Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inflammatory and anti‐inflammatory cytokines in chronic heart failure: Potential therapeutic implications

Persistent inflammation, involving increased levels of inflammatory cytokines, seems to play a pathogenic role in chronic heart failure (HF) by influencing heart contractility, inducing hypertrophy and promoting apoptosis, contributing to myocardial remodeling. While several stimuli may be operating such as heat shock proteins, microbial antigens and oxidative stress, it seems that the inflammatory response to these stimuli may represent a common final pathogenic pathway in HF regardless of the initial event. Traditional cardiovascular drugs appear to have little influence on the cytokine network, and immunomodulatory therapy has emerged as a possible new treatment modality in HF. Several animal studies and also some clinical studies have suggested that downregulation of inflammation may improve cardiac performance. However, the results from the placebo‐controlled anti‐tumor necrosis factor studies suggest no improvement or even adverse effects of such therapy. Although somewhat disappointing, these negative results do not necessarily argue against the ‘cytokine hypothesis’. These studies just underscore the challenges in developing treatment modalities that can modulate the cytokine network in HF patients resulting in beneficial net effects. Further research will have to identify more precisely the most important actors in the immunopathogenesis of chronic HF in order to develop more specific immunomodulating agents for this disorder.
A patient with renal cell carcinoma and thoracic pain.

A 65-year-old man was diagnosed with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma with sarcomatoid differentiation. Within weeks after a palliative nephrectomy, the patient’s condition deteriorated. Computed tomography (CT) scan showed progressive disease of the pulmonary metastases (panel A) and we started treatment with the oral angiogenesis inhibitor sunitinib 50 mg once daily, 4 weeks on, 2 weeks off. Sunitinib is a multiple tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, platelet derived growth factor receptor, c-kit, neurotrophic factor receptor RET and FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3. Three weeks after starting treatment, the patient presented at the emergency ward with right thoracic pain, dyspnoea and cough. Laboratory studies showed a haemoglobin of 6.2 mmol/l (was 6.1 mmol/l 5 days before), leucocytes of 7.3 x 10 9 /l (was 9.7 x 10 9 /l 5 days before), C-reactive protein 176 mg/l (was 144 mg/l 9 days before) and a D-dimer of 6234 ng/ml. A new CT was performed (panel B).
Aging, adiposity, and calorie restriction.

CONTEXT Excessive calorie intake and subsequent obesity increases the risk of developing chronic disease and decreases life expectancy. In rodent models, calorie restriction with adequate nutrient intake decreases the risk of developing chronic disease and extends maximum life span. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the physiological and clinical implications of calorie restriction with adequate nutrient intake. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION Search of PubMed (1966-December 2006) using terms encompassing various aspects of calorie restriction, dietary restriction, aging, longevity, life span, adiposity, and obesity; hand search of journals that focus on obesity, geriatrics, or aging; and search of reference lists of pertinent research and review articles and books. Reviewed reports (both basic science and clinical) included epidemiologic studies, case-control studies, and randomized controlled trials, with quality of data assessed by taking into account publication in a peer-reviewed journal, number of animals or individuals studied, objectivity of measurements, and techniques used to minimize bias. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS It is not known whether calorie restriction extends maximum life span or life expectancy in lean humans. However, calorie restriction in adult men and women causes many of the same metabolic adaptations that occur in calorie-restricted rodents and monkeys, including decreased metabolic, hormonal, and inflammatory risk factors for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and possibly cancer. Excessive calorie restriction causes malnutrition and has adverse clinical effects. CONCLUSIONS Calorie restriction in adult men and women causes beneficial metabolic, hormonal, and functional changes, but the precise amount of calorie intake or body fat mass associated with optimal health and maximum longevity in humans is not known. In addition, it is possible that even moderate calorie restriction may be harmful in specific patient populations, such as lean persons who have minimal amounts of body fat.
User plane architecture of 3/sup rd/ generation mobile telecommunication network

This paper presents modifications that are proposed to the 3rd-generation packet data network in 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project). The scope of the paper is the user plane of the packet data network. The UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) network architecture is based on the GPRS (General Packet Radio Service). In this paper, the proposed UMTS packet data network is presented and compared to the GPRS. In the comparison, modifications are highlighted and tasks of different protocols and their differences are evaluated. The comparison of protocols concentrates on the user plane or parts that affect to the user plane data transfer. A comparison of the advantages and drawbacks is made. Finally, the paper concludes the network modifications and changes on functional split.
On the collapse of drain I-V characteristics in modulation-doped FET's at cryogenic temperatures

The collapse of the drain current-voltage characteristics of modulation-doped field-effect transistors (MODFET's) at cryogenic temperatures, previously thought to be unavoidable, has been investigated. The results indicate that the mechanism responsible for the collapse is dependent on both the device fabrication steps and the parameters of crystal growth. Bulk AlxGa1 - xAsFET's fabricated in our laboratory exhibited little or no collapse in the I-V characteristics at 77 K in the dark, demonstrating that the mechanism responsible for this pheonomenon is not related to problems associated with contacting AlxGa1 - xAs. MODFET's with proper fabrication and growth procedures showed no collapse. In those devices exhibiting no collapse, the source resistance exhibited a substantial decrease upon cooling. At 300 K source resistances slightly over 1.0 Ω . mm with a transconductance of 170 mS/mm were obtained. Upon cooling, the source resistance decreased to 0.5 Ω . mm with a transconductance of 280 mS/mm. These results demonstrate that MODFET's will exhibit enhanced performance at 77 K without exposure to light. Specific contact resistivities measured at room temperature ranged from 2 × 10-7to 2 × 10-6Ω cm2depending on the structural parameters.
The association between the COL12A1 gene and anterior cruciate ligament ruptures

Background Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures are among the most severe musculoskeletal soft tissue injuries. However, the exact mechanisms which cause these acute injuries are unknown. Recently, sequence variants within two genes, namely COL1A1 and COL5A1, which code for the α1 chains of types I and V collagen respectively, were shown to be associated with ACL ruptures. Type XII collagen, similarly to types I and V collagen, is a structural component of the ligament fibril and is encoded by a single gene, COL12A1. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate whether sequence variants within COL12A1 are associated with ACL ruptures. Methods One hundred and twenty-nine (38 female) participants with clinically and surgically diagnosed ACL ruptures, as well as 216 (83 female) physically active controls participants (CON) without any history of ACL injury were included in this case-control genetic association study. All participants were genotyped for the AluI and BsrI restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) within COL12A1. Results The AA genotype of the COL12A1 AluI RFLP was significantly over-represented in the female (OR=2.4, 95% CI 1.0 to 5.5, p=0.048), but not male (p=0.359) ACL participants. There were no genotype differences between the ACL and CON group for the BsrI RFLP. Conclusion The COL12A1 AluI RFLP is associated with ACL ruptures among female participants in this study. The results suggest that females with an AA genotype are at increased risk of ACL ruptures. These initial genetic association studies should be explored further and, if repeated, incorporated into multifactorial models developed to identify predisposed individuals.
Shift Work and Metabolic Syndrome: Respective Impacts of Job Strain, Physical Activity, and Dietary Rhythms

The impact of shift work on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and metabolic syndrome are not yet completely understood. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the impact of shift work on metabolic syndrome according to two different definitions in a population of strictly rotating shift workers (3×8 h) compared to paired counterparts working only day hours, and to study whether shift work itself is a determinant of metabolic syndrome after taking into account a large panel of confusing factors. We conducted a cross‐sectional study comparing 98 strictly rotating shift workers to 100 regular day‐workers (all subjects had a long experience of their working rhythms) within the same petrochemical plant. Clinical, behavioral, occupational, and biological data were collected, and a detailed nutritional investigation was done. Shift and day workers were comparable in terms of major CVD factors, and both had a 10 yr Framingham risk scoring of 11%. Shift workers reported an increased job strain and higher total and at‐work physical activity. Alterations in metabolic parameters were evident with a rise in triglycerides, free fatty acids, and gamma glutamyl transpeptidase and lower HDL‐cholesterol. Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that shift work was associated with occurrence of metabolic syndrome, as defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program‐ATPIII criteria, OR: 2.38 (1.13–4.98), but not using the more recent score from the International Diabetes Federation, which gives a major emphasis on abdominal obesity. Total energy intake and contributions of the major nutrients did not differ between the two groups, with the notable exception of saturated lipids (+10% in shift workers). Meal distribution was clearly different: energy intake was more fractionated within the day, with a lesser contribution of breakfast and lunch but with increased intakes during intermediate light meals, particularly in the afternoon and night. Multivariate analyses were performed to test for the influence of dietary rhythms on the development of an NCEP‐ATPIII metabolic syndrome. Dietary intakes at breakfast and during intermediate light meals appear to be “protective” against metabolic syndrome, while a high load at dinner favors its occurrence. A high intake at lunch is particularly deleterious to shift workers. However, in all tested models, shift work remained significantly associated with metabolic syndrome, after taking into account potential covariates like job strain, physical activity, quantitative dietary parameters, and meal distribution. A specific follow‐up of shift workers should be recommended to occupational physicians.
Factors predicting response and survival in 149 patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma treated by combination cisplatin, interferon‐alpha, doxorubicin and 5‐fluorouracil chemotherapy

I t is often difficult to decide which patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) should be given chemotherapy, especially when extrahepatic disease is an issue. With this dilemma in mind, we read with great interest the study by Leung et al. regarding factors predicting survival and response to treatment in cases of unresectable HCC treated with chemotherapy. These authors used a moderately toxic chemotherapy regimen of cisplatin, interferonalpha, doxorubicin, and 5-fluorouracil (PIAF) but achieved very good objective response and even complete remission in some cases. Positive anti-hepatitis C virus titer, absence of cirrhosis, and low total bilirubin levels were identified as predictors of objective response. In addition, multivariate analysis revealed that earlier stage of disease, absence of cirrhosis, and absence of vascular involvement were associated with longer survival times. The authors reported two treatment-related deaths in the first 50 patients and stated that only a select group of HCC patients showed clinical benefits after PIAF combination therapy. In Turkey, approximately 15% of the population carries hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HbsAg), and the incidence of HCC is higher than the rates in western countries; thus, the predictors identified by Leung et al. are key for us in the treatment of HCC patients. It is well known that a visible hepatic mass consistent with HCC and a serum alpha-fetoprotein level higher than 500 ng/mL in an HBsAg carrier are diagnostic for HCC, and it is acceptable to institute treatment without tissue diagnosis. However, it is generally agreed that chemotherapy should only be administered to patients with histopathologically confirmed cancer. We believe that HCC should be histopathologically diagnosed before highcost, toxic regimens such as PIAF are given, especially if treatment response is to be evaluated in a trial. Systemic chemotherapy is usually not well tolerated in patients with significant underlying hepatic dysfunction. Leung et al. reported complete pathologic responses in resected tumor specimens from eight patients who achieved partial remission after chemotherapy. We wonder if these eight cases were pathologically confirmed before treatment. It would also be valuable to know whether the patients with suspected but not histopathologically diagnosed HCC had a higher response rate than those with histopathologically diagnosed disease. 2038
Design & Analysis of Fuzzy based Association Rule Mining

Data mining is sorting through data to identify patterns and establish relationships. Association rule mining is a well established method of data mining that identifies significant correlations between items in transactional data. Measures like support count, comprehensibility and interestingness, used for evaluating a rule can be thought of as different objectives of association rule mining problem. In this paper we proposed efficient fuzzy apriori association rule mining technique to find all co-occurrence relationships among data items. Our technique has three steps. Firstly, Transform the quantitative values of each transaction into fuzzy sets. calculate the membership values of each attribute in a transaction by applying the fuzzy membership function. In third step employs techniques for mining of fuzzy Apriori Associate rules. We also find fuzzy Apriori Association rule measured by Leverage. Our experimental results showed better performance than previous work.
A Comparison of Auction and Choice Experiment: An Application to Consumer Willingness to Pay for Rice with Improved Storage Management

Experimental auction and discrete choice experiment are two popular value elicitation methods. Theoretically they should yield the same results but empirical results have been mixed (e.g., Lusk and Schroeder 2004, 2006; Corrigan et al. 2010.) This study uses both methods to determine consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for rice with improved insect control and for rice stored using Integrated Pest Management (IPM). This study investigates two potential reasons – anchoring and information – for why some studies have found apparent inconsistencies between auction and choice experiment results. Results indicate that consumers’ WTP derived in the auction and choice experiments are significantly different. Consumers’ average bids in the auction are higher than their willingness to pay calculated from the choice experiments. Further, anchoring in the choice experiment appears to be an explanation for the discrepancy. Providing consumers with more product information help consumers behave more consistent in terms of having same preference ranking for different rice samples in the auction and the choice experiments, but their average does not substantially affect the discrepancy.
Cell “circadian” cycle: New role for mammalian core clock genes

In mammals, 24 hours rhythms are organized as a biochemical network of molecular clocks that are operative in all tissues, with the master clock residing in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The core pacemakers of these clocks consist of auto-regulatory transcriptional/post-transcriptional feedback loops. Several lines of evidence suggest the existence of a crosstalk between molecules that are responsible for the generation of circadian rhythms and molecules that control the cell cycle progression. In addition, highly specialized cell cycle checkpoints involved in DNA repair after damage seem also, at least in part, mediated by clock proteins. Recent studies have also highlighted a putative connection between clock protein dysfunction and cancer progression. This review discusses the intimate relation that exists between cell cycle progression and components of the circadian machinery.
Visuelle Datenflusssprache mit Kombinatoren höherer Ordnung

Modern software engineering deals with professional development of high quality software systems. Software quality and especially relative correctness of programs based on a specification can be determined by formal methods. At best a formal verification can be performed a posteriori on the basis of a complete program. This thesis investigates a constructive approach which generates programs correctly a priori by transforming an abstract specification successively into an executable program. A graphical notation together with a methodical approach for software development will be defined emphasizing transformational programming. The outlined topic covers areas of several aspects like data flow programming, techniques of the λ-calculus and the given transformation framework HOPS. The latter is a development system for visual programming which was subject of several research projects at the University of the Federal Armed Forces. The aim of the thesis is to obtain a transformational approach for the seamless transition between the specific phases of software development like analysis, design, and implementation. This will be demonstrated by a substantial example in the field of digital signal processing.
Cardiovascular Effects of Implanted Acrylic Bone Cement

A pilot study has shown that there is usually but not invariably a fall in systemic arterial blood pressure within 90 seconds of implanting acrylic cement into the femoral shaft during hip arthroplasty. There is usually no change in arterial blood pressure on implanting acrylic cement into the acetabulum. The observed hypotension may be due to absorption of monomer or additives into the circulation, but the role of other factors needs investigation.
The applicability of Information System Ontology to Design Science Research

Although Design Science Research (DSR) is gaining prominence within the Information System (IS) discipline as a valid research paradigm, it is methodologically yet in its genesis. DSR’s lack of detailed, specific and prescriptive methodological guidance is particularly felt by novice DSR researchers. Motivated by this observed methodological shortcoming, the goal underpinning this study is to validate a detailed DSR methodology – the DSR Roadmap (Alturki et al., 2011). This paper more narrowly considers the applicability and suitability of IS deep structure ontology to Information System Design Science Research IS DSR, and related potential for enriching the DSR Roadmap. The ontology of the deep structure of IS is suggested to be integrated into IS DSR as it supports design aspects that design researchers need to complete in Design Research. The paper demonstrates how the IS deep structure ontology constructs can be used in Design Research to formulate complete design specifications, which constitute and then implement the content of Information System Design Theory (ISDT) elements. The inclusion of IS deep structure ontology into the DSR Roadmap is achieved by mapping between the IS deep structure ontology constructs and the ISDT elements. The benefits from the inclusion of IS deep structure ontology into IS DSR is twofold. The first is that the inclusion makes the construction of Design Theory (ISDT) easier by generalizing the content of the IS deep structure ontology constructs. The second is that IS deep structure ontology establishes a common language that helps the design researchers better, specifically, and more easily communicate their designs to the practitioners. This helps to operationalize ISDT in a particular context dealing with a specific problem. The first and second benefits represent an abstraction and instantiation, respectively.
Development of herceptin.

A common frustration of drug development, particularly in oncology, is that relatively few scientifically sound ideas become translated into clinically useful drugs. For example, the realization that cancer frequently arises and is maintained by specific molecular alterations is now a well-established tenet of cell biology. However, the reduction of these scientific principles into clinical practice has resulted in relatively few newly developed therapeutic entities. One example is Herceptin, which was approved by the U.S. FDA in September 1998 for the treatment of women with metastatic breast cancer whose tumors overexpress the HER2 protein. Several features of Herceptin make it a unique therapeutic agent. First, it has the designer quality in that only women whose tumors contain a specific molecular alteration are eligible for therapy. Second, Herceptin is a biological agent with properties and features that vastly distinguish it from conventional cytotoxic chemotherapeutic drugs. In this review, we will highlight some of the key scientific elements in the discovery and the development of Herceptin.
Individual thermogenic responses to mild cold and overfeeding are closely related.

CONTEXT Adaptive thermogenesis is defined as the increase in energy expenditure in response to overfeeding or cold. Large interindividual differences in adaptive thermogenesis have been described. OBJECTIVE Because there are indications for a common underlying mechanism, we studied in humans whether the increase in thermogenesis during short-term overfeeding (3 d) is related to mild cold-induced thermogenesis. INTERVENTIONS Thirteen lean male subjects have been exposed to three experimental conditions in respiration chambers: baseline (36 h in energy balance at thermoneutrality, 22 C), overfeeding (84 h at 160% of energy balance, 22 C), and mild cold (84 h in energy balance, 16 C). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES During the interventions, total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), physical activity, skin temperatures, and core temperature were measured. After each condition, fasting plasma norepinephrine concentration was measured. RESULTS Overfeeding caused significant increases in TDEE (0.77 MJ/d, P < 0.001). During cold exposure TDEE increased significantly (0.59 MJ/d, P < 0.005), whereas physical activity decreased. The changes in TDEE during both overfeeding and mild cold exposure showed considerable interindividual variation (respectively, -0.11 to 1.61 MJ/d and -0.19 to 1.58 MJ/d). The individual changes in energy expenditure during mild cold exposure and overfeeding were highly correlated (P < 0.005). Fasting norepinephrine plasma concentrations correlated significantly to energy expenditure in both situations (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that both overfeeding-induced and mild cold-induced adaptive thermogenesis share common regulating mechanisms. This indicates that cold exposure could be used as a biomarker for the individual thermogenic response to excess energy intake.