Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The application of subspace clustering to cooperation of chinese herbal medicines

The cooperation of Chinese herbal medicines is not simple mixture of several remedies. The employ of remedies has certain correlation. However, the conventional clustering techniques are unlikely to reveal these relationships on the data of Chinese herbal medicines, because the data are always on the high dimensionality and spread around. Not all Chinese herbal medicines are associated with each other. The subspace clustering techniques not only can identify interesting clusters, but also find the attributes related to the cluster. In this paper, a subspace clustering algorithm HARP is used to analyze the employ of remedies on cooperation of Chinese rheum prescription. The interesting clusters have been discovered on various subspaces. Many potential laws on cooperation of Chinese prescription are revealed.
Experimental Comparison of Bovine-Derived Xenograft, Xenograft-Autologous Bone Marrow and Autogenous Bone Graft for the Treatment of Bony Defects in the Rabbit Ulna

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine whether bone marrow grafted percutanously has an effect on the healing of bony defects filled with bone-derived xenografts. Materials and Methods: Eighty New Zealand albino rabbits with anaverage age of approximately 1 year were divided into 4 groups, each consisting of 20 animals. Bony defect was induced in the ulnas of all rabbits by excising a 1-cm-long bone segment from the 3-cm proximal segment of the right distal radioulnar joint. Bone defects were treated simultaneously with bovine-derived xenograft, a combination of xenograft and bone marrow or on the 5th day following the filling of the segment with the xenograft and autogenous bone graft. Treatment results obtained for each application type were compared with each other with regard to the radiological, biochemical and histological criteria. Results: No significant statistical differences were determined between the groups in their 15th-day radiographs. The group treated with only xenograft from the first month onwards presented with the worst results and was significantly different from the other groups with respect to all evaluation criteria. No statistically significant difference was determined between rabbits treated with xenograft and bone marrow combination and with autogenous bone graft. Conclusions: This study revealed that when xenografts are combined with autologous bone marrow, their incorporation into the host bed accelerates significantly.
Replication Protein A as a “Fidelity Clamp” for DNA Polymerase α*

The current view of DNA replication in eukaryotes predicts that DNA polymerase α (pol α)-primase synthesizes the first 10-ribonucleotide-long RNA primer on the leading strand and at the beginning of each Okazaki fragment on the lagging strand. Subsequently, pol α elongates such an RNA primer by incorporating about 20 deoxynucleotides. pol α displays a low processivity and, because of the lack of an intrinsic or associated 3′→ 5′ exonuclease activity, it is more error-prone than other replicative pols. Synthesis of the RNA/DNA primer catalyzed by pol α-primase is a critical step in the initiation of DNA synthesis, but little is known about the role of the DNA replication accessory proteins in its regulation. In this paper we provide evidences that the single-stranded DNA-binding protein, replication protein A (RP-A), acts as an auxiliary factor for pol α playing a dual role: (i) it stabilizes the pol α/primer complex, thus acting as a pol clamp; and (ii) it significantly reduces the misincorporation efficiency by pol α. Based on these results, we propose a hypothetical model in which RP-A is involved in the regulation of the early events of DNA synthesis by acting as a “fidelity clamp” for pol α.
Stiffness Indexes β of the Common Carotid and Femoral Arteries Are Associated With Insulin Resistance in NIDDM

OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between arterial wall stiffness indexes β of the common carotid artery (CCA) and the femoral artery (FA) and insulin resistance in NIDDM subjects in a cross-sectional study. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We evaluated the arterial stiffness indexes β of CCA and FA using an ultrasonic phase-locked echo-tracking system in 60 NIDDM subjects attending the diabetes center in Osaka City University Hospital, compared with 120 ageand sex-matched control subjects. Insulin sensitivity indexes were evaluated using a euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp. RESULTS Stiffness indexes β of both CCA and FA were significantly higher in NIDDM subjects than in control subjects (CCA 18.1 ± 0.9 vs. 11.7 ± 0.3, respectively, P < 0.001; FA 35.7 ± 2.3 vs. 23.7 ± 0.8, respectively, P < 0.001). The mean insulin sensitivity index in NIDDM subjects was 4.69 ± 0.29 mg · kg−1 · min−1 · mU−1 · 1. The stiffness indexes β of both CCA and FA were inversely correlated with insulin sensitivity indexes (CCA r = −0.393, P = 0.002; FA r = −0.329, P = 0.010), as well as with age, duration of diabetes, and mean blood pressure. In stepwise multiple regression analyses, insulin sensitivity index and duration of diabetes were identified as significant independent variables for stiffness indexes 3 in both CCA and FA (CCA R2 = 0.249, P = 0.0003; FA R2 = 0.336, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Arterial stiffness indexes β of CCA and FA were associated with insulin resistance in NIDDM subjects.
High risk of new knee injury in elite footballers with previous anterior cruciate ligament injury

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is a severe event for a footballer, but it is unclear if the knee injury rate is higher on returning to football after ACL injury. Objective: To study the risk of knee injury in elite footballers with a history of ACL injury compared with those without. Method: The Swedish male professional league (310 players) was studied during 2001. Players with a history of ACL injury at the study start were identified. Exposure to football and all time loss injuries during the season were recorded prospectively. Results: Twenty four players (8%) had a history of 28 ACL injuries in 27 knees (one rerupture). These players had a higher incidence of new knee injury of any type than the players without ACL injury (mean (SD) 4.2 (3.7) v 1.0 (0.7) injuries per 1000 hours, p = 0.02). The risk of suffering a knee overuse injury was significantly higher regardless of whether the player (relative risk 4.8, 95% confidence interval 2.0 to 11.2) or the knee (relative risk 7.9, 95% confidence interval 3.4 to 18.5) was used as the unit of analysis. No interactive effects of age or any other anthropometric data were seen. Conclusion: The risk of new knee injury, especially overuse injury, was significantly increased on return to elite football after ACL injury regardless of whether the player or the knee was used as the unit of analysis.
Phobic Anxiety and Plasma Levels of Global Oxidative Stress in Women.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Psychological distress has been hypothesized to be associated with adverse biologic states such as higher oxidative stress and inflammation. Yet, little is known about associations between a common form of distress - phobic anxiety - and global oxidative stress. Thus, we related phobic anxiety to plasma fluorescent oxidation products (FlOPs), a global oxidative stress marker. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional analysis among 1,325 women (aged 43-70 years) from the Nurses' Health Study. Phobic anxiety was measured using the Crown-Crisp Index (CCI). Adjusted least-squares mean log-transformed FlOPs were calculated across phobic categories. Logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios (OR) comparing the highest CCI category (≥6 points) vs. lower scores, across FlOPs quartiles. RESULTS No association was found between phobic anxiety categories and mean FlOP levels in multivariable adjusted linear models. Similarly, in multivariable logistic regression models there were no associations between FlOPs quartiles and likelihood of being in the highest phobic category. Comparing women in the highest vs. lowest FlOPs quartiles: FlOP_360: OR=0.68 (95% CI: 0.40-1.15); FlOP_320: OR=0.99 (95% CI: 0.61-1.61); FlOP_400: OR=0.92 (95% CI: 0.52, 1.63). CONCLUSIONS No cross-sectional association was found between phobic anxiety and a plasma measure of global oxidative stress in this sample of middle-aged and older women.
Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Trucut Biopsy of the Pancreas: Prospects and Problems

Endoscopic ultrasound fine needle aspiration (EUS FNA) provides high diagnostic accuracy in most settings. However, limitations associated with pancreatic EUS FNA reduce accuracy. These limitations most significantly impact patients with autoimmune and nonspecific pancreatitis, but also cystic pancreatic tumors, vascular tumors, and less so ductal carcinoma. The EUS trucut biopsy (TCB) needle design overcomes many of the shortcomings of EUS FNA by acquiring larger tissue samples to allow histologic examination. However, these techniques should be considered complimentary as technical or interpretive failure with one device often indicates a need for biopsy with the alternate method. The suggested role of EUS TCB in pancreatic disease is based on limited data and personal experience. As such, further study is needed to determine if this experience is widely applicable. Issues of afety, accuracy, and cost must also be clarified and considered before establishing the role of EUS TCB relative to EUS FNA.
Terrestrial laser scanning for snow depth observations: An update on technical developments and applications

In the past few years terrestrial laser scanning methodology has become a powerful tool for determining the spatial snow depth distribution on slopes. With technical improvements of devices, e.g. increased measurement range, reduced beam diameter, increased scanning speed and a more precise registration process, application for snow and avalanche related objectives has increased. The presentation focuses on one example, documentation of an avalanche hazard that destroyed a railway track. The mass balance of the avalanche was measured to allow reliable evaluation of dynamic mod- eling and risk analyses. Technical developments including improvements in applicability of the devices are described and continuing limitations of terrestrial laser scanning methodology are discussed. An outlook on future developments of the technology is also given.
Differential Expression of Basement Membrane Components in Lymphatic Tissues

Peripheral lymphoid tissues act as important organs of immunological defense. Characteristic of their architecture is the rich reticular fiber meshwork composed of various extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules with which the stationary non-lymphatic cells stay in intimate contact and form channels through which the lymphatic cells travel. Here we studied the distribution of various laminin (Ln) chains and different types of collagens in human spleen, lymph node, and tonsil to clarify their chain-specific distribution. The most widely distributed proteins in all these organs were Ln chains α5, β1, γ1 and collagen types IV and XVIII, which were present in practically all compartments. Conversely, Ln α1, α2, α4, and type VII collagen showed a more restricted expression pattern. A unique feature was that Ln α3-, β3-, and γ2-chains, which normally are not localized to the vascular wall in non-lymphatic tissues, were present also in capillary basement membranes (BMs) of the follicular structures of lymph node and tonsil and in Ln α1-chain and type VII collagen also in the splenic white pulp. We also found that collagen XVII was exclusively present in the ring fibers of the spleen. The results indicate that BMs of lymphatic tissues contain a variety of macromolecules that probably contribute strongly to immunological events. In addition, capillaries of the lymphoid tissue exhibit a specified BM composition resembling that in epithelial BMs of non-lymphoid tissues.
An injectable, biodegradable calcium phosphate cement containing poly lactic-co-glycolic acid as a bone substitute in ex vivo human vertebral compression fracture and rabbit bone defect models

ABSTRACT Purpose/Aim of the study: To evaluate the biomechanical characteristics and biocompatibility of an injectable, biodegradable calcium phosphate cement (CPC) containing poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA). Materials and methods: A vertebral compression fracture model was established using 20 human cadaveric vertebrae (T11-L3) divided into CPC/PLGA composite versus PMMA groups for biomechanical testing. In addition, 35 New Zealand rabbits were used to evaluate biodegradability and osteoconductive properties of CPC/PLGA using a bone defect model. In vitro cytotoxicity was evaluated by culturing with L929 cells. Results: The CPC/PLGA composite effectively restored vertebral biomechanical properties. Compared with controls, the maximum load and compression strength of the CPC/PLGA group were lower, and stiffness was lower after kyphoplasty (all p <.05). Degradation was much slower in the control CPC compared with CPC/PLGA group. The bone tissue percentage in the CPC/PLGA group (44.9 ± 23.7%) was significantly higher compared with control CPC group (25.7 ± 10.9%) (p <.05). The viability of cells cultured on CPC/PLGA was greater than 70% compared with the blanks. Conclusions: Our biodegradable CPC/PLGA composite showed good biomechanical properties, cytocompatibility, and osteoconductivity and may represent an ideal bone substitute for future applications.
Studies on the Incorporation of 14C‐Sodium Acetate into the Phospholipids of Phytohaemagglutinin‐Stimulated and Unstimulated Lymphocytes

The in vitro incorporation of 14C‐acetate into the phospholipids of unstimulated and phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)‐stimulated lymphocytes and the distribution of radioactivity in the phospholipid fractions, separated by thin‐layer chromatography, have been studied in lymphocyte cultures.
A short course of mycophenolate immunosuppression inhibits rejection, but not tolerance, of rat liver allografts in association with inhibition of interleukin-4 and alloantibody responses

Background. Some immunosuppressive drug therapies inhibit transplant tolerance in animal models, and we have shown that treatment of recipients with methylprednisolone, but not cyclosporine, inhibits spontaneous acceptance of liver transplants. This study investigates the effects of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) on liver acceptance and rejection. Methods. Piebald Virol Glaxo rat livers were transplanted into Dark Agouti recipients, which spontaneously tolerate (TOL) the liver, or into Lewis recipients, which reject (REJ) the liver. MMF (40 mg/kg/day subcutaneously) was given for 5 days from days 0 to 4 (early) or from days 3 to 7 (late). In separate experiments, liver grafts were collected for assessment of infiltrate and of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-10, and interferon-&ggr; mRNA expression. Results. TOL liver transplants had a median survival time (MST) of more than 100 days (n=6), and neither early nor late MMF treatment of TOL transplants reduced survival (MST 85 days, P =0.19 and 78 days, P =0.08, respectively). Liver failure in most of these animals was the result of biliary problems, not rejection. There were few consistent differences between treated and untreated TOL animals in infiltrate or liver cytokine expression, although there was a moderate reduction in T-cell infiltrate in MMF-treated TOL animals (P =0.003 on day 5 TOL). In contrast, REJ transplants had an MST of 13 days (n=10), and early MMF treatment led to five of six animals surviving more than 100 days (P =0.0002), whereas late treatment was much less effective, with one of six animals surviving more than 100 days. REJ livers had significantly more IL-4 mRNA expression and immunoglobulin G1 deposition in the graft than TOL livers, and this was inhibited by early, but not late, MMF treatment. Conclusions. MMF treatment inhibited rejection but not acceptance of liver allografts. Early administration was more effective in preventing rejection and demonstrated a more marked effect on IL-4 expression and alloantibody deposition than on graft T-cell infiltrate and expression of other cytokines.
An Investigation of Air Pollution in Hong Kong with ASTER Data

This paper describes an approach to assess air quality over urban area using high spatial resolution remote sensing data. As an example, we report here the results of the air quality assessment in Hong Kong area on April 17, 2006. An aerosol optical thickness (AOT) retrieval method with 15 m resolution Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data was developed by integration of urban BRDF model and ASTER dual-angle view capabilities in 3N and 3B bands, which was used for calculation the AOT values over Hong Kong. Ground-level PM2.5 values in Hong Kong area was obtained from a linear regression equation describing the relationship between AOT and PM2.5. Results showed that the detailed information of air quality in Hong Kong area could be obtained from the high-resolution retrieval results and indicated that satellite remote sensing of aerosol could serve as an efficient tool for monitoring the spatial distribution of particulate pollutants on the ground-level. Further validation with in situ land surface AOT and pollution concentration data should be carried out in the future.
Kenneth Fisher’s heuristics: An account of Kenneth Fisher’s framework to reason the innovation of investing tools and invest by knowing what others don’t

Purpose - The authors are interested in building descriptive – real life – models of successful investors’ investment reasoning and decision-making. Models designed to be useful for trying to replicate and evolve their reasoning and decision-making. The purpose of this paper, a case study, is to take the substantial material – on innovating the investing tools – published in four books (2006/2012, 2010, 2011, 2015) by a US stock investor named Kenneth Fisher (CEO of Fisher Investments, Woodside, California) and sketch Fisher’s investment innovating reasoning model. Design/methodology/approach - To sketch Fisher’s investment innovating reasoning model, the authors used the Radical constructivist theory of knowledge, a framework for analyzing human action and reasoning called Symbolic interactionism and a qualitative analytic technique called Conceptual analysis. The authors have done qualitative research applied to the study of investment decision-making of a single professional investor. Findings - In the paper, the authors analyzed and described the heuristics used by Fisher to build subsequent generations of investing tools (called by Fisher “Capital Markets Technology”) to try to make better forecasts to beat the stock market. The authors were interested in studying the evolutive dimensions of the tools to make forecasts of a successful investor: the “how to build it” and “how to evolve it” dimension. Originality/value - The paper offers an account of Kenneth Fisher’s framework to reason the innovation of investing tools. The authors believe that this paper could be of interest to professional money managers and to all those who are involved in the study and development of the tools of investing. This work is also an example of the use of the Radical constructivist theory of knowledge, the Symbolic interactionist framework and the Conceptual analysis to build descriptive models of investment reasoning of individual investors, models designed to enable the reproduction/approximation of the conceptual operations of the investor.
Maternal obesity and morbid obesity: the risk for birth defects in the offspring.

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to assess, in a large data set from Swedish Medical Health Registries, whether maternal obesity and maternal morbid obesity were associated with an increased risk for various structural birth defects. METHODS The study population consisted of 1,049,582 infants born in Sweden from January 1, 1995, through December 31, 2007, with known maternal weight and height data. Women were grouped in six categories of body mass index (BMI) according to World Health Organization classification. Infants with congenital birth defects were identified from three sources: the Swedish Medical Birth Registry, the Register of Birth Defects, and the National Patient Register. Maternal age, parity, smoking, and year of birth were thought to be potential confounders and were included as covariates in the adjusted odds ratio analyses. RESULTS Ten percent of the study population was obese. Morbid obesity (BMI > or = 40) occurred in 0.7%. The prevalence of congenital malformations was 4.7%, and the prevalence of relatively severe malformations was 3.2%. Maternal prepregnancy morbid obesity was associated with neural tube defects OR 4.08 (95% CI 1.87-7.75), cardiac defects OR 1.49 (95% CI 1.24-1.80), and orofacial clefts OR 1.90 (95% CI 1.27-2.86). Maternal obesity (BMI > or = 30) significantly increased the risk of hydrocephaly, anal atresia, hypospadias, cystic kidney, pes equinovarus, omphalocele, and diaphragmatic hernia. CONCLUSION The risk for a morbidly obese pregnant woman to have an infant with a congenital birth defect is small, but for society the association is important in the light of the ongoing obesity epidemic.
Pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety of aleglitazar for the treatment of type 2 diabetes with high cardiovascular risk

Introduction: In preliminary clinical studies, aleglitazar, a new dual PPAR-α–γ agonist, has been demonstrated to improve hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. This review will provide up-to-date information on the clinical safety and efficacy of aleglitazar, which is currently under Phase III clinical investigation for reduction of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes and recent acute coronary syndrome. Areas covered: A PubMed literature search (January 1950 to February 2011) was conducted using the following search terms: aleglitazar, PPAR, PPAR α agonist, PPAR γ agonist and PPAR α/γ agonist. Additional articles were gathered using reference lists from sources obtained from the original literature search. This review summarizes available information pertaining to pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, clinical studies and safety/tolerability of aleglitazar. The effects of this new drug are compared and contrasted with those of fibrates (PPAR-α agonists), thiazolidinediones (PPAR-γ agonists) and other dual PPAR-α–γ agonists. Expert opinion: Preliminary evidence from clinical studies with aleglitazar is promising, with reported improvements in glycemia, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoprotein B and blood pressure. However, PPAR-α- and -γ-associated side effects have been observed and additional large-scale, long-term clinical studies are necessary to better understand the clinical implications of these effects.
The Bilingual Brain: Bilingual Aphasia

Since most people in the world know more than one language, bilingual aphasia is an important line of research in clinical and theoretical neurolinguistics. From a clinical and ethical viewpoint, it is no longer acceptable that bilingual aphasics be assessed in only one of the languages they know. Bilingual aphasic patients should receive comparable language tests in all their languages. In the present work, language recovery of 20 bilingual Friulian-Italian aphasics was investigated. Thirteen patients (65%) showed a similar impairment in both languages (parallel recovery), four patients (20%) showed a greater impairment of L2, while three patients (15%) showed a greater impairment of L1. Despite the many hypotheses advanced to account for nonparallel recovery, none of them seems to provide satisfactory explanations. The study of bilingual aphasics with parallel impairment of both languages allows us to verify the hypothesis whereby grammatical disorders in aphasia depend on the specific structure of each language. As far as rehabilitation programs for multilingual aphasics are concerned, several questions have been raised, many of which still need a satisfactory answer.