Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Renal artery reconstruction for harvesting injuries in kidney transplantation with particular reference to the use of vascular allografts

At the University of Pittsburgh during the calendar year 1986, an arterial injury occurred during harvesting in 20 (7.5%) of the 270 grafts used to perform kidney transplantation (KTx). Four cases required reconstruction, using extension iliac arterial allografts from cadaveric donors of the same blood type; 6 patients, remodelling of the aortic patch in multiple arteries; 4 cases, repairs for injuries to the smaller segmental/polar arteries; 6 cases, a combination of the above techniques. These ex vivo arterial reconstructions are described and the use of donor arterial homografts is emphasized. No deaths have occurred at an average follow-up of 19 months. The postoperative acute tubular necrosis (ATN) rate was significantly higher (90%) compared with non-reconstructed kidneys during the same year (30%). The 1-year graft survival of kidneys undergoing arterial reconstruction (75%) was statistically no different than the overall kidneytransplant survival. Whenever extension iliac allografts were utilized, the cyclosporin-steroid immunosuppression required to control the kidney rejection contributed to the long-term patency rate of the graft. Since the number of organs available for grafting is limited, reconstruction of injured renal vessels has become justified, allowing valuable kidneys to be used that would otherwise be lost
Serum von Willebrand factor levels in patients with inflammatory bowel disease are related to systemic inflammation.

BACKGROUND Increased levels of circulating von Willebrand factor (vWF) have been found in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); this increase may reflect either endothelial damage or systemic inflammation. Our aim was to evaluate serum vWF levels in patients with IBD and their correlation with clinical and biochemical disease activity. METHODS We evaluated serum vWF levels in 32 patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) (10 active with increased acute-phase reactants (APR), 6 active with normal APR, 16 in remission), 27 with Crohn disease (CD) (10 active, 12 quiescent, and 5 quiescent with increased APR), and 31 healthy controls. RESULTS Mean levels of vWF were 100.1 (standard deviation (s), 51.4) in IBD and 89.9 (s, 36.9) in controls (P = 0.33). Only five (8.47%) patients (three with active UC, one with active CD, and one with inactive CD but increased APR) showed circulating vWF levels higher than the upper limit of normal (150), compared with 1 (3.2%) of controls (P = 0.32). Among CD patients vWF levels were 80.0+/-25.4 in patients with quiescent disease and normal APR, 123.3+/-63.4 in patients with active disease (P = 0.04 versus inactive with normal APR), and 135.8+/-90.0 in patients with quiescent disease and increased APR (P = 0.059 versus inactive with normal APR). Among UC patients vWF levels were 82.7+/-35.6 in patients with quiescent disease and normal APR and 125.1+/-54.2 in those with active disease and increased APR (P = 0.002). Overall, mean vWF levels were significantly higher in patients with increased APR than in patients with normal APR (P = 0.0005) and controls (P = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS Our data show slight but significant increases in serum vWF levels in patients with IBD, which are correlated with signs of systemic inflammation.
Biochemical Analyses of the Interactions between Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Vpr and p6Gag

ABSTRACT The nonstructural human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Vpr protein is packaged into progeny virions at significant levels (∼200 copies/virion). Genetic analyses have demonstrated that efficient Vpr packaging is dependent upon a leucine-X-X-leucine-phenylalanine (LXXLF) motif located in the p6Gag domain of the structural Gag polyprotein. Recombinant proteins spanning full-length Vpr (Vpr1–97) or the amino-terminal 71 amino acids (Vpr1–71) formed specific complexes with recombinant p6 proteins in vitro. Complex formation required an intact LXXLF motif and exhibited an intrinsic dissociation constant of ∼75 μM. Gel filtration and cross-linking analyses further revealed that Vpr1–71 self-associated in solution. Our experiments demonstrate that Vpr can bind directly and specifically to p6 and suggest that oligomerization of both Vpr and Gag may serve to increase the avidity and longevity of Vpr-Gag complexes, thereby ensuring efficient Vpr packaging.
Arabic sign language recognition with 3D convolutional neural networks

Sign Language recognition is very important for communication purposes between Hearing Impaired (HI) people and hearing ones. Arabic Sign Language Recognition field became widespread because of its difficult nature and numerous details. Most researchers employed different input sensors, features extractors, and classifiers on static and dynamic data. These different ways were customized and employed in our previous work in the Arabic Sign Language Recognition field. In this paper, features extractor with deep behavior was used to deal with the minor details of Arabic Sign Language. 3D Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) was used to recognize 25 gestures from Arabic sign language dictionary. The recognition system was fed with data from depth maps. The system achieved 98% accuracy for observed data and 85% average accuracy for new data. The results could be improved as more data from more different signers are included.
THE PRODUCTION OF RIBOFLAVIN AND D-ARABITOL BY DEBARYOMYCES SUBGLOBOSUS.

SUMMARY: Debaryomyces subglobosus (British National Collection of Yeast Cultures, ncyc 459) excretes riboflavin at the end of the growth period in batch culture and the yield depends on the concentration of iron in the medium. Yields of riboflavin in excess of 200 μg. /ml. were obtained in media of low iron content but production was completely inhibited at Fe concentrations greater than 200 μg. /l. D-Arabitol was produced simultaneously, increased yields of it being obtained at high iron concentration, but riboflavin production was then decreased. Procedures are described for the recovery of riboflavin and D-arabitol from the culture fluid.
Short Bouts of High-Intensity Resistance-Style Training Produce Similar Reductions in Fasting Blood Glucose of Diabetic Offspring and Controls

Abstract Russell, RD, Nelson, AG, and Kraemer, RR. Short bouts of high-intensity resistance-style training produce similar reductions in fasting blood glucose of diabetic offspring and controls. J Strength Cond Res 28(10): 2760–2767, 2014—Family history of diabetes (FH) is associated with impaired cardiometabolic function. Aerobic exercise improves insulin sensitivity, though resistance training studies on fasting glucose (FG) in FH are lacking. This study examined the effects of 7 weeks of high-intensity-resistance-focused training (HIRFT), including circuit, core, and plyometric resistance training on FG in FH and matched controls (CON). We hypothesized that HIRFT would reduce FG levels, with greater reductions in CON. Thirty-eight healthy men and women (23.5 ± 2 years; 171 ± 7.4 cm; 71 ± 14 kg) participated in 7 weeks of HIRFT including full-body, plyometric, and core resistance training on alternate days. Fasting glucose was analyzed before and after the 7-week training before and after workouts. One repetition maximum was calculated for bench press, squat, and deadlift before and after training. Body mass index and resting HR remained unchanged. Fasting glucose declined similarly between groups with training (−0.23 ± 0.08 vs. −0.20 ± 0.07 mmol·L−1, p < 0.01 for FH and CON, respectively), whereas strength increased (kg) (bench: 8.0 ± 1.8, squat: 19.4 ± 4.6, deadlift: 16.4 ± 3.6, overall mean percent increase: 38.9 ± 9.2, p < 0.001). Ten-minute postexercise glucose decreased (−0.65 mmol·L−1, p = 0.05) with training, with no differences between groups. Changes in FG and strength increase were inversely correlated (r = −0.519, p = 0.05). Strength increased equally between groups. Data indicate that HIRFT reduces FG concentrations similarly in FH and CON, making it effective for improving FG in FH.
Phase I clinical trial of a selective inhibitor of CYP17, abiraterone acetate, confirms that castration-resistant prostate cancer commonly remains hormone driven.

PURPOSE Studies indicate that castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) remains driven by ligand-dependent androgen receptor (AR) signaling. To evaluate this, a trial of abiraterone acetate-a potent, selective, small-molecule inhibitor of cytochrome P (CYP) 17, a key enzyme in androgen synthesis-was pursued. PATIENTS AND METHODS Chemotherapy-naïve men (n = 21) who had prostate cancer that was resistant to multiple hormonal therapies were treated in this phase I study of once-daily, continuous abiraterone acetate, which escalated through five doses (250 to 2,000 mg) in three-patient cohorts. RESULTS Abiraterone acetate was well tolerated. The anticipated toxicities attributable to a syndrome of secondary mineralocorticoid excess-namely hypertension, hypokalemia, and lower-limb edema-were successfully managed with a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist. Antitumor activity was observed at all doses; however, because of a plateau in pharmacodynamic effect, 1,000 mg was selected for cohort expansion (n = 9). Abiraterone acetate administration was associated with increased levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone and steroids upstream of CYP17 and with suppression of serum testosterone, downstream androgenic steroids, and estradiol in all patients. Declines in prostate-specific antigen >or= 30%, 50%, and 90% were observed in 14 (66%), 12 (57%), and 6 (29%) patients, respectively, and lasted between 69 to >or= 578 days. Radiologic regression, normalization of lactate dehydrogenase, and improved symptoms with a reduction in analgesic use were documented. CONCLUSION CYP17 blockade by abiraterone acetate is safe and has significant antitumor activity in CRPC. These data confirm that CRPC commonly remains dependent on ligand-activated AR signaling.
Nonpolar interactions between trans‐membrane helical EGF peptide and phosphatidylcholines, sphingomyelins and cholesterol. Molecular dynamics simulation studies

A molecular dynamics simulation study of four lipid bilayers with inserted trans‐membrane helical fragment of epithelial growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGF peptide) was performed. The lipid bilayers differ in their lipid composition and consist of (i) unsaturated phosphatidylcholine (palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylcholine, POPC), (ii) POPC and 20 mol% of cholesterol (Chol), (iii) sphingomyelin (SM) and 20 mol% of Chol, and (iv) SM and 50 mol% of Chol. Only 1 out of 26 residues in the EGF‐peptide sequence is polar (Thr). The hydrophobic thickness of each bilayer is different but shorter than the length of the peptide and so, due to hydrophobic mismatch, the inserted peptide is tilted in each bilayer. Additionally, in the POPC bilayer, which is the thinnest, the peptide loses its helical structure in a short three‐amino acid fragment. This facilitates bending of the peptide and burying all hydrophobic amino acids inside the membrane core (Figure 1(b)). Bilayer lipid composition affects interactions between the peptide and lipids in the membrane core. Chol increases packing of atoms relative to the peptide side chains, and thus increases van der Waals interactions. On average, the packing around the peptide is higher in SM‐based bilayers than POPC‐based bilayers but for certain amino acids, packing depends on their position relative to the bilayer center. In the bilayer center, packing is higher in POPC‐based bilayers, while in regions closer to the interface packing is higher in SM‐based bilayers. In general, amino acids with larger side chains interact strongly with lipids, and thus the peptide sequence is important for the pattern of interactions at different membrane depths. This pattern closely resembles the shape of recently published lateral pressure profiles [Ollila et alJ. Struct. Biol. DOI:10.1016/j.jsb. 2007.01. 012]. Copyright © 2007 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparison of NIHSS Scores Determined by Emergency Physicians and Neurologists using Pre-Hospital Telemedicine Device

Comparison of NIHSS Scores Determined by Emergency Physicians and Neurologists using Pre-Hospital Telemedicine Device Riadh TFIFHA1, Cindy TISSIER1, Pierre-Yves COLOMBIN1, Ludwig-Serge AHO-GLELE2, Marie HERVIEUBEGUE3, Yannick BEJOT3, Marc FREYSZ*1 1 University of Burgundy and Department of Emergency Medicine, University Hospital Dijon, France 2 Infection Control Unit, University Hospital Dijon, France 3Department of Neurology, University Hospital Dijon, France *Corresponding author: Dr. Marc FREYSZ, Department of Emergency Medicine, University hospital center Dijon 14, street Gaffarel 21079 Dijon, France, Tel: 0033 6 32919352; Email: riadh.tfifha@chu-dijon.fr Received: 11-26-2015 Accepted: 02-29-2016 Published: 03-05-2016 Copyright: © 2016 Marc Original Research
Wally Was Right: Predictive Ability of the North Atlantic

Linked, abrupt changes of North Atlantic deep water formation, North Atlantic sea ice extent, and widespread climate occurred repeatedly during the last ice age cycle and beyond in response to changing freshwater fluxes and perhaps other causes. This paradigm, developed and championed especially by W.S. Broecker, has repeatedly proven to be successfully predictive as well as explanatory with high confidence. Much work remains to fully understand what happened and to assess possible implications for the future, but the foundations for this work are remarkably solid.
Lateral Hypothalamus: Reevaluation of Function in Motivated Feeding Behavior

In contrast to the existing views of lateral hypothalamic function, food motivated behavior appears to be greatly enhanced in animals that have recovered from lateral hypothalamic lesions. In a familiar environment, these rats begin eating 4.8 times sooner than normal controls, 5.6 times faster than hyperphagic rats that have received ventromedial hypothalamic lesions, and 4.7 times faster than animals with septal lesions. The same relation holds for latencies to eat in a novel environment and for rate of acquisition of a simple food-rewarded discrimination task. The concept of a lateral hypothalamic "hunger center" is questioned.
IPCA for network anomaly detection

As the number, complexity and diversity of cyber threats continue to increase in network infrastructures, anomaly detection techniques constitute a crucial alternative towards enhancing network security. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is a widely used network anomaly detection statistical methodology. Despite its ability in detecting traffic anomalies, relevant research has highlighted certain drawbacks of this technique. In our work we develop the Iterative PCA (IPCA) method to address those shortcomings. We aim at providing a useful tool that will enable a network administrator to identify network anomalies. The results of our experimentation are encouraging. They indicate that IPCA possesses promising capabilities in efficiently detecting anomalies while mitigating the limitations of the classical PCA approach.
HDA6, a putative histone deacetylase needed to enhance DNA methylation induced by double‐stranded RNA

To analyze relationships between RNA signals, DNA methylation and chromatin modifications, we performed a genetic screen to recover Arabidopsis mutants defective in RNA‐directed transcriptional silencing and methylation of a nopaline synthase promoter–neomycinphosphotransferase II (NOSpro–NPTII) target gene. Mutants were identified by screening for recovery of kanamycin resistance in the presence of an unlinked silencing complex encoding NOSpro double‐stranded RNA. One mutant, rts1 (RNA‐mediated transcriptional silencing), displayed moderate recovery of NPTII gene expression and partial loss of methylation in the target NOSpro, predominantly at symmetrical C(N)Gs. The RTS1 gene was isolated by positional cloning and found to encode a putative histone deacetylase, HDA6. The more substantial decrease in methylation of symmetrical compared with asymmetrical cytosines in rts1 mutants suggests that HDA6 is dispensable for RNA‐directed de novo methylation, which results in intermediate methylation of cytosines in all sequence contexts, but is necessary for reinforcing primarily C(N)G methylation induced by RNA. Because CG methylation in centromeric and rDNA repeats was not reduced in rts1 mutants, HDA6 might be specialized for the RNA‐ directed pathway of genome modification.
Noninvasive methods of measuring bone blood perfusion

Measurement of bone blood flow and perfusion characteristics in a noninvasive and serial manner would be advantageous in assessing revascularization after trauma and the possible risk of avascular necrosis. Many disease states, including osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and bone neoplasms, result in disturbed bone perfusion. A causal link between bone perfusion and remodeling has shown its importance in sustained healing and regrowth following injury. Measurement of perfusion and permeability within the bone was performed with small and macromolecular contrast media, using dynamic contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in models of osteoarthritis and the femoral head. Bone blood flow and remodeling was estimated using 18F‐Fluoride positron emission tomography in fracture healing and osteoarthritis. Multimodality assessment of bone blood flow, permeability, and remodeling by using noninvasive imaging techniques may provide information essential in monitoring subsequent rates of healing and response to treatment as well as identifying candidates for additional therapeutic or surgical interventions.
Tip60: Connecting chromatin to DNA damage signaling

Cells are constantly exposed to genotoxic events that can damage DNA. To counter this, cells have evolved a series of highly conserved DNA repair pathways to maintain genomic integrity. The ATM protein kinase is a master regulator of the DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair pathway. DSBs activate ATM’s kinase activity, promoting the phosphorylation of proteins involved in both checkpoint activation and DNA repair. Recent work has revealed that two DNA damage response proteins, the Tip60 acetyltransferase and the mre11-rad50-nbs1 (MRN) complex, co-operate in the activation of ATM in response to DSBs. MRN functions to target ATM and the Tip60 acetyltransferase to DSBs. Tip60’s chromodomain then interacts with histone H3 trimethylated on lysine 9, activating Tip60’s acetyltransferase activity and stimulating the subsequent acetylation and activation of ATM’s kinase activity. These results underscore the importance of chromatin structure in regulating DNA damage signaling and emphasize how histone modifications co-ordinate DNA repair. In addition, human tumors frequently exhibit altered patterns of histone methylation. This rewriting of the histone methylation code in tumor cells may impact the efficiency of DSB repair, increasing genomic instability and contributing to the initiation and progression of cancer.
Spatial Density and Movement of the Lygus spp. Parasitoid Peristenus relictus Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in Organic Strawberries with Alfalfa Trap Crops

ABSTRACT Alfalfa trap crops are currently used to manage Lygus spp. in organic strawberry fields on the California Central Coast. The retention of Lygus spp. in alfalfa creates aggregated distributions that provide improved opportunities for biological control by the introduced parasitoid Peristenus relictus (Ruthe). The abundance and distribution of P. relictus between two trap crops separated by 50 strawberry rows were analyzed in 2008 and 2010. Parasitism of Lygus spp. nymphs by P. relictus (measured by larval abundance and % parasitism) was greatest in alfalfa trap crops compared with strawberry rows. A significantly positive correlation between host nymphs and P. relictus larvae in and between trap crops was found. Movement of P. relictus adults from a marked alfalfa trap crop into adjacent strawberry rows or trap crops was also studied in 2008 and 2009 using a chicken egg-albumin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay mark—capture technique. In 2008 and 2009, 85 and 49% of protein-marked wasps were captured from central trap crops, respectively, indicating that alfalfa trap crops act as a concentrated “host-density anchor” in organic strawberry fields.
Promoting Cardiovascular Health in Children and Adolescents

Data accumulated over the past 3 decades indicate that cardiovascular disease processes are accelerated over the life course by potentially modifiable risk factors and environmental exposures. Based on available evidence, the American Heart Association and other pediatric agencies issued scientific statements and guidelines with recommendations for promoting the cardiovascular health of children and adolescents and for identifying and managing children at risk for cardiovascular disease. This article presents an overview of the evidence and emphasizes current recommendations for population-based and individually oriented approaches to cardiovascular disease prevention in childhood and adolescence.
Comparison of Two Indinavir/Ritonavir Regimens in the Treatment of HIV-Infected Individuals

Background:Pharmacokinetic enhancement of protease inhibitors (PIs) with low-dose ritonavir (RTV) for salvage therapy is increasingly common. The purpose of this study was to compare the pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of indinavir (IDV)/RTV at 800/200 mg (arm A) and 400/400 mg (arm B) administered twice daily in HIV-infected subjects failing their first PI-based regimen. Methods:A phase I/II, randomized, open-label, 24-week study was conducted. Formal 12-hour pharmacokinetic evaluations were performed, and study visits occurred at baseline; at weeks 1, 2, and 4; and every 4 week thereafter for 24 weeks. Clinical symptoms and laboratory assessments were collected. Subjects were allowed to switch arms because of toxicity. Results:Forty-four subjects were enrolled (22 per arm). IDV predose concentration, maximum plasma concentration and area under the curve were significantly higher in arm A. Fifty-five percent and 45% of subjects in arms A and B responded (<200 copies/mL at week 24; P = 0.76), respectively. CD4 cell responses were similar. All subjects had IDV-sensitive virus at baseline and at virologic failure. Tolerability was comparable, but all grade 3 or higher triglyceride increases occurred in arm B and more subjects in arm B switched because of toxicity (5 vs. 1 triglyceride increases). Conclusions:This is the largest formal pharmacokinetic evaluation of 2 dosage combinations of IDV/RTV in HIV-infected individuals. Pharmacokinetic parameters were consistent with previous results in patients but lower than in seronegative controls. Both regimens exhibited similar tolerability and response rates. High toxicity with a low response suggests that the optimum IDV/RTV combination would include an RTV dose <400 mg and an IDV dose <800 mg in this population.
What we need to define is the weakest version of moral intuitionism

G. E. Moore’s diatribe against the naturalistic fallacy in 1903 set the stage for most of twentieth-century moral philosophy. The main protagonists over the next sixty years were intuitionists and emotivists, both of whom were convinced by Moore that empirical science is irrelevant to moral philosophy and common moral beliefs. Even in the 1970s and 1980s, when a wider array of moral theories entered the scene and applied ethics became popular, few moral philosophers paid much attention to developments in biology and psychology. This isolation must end. Moral philosophers cannot continue to ignore developments in psychology, brain science, and biology. Of course, philosophers need to be careful when they draw lessons from empirical research. As Moore and his followers argued, we should not jump straight from descriptive premises in psychology or biology to positive moral conclusions or normative conclusions in moral epistemology. That would be a fallacy.2 Nonetheless, psychology can still affect moral philosophy in indirect ways. That is what I want to illustrate here. I will trace an indirect path from empirical premises to a normative conclusion