Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Depression and heart failure: the lonely comorbidity

Depression is a frequent and debilitating comorbidity that affects heart failure (HF) patients. Up to 30% of HF patients suffer from depression and even more have depressive symptoms. Moreover, depression carries a risk for HF, especially in high‐risk groups, and is significantly associated with worse quality of life and clinical outcomes. The pathophysiology of depression and HF is poorly understood, but both diseases share several mechanisms and risk factors, including dysregulation of platelet reactivity, inflammation, neuroendocrine function, arrhythmias, high‐risk behaviours, and social factors. Current HF guidelines advise to screen HF patients for depression and several screening questionnaires are available. Ultimately, the diagnosis of depression is based on DSM‐5 criteria. Depression treatment consists of non‐pharmacological and pharmacological therapies. Non‐pharmacological therapies, such as exercise training and cognitive‐behavioural therapy, have been shown to have beneficial effects on depressive symptoms. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the mainstay of antidepressant therapy, appear to be safe in HF but have not shown superiority over placebo in HF in short‐ and long‐term randomized clinical trials. New therapies to treat depression are under investigation and may offer the opportunity to improve depression management in HF, including N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor antagonists, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and omega‐3 supplementation. New technologies may offer several advantages for the screening and diagnosis of depression but they remain to be tested in future research. In this review, we examine the intersection of depression and HF, summarize the epidemiology and pathophysiology, and discuss new opportunities to diagnose and treat HF patients with depression.
Stepwise changes in viable but nonculturable Vibrio cholerae cells

Many bacterial species are known to become viable but nonculturable (VBNC) under conditions that are unsuitable for growth. In this study, the requirements for resuscitation of VBNC‐state Vibrio cholerae cells were found to change over time. Although VBNC cells could initially be converted to culturable by treatment with catalase or HT‐29 cell extract, they subsequently entered a state that was not convertible to culturable by these factors. However, fluorescence microscopy revealed the presence of live cells in this state, from which VBNC cells were resuscitated by co‐cultivation with HT‐29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells. Ultimately, all cells entered a state from which they could not be resuscitated, even by co‐cultivation with HT‐29. These characteristic changes in VBNC‐state cells were a common feature of strains in both V. cholerae O1 and O139 serogroups. Thus, the VBNC state of V. cholerae is not a single property but continues to change over time.
CDKN2A mutations and MC1R variants in Italian patients with single or multiple primary melanoma

We evaluated the contribution of germline CDKN2A mutations and MC1R variants to the development of melanoma in a hospital‐based study of single (SPM, n = 398) and multiple primary melanoma (MPM, n = 95). The overall frequency of CDKN2A mutations was 15.2%, and four‐fold higher in MPM than in SPM cases (OR = 4.27; 95% CI 2.43–7.53). The likelihood of identifying a CDKN2A mutation increased with family history of melanoma and younger age at diagnosis in MPM cases. Compared to SPM patients, the risk of harboring a CDKN2A mutation rose as the number of primary melanomas increased and was not influenced by family history. The G101W and E27X founder mutations were the most common. Several other mutations (W15X, Q50X, R58X, A68L, A127P and H142R) were detected for the first time in Italian patients. One novel mutation, T77A, was identified. Several non‐coding variants with unknown functional significance were also found (5′UTR −25C > T, −21C > T, −67G > C, IVS1 +37G > C); the novel 5′UTR −21C > T variant was not detected in controls. The CDKN2A A148T polymorphism was more frequent in MPM patients than in the control population (15.7% versus 6.6%). Compared to the SPM patients, MPM cases had a 2‐fold increased probability of being MC1R variant carriers and a higher probability of carrying two or more variants. No specific association was observed between the type of variant and the number of melanomas, suggesting that the number rather than the type of MC1R variant increases the risk of MPM. We observed no interaction between CDKN2A status and the presence of MC1R variants. The high frequency of CDKN2A mutations in our MPM cases, independent of their family history, is of relevance to genetic counseling and testing in our population.
Fullerenes in Ion Sources

To our knowledge, a "fullerene ion source" does not exist. Usually, ion sources developed for other purposes are applied (sometimes after slight or major modifications) to produce fullerenes or carbon clusters in plasma or beam forms. This paper reviews the ion sources in which the production of fullerene (C60, C70, etc.) plasmas or beams was reported. Recent results obtained with electron cyclotron resonance ion sources will be shown in more detail.
Organizational Knowledge Management: A Contingency Perspective

Prior research examines several knowledge management processes, considering each as universally appropriate. Instead, we propose that the context influences the suitability of a knowledge management process. We develop a contingency framework, including two attributes of the organizational subunit's tasks: process or content orientation, and focused or broad domain, and links knowledge management processes to them: internalization for focused, process-oriented tasks; externalization for focused, content-oriented tasks; combination for broad, content-oriented tasks; and socialization for broad, process-oriented tasks. The empirical research was done at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), based on several interviews and survey data from 159 individuals across 8 subunits. The results supported the contingency framework. All the knowledge management processes except externalization had a positive impact in the expected cell. At the overall level, combination and externalization, but not internalization and socialization, affect knowledge satisfaction. Some implications for practice and research are identified.
Measurement of free light chains in urine.

We read with interest the report by Bradwell et al. (1) describing a sensitive immunoassay for free light chains (FLCs) in serum and urine. We agree that sensitive and accurate immunoassays for FLCs can be useful in clinical laboratories for studying the renal handling of polyclonal FLCs in various conditions. We do not agree, however, that this type of assay can be used to detect Bence Jones protein (BJP) in serum or urine. The identity of BJP was established in 1962 as FLCs synthesized by a single clone of B cells (2). The product of a single clone of B cells is a unique protein with its own structural peculiarity of the variable region of the molecule. For a protein immunoassay to be accurate, the immunoreactivity of the antigen in the sample must be identical to the immunoreactivity of the antigen in the calibrator. In other words, a criterion for a valid immunoassay is that the dose response of the calibrator should parallel that of the serum or urine specimen. This is impossible to achieve in the measurement of a monoclonal protein that exhibits structural differences from the polyclonal light chains in the calibrator. The imbalance of antigenic determinants between polyclonal and monoclonal light chains makes methods susceptible to the risk of antigen excess. Problems of antigen excess occur, with even robust immunoassays for total light chains yielding falsely low light-chain concentrations and thus missing the diagnosis of potentially serious conditions such as light chain myeloma or … [↵][1]bAuthor for correspondence. Fax 44121-415-5163; e-mail a.r. Bradwell{at}bham.ac. uk. [1]: #xref-corresp-2-1
La transition cédant-repreneur : Une approche par la théorie du deuil

Cette etude porte sur la phase charniere du processus de transmission, la periode transition entre le cedant et le repreneur. La theorie du deuil est mobilisee comme cadre d'analyse pour comprendre le deroulement de cette phase. L'etude empirique, conduite dans 12 PME, totalise 36 recits de vie recueillis aupres des principaux acteurs de la scene successorale (cedants, repreneurs, salaries, intervenants professionnels et institutionnels). La recherche conclut que la dynamique relationnelle entre les deux acteurs majeurs de la cession est fondee sur l'aptitude psychologique du deuil chez le cedant. Les resultats mettent egalement en evidence les facteurs facilitant le detachement de l'entreprise ainsi que les facteurs de blocage de cette periode. Enfin, les recits revelent que la reussite de cette periode depend aussi dans une large mesure des attitudes du repreneur.
Who matters: a closer look at interpersonal relationship in mobile interruptibility

Interruptibility research is growing in computer-mediated communication (CMC). While much CMC research concerns "interpersonal" communication, we have not seen a close examination of the impact of who in mobile interruptibility research. In this paper, we propose a study more closely investigating the interplay between interpersonal relationship characteristics with contextual factors and their impact on users' receptivity to communication.
An accurate MPPT scheme for photovoltaic modular-based conversion units: A robust sensorless predictive approach

This research presents a Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithm for a solar photovoltaic (PV) power station which is constructed based on modified circuit topology of the Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC). The proposed MPPT is featured with Optimized Finite-Control-Set Model Predictive Control (FCS-MPC) to provide continuous extraction of maximum solar energy. The estimation-based approach allows for elimination of the current sensors in PV panels unlike the well-proven MPPT methods, e.g., perturb and observe (P&O) and ripple-correlation control (RCC), where costly sensing devices are widely deployed. With developed control strategy, fast tracking response for the PV plant along with acceptable control bandwidth under solar irradiation transients and PV panels mismatch are achieved. The introduced circuit of power conversion has led to decreased number of solar cells and a 50% reduction of the energy storage sizing compared to the basic MMC configuration. The effectiveness of the discussed MPPT solution over the solar irradiance variations is compared with the both P&O and RCC methods. The behavior of the studied PV system is also evaluated under different operational scenarios through simulations to confirm the designed concept.
Hidradenitis Suppurativa and Zinc: A New Therapeutic Approach

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (Verneuil’s disease) is a chronic suppurative dermatosis involving apocrine glands with a severe impact on the quality of life, which is enhanced by the fact that the drugs usually prescribed are poorly effective. Objective: We discuss a new therapeutic approach based on zinc salts. Methods: We performed a pilot study on 22 patients, mainly from grade I or II in Hurley’s classification. All included patients had previously been prescribed a treatment (antibiotic, isotretinoin, surgery or anti-androgens), which was inefficient. They were then treated with 90 mg of zinc gluconate per day (15 mg zinc per Rubozinc® capsule). Results: We observed a clinical response in all patients, with 8 complete remissions (CR) and 14 partial remissions (PR). When CR was obtained, the treatment was progressively decreased (average of 3.5 capsules/day); 4/22 patients experienced side-effects, mainly gastro-intestinal. Conclusion: Zinc salts could provide a new therapeutic alternative for the treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa.
Drug Metabolism for the Perplexed Medicinal Chemist

Two related and significant issues may elicit perplexity in medicinal chemists and are discussed here. First, a broad presentation of the pharmacological and toxicological consequences of drug metabolism should justify the significance of drug metabolism and serve as an incentive to further study. When comparing the pharmacological activities of a drug and its metabolite(s), a continuum is found which ranges from soft drugs (no active metabolites) to prodrugs (inactive per se, as illustrated here with clopidogrel and prasugrel). Innumerable intermediate cases document drugs whose activity is shared by one or more metabolites, as exemplified with tamoxifen. The toxicological consequences of metabolism at the molecular, macromolecular, and macroscopic levels are manyfold. A brief overview is offered together with a summary of the reactions of toxification and detoxification of the antiepileptic valproic acid.
Adaptive Combination of Forecast With Application to Wind Energy Forecast

This article proposes an adaptive combination of forecasts procedure called AEC that tends to be similar to always using the best individual predictor in a time varying environment. Also, a two steps combination procedure is proposed to allow the use of alternative combinations procedures. The idea is, in a first step, to use different combination procedures, with the AEC among them. In the second step, the AEC is used to combine the combinations of the first step and produce the final combination. The proposed procedures are applied to a wind farm where 9 alternative forecasts were available, showing the advantage of the proposals
Hybrid Log-based Fault Tolerant Scheme for Mobile Computing System

Many new characteristics are introduced in the mobile computing system, such as mobility, disconnections, finite power source, vulnerable to physical damage, lack of stable storage. Many log-based rollback recovery fault tolerant schemes were proposed according to the characteristics. However, these schemes may still lead to dramatic loss of computing performance in failure-free or inconsistent recovery after the process fault. In this paper, a hybrid log-based fault tolerant scheme is proposed combining the checkpointing mechanism with the message logging mechanism. The checkpoint, the logs and the happened-before relations are logged synchronously into the memory at local mobile hosts temporarily, and asynchronously into the persistent disk storage in the form of the antecedence graph at local mobile support station. The proposal supports the independent and propagated consistent recovery. By contrast, the results show that the proposal incurs a lower failure-free overhead on the premise of the consistent recoverability.
Ligand responses of Vfr , the virulence factor regulator from Pseudomonas 1 aeruginosa 2 3

Jose Serate 1 , Gary P. Roberts 1 , Otto Berg 2 and Hwan Youn 3,* 4 5 Departments of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 6 Department of Chemistry, California State University at Fresno, Fresno, California 93740 7 Department of Biology, California State University at Fresno, Fresno, California 93740 8 9 10 Running title: ligand response of Vfr 11 12 13 14 15 * Corresponding author. Mailing address: 2555 East San Ramon Ave., M/S SB73, Fresno, 16 California 93740. Tel: 559-278-8305. Fax: 608-262-3963. E-mail: hyoun@csufresno.edu 17 18 Copyright © 2011, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved. J. Bacteriol. doi:10.1128/JB.00352-11 JB Accepts, published online ahead of print on 15 July 2011
Rheb GTPase Controls Apoptosis by Regulating Interaction of FKBP38 with Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL*

FKBP38 is a member of the family of FK506-binding proteins that acts as an inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). The inhibitory action of FKBP38 is antagonized by Rheb, an oncogenic small GTPase, which interacts with FKBP38 and prevents its association with mTOR. In addition to the role in mTOR regulation, FKBP38 is also involved in binding and recruiting Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL, two anti-apoptotic proteins, to mitochondria. In this study, we investigated the possibility that Rheb controls apoptosis by regulating the interaction of FKBP38 with Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL. We demonstrate in vitro that the interaction of FKBP38 with Bcl-2 is regulated by Rheb in a GTP-dependent manner. In cultured cells, the interaction is controlled by Rheb in response to changes in amino acid and growth factor conditions. Importantly, we found that the Rheb-dependent release of Bcl-XL from FKBP38 facilitates the association of this anti-apoptotic protein with the pro-apoptotic protein Bak. Consequently, when Rheb activity increases, cells become more resistant to apoptotic inducers. Our findings reveal a novel mechanism through which growth factors and amino acids control apoptosis.
Targets for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in patients with stable coronary heart disease: where are we now after the "treating to new targets" (TNT) trial?

T he Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education ProgramAdult Treatment Panel (NCEPATP III) and the Third Joint Task Force of European and Other Societies on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Clinical Practice recommended a low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) target of <100 mg/dl for patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Indeed, the GREek Atorvastatin and Coronary heart disease Evaluation (GREACE) and the Aggressive LipidLowering Initiation Abates New Cardiac Events (ALLIANCE) studies showed that in CHD patients who achieved this NCEP-ATP III goal with atorvastatin there was a significant reduction in vascular events compared with “usual” care. Recently, the NCEP recommended an optional more aggressive LDL-C goal of <70 mg/dl for patients at particularly high risk. This recommendation was mainly based on the results of the Pravastatin or Atorvastatin Evaluation and Infection Trial (PROVEIT) and the Heart Protection Study (HPS). In PROVE-IT, the reduction in LDL-C was significantly (p=0.001) greater with atorvastatin 80 mg/day (104 to 62 mg/dl) than with pravastatin 40 mg/day (104 to 96 mg/dl) Targets for Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels in Patients with Stable Coronary Heart Disease: Where are we Now After the “Treating to New Targets” (TNT) Trial?
Taxes, Social Subsidies and the Allocation of Work Time

We examine the allocation of hours of work across industrial sectors in OECD countries. We find large disparities across three sector groups, one that produces goods without home substitutes, and two others that have home substitutes but treated differently by welfare policy. We attribute the disparities to the countries' tax and subsidy policies. High taxation substantially reduces hours in sectors that have close home substitutes but less so in other sectors. Subsidies increase hours in the subsidized sectors that have home substitutes. We compute these policy effects for nineteen OECD countries.
Communications and iterations in the process cycle

A software development process typically involves many individuals, often fulfillhg many roles, many sites, often geographically distributed, and many subprocesses [l]. Our position on the orderly evolution of such a process is that it needs to be organised and supported with appropriate infrastructures to address at least the following main concerns: process commonality across multiple sites or projects, process specificity in a given project, process performance in a software development effort, and
Immunization of woodchucks with recombinant hepatitis delta antigen does not protect against hepatitis delta virus infection

To assess the role of immunization against hepatitis delta antigen in the prevention of hepatitis delta virus infection, woodchuck carriers of woodchuck hepatitis virus were immunized with a 64 amino acid portion of hepatitis delta antigen from its N‐terminal region. The protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and contained a major immunogenic epitope. A significant anti‐hepatitis delta response was observed that did not, however, protect the animals from hepatitis delta virus superinfection. Unexpectedly, the period of detectable viremia was longer in the immunized than in the control animals. We conclude that immunization with this recombinant hepatitis delta antigen does not afford protection against subsequent hepatitis delta virus exposure. (HEPATOLOGY 1990;12:1125–1128).
Establishing Insulin 1 and Insulin 2 Knockout Congenic Strains on NOD Genetic Background

Abstract: As insulin is a major autoantigen in autoimmune diabetes and because the insulin gene region locus in humans has been linked to diabetes risk, we have bred insulin gene knockouts onto the NOD mouse. Mice differ from humans in terms that they express two nonallelic genes of insulin. Insulin 2 is the murine homologue of the human insulin gene and is located on mouse chromosome 7. Insulin 1 is thought to have evolved by a gene duplication event, lacks the second intron of the insulin 2 gene, and is located on mouse chromosome 19. The differential thymic expression of the insulin gene may be important for central tolerance induction. Here, we present the initial establishment of congenic knockouts and characterization of the congenic intervals corresponding to insulin 1 and insulin 2 knockout genes on mouse chromosome 19 and 7, respectively.
Association of sulphonylurea treatment with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

We conducted a meta-analysis of cohort and case-control studies to evaluate all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who received sulphonylurea (SU) treatment, when compared to any other diabetes treatment. Only studies reporting raw data on mortality during SU treatment were included. Data were combined using random-effects (RE) models. Unadjusted odds ratios (ORs) are presented. Of 4991 publication titles and abstracts reviewed, 20 studies (n = 551,912 patients) were included. For cohort studies (n = 276,050), patients receiving SU monotherapy or combination treatment had significantly higher all-cause and CV mortality risks compared to any non-SU treatment [all-cause, 13 studies: OR = 1.92, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.48–2.49; CV, 5 studies: OR = 2.72, 95% CI = 1.95–3.79]. Validity was limited by the high treatment group heterogeneity (I 2 > 90%) and study-inherent biases/design differences. In conclusion, patients receiving SU treatment had increased all-cause and CV mortality risks. However, the meta-analysis was limited by the high heterogeneity of non-randomized studies.