Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development and validation of a mass spectrometry-based assay for quantification of insulin-like factor 3 in human serum

Abstract Background: The circulating level of the peptide hormone insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3) is a promising diagnostic marker reflecting Leydig cell function in the male. Few commercial immunoassays of varying quality exist. Therefore, we decided to develop and validate a precise method for quantification of INSL3 by mass spectrometry. Methods: We developed an assay in which the INSL3 A-chain is released from the INSL3 A-B heterodimer by chemical reduction and alkylation. The alkylated INSL3 A-chain is quantitated by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), as substitute for serum INSL3. The method was compared to a validated and sensitive in-house serum INSL3 immunoassay using 97 serum samples from 12 healthy boys during pubertal transition. Adult levels were determined based on sera from 72 adult healthy males aged 18–40 years. Results: An LC-MS/MS assay with limit of detection and limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.06 and 0.15 ng/mL, respectively, and intra-assay CVs <9% in the relevant ranges was obtained. The LC-MS/MS compared well with the in-house immunoassay (Deming regression slope: 1.28; Pearson correlation: R=0.86). INSL3 concentrations increased with pubertal maturation in healthy boys. INSL3 concentrations were above the LOQ in all samples from the adult men. The mean (±2 SD range)for serum INSL3 concentrations in the adult men was 2.2 (0.5–3.9) ng/mL. Conclusions: We have developed a robust and sensitive method suitable for quantitation of serum INSL3 in a clinical setting using LC-MS/MS instrumentation available in modern clinical laboratories. The method paves the way for future studies into the clinical role of serum INSL3 measurements.
Towards a Combined CAD and CFD Development Process of a Wingsuit

A wingsuit gives the human body an airfoil-like shape to fly in the sky. The paper proposes a holistic design approach combining the fluid mechanical simulation of the function with appropriate CAE-software for the generation of pattern cuttings. A parametric CAD model of the flyer wearing a wingsuit is created enabling easy changes in its posture and the wingsuit geometry. The flow simulation is set up using a commercial CFD code. Since there is no database available for the flow around a wingsuit, validation is conducted for a delta wing. This configuration is close to a wingsuit in terms of geometry and flow regime, but simpler and with sound experimental data available. Boundary conditions, mesh and selected turbulence model are validated with this configuration and experience gained about parameters of the solution process. Due to the computational link between CAE and CFD it’s possible to accelerate the development of wingsuits.
Designing high efficient solar powered lighting systems

Some major challenges in the development of L2L products is the lack of efficient converter electronics, modelling tools for dimensioning and furthermore, characterization facilities to support the successful development of the products. We report the development of 2 Three-Port-Converters respectively for 1-10Wp and 10-50 Wp with a peak efficiency of 97% at 1.8 W of PV power for the 10 Wp version. Furthermore, a modelling tool for L2L products has been developed and a laboratory for feeding in component data not available in the datasheets to the model is described.
Evaluation of mild cognitive impairment subtypes in Parkinson's disease

Mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD‐MCI) is common and increases the risk for dementia. Establishing distinct PD‐MCI cognitive subtypes could be valuable for eventually predicting those most likely to convert to dementia. However, the study of PD‐MCI subtypes has not yielded consistent results among cohorts. To determine whether there are distinct cognitive subtypes among participants diagnosed with PD‐MCI in the Pacific Northwest Udall Center Clinical Consortium, we cognitively subtyped 95 patients with PD‐MCI, using the Movement Disorders Society Task Force diagnostic guidelines. Psychometric test scores were then subjected to principle components factor analysis to determine whether similar cognitive subgroups could be identified using statistical methodology. Multiple‐domain PD‐MCI was diagnosed in 95% of the sample, and a range of cognitive impairments were noted. Factor analysis yielded seven factors and demonstrated overlap of phonemic verbal fluency on two factors, as well as the loading of verbal fluency on the same factor as a visuospatial measure; however, these factors did not partition the sample into distinct cognitive subtypes. Separation of cognitive subtypes based on the current PD‐MCI criteria, or via statistical methods, may not provide sufficient information to describe distinct PD groups. Future efforts to validate the PD‐MCI criteria and identify combinations of genetic or other risk factors for cognitive impairment are warranted. © 2014 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
A Portulaca oleracea L. extract promotes insulin secretion via a K+ATP channel dependent pathway in INS-1 pancreatic β-cells

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE This study was designed to investigate how a Portulaca oleracea L. extract (POE) stimulates insulin secretion in INS-1 pancreatic β-cells. MATERIALS/METHOD INS-1 pancreatic β-cells were incubated in the presence of various glucose concentrations: 1.1 or 5.6, 16.7 mM glucose. The cells were treated with insulin secretagogues or insulin secretion inhibitor for insulin secretion assay using an insulin ELISA kit. In order to quantify intracellular influx of Ca2+ caused by POE treatment, the effect of POE on intracellular Ca2+ in INS-1 pancreatic β-cells was examined using Fluo-2 AM dye. RESULTS POE at 10 to 200 µg/mL significantly increased insulin secretion dose-dependently as compared to the control. Experiments at three glucose concentrations (1.1, 5.6, and 16.7 mM) confirmed that POE significantly stimulated insulin secretion on its own as well as in a glucose-dependent manner. POE also exerted synergistic effects on insulin secretion with secretagogues, such as L-alanine, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, and especially tolbutamide, and at a depolarizing concentration of KCl. The insulin secretion caused by POE was significantly attenuated by treatment with diazoxide, an opener of the K+ATP channel (blocking insulin secretion) and by verapamil (a Ca2+ channel blocker). The insulinotropic effect of POE was not observed under Ca2+-free conditions in INS-1 pancreatic β-cells. When the cells were preincubated with a Ca2+ fluorescent dye, Fluo-2 (acetoxymethyl ester), the cells treated with POE showed changes in fluorescence in red, green, and blue tones, indicating a significant increase in intracellular Ca2+, which closely correlated with increases in the levels of insulin secretion. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that POE stimulates insulin secretion via a K+ATP channel-dependent pathway in INS-1 pancreatic β-cells.
Invasive Lobular Carcinoma of the Breast with Extracellular Mucin: Case Report of a New Variant of Lobular Carcinoma of the Breast

Invasive carcinoma of no special type (NST) or ductal carcinoma is the largest group of invasive breast cancers. Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is the second most common histological type; it comprises 5%–15% of all invasive breast cancers. Historically, lobular neoplasia and invasive lobular carcinoma may produce intracellular mucin that pushes the nucleus to one side, creating the characteristic signet ring cell morphology. The extracellular mucin secretion is essentially described in mucinous breast carcinoma. Mucinous differentiation can be seen in small areas of NST carcinoma, but recently a few cases of invasive lobular carcinoma with extracellular mucin are reported in the literature. It is important for pathologists to recognize this new entity because it mimics a NST carcinoma, as such a diagnosis may require a different approach in clinical management and surveillance. We report a new case of ILC with extracellular mucin and a review of the literature.
Visual Analysis of Spatio-Temporal Distribution and Retweet Relation in Weibo Event

Sina Weibo is the most popular microblog service in China and it can provide abundant information about netizens' attitudes and opinions to those events which are exposed on the Internet. However, it is difficult to know the characteristics of internet public opinions, such as the evolution of users' focus over time, spatio-temporal distribution of users participating in event comments, weibo retweet relation, etc. To fully understand those, we propose a visual analytic system of Weibo Event, short for WeiboViz, which can be mainly divided into four subparts: fundamental information visualization, spatio-temporal distribution visualization, keywords and entities visualization, weibo retweet relation visualization. A case study of "'Pseudomonas aeruginosa' exceeded in the Master Kong You Yue drinking water" demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed system for the exploration and understanding of weibo data about specific event.
Diode Laser-Assisted Surgical Therapy for Early Treatment of Oral Mucocele in a Newborn Patient: Case Report and Procedures Checklist

Mucocele (also known as ranula or salivary gland mucous cyst) of the newborn is a lesion present on the intraoral cavity, with the potential to interfere with respiration and feeding. In the present report, a case of mucocele in a 4-month female patient has been described. As conventional surgery can be followed by several complications such as intraoperative bleeding, difficulties in wound healing, and maintenance of sterility during surgery, in the present case, the use of diode laser has been planned. A topic anesthesia with lidocaine gel was performed. A diode laser (810 nm wavelength, continuous wave mode, power output of 3 watt, and 0.4 mm diameter fiber optic) was set for excising the lesion. The tip was directed at an angle of 10 to 15°, moving around the base of the lesion with a circular motion. The procedure was completed in 3 minutes. The patient was visited with a follow-up of 2 weeks and 4 months after excision. The intraoral wound healed without complications, and no signs of infection or mass recurrence were noted. The histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of mucocele. On the basis of the results of the present case report, the use of diode laser can be easily performed also in a noncompliant newborn patient for successful excision of mucocele lesions, and checklist of clinical procedures has been described.
A faster hafnian formula for complex matrices and its benchmarking on the Titan supercomputer

We introduce new and simple algorithms for the calculation of the number of perfect matchings of complex weighted, undirected graphs with and without loops. Our compact formulas for the hafnian and loop hafnian of $n \times n $ complex matrices run in $O(n^3 2^{n/2})$ time, are embarrassingly parallelizable and, to the best of our knowledge, are the fastest exact algorithms to compute these quantities. Despite our highly optimized algorithm, numerical benchmarks on the Titan supercomputer with matrices up to size $56 \times 56$ indicate that one would require the 288,000 CPUs of this machine for about a month and a half to compute the hafnian of a $100 \times 100$ matrix.
Locally applied molgramostim improves wound healing at colonic anastomoses in rats after ligation of the common bile duct.

BACKGROUND Several systemic factors, including jaundice, long-term corticosteroid therapy, diabetes and malnutrition, increase the risk of anastomotic dehiscence. The local application of molgramostim (recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor) has been reported to improve impaired dermal wound healing. Since jaundice, one of the systemic risk factors for anastomotic dehiscence, causes significant impairment of anastomotic healing, we hypothesized that locally injected molgramostim could improve the healing of bowel anastomoses in bile-duct-ligated rats used as an experimental model for jaundice. METHODS Eighty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into 4 groups of 20-22 animals each as follows: group 1--colonic anastomosis only; group 2--laparotomy followed 7 days later by colonic anastomosis; group 3--common-bile-duct ligation (CBDL) followed 7 days later by colonic anastomosis (control group); group 4--CBDL followed by colonic anastomosis with locally applied molgramostim. Laparotomy was performed under anesthesia in group 2 rats. In groups 3 and 4, laparotomy was followed by ligation and dissection of the common bile duct. After 7 days, colonic anastomosis was performed; in group 4 rats, molgramostim (50 microg) was injected into the perianastomotic area. On postoperative day 3, rats were killed, and the bursting pressures and hydroxyproline levels measured. Two rats from each group were selected for histopathological examination. RESULTS The mean bursting pressure in group 4 was significantly higher than that in group 3 (37.8 v. 30.5 mm Hg [p < 0.01]). The mean hydroxyproline level in group 3 was significantly lower than that of the other groups (2.7 v. 3.1-3.5 mg/g tissue [p < 0.01]). On histopathological examination, specimens from group 4 rats showed an increased mononuclear cell population and a smaller gap on the anastomotic line than those from group 3. CONCLUSION The local injection of molgramostim improves healing of the impaired wound in rats subjected to CBDL.
Retroperitoneal Cystic Nodal Metastasis of Renal Cell Carcinoma

Cystic nodal metastasis of renal cell carcinoma is very rare. The pathogenesis of cystic nodal metastasis is thought to involve obstruction of a lymphoid vessel draining the kidney by tumor cells and retrograde metastasis from the primary site to the lymph node along the lymphatic vessels. In this study, a surgical case of small renal cell carcinoma with retroperitoneal cystic nodal metastasis is reported.
Effects of internet-based pain coping skills training before home exercise for individuals with hip osteoarthritis (HOPE trial): a randomised controlled trial

Abstract This assessor-, therapist-, and participant-blinded randomised controlled trial evaluated the effects of an automated internet-based pain coping skills training (PCST) program before home exercise for people with clinically diagnosed hip osteoarthritis. One hundred forty-four people were randomised to either the PCST group or the comparator group. In the first 8 weeks, the PCST group received online education and PCST, whereas the comparison group received online education only. From weeks 8 to 24, both groups visited a physiotherapist 5 times for home exercise prescription. Assessments were performed at baseline, 8, 24, and 52 weeks. Primary outcomes were hip pain on walking (11-point numerical rating scale) and physical function (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index [WOMAC]) at 24 weeks. Secondary outcomes were other measures of pain, quality-of-life, global change, self-efficacy, pain coping, pain catastrophizing, depression, anxiety, stress, physical activity, and adverse events. Primary outcomes were completed by 137 (95%), 131 (91%), and 127 (88%) participants at 8, 24, and 52 weeks, respectively. There were no significant between-group differences in primary outcomes at week 24 (change in: walking pain [mean difference 0.5 units; 95% confidence interval, −0.3 to 1.3] and function [−0.9 units; 95% confidence interval, −4.8 to 2.9]), with both groups showing clinically relevant improvements. At week 8, the PCST group had greater improvements in function, pain coping, and global improvement than comparison. Greater pain coping improvements persisted at 24 and 52 weeks. In summary, online PCST immediately improved pain coping and function but did not confer additional benefits to a subsequent exercise program, despite sustained pain coping improvements.
Bio‐knowledge‐based filters improve residue‐residue contact prediction accuracy

Motivation: Residue‐residue contact prediction through direct coupling analysis has reached impressive accuracy, but yet higher accuracy will be needed to allow for routine modelling of protein structures. One way to improve the prediction accuracy is to filter predicted contacts using knowledge about the particular protein of interest or knowledge about protein structures in general. Results: We focus on the latter and discuss a set of filters that can be used to remove false positive contact predictions. Each filter depends on one or a few cut‐off parameters for which the filter performance was investigated. Combining all filters while using default parameters resulted for a test set of 851 protein domains in the removal of 29% of the predictions of which 92% were indeed false positives. Availability and implementation: All data and scripts are available at http://comprec‐lin.iiar. pwr.edu. pl/FPfilter/. Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Defending Against Adversarial Attacks by Leveraging an Entire GAN

Recent work has shown that state-of-the-art models are highly vulnerable to adversarial perturbations of the input. We propose cowboy, an approach to detecting and defending against adversarial attacks by using both the discriminator and generator of a GAN trained on the same dataset. We show that the discriminator consistently scores the adversarial samples lower than the real samples across multiple attacks and datasets. We provide empirical evidence that adversarial samples lie outside of the data manifold learned by the GAN. Based on this, we propose a cleaning method which uses both the discriminator and generator of the GAN to project the samples back onto the data manifold. This cleaning procedure is independent of the classifier and type of attack and thus can be deployed in existing systems.
ASPECTOS DA JUNÇÃO EM CONTEXTO DE AQUISIÇÃO DE ESCRITA: UMA ABORDAGEM DAS TRADIÇÕES DISCURSIVAS

Neste trabalho, analisei os mecanismos de juncao em contexto de aquisicao de Tradicoes Discursivas da escrita. Minha pesquisa foi baseada na hipotese de Kabatek de que ha uma correlacao entre TD e juncao. A pesquisa foi norteada pela seguinte questao: Como o emprego de mecanismos de juncao pode refletir caracteristicas de TDs e de mesclas de TDs durante o processo de aquisicao de TDs da escrita? Para responder a essa pergunta, o objetivo geral da pesquisa foi descrever e analisar o comportamento sintatico-semantico e pragmatico dessas tecnicas em diferentes TDs, identificando nele reflexos de mesclas de TDs.
[O6-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT) expression in patients with glioblastoma multiforme].

BACKGROUND Patients with Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) have a five years survival of less than 5%, but the response to chemotherapy with alkylating agents can vary depending on the methylation status of O6-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT). Genetic testing has limitations for routine use, while immunohistochemistry (IHC) offers a fast and affordable technique but with heterogeneous results in the literature. AIM To evaluate MGMT expression by IHC in tumor tissue of Chilean patients with GBM. MATERIAL AND METHODS Tumor samples of 29 patients with a pathological diagnosis of GBM were studied. We performed IHC staining and manual analysis of positive and negative cells for MGMT expression. A cut-off of at least 10% of cells expressing MGMT was used. Demographic and clinical features of patients were obtained from clinical records. RESULTS The median number of cells counted per case was 692 (interquartile range [IQR] 492-928). Fifteen cases (52%) were positive for MGMT expression. Median overall survival was 5.3 months (IQR 3.4-12-8). The effect of MGMT expression on the therapeutic response was not studied since only 3 patients received chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS Our results are similar to international reports, but we were not able to determine the association between MGMT expression and therapeutic response.
A Review of Outcomes and Technique for the Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection for Testicular Cancer

Objectives The robotic-assisted laparoscopic retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (R-RPLND) represents a new frontier in the surgical management of testicular cancer in the realm of minimally invasive urologic oncology. We aimed to review the early outcomes as compared to the laparoscopic and open approaches as well as describe the operative technique for the R-RPLND. Materials and Methods We reviewed all the literature related to the R-RPLND based on an electronic PubMed search up until July 2017. Results and Discussion Encouraged by favorable early oncologic and safety outcomes for treatment of clinical stage (CS) I nonseminomatous germ cell tumor (NSGCT), the R-RPLND affords the same recovery advantages as the laparoscopic retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (L-RPLND) while offering greater dexterity, superior visualization, and a theoretically shorter learning curve for the surgeon. While R-RPLND has a promising future in the management of patients with primary and postchemotherapy NSGCT, larger and more vigorous prospective studies are needed before supplanting the open RPLND as the gold standard approach for primary low-stage NSGCT or becoming an equivalent surgical modality in the postchemotherapy setting.
Protective effects of tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors on methotrexate-induced pancreatic toxicity.

BACKGROUND Methotrexate (MTX), a folate antagonist, is commonly used in the treatment of many different types of cancer and inflammatory diseases, including pancreatic cancer, although its side effects on the pancreas have not yet been researched. The mechanism of MTX-induced toxicity is not well known, and it has been reported in high-dose toxicity studies that the pancreas is sensitive to toxic effects. OBJECTIVES The aim of our study was to determine whether adalimumab (ADA) has a preventive effect on MTX-induced pancreas toxicity in rats. MATERIAL AND METHODS The rats were equally and randomly divided into 3 groups (Group 1 comprised the healthy controls, Group 2 was the MTX group, and Group 3 was the MTX + ADA group). The rats in Groups 2 and 3 received an intraperitoneal (ip.) single-dose injection of MTX (20 mg/kg). A single dose of 5 mg/kg ADA (REMICADE®) was administered ip. to Group 3. All the rats were sacrificed under anesthesia 5 days after receiving the MTX injection. RESULTS Significantly higher mean edema, necrotic cell, and inflammatory scores were recorded in Groups 2 and 3 compared to those recorded in Group 1. Significantly decreased edema, number of necrotic cells, and inflammatory scores were noted in Group 3 than in Group 2. A decrease in islets of Langerhans cell insulin and somatostatin-positive interneurons was demonstrated after the administration of MTX. An increase in insulin and somatostatin-positive cells in islets of Langerhans, as well as a remodeling of the structure of the pancreas, was shown following treatment with ADA. CONCLUSIONS Adalimumab was demonstrated to have a protective effect against MTX-induced pancreatic injury in this study.