Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of ischemic mitral regurgitation in the pathogenesis of acute pulmonary edema.

BACKGROUND Acute mitral regurgitation may cause pulmonary edema, but the pathogenetic role of chronic ischemic mitral regurgitation, a dynamic condition, has not yet been characterized. METHODS We prospectively studied 28 patients (mean [+/-SD] age, 65+/-11 years) with acute pulmonary edema and left ventricular systolic dysfunction and 46 patients without a history of acute pulmonary edema. The two groups were matched for all baseline characteristics. Patients underwent quantitative Doppler echocardiography during exercise. Exercise-induced changes in the left ventricular volume, the ejection fraction, the mitral regurgitant volume, the effective regurgitant orifice area, and the transtricuspid pressure gradient were compared in patients with and without acute pulmonary edema. RESULTS The two groups had similar clinical and baseline echocardiographic characteristics. They also had similar exercise-induced changes in heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and left ventricular volumes. In the univariate analysis, patients with recent pulmonary edema had a much higher increase than did the patients without pulmonary edema in mitral regurgitant volume (26+/-14 ml vs. 5+/-14 ml, P<0.001), the effective regurgitant orifice area (16+/-10 mm2 vs. 2+/-9 mm2, P<0.001), and the transtricuspid pressure gradient (29+/-10 mm Hg vs. 13+/-11 mm Hg, P<0.001). In the multivariate analysis, exercise-induced changes in the effective regurgitant orifice area (P<0.001), in the transtricuspid pressure gradient (P=0.001), and in the left ventricular ejection fraction (P=0.02) were independently associated with a history of recent pulmonary edema. CONCLUSIONS In patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction, acute pulmonary edema is associated with the dynamic changes in ischemic mitral regurgitation and the resulting increase in pulmonary vascular pressure.
Dorsolateral caudate nucleus differentiates cocaine from natural reward-associated contextual cues

Chronic drug administration induces neuroplastic changes within brain circuits regulating cognitive control and/or emotions. Following repeated pairings between drug intake and environmental cues, increased sensitivity to or salience of these contextual cues provoke conscious or unconscious craving and enhance susceptibility to relapse. To explore brain circuits participating in such experience-induced plasticity, we combined functional MRI with a preclinical drug vs. food self-administration (SA) withdrawal model. Specifically, two groups of rats were trained to associate odor cues with the availability of i.v. cocaine or oral sucrose, respectively. After 20 d of cocaine or sucrose SA followed by prolonged (30 d) forced abstinence, animals were presented with odor cues previously associated with or without (S+/S−) reinforcer (cocaine/sucrose) availability while undergoing functional MRI scans. ANOVA results demonstrate that a learning effect distinguishing S+ from S− was seen in the insula and nucleus accumbens, with the insula response reflecting the individual history of cocaine SA intake. A main effect of group, distinguishing cocaine from sucrose, was seen in the medial prefrontal cortex (infralimbic, prelimbic, and cingulate cortex) and dorsolateral striatum. Critically, only the dorsomedial striatum demonstrated a double dissociation between the two SA groups and learning (S+ vs. S−). These findings demonstrate altered cortico-limbic-striatal reward-related processing to learned, environment reward-associated contextual odor cues, which may serve as potential biomarkers for therapeutic interventions.
Reconstituted Human Polyclonal Plasma-derived Secretory-like IgM and IgA Maintain the Barrier Function of Epithelial Cells Infected with an Enteropathogen*

Background: SIgM and SIgA are emerging as therapeutic agents, but their mode of action requires further definition. Results: We provide a functional demonstration of SIgM and SIgA in maintaining the integrity of intestinal epithelial cells exposed to Shigella flexneri. Conclusion: SIgM is superior to SIgA in ensuring the homeostasis of intestinal epithelial cells challenged with Shigella flexneri. Significance: SIgM and SIgA have potential as mucosal therapeutic agents. Intravenous administration of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies has proven to be a clinically valid approach in the treatment, or at least relief, of many acute and chronic pathologies, such as infection, immunodeficiency, and a broad range of autoimmune conditions. Plasma-derived IgG or recombinant IgG are most frequently used for intravenous or subcutaneous administration, whereas a few IgM-based products are available as well. We have established recently that secretory-like IgA and IgM can be produced upon association of plasma-derived polymeric IgA and IgM with a recombinant secretory component. As a next step toward potential future mucosal administration, we sought to unravel the mechanisms by which these secretory Igs protect epithelial cells located at the interface between the environment and the inside of the body. By using polarized epithelial Caco-2 cell monolayers and Shigella flexneri as a model enteropathogen, we found that polyspecific plasma-derived SIgA and SIgM fulfill many protective functions, including dose-dependent recognition of the antigen via formation of aggregated immune complexes, reduction of bacterial infectivity, maintenance of epithelial cell integrity, and inhibition of proinflammatory cytokine/chemokine production by epithelial cells. In this in vitro model devoid of other cellular or molecular interfering partners, IgM and secretory IgM showed stronger bacterial neutralization than secretory IgA. Together, these data suggest that mucosally delivered antibody preparations may be most effective when combining both secretory-like IgA and IgM, which, together, play a crucial role in preserving several levels of epithelial cell integrity.
Delft Pneumatic Bipeds (M. Wisse et al.; 2007) [Bookshelf]

This book is based on the dissertations of its authors, who constructed a series of five bipeds, starting with a McGeer-like planar, torso-less, passive walker and finishing with Denise, a 3D-biped with torso and arms, which uses arguably the simplest possible sensing, actuation, and feedback control system capable of achieving stable walking on a flat surface. The material has been rewritten and edited to arrive at a very compact, informative, and enjoyable presentation. The emphasis is on achieving energy-efficient walking on a flat surface through the effective use of the natural dynamics of highly underactuated machines.
Readmissions due to acute biliary edematous pancreatitis in patients without cholecystectomy.

AIMS: Analyzing the readmission of patients with acute biliary edematous pancreatitis (ABEP) without cholecystectomy despite a previous episode of mild acute gallstone pancreatitis or lithiasic cholecystitis. Calculating the health costs associated with the non-performance of cholecystectomy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Prospective observational study conducted at a tertiary hospital from July to November 2014. The study has consecutively included inpatients suffering from ABEP who: a) had suffered a previous episode of mild acute gallstone pancreatitis or cholecystitis at least 2 weeks before readmission; and b) had not undergone cholecystectomy despite the lack of contraindications. RESULTS: During the research period, 9 patients (7 females and 2 males) with a mean age of 65.3 years (standard deviation [SD] 19.2) were readmitted. The median number of days between the previous episode of ABEP or cholecystitis and the readmission was 114 days (interquartile range [IQR] 111.0). Reported median overall length of hospital stay was 10 days (IQR = 2.0). Patients underwent a mean of 2.8 (SD = 1.2) ultrasound scans, 1.3 (SD = 0.9) abdominal and pelvic CT, 0.8 (SD = 1.0) MRCP and 0.2 (SD = 0.4) ERCP. The mean cost per patient for each readmission, including hospital stay (143.0 €/day), Emergency Service (332.31 €) and tests performed was 2,381.70 €/patient. CONCLUSIONS: Not performing a cholecystectomy within two weeks after a first episode of mild ABEP or cholecystitis contributes to patient readmission due to recurrent pancreatitis, resulting in avoidable treatment costs.
Multipoint-to-multipoint network communication

We have formulated an exact ILP model for the problem of communicating on a virtual network. While this ILP model was successful in solving small problems, it is not recommended to handle larger instances, due to the fact that the number of variables in the model grows exponentially as the graph size grows. However, this ILP model can provide a benchmark for heuristic algorithms developed for this problem. We have also described a heuristic approach, and explored several variants of the algorithm. We found a solution that seems to perform well with reasonable computation time. The heuristic is able to find solutions that respect the degree constraints, but show a small number of violations of the desired time constraints. Tests on small problems show that heuristic is not always able to find feasible solutions, even though the exact method has shown they exist. It would be interesting in the future to look at whether insights gained by looking at exact solutions can be used to improve the heuristic.
Increasing the Interaction of Borrelia burgdorferi with Decorin Significantly Reduces the 50 Percent Infectious Dose and Severely Impairs Dissemination

ABSTRACT Tight regulation of surface antigenic expression is crucial for the pathogenic strategy of the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi. Here, we report the influence of increasing expression of decorin-binding protein A (DbpA), one of the most investigated spirochetal surface adhesins, on the 50% infectious dose (ID50), dissemination, tissue colonization, pathogenicity, and persistence of B. burgdorferi in the murine host. Our in vitro assays showed that increasing DbpA expression dramatically increased the interaction of B. burgdorferi with decorin and sensitivity to growth inhibition/killing by anti-DbpA antibodies; however, this increased interaction did not affect spirochetal growth and replication in the presence of decorin. Increasing DbpA expression significantly reduced ID50 values and severely impaired dissemination in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) and immunocompetent mice. During infection of SCID mice, B. burgdorferi with increased DbpA expression was able to effectively colonize heart and skin tissues, but not joint tissues, completely abrogating arthritis virulence. Although increasing DbpA expression did not affect spirochetal persistence in the skin, it diminished the ability of B. burgdorferi to persist in the heart and joint tissues during chronic infection of immunocompetent mice. Taken together, the study highlights the importance of controlling surface antigen expression in the infectivity, dissemination, tissue colonization, pathogenicity, and persistence of B. burgdorferi during mammalian infection.
A Non-Invasive Approach for Moisture Measurements through Patch Antennas

Different approaches and techniques are commonly available for the continuous monitoring of moisture levels and dielectric properties of materials; typically, related applications, are largely used in soil science area. Nevertheless, the state of the art is actually rather lacking in specific sensing methods that combine the low cost and the non-invasive approach of the involved instrumentation. To fill this gap, in this paper the authors study the feasibility of the adoption of the time-domain reflectometry analysis for such purposes, using a patch antenna as sensing element. This way, the extrapolation of the scattering parameters is suitably correlated to the water content levels of the materials under test. Furthermore, the adopted methodology is assessed through full-wave simulations, thus corroborating the experimental measurements.
PENGARUH PERTUMBUHAN EKONOMI DAN PERTUMBUHAN SEKTOR KEUANGAN TERHADAP PENGURANGAN KEMISKINAN DI INDONESIA

Indonesia merupakan negara dengan jumlah penduduk terbesar ke 4 di dunia. Jumlah penduduk yang besar jika tidak diikuti dengan peningkatan kualitas penduduk tentu membawa dampak timbulnya kemiskinan. Berbicara masalah kemiskinan di Indonesia telah mengalami penurunan sejak tahun 1976. Ada dua tujuan dari kajian ini, yang pertama adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh pertumbuhan ekonomi terhadap pengurangan kemiskinan di Indonesia. Dan tujuan yang kedua adalah mengetahui pengaruh pertumbuhan sektor keuangan terhadap pengurangan kemiskinan di Indonesia. Kajian ini menggunakan metode VAR dengan estimasi data dari tahun 2000 hingga tahun 2012. Penurunan kemiskinan ini dapat terjadi akibat pertumbuhan ekonomi dan pertumbuhan sektor keuangan yang mengalami peningkatan setiap tahun. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa pertumbuhan ekonomi memiliki pengaruh yang negatif dan signifikan terhadap kemiskinan. Dari penelitian juga didapatkan hasil bahwa pertumbuhan sektor keuangan memiliki pengaruh yang tidak signifikan terhadap pengurangan kemiskinan.
Differential microRNA expression in human placentas of term intra-uterine growth restriction that regulates target genes mediating angiogenesis and amino acid transport

Placental insufficiency leading to intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) demonstrates perturbed gene expression affecting placental angiogenesis and nutrient transfer from mother to fetus. To understand the post-transcriptional mechanisms underlying such placental gene expression changes, our objective was to identify key non-coding microRNAs that express biological function. To this end, we initially undertook microarrays targeting microRNAs in a small sub-set of placentas of appropriate (AGA) versus small for gestational age (SGA) weight infants, and observed up-regulation of 97 miRs and down-regulation of 44 miRs in SGA versus AGA. In a larger cohort of samples (AGA, n = 21; SGA, n = 11; IUGR subset, n = 5), we validated by qRT-PCR differential expression of three specific microRNAs (miR-10b, -363 and -149) that target genes mediating angiogenesis and nutrient transfer. Validation yielded an increase in miR-10b and -363 expression of ~2.5-fold (p<0.02 each) in SGA versus AGA, and of ~3-fold (p<0.005) in IUGR versus AGA, with no significant change despite a trending increase in miR-149. To further establish a cause-and-effect paradigm, employing human HTR8 trophoblast cells, we assessed the effect of nutrient deprivation on miR expression and inhibition of endogenous miRs on target gene expression. In-vitro nutrient deprivation (~50%) increased the expression of miR-10b and miR-149 by 1.5-fold (p<0.02) while decreasing miR-363 (p<0.0001). Inhibition of endogenous miRs employing antisense sequences against miR-10b, -363 and -149 revealed an increase respectively in the expression of the target genes KLF-4 (transcription factor which regulates angiogenesis), SNAT1 and 2 (sodium coupled neutral amino acid transporters) and LAT2 (leucine amino acid transporter), which translated into a similar change in the corresponding proteins. Finally to establish functional significance we performed dual-luciferase reporter assays with 3’-insertion of miR-10b alone and observed a ~10% reduction in the 5’-luciferase activity versus the control. Lastly, we further validated by microarray and employing MirWalk software that the pathways and target genes identified by differentially expressed miRs in SGA/IUGR compared to AGA are consistent in a larger cohort. We have established the biological significance of various miRs that target common transcripts mediating pathways of importance, which are perturbed in the human IUGR placenta.
Going tobacco-free on 24 New York City university campuses: A public health agency's partnership with a large urban public university system

ABSTRACT The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene partnered with the nation's largest university system, the City University of New York (CUNY), to provide technical assistance and resources to support the development and implementation of a system-wide tobacco-free policy. This effort formed one component of Healthy CUNY—a larger initiative to support health promotion and disease prevention across the university system and resulted in the successful introduction of a system-wide tobacco-free policy on all CUNY campuses. Glassman et al (J Am Coll Health. 2011;59:764–768) published a blueprint for action related to tobacco policies that informed our work. This paper describes the policy development and implementation process and presents lessons learned from the perspective of the Health Department, as a practical case study to inform and support other health departments who may be supporting colleges and universities to become tobacco-free.
Kurzzeitfasten als adjuvante Therapie bei der Behandlung der mit Adipositas vergesellschafteten Krankheitsbilder Lymphödem und Lipolymphödem der Beine

Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war, die Effektivitat einer kombinierten Therapie aus Komplexer Physikalischer Entstauungstherapie (KPE) und Fasten fur stationare Patientinnen mit Lymph- oder Lipolymphodem der Beine bei gleichzeitig bestehender Adipositas zu untersuchen. Odemreduktion, Veranderung der Korperzusammensetzung und Korpergewichtsreduktion sollten anhand einer praxisnahen Methodenauswahl uberpruft werden. Drei Gruppen mit insgesamt 52 Patientinnen (Alter 25 -70 Jahre) wurden untersucht. Eine Gruppe mit Lymph- bzw. Lipolymphodemen der Beine (G1; n=16) wurde zusatzlich zur KPE mit Fasten therapiert, wahrend eine Zweite (G2; n=12) die KPE als alleinige Therapie durchfuhrte. Eine adipose Kontrollgruppe ohne lymphodematose Beine (G3; n=24) wurde nur mit Fasten therapiert. Statuserhebungen und Verlaufsmessungen des Ganzkorpers wurden uber die BIA-Methode bei vier Frequenzen (1, 5, 50, 100 kHz) und konventioneller Elektrodenanordnung erhoben und mit der Nutri4-Formel (Fa. Data Input, Frankfurt) und der von Segal entwickelten Formel ausgewertet. Segmentale BIA-Messungen der Beine und Arme wurden uber die Impedanz-Indices bei den verschiedenen Frequenzen bewertet. Daneben wurden anthropometrische Einzelwerte erfasst und mit der Vierhautfaltenformel nach Durnin und Womersley ausgewertet. Die KPE- und Fastentherapie erzielen gute Erfolge bei Korpergewichts- und Extremitatenabnahmen. Fur alle drei Gruppen wird die Korpergewichtsabnahme und die anthropometrisch ermittelte Beinvolumenabnahme als statistisch signifikant ausgewiesen, die Armvolumenabnahme nur fur die fastenden Gruppen G1 und G3. Somit kann die KPE-Wirkung uber die anthropometrische Beinvolumenabnahme bei G2 (KPE ohne Fasten) aufgezeigt werden. Die angewandte BIA-Methode mit den o. g. vier Frequenzen ist nicht geeignet den KPE-Erfolg bei Beinlymphodemen sowie Veranderungen des Beinvolumens durch Fastentherapie zuverlassig zu bestimmen. Die Frequenz 1 kHz liefert bei den lymphodematos veranderten Beinen der Gruppen G1 und G2 sowie bei den adiposen Beinen der Gruppe G3 keine zuverlassigen Ergebnisse und konnte nicht weiter ausgewertet werden. Eine Differentialdiagnose zwischen Lymph- und Lipolymphodem und adiposem Bein ist mit dem verwendeten BIA-Gerat nicht durchfuhrbar. Zusammenfassend bringt die zusatzlich zur KPE durchgefuhrte Kurzfastentherapie fur Gruppe G1 einen groseren Therapieerfolg bezuglich der anthropometrisch ermittelten Beinvolumenabnahme absolut und prozentual zum Ausgangswert im Vergleich zur ausschlieslichen KPE-Therapie bei Gruppe G2.
Retrieval method for multi-category images

We propose an image retrieval technique based on multiple categories. Generally, an image can be associated with many concepts or objects. When concepts or objects are regarded as categories, an image could have multiple labels corresponding to these categories. Thus, image retrieval based on multiple categories would be an important technology for an image database system. To realize multicategory image retrieval, we employ the PMM (parametric mixture model) of multi-category text classification. We carried out multi-category image classification experiments using PMM and the color histogram feature. The experimental results show the possibility of multi-category image classification and retrieval using PMM.
Detecting Asymmetric Semantic Relations in Context: A Case-Study on Hypernymy Detection

We introduce WHiC, a challenging testbed for detecting hypernymy, an asymmetric relation between words. While previous work has focused on detecting hypernymy between word types, we ground the meaning of words in specific contexts drawn from WordNet examples, and require predictions to be sensitive to changes in contexts. WHiC lets us analyze complementary properties of two approaches of inducing vector representations of word meaning in context. We show that such contextualized word representations also improve detection of a wider range of semantic relations in context.
A functional lncRNA HOTAIR genetic variant contributes to gastric cancer susceptibility

Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) HOX transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) acts as an oncogene in gastric cancer development. HOTAIR could induce genome‐wide retargeting of polycomb‐repressive complex 2, trimethylates histone H3 lysine‐27 (H3K27me3) and deregulation of multiple downstream genes. Additionally, as the ceRNA of miR‐331–3p, HOTAIR may modulate HER2 deregulation in gastric cancer cells. We hypothesized that the functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in HOTAIR may affect HOTAIR expression and/or its function and, thus, gastric cancer risk. We examined the association between three haplotype‐tagging SNPs (htSNP) across the whole HOTAIR locus and gastric cancer risk as well as the functional relevance of a gastric cancer susceptibility SNP rs920778. Genotypes were determined in two independent hospital‐based case‐control sets that consisted of 800 gastric cancer patients and 1600 controls. The allele‐specific regulation on HOTAIR expression by the rs920778 SNP was examined in vitro and in vivo. We found that the HOTAIR rs920778 TT carriers had a 1.66‐ and 1.87‐fold increased gastric cancer risk in Jinan and Huaian populations compared with the CC carriers (P = 4.2 × 10−4 and 6.5 × 10−5). During inspecting functional relevance of the rs920778 SNP, we observed an allelic regulation of rs920778 on HOTAIR expression in both gastric cancer cell lines and tissue samples, with higher HOTAIR expression among T allele carriers. These findings elucidate that functional genetic variants influencing lncRNA expression may explain a portion of gastric cancer genetic basis. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.