Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Xolair: A New Monoclonal Drug Anti-IgE Antibody for the Treatment of Allergic Asthma

Xolair is a monoclonal antibody that binds the Ce3 domain of IgEs, inducing a conforma-tional change of the immunoglobulin, a concealment of FceRI and FceRII receptors binding sites, thus precluding binding by IgEs and therefore stopping the release of inflammation mediators. Xolair is indicated as add-on therapy to improve/control asthma in adult and adolescent patients (12 years of age and above) suffering from severe persistent allergic asthma. The aim of our work was to evaluate the Xolair efficacy in the asthma treatment. Six patients (4 men and 2 women aged 30 to 60 years) were selected for the treatment with Xolair. Previously, they were treated with high doses of long-acting β2-agonists and inhaled corticosteroids, but they were not able to control their illness despite the assumption of such drugs. Xolair was administered for 32 weeks in addition to the traditional asthma therapy. Xolair dosage was calculated according to their weight and their IgE levels (IU/ml). The the-rapeutic response was evaluated according to the GETE (Global Evaluation of Treatment Effectiveness) scale. The persistence of the response was defined, instead, by the number of patients continuing to respond positively to the treatment between the 16th and the 32nd week. 4 of 6 patients concluded the study. Patient number 2, in fact, had a body weight higher than 150 kg, so it was impossible to establish the necessary drug dosage. Patient number 6, instead, still had too high IgE values at his fourth checkup. Patient number 1 was fit in the efficacy level 2 (Good) at the 16th week, while at the 32nd week, he was in the level 1 (Excellent). Patient number 3 was at an efficacy level 1 yet from the 16th week, and that level was confirmed at the 32nd. In patient number 4, as well in that number 1, an increase of treatment efficacy was proved with a passage from level 2 to level 1. Finally, for the patient number 5, the efficacy level was Good both at the 16th and at the 32nd week (level 2). The re-sults obtained were positive for all patients and not only the persistence of a therapeutic re-sponse was confirmed, but in some cases there was an improvement of efficacy. Therefore, we can conclude that Xolair, administrated as an additional therapy, strongly improved the severe persistent IgE-mediated asthma. The anti-IgE Xolair treatment reduces the asthma frequency, also, it improved the patient life quality, by inducing positive effects on symp-toms and pulmonary function.
10 P . Efficient M-Commerce Platform for Developing Countries

Mobile phones have become an integral part of a vast majority of people’s daily lives. It is becoming rare to conduct any form of communication between individuals without a mobile phone. Research continues on the integration of mobile phones and e-commerce solutions. Developed countries already use systems for such commercial transactions however developing countries, for example those in the Caribbean, face challenges in adopting such systems. This paper proposes a system that would allow users to carry out financial transactions with their mobile phones as well as manage their financial activities. The system, which we call PayPhone, allows customers in developing countries to pay for items by tapping their phone against a terminal that supports Near-Field Communications (NFC). The system is compared to other systems such as the debit card based system, LINX, in the Caribbean and other systems in developing and developed countries. We also explore and discuss other possible short-range technology options.
Prestroke Antihypertensive Therapy: Effect on the Outcome

About 70% of stroke patients have a history of hypertension. Patients with hypertension prior to stroke onset have higher blood pressure in the acute phase of stroke than non-hypertensive individuals. High blood pressure in the acute stroke adversely affects outcome. We analyzed 30-days outcome in 1306 hypertensive patients with ischemic stroke, of which 1069 (81.8%) received antihypertensive treatment before stroke onset. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that prestroke use of antihypertensives is an independent predictor of better stroke outcome, in terms of dependency and death or dependency. We conclude that increased efforts toward optimizing hypertension diagnostics and control are needed.
Sex Differences in the Association of Urinary Concentrations of Phthalates Metabolites with Self-Reported Diabetes and Cardiovascular Diseases in Shanghai Adults

Phthalate exposure was reported to be associated with diabetes mellitus (DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Yet, reported associations and the potential sex differences are inconsistent. We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 2330 participants in the Fall of 2012. Urinary metabolites of 10 phthalates were measured. The status of having DM and CVD-related outcomes were self-reported. In the overall study population, the logistic regression analyses showed that the urinary levels of mono-2-ethyl-5-oxohexyphthalate (MEOHP), mono-2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexylphthalate(MEHHP) and mono-2-ethyl-5-carboxypentylphthalate (MECPP) were positively associated with DM. Higher urinary levels of monomethyl phthalate (MMP) and mono-2-carboxymethyl-hexyl phthalate (MCMHP) were associated with increased odds of hyperlipidemia, while mono-2-ethylhexylphthalate (MEHP) was significantly inverse-associated with hyperlipidemia. We did not observe significant associations for other CVD-related outcomes with phthalate metabolites. When stratifying by sex, MEHHP, MEOHP, MECPP, MCMHP and the micromolar sums of the oxidative metabolites of DEHP (ΣDEHPox) were all significantly related to DM in males, but not in females. No significant sex differences were found in CVD-related outcomes, except the sporadic associations between phthalates and hyperlipidemia. These findings highlight the importance of investigating the sex-specific relationship between phthalates exposure and DM.
Resistance to Pseudorabies Virus with Enhanced Interferon Production and Natural Killer Cell Activity in Mice Treated with Serum Thymic Factor

Susceptibility to pseudorabies virus (PRV) infection in mice, which were continuously depleted of natural killer (NK) cell activity by injection of anti‐asialo GM1, was examined. Effects of serum thymic factor (FTS) on susceptibility of mice to PRV were also investigated. In mice with depleted NK cell activity, the mortality of PRV‐infected mice was markedly high, whereas that of FTS‐pretreated mice was significantly lower than the controls. Reduced susceptibility to PRV was demonstrated in mice treated with anti‐asialo GM1 antisera before the PRV infection. Such a reduced susceptibility was not observed in mice inoculated with the antisera on day 1 post‐infection (PI). To analyze the FTS‐induced resistance to PRV infection, NK cell activity, macrophage activity, and interferon (IFN) productions were studied. Interferon production and NK cell activity were enhanced in the FTS‐pretreated mice, suggesting that interferon may play an important role in this FTS‐induced resistance to PRV infection.
A Systematic Review of Distraction Osteogenesis in Hand Surgery: What Are the Benefits, Complication Rates, and Duration of Treatment?

Background: This work analyzes the utility of distraction osteogenesis as a surgical option for the management of acquired and traumatic hand deformities through a systematic review of the published literature. Methods: A PubMed search for articles reporting results of distraction osteogenesis in the hand was performed. Data collected included age, sex, cause, bone distracted, latency period, distraction rate, consolidation period, treatment time, length gained, and complications. Proportion data variables were compared using the chi-square test. A meta-analysis was also performed to assess the size effect of variables on complication development. Results: Thirty articles (424 distractions) met inclusion criteria. The average length gained from distraction was 2.2 cm; the average total treatment time was 116 days; the average complication rate was 26.4 percent. Proportion analysis, including all articles, showed that congenital cause had significantly fewer complications compared with traumatic cause (p = 0.0129). A lower complication rate in pediatric patients compared with adults approached but did not reach significance (p = 0.0507). Studies that underwent meta-analysis, including only articles comparing both variables of interest, were homogeneous (I2 < 25) and without publication bias (Kendall’s tau p > 0.05 and symmetric funnel plot). None of the variables analyzed by meta-analysis had a significant odds ratio for complication development (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Despite distinct advantages, distraction osteogenesis is associated with a long duration of treatment and high complication rates, particularly in adults and in posttraumatic reconstruction. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.
Die hulpwerkwoord in Zulu

Die hulpwerkwoord in Zulu is 'n leksikale basiskategorie en behoort daarom sintaktics in die proliferasionistiese tradisie eerder as die reduksionistiese geanaliseer te word. Die morfologiese en sintaktiese kenmerke is nie dis krimine rend genoeg om as Massifikasiekriteria te geld nie, en semantiese ken merke soos modalite it behoort aangewend te word. In hierdie artikcl word geredeneer dat die hulpwerkwoord die verbale leksikalisasie van modaliteit in Zulu is, en dat die modus waardcur dit gevolg word in terme van modaliteit voorspel kan word.
Internal variability in Arctic regional climate simulations: case study for the SHEBA year

The sensitivity of a regional climate model (RCM) to lateral boundary forcing (by different numerical weather prediction analysis products and by various temperature perturbations) and to the initial conditions is evaluated for a pan-Arctic domain. The Study focuses on seasonal simulations over the period of the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean project from October 1997 to September 1998. Small perturbations in the initial and/or lateral boundary conditions can make the model diverge from driving large-scale fields, and the extent to which this Occurs depends on the control of the model by the lateral boundary forcing, not on the origin of the perturbation. The model response to a perturbation does not depend on the type of perturbation, and it is largely independent of the magnitude as well as of the source of the perturbation. Both small and large temperature perturbations have similar consequences for the monthly mean atmospheric patterns and the root mean square difference, but the model response depends on the season. Two regimes in the internal variability were found: (1) large variability in autumn/winter and (2) smaller variability in summer The pronounced magnitude of internal variability must be taken into account in discussing the significance of climate change and climate sensitivity signals in Arctic RCMs.
Mobile wellness: collecting, visualizing and interacting with personal health data

Mobile devices are now able to connect to a variety of sensors and provide personalized information to help people reflect on and improve their health. For example, pedometers, heart-rate sensors, glucometers, and other sensors can all provide real-time data to a variety of devices. Collecting and interacting with personal health or well-being data is a growing research area. This workshop will focus on the ways in which our mobile devices can aggregate and visualize these types of data and how these data streams can be presented to encourage interaction, increased awareness and positive behavior change.
Composition, nutritional aspects and effect on serum parameters of marine algae Ulva rigida.

BACKGROUND Algae are commonly consumed in Asia and have also gained popularity in Europe. However, data on the bioavailability of their components are limited. The present study was designed to determine the composition of Ulva rigida and the effects of inclusion of 10% of the algae in a standard diet for 4 weeks on nutritive value and serum parameters in order to consider the usefulness of Ulva as a dietary supplement. RESULTS Ulva rigida is rich in protein, carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins and minerals and has a low lipid content. Analysis of the amino acid composition revealed good-quality protein. The algae were well accepted by experimental animals and did not significantly change nutritional parameters but reduced LDL cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS Ulva rigida is an excellent source of nutrients and could improve a balanced diet. Further studies are required to research the potential of the seaweed as a natural source of bioactive compounds.
[Etiology, diagnosis and therapy of aseptic hip prosthesis loosening--a status assessment].

PURPOSE Aseptic loosening of prostheses implants is the most common complication of hip replacement surgery and represents an increasing problem because of still rising numbers of primary arthroplasties. This study reviews the current scientific status of causes, diagnosis and therapeutical concepts on this theme in literature. METHOD We analyzed 6,386 cases on aseptic hip revision arthroplasties published in the international literature and separated the results for cup and femoral components. On this basis we deduced some recommendations for the operative procedure in aseptic hip revision surgery. RESULTS The mean follow-up time of all studies was 6.8 years in the case of cemented and 4.0 years in the case of uncemented hip revision arthroplasty. As an average rate of rerevision, 15.1% was calculated for cemented cup revisions, 4.3% for uncemented cup revisions. Rates of aseptic loosening were 23.1% for cemented procedure, 8.8% for uncemented cup implants. Femoral revision implants showed an average aseptic loosening rate of 21.2% for cemented procedures and an average rate of rerevisions of 12.7%; uncemented procedures showed aseptic loosening in 4.4% of the cases and rerevision in 5.5%. For old, relatively immobile patients with reduced physical constitution, cemented reimplantation has still to be regarded as the method of choice. In young patients uncemented revision arthroplasty is to prefer both on the acetabular and the femoral side to achieve superior results with good long-term prognosis. Regarding the bony defects induced by loosening, bone grafting is recommended for cemented and uncemented reimplantation technique. CONCLUSION In the case of aseptic hip revision arthroplasty, the therapeutical procedure has to be adapted especially to the age and general constitution of the patient as well as to the bony defects induced by prosthetic loosening. For the future, controlled studies should respect the initial condition of primary as well as revision arthroplasty in reporting the results.
Cohorte observationnelle analysant l’évolution des patients débutant un traitement antirétroviral comprenant du dolutégravir au CHU de Bordeaux et dans les autres CHR d’Aquitaine : projet « Cotivy »

Depuis l’avenement des tritherapies, l’infection a VIH est devenue une maladie chronique, relevant d’un traitement a vie devant etre simple, efficace, avec peu effets secondaires, peu d’interactions, et un risque faible d’emergence de resistances. Les inhibiteurs d’integrase (INI) sont des molecules puissantes et bien tolerees. Parmi elles, le dolutegravir (DTG), disponible en France depuis 2014, offre l’avantage d’une haute barriere genetique, d’interactions limitees et d’une simplicite de prise. L’objectif principal de cette etude etait de determiner le nombre de patients en echec virologique dans une cohorte de patients debutant un traitement comportant du DTG dans differents centres hospitaliers d’Aquitaine. 47 patients ont ete inclus, 46 pretraites, 1 naif. Le suivi median a ete de 5,9 mois (4-11,4). Il s’agissait de patients tres anciennement infectes, multitraites, multiresistants. Deux populations ont ete separees : le groupe 1 (n=21), compose des patients en succes virologique a l’inclusion, mis sous DTG pour simplification, effet indesirable ou interaction, et le groupe 2 (n=26), compose des patients en echec virologique a l’inclusion. Un echec virologique est survenu dans 10/47 cas (21,3%) au cours des 9 mois de suivi. Il a ete plus frequent dans le groupe 2 (34,6% contre 4,8% dans le groupe 1). Tous les patients en echec avaient un antecedent d’echec sous INI de premiere generation, 60% etaient porteurs d’une mutation sur le gene de l’integrase a l’inclusion, 20% de la mutation G140S+Q148H. Dans 1 cas est apparue une nouvelle mutation de l’integrase (138K). Il n’a pas ete observe de variation significative du taux de CD4. Le traitement a ete bien tolere. Une tendance a la baisse de la clairance estimee de la creatinine a ete observee a 3 mois, se normalisant ensuite. Cette etude est a etendre sur une cohorte plus importante de patients et sur des populations plus homogenes.
Dipole Moment and Dielectric Relaxation of Some Aromatic Ethylenes and Butadienes

The dipole moment of 1,1-bis-p-chlorophenylethylene, 1,1-bis-p-bromophenylethylene, 1,1-bis-pmethoxy, -ethoxy, -isopropoxy-phenyl-ethylene, 1,1,4,4-tetrakis-p-methoxy, -ethoxy, isopropoxyphenylbuta- l,3dienes was measured and compared with the calculated value. The mesomeric moment was estimated and found to decrease in the case of the ethylenes with the increase in volume of the substituted group. For the butadienes, the mesomeric moments compensate each other. Investigations of the dielectric relaxation times of the ethylenes showed that the orientation of the -OCH3 group in the 1,1-bis-p-methoxy-phenylethylene is hindered to a large extent. The orientation of the -OC2H5 and -OC3H7 groups in the corresponding molecules are restricted due to steric hindrance
Tissue-Engineered Breast Reconstruction with Brava-Assisted Fat Grafting: A 7-Year, 488-Patient, Multicenter Experience

Background: The ability of autologous fat transfer to reconstruct an entire breast is not established. The authors harnessed the regenerative capabilities of external expansion and autologous fat transfer to completely reconstruct breasts. Methods: The authors performed 1877 Brava plus autologous fat transfer procedures on 616 breasts in 488 women to reconstruct 99 lumpectomies, 87 immediate breast reconstructions, and 430 delayed total breast reconstructions. After 2 to 4 weeks of Brava expansion, which increased volume by 100 to 300 percent, the authors diffusely grafted the breasts with 100 to 400 ml (225 ml average) of 15 g–sedimented, manually harvested lipoaspirate. The procedure was repeated every 8 to 14 weeks until completion. The authors compared costs of this reconstruction with established deep inferior epigastric artery perforator/transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flaps and implant procedures. Results: Follow-up ranged from 6 months to 7 years (mean, 2.5 years), with 0.5 percent locoregional recurrence. Four hundred twenty-seven women completed the reconstruction, whereas 12.5 percent dropped out (2.5 percent medical, 10 percent personal reasons). Completion required 2.7 procedures for nonirradiated and 4.8 procedures for irradiated mastectomies. Patients recovered soft, natural appearing breasts with nearly normal sensation. Complications included five pneumothoraces and 20 ulcerative infections. Radiographically recognized benign palpable masses were observed in 12 percent of nonirradiated and 37 percent of irradiated breasts. The cost of Brava plus autologous fat transfer is 47 percent and 66 percent that of current reconstruction alternatives. Conclusion: Brava plus autologous fat transfer is a minimally invasive, incisionless, safe, economic, and effective alternative for breast reconstruction. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, IV.
Multilocus approaches for the measurement of selection on correlated genetic loci

The study of ecological speciation is inherently linked to the study of selection. Methods for estimating phenotypic selection within a generation based on associations between trait values and fitness (e.g. survival) of individuals are established. These methods attempt to disentangle selection acting directly on a trait from indirect selection caused by correlations with other traits via multivariate statistical approaches (i.e. inference of selection gradients). The estimation of selection on genotypic or genomic variation could also benefit from disentangling direct and indirect selection on genetic loci. However, achieving this goal is difficult with genomic data because the number of potentially correlated genetic loci (p) is very large relative to the number of individuals sampled (n). In other words, the number of model parameters exceeds the number of observations (p ≫ n). We present simulations examining the utility of whole‐genome regression approaches (i.e. Bayesian sparse linear mixed models) for quantifying direct selection in cases where p ≫ n. Such models have been used for genome‐wide association mapping and are common in artificial breeding. Our results show they hold promise for studies of natural selection in the wild and thus of ecological speciation. But we also demonstrate important limitations to the approach and discuss study designs required for more robust inferences.
Heart beat prediction in distorted ECG signal using blood pressure measurements

The location of the heart beats in ECG signals are easily detectable by QRS detectors. However the quality of the ECG signal may vary considerably over time. There could be various sources of distortions that changes the shape of the ECG signal and makes some parts of the signal not readable. The QRS detector usually finds additional QRS complexes that are actually not present in the ECG signal. Paper presents effective algorithm to reduce the amount of false heart beat detections together with the algorithm to adjust heart beat position in noisy signal according to blood pressure measurements.
Chromosome aberrations induced in human leukocytes by the antileukemic antibiotic adriamycin.

Summary A new antitumor, antileukemic antibiotic-adriamycin-is shown to cause chromosomal damage when used on human leukocytes in in vitro cultures at concentrations as low as 0.02 μg/ml for 24 hr or 0.05, 0.10, or 0.15 μg/ml for 3 to 4 hr. Aberrations of all conceivable types (intra- as well as inter-chromatid, -chromosome, and chromatid-chromosome type) are observed. However, a high frequency of chromosome-type fragments is noticed which compares in general with the frequency of chromatid-type exchanges but is higher than the chromatid-type breaks. Asymmetrical exchanges are more frequent than symmetrical ones. The distribution of exchange points along the length of chromosome (or group of chromosomes) expresses nonrandom effect of adriamycin on the chromatin matter. Chromosomes 3 and Y appear to be far more resistant to the effect of the drug than other chromosomes. An analysis of fragments and exchanges indicates nonrandomness of the action of the drug within chromosomes also. Study of exchanges involving corresponding points of the members of the exchange complex show that adriamycin perhaps does not induce somatic crossing over to any considerable extent. These observations agree with those made on a sister drug, daunomycin (daunorubicin).