Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pulmonary hypertension in patients with chronic renal failure: role of parathyroid hormone and pulmonary artery calcifications.

RATIONALE The aim of this work was to study the association of pulmonary hypertension (PH) with pulmonary artery calcifications (PACs) and hyperparathyroidism in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) receiving regular hemodialysis. BACKGROUND Scarce data are available regarding the prevalence and the predictors of PH in patients with CRF. Abnormal (99m)Tc diphosphonate lung uptake was reported in these patients, suggesting a role of PACs. METHODS We studied 51 patients (28 men and 23 women) with end-stage renal disease, who were receiving regular hemodialysis. Patients underwent two-dimensional, Doppler echocardiographic imaging. Laboratory investigations included BUN, serum creatinine, calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, and intact molecule parathormone. PH was defined as pulmonary artery systolic pressure > 35 mm Hg as determined by Doppler echocardiographic evaluation. RESULTS PH was detected in 15 patients (29%). Women had a higher prevalence of PH (48% vs 14%, p = 0.01). There was no significant differences between patients with PH and those without PH with regards to age, duration of dialysis, serum calcium (9.6 +/- 2 mg/dL vs 10 +/- 2 mg/dL), phosphorus (6 +/- 1.4 mg/L vs 6.2 +/- 1.9 mg/L), alkaline phosphatase (609 +/- 768 U/L vs 473 +/- 574 U/L), parathyroid hormone (PTH) [420 +/- 512 pg/mL vs 354 +/- 519 pg/mL] or the prevalence of an abnormal (99m)Tc diphosphate lung scan result (60% vs 73%, respectively [+/- SD]). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that 29% of patients with CRF receiving regular hemodialysis have PH. The presence of PH was not related to the level of PTH or the severity of other metabolic abnormalities. There was no relation between PH and the presence or the severity of PAC. PH is detected more frequently in women. This study does not support a role of secondary hyperparathyroidism and subsequent PAC as the etiology of PH in patients with CRF.
A Tool for the Automatic comparison of Student Code in the Context of Computational Programming Teaching

In this paper we address the problem of motivating students to improve their programming practices through the development of a specific tool that allows them to compare the efficiency and structure of the codes they generate against those of other students or the references provided by the teacher. This tool has been created in order to serve as a competitive incentive or game that forces the students to stop and consider the problem and techniques for creating code that, in addition to performing the task it is supposed to perform, does it in an efficient manner. The tests performed with the tool have shown that students that use it improve their programming style and actually have more fun through the competition the tool induces.
Long Noncoding RNA SChLAP1 Accelerates the Proliferation and Metastasis of Prostate Cancer via Targeting miR-198 and Promoting the MAPK1 Pathway

Prostate cancer has become the most commonly diagnosed and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in males. The long noncoding RNA second chromosome locus associated with prostate-1 (SChLAP1) has been found to be overexpressed in a subset of prostate cancer. However, the significance and mechanism of SChLAP1 in prostate cancer are not well known. In this study, we explored the role of SChLAP1 in prostate cancer tissues, cell lines, and mouse models. The effect of SChLAP1 on miR-198 and MAPK1 was specifically examined. We found that SChLAP1 expression was significantly increased in prostate cancer cells and tissues. Knockdown of SChLAP1 promoted apoptosis and inhibited cell proliferation and invasion in vitro and in vivo. In addition, a potential bonding site between miR-198 and SChLAP1 was predicted, and a low expression of miR-198 was found in prostate cancer tissues and cells. Knockdown of SChLAP1 significantly increased the expression of miR-198, and SChLAP1 overexpression markedly decreased it, indicating that SChLAP1 acted as a negative regulator in the expression of miR-198. Furthermore, our results showed that SChLAP1 interacted with miR-198 and subsequently modulated the MAPK1 signaling pathway in prostate cancer. In conclusion, our study has identified a novel pathway through which SChLAP1 exerts its oncogenic role in prostate cancer at the level of miRNAs and provided a molecular basis for potential applications of SChLAP1 in the prognosis and treatment of prostate cancer.
Late-Life Social Activity and Cognitive Decline in Old Age

Abstract We examined the association of social activity with cognitive decline in 1138 persons without dementia at baseline with a mean age of 79.6 (SD = 7.5) who were followed for up to 12 years (mean = 5.2; SD = 2.8). Using mixed models adjusted for age, sex, education, race, social network size, depression, chronic conditions, disability, neuroticism, extraversion, cognitive activity, and physical activity, more social activity was associated with less cognitive decline during average follow-up of 5.2 years (SD = 2.7). A one point increase in social activity score (range = 1–4.2; mean = 2.6; SD = 0.6) was associated with a 47% decrease in the rate of decline in global cognitive function (p < .001). The rate of global cognitive decline was reduced by an average of 70% in persons who were frequently socially active (score = 3.33, 90th percentile) compared to persons who were infrequently socially active (score = 1.83, 10th percentile). This association was similar across five domains of cognitive function. Sensitivity analyses revealed that individuals with the lowest levels of cognition or with mild cognitive impairment at baseline did not drive this relationship. These results confirm that more socially active older adults experience less cognitive decline in old age. (JINS, 2011, 17, 998–1005)
Increasing fertility in cohabiting unions: evidence for the second demographic transition in the united states?

As cohabitation becomes increasingly common and accepted, one might expect the meaning of this arrangement to change. In some countries in Europe (e.g., Sweden), as cohabitation became more prevalent, it moved from a deviant status to an acceptable alternative to marriage. Will the same thing happen in the United States? To investigate this question, I examine increases in the proportion of births occurring in cohabiting unions, using data from the 1987–1988 National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) and the1995 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). The standardization and decomposition procedure shows that most of the growth in the proportion of births to cohabitors is the result of increases in the proportion of women cohabiting, rather than changes in union formation behaviors surrounding pregnancies.
Single-dose pharmacokinetics of ceftriaxone in infants and young children

The pharmacokinetics of ceftriaxone were studied in five infants (7 to 15 months old) and five young children (24 to 70 months old). Both groups received a single 50-mg/kg dose in an intravenous infusion over 5 min. No major pharmacokinetic differences were observed between the two populations. The total (bound plus unbound) plasma concentration-versus-time data could be described in each case by a biexponential equation. Changes in renal clearance indicated time- and dose- dependent pharmacokinetic behavior. The fraction excreted unchanged in the urine (fu) and the biological half-life (t 1/2 (beta)) were, however, dose independent. The average values were 47% for fu (0 to 12 h) and 6.5 for T 1/2 (beta). Weight-corrected total systemic clearance was C1TS = 0.71 ml/min per kg; volume of distribution was VD (beta) = 394 mg/kg. The data support intravenous administration of 50 mg of ceftriaxone per kg of body weight every 12 h in assessing its activity against Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Neisseria meningitidis in postneonatal-stage pediatric patients.
[Daptomycin for the treatment of infective endocarditis: When do we use it?]

Birçok gram-pozitif bakteriye karşı in vitro hızlı bakterid etkinlik gösteren bir lipopeptid olan daptomisinin, özellikle, antimikrobiyal tedavisinde sorunlar yaşanan metisiline dirençli stafilokokların neden olduğu infektif endokarditlerin tedavisinde büyük başarılar sağlayabileceği düşünülmüş ve çalışmalar bu konuya yoğunlaştırılmıştır. [1] Nitekim bu ajan Amerika Birleşik Devletleri’nde (ABD) 2006 yılında, ülkemizdeyse 2009 yılında Staphylococcus aureus’a bağlı bakteriyemilerde ve sağ kapak infektif endokarditlerinde klinik kullanım için ruhsatlandırılmış, ancak sol kapak endokarditlerinde halen ruhsatlandırılmamıştır. Bunun nedeni, S. aureus bakteriyemisi veya endokarditi olan 246 hastalık randomize kontrollü bir faz 3 çalışmasında; 6 mg/kg/günlük daptomisin tedavisinin, S. aureus bakteriyemisi ve sağ kapak endokarditinde, standart tedavi kadar etkili olduğunun gösterilmesi; bu çalışmada yer alan çok az sayıdaki (n=18) sol kapak endokarditinde ise standart tedavi kadar etkili bulunmamasıdır. [2] Bugüne kadar, sol kapak endokarditlerinde daptomisin tedavisini diğer tedavilerle karşılaştıran başka bir randomize kontrollü çalışma yapılmamıştır. Daptomisinin sol kapak endokarditlerinde kullanımı konusunda var olan kanıtlar öncelikle uluslararası ileriye dönük bir kohort çalışmasından[3] ve geriye dönük gözlemsel çalışmalardan[4,5] kaynaklanmaktadır. Uluslararası ileriye dönük kohort çalışmasında toplam 29 sol kalp kapağı endokarditinde, yüksek doz (≈9 mg/kg) daptomisinin standart tedaviler kadar etkili olduğu bildirilmiştir. [3] Aynı yıl yayımlanmış ve üretici ilaç firmasının desteklediği geriye dönük gözlemsel bir çalışmada da, daptomisinin sol kapak endokarditlerinde %76 oranında başarılı olduğu bildirilmiştir. [4] Sonuç olarak günümüzde daptomisinin sol kapak endokarditlerinde rutin kullanımını önerebilmek için eldeki veriler ne yazık ki halen yetersizdir. [1] Bu nedenle de, 2015 yılında güncellenmiş ABD ve Avrupa rehberlerinde metisiline dirençli S. aureus (MRSA) ve metisiline dirençli koagülaz negatif stafilokokların (MRKNS) neden olduğu infektif endokarditlerde ilk seçenek olarak önerilen antibiyotik, son 60 yıldır olduğu gibi yine vankomisin olmuş, daptomisin ise seçenek olarak önerilmiştir. [6,7] Vankomisinin yine ilk seçenek olarak önerilmesinin nedenleri, 1950’li yıllardan beri kullanımda olmasına karşın MRSA ve MRKNS suşlarında vankomisin direncinin halen nadiren karşılaşılan bir tablo olması, bu ajanla klinik tecrübenin fazlalığı ve tedavi maliyetinin daptomisine göre oldukça düşük olmasıdır (sol kapak endokarditi için önerilen dozlarda günlük yaklaşık tedavi maliyeti vankomisinle 50 TL iken, daptomisinle 500 TL’dir). Vankomisin tedavisinin başarısında, özellikle MRSA ile enfekte veya septisemili hastalarda olmak üzere yeterli serum konsantrasyonuna hızla ulaşabilmek için 25–30 mg/kg’lık bir yükleme dozu verilmesi, takip eden dozların kiloya göre ayarlan-
Phytoestrogens and prostate cancer: possible preventive role

To the Editor: In response to the recent article in The Lancet describing the first published case of rare eye malformations in a baby born to a mother who used the topical retinoid adapalene gel in early pregnancy, 1 we draw your attention to a similar case published by the Adverse Drug Reactions Advisory Committee in 1993.2 We describe the neuropathology of this case (the first in Australia) of severe craniofacial and central nervous system (CNS) malformations in a baby girl, born at term, whose mother had been exposed to topical retinoic acid during pregnancy. The craniofacial and CNS abnormalities in this child are consistent with deranged cranial neural crest cell migration. Similar defects have been reported in cases where mothers were exposed to oral vitamin A. 3 The craniofacial malformations were cleft palate and harelip, fused palpebral fissures, hypertelorism, a depressed nasal bridge, and deficient left nares. The CNS malformations consisted of disorganised rudimentary optic cup derivatives with optic tract dysgenesis, arrhinencephaly, agenesis of the corpus callosum, fornices and cingulate gyri, cerebellar hypoplasia, and aqueduct stenosis with hydrocephalus. The only teratogen the mother was exposed to was topical Retin-A (tretinoin 0.05%) cream, an all-trans retinoic acid, for the treatment of severe facial acne vulgaris. She applied this cream to her face twice daily for two years, including the entire period of her pregnancy. The accumulated evidence from prospective studies and a retrospective cohort study' to date does not suggest that topical tretinoin is teratogenic in humans. However, animal studies have shown the potential for a teratogenic response after the application of topical vitamin A,5 and sporadic cases of congenital malformations in association with maternal exposure to topical retinoids continue to be reported. ' Multiple abnormalities are rare and in many cases the cause is not known. It must
Simultaneous clustering of multiple heterogeneous gene expression datasets

Clustering algorithms aim, by definition, at partitioning a given set of objects into a set of clusters such that those objects which belong to the same cluster are similar to each other while being dissimilar to the objects belonging to the other clusters. By application to three case studies of real gene expression data, we demonstrate that the most commonly used algorithms (e.g. k-means and Markov clustering) do not always meet the objective of clustering as per the definition of clustering. This problem becomes more significant when data with more dimensions are analysed, or when multiple datasets are analysed simultaneously. We solve this problem by proposing an automated consensus clustering algorithm, Clust, which can be applied to one or more datasets simultaneously, and can identify clusters with higher within-cluster similarity and lower intra-cluster similarity than other algorithms. Thus Clust meets the basic definition of clustering in a more reliable and accurate manner.
Cutaneous anthrax: still a reality in india

staining for smooth muscle actin, and weakly positive or negative staining of endothelial cells for factor VIIIrelated antigen suggest a prominent perithelial component among the tumor capillaries (2±4). The ®ndings were consistent with tufted angioma. We reviewed the literature and found no cases of tufted angioma on the palm. Although extremity involvement has been reported, these lesions are usually on the proximal thigh (2±7).
Greek M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory: Validation and Utility in Cancer Patients

Objective: The M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI) is a brief assessment of the severity and impact of cancer-related symptoms. The purpose of this study was the translation and validation of the questionnaire in Greek (G-MDASI). Methods: The translation and validation of the assessment took place at a Pain Relief and Palliative Care Unit. The final validation sample included 150 cancer patients (61 males, 89 females, age range 31–88 years, mean age 63.32). The patients completed the questionnaires at the outpatient clinic. Assessing the validity and reliability constituted the actual validation of the G-MDASI. Results: The item ‘diarrhea’ had a score of 0 in 139 patients and, thus was omitted from the ‘core’ list. Consequently, the core questionnaire consisted of 14 items. Factor analysis resulted in a 3-factor model, in both validation and cross-validation samples. The examination of the sensitivity of the MDASI revealed that there were differences between patients with poor-to-good performance status but no differences were found between patients in different treatment groups. Conclusions: The results showed that the G-MDASI is a reliable and valid measure in Greek cancer patients. It has proved to be a comprehensive symptom assessment tool.
On the identification of optimal cellular automata for built-in self-test of sequential circuits

This paper presents a BIST architecture for finite state machines that exploits cellular automata (CA) as pattern generators and signature analyzers. The main advantage of the proposed approach, called C/sup 2/BIST (circular cellular BIST) is that the same CA is used for generation and compaction, thus lowering substantially the area requirements. The configuration of the CA rules is performed through a generic algorithm that is shown to provide good results both in terms of fault coverage and number of reconfigurations. In many cases, no reconfiguration is necessary and the corresponding area occupation is competitive with current BIST approaches.
The effect of high-intensity circuit training on physical fitness.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a high-intensity circuit training regimen, using only body weight as resistance, on physical fitness. METHODS Ninety-six recreationally active college aged subjects (53 female, 43 male) completed the study. Following baseline testing for height and weight, body composition, aerobic fitness, muscle strength and muscle endurance, subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups: 7-minute circuit training (CT-7), 14-minute circuit training (CT-14), and a non-training control group (C). Subjects in the CT-7 group (females, N.=17; males, N.=15) were asked to complete a seven minute circuit training workout for eight weeks (three workouts per week). The CT-14 group (females, N.=15; males, N.=13) followed the same protocol as CT-7 through the first four weeks. For the second four weeks they increased exercise time to 14 minutes with the same 7 minute circuit performed twice consecutively. Subjects in group C (females, N.=21; males, N.=15) maintained their normal activity levels throughout the course of the study. RESULTS There were no significant differences between the groups for any variables tested prior to the exercise intervention. A repeated measures analysis of variance revealed statistically significant improvements in muscular endurance (push-ups) for both male and female subjects in the CT-7 and CT-14 groups. Males in the two exercising groups also showed improvement in muscular strength while aerobic capacity increased for females in the CT-14 group. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that short duration, high intensity circuit training may improve muscle endurance in moderately fit populations. Slight improvements that are gender specific may also be observed in muscle strength as well as aerobic fitness.
A feasibility study on the use of digital tomosynthesis with individually-acquired megavoltage portal images for target localization.

PURPOSE To determine the feasibility of using megavoltage (MV) images and digital tomosynthesis to determine the three dimensional (3D) localization of different objects. MATERIALS AND METHODS Different phantom geometries were imaged using an electronic portal imaging device and digital tomosynthesis was used to reconstruct tomograms. These were compared with corresponding computed tomography (CT) images. RESULTS While in-plane resolution of the tomograms was comparable as that of the CT images, definite out-of-plane (depth) localization was restricted to 5 mm. CONCLUSION The results confirm that it is possible to perform 3D localization of objects by using digital tomosynthesis for volumetric reconstructions from individually-acquired MV-quality portal images.
The fibrolamellar variant of hepatocellular carcinoma. Its association with focal nodular hyperplasia

A case of fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FL‐HCC) associated with adjacent focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is described. These two regions were adjacent but distinct, both on gross and microscopic examination. Currently, it is unclear whether FL‐HCC rarely arises in preexisting FNH, or whether FNH is a typical response to this vascular variant of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The FNH region, which is peripheral, may be biopsied to exclude the underlying carcinoma, and thus lead to inadequate therapy. Previous reports of this association are reviewed.
Technical Reports Series Institute for Research in Cognitive Science April 1995 Lexicalization and Grammar Development

In this paper we present a fully lexicalized grammar formalism as a particularly attractive framework for the specification of natural language grammars. We discuss in detail Feature-based, Lexicalized Tree Adjoining Grammars (FB-LTAGs), a representative of the class of lexicalized grammars. We illustrate the advantages of lexicalized grammars in various contexts of natural language processing, ranging from wide-coverage grammar development to parsing and machine translation. We also present a method for compact and efficient representation of lexicalized trees. In diesem Beitrag präsentieren wir einen völlig lexikalisierten Grammatikformalismus als eine besonders geeignete Basis für die Spezifikation von Grammatiken für natürliche Sprachen. Wir stellen feature-basierte, lexikalisierte Tree Adjoining Grammars (FB-LTAGs) vor, ein Vertreter der Klasse der lexikalisierten Grammatiken. Wir führen die Vorteile von lexikalisierten Grammatiken in verschiedenen Bereichen der maschinellen Sprachverarbeitung aus; von der Entwicklung von Grammatiken für weite Sprachbereiche über Parsing bis zu maschineller Übersetzung. Wir stellen außerdem eine Methode zur kompakten und effizienten Repräsentation von lexikalisierten Bäumen vor. Comments University of Pennsylvania Institute for Research in Cognitive Science Technical Report No. IRCS-95-12. This technical report is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn. edu/ircs_reports/138
Wraparound error in Fourier Space Timestepping

Spectral methods are a class of methods for solving partial differential equations (PDEs) or partial integrodifferential equations (PIDEs) using the Fourier transform. Numerous option valuation problems in quantitative finance can be formulated as PDEs or PIDEs. As a result, spectral methods can be applied to the valuation of options. This paper investigates the application of a Fourier space timestepping (FST) method in option valuation. Wraparound errors that affect spectral methods are studied intensively.
Silencing the Jasmonate Cascade: Induced Plant Defenses and Insect Populations

We transformed the native tobacco, Nicotiana attenuata, to silence its lipoxygenase, hydroperoxide lyase, and allene oxide synthase genes in order to inhibit oxylipin signaling, known to mediate the plant's direct and indirect defenses. When planted into native habitats, lipoxygenase-deficient plants were more vulnerable to N. attenuata's adapted herbivores but also attracted novel herbivore species, which fed and reproduced successfully. In addition to highlighting the value of genetically silencing plants to study ecological interactions in nature, these results show that lipoxygenase-dependent signaling determines host selection for opportunistic herbivores and that induced defenses influence herbivore community composition.
A compact monopole array with decoupled ports

In compact arrays, tight element spacing results in strong mutual coupling. This may cause severe system performance degradation. The effects of the coupling can be alleviated through the introduction of a decoupling network. An alternative solution comprises of a multi-port feed network which excites the antenna elements in accordance with the eigenvectors of the scattering parameter matrix of the array. This paper describes the design of a novel 4-element monopole array. The modal feed network of the array is implemented as a planar ring-type circuit in stripline with four coupled line sections. This implementation offers a significant reduction in size, resulting in a very compact adaptive array.
Sequentiality and strong stability

It is shown that Kahn-Plotkin sequentiality can be expressed by a preservation property similar to stability and that this kind of generalized stability can be extended to higher order. The main result is the construction of a model where all morphisms are functions and, at ground types, these functions are sequential. <<ETX>>