Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Awareness and treatment of dyslipidemia in young adults with type 1 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE Dyslipidemia is a preventable major risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). Despite an increased risk of CHD in type 1 diabetes, little is known concerning awareness and adequacy of dyslipidemia treatment in this population. In this report, we describe the prevalence of dyslipidemia and adequacy of pharmacological treatment in patients with type 1 diabetes and comparable nondiabetic subjects. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS From 2000 to 2002, the Coronary Artery Calcification in Type 1 Diabetes study obtained fasting lipid profiles in 1,416 individuals aged 19-56 years with no history of CHD: 652 type 1 diabetic patients (46% men, mean age 37 +/- 9 years) and 764 nondiabetic control subjects (50% men, mean age 39 +/- 9 years). These data combined with patient questionnaire results were used to determine prevalence of dyslipidemia and adequacy of pharmacological treatment. For all subjects, dyslipidemia was defined using National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. RESULTS Type 1 diabetic subjects had significantly less dyslipidemia than nondiabetic control subjects (47 vs. 58%, P < 0.001), and a higher percentage of those with abnormal lipids were aware of (52 vs. 34%, P < 0.0001), on medication for (36 vs. 9%, P < 0.0001), and in control of their lipid levels (15 vs. 1.4%, P < 0.001). Of those on treatment, control was achieved in 41% of type 1 diabetic subjects and 15% of nondiabetic participants (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Dyslipidemia, a major risk factor for CHD, remains largely undiagnosed and undertreated in high-risk populations, such as patients with type 1 diabetes.
Uncovering the DNA methylome in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Over the past two decades, aberrant DNA methylation has emerged as a key player in the pathogenesis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and knowledge regarding its biological and clinical consequences in this disease has evolved rapidly. Since the initial studies relating DNA hypomethylation to genomic instability in CLL, a plethora of reports have followed showing the impact of DNA hypermethylation in silencing vital single gene promoters and the reversible nature of DNA methylation through inhibitor drugs. With the recognition that DNA hypermethylation events could potentially act as novel prognostic and treatment targets in CLL, the search for aberrantly methylated genes, gene families and pathways has ensued. Subsequently, the advent of microarray and next-generation sequencing technologies has supported the hunt for such targets, allowing exploration of the methylation landscape in CLL at an unprecedented scale. In light of these analyses, we now understand that different CLL prognostic subgroups are characterized by differential methylation profiles; we recognize DNA methylation of a number of signaling pathways genes to be altered in CLL, and acknowledge the role of DNA methylation outside of traditional CpG island promoters as fundamental players in the regulation of gene expression. Today, the significance and timing of altered DNA methylation within the complex epigenetic network of concomitant epigenetic messengers such as histones and miRNAs is an intensive area of research. In CLL, it appears that DNA methylation is a rather stable epigenetic mark occurring rather early in the disease pathogenesis. However, other consequences, such as how and why aberrant methylation marks occur, are less explored. In this review, we will not only provide a comprehensive summary of the current literature within the epigenetics field of CLL, but also highlight some of the novel findings relating to when, where, why and how altered DNA methylation materializes in CLL.
Investigation of the chemomarkers correlated with flower colour in different organs of Catharanthus roseus using NMR-based metabolomics.

INTRODUCTION Flower colour is a complex phenomenon that involves a wide range of secondary metabolites of flowers, for example phenolics and carotenoids as well as co-pigments. Biosynthesis of these metabolites, though, occurs through complicated pathways in many other plant organs. The analysis of the metabolic profile of leaves, stems and roots, for example, therefore may allow the identification of chemomarkers related to the final expression of flower colour. OBJECTIVE To investigate the metabolic profile of leaves, stems, roots and flowers of Catharanthus roseus and the possible correlation with four flower colours (orange, pink, purple and red). METHODS (1) H-NMR and multivariate data analysis were used to characterise the metabolites in the organs. RESULTS The results showed that flower colour is characterised by a special pattern of metabolites such as anthocyanins, flavonoids, organic acids and sugars. The leaves, stems and roots also exhibit differences in their metabolic profiles according to the flower colour. Plants with orange flowers featured a relatively high level of kaempferol analogues in all organs except roots. Red-flowered plants showed a high level of malic acid, fumaric acid and asparagine in both flowers and leaves, and purple and pink flowering plants exhibited high levels of sucrose, glucose and 2,3-dihydroxy benzoic acid. High concentrations of quercetin analogues were detected in flowers and leaves of purple-flowered plants. CONCLUSIONS There is a correlation between the metabolites specifically associated to the expression of different flower colours and the metabolite profile of other plant organs and it is therefore possible to predict the flower colours by detecting specific metabolites in leaves, stems or roots. This may have interesting application in the plant breeding industry.
Rationale for antiplatelet therapy in patients with atherothrombotic disease

The most common cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries results from atherosclerosis and superimposed thrombosis (atherothrombosis) leading to partial or complete vascular occlusion. Much evidence supports the idea that all atherothrombosis is similar, regardless of which vascular bed it occurs in. Thus, similar therapies may be used for patients with symptomatic cardiac, cerebral, or peripheral vascular disease. The types of agents that have shown efficacy in atherothrombosis include antihypertensives, lipid-lowering agents and antiplatelet agents. The focus of this article is on the antiplatelet agents, of which there are several subcategories, including ADP receptor antagonists, GpIIb/IIIa antagonists, cyclooxygenase inhibitors and prostacyclin analogues. Clinical testing of these agents is ongoing and the efficacy and safety of the various agents are being defined. To date, the ADP receptor antagonist, clopidogrel, appears to provide the best antithrombotic result with the fewest side effects. Further testing may reveal that combinations of the various forms of antiplatelet agents may provide even further improvements on safety and efficacy.
WORLD EXPERIENCE OF INTER-BUDGET RELATION

This article deals with specificity of interbudge t policy of foreign countries and possibility of its implementation in Ukraine under modern conditions. The theoretical basis of interbudget relations development and the role of interbudget transfers in foreign relations have been considered. Attention was also paid to financial support provision to the authorities and interbudget balancing in different co untries of the world. The conclusions were made concerning foreign experience implementation into the interbudge t
Is there an interaction between cervical length and cervical microbiology in the pathogenesis of preterm labour?

Summary: Transvaginal ultrasound of the cervix is increasingly used to estimate cervical length during pregnancy. Initially used to determine a possible need for cervical suture, the technique has been shown to be of value in the prediction of preterm delivery. In addition, bacterial vaginosis has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of preterm delivery. We hypothesised that shortening of the cervix and potential cervical pathogens, in particular the presence of bacterial vaginosis, act synergistically in the pathogenesis of premature labour. Three hundred and sixteen women were recruited for prospective longitudinal follow‐up, with both transvaginal ultrasound and cervical bacteriology performed at approximately 18 and 28 weeks gestation. A strong correlation was found between a shortened cervix and preterm delivery (p < 0.02 at 18 weeks; p < 0.001 at 28 weeks). Women with both a short cervix and cervical pathogens had the highest risk of preterm delivery (43%), although not significantly greater than a short cervix with normal cervical flora (31% preterm delivery). In the presence of a normal cervical length, preterm delivery rates in the presence of normal flora and potential cervical pathogens were much lower (9% and 5% respectively).
Factores de competitividad en la pequeña y mediana empresa: Inversión en activos intangibles, tamaño y límites al crecimiento

Las inversiones en recursos intangibles suponen costes fijos e indirectos importantes, con un peso significativo sobre los costes finales del producto, a menos que se consiga una escala de produccion elevada. Tras revisar los argumentos que explican la importancia de este tipo de recursos como factores de competitividad, se analizan diversos aspectos relacionados con la estructura financiera y de propiedad de la PYME que limitan su capacidad de crecimiento, pudiendo impedir la consecucion de un tamano suficiente para rentabilizar este tipo de inversiones. Se destaca entonces la importancia de la cooperacion entre empresas, especialmente en forma de redes locales, de cara a la consecucion de la dimension necesaria para acumular recursos intangibles, y a la obtencion de ventajas en terminos de economias externas de escala.
Comparative in vitro activity of N-formimidoyl thienamycin against gram-positive and gram-negative aerobic and anaerobic species and its beta-lactamase stability

The in vitro activity of N-formimidoyl thienamycin was determined against 800 gram-positive and gram-negative aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and compared with the activity of cefoxitin, cefazolin, cefamandole, cefotaxime, moxalactam, ampicillin, cefoperazone, and gentamicin. N-Formimidoyl thienamycin inhibited the majority of organisms at concentrations below 1 microgram/ml. It inhibited methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Streptococcus faecalis. It inhibited beta-lactamase-producing Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Unlike other new beta-lactams, it inhibited Listeria. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, enterobacters, Serratia, indole-positive Proteus, Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacteroides resistant to other agents were inhibited. There was minimal effect of inoculum size and aerobic versus anaerobic conditions, and serum had no effect on activity. Most minimal bactericidal concentrations were two- or fourfold greater than the minimal inhibitory concentration. N-Formimidoyl thienamycin showed partial synergy with aminoglycosides against S. aureus, S. faecalis, and many Pseudomonas and Enterobacteriaceae. It was not hydrolyzed by plasmid-mediated and chromosomal beta-lactamases.
Darwinian aesthetics: sexual selection and the biology of beauty

Current theoretical and empirical findings suggest that mate preferences are mainly cued on visual, vocal and chemical cues that reveal health including developmental health. Beautiful and irresistible features have evolved numerous times in plants and animals due to sexual selection, and such preferences and beauty standards provide evidence for the claim that human beauty and obsession with bodily beauty are mirrored in analogous traits and tendencies throughout the plant and animal kingdoms. Human beauty standards reflect our evolutionary distant and recent past and emphasize the role of health assessment in mate choice as reflected by analyses of the attractiveness of visual characters of the face and the body, but also of vocal and olfactory signals. Although beauty standards may vary between cultures and between times, we show in this review that the underlying selection pressures, which shaped the standards, are the same. Moreover we show that it is not the content of the standards that show evidence of convergence ‐ it is the rules or how we construct beauty ideals that have universalities across cultures. These findings have implications for medical, social and biological sciences.
Cross-Dataset and Cross-Cultural Music Mood Prediction: A Case on Western and Chinese Pop Songs

In music mood prediction, regression models are built to predict values on several mood-representing dimensions such as valence (level of pleasure) and arousal (level of energy). Many studies have shown that music mood is generally predictable based on music acoustic features, but these experiments were mostly conducted on datasets with homogeneous music. Little research has been done to explore the generalizability of mood regression models cross datasets, especially those with music in different cultures. In the increasingly global market of music listening, generalizable models are highly desirable for automated processing, searching and managing music collections with heterogeneous characteristics. In this study, we evaluated mood regression models built on fifteen acoustic features in five mood-related musical aspects, with a focus on cross-dataset generalizability. Specifically, three distinct datasets were involved in a series of five experiments to examine the effects of dataset size, reliability of annotations and cultural backgrounds of music and annotators on mood regression performances and model generalizability. The results reveal that the size of the training dataset and the annotation reliability of the testing dataset affect mood regression performances. When both factors are controlled, regression models are generalizable between datasets sharing a common cultural background of music or annotators.
A hybrid fingerprint matching algorithm using Delaunay triangulation and Voronoi diagram

A hybrid fingerprint matching framework is proposed in this paper that handles fingerprint distortions and has less computational complexity. For this purpose a dual part algorithm is proposed that processes the global matched fingerprints and local matched fingerprints individually. Two polygons are generated from the outer boundaries of the Delaunay triangulation of the fingerprints. Then, they are compared to determine whether the fingerprints are globally matched or not. If they are globally matched, the central Voronoi cells of fingerprints are compared and after that, the triangles and minutiae corresponding to the matched cells are analysed. If the fingerprints are not globally matched, they are compared locally. This part of the algorithm starts with random triangles from the input and the template fingerprints. If they are matched, the cells and minutiae corresponding to the matched triangles are compared. The algorithm continues processing till the number of matched triangles reaches a predetermined number, so that the fingerprints are reported as matched. The thresholds are dynamically selected according to the characteristics of the fingerprints. On the other hand, the features proposed in this manuscript are invariant to translation and rotation. The algorithm is evaluated on three different databases and the results indicate better performance than the previous methods.
Structure and unusual characteristics of a new family of transposable elements in the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

The transposable element family TU of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, a higher eucaryote, has recently been described (D. Liebermann, B. Hoffman-Liebermann, J. Weinthal, G. Childs, R. Maxson, A. Mauron, S.N. Cohen, and L. Kedes, Nature [London] 306:342-347, 1983). A member of this family, TU4, has an insertion, called ISTU4, of non-TU DNA. ISTU4 is a member of a family of repetitive sequences, which are present in some 1,000 copies per haploid S. purpuratus genome (B. Hoffman-Liebermann, D. Liebermann, L.H. Kedes, and S.N. Cohen, Mol. Cell. Biol. 5:991-1001, 1985). We analyzed this insertion to determine whether it is itself a transposable element. The nucleotide sequence of ISTU4 was determined and showed an unusual structure. There are four, approximately 150 nucleotides long, imperfect direct repeats followed by a single truncated version of these repeats. This region is bounded at either side by approximately 100-nucleotide-long sequences that are not related to each other or to the repeats. Nucleotide sequences at the boundaries of ISTU4-homologous and flanking regions in five genomic clones show that ISTU4 represents a family of sequences with discrete ends, which we call Tsp elements. We showed that the genomic locus that carries a Tsp element in one individual was empty in other individuals and conclude that Tsp elements are a new and different type of transposable element. Tsp elements lack two features common to most other transposable elements: Tsp integration does not result in the duplication of host DNA, and there are no inverted repeats at their termini, although short inverted repeats are present at a distance from the termini.
Pulmonary Surfactant Protein A Augments the Phagocytosis of Streptococcus pneumoniae by Alveolar Macrophages through a Casein Kinase 2-dependent Increase of Cell Surface Localization of Scavenger Receptor A*

Pulmonary surfactant proteins A (SP-A) and D (SP-D), members of the collectin family, play important roles in the innate immune system of the lung. Here, we show that SP-A but not SP-D augmented phagocytosis of Streptococcus pneumoniae by alveolar macrophages, independent of its binding to the bacteria. Analysis of the SP-A/SP-D chimeras, in which progressively longer carboxyl-terminal regions of SP-A were replaced with the corresponding SP-D regions, has revealed that the SP-D region Gly346-Phe355 can be substituted for the SP-A region Leu219-Phe228 without altering the SP-A activity of enhancing the phagocytosis and that the SP-A region Cys204-Cys218 is required for the SP-A-mediated phagocytosis. Acetylated low density lipoprotein significantly reduced the SP-A-stimulated uptake of the bacteria. SP-A failed to enhance the phagocytosis of S. pneumoniae by alveolar macrophages derived from scavenger receptor A (SR-A)-deficient mice, demonstrating that SP-A augments SRA-mediated phagocytosis. Preincubation of macrophages with SP-A at 37 °C but not at 4 °C stimulated the phagocytosis. The SP-A-mediated enhanced phagocytosis was not inhibited by the presence of cycloheximide. SP-A increased cell surface localization of SR-A that was inhibitable by apigenin, a casein kinase 2 (CK2) inhibitor. SP-A-treated macrophages exhibited significantly greater binding of acetylated low density lipoprotein than nontreated cells. The SP-A-stimulated phagocytosis was also abolished by apigenin. In addition, SP-A stimulated CK2 activity. These results demonstrate that SP-A enhances the phagocytosis of S. pneumoniae by alveolar macrophages through a CK2-dependent increase of cell surface SR-A localization. This study reveals a novel mechanism of bacterial clearance by alveolar macrophages.
New light shed on the importance and care of onchocercal skin disease.

Following the demonstration of onchocercal skin disease's (OSD) public health and social importance in 1994, the UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) Task Force on Onchocerciasis Operational Research was asked to assess its economic impact. A multi-country study was subsequently undertaken in Ethiopia, Sudan, and Nigeria to measure the effect of OSD upon labor input and the effect of severe reactive skin disease in the household upon school attendance by children. Where the head-of-household had OSD, children were twice as likely to drop out of school compared to other children of the same age from the same community. The relationship was especially strong among girls, who were 2.6 times as likely to drop out of school if the head-of-household had OSD than if the head did not. It follows that onchocerciasis impedes educational development where OSD is highly prevalent. People with OSD spend US$20 more annually on health-related expenditures, 15% of their annual income, than do people without OSD. There are also significant time costs to having OSD. Another study was conducted in Uganda, Ghana, and Nigeria to assess the effect of ivermectin treatment upon OSD. Treatment led to a 40-50% decline in severe itching compared to placebo, sustained for up to 12 months after the first treatment. There was also a significant decline in the prevalence of reactive skin lesions following treatment compared to placebo.
Direct Modulation of RNA Polymerase Core Functions by Basal Transcription Factors

ABSTRACT Archaeal RNA polymerases (RNAPs) are recruited to promoters through the joint action of three basal transcription factors: TATA-binding protein, TFB (archaeal homolog of TFIIB), and TFE (archaeal homolog of TFIIE). Our results demonstrate several new insights into the mechanisms of TFB and TFE during the transcription cycle. (i) The N-terminal Zn ribbon of TFB displays a surprising degree of redundancy for the recruitment of RNAP during transcription initiation in the archaeal system. (ii) The B-finger domain of TFB participates in transcription initiation events by stimulating abortive and productive transcription in a recruitment-independent function. TFB thus combines physical recruitment of the RNAP with an active role in influencing the catalytic properties of RNAP during transcription initiation. (iii) TFB mutations are complemented by TFE, thereby demonstrating that both factors act synergistically during transcription initiation. (iv) An additional function of TFE is to dynamically alter the nucleic acid-binding properties of RNAP by stabilizing the initiation complex and destabilizing elongation complexes.
Simulation and Experimental Study of Multiple-Fibers Per Voxel Detection by ICA in DTI Tractography

The estimate of the eigenvector within a voxel for DTI tractography becomes incorrect when conventional single rank-2 tensor modeling is used in voxels likely to contain two or more intersecting fibers. This paper investigates the applicability of independent component analysis (ICA) to estimate individual tensors when two or three intersecting fibers are present within a voxel. After establishing non-Gaussianity of the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) signals, a Monte Carlo simulation study was conducted to show the accuracy of recovering the orientations of two or three tensors (fibers) mixed within a voxel as a function of the crossing angles and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Results suggest reasonable recovery of crossing angles above 20 deg at the typical SNR encountered in clinical 3T scanners for 25-gradient directions DTI data acquired in less than 8 min. Preliminary results of human brain tractography incorporating two or three ICA components in voxels likely to contain fiber-crossing show continuity in regions where single tensor tractography shows gaps attributed to fiber-crossing.
Cyclic Changes of Peritoneal Fluid Parameters in Normal and Infertile Patients

This study compared peritoneal fluid volume, marcophage count, and macrophage concentration by diagnosis and cycle week of 426 patients undergoing laparoscopy. Patient diagnosis and cycle week had no significant interaction. Peritoneal fluid volume was dependent upon cycle week and diagnostic group, but macrophage count depended only upon diagnostic group. Endometriosis was associated with a significantly elevated total number of macrophages. Postovulatory peritoneal fluid volumes were significantly higher than preovulatory values. Cyclic and postovulatory differences in peritoneal fluid volume support proposed pathophysiologic roles.