Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Concomitant risk factors in hypertensives: a survey of risk factors for cardiovascular disease amongst hypertensives in English general practices.

AIMS To determine the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among hypertensives in a cross-sectional survey of hypertensives from 13 general practices in England. FINDINGS Of 1,948 European hypertensives (systolic blood pressure 150 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure > 90 mmHg and/or on treatment for hypertension), 40 to 69 years of age, 53.3% on treatment had controlled blood pressures (systolic blood pressure < 160 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure < 95 mmHg). Electrocardiographic abnormalities and other cardiovascular risk factors were common among these hypertensives, with dyslipidaemia, past or current smoking and lack of physical exercise being present in the majority of those studied. All risk factors except reported diabetes were more prevalent amongst subjects from northern practices, where coronary heart disease rates are higher. Compared with those on no therapy, those receiving diuretics only had significantly higher levels of serum total cholesterol (6.39 mmol/l vs 6.69 mmol/l: p < 0.01), and those receiving beta-blockers only had significantly higher levels of triglycerides (2.32 mmol/l vs 2.64 mmol/ l: p < 0.01), and lower levels of HDL-cholesterol (1.33 mmol/l vs 1.23 mmol/l: p < 0.001). CONCLUSION It is important to consider other cardiovascular risk factors in hypertensives because they are very common and interact with blood pressure (BP) to determine levels of risk. The high proportion of inadequately controlled hypertensives demands a more effective management strategy.
The Elegant Simplicity of the Liverwort Marchantia polymorpha

Plants have evolved several ways to remain dormant until the time is right for growth. For example, seeds maintain dormancy through the antagonistic effects of the phytohormones abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellic acid. Auxin (indole-3-acetic acid [IAA]), in turn, regulates ABA-induced seed dormancy
Early Modern Space Travel and the English Man in the Moon

THE MOON, FOR EARLY MODERN ENGLISHMEN, was comfortingly familiar yet achingly distant. Countrymen looked to the moon, “the queen of heaven,” to understand “alterations and changes of humors, times, seasons,” and perturbations of “man’s body, the air, and all other things under her orb. ” The moon and its phases helped regulate mundane activities, from the planting of crops to the letting of blood, as well as governed the washing of the tides.1 Lunar light facilitated nighttime journeys. Lunar features stirred the imagination. From ancient times to the age of the telescope, sky-watchers speculated about the “face in the moon” or the “man in the moon,” and occasionally wondered whether lunar eyes were looking down on them. The Roman Greek Plutarch (ca. 45–125) had written “of the face appearing in the roundel of the moon,” and his work was available in English by 1603. Plutarch’s moon was most likely inhabited either by creatures “light, active and nimble of body” or by “daemons” or departed souls.2 The poet Edmund Spenser (1552–1599) wondered, “what if within the moon’s fair shining sphere, what if in every other star unseen, of other worlds he happily should hear? ” Rhetorically, for Spenser, the moon was a bridge from the newfound lands of America to the undiscovered world of “faerie land. ”3 The new global geography and the new astronomical science of late Renaissance Europe brought fresh attention to the lunar sphere. Churchmen, philosophers, and creative writers became fascinated with the properties of the populated moon. Their earnest inquiries were sometimes tinged with merriment and scorn, and jokes about “the man in the moon” became standard early modern fare.4
Solution structure of the Pdp 1 PWWP domain reveals its unique binding sites for methylated H 4 K 20 and DNA

Methylation of H4K20 (Lys of histone H4) plays an important role in the regulation of diverse cellular processes. In fission yeast, all three states of H4K20 methylation are catalysed by Set9. Pdp1 is a PWWP (proline-tryptophan-tryptophan-proline) domain-containing protein, which associates with Set9 to regulate its chromatin localization and methyltransferase activity towards H4K20. The structure of the Pdp1 PWWP domain, which is the first PWWP domain identified which binds to methyl-lysine at the H4K20 site, was determined in the present study by solution NMR. The Pdp1 PWWP domain adopts a classical PWWP fold, with a five-strand antiparallel β-barrel followed by three α-helices. However, it differs significantly from other PWWP domains in some structural aspects that account, in part, for its molecular recognition. Moreover, we revealed a unique binding pattern of the PWWP domain, in that the PWWP domain of Pdp1 bound not only to H4K20me3 (trimethylated Lys of histone H4), but also to dsDNA (double-stranded DNA) via an aromatic cage and a positively charged area respectively. EMSAs (electrophoretic mobility-shift assays) illustrated the ability of the Pdp1 PWWP domain to bind to the nucleosome core particle, and further mutagenesis experiments indicated the crucial role of this binding activity in histone H4K20 diand tri-methylation in yeast cells. The present study may shed light on a novel mechanism of histone methylation regulation by the PWWP domain.
Tracking the oxidative kinetics of carbohydrates, amino acids and fatty acids in the house sparrow using exhaled 13CO2

SUMMARY Clinicians commonly measure the 13CO2 in exhaled breath samples following administration of a metabolic tracer (breath testing) to diagnose certain infections and metabolic disorders. We believe that breath testing can become a powerful tool to investigate novel questions about the influence of ecological and physiological factors on the oxidative fates of exogenous nutrients. Here we examined several predictions regarding the oxidative kinetics of specific carbohydrates, amino acids and fatty acids in a dietary generalist, the house sparrow (Passer domesticus). After administering postprandial birds with 20 mg of one of seven 13C-labeled tracers, we measured rates of 13CO2 production every 15 min over 2 h. We found that sparrows oxidized exogenous amino acids far more rapidly than carbohydrates or fatty acids, and that different tracers belonging to the same class of physiological fuels had unique oxidative kinetics. Glycine had a mean maximum rate of oxidation (2021 nmol min−1) that was significantly higher than that of leucine (351 nmol min−1), supporting our prediction that nonessential amino acids are oxidized more rapidly than essential amino acids. Exogenous glucose and fructose were oxidized to a similar extent (5.9% of dose), but the time required to reach maximum rates of oxidation was longer for fructose. The maximum rates of oxidation were significantly higher when exogenous glucose was administered as an aqueous solution (122 nmol min−1), rather than as an oil suspension (93 nmol min−1), supporting our prediction that exogenous lipids negatively influence rates of exogenous glucose oxidation. Dietary fatty acids had the lowest maximum rates of oxidation (2-6 nmol min−1), and differed significantly in the extent to which each was oxidized, with 0.73%, 0.63% and 0.21% of palmitic, oleic and stearic acid tracers oxidized, respectively.
Identification of proteomic signatures of mantle cell lymphoma, small lymphocytic lymphoma, and marginal zone lymphoma biopsies by surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), and marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) are small B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs) that may be difficult to distinguish. In order to identify specific proteomic biomarkers, differential proteomic analysis of these three NHLs was performed using surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS). Whole cell lysates obtained from 18 MCL, 20 SLL, and 20 MZL biopsies were applied on two different ProteinChips (cationic and anionic). Hierarchical clustering and discriminating scores combined with an innovative bio-informatics microdissection strategy allowed us to distinguish specific lymphoma proteomic signatures based on the expression of 37 protein peaks. SELDI-assisted protein purification combined with nano-liquid chromatography (LC) quadrupole-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry (Q-TOF MS/MS) was used to identify proteins overexpressed in both MCL and SLL tumors. Among them two histones, H2B and H4, were identified in MCL tumor biopsies and the signal recognition particle 9 kDa protein, SRP9, in SLL tumor biopsies.
Racial/Ethnic differences in receipt of timely adjuvant therapy for older women with breast cancer: are delays influenced by the hospitals where patients obtain surgical care?

OBJECTIVE To examine whether hospitals where patients obtain care explain racial/ethnic differences in treatment delay. DATA SOURCE Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data linked with Medicare claims. STUDY DESIGN We examined delays in adjuvant chemotherapy or radiation for women diagnosed with stage I-III breast cancer during 1992-2007. We used multivariable logistic regression to assess the probability of delay by race/ethnicity and included hospital fixed effects to assess whether hospitals explained disparities. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Among 54,592 women, black (11.9 percent) and Hispanic (9.9 percent) women had more delays than whites (7.8 percent, p < .0001). After adjustment, black (vs. white) women had higher odds of delay (odds ratio = 1.25, 95 percent confidence interval = 1.10-1.42), attenuated somewhat by including hospital fixed effects (OR = 1.17, 95 percent CI = 1.02-1.33). CONCLUSIONS Hospitals are the important contributors to racial disparities in treatment delay.
Dioxin: are we safer now than before?

Numerical estimates of risk have come to dominate the debate over the regulation of toxic chemicals and other environmental health hazards. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently proposed changing one of the most prominent numerical inputs to quantitative risk assessment, the official estimate for the carcinogenic potency of dioxin. Our national preoccupation with dioxin (more specifically, a member of the family of 75 different chlorinated dioxins called 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzop-dioxin or “TCDD’) stems largely from its notoriety as the “most potent carcinogen” in the pantheon of substances tested in laboratory animals, and its ubiquity as a contaminant of various pesticides, the smoke and ash of incinerators, and bleached paper products such as diapers and coffee filters.
Exact assessment of perfusion and collateral vessel proliferation in small animal models.

To the Editor: Exact quantification of blood flow restoration and neovascularization poses a significant challenge, especially in small animal models. Although descriptive as well as functional methods of assessment exist, perfusion measurement has become a key point of current angiogenesis/arteriogenesis and stem cells studies. Cheng et al, in their recent article,1 provide interesting data on the role of MMP-2 in ischemic angiogenesis. Considerable efforts are made to correlate angiographic collateral imaging with perfusion as assessed by laser Doppler flowmetry in a murine MMP-2−/− hindlimb model. However, the article raises important technical questions regarding the exact quantification of blood flow restoration and neovascularization. First, in Figure 3, the authors1 compare microangiographies from MMP-2−/− mice to wild-type controls. The resolution obtained seems insufficient for quantitative analysis. Although the MMP-2−/− phenotype (Figure 3A) is associated with lesser numbers of vascular connections (Figure 3A upper versus lower …
On-pump coronary artery bypass surgery activates human myocardial NF-kappaB and increases TNF-alpha in the heart.

PURPOSE Myocardial tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) production and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) activation has been demonstrated in chronic heart failure and experimental models of acute ischemia-reperfusion injury. Further, a cause and effect relationship has been established between these events and cardiomyocyte apoptosis following such conditions. It remains unknown, however, whether the myocardial injury associated with coronary artery bypass surgery (CAB) results in myocardial NF-kappaB activation and TNF production. We hypothesized that CAB with cardiopulmonary bypass ("on-pump") activates human myocardial NF-kappaB and increases TNF in the heart. METHODS Patients, 18 to 65 years of age, scheduled for elective cardiac surgery but without other preexisting disease were considered eligible for the study. Biopsies of human myocardium were obtained before and after cardiopulmonary bypass and myocardial TNF levels were determined by ELISA and cytotoxicity assay, and NF-kappaB activation was determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (n = 6 patients). NF-kappaB activation was quantitated with gel densitometry. RESULTS The clinical characteristics of the study patients were as follows (means +/- SEM): mean age (y) 50.0 +/- 5.7, male 6 (100%), cardiopulmonary bypass time (min) 107 +/- 37.7, cross-clamp time (min) 68 +/- 17.6, number of CAB 3.0 +/- 1.1, and length of hospital stay (d) 4.8 +/- 0.9. Before CAB, myocardial TNF-alpha levels were 251 +/- 22 pg/g and 33 +/- 9 U/g, as determined by ELISA and cytotoxicity assay, respectively. Following CAB, human myocardial TNF-alpha levels increased to 892 +/- 71 pg/g (P = 0.0008) and 141 +/- 11 U/g (P = 0.0042), as determined by ELISA and cytotoxicity assay, respectively. Before CAB, the ratio of bound to unbound NF-kappaB DNA was 0.009 +/- 0.0007 and after CAB the ratio was 0.24 +/- 0.01 (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS This study represents the initial demonstration that coronary artery bypass grafting results in an activation of NF-kappaB and an increase of TNF in the heart.
RotR: Rotational redundant task mapping for fail-operational MPSoCs

As transient and permanent failures are rise shrinking process technology, MPSoC systems with fail-operational behavior have become important, especially for safety-critical applications. We therefore propose RotR, a rotational task mapping approach for an active-redundancy-based system to facilitate parallel execution of redundant tasks. RotR maps tasks such that no single failure affects more than one copy of a redundant task, and utilizes a multi-functional voter task that adapts its functionality based on the system's redundancy state after each component failure. RotR mapping and the proposed voter task jointly enable fail-operational behavior by seamlessly transitioning from higher reliability (e.g., Triple Modular Redundancy) to lower reliability (e.g., Double Modular Redundancy) without requiring task remapping. Our results show that RotR improves a system's fault-tolerant lifetime on average by 37% and 48% over standard DMR and TMR systems, respectively. Furthermore, it improves the overall lifetime by 29% compared to the baseline system having no redundancy.
Meat Quality, Digestibility and Deposition of Fatty Acids in Growing-finishing Pigs Fed Restricted, Iso-energetic Amounts of Diets Containing either Beef Tallow or Sunflower Oil

The influence of dietary beef tallow (BT) versus sunflower oil (SO) on meat quality and apparent digestibility and deposition of individual fatty acids in the whole carcass was investigated in pigs fed diets containing either BT or SO. The diets contained equal amounts of energy in the form of the variable fats and were fed on an iso-energetic, restricted basis. Crude fat in the SO diet was better digested (p<0.001) than in the BT diet. The dietary fat type had no effect on growth performance, physical properties of the carcass and meat quality. The pigs fed the BT diet showed lower (p<0.001) apparent digestibilities for palmitic and linoleic acid, but those of oleic and α-linolenic acid were not affected. The ratio of deposition in the carcass to intake of digestible fatty acids for the whole feeding period was decreased (p<0.01) for oleic and linoleic acid in pigs fed the SO diet. The pigs fed the SO diet instead of the BT diet had a lower (p<0.05) deposition:intake ratio for mono-unsaturated fatty acids. The calculated minimum de novo synthesis of saturated fatty acids was increased for the SO diet, but that of mono-unsaturated fatty acids was not different. In conclusion, the iso-energetic replacement of BT by SO had a marked impact on the fatty acid composition of tissues, but did not affect carcass and meat quality traits in spite of the marked difference in the deposition of linoleic acid in adipose tissues, loin muscle and the whole body. In addition, it became clear that the type of dietary fat had marked, specific effects on the synthesis and oxidation of fatty acids.
Operating power reserve quantification through PV generation uncertainty analysis of a microgrid

Due to renewable energy sources (RES) variable nature and their wide integration into power systems, setting an adequate operating power reserve is important to compensate unpredictable imbalance between generation and consumption. However, this power reserve should be ideally minimized to reduce system cost with a satisfying security level. Although many forecasting methodologies have been developed for forecasting energy generation and load demand, management tools for decision making of operating reserve are still needed. This paper deals with power reserve quantification through uncertainty analysis with a photovoltaic (PV) generator. Indeed, using an artificial neural network based predictor (ANNs), PV power and load have been forecasted 24 hours ahead, and also forecasting errors have been predicted. Through forecasting uncertainty analysis, the power reserve quantification is calculated according to various risk indexes.
Becoming Old as a ‘Pharmaceutical Person’: Negotiation of Health and Medicines among Ethnoculturally Diverse Older Adults*

RÉSUMÉ Parce que la prescription et l’utilisation des médicaments sont devenus un aspect normatif des soins de santé pour les personnes âgées, nous cherchons à comprendre comment les individus gérer l’utilisation des médicaments d’ordonnance dans le contexte du vieillissement. Nous soutenons que, pour ceux qui sont ambulatoires, l’utilisation de médicaments est susceptible d’être influencée par des considérations ethno-culturelles en matière de la santé et des expériences avec d’autres approches aux soins de santé. En conséquence, nous avons méné une étude qualitative, avec des entrevues en profondeur, sur un échantillon diversifié de personnes âgées afin d’identifier leurs perceptions et utilisations de médicaments. Nos conclusions dépeignent les personne âgées comme des agents actifs – qui s’appuient sur une vie d’expérience et de connaissances – qui prennent la responsabilité de l’adhésion (our non-adhésion) aux médicaments et leurs effets liés sur leur propre corps. Nous représentons la personne âgée comme une « personne pharmaceutique » dont les expériences du vieillissement sont inextricablement liée à la négociation des soins de santé dépendent sur les médicaments. ABSTRACT Because medication prescribing and use have become a normative aspect of health care for older adults, we seek to understand how individuals navigate prescribed-medication use within the context of aging. We reasoned that, for those who are ambulatory, medication use is likely influenced by ethnocultural meanings of health and experiences with alternative approaches to health care. Accordingly, we conducted a qualitative study, with in-depth interviews, on a diverse sample of older adults in order to identify elderly persons’ perceptions and uses of medicines. Our findings depict older adults as active agents – who draw on a lifetime of experience and knowledge – who take responsibility for adherence (or non-adherence) to medicines and their associated effects on their own bodies. We represent the older person as a “pharmaceutical person” whose experiences of aging are inextricably tied up with the negotiation of medicine-reliant health care.
Temperature-dependent Biosynthesis of 2-Thioribothymidine of Thermus thermophilus tRNA*

2-Thioribothymidine (s2T) is a modified nucleoside of U, specifically found at position 54 of tRNAs from extreme thermophilic microorganisms. The function of the 2-thiocarbonyl group of s2T54 is thermostabilization of the three-dimensional structure of tRNA; however, its biosynthesis has not been clarified until now. Using an in vivo tRNA labeling experiment, we demonstrate that the sulfur atom of s2T in tRNA is derived from cysteine or sulfate. We attempted to reconstitute 2-thiolation of s2T in vitro, using a cell extract of Thermus thermophilus. Specific 2-thiolation of ribothymidine, at position 54, was observed in vitro, in the presence of ATP. Using this assay, we found a strong temperature dependence of the 2-thiolation reaction in vitro as well as expression of 2-thiolation enzymes in vivo. These results suggest that the variable content of s2T in vivo at different temperatures may be explained by the above characteristics of the enzymes responsible for the 2-thiolation reaction. Furthermore, we found that another posttranscriptionally modified nucleoside, 1-methyladenosine at position 58, is required for the efficient 2-thiolation of ribothymidine 54 both in vivo and in vitro.
Elevated E/E' predicts prognosis in congestive heart failure patients with preserved systolic function.

BACKGROUND Although approximately 50% of heart failure patients are reported as heart failure with preserved left ventricular systolic function (HFPSF), echocardiographic prognostic predictors have not been well investigated. Recently, the tissue Doppler-derived index, the ratio of the early transmitral flow velocity and the early mitral annular velocity (E/E'), was reported as useful in predicting prognosis of patients with heart diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether E/E' predicts prognosis in HFPSF. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 50 patients with HFPSF (ejection fraction >50%) were consecutively enrolled and studied. Echocardiographic examination was performed on admission and repeated after optimized medical therapy. Cardiac events were defined as death and unplanned hospitalization because of congestive heart failure. Cardiac event-free survival curves from patients with E/E' >15 and E/E' <or=15 at baseline did not differ. On the other hand, patients with E/E' >15 after medical therapy showed significantly lower cardiac event-free survival than patients with E/E' <or=15 (log-rank, P=0.005). By multivariate logistic regression analysis, E/E' >15 after medical therapy was the only independent predictor of cardiac events (P=0.037, risk ratio=6.1, 95% confidence interval: 1.12-33.3) in patients with HFPSF. CONCLUSIONS Elevated E/E' after optimized medical therapy may be useful in predicting cardiac events in patients with HFPSF.