Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Outcomes and Complications of Diabetes Mellitus on Patients Undergoing Degenerative Lumbar Spine Surgery

Study Design. Retrospective database analysis. Objective. To assess the effect glycemic control has on perioperative morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing elective degenerative lumbar spine surgery. Summary of Background Data. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a prevalent disease of glucose dysregulation that has been demonstrated to increase morbidity and mortality after spine surgery. However, there is limited understanding of whether glycemic control influences surgical outcomes in patients with DM undergoing lumbar spine procedures for degenerative conditions. Methods. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample was analyzed from 2002 to 2011. Hospitalizations were isolated on the basis of International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification, procedural codes for lumbar spine surgery and diagnoses codes for degenerative conditions of the lumbar spine. Patients were then classified into 3 cohorts: controlled diabetic, uncontrolled diabetic, and nondiabetic. Patient demographic data, acute complications, and hospitalization outcomes were determined for each cohort. Results. A total of 403,629 (15.7%) controlled diabetic patients and 19,421 (0.75%) uncontrolled diabetic patients underwent degenerative lumbar spine surgery from 2002 to 2011. Relative to nondiabetic patients, uncontrolled diabetic patients had significantly increased odds of cardiac complications, deep venous thrombosis, and postoperative shock; in addition, uncontrolled diabetic patients also had an increased mean length of stay (approximately, 2.5 d), greater costs (1.3-fold), and a greater risk of inpatient mortality (odds ratio = 2.6, 95% confidence interval = 1.5–4.8, P < 0.0009). Controlled diabetic patients also had increased risk of acute complications and inpatient mortality when compared with nondiabetic patients, but not nearly to the same magnitude as uncontrolled diabetic patients. Conclusion. Suboptimal glycemic control in diabetic patients undergoing degenerative lumbar spine surgery leads to increased risk of acute complications and poor outcomes. Patients with uncontrolled DM, or poor glucose control, may benefit from improving glycemic control prior to surgery. Level of Evidence: 3
Entwicklung eines Fachkonzepts für die klinische Entscheidungsunterstützung durch Analytische Informationssysteme

Die gemeinsame Verarbeitung von strukturierten und unstrukturier- ten Daten zum Zwecke der Entscheidungsunterstutzung bei der Diagnose- und Therapieplanung findet bisher kaum Anwendung. Es fehlt das Verstandnis, an welcher Stelle ein Analytisches Informationssystem einen Arzt in welcher Form unterstutzen kann. Weiterhin ist unklar, welche Fragestellungen beantwortet werden konnten. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wird ein Prozessmodell fur die arzt- liche Entscheidungsunterstutzung vorgestellt und validiert. Dazu wurden Exper- teninterviews mit verschiedenen Stakeholdern gefuhrt und die Ergebnisse in das Prozessprozessmodell uberfuhrt. Das entstandene Modell wurde anschliesend wiederum mittels weiterer Experteninterviews validiert. Als zentrales Ergebnis dieser Arbeit stellte sich heraus, dass eine Entscheidungsunterstutzung bei der Diagnose komplexer Krankheitsbilder als sehr hilfreich angesehen wird.
Model of Complications of NIDDM: I. Model construction and assumptions

OBJECTIVE To develop a model of NIDDM for analyzing prevention strategies for NIDDM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A Markov type model with Monte Carlo techniques was used. Age, sex, and ethnicity of cohort was based on U.S. data. Incidence rates of complications were also based on community and population studies. RESULTS Nonproliferative retinopathy, proliferative retinopathy, and macular edema are predicted in 79, 19, and 52%, respectively, of people with NIDDM; 19% are predicted to develop legal blindness. Microalbuminuria, gross proteinuria, and end-stage renal disease related to diabetes are predicted in 53, 40, and 17%, respectively. Symptomatic sensorimotor neuropathy and lower-extremity amputation are predicted in 31 and 17%, respectively. Cardiovascular disease is predicted in 39%. Higher rates of complications (1.1−3.0×) are predicted in minority populations. Predicted average life expectancy is 17 years after diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS A probabilistic model of NIDDM predicts the vascular complications of NIDDM in a cohort representative of the incident cases of diabetes in the U.S. before age 75 years. Predictions of complications and mortality are consistent with the known epidemiology of NIDDM. The model is suitable for evaluating the effect of preventive interventions on the natural history of NIDDM.
Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of Medications for Type 2 Diabetes: An Update Including New Drugs and 2-Drug Combinations

BACKGROUND Given the increase in medications for type 2 diabetes mellitus, clinicians and patients need information about their effectiveness and safety to make informed choices. PURPOSE To summarize the benefits and harms of metformin, second-generation sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, meglitinides, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, as monotherapy and in combination, to treat adults with type 2 diabetes. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from inception through April 2010 for English-language observational studies and trials. The MEDLINE search was updated to December 2010 for long-term clinical outcomes. STUDY SELECTION Two reviewers independently screened reports and identified 140 trials and 26 observational studies of head-to-head comparisons of monotherapy or combination therapy that reported intermediate or long-term clinical outcomes or harms. DATA EXTRACTION Two reviewers following standardized protocols serially extracted data, assessed applicability, and independently evaluated study quality. DATA SYNTHESIS Evidence on long-term clinical outcomes (all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, nephropathy, and neuropathy) was of low strength or insufficient. Most medications decreased the hemoglobin A(1c) level by about 1 percentage point and most 2-drug combinations produced similar reductions. Metformin was more efficacious than the DPP-4 inhibitors, and compared with thiazolidinediones or sulfonylureas, the mean differences in body weight were about -2.5 kg. Metformin decreased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels compared with pioglitazone, sulfonylureas, and DPP-4 inhibitors. Sulfonylureas had a 4-fold higher risk for mild or moderate hypoglycemia than metformin alone and, in combination with metformin, had more than a 5-fold increased risk compared with metformin plus thiazolidinediones. Thiazolidinediones increased risk for congestive heart failure compared with sulfonylureas and increased risk for bone fractures compared with metformin. Diarrhea occurred more often with metformin than with thiazolidinediones. LIMITATIONS Only English-language publications were reviewed. Some studies may have selectively reported outcomes. Many studies were small, were of short duration, and had limited ability to assess clinically important harms and benefits. CONCLUSION Evidence supports metformin as a first-line agent to treat type 2 diabetes. Most 2-drug combinations similarly reduce hemoglobin A(1c) levels, but some increased risk for hypoglycemia and other adverse events. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Functional Dissection of LIS1 and NDEL1 Towards Understanding the Molecular Mechanisms of Cytoplasmic Dynein Regulation

LIS1 and NDEL1 are known to be essential for the activity of cytoplasmic dynein in living cells. We previously reported that LIS1 and NDEL1 directly regulated the motility of cytoplasmic dynein in an in vitro motility assay. LIS1 suppressed dynein motility and inhibited the translocation of microtubules (MTs), while NDEL1 dissociated dynein from MTs and restored dynein motility following suppression by LIS1. However, the molecular mechanisms and detailed interactions of dynein, LIS1, and NDEL1 remain unknown. In this study, we dissected the regulatory effects of LIS1 and NDEL1 on dynein motility using full-length or truncated recombinant fragments of LIS1 or NDEL1. The C-terminal fragment of NDEL1 dissociated dynein from MTs, whereas its N-terminal fragment restored dynein motility following suppression by LIS1, demonstrating that the two functions of NDEL1 localize to different parts of the NDEL1 molecule, and that restoration from LIS1 suppression is caused by the binding of NDEL1 to LIS1, rather than to dynein. The truncated monomeric form of LIS1 had little effect on dynein motility, but an artificial dimer of truncated LIS1 suppressed dynein motility, which was restored by the N-terminal fragment of NDEL1. This suggests that LIS1 dimerization is essential for its regulatory function. These results shed light on the molecular interactions between dynein, LIS1, and NDEL1, and the mechanisms of cytoplasmic dynein regulation.
Remedial control strategies for a three-phase PM BLDC drive under VSI faults

This paper analyzes the torque performance achievable from a three-phase PM BLDC drive under a fault of the VSI supplying the motor. Various types of fault are considered such as one leg open, one switch open and one switch shorted. Remedial control strategies for the healthy devices of the VSI are envisaged, that make the drive operating even if in a degraded way. The resulting torque performances are calculated in terms of developed torque and torque ripple. The mathematical findings are substantiated with graphs obtained by simulation on an in-wheel PM BLDC drive used for the propulsion of light electric vehicles.
Smart Zigbee/IEEE 802.15.4 MAC for wireless sensor multi-hop mesh networks

The future of Smart Grid is based on grid-integrated real-time communications between the grid elements of generation, transmission, distribution and loads. Due to Zigbee/IEEE 802.15. 4 standard's features such as low cost, low power, low data rate, short range, simplicity and free licensed spectrum which makes Zigbee-based wireless sensor networks (WSNs) the wireless technology of choice for smart grid applications. This paper focuses on the electricity distribution layer, ranging from Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) gateways at the house-hold to the distribution point where a multi-hop mesh network is built for large coverage data exchanges. Although beacon-based mode of operation is adopted in IEEE802.15. 4 standard, it does not, however, specify any mechanism to enable beacon mode in mesh networks. Therefore, in this paper, the Zigbee/IEEE 802.15. 4 MAC protocol is modified to suit the beacon-based wireless sensor multi-hop mesh networks application. Such network configuration is expected to proliferate in is smart grid auto-metering scenarios. A simulation model was built and validated using the network simulator (NS-2) and the preliminary results showed considerable enhancements as expected for the ZigBee/IEEE 802.15. 4 MAC protocol.
Enzymatic Repair of Pyrimidine Dimer-containing DNA

A pyrimidine dimer-DNA glycosylase has been purified 20,000-fold from Micrococcus Cuteus. The enzyme is a single polypeptide chain with M, = 18,000 that acts specifically on pyrimidine dimers, preferring those in double-stranded DNA to those in single-stranded DNA. The glycosylase cleaves the 5’ residue of a pyrimidine dimer generating an apyrimidinic site and a mixed pyrimidine/pyrimidine nucleotide dimer. Under conditions of substrate excess, dimers containing a 5’4hymine are preferred to those with a B*-cytosine residue. The glycosylase has an associated apyrimidinic/apurinic ( A p ) endonuclease that prefers apyrimidinic sites at the site of glycosylase action to either apurinic or apyrimidinic residues. This endonuclease is a Class I AP endonuclease in that it cleaves 3’ to the AP site generating a 3‘-deoxyribose moiety and a 5”phosphate.
Pharmacogenomics of microRNA: a miRSNP towards individualized therapy.

Joseph R Bertino1†, Debabrata Banerjee2 & Prasun J Mishra3 †Author for correspondence 1The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Department of Medicine and Pharmacology, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 195, Little Albany Street, Room 3033, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA Tel. : +1 732 235 8510; Fax: +1 732 235 8181; E-mail: bertinoj@umdnj.edu 2GSBS, Department of Pharmacology, Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, UMDNJ, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA 3Department of Pharmacology and Medicine, Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, UMDNJ, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA ‘The understanding of how an individual’s genetic inheritance of miRSNPs/polymorphisms affects the body’s response to certain drugs will be key to creating drugs with greater efficacy and safety. ’
Portfolio Concentration and Investment Manager Performance n

This study examines the relationship between investment performance and concentration in active equity portfolios. Active management is dependent on the success of two important components in the investment process – stock selection skill and portfolio management. Our study documents a positive relationship between fund performance and portfolio concentration. The relationship is stronger for stocks in which active managers hold overweight positions, as well as for stocks outside the largest 50 stocks listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). We find that more concentrated funds tend to be those implementing growth styles, having smaller aggregate assets under management, being institutions that are not affiliated with a bank or life-office entity, whose funds experience past period outflows, and who are benchmarked to narrower indexes than the S&P/ASX 300.
The Importance of Patient Preferences in the Measurement of Health Care Satisfaction

The idea that patients will be more satisfied with health care services that are delivered to meet their preferences is central to the concept of health care marketing. Health care providers increasingly use market segmentation and target marketing to optimize the fit between their services and the consumers who receive them. This study evaluates one model for incorporation of patient preferences into the measurement of satisfaction. Using multiple regression analysis, evaluations of three dimensions of health care satisfaction, interpersonal care, technical quality, access to care accounted for 63% of the variance in overall satisfaction. Inclusion of preferences, defined as importance ranks of each dimension, did not improve ability to predict satisfaction. Four preference segments were identified: interpersonal care seekers, access/quality seekers, access seekers and quality seekers. These four subgroups differed significantly on a number of sociodemographic, health status and health service use characteristics but no significant differences were found in satisfaction between preference segments. Patient satisfaction can best be measured as quality evaluations of dimensions without regard to preferences. In considering the merits of market segmentation and target marketing, alternative satisfaction models that link preferences to health care satisfaction or the possibility that preference targeting does not lead to greater satisfaction should be evaluated.
Mentally disordered women in jail: who receives services?

OBJECTIVES Many jail inmates have severe psychiatric disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, major affective disorders). The courts have mandated that detainees have a constitutional right to treatment. We investigated what proportion of female jail detainees needed mental health services, what proportion received services, and what variables predicted who received services. METHODS Trained interviewers administered a psychiatric evaluation (the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule) to 1272 randomly selected female jail detainees during jail intake in a large Midwestern city. Project staff then documented whether women subsequently received services, using records and case files. RESULTS Of the women who needed services, 23.5% received them while they were in jail. Type of disorder, treatment history, and socio-demographic variables all affected the odds of a mentally ill woman's receiving services. CONCLUSIONS Correctional health care is a growing national public health problem. The magnitude of mental health service needs far exceeds current resources.
From Bot to Bot: Using a Chat Bot to Synthesize Robot Motion

We present Bot to Bot, a system for developers to write voice controlled applications in a high-level language while retaining portability over a variety of different robot hardware platforms. In this paper we describe how Bot to Bot leverages advances in natural language processing and robotic control to take a user’s voice command and translate it into a structured intent for the robot through the following intermediate representations: verbal bites, robot assembly, and robot control primitives. Our long-term goal is to ﬁnd a verbal instruction set for human-robot interaction. We provide our software as open source to encourage future research.
Crystal structure of human protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP‐1 in the open conformation

SHP‐1 belongs to the family of non‐receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) and generally acts as a negative regulator in a variety of cellular signaling pathways. Previously, the crystal structures of the tail‐truncated SHP‐1 and SHP‐2 revealed an autoinhibitory conformation. To understand the regulatory mechanism of SHP‐1, we have determined the crystal structure of the full‐length SHP‐1 at 3.1 Å. Although the tail was disordered in current structure, the huge conformational rearrangement of the N‐SH2 domain and the incorporation of sulfate ions into the ligand‐binding site of each domain indicate that the SHP‐1 is in the open conformation. The N‐SH2 domain in current structure is shifted away from the active site of the PTP domain to the other side of the C‐SH2 domain, resulting in exposure of the active site. Meanwhile, the C‐SH2 domain is twisted anticlockwise by about 110°. In addition, a set of new interactions between two SH2 domains and between the N‐SH2 and the catalytic domains is identified, which could be responsible for the stabilization of SHP‐1 in the open conformation. Based on the structural comparison, a model for the activation of SHP‐1 is proposed. J. Cell. Biochem. 112: 2062–2071, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
AISeL ) All Sprouts Content Sprouts 1-29-2010 Toward Trust as Result : An Interdisciplinary Approach

This position paper introduces a holistic approach addressing the issue of trustworthy communications systems, their societal drivers and the requirements they place on the heterogeneous communications infrastructure for offering reliable services in the Future of the Internet. In particular, we outline some initial ideas that can be used to devise a "design-for-trust" framework for the Future of the Internet. We propose, in this approach, to support trust on three crucial interrelated concepts: 1) the concept of flat ontology 2) the concept of assemblage and 3) the concept of semantic annotations to compose the ontology.
Stable solitons in two-component active systems.

As is known, a solitary pulse in the complex cubic Ginzburg-Landau (GL) equation is unstable. We demonstrate that a system of two linearly coupled GL equations with gain and dissipation in one subsystem and pure dissipation in another produces absolutely stable solitons and their bound states. The problem is solved in a fully analytical form by means of the perturbation theory. The soliton coexists with a stable trivial state; there is also an unstable soliton with a smaller amplitude, which is a separatrix between the two stable states. This model has a direct application in nonlinear fiber optics, describing an erbium-doped laser based on a dual-core fiber.
Relationship between carotid artery mechanics and the spontaneous baroreflex: a noninvasive investigation in normal humans

Objectives: This study addressed the relationship between spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity and carotid mechanical properties in a clinical setting. Methods: In 191 normal volunteers (age range 20–60 years, mean 44 ± 13), spontaneous indices of baroreflex regulation were obtained noninvasively in the time (baroreflex slope, BRS) and frequency domains (&agr; index and systolic arterial pressure-RR interval transfer gain) as well as using an exogenous autoregressive causal model (A.XAR); carotid mechanical properties were estimated by ultrasound. The link between mechanical measures and spontaneous baroreflex indices was explored by multivariate analysis and linear modeling. Results: Participants were divided into five groups according to age decades. With advancing age we observed a decrease in spontaneous baroreflex indices (BRS from 31.2 to 16.3; &agr; index from 27.4 to 13.6; RR-SAP gain at high frequency from 31 ± 3.0 to 14 ± 3.0 ms/mmHg all P < 0.001) and increase in carotid intima–media thickness (IMT: from 0.53 to 0.69 mm; P < 0.001) and stiffness (local wave speed: from 4.0 to 6.9 m/s; both P < 0.001). A significant correlation was found between spontaneous indices of baroreflex sensitivity and carotid mechanical properties, particularly wave speed (r = −0.328, P < 0.001). After adjusting for age and sex, a significant correlation remained between RR-SAP gain and wave speed and between A.XAR and IMT. Factor analysis and automatic linear modeling confirmed the observation that mechanical carotid properties are strong predictors of the age-related reduction of spontaneous baroreflex. Conclusion: A significant correlation between spontaneous baroreflex indices and local carotid mechanical properties supports the idea that they should be considered in the physiology of baroreflex regulation.
origins of Asian elephants Range-wide mtDNA phylogeography yields insights into the Supplementary data

Supplementary data ml http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing. org/content/suppl/2009/02/20/276.1658. 893.DC1. ht "Data Supplement" References http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing. org/content/276/1658/893.full. html#ref-list-1 This article cites 40 articles, 6 of which can be accessed free Subject collections (541 articles) evolution  Articles on similar topics can be found in the following collections Email alerting service here right-hand corner of the article or click Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article sign up in the box at the top
Molecular Chaperone Hsp90 Associates with Resistance Protein N and Its Signaling Proteins SGT1 and Rar1 to Modulate an Innate Immune Response in Plants*

SGT1 and Rar1 are important signaling components of resistance (R) gene-mediated plant innate immune responses. Here we report that SGT1 and Rar1 associate with the molecular chaperone Hsp90. In addition, we show that Hsp90 associates with the resistance protein N that confers resistance to tobacco mosaic virus. This suggests that Hsp90-SGT1-Rar1 and R proteins might exist in one complex. Suppression of Hsp90 in Nicotiana benthamiana plants shows that it plays an important role in plant growth and development. In addition, Hsp90 suppression in NN plants compromises N-mediated resistance to tobacco mosaic virus. Our results reveal a new role for SGT1- and Rar1-associated chaperone machinery in R gene-mediated defense signaling.