Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Renal Artery Stenting Associated With Improvement in Renal Function and Blood Pressure Control in Long-Term Follow-Up

Background/Aims: Clinical benefits of percutaneous treatment of renal artery stenosis (RAS) remain controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of renal artery stenting on kidney function and blood pressure (BP) control in the log-term follow-up. Additionally angiographic follow up was performed in selected subgroup of patients. Methods: The study was designed as international registry of 265 consecutive patients with RAS treated with renal artery stenting. The primary end-point of the study was the change in renal function and blood pressure at long-term follow-up as compared with baseline values. Evaluation of the renal function was based on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) with the use of the modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD) formula. Results: All patients had clinical follow-up at the median time of 23.8 (interquartile range: 3-90) months during ambulatory visits. At follow-up eGFR improved in 53,9% of patients. These patients had lower pre-procedural systolic BP, more severe lesion type at baseline and lower diameter stenosis in control angiography. At follow up visits, SBP improvement was observed in 77,4% of patients. The average number of anti-hypertensive medications before the procedure and at follow up did not change significantly (2,70±1,0 vs 2,49±0,9, p=0,1). Restenosis rate based on control angiography performed at median time of 15 months was 12%. Conclusion: The results of the study suggest that interventional treatment of RAS may preserve renal function and improve blood pressure control at long-term follow-up.
Racial differences in survival after diagnosis with primary malignant brain tumor

Previous studies have shown that the overall incidence of primary malignant brain tumor is greatest in Caucasians, although survival is better in African Americans. The objective of this study was to examine racial differences in survival after diagnosis with primary malignant brain tumor in a population‐based sample of patients while adjusting for prognostic variables that differ by race.
A noise-tolerant master-slave flip-flop

A new flip-flop design, called a duration-observation master-slave flip-flop, is proposed and evaluated. This dependable design takes into account a noise pulse induced on data signal lines. If the noise pulse occurs around the data-sampling time (i.e., clock edge), the conventional master-slave flip-flop samples an erroneous value and holds it because the flip-flop regards the noise pulse as a proper data signal. The proposed master-slave flip-flops monitor the duration time of the input signal when flip-flops change from a master-latch behavior to a slave-latch behavior, and thus they can prevent malfunction caused by the noise pulse. The proposed flip-flops have two advantages: they do not require any additional control signals, and their implementation and application to existing synchronous digital circuits is easy. The effectiveness of proposed design is demonstrated by circuit simulation. The proposed flip-flops are implemented using fewer transistors than that of a duplication structure and the width of the noise pulse to be blocked is adjustable.
Utilities of, and barriers to, 'Community Scholar' as an identity

Given that this is a short opinion piece it has no official abstract but in short it makes the following argument More high quality evidence and more diverse evidence is needed to inform policy discourses from the local to global level including as they relate to marginalized groups such as disabled people. This article argues that the concept of community scholar with the meaning of the community member being the scholar might be a useful identity to use to address that problem on various fronts.
The Current Waveform Correction Algorithm for Voltage Source Inverter Based on Adaptive Inverse Control

The paper adopts "adaptive inverse control (AIC)" algorithm to correct the output current waveform of the voltage source inverter in the active power filter (APF). Generally the goal of the control theory is to make a given dynamical system behave in a user-specified manner as accurately as possible. This objective may be broken down into two separate tasks: control of plant dynamics and control of plant disturbance. Conventionally, one uses feedback to treat both two problems simultaneously. Compromises are necessary to achieve good solutions. "Adaptive inverse control" presents such a new concept to treat the two control tasks separately without compromise. All of the required operations are based on adaptive filtering techniques. In this paper adaptive inverse control is used to correct the output current waveform of the voltage source inverter, and filtered-x LMS adaptive inverse control algorithm is used to identify the parameters and design the controllers. It demonstrates that the adaptive inverse control system can adapt to the variance of the electric network and would be more predominant than the conventional control strategies.
The Second Intracellular Loop of Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 1 Cooperates with the Other Intracellular Domains to Control Coupling to G-proteins (*)

Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR) share no sequence homology with any other G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The characterization of their G-protein coupling domains will therefore help define the general rules for receptor-G-protein interaction. To this end, the intracellular domains of mGluR3 and mGluR1, receptors coupled negatively to adenylyl cyclase and positively to phospholipase C, respectively, were systematically exchanged. The ability of these chimeric receptors to induce Ca signals were examined in Xenopus oocytes and HEK 293 cells. The chimeric receptors that still possessed the second intracellular loop (i2) of mGluR3 induced little or no Ca signals, even though these proteins were targeted correctly to the plasma membrane. Consistent Ca signals could be recorded only with chimeric mGluR3 receptors that contains i2 and at least one other intracellular domain of mGluR1. However, most intracellular domains of mGluR3 have to be replaced by their mGluR1 equivalent to produce optimal coupling to G protein. These observations indicate that i2 of mGluR1 is a critical element in determining the transduction mechanism of this receptor. These results suggest that i2 of mGluRs may play a role similar to i3 of most other GPCRs in the specificity of coupling to the G-proteins. Moreover, as in many other GPCRs, our data revealed cooperation between the different mGluR intracellular domains to control efficient coupling to G-proteins.
Increased oral bioavailability of topotecan in combination with the breast cancer resistance protein and P-glycoprotein inhibitor GF120918.

PURPOSE We discovered that breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), a recently identified adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette drug transporter, substantially limits the oral bioavailability of topotecan in mdr1a/1b(-/-) P-glycoprotein (P-gp) knockout and wild-type mice. GF120918 is a potent inhibitor of BCRP and P-gp. The aim was to increase the bioavailability of topotecan by GF120918. PATIENTS AND METHODS In cohort A, eight patients received 1.0 mg/m(2) oral topotecan with or without coadministration of one single oral dose of 1,000 mg GF120918 (day 1 or day 8). In cohort B, eight other patients received 1.0 mg/m(2) intravenous topotecan with or without 1,000 mg oral GF120918 to study the effect of GF120918 on the systemic clearance of topotecan. RESULTS After oral topotecan, the mean area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) of total topotecan increased significantly from 32.4 +/- 9.6 microg.h/L without GF120918 to 78.7 +/- 20.6 microg.h/L when GF120918 was coadministered (P =.008). The mean maximum plasma concentration of total topotecan increased from 4.1 +/- 1.5 microg/L without GF120918 to 11.5 +/- 2.4 microg/L with GF120918 (P =.008). The apparent bioavailability in this cohort increased significantly from 40.0% (range, 32% to 47%) to 97.1% (range, 91% to 120%) (P =.008). Interpatient variability of the apparent bioavailability was 17% without and 11% with GF120918. After intravenous administration of topotecan, coadministration of oral GF120918 had a small but statistically significant effect on the AUC and systemic clearance of total topotecan but no statistically significant effect on maximum plasma concentration and terminal half-life of total topotecan. CONCLUSION Coadministration of the BCRP and P-gp inhibitor GF120918 resulted in a significant increase of the systemic exposure of oral topotecan. The apparent oral bioavailability increased from 40.0% without to 97.1% with GF120918.
Prospective, Multicenter, Randomized, Double‐Blinded, Partial Crossover Study to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of the Novel Neuromodulation System in the Treatment of Patients With Chronic Pain of Peripheral Nerve Origin

Currently available central nervous system treatment strategies are often insufficient in management of peripheral neuropathic pain, prompting a resurgence of neuromodulation focused on peripheral pain. A new peripheral nerve stimulation device was investigated in a prospective, randomized, double blind, crossover study, looking specifically at efficacy and safety, with Food and Drug Administration oversight.
The colonic mesenteric margin is most susceptible to injury in an experimental model of colonic ulceration

: Crohn's disease ileal ulcers and indomethacin‐induced jejunal ulceration in the rat tend to occur in the mucosa nearest to the mesentery (mesenteric margin), an area of the bowel wall that has a critical blood supply. Mercuric chloride induces caecal and colonic ulceration in the Brown Norway rat.
BAMS2 workspace: A comprehensive and versatile neuroinformatic platform for collating and processing neuroanatomical connections

We describe a novel neuroinformatic platform, the BAMS2 Workspace (http://brancusi1.usc.edu), designed for storing and processing information on gray matter region axonal connections. This de novo constructed module allows registered users to collate their data directly by using a simple and versatile visual interface. It also allows construction and analysis of sets of connections associated with gray matter region nomenclatures from any designated species. The Workspace includes a set of tools allowing the display of data in matrix and networks formats and the uploading of processed information in visual, PDF, CSV, and Excel formats. Finally, the Workspace can be accessed anonymously by third‐party systems to create individualized connectivity networks. All features of the BAMS2 Workspace are described in detail and are demonstrated with connectivity reports collated in BAMS and associated with the rat sensory‐motor cortex, medial frontal cortex, and amygdalar regions. J. Comp. Neurol. 522:3160–3176, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Annexin II Binds to Capsid Protein VP1 of Enterovirus 71 and Enhances Viral Infectivity

ABSTRACT Enterovirus type 71 (EV71) causes hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD), which is mostly self-limited but may be complicated with a severe to fatal neurological syndrome in some children. Understanding the molecular basis of virus-host interactions might help clarify the largely unknown neuropathogenic mechanisms of EV71. In this study, we showed that human annexin II (Anx2) protein could bind to the EV71 virion via the capsid protein VP1. Either pretreatment of EV71 with soluble recombinant Anx2 or pretreatment of host cells with an anti-Anx2 antibody could result in reduced viral attachment to the cell surface and a reduction of the subsequent virus yield in vitro. HepG2 cells, which do not express Anx2, remained permissive to EV71 infection, though the virus yield was lower than that for a cognate lineage expressing Anx2. Stable transfection of plasmids expressing Anx2 protein into HepG2 cells (HepG2-Anx2 cells) could enhance EV71 infectivity, with an increased virus yield, especially at a low infective dose, and the enhanced infectivity could be reversed by pretreating HepG2-Anx2 cells with an anti-Anx2 antibody. The Anx2-interacting domain was mapped by yeast two-hybrid analysis to VP1 amino acids 40 to 100, a region different from the known receptor binding domain on the surface of the picornavirus virion. Our data suggest that binding of EV71 to Anx2 on the cell surface can enhance viral entry and infectivity, especially at a low infective dose.
Compact sub-1mW low phase noise CMOS LC-VCO based on power reduction technique

A power-minimized LC voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) with switched biasing and triode-region MOSFETs has been designed using a 0.18-µm CMOS process. The design strategy for an LC VCO suggested an inductance selection scheme to accommodate the trade-off between power consumption and phase noise. Consuming a current of 680-µA from a 1.2 V power supply, the VCO achieves a measured single-sideband phase noise of −123.2 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset frequency and 8 % tuning range. The Figure-Of-Merit with the normalized area of the proposed VCO is −198.2 dB, which is the lowest among the latest state-of-the-art sub-1mW VCOs.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Effects on One-Trial Learning and Response to Anxiogenic Stimuli in Adult Male Rats

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a relatively new technique for inducing small, localized, and reversible changes in living brain tissue and has been suggested to have antidepressant properties in humans and animal models of depression. Memory function generally has been found to be unaffected by TMS, although some studies have raised the possibility of memory interference from TMS. Additionally, there have been indirect indications that TMS may possess anxiolytic features. This study examines the effects of TMS in animal models of one-trial learning and anxiety. In this study, short-term treatment with TMS compared with identically handled animals not given TMS in adult rats resulted in no significant differences in memory as assessed both by a one-time learning paradigm and by components of an elevated-plus maze task, that TMS does not impair memory as assessed by these tasks. In addition, no changes were found in anxiety-like behavior on the elevated plus maze task. In summary, these findings support previous reports that TMS does not interfere with memory function. There was no evidence of an anxiolytic response from TMS in rats as assessed by the elevated plus maze test.
Betaine and arginine supplementation of low protein diets improves plasma lipids but does not affect hepatic fatty acid composition and related gene expression profiling in pigs.

BACKGROUND The individual and combined effects of betaine and arginine supplemented to reduced protein diets were investigated on plasma metabolites, hepatic fatty acid composition and mRNA levels of lipid-sensitive factors in commercial pigs. Betaine has previously been shown to reduce carcass fat deposition and arginine improves meat quality of finishing pigs. Forty male crossbred pigs were randomly assigned to one of five diets (n = 8): 160 g kg-1 of crude protein (NPD), 130 g kg-1 of crude protein (RPD), RPD with 3.3 g kg-1 of betaine, RPD with 15 g kg-1 of arginine, and RPD with 3.3 g kg-1 of betaine and 15 g kg-1 of arginine. RESULTS The restriction of dietary protein increased total lipids (P < 0.001), total cholesterol (P < 0.001), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (P < 0.001) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P < 0.001). Betaine and arginine, individually or combined, reduced the majority of plasma lipids (P < 0.05) without affecting total fatty acids in the liver and the overall gene expression pattern. CONCLUSION These findings suggest a positive effect of betaine and arginine, singly or combined, by reversing plasma lipids increase promoted by dietary protein restriction. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.
Inner Ear Changes in Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I/Hurler Syndrome

Objective Mucopolysaccharidosis type I/Hurler syndrome is an autosomal recessive disease caused by a deficiency of &agr;-L-iduronidase activity. Recurrent middle ear infections and hearing loss are common complications in Hurler syndrome. Although sensorineural and conductive components occur, the mechanism of sensorineural hearing loss has not been determined. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the quantitative inner ear histopathology of the temporal bones of patients with Hurler syndrome. Patients Eleven temporal bones from 6 patients with Hurler syndrome were examined. Age-matched healthy control samples consisted of 14 temporal bones from 7 cases. Main Outcome Measures Temporal bones were serially sectioned in the horizontal plane and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The number of spiral ganglion cells, loss of cochlear hair cells, area of stria vascularis, and cell density of spiral ligament were evaluated using light microscopy. Results There was no significant difference between Hurler syndrome and healthy controls in the number of spiral ganglion cells, area of stria vascularis, or cell density of spiral ligament. The number of cochlear hair cells in Hurler syndrome was significantly decreased compared with healthy controls. Conclusion Auditory pathophysiology in the central nerve system in Hurler syndrome remains unknown; however, decreased cochlear hair cells may be one of the important factors for the sensorineural component of hearing loss.
A histopathological study on the etiology of duodenal diverticulum related to the fusion of the pancreatic anlage.

In 18 of 27 cases a duodenal diverticulum, which usually occurs at "weak" spots in the bowel wall, penetrated the pancreas. Of these, 14 cases (77.8%) extended along the embryological fusion line of the ventral and dorsal components, which is considered to be the so-called "locus minoris resistantiae. " In four cases the diverticulum penetrating the ventral pancreas was in close approximation to the locus minoris resistantiae.
A cost-effective SLA-aware scheduling for hybrid cloud environment

The hybrid cloud infrastructure is predominantly used in both industry and academia for its reusability and scalability. In deadline-constrained applications, the estimation of application execution time is a challenging task. The factors like heterogeneity, uncertainty and provisioning time delays affect the performance of hybrid cloud environment. In this work, we proposed a hybrid cloud scheduler algorithm for addressing the above problems in cost effective manner. We evaluate our proposed algorithm with the synthetic and real-world workloads, along with the public cloud prizing model. Our approach outperforms the baseline estimators by 40% and provides a cost effective solution.
Beyond the Double Banana: Improved Recognition of Temporal Lobe Seizures in Long-Term EEG

Purpose: To investigate whether extending the 10-20 array with 6 electrodes in the inferior temporal chain and constructing computed montages increases the diagnostic value of ictal EEG activity originating in the temporal lobe. In addition, the accuracy of computer-assisted spectral source analysis was investigated. Methods: Forty EEG samples were reviewed by 7 EEG experts in various montages (longitudinal and transversal bipolar, common average, source derivation, source montage, current source density, and reference-free montages) using 2 electrode arrays (10-20 and the extended one). Spectral source analysis used source montage to calculate density spectral array, defining the earliest oscillatory onset. From this, phase maps were calculated for localization. The reference standard was the decision of the multidisciplinary epilepsy surgery team on the seizure onset zone. Clinical performance was compared with the double banana (longitudinal bipolar montage, 10-20 array). Results: Adding the inferior temporal electrode chain, computed montages (reference free, common average, and source derivation), and voltage maps significantly increased the sensitivity. Phase maps had the highest sensitivity and identified ictal activity at earlier time-point than visual inspection. There was no significant difference concerning specificity. Conclusions: The findings advocate for the use of these digital EEG technology–derived analysis methods in clinical practice.
An analysis of the growth of the retinal cell population in embryonic chicks yielding proliferative ratios, numbers of proliferative and non‐proliferative cells and cell‐cycle times for successive generations of cell cycles

Growth curves of the retinal cell population of embryonic chicks were fitted by a branching‐process model of cell population growth, thereby estimating the proliferative ratios and mean cell‐cycle times of the generations of cell cycles that underlie retinal growth. The proliferative ratio determines the proportion of cells that divides in the next generation, so the numbers of proliferative and non‐proliferative cells in each generation of cell cycles were obtained. The mean cell‐cycle times determine the times over which the generations are extant. Assuming growth starts from one cell in generation 0, the proliferative cells reach 3.6 × 106 and the non‐proliferative cells reach 1.1 × 106 by generation 23. The next four generations increase the proliferative cell numbers to 13.9 × 106 and produce 20.1 × 106 non‐proliferative cells. In the next five generations in the end phase of growth, non‐proliferative cells are produced in large numbers at an average of 13.9 × 106 cells per generation as the retinal lineages are completed. The retinal cell population reaches a maximum estimated here at 98.2 × 106 cells. The mean cell‐cycle time estimates range between 6.8 and 10.1 h in generations before the end phase of growth and between 10.6 and 17.2 h in generations in the end phase. The retinal cell population growth is limited by the depletion of the proliferative cell population that the production of non‐proliferative cells entails. The proliferative ratios and the cell‐cycle‐time distribution parameters are the likely determinants of retinal growth rates. The results are discussed in relation to other results of spatial and temporal patterns of the cessation of cell cycling in the embryonic chick retina.
Intellectual Decline in Schizophrenia: Evidence from a Prospective Birth Cohort 28 Year Follow-up Study

It is well established that IQ is lower among persons with schizophrenia than in the general population. However, it remains unclear if there is deterioration beyond a premorbid deficit. In order to assess the question of IQ deterioration, we assessed persons pre- and-post psychosis, comparing those who developed schizophrenia with those who did not. Twenty six patients with schizophrenia and 59 normal controls, evaluated at age 7 in the prospective, longitudinal, National Collaborative Perinatal Project (NCPP), were re-tested approximately 28 years later. We assessed change in an estimate of IQ based on the Vocabulary and Block Design tests from the Wechsler intelligence scales. Persons who later developed schizophrenia were significantly impaired on IQ compared to controls at age 7, especially on measures of attention. At age 35, persons with schizophrenia demonstrated significant impairment and deterioration on both IQ sub-tests compared to controls. Because impairment occurs by early childhood and subsequent deterioration occurs at an unknown period, designs with more frequent assessment of IQ through the premorbid, prodromal and early phases of illness are required to identify the key period of decline. Future research on this sample will evaluate the prospective roles of family history and perinatal complications on cognition, and assess the specificity of these findings.