahepatic involvement. All thirteen patients underwent operative removal of the tumor and tumor thrombus. RESULTS The patients with atrial extension who were treated with CPB and circulatory arrest had hospital and 1-year survival rates of 100% (three of three). The patients with retrohepatic extension treated without CPB and circulatory arrest had hospital and 1-year survival rates of 100% (three of three). The patients with infrahepatic extension treated without CPB and circulatory arrest had hospital and 1-year survival rates of 85% (six of seven) and 50% (three of six), respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between groups. The hospital death occurred in a patient who had a massive pulmonary embolism and disseminated intravascular coagulation before operation. The deaths that occurred before 1 year were due to metastatic disease and unresectable disease at the time of operation. CONCLUSION CPB with circulatory arrest is not required in patients with retrohepatic IVC extension of renal tumors, and aggressive resection can be performed in these patients with acceptable morbidity and mortality rates.
BibSLEIGH: Bibliography of Software (Language) Engineering in Generated Hypertext

The body of research contributions is vast and full of papers. Projects like DBLP help us navigate through it and relate authors to papers and papers to venues. Relating papers to papers is already considerably harder, and projects like Google Scholar do their best to battle all the variations in citations. Relating papers to topics is an open problem with some automated methods under development but mostly manual contributions. Relating papers to concepts and especially concepts to concepts is impossible without expert intervention and sometimes requires years of research to accomplish in a convincing manner. BibSLEIGH has started in 2014 as a personal project for prettyprinting, normalising and eventually annotating bibliographic items. It quickly started displaying the properties typical for model repositories, both good and bad, linked to data extraction, consistency management, synchronisation, analysis, etc. At SATToSE 2015 I would like to show the project’s current state and discuss its potential in a broader scope.
Red blood cell distribution width is worthwhile when interpreted with other inflammatory markers

Red cell distribution width (RDW) had been widely used for the differential diagnosis of anemia. Recently the elevation of RDW was found to be correlated with poor prognosis of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). [1]–[4] However, the underlying mechanism was not yet determined. Some studies found that the elevation of RDW was closely correlated with the elevation of C-reaction protein (CRP) and neutrophile/lymphocyte ratio, while other studies found no statistically significant correlation between RDW and CRP. [5]–[8] Some PCI researches didn't include inflammatory factors such as CRP for analysis. [9]–[10] The correlation of elevated RDW and poor prognosis of PCI might be influenced by multiple factors including inflammation. Still, further researches were needed.
Hydrophilins from distant organisms can protect enzymatic activities from water limitation effects in vitro

Hydrophilins are a wide group of proteins whose defining characteristics are high hydrophilicity index (> 1.0) and high glycine content (> 6%). The transcripts of most hydro- philins accumulate in response to water deficit in organisms such as plants, fungi and bacteria. In plants, most of the known Late Embryogenesis Abundant (LEA) proteins belong to this group (Garay-Arroyo et al., Journal of Bio- logical Chemistry 275, 5668-5674, 2000). To gain insight into the function of hydrophilins, an in vitro assay was developed in which the enzymes malate dehydrogenase (MDH) or lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) are subjected to controlled partial water removal. Subtle changes in confor- mation during partial water removal were detected using 1- anilinonaphtalene-8-sulphonate (ANS), a fluorescent probe, whose emission at 460 nm increases when bound to hydrophobic groups. The results show that water limitation conditions imposed in this in vitro assay induce changes in MDH or LDH protein structures, which correlate with enzyme inactivation. It is also shown that plant, fungal and bacterial hydrophilins are able to protect enzymatic activi- ties from water-loss effects in this in vitro system, in a wide range of water potentials. In addition, the data in this work indicate that the presence of hydrophilins also avoids the MDH and LDH conformational modifications caused dur- ing the assay. These results show that hydrophilins are able to protect enzymatic activities from inactivation due to in vitro partial water limitation and thus suggest a function for these proteins in vivo.
Update in primary pulmonary lymphomas

Purpose of review Despite the fact that primary pulmonary lymphoma (PPL) is a rare lung tumour, significant advances addressing clinical features, histological diagnosis, prognostic criteria and therapeutic management of this disease have been made within the past decade. Recent findings Monoclonality and phenotyping of alveolar lymphocytes are suggestive of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT). Detection of MALT-1 gene rearrangements in bronchoalveolar fluid cells using fluorescence in-situ hybridization techniques helps to confirm the diagnosis of MALT PPL. Fine needle aspiration-computed tomography guided biopsies as well as transbronchial/cryobiopsies provide adequate tissue material for histological evaluation. Recent publications also provide a better appreciation of newer chemotherapeutic approaches, including fludarabine and mitoxantrone with or without ritubximab for the treatment of MALT, as well as complete surgical resection if local disease is present. Prognostic factors influencing survival and optimal therapy for MALT have not been well defined, but the use of tumour microvascular density appears promising. Summary This review outlines the implications of recent findings for clinical practice and research progress of PPL. Larger, multicentre and well designed studies are imperative to optimize the current diagnostic and therapeutic approach for this disease.