Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adiponectin is an independent determinant of insulin resistance in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Objective. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is frequently associated with insulin resistance and a consequent increased risk of metabolic diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of adiponectin in insulin resistance in PCOS women. Materials and methods. Forty-seven patients with PCOS and 23 control subjects, matched for age and body mass index (BMI), were enrolled in the study. Clinical, metabolic and hormonal parameters and adiponectin levels were measured, and HOMA-IR score (homeostasis model assessment–insulin resistance index) was calculated for each subject. Results. There was no difference in adiponectin levels between PCOS patients and the control group. However, adiponectin levels were negatively correlated with obesity-associated parameters and HOMA-IR score in PCOS patients and controls. As adiponectin is modulated by BMI we adjusted for BMI among the PCOS patients, and found a negative correlation between adiponectin levels and HOMA-IR score (r = −0.51, p < 0.001). Adiponectin and BMI were independent determinants of insulin resistance in PCOS patients (adjusted R2 = 0.66, p < 0.001). Conclusion. Adiponectin did not seem to be actively involved in the pathogenesis of PCOS. However, adiponectin levels were independently associated with insulin resistance in PCOS patients, suggesting that adiponectin might play a role in the complicated metabolic abnormalities of PCOS.
ADH‐1 suppresses N‐cadherin‐dependent pancreatic cancer progression

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive malignant diseases. We recently reported that N‐cadherin plays a key role in tumor progression and metastasis in pancreatic cancer. For this study, we sought to determine if an N‐cadherin‐blocking peptide (ADH‐1) could prevent N‐cadherin‐mediated tumor progression in a mouse model for pancreatic cancer. The effect of ADH‐1 on N‐cadherin‐mediated cell scattering and migration on collagen I was examined using pancreatic cancer cells. We also examined the influence of ADH‐1 on cell apoptosis. Furthermore, in vivo animal studies were performed using orthotopic injection of N‐cadherin overexpressing BxPC‐3 cells with or without ADH‐1 treatment. BxPC‐3 and Capan‐1 cells exhibited increased expression of N‐cadherin in response to collagen I. This increase in N‐cadherin promoted cell scattering and migration in response to collagen I. ADH‐1 prevented these changes, but did not inhibit upregulation of N‐cadherin. TUNEL assays and immunoblots for caspase‐3 showed that ADH‐1 induced apoptosis in a concentration dependent and N‐cadherin dependent manner in pancreatic cancer cells. ADH‐1 treatment resulted in significant reductions in tumor growth and lung metastasis in a mouse model for pancreatic cancer. The N‐cadherin antagonist, ADH‐1 has significant antitumor activity against N‐cadherin‐expressing cells using in vitro assays and in an orthotopic mouse model for pancreatic cancer, raising the possibility that N‐cadherin antagonists have therapeutic potential for the treatment of pancreatic cancer in humans. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Frequency of hypoglycemia and its significance in chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES This study set out to determine the incidence of hypoglycemia in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), with and without diabetes, and the association of hypoglycemia with mortality. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS This was a retrospective cohort analysis of 243,222 patients who had 2,040,206 glucose measurements and were cared for at the Veterans Health Administration. CKD was defined as an estimated GFR of <60 ml/min per 1.73 m(2). Hypoglycemia was set at <70 mg/dl. Mortality was measured 1 day after glucose measurement. RESULTS The incidence of hypoglycemia was higher in patients with CKD versus without CKD. Among patients with diabetes, the rate was 10.72 versus 5.33 per 100 patient-months and among patients without diabetes was 3.46 versus 2.23 per 100 patient-months, for CKD versus no CKD, respectively. The odds of 1-d mortality were increased at all levels of hypoglycemia but attenuated in CKD versus no CKD. Adjusted odds ratios for 1-d mortality that were associated with glucose values of <50, 50 to 59, and 60 to 69 mg/dl, respectively, versus glucose of >or=70 mg/dl were 6.09, 4.10, and 1.85 for inpatient records from patients with CKD; 9.95, 3.79, and 2.54 for inpatients records from patients without CKD; 6.84, 3.28, and 3.98 for outpatient records from patients with CKD; and 13.28, 7.36, and 4.34 for outpatient records from patients without CKD. CONCLUSIONS CKD is a risk for hypoglycemia, with or without diabetes. The excessive mortality associated with hypoglycemia makes this complication a significant threat to patient safety in CKD.
An SSIM-motivated LCU-level rate control algorithm for HEVC

The rate control model used in the HEVC reference software HM10.0 is a R-λ model. In this model the distortion is measured by Mean Squared Error (MSE) and Sum of Absolute Difference(SAD). However, MSE and SAD are not correlated well with perceptual image quality. In this paper, we propose an improved LCU-level rate control algorithm based on the structural similarity (SSIM) index which was proved to be a better indicator of perceived image quality than MSE. What's more, we use the the structural similarity index to decide the weight of LCU-level bit allocation in the R-λ model and incorporate it to the rate-distortion optimization. Experiments show that the proposed scheme can achieve significant gain in terms of rate-SSIM performance and better subjective quality when compared with HEVC.
The effect of mosapride, a novel prokinetic, on acid reflux variables in patients with gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease

Mosapride is a novel prokinetic agent facilitating acetylcholine release from the enteric cholinergic neurones through a selective 5‐HT4 receptor agonistic action. It is also active through its main metabolite M1, which is a 5‐HT3 antagonist. The importance of motor dysfunction in the pathogenesis of gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) makes it interesting to examine the effect of mosapride on oesophageal acid exposure.
The force applied to successfully turn a foetus during reattempts of external cephalic version is substantially reduced when performed under spinal analgesia

Objective: To compare the forces exerted during external cephalic version (ECV) on the maternal abdomen between (1) the primary attempts performed without spinal analgesia (SA), which failed and (2) the subsequent reattempts performed under SA. Methods: Patients with an uncomplicated singleton breech-presenting pregnancy suitable for ECV were recruited. During ECV, the operator wore a pair of gloves, which had thin piezo-resistive pressure sensors measuring the contact pressure between the operator’s hands and maternal abdomen. For patients who had failed ECV, reattempts by the same operator was made with patients under SA, and the applied force was measured in the same manner. The profile of the exerted forces over time during each attempt was analyzed and denoted by pressure–time integral (PTI: mmHg sec). Pain score was also graded by patients using visual analogue scale. Both PTI and pain score before and after the use of SA were then compared. Results: Overall, eight patients who had a failed ECV without SA underwent a reattempt with SA. All of them had successful version and the median PTI of the successful attempts under SA were lower than that of the previous failed attempts performed without SA (127 386 mmHg sec vs. 298,424 mmHg sec; p = 0.017). All of them also reported a 0 pain score, which was significantly lower than that of before (median 7.5; p = 0.016). Conclusions: SA improves the success rate of ECV as well as reduces the force required for successful version.
Performance analysis of an ultra dense network with and without cell cooperation

This paper presents an analysis on performance of an ultra dense network (UDN) with and without cell cooperation from the perspective of network information theory. We propose a UDN performance metric called Total Average Geometry Throughput which is independent from the user distribution or scheduler etc. This performance metric is analyzed in detail for UDN with and without cooperation. The numerical results from the analysis show that under the studied system model, the total average geometry throughput reaches its maximum when the inter-cell distance is around 6 ~ 8 meters, both without and with cell cooperation. Cell cooperation can significantly reduce inter-cell interference but not remove it completely. With cell cooperation and an optimum number of the cooperating cells the maximum performance gain can be achieved. Furthermore, the results also imply that there is an optimum aggregate transmission power if considering the energy cost per bit.
Design of estimators for the output shaft torque of automated manual transmission systems

This study mainly focuses on the accurate estimation of the output shaft torque - and thus the clutch torque - of the automated manual transmissions as well as dual clutch transmissions, using the data available in the current production vehicles. The required information includes the nominal engine torque map and measurements of engine speed, clutch speed, and wheel speed. Utilizing the above-mentioned information, based on the design of four types of observers (unknown input observer, shaft compliance observer, synthesis of these two types of observers, and an adaptive observer), several methods to obtain the torque estimation without additional cost are developed to improve the feedback control performance of the clutch actuators and thus the vehicle launching and gear shift qualities. The stability of the proposed observers is investigated, and a set of assessments to confirm the performance of the observer system is arranged via simulation.
[Clinical analysis of 225 women with congenital uterine malformation].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the prevalence, clinical features, diagnosis, treatment and the influence on procreation of uterine malformation. METHODS Totally 225 women with uterine malformation referred to our hospital from Mar 1990 to Jan 2005 were involved in this retrospective analysis. The constituent ratio, clinical feature, diagnosis, treatment and the influence on procreation were analyzed. RESULTS (1) Among 225 cases of uterine malformation, 125 cases (55.6%) were septate uterus; 122 (97.6%, 122/125) of these patients became pregnant, but always associated with a high risk of reproductive failure and obstetrical complications, such as abortion, abnormal fetal presentation, premature rupture of membrane. (2) Among 51 cases (22.7%, 51/225) of didelphia, 50 cases (98%, 50/51) became pregnant without any influence from this malformation. Five cases were combined with urinary system complication. (3) Among 26 cases (9.7%, 26/225) of rudimentary horn of uterus, 4 cases (15%, 4/26) became pregnant, and 1 case (4%, 1/26) presented with ipsilateral oviduct ectopic pregnancy; 2 cases (8%, 2/26) were combined with urinary deformities. (4) In 14 cases (6.2%, 14/225) of bicornuate uterus, 1 case (7%, 1/14) presented with urinary tract abnormalities; gestations were more common, but due to the uterine structural abnormality, recurrent miscarriage and premature delivery were unavoidable. (5) Others: none came up with sterility in 4 cases (1.8%, 4/225) of saddle shaped uterus. All the three cases (1.3%, 3/225) of ametria were with the chief complaint of primary amenorrhea. Two cases of unicornis uterus (0.9%, 2/225) were both complicated with sterility, while neither with urinary system deformities. CONCLUSIONS Among uterine malformations, septate uterine is the most common type. Septate uterus, didelphic uterus, bicornuate and rudimentary horn of uterus do not affect pregnancy, but can cause different complications. Unicornis uterus always causes sterility. Uterus malformations often come up with urinary system deformities.
Effect of thermal processing on free and total phenolics in nine varieties of common beans

Though much attention has been devoted to phenolics in beans, to our knowledge no studies have been done to determine the effect commercial canning has on these compounds. Free and total phenolic concentration in 18 cultivars of raw beans and 9 cultivars of commercial canned beans was determined. Alkaline hydrolysis was used on samples prior to analysis by Folin–Ciocalteu's reagent (FCR) and ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). A correction for non-phenolic antioxidants, interferences, was then made. There is a significant difference between the free phenolics of canned and raw beans using FCR (P = 0.006) but not FRAP. There is also a significant difference in the total phenolics of canned and raw beans using FRAP (P = 0.006) but not FCR. When considered on a single serving basis, the amount of phenolics in canned beans is comparable to that provided by raw fruits and vegetables.
Targeting delivery of liposomes with conjugated p-aminophenyl-α-d-manno-pyranoside and apolipoprotein E for inhibiting neuronal degeneration insulted with β-amyloid peptide

Abstract Liposomes with conjugated p-aminophenyl-α-d-manno-pyranoside (APMP) and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) (APMP-ApoE-liposomes) were employed to carry neuron growth factor (NGF) across the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and enhance the survival of degenerated neurons. APMP-ApoE-liposomes were used to deliver NGF across a monolayer of human brain-microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) regulated by human astrocytes (HAs) for rescuing SK-N-MC cells from an insult of β-amyloid peptide 1–42 (Aβ1–42). An increase in the APMP concentration enhanced the particle size, HBMEC and HA viability, permeability for propidium iodide (PI), and permeability for NGF, however, reduced the absolute value of zeta potential, APMP conjugation efficiency and transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER). In addition, an increase in the ApoE concentration increased the particle size, absolute value of zeta potential, HBMEC and HA viability, permeability for PI, permeability for NGF and SK-N-MC cell viability, however, decreased the ApoE conjugation efficiency and TEER. APMP and ApoE on liposomes can be promising surface moieties to carry NGF across the BBB, target degenerated neurons and inhibit Aβ1–42-induced neurotoxicity in Alzheimer’s disease.
Vasorelaxant effects of novel Kv7.4 channel enhancers ML213 and NS15370

The KCNQ‐encoded voltage‐gated potassium channel family (Kv7.1‐Kv7.5) are established regulators of smooth muscle contractility, where Kv7.4 and Kv7.5 predominate. Various Kv7.2–7.5 channel enhancers have been developed that have been shown to cause a vasorelaxation in both rodent and human blood vessels. Recently, two novel Kv7 channel enhancers have been identified, ML213 and NS15370, that show increased potency, particularly on Kv7.4 channels. The aim of this study was to characterize the effects of these novel enhancers in different rat blood vessels and compare them with Kv7 enhancers (S‐1, BMS204352, retigabine) described previously. We also sought to determine the binding sites of the new Kv7 enhancers.
Scattering by an Infinite Dielectric Cylinder Having an Elliptic Metal Core: Asymptotic Solutions

The scattering of a plane electromagnetic wave by an infinite circular dielectric cylinder, containing an elliptic metallic one is considered in this work. The electromagnetic field is expressed in terms of both circular and elliptical-cylindrical wave functions, connected with one another by well-known expansion formulas. When the solution is specialized to small values of the parameter h = c/a, (h ≪ 1), where 2c is the interfocal distance of the elliptic conductor and 2a the length of its major axis, analytical expressions of the form S(h) = S(0)[1 + g(2)h2 + g(4)h4 + O(h6)] are obtained for the scattered field and the various scattering cross-sections. Both polarizations are considered for normal incidence. Numerical results are given for various values of the parameters.
Design and development of an acoustic sensor array for anomaly detection

Anomaly detection is the identification of an anomaly with regards to misplaced objects or intruders in an indoor environment. It can be done by mapping a room along with its stationary objects with an ultrasonic acoustic frequency response. In this paper, we explore the feasibility of using active acoustic imagery in air and simulate phased array beam forming techniques to achieve a suitable acoustic sensor array design for a portable mobile robot which can be applied to detect the presence/absence of anomalous objects in a room. The selected room is insonified with a broadband acoustic signal and the multi-path reflection effects contained in the reflected signal time-series in enclosed rooms are analyzed to detect anomalies. The related hardware is designed with the same feasibility criterion that the developed system needs to be deployed on a portable mobile robot. There is a trade-off between image resolution and range with the array size, number of elements and the imaging frequency and has to be iteratively simulated to achieve the desired acoustic sensor array design. The designed acoustic imaging array system is targeted for use in surveillance missions for intruder alerts (anomaly detection) and imaging objects during dark and smoky scenarios where conventional optic based systems do not function very well.
La estructura de oportunidades empresariales en los destinos turísticos de sol y playa. El caso de Fuerteventura (Canarias)

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the unequal structure of opportunities in the development of economic activity. It is a specific case where European immigrants have better opportunities than the local residents. This is an unusual situation because the Fecha de recepción: Fecha de aceptación: Departamento de Sociología y Antropología. Universidad de La Laguna. Campus de Guajara. 38200 San Cristóbal de la Laguna. SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE (España). E-mail: jrmarrod@ull.es, asantana@ull.edu. es J. ROSA MARRERO RODRÍGUEZ Y AGUSTÍN SANTANA TALAVERA 286 Cuadernos de Turismo, 42, (2018), 285-304 tradicional literature on the entrepreneurship of immigrants and ethnic economy. The study was carried out in Fuerteventura, a sun and beach touristic destination in the Canary Islands. The research used secondary data and interviews in depth. In this work, it’s important the coherent combination of different theoretical approaches for the analysis of these business development processes.
Increased Blood Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Levels in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a growth factor for vascular endothelial cells in vitro. The present study was designed to determine whether serum VEGF levels increase in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) compared with patients with stable exertional angina and control subjects, and to examine the serial changes of serum VEGF levels in patients with AMI. We examined serum VEGF levels by using antibody prepared from serum immunized with human VEGF121. The serum VEGF level (pg/ml) was higher (p < 0.0001) on admission in the patients with AMI (177 ± 19) than in those with stable exertional angina (61 ± 7) and control subjects (62 ± 6). The serum VEGF level (pg/ml) of the patients with AMI was 177 ± 19 on admission, 125 ± 9 on day 3, 137 ± 11 on day 5, 242 ± 18 at 1 week, and 258 ± 22 at 2 weeks after admission. The value was higher on admission than on day 3 after admission (p = 0.014), the values were higher at 1 week and 2 weeks than on admission, on day 3, and 5 (p < 0.01). Furthermore, there were correlations between peak VEGF levels at 1 week or 2 weeks after admission and peak creatine kinase levels. The increase of VEGF on admission in the patients with AMI may be due to the hypoxia of acute myocardial ischemia. The elevation at 1 week and 2 weeks from the onset may cause the development of collateral circulation in relation to the healing of the infarction site.
Prevalence of intestinal parasites in the area of Parma during the year 2005.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK Intestinal parasitosis represent a relevant clinical problem, especially in developing countries, where they are responsible for morbidity and mortality in adults and children and many epidemiological data are available for these areas. The actual situation of intestinal parasitosis in Europe is not yet well investigated since they are usually not notified. We describe the occurrence of intestinal parasitosis in our laboratory from January to December 2005. METHODS We considered all patients (1117) whose stool samples were sent to our laboratory with the suspect of intestinal parasitosis during the year 2005. Each specimen was subjected to macroscopic and microscopic examination to demonstrate the presence of worm eggs, larvae, protozoan trophozoites or cysts and to an immunochromatographic assay to detect Giardia intestinalis and Cryptosporidium spp. specific antigens. Cultures for protozoa and helminths were carried out and a PCR specific for Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar was also performed. RESULTS Our results indicated that 148 patients (13.24%) were affected by intestinal parasitosis. Among the 951 Italians, 96 (10%) were infected, while out of a total of 166 foreigners 52 had intestinal parasitosis (31%). Moreover, we found that 113 infections were caused by only one parasite while 35 were mixed infections. CONCLUSIONS Intestinal parasitosis represent a remarkable cause of gastrointestinal disease and our study demonstrates that these infections are quite common in our area, affecting both Italians and non European citizens from developing countries.
Unpacking the concept of patient satisfaction: a feminist analysis.

AIM The aim of this paper is to present a feminist critique of the concept of patient satisfaction. BACKGROUND Fiscal restraint, health care restructuring, shifting demographics, biomedical technological advances, and a significant shortage of health care professionals are stretching health care systems across North America to the breaking point. A simultaneous focus on consumerism and health service accountability is placing additional pressure on the system. The concept of patient satisfaction, with roots in the consumer movement of the 1960s, has both practical and political relevance in the current health care system and is commonly used to guide research related to consumer experiences of health care. Because the quality of health care encounters may lead to treatment-seeking delays, patient satisfaction research may be an effective vehicle for addressing this public health issue. However, there is wide agreement that patient satisfaction is an under-theorized concept. Using current conceptualizations of patient satisfaction, we end up all too often producing a checklist approach to 'achieving' patient satisfaction, rather than developing an understanding of the larger issues underlying individual experiences of health care. We focus on the symptoms rather than the problems. DISCUSSION Without further theoretical refinement, the results of research into patient satisfaction are of limited use. To push forward theoretical development we might apply a variety of theoretical lenses to the analysis of both the concept and the results of patient satisfaction research. Feminism, in particular, offers a perspective that may provoke further refinement of patient satisfaction as a concept. CONCLUSIONS Without a deeper understanding of the values and beliefs (or the worldview) that informs our approaches to researching patient satisfaction, researchers will be reacting to the most obvious indicators and failing to address the underlying issues related to individual experiences of health care.