Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The practical application and interpretation of simple lung function tests in cystic fibrosis

Lung disease is the primary cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), accounting for up to 90% of fatalities in this disorderl. From early infancy onwards, the combination of infection and inflammation causes ongoing damage to airways and lung parenchyma, leading to progressive loss of lung function2. Slowing down the loss of lung function through reduction of pulmonary infection and inflammation is the cornerstone of treatment in CF, and is largely responsible for the significant improvement in survival rates observed in this disorder over the last few decades1. In every patient with CF, therefore, it is imperative to monitor the level of lung function carefully and repeatedly. Every paediatrician caring for children with CF should at least have basic knowledge on how lung function can be routinely measured, as well as on how to interpret the results in clinical practice. In this and the following paper, the principles of measuring and interpreting lung function in CF will be discussed from a clinician's point of view. This article will focus on measurements of air flow and lung volumes3. A more detailed discussion on interpretation of lung function tests in asthma is available elsewhere4.
Complement-mediated injury reversibly disrupts glomerular epithelial cell actin microfilaments and focal adhesions.

BACKGROUND Foot process effacement and condensation of the glomerular epithelial cell (GEC) cytoskeleton are manifestations of passive Heymann nephritis, a model of complement-mediated membranous nephropathy. METHODS To study the effects of complement on the actin cytoskeleton in this model, we have used an in vitro system in which GECs are sublethally injured using a combination of complement-fixing anti-Fx1A IgG and human serum as a source of complement. We examined the effects of this injury on the organization of the cytoskeleton and focal contacts using immunohistology and immunochemistry. RESULTS By immunofluorescence, sublethal complement-mediated injury was accompanied by a loss of actin stress fibers and focal contacts but retention of matrix-associated integrins. Full recovery was seen after 18 hours. Western blot analysis showed no change in the cellular content of the focal contact proteins. Inhibition of the calcium-dependent protease calpain did not prevent injury. In addition, cycloheximide during recovery did not inhibit the reassembly of stress fibers or focal contacts. Injury was associated with a reduction in tyrosine phosphorylation of paxillin and a currently unidentified 200 kDa protein, but inhibition of tyrosine phosphatase activity with sodium vanadate did not prevent injury. Cellular adenosine triphosphate content was significantly reduced in injured cells. CONCLUSION These results document reversible, complement-dependent disruption of actin microfilaments and focal contacts leading to the dissociation of the cytoskeleton from matrix-attached integrins. This may explain the altered cell-matrix relationship accompanying podocyte effacement in membranous nephropathy.
Use and delivery of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy-single-centre experience.

BACKGROUND Use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (g-csf) as primary prophylaxis against chemotherapy-induced neutropenia has significant cost implications. We examined use of g-csf for early-stage breast cancer patients at our centre. The study also examined the pattern of nurse-led patient teaching with respect to drug self-administration. METHODS Patients who received g-csf between November 2009 and October 2010 were identified from pharmacy records. After consent had been obtained, electronic charts were examined to extract data on chemotherapy and use of g-csf. Patients were contacted by telephone to obtain information on the utilization of home-care nursing visits for g-csf administration. RESULTS The study analyzed 36 patients. Median age was 58 years (range: 31-78 years). Of the 36 patients, 30 (83%) had received adjuvant treatment, and 6 (17%), neoadjuvant treatment. Most patients (71%) received 10 days (range: 7-10 days) of filgrastim. Of the 36 patients, 29 (81%) received g-csf as primary prophylaxis. In 90% of those patients, primary prophylaxis commenced with the taxane component of treatment. Of the 36 patients, 7 (19%) received g-csf after neutropenia, including 2 who had febrile neutropenia. In 96% of the patients, injections were received at home with the help of a nurse; those patients were subsequently taught self-injection techniques. The median number of nursing visits was 2 (range: 1-3 visits). Most patients were satisfied with the home care and g-csf teaching they received. CONCLUSIONS Most of the g-csf used in breast cancer treatment during the study period was given for primary prophylaxis. A major reason for the decision to use g-csf appears to have been physician-perceived risk of febrile neutropenia. Delivery of g-csf by home-care nurses was well received by patients.
Technical aspects and feasibility of laparoscopic ultrasound navigation in radiofrequency ablation of unresectable hepatic malignancies.

PURPOSE Laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation is safe, practicable, and combines minimally invasive surgery with the advantages of laparotomy. However, application of the laparoscopic freehand puncture is restricted because of capnoperitoneum and the consequent fixation of the needle on two different points. The use of a laparoscopic ultrasound probe with a canal for puncture can solve this problem and improve precision. However, a stiff needle limits the necessary angulation that is needed to reach right-lateral and cranial liver metastases. Therefore we present a new navigation tool for laparoscopic interventions. MATERIALS AND METHODS The US Guide 2000 (Ultra Guide, Tirat Hacarmel, Israel) is an independent navigation system compatible with all ultrasound machines and has six degrees of freedom. After proper evaluation of this system under operating room conditions during transcutaneous radiofrequency ablation, we used this technique in laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation. A special adapter was developed to attach the ultrasound-based navigation system to a laparoscopic ultrasound probe. After calibrating the system with an ultrasound phantom, laparoscopic navigation in a liver organ model was studied. RESULTS Even in cases of angulation of the ultrasound probe no disturbances of the navigation system could be detected. Anatomic landmarks in the liver could be safely reached. No interaction between the navigation system and the laparoscopic ultrasound probe or operating instruments was observed. CONCLUSION Our preliminary results show the feasibility of this technique in laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation. The use of an ultrasound-based laparoscopic inline navigation system offers the possibility of out-of-plane needle placement and could combine the flexibility of freehand puncture with the accuracy of a canal for puncture. This could increase the safety and accuracy of punctures.
Pharmacology of flumazenil

Flumazenil, an imidazobenzodiazpine, is the first benzodiazepine antagonist available for clinical use. It is a specific competitive antagonist at benzodiazepine receptors, which are associated with receptors for gammaaminobutyric acid, the most important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Administered orally, it has a low bioavailability and the preferred route is intravenous. Its usual clinical role is to reverse the effects of benzodiazepine sedation; however, administered before, or with, other benzodiazepines, it modifies their effects, the extent of such modification depending on the dose, duration of effect and relative receptor affinity of the agonist. Flumazenil also reverses adverse physiological effects of benzodiazepines. Its indications include reversal of benzodiazepine‐induced sedation, termination of benzodiazepine‐induced anaesthesia, return of spontaneous respiration and consciousness in intensive care patients and the treatment of paradoxical reactions to benzodiazepines. Other potential indications include its use in hepatic encephalopathy, alcohol intoxication and coma; however, these claims still require substantiation. Following sedation reversed with flumazenil, minimal residual effects of the agonist can sometimes be detected using psychomotor tests and are due to the relatively short half‐life of flumazenil, but are of no clinical consequence. There is concern that flumazenil could precipitate an acute withdrawal syndrome following long‐term benzodiazepine administration; however, the available evidence suggests otherwise and that it could be useful in the treatment of benzodiazepine tolerance. The existence of flumazenil is important, with implications for future research and the development of minimally invasive therapy and day‐case surgery. With increasing pressures on non‐anaesthetically trained practitioners to perform sedation, flumazenil has important implications for safety.
Cultural Meaning, Advertising, and National Culture: A Four-Country Study

ABSTRACT Cultural meaning transfer theory and GLOBE dimensions were employed in this comparative study to examine the extent to which cultural meaning presented in advertisements reflected national cultures of the target countries. Content analysis was applied to advertisements from four countries to investigate whether the use of advertising appeals presented in these advertisements mirrored variations in cultures as described by GLOBE Society Values. Results revealed that, in line with the hypotheses, there were similarities and differences in the use of appeals, and only some of them mirrored the cultural variations. GLOBE Society Values were more likely to predict the use of appeals than GLOBE Society Practices, but not for all appeals. Advertisers can draw on national cultures for cultural meanings to be used in advertisements only to a limited extent. It may be that advertisements mold rather than mirror societal values, or that only certain cultural traits are important for advertisers.
Fine-scale genetic structure in Pinus clausa (Pinaceae) populations: effects of disturbance history

Spatial autocorrelation analyses of 12 allozyme loci were used to compare genetic structure within populations of two varieties of Pinus clausa. P. clausa var. immuginata populations tend to be uneven-aged, with continuous recruitment in small gaps created by wind damage, whereas P. clausa var. clausa populations are more even-aged, with recruitment postdating periodic canopy fires. Three var. immuginata populations and three matched pairs of var. clausa populations, including both a mature and a nearby recently burned population, were examined. Aggregation of multilocus genotypes at small distances was evident in all young var. clausa populations. Little inbreeding was apparent among juveniles or adults in these populations; their genetic structure is likely to have resulted from limited seed dispersal. Genotypes were not significantly spatially structured in nearby matched mature populations. Genetic structure was less evident in var. immuginata populations. Aggregated genotypes were only apparent in the population where patches included juveniles of similar ages; dense juvenile clumps in the other two var. immuginata populations comprised a variety of ages. Interannual variability in allele frequencies of surviving seedlings may account for the absence of genetic structure in these populations.
Examining Cross-Source Engagement With Cancer-Related Information and Its Impact on Doctor–Patient Relations

Patients may bring unreliable information to the physician, complicating the physician–patient relationship, or outside information seeking may complement physician information provision, reinforcing patients' responsibility for their health. The current descriptive evidence base is weak and focuses primarily on the Internet's effects on physician–patient relations. This study describes how cancer patients bring information to their physicians from a range of sources and are referred by physicians to these sources; the study also examines explanations for these behaviors. Patients with breast, prostate, and colon cancer diagnosed in 2005 (N = 1,594) were randomly drawn from the Pennsylvania Cancer Registry; participants returned mail surveys in Fall 2006 (response rate = 64%). There is evidence that both bringing information to physicians and being referred to other sources reflects patients' engagement with health information, preference for control in medical decision making, and seeking and scanning for cancer-related information. There is also evidence that patients who bring information from a source are referred back to that source.
Dlx5 and Dlx6 homeobox genes are required for specification of the mammalian vestibular apparatus

The mammalian inner ear is a complex organ that develops from a surface ectoderm into distinct auditory and vestibular components. Congenital malformation of these two components resulting from single or multiple gene defects is a common clinical occurrence and is observed in patients with split hand/split foot malformation, a malformation which is phenocopied by Dlx5/6 null mice. Analysis of mice lacking Dlx5 and Dlx6 homeobox genes identified their restricted and combined expression in the otic epithelium as a crucial regulator of vestibular cell fates. Otic induction initiates without incident in Dlx5/6−/− embryos, but dorsal otic derivatives including the semicircular ducts, utricle, saccule, and endolymphatic duct fail to form. Dlx5 and Dlx6 seem to influence vestibular cell fates by restricting Pax2 and activating Gbx2 and Bmp4 expression domains. Given their proximity to the disease locus and the observed phenotype in Dlx5/6 null mice, Dlx5/6 are likely candidates to mediate the inner ear defects observed in patients with split hand/split foot malformation. genesis 44:425–437, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Human cytomegalovirus tegument protein pp150 acts as a cyclin A2–CDK-dependent sensor of the host cell cycle and differentiation state

Significance Depending on the host cell type and differentiation status, herpesviruses establish different modes of infection to either maintain or replicate their genomes. How viruses discriminate between individual host cell environments upon infection is poorly understood. Here we identify a viral sensor mechanism that restricts human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) replication to the G0/G1 phase of the cell division cycle and to differentiated cells. The mechanism is based on the HCMV tegument 150-kDa phosphoprotein which enters the cell as a constituent of the virus particle, interacts with cyclin A2, and blocks the onset of viral lytic gene expression when cyclin A2-dependent kinase activity is high. This suggests a scenario where specific tegument–host interactions enable herpesviruses to select sites of silent or productive infection. Upon cell entry, herpesviruses deliver a multitude of premade virion proteins to their hosts. The interplay between these incoming proteins and cell-specific regulatory factors dictates the outcome of infections at the cellular level. Here, we report a unique type of virion–host cell interaction that is essential for the cell cycle and differentiation state-dependent onset of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) lytic gene expression. The major tegument 150-kDa phosphoprotein (pp150) of HCMV binds to cyclin A2 via a functional RXL/Cy motif resulting in its cyclin A2-dependent phosphorylation. Alanine substitution of the RXL/Cy motif prevents this interaction and allows the virus to fully escape the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)-mediated block of immediate early (IE) gene expression in S/G2 phase that normally restricts the onset of the HCMV replication cycle to G0/G1. Furthermore, the cyclin A2–CDK–pp150 axis is also involved in the establishment of HCMV quiescence in NTera2 cells, showing the importance of this molecular switch for differentiation state-dependent regulation of IE gene expression. Consistent with the known nucleocapsid-binding function of pp150, its RXL/Cy-dependent phosphorylation affects gene expression of the parental virion only, suggesting a cis-acting, virus particle-associated mechanism of control. The pp150 homologs of other primate and mammalian CMVs lack an RXL/Cy motif and accordingly even the nearest relative of HCMV, chimpanzee CMV, starts its lytic cycle in a cell cycle-independent manner. Thus, HCMV has evolved a molecular sensor for cyclin A2–CDK activity to restrict its IE gene expression program as a unique level of self-limitation and adaptation to its human host.
Journalism History, Web Archives, and New Methods for Understanding the Evolution of Digital Journalism

Archived webpages are a critical source of data for understanding the current state of the news media industry, as well as how the industry has changed over time. Dramatic changes in the news media industry in recent decades have occurred in tandem with the evolution on the Web. Archived webpages are valuable records for understanding and analyzing how newspaper companies have adapted to technological changes such as social media feeds and sharing of news content via Twitter. This article outlines a methodological approach to utilizing Web archives as a means of examining change in the news media industry. Researchers have developed new tools to improve researcher access to archived Web data in order to advance studies of the Web, and to enable the tracking of changes in news media as they emerge over time. A case study examining local news in the United States is used to illustrate the methodological challenges and promise of working with these data, highlighting the power and potential of Web archives for journalism research. Finally, the closing sections discuss challenges associated with the scale and scope of archived Web data and point to new areas for future research.
Can Users Control Online Behavioral Advertising Effectively?

Online behavioral advertising (OBA) is the increasingly widespread practice of targeting users with specific online ads on the basis of a user's previous online behavior. Advertisers pay a premium for targeted ads because users are more likely to make purchases after viewing relevant ads. On the other hand, whereas some users might appreciate seeing more relevant advertisements, many say they find targeted advertising creepy and don't like the idea of companies tracking their online activities. Many tools empower users to control whether and when they're tracked for behavioral advertising; however, whether users can effectively control tracking and OBA using these tools is unclear.
Optimal Beam Steering for Maximal Visual Quality Over a Multimedia Broadcasting System

Various types of multimedia services have become prominent over the last few years leading to difficulty in providing high-quality broadcast multimedia services in certain shadowing regions without resource management in accordance with specific channel adaptation. In order to overcome this difficulty, return channel design has been actively discussed in broadcasting standards for broadcasting systems. Context-aware multimedia services have been developed by adapting radio resources according to service type. In order to forward this goal, we propose a beamforming technique to optimize spatial resources in order to maximize visual quality for video broadcasting services. In order to enhance the video broadcast service, we derive expected visual information (EVI) that quantifies the visual quality of video and adapt the EVI into multiple-input and multiple-output beamforming techniques in a video broadcast system. In order to guarantee the proportional fairness of broadcast users, we propose a novel beam steering algorithm using the log-EVI sum maximization, and compare it to the traditional channel-quality-based max-min problem. The beam-steering algorithm is performed iteratively while switching the bases, which constructs a beam steering weight vector domain. In the simulation, we demonstrate that the proposed algorithm has less computational complexity than conventional algorithms, and the visual quality of the proposed algorithm is enhanced over that of the traditional quasi-optimal max-min fairness algorithm.
A Novel Mammalian Flavin-dependent Histone Demethylase*

Methylation of Lys residues on histone proteins is a well known and extensively characterized epigenetic mark. The recent discovery of lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) demonstrated that lysine methylation can be dynamically controlled. Among the histone demethylases so far identified, LSD1 has the unique feature of functioning through a flavin-dependent amine oxidation reaction. Data base analysis reveals that mammalian genomes contain a gene (AOF1, for amine-oxidase flavin-containing domain 1) that is homologous to the LSD1-coding gene. Here, we demonstrate that the protein encoded by AOF1 represents a second mammalian flavin-dependent histone demethylase, named LSD2. The new demethylase is strictly specific for mono- and dimethylated Lys4 of histone H3, recognizes a long stretch of the H3 N-terminal tail, senses the presence of additional epigenetic marks on the histone substrate, and is covalently inhibited by tranylcypromine. As opposed to LSD1, LSD2 does not form a biochemically stable complex with the C-terminal domain of the corepressor protein CoREST. Furthermore, LSD2 contains a CW-type zinc finger motif with potential zinc-binding sites that are not present in LSD1. We conclude that mammalian LSD2 represents a new flavin-dependent H3-Lys4 demethylase that features substrate specificity properties highly similar to those of LSD1 but is very likely to be part of chromatin-remodeling complexes that are distinct from those involving LSD1.
Analysis of the Nexus between Gross Domestic Savings and Economic Growth in Ethiopia: Evidence from Toda-Yamamoto Causality Approach

Aware of the interaction between gross domestic savings and economic growth is critically importance for policy option. However, the wide range of controversies surrounding the direction of causality between savings and economic growth motivated this study. Therefore, the objective of this study is intended to investigate empirically the Nexus between gross domestic savings and economic growth in Ethiopia using annual time series data spanning through a period of 42 years (1976 to 2017) obtained from MoFEC and annual reports of NBE. The study employed recently developed methods of autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach to co-integration test and the augmented Granger causality test approach developed by Toda and Yamamoto (1995) so as to achieve this objective. After performing robustness checks, ARDL bounds to co integration test can be concluded that there is significant evidence that gross domestic savings and economic growth are co-integrated, and therefore hold a long run relationship exists between them. Error correction model also identified the presence of short run relationship. The Toda and Yamamoto version of granger causality test reveals that causality runs from economic growth to gross domestic savings, implying that economic growth precedes and granger causes saving. Thus, the study rejects the Solow’s hypothesis that saving precedes economic growth, and accepts the Keynesian theory that economic growth leads to higher saving. As a result, the study recommends that government and policy makers should focus on income policies that would accelerate economic growth so as to increase saving. Keywords : Economic growth, Gross domestic Savings, Co-integration test, Granger causality test, Ethiopia.