Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of emergent carotid stenting during endovascular therapy for acute anterior circulation stroke patients with tandem occlusion: A multicenter, randomized, clinical trial (TITAN) protocol

Background and hypothesis There is no consensus on the optimal endovascular management of the extracranial internal carotid artery steno-occlusive lesion in patients with acute ischemic stroke due to tandem occlusion. We hypothesized that intracranial mechanical thrombectomy plus emergent internal carotid artery stenting (and at least one antiplatelet therapy) is superior to intracranial mechanical thrombectomy alone in patients with acute tandem occlusion. Study design TITAN is an investigator-initiated, multicenter, prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded-endpoint (PROBE) study. Eligibility requires a diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke, pre-stroke modified Rankin Scale (mRS)≤2 (no upper age limit), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS)≥6, Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score (ASPECTS)≥6, and tandem occlusion on the initial catheter angiogram. Tandem occlusion is defined as large vessel occlusion (intracranial internal carotid artery , M1 and/or M2 segment) and extracranial severe internal carotid artery stenosis ≥90% (NASCET) or complete occlusion. Patients are randomized in two balanced parallel groups (1:1) to receive either intracranial mechanical thrombectomy plus internal carotid artery stenting (and at least one antiplatelet therapy) or intracranial mechanical thrombectomy alone within 8 h of stroke onset. Up to 432 patients are randomized after tandem occlusion confirmation on angiogram. Study outcomes The primary outcome measure is complete reperfusion rate at the end of endovascular procedure, assessed as a modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) 3, and ≥4 point decrease in NIHSS at 24 h. Secondary outcomes include infarct growth, recurrent clinical ischemic event in the ipsilateral carotid territory, type and dose of antiplatelet therapy used, mRS at 90 (±15) days and 12 (±1) months. Safety outcomes are procedural complications, stent patency, intracerebral hemorrhage, and death. Economics analysis includes health-related quality of life, and costs utility comparison, especially with the need or not of endarterectomy. Discussion TITAN is the first randomized trial directly comparing two types of treatment in patients with acute ischemic stroke due to anterior circulation tandem occlusion, and especially assessing the safety and efficacy of emergent internal carotid artery stenting associated with at least one antiplatelet therapy in the acute phase of stroke reperfusion. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03978988
Associations of Bariatric Interventions With Micronutrient and Endocrine Disturbances

Key Points Question Are bariatric interventions associated with serum micronutrients and metabolic hormones changes in the years after intervention, and do trajectories differ between laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy vs gastric bypass procedures? Findings In this comparative effectiveness study of 499 patients who underwent sleeve gastrectomy and 189 patients who underwent one-anastomosis or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, parameters associated with calcium metabolism did not differ between the groups. The extent of hemoglobin suppression was greater among patients who underwent gastric bypass compared with those who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, but the difference was not explained by differences in iron stores or vitamin B levels. Meaning The findings of this study suggest that micronutrient deficiencies after bariatric interventions are differentially associated with types of bariatric procedures.
An Improved Nanoemulsion Formulation Containing Kojic Monooleate: Optimization, Characterization and In Vitro Studies

Tyrosinase inhibitors have become increasingly important targets for hyperpigmentation disease treatment. Kojic monooleate (KMO), synthesized from the esterification of kojic acid and oleic acid, has shown a better depigmenting effect than kojic acid. In this study, the process parameters include the speed of high shear, the time of high shear and the speed of the stirrer in the production of nanoemulsion containing KMO was optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM), as well as evaluated in terms of its physicochemical properties, safety and efficacy. The optimized condition for the formulation of KMO nanoemulsion was 8.04 min (time of high shear), 4905.42 rpm (speed of high shear), and 271.77 rpm (speed of stirrer), which resulted in a droplet size of 103.97 nm. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the fitness of the quadratic polynomial fit the experimental data with large F-values (148.79) and small p-values (p < 0.0001) and an insignificant lack of fit. The optimized nanoemulsion containing KMO with a pH value of 5.75, showed a high conductivity value (3.98 mS/cm), which indicated that the nanoemulsion containing KMO was identified as an oil-in-water type of nanoemulsion. The nanoemulsion remains stable (no phase separation) under a centrifugation test and displays accelerated stability during storage at 4, 25 and 45 °C over 90 days. The cytotoxicity assay showed that the optimized nanoemulsion was less toxic, with a 50% inhibition of cell viability (IC50) > 500 μg/mL, and that it can inhibit 67.12% of tyrosinase activity. This study reveals that KMO is a promising candidate for the development of a safe cosmetic agent to prevent hyperpigmentation.
Preclinical evaluation of no-carrier-added [131I]meta-iodobenzyl guanidine, for the treatment of tumours transfected with the noradrenaline transporter gene

Meta-( 131 I)iodobenzylguanidine (( 131 I)MIBG), used for neuroblastoma treatment, binds to the noradrenaline transporter (NAT). After NAT gene transfection, other tumour types might be treatable with ( 131 I)MIBG. At 14 MBq, carrier-added ( 131 I)MIBG (1110 MBq/mg) delayed tumour regrowth in NAT gene-transfected xenografts by 39-days, while no-carrier-added ( 131 I)MIBG (>104 GBq/mg) cured 100% of tumours.
Facial expression monitoring system for predicting patient’s sudden movement during radiotherapy using deep learning

Abstract Purpose Imaging, breath‐holding/gating, and fixation devices have been developed to minimize setup errors so that the prescribed dose can be exactly delivered to the target volume in radiotherapy. Despite these efforts, additional patient monitoring devices have been installed in the treatment room to view patients’ whole‐body movement. We developed a facial expression recognition system using deep learning with a convolutional neural network (CNN) to predict patients’ advanced movement, enhancing the stability of the radiation treatment by giving warning signs to radiation therapists. Materials and methods Convolutional neural network model and extended Cohn‐Kanade datasets with 447 facial expressions of source images for training were used. Additionally, a user interface that can be used in the treatment control room was developed to monitor real‐time patient's facial expression in the treatment room, and the entire system was constructed by installing a camera in the treatment room. To predict the possibility of patients' sudden movement, we categorized facial expressions into two groups: (a) uncomfortable expressions and (b) comfortable expressions. We assumed that the warning sign about the sudden movement was given when the uncomfortable expression was recognized. Results We have constructed the facial expression monitoring system, and the training and test accuracy were 100% and 85.6%, respectively. In 10 patients, their emotions were recognized based on their comfortable and uncomfortable expressions with 100% detection rate. The detected various emotions were represented by a heatmap and motion prediction accuracy was analyzed for each patient. Conclusion We developed a system that monitors the patient's facial expressions and predicts patient's advanced movement during the treatment. It was confirmed that our patient monitoring system can be complementarily used with the existing monitoring system. This system will help in maintaining the initial setup and improving the accuracy of radiotherapy for the patients using deep learning in radiotherapy.
Biodiversity: An Ecological Perspective

Despite acknowledgment that loss of living diversity is an international biological crisis, the ecological causes and consequences of extinction have not yet been widely addressed. In honor of Edward O. Wilson, winner of the 1993 International Prize for Biology, an international group of distinguished biologists bring ecological, evolutionary, and management perspectives to the issue of biodiversity. The roles of ecosystem processes, community structure and population dynamics are considered in Biodiversity: An Ecological Perspective. The goal, as Wilson writes in his introduction, is "to assemble concepts that unite the disciplines of systematics and ecology, and in so doing to create a sound scientific basis for the future management of biodiversity. "
Off-label studies on ruxolitinib in dermatology: a review

Abstract Ruxolitinib is a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor that is FDA-approved for the treatment of myelofibrosis, polycythemia vera, and acute graft-versus-host disease. Its use in treating various dermatologic diseases has been a topic of growing interest due to its favorable safety profile and targeted inhibition of several cytokines that perpetuate inflammatory skin conditions. The PubMed/MEDLINE and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched for literature on off-label uses of ruxolitinib in dermatology and ongoing trials studying its safety and efficacy. There is randomized controlled trial (RCT) evidence for the successful use of ruxolitinib in treating alopecia, atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis, with ongoing RCTs for its use in vitiligo. Smaller studies have confirmed the success of ruxolitinib in treating conditions such as dermatomyositis and hypereosinophilic syndrome, among others. No serious adverse effects were reported with the use of ruxolitinib in dermatology, but further research is needed to determine its efficacy, delivery route, and optimal dosing for treating dermatologic conditions.
Leaf Photosynthesis and Its Genetic Improvement from the Perspective of Energy Flow and CO2 Diffusion

Abstract Single-leaf photosynthesis is a fundamental process in plant biomass production, and is a major research topic in crop physiology. This paper reviews the recent achievements of research on the physiological determinants of the photosynthetic capacity from the perspective of energy flow and CO2 diffusion. Measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence is a popular method to diagnose the function of photosystem II, and is useful to assess the susceptibility to photoinhibition and allocation of energy, which are keys to improving both stress resistance and photosynthetic productivity. Mesophyll conductance (gm) is the conductance to CO2 diffusion from intercellular airspaces to the chloroplast, and was long thought to be determined by leaf anatomical properties. However, recent studies showed that environmental conditions affect g m. It is possible that g m is affected by the gating of the CO2-permeable aquaporins (cooporins). Stomatal morphology is revealed to be an important factor affecting gas exchange both in crop plants and inArabidopsis thaliana.The knowledge of the stomatal differentiation in Arabidopsis will be applicable to various crops. gm, stomatal conductance (gs) and leaf nitrogen content are the main factors to cause difference in leaf photosynthesis among rice lines, and recent activities are conducted to find genes to manipulate these factors. Although the association of leaf photosynthesis with crop productivity still has a large ‘missing link’, these achievements strongly suggest that the leaf photosynthetic capacity can be genetically improved in crop species.
Comparing Imprecise Abundance Indices with a Symmetric Model

Richards and Schnute (1986. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 43: 1214–1227) presented an errors-in-variables model for testing the assumption that catch per unit effort (CPUE) is an index of stock abundance. Here, I generalize the model and extend its application to any pair of abundance indices for which the ratio of variances in the two indices can be estimated. I used the model to relate density indices from two years, CPUE values from two years, and the two CPUE–density combinations. Density estimates of nearshore reef fishes from the strait of Georgia, British Columbia, were obtained by SCUBA, and CPUE estimates were obtained by angling at the same sites. Among-site differences in both CPUE and density tended to be consistent between years. For quillback rockfish (Sebastes maliger), the relationship between CPUE and density was one of strict proportionality, as found by Richards and Schute over a different depth range.
Mechanistic Insights into the Differential Efficacy of Daptomycin plus β-Lactam Combinations against Daptomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium.

BACKGROUND Daptomycin (DAP) plus ampicillin (AMP), ertapenem (ERT) or ceftaroline (CPT) have demonstrated efficacy against a DAP-tolerant E. faecium (Efm) strain (HOU503). However, the mechanism for the efficacy of these combinations against DAP-resistant E. faecium strains is unknown. METHODS We investigated the efficacy of DAP in combination with AMP, ERT, CPT, ceftriaxone (CRO) and amoxicillin (AMX) against DAP-R Efm R497 using established in vitro and in vivo models. We evaluated pbp expression, PBP5 protein levels and β-lactam binding affinity in HOU503 vs R497. RESULTS DAP plus AMP was the only efficacious regimen against DAP-R R497 and prevented emergence of resistance. DAP at 8, 6 and 4 mg/kg in combination with AMP was efficacious but showed delayed killing compared to 10 mg/kg. PBP5 of HOU503 exhibited amino acid substitutions in the penicillin-binding domain relative to R497. No difference in pbp mRNA or PBP5 protein levels was detected between HOU503 vs. R497. Bocillin labeling of PBPs showed increased β-lactam binding affinity of PBP5 of HOU503 compared to that of R497. CONCLUSIONS Only DAP (10 mg/kg) plus AMP or AMX was efficacious against a DAP-R Efm strain. pbp5 alleles may be important contributors to efficacy of DAP plus β-lactam therapy.
Mapping the global evidence on nutrition transition: a scoping review protocol

Introduction Nutrition transition has emerged as an important concept in health research used to describe shifts in dietary consumption and energy expenditure that coincide with economic, demographic and epidemiological changes at a population level. Better understanding of the shifts in dietary patterns across populations and their drivers could possibly hold the key to prevention of diet-related disease risk. An increasing number of studies have reported on nutrition transition in populations around the world, however, global evidence has not been summarised. Objective This scoping review is aimed to identify, explore and map the literature on nutrition transition with a specific focus on dietary changes in populations across the world. The review would allow better clarification around the concept of nutrition transition, classification of published studies and provide a framework for further research. Methods and analysis The scoping review will be designed based on the methodology by Arksey and O’Malley, refined by Levac et al. and developed in conjunction with guidance on conducting systematic scoping reviews by Peters et al. The main research question addressed by the scoping review will be: ‘What is the evidence on nutrition transition defined based on dietary changes reported in general adult population across the world? ’ Electronic databases (PubMed, ScienceDirect and Web of Science), grey literature sources and the reference lists of key studies will be searched to identify studies appropriate for inclusion in the review. Two reviewers will independently screen all abstracts and full-text studies for inclusion. Data will be abstracted into tables and logically organised according to items addressed in the specific research questions. Ethics and dissemination Dissemination of results will be sought through a peer-reviewed publication, conference presentations and stakeholder meetings. The data used are from publicly available secondary sources, so no ethical review would be required for this study.
Production of sexual and asexual morphs and changes in reproductive sequence associated with photoperiod in the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris)

Production of sexual and asexual morphs of a clone of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris), was monitored under photoperiods ranging from 18L:6D to 10L:14D at 20 °C. Under long photophases only viviparae were produced. At intermediate photophases families were produced in which the oldest progeny were females while the youngest progeny were males. A 1- to 2-day pause intervened between the production of these two groups. Females were produced only for 3–4 days while males were produced for about 12 days. At longer intermediate photophases the females were viviparae while at shorter intermediate photophases they were oviparae. In families containing both female morphs, viviparae were born first. At the shortest photophases, families consisted entirely of females, oviparae being produced in the first half and viviparae in the second half of the reproductive period. The ecological significance of these sequences is discussed.
Short‐term hypoxic training increases monocarboxylate transporter 4 and phosphofructokinase activity in Thoroughbreds

The aim of this study was to investigate effects of short‐term hypoxic training on lactate metabolism in the gluteus medius muscle of Thoroughbreds. Using crossover design (3 months washout), eight Thoroughbred horses were trained for 2 weeks in normoxia (FIO2 = 21%) and hypoxia (FIO2 = 18%) each. They ran at 95% maximal oxygen consumption (V̇O2max) on a treadmill inclined at 6% for 2 min (3 days/week) measured under normoxia. Before and after each training period, all horses were subjected to an incremental exercise test (IET) under normoxia. Following the 2‐week trainings, V̇O2max in IET increased significantly under both oxygen conditions. The exercise duration in IET increased significantly only after hypoxic training. The monocarboxylate transporter (MCT) 1 protein levels remained unchanged after training under both oxygen conditions, whereas MCT4 protein levels increased significantly after training in hypoxia but not after training in normoxia. Phosphofructokinase activity increased significantly only after hypoxic training, whereas cytochrome c oxidase activity increased significantly only after normoxic training. Our results suggest that hypoxic training efficiently enhances glycolytic capacity and levels of the lactate transporter protein MCT4, which facilitates lactate efflux from the skeletal muscle.
Observations on the vertical distribution of soil Oribatei in a woodland soil

SUMMARY 1 The vertical distribution of Oribatei in a black pine plantation soil was studied in situ using the soil sectioning technique. 2 Oribatei were most abundent in the upper 3 cm due to the greater abundance of suitable food in this region. 3 Larger species were usually confined to the upper layers but some smaller species were also abundant in this region. 4 A correlation between the size of the species and their penetration was not found to be statistically significant. 5 Nested analysis of variance showed seasonal redistribution in some species. 6 The vertical distribution of individual species is discussed, and partially explained.
Trends in BMI among elderly Japanese population: findings from 1973 to 2016 Japan National Health and Nutrition Survey

Abstract Objective: To examine 44-year trends in height, weight and BMI, and the prevalence of overweight/obesity and underweight in the elderly Japanese population because Japan, the country with the longest life expectancy, has the highest ageing population. Design: Using the nationally representative cumulative data from the Japan National Health and Nutrition Survey 1973–2016, sex-specific and age-adjusted mean height, weight and BMI, and the prevalence of overweight/obesity and underweight were calculated for each year. Trend analyses were performed using the Joinpoint Regression Program. Next, changes in height, weight and BMI, and the prevalence of overweight/obesity and underweight were estimated for each age group (65–69, 70–79 and >80 years) according to the birth year groups. Setting: Japan. Participants: Individuals aged ≥65 years with complete data on height and body weight measurements (N 94 508). Results: Trends in average height and weight increased over the four decades in both men and women. The prevalence of overweight/obesity dramatically increased and nearly tripled in men, accompanied with significantly decreased underweight prevalence. Furthermore, the increasing trend in average BMI and overweight/obesity prevalence in women reached a peak in 2002 and showed a decreasing trend thereafter, while a downward trend in underweight prevalence showed a gradual increase in women since 2003. Conclusions: Trends in height, weight and BMI among the elderly population should continue to be closely monitored in parallel with the effects of dietary changes, energy intake and physical activity (step counts).
Persistent Homology Based Characterization of the Breast Cancer Immune Microenvironment: A Feasibility Study

Persistent homology is a common tool of topological data analysis, whose main descriptor, the persistence diagram, aims at computing and encoding the geometry and topology of given datasets. In this article, we present a novel application of persistent homology to characterize the spatial arrangement of immune and epithelial (tumor) cells within the breast cancer immune microenvironment. More specifically, quantitative and robust characterizations are built by computing persistence diagrams out of a staining technique (quantitative multiplex immunofluorescence) which allows us to obtain spatial coordinates and stain intensities on individual cells. The resulting persistence diagrams are evaluated as characteristic biomarkers of cancer subtype and prognostic biomarker of overall survival. For a cohort of approximately 700 breast cancer patients with median 8.5-year clinical follow-up, we show that these persistence diagrams outperform and complement the usual descriptors which capture spatial relationships with nearest neighbor analysis. This provides new insights and possibilities on the general problem of building (topology-based) biomarkers that are characteristic and predictive of cancer subtype, overall survival and response to therapy. 2012 ACM Subject Classification Theory of computation → Computational geometry
Foreword

The workshop onAlgebraic and Deduction Methods in Non-classical Logics an d their Applications to Computer Science took place in Olsztyn, Poland on 18-19 June 2006 and allowed participants to exchange ideas on applied n on-classical logics, including modal and temporal logics, fuzzy calculus, and desc ription logics as well as on implementation issues related to relational calculus, m odal logics, and modal correspondence theory.