Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Placental sFLT1 is associated with complement activation and syncytiotrophoblast damage in preeclampsia

ABSTRACT The immune complement system protects against pathogens; however, excess activation results in disease like hemolytic uremic syndrome, a clinical imitator of preeclampsia. Vascular endothelial factor (VEGF) protects against aberrant complement activation and is inhibited by soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFLT1) in other organs. We hypothesize that sFLT1 promotes complement-mediated placental damage through VEGF inhibition in preeclampsia. Objective: Quantify placental complement activity and sFLT1 expression in preeclampsia, and the subgroup of preeclampsia with hemolysis elevated liver enzymes low platelets (HELLP) syndrome. Methods: Placental complement activation marker C4d, membrane attack complex (MAC), and sFLT1 expression was quantified using immunofluores cence microscopy. Results: Placentas from 18 controls, 25 preeclampsia, including 6 cases of HELLP syndrome were identified. Placental C4d expression was greater in PE (median 6.4 [IQR: 5.1, 8.3]) compared to controls (4.4 [3.6, 5.5]; p = 0.003). MAC expression was also increased in preeclampsia compared to controls (6.5 [5.8, 8.7]; 5.4 [2.9, 5.9], p = 0.001). Placental sFLT1 expression was also higher in preeclampsia (p <0.0001). C4d and MAC were strongly correlated with sFLT1 levels in the placenta (R = 0.72; p < 0.0001 and R = 0.59; p = 0.01, respectively). Complement and sFLT1 expression was elevated in HELLP compared to preeclampsia without laboratory abnormalities, but this difference did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: Increased placental complement activation and damage was seen in preeclampsia and correlates with sFLT1 expression. Our findings support the importance of the complement pathway in preeclampsia.
Spastic Paraplegia Accompanied by Extrapyramidal Sign and Frontal Cognitive Dysfunction

A complicated form of spastic paraplegia is a neurodegenerative disorder presenting as progressive spasticity in the bilateral lower limbs accompanied by some clinical features. The present case showed spastic paralysis and hyperreflexia in all extremities as well as lead pipe rigidity in the neck and bilateral upper extremities (R ＜ L), decreased scores on frontal cognitive tests, a decreased accumulation of the right dorsal putamen on a DAT scan, and hypoperfusion of the bilateral frontal lobes on 99mTc-ECD single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). The present case provides a new spectrum of spastic paraplegia based on the evidence of clinical scores and the findings of brain functional imaging.
Extracurricular activity profiles and wellbeing in middle childhood: A population-level study

This study examined profiles of participation in extracurricular activities (ECAs) in 4th grade children (N = 27,121; Mean age = 9.20 years; SD = .54; 51% male) in British Columbia, Canada. Latent class analyses were used to establish activity profiles and determine class membership; ANCOVA was used to investigate differences in mental wellbeing (optimism, life satisfaction, self-concept) and perceived overall health between groups. Data came from a cross-sectional, population-level child self-report survey (i.e., the Middle Years Development Instrument) implemented with 4th grade children in public schools. We found four distinct ECA profiles: participation in “All Activities”, “No activities”, “Sports” (i.e., individual and team sports), and “Individual activities” (i.e., educational programs, arts/music, individual sports). Wellbeing and health scores were highest for children in the “All Activities” and the “Sports” clusters, and lowest for those in “No Activities” and the cluster reflecting individual activities (i.e., “Individual activities”). Results are discussed in the context of previous research, and with respect to practical relevance.
Age-Related Impairment of Structure and Function of Iliac Artery Endothelium in Rats Is Improved by Elevated Fluid Shear Stress

Background Aging plays an important role in endothelial dysfunction. Fluid shear stress (FSS) can activate endothelial cells (ECs). Herein, we tested the hypothesis that this endothelial impairment could be improved by elevated FSS (EFSS) in aged rats. Material/Methods EFSS was created through ligation of the unilateral common iliac artery in 20-−month-old rats, evaluated by measuring blood flow velocity with Doppler spectrum. The effect of FSS on aged ECs was examined by senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal) staining, ultrastructural observation, and immunostaining and qPCR analysis of eNOS and SIRT1 expression on both the mRNA and protein levels. Results (1) FSS was significantly increased in the right common iliac artery (RCIA) in rats with the ligation of the left common iliac artery (LCIA). (2) SA-β-Gal staining was significantly attenuated by EFSS in the RCIA of aged rats. (3) Ultrastructural observation showed that ECs in the RCIA of normal aged rats became irregular and enlarged, with increasingly polypoid nuclei and fewer mitochondria, whereas ECs in the RCIA of aged rats with LCIA ligation became more prominent and contained more mitochondria. (4) eNOS and SIRT1 expression in the RCIA of aged rats with LCIA ligation was significantly upregulated compared with that in control group rats. Conclusions The present study for the first time shows that EFSS has the ability to improve age-related impairment of endothelial structure and functions.
On the development and implementation of high-order flux reconstruction schemes for computational fluid dynamics

High-order numerical methods for unstructured grids combine the superior accuracy of high-order spectral or finite difference methods with the geometric flexibility of low-order finite volume or finite element schemes. The Flux Reconstruction (FR) approach unifies various high-order schemes for unstructured grids within a single framework. Additionally, the FR approach exhibits a significant degree of element locality, and is thus able to run efficiently on modern streaming architectures, such as graphics processing units (GPUs). The aforementioned properties of FR mean it offers a promising route to performing affordable, and hence industrially relevant, scaleresolving simulations of hitherto intractable unsteady flows within the vicinity of realworld engineering geometries. In this thesis a formulation of the FR approach that is suitable for solving non-linear advection-diffusion type problems on mixed curvilinear grids is developed. Issues around aliasing are explored in detail and techniques for mitigation outlined. A methodology for identifying symmetric quadrature rules inside of a variety of domains is also presented and used to find several rules that appear to be an improvement over those in literature. This methodology is also used to obtain improved sets of solution points inside of triangular elements. PyFR, an open-source Python based framework for solving the compressible Navier–Stokes equations using the FR approach, is also developed. It is designed to target a range of hardware platforms via use of an in-built domain specific language based on the Mako templating engine. PyFR is able to operate on mixed grids in both two and three dimensions and can target NVIDIA GPUs, AMD GPUs, and Intel CPUs. Results are presented for various benchmark flow problems, single-node performance is discussed, heterogeneous multinode capabilities are analysed, and scalability is demonstrated on up to 2 000 NVIDIA K20X GPUs for a sustained performance of 1.3 PFLOP/s.
Staff resourcing, guideline implementation and models of care for gestational diabetes mellitus management

In 2014, updated screening and diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes (GDM) were introduced across Australia. Many states including Queensland introduced clinical guidelines to include these changes and other recommendations for GDM management. While it is understood that GDM diagnosis has increased, it is unknown whether resources or service delivery have changed, or whether health services have implemented the guidelines.
[Clinical and Laboratory Factors Associated with Prolonged Hospital Stay among Patients with Cellulitis/Erysipelas].

INTRODUCTION Cellulitis and erysipelas represent the most frequent cause of hospitalization in the dermatology department of Santa Maria Hospital in Lisbon, Portugal. The aim of this study was to investigate whether patient demographics, comorbidities, previous episodes of cellulitis/erysipelas, the presence of complications, laboratory markers at admission, microbial isolation or previous use of antibiotics, are associated with prolonged stays. MATERIAL AND METHODS Retrospective analysis, including patients admitted with cellulitis/erysipelas in the inpatient dermatology department of Santa Maria Hospital between July 1st 2012 and June 30th 2017. RESULTS There were 372 admissions, corresponding to 348 patients. The median length of stay was 11 days. Increased age (p = 0.002, OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01 - 1.04), previous episode of cellulitis/erysipelas requiring hospitalization (p = 0.005, OR 4.81, 95% CI 1.63 - 14.23), the presence of cellulitis/erysipelas-associated complications (p = 0.001, OR 3.28, 95% CI 1.63 - 6.59), leukocytosis (p = 0.049, OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.00 - 3.30), high levels of C-reactive protein (p = 0.035, OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.00 - 1.06) and a positive culture result (p = 0.002, OR 2.59, 95% CI 1.41 - 4.79) were associated with prolonged hospitalization. DISCUSSION Prolonged hospitalization for cellulitis/erysipelas is associated with higher costs, additional clinical investigation, invasive treatments, prolonged courses of antibiotic therapy, risk of nosocomial infections, and delayed return to activities of daily living. Thus, the investigation of clinical-laboratory factors associated with prolonged hospitalization for cellulitis / erysipelas is essential and may be useful for the construction of a severity score. CONCLUSION The knowledge of the characteristics that are associated with prolonged stay among patients with cellulitis/erysipelas may be relevant to improve health care, by reducing the length of hospital stay and associated risks and costs.
Comparable clinical characteristics in Brugada syndrome patients harboring SCN5A or novel SCN10A variants.

AIMS The Brugada syndrome (BrS) is an inherited disease associated with an increased risk of sudden cardiac death. Often, the genetic cause remains undetected. Perhaps due at least in part because the NaV1.8 protein is expressed more in both the central and peripheral nervous systems than in the heart, the SCN10A gene is not included in diagnostic arrhythmia/sudden death panels in the vast majority of cardiogenetics centres. METHODS AND RESULTS Clinical characteristics were assessed in patients harboring either SCN5A or novel SCN10A variants. Genetic testing was performed using Next Generation Sequencing on genomic DNA. Clinical characteristics, including the arrhythmogenic substrate, in BrS patients harboring novel SCN10A variants and SCN5A variants are comparable. Clinical characteristics, including gender, age, personal history of cardiac arrest/syncope, spontaneous BrS electrocardiogram pattern, family history of sudden death, and arrhythmic substrate are not significantly different between probands harboring SCN10A or SCN5A variants. CONCLUSION Future studies are warranted to further characterize the role of these specific SCN10A variants.
Initiatives to reduce lead from electronic devices: evidence of success from the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure

ABSTRACT Discarded electronic devices (E-waste) have historically been found to exceed US Toxicity Characteristic hazardous waste thresholds for lead. Research was conducted to assess whether global and national lead reduction initiatives in the past decade translate to reduced toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) lead leaching from E-waste. Nine categories of devices were subjected to TCLP and in all devices except one (smoke detectors), mean TCLP lead concentration results decreased by an order of magnitude or more (to levels below regulation thresholds). Mean TCLP lead concentrations decreased from 29.1 mg/L (2000–2005) to 0.224 mg/L (2008+) for cell phones and 1.26 mg/L (2000–2005) to 0.060 mg/L (2008+) for PCs. Most recently manufactured electronic devices (of those types tested here) comply with the definition of non-hazardous waste under US regulations. Implications: Discarded electronic devices (E-waste) have often been tested as hazardous waste in the US because of lead leaching. Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) testing on more recently manufactured devices reveals that global lead reduction efforts have resulted in newer devices complying with US non-hazardous waste definitions. While these results highlight the success of lead reduction efforts, they raise policy questions regarding how best to incentivize E-waste recycling going forward.
Enhanced Algorithm for Efficient Retrieval of Data from a Secure Cloud

In this technical era of computing, one of the most important words used is ‘Cloud Computing’. It is growing day by day due to its rich features of services. Cloud computing uses internet and central remote servers to maintain data and applications. The data in the cloud are stored in off premises as encrypted form. One of the most popular ways is selectively retrieve files through keyword-based search instead of retrieving all the encrypted files back. There are so many challenges in cloud computing. One of the main challenges is to increase the efficiency of data retrieval and searching. There are several keyword search mechanisms for data retrieval. Currently many researches are focusing on the fuzzy keyword search, which searches and retrieves the data in most secure and privacy preserving manner. The existing system uses single fuzzy keyword search mechanism, which struggling with inefficiency of search and that may be overloaded with resultant files of irrelevant data. In the proposed system a conjunctive keyword search is introducing so that more efficient and relevant data files can be retrieved. The conjunctive keyword search automatically generate a ranked result so that the searching relevancy and efficiency will be improved. This will reduce the searching time and improve the efficiency by reducing time for index generation.
Comparison of Two Retention Appliances with Respect to Clinical Effectiveness.

Objective The aim of this study was to compare the clinical effectiveness of Essix and Hawley retainers during the retention period. Methods A total of 30 subjects whose fixed orthodontic treatment results were evaluated according to the American Board of Orthodontics Phase III Objective Grading system were included in this study. After the removal of orthodontic attachments, the study participants were equally divided into two retention protocols: upper-lower Essix and upper-lower Hawley. The subjects were instructed to wear their retainers full time for 6 months, except during meals, and during nights only for 6 months. The clinical effectiveness of the retainers was evaluated according to the overjet, overbite, maxillary, and mandibular intercanine widths, intermolar widths, arch lengths, irregularity indexes, and lateral cephalometric measurements. All dental model and lateral cephalometric measurements were performed by the same investigator during three periods: pre-treatment, post-treatment, and post-retention. Results The overjet, overbite, maxillary, and mandibular intercanine widths; intermolar widths; and arch lengths and lateral cephalometric measurements were not statistically significantly different between the groups and identified time periods. Although the maxillary and mandibular irregularity indexes increased from the post-treatment to post-retention periods, the difference was not statistically significant. Pre-treatment, post-treatment, and post-retention lateral cephalometric measurements were not statistically significantly different between and within the groups. Conclusion According to the results of a repeated-measures analysis of variance with two factors, and although an increase was found in the maxillary and mandibular irregularity indexes, the clinical effectiveness of Essix and Hawley retainers was found to be similar during the retention period.
Comparative Evaluation of Conventional and OnyxCeph™ Dental Software Measurements on Cephalometric Radiography.

Objective Cephalometry can be measured with traditionally conventional analysing methods (hand tracing), as well as using computers. Many dental softwares have been developed for this purpose. The reliability of these programs are often compared with the conventional method. The aim of the present study was to compare the conventional method of manual cephalometric analysis with a computerized one, OnyxCeph ™ (Image Instruments, Chemnitz, Germany) dental software. Methods Lateral cephalometric radiographs of 150 patients (75 males and 75 females) age range 12-34 were traced by two methods. Conventional method and computerized (OnyxCeph) cephalometric analysis method. 2 maxillar, 3 mandibular, 2 maxillo-mandibular, 3 vertical, 7 dental and 1 soft tissue parameters; 10 angular, 8 linear totally 18 cephalometric parameters were measured. Intra-class correlation coefficients were performed for both methods to assess the reliability of the measurements. Results The results 9 of 18 parameters were found statistically significant. They were Cd-A distance, Cd-Gn distance, Go-Me distance, GoGnSN angle, ANS-Me distance, upper incisor-NA distance, lower incisor-NB distance, lower incisor-NB angle, overbite distance. Conclusion Despite some discrepancies in measured values between hand-tracing cephalometric analysis method and the OnyxCeph cephalometric analysis method, statistical differences were minimal and only Cd-A, Cd-Gn, Go-Me, ANS-Me, GoGnSN° were clinically important for cephalometric analysis OnyxCeph was evaluated as an efficient method to replace conventional method.
The impact of different etiologies of diminished ovarian reserve on pregnancy outcome in IVF-ET cycles

Background/aim Diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) represents a major challenge in reproductive medicine, as it is often associated with poor ovarian stimulation response, high cycle cancellation rate, and low pregnancy rate. The aim of the present study is to compare the clinical pregnancy rates in intracytoplasmic sperm injection-embryo transfer (ICSI-ET) cycles in patients with different DOR etiologies. Materials and methods Patient data were recorded with a computer-based program called Success Estimation Using a Ranking Algorithm (SERA). Overall, 459 patients were divided into 3 groups according to their DOR etiologies (Group A: idiopathic, n = 81; Group B: age-related, n = 294; Group C: previous ovarian surgery, n = 84). Results Out of 459 stimulation cycles, 378 (82.4%) reached the oocyte retrieval stage, while 201 (43.8%) had embryo transfers. There was no significant difference between the patients with different DOR etiologies in terms of embryo transfer and cycle cancellation rate. The patients who had embryo transfer were 44 (52.4%) in Group A, 38 (46.9%) in Group B, and 119 (40.5%) in Group C. There were no significant differences between the three groups (P = 0.114). The percentages of women who had oocyte retrieval were 84.5% in Group A, 70% in Group B, and 80.3% in Group C (P = 0.104). While clinical pregnancy per transfer was 35.8% in Group A, 19.8% in Group B, and 29.5% in Group C, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups (P = 0.113). Conclusion Although ovulation induction and ICSI-ET outcomes, including clinical pregnancy and live birth rates, were not significantly different with regards to the etiology of DOR, young women with DOR may benefit from assisted reproductive techniques.
The mutagenesis moonshot: The propitious beginnings of the environmental mutagenesis and genomics society

A mutagenesis moonshot addressing the influence of the environment on our genetic wellbeing was launched just 2 months before astronauts landed on the moon. Its impetus included the discovery that X‐rays (Muller HJ. [1927]: Science 64:84–87) and chemicals (Auerbach and Robson. [1946]: Nature 157:302) were germ‐cell mutagens, the introduction of a growing number of untested chemicals into the environment after World War II, and an increasing awareness of the role of environmental pollution on human health. Due to mounting concern from influential scientists that germ‐cell mutagens might be ubiquitous in the environment, Alexander Hollaender and colleagues founded in 1969 the Environmental Mutagen Society (EMS), now the Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society (EMGS); Frits Sobels founded the European EMS in 1970. As Fred de Serres noted, such societies were necessary because protecting populations from environmental mutagens could not be addressed by existing scientific societies, and new multidisciplinary alliances were required to spearhead this movement. The nascent EMS gathered policy makers and scientists from government, industry, and academia who became advocates for laws requiring genetic toxicity testing of pesticides and drugs and helped implement those laws. They created an electronic database of the mutagenesis literature; established a peer‐reviewed journal; promoted basic and applied research in DNA repair and mutagenesis; and established training programs that expanded the science worldwide. Despite these successes, one objective remains unfulfilled: identification of human germ‐cell mutagens. After 50 years, the voyage continues, and a vibrant EMGS is needed to bring the mission to its intended target of protecting populations from genetic hazards. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 61:8–24, 2020. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Human papillomavirus‐related anogenital premalignancies and cancer in renal transplant recipients: A Danish nationwide, registry‐based cohort study

In this registry‐based cohort study, we estimated the risk of human papillomavirus (HPV)‐related anogenital premalignancies and cancer in renal transplant recipients (RTRs) compared to a nontransplanted comparison cohort. We identified all first‐time RTRs in Denmark during 1990–2015 in a nationwide nephrology register. For each RTR, we randomly selected 50 age‐ and sex‐matched non‐RTRs from the background population. The study population was followed for diagnoses of cervical, vaginal, vulvar, penile and anal intraepithelial neoplasia grades 2–3 (IN2/3) and cancer for up to 27 years. We estimated hazard ratios (HRs) of anogenital IN2/3 and cancer in RTRs vs. non‐RTRs by Cox regression separately for men and women using age as underlying timescale, adjusting for income, education, HPV vaccination and immunocompromising conditions. We included 4,261 RTRs and 213,673 non‐RTRs. RTRs had increased hazard of cervical (HR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.7–2.8), vaginal (HR = 35.0, 95% CI: 13.9–87.7), vulvar (HR = 16.4, 95% CI: 10.4–25.8), penile (HR = 21.9, 95% CI: 11.1–43.5) and anal (women: HR = 51.1, 95% CI: 28.0–93.1; men: HR = 39.0, 95% CI: 16.7–91.1) IN2/3. The HRs of anogenital cancers were also increased at most sites. The HR of anogenital IN2/3 in female RTRs tended to be higher during graft function than during dialysis. In female RTRs aged <40 years at transplantation, 10–15% had cervical IN2/3 and 5–12% had vaginal/vulvar/anal IN2/3 within 20 years after transplantation, compared to 4–8 and 0.2–0.4%, respectively, of female non‐RTRs. In conclusion, RTRs had substantially higher risk of HPV‐related anogenital premalignancies and cancer than non‐RTRs.