Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long-term follow-up of early mycosis fungoides patients treated with narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy

Background: Narrowband ultraviolet B (UVB) provides complete response (CR) in 54–91% of early mycosis fungoides (MF) patients. Data concerning relapse rate and relapse-free interval after discontinuation of therapy need clarification. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relapse rate and the relapse-free intervals of early MF patients after achieving complete response with narrowband UVB phototherapy. Methods: Retrospective evaluation of data, which belong to early MF patients treated with narrowband UVB phototherapy between May 2000 and July 2010, and followed-up until May 2012 in a single institution, for the occurrence of relapse and the time to relapse. Results: Of 31 patients, who were followed-up for a mean of 56.5 ± 30.2 months (median 55 months, range 20–120 months), relapse was observed in 11 (35.5%) patients, within a mean of 28.8 ± 18.2 months (median 33 months, range 4–59 months), whereas 20 (64.5%) patients stayed relapse-free for a mean of 54.2 ± 28.8 months (median 55.5 months, range 20–119 months). Patients received maintenance phototherapy with a median duration of 12 months (range 1–30 months) after achieving complete response. Conclusion: Results indicate that narrowband UVB phototherapy may induce low relapse rates and long relapse-free intervals for early MF.
Endothelin in a Murine Model of Cerebral Malaria

Cerebral malaria (CM) remains a deadly complication of Plasmodium falciparum infection, and children are at high risk of developing encephalopathy as a result of CM. This is probably a consequence of the activation of many of the inflammatory cytokines as well as the glial cells and the vascular endothelium in the brain. We have previously demonstrated that there is a striking reduction in cerebral blood flow by magnetic resonance imaging when mice are infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA), and we now demonstrate a possible role for endothelin (ET-1) in the pathogenesis of CM. The brains of female C57BL/6 mice with PbA infection were examined at Day 5 for the expression of ET-1, endothelin converting enzyme (ECE), and the endothelin receptors A and B (ETA and ETB) by both reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and quantitative real-time PCR. ET-1 and ECE mRNA expression was markedly increased by RT-PCR in PbA-infected mice. Real-time quantitative PCR demonstrated a 3-fold increase in ET-1 (P < 0.05) and a significant increase in ETA and ETB expression (P < 0.05) in PbA-infected mice. Histopathology bof PbA-infected mice demonstrated a transformation in the morphology of microglial cells and clustering of these cells consistent with activation. Though the full impact of ET-1 on CM remains to be elucidated, these findings demonstrate that in the murine model, there is a significant increase in ET-1 and its components, which is associated with the vasculopathy and immunopathology of CM.
High incidence of rickets in children with wheezy bronchitis in a developing country

The incidence of rickets in 100 Iraqi infants with wheezy bronchitis (24%) exceeded by two and a half times that found in age-matched controls (9%), and by ten times when only those with severe rickets were considered. The reason for this is not entirely clear, but could be related to the fact that the infants with wheezy bronchitis weighed more and therefore had grown faster than the control group. This itself could be related to the higher incidence of breastfeeding in the infants with wheezy bronchitis. We wish to stress the importance of screening for rickets, particularly in those with wheezy bronchitis.
Lentiviral Vector Transduction of Hematopoietic Stem Cells that Mediate Long‐Term Reconstitution of Lethally Irradiated Mice

Lentiviral vectors efficiently transduce human CD34+ cells that mediate long‐term engraftment of nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice. However, hematopoiesis in these animals is abnormal. Typically, 95% of the human cells in peripheral blood are B lymphocytes. To determine whether lentiviral vectors efficiently transduce stem cells that maintain normal hematopoiesis in vivo, we isolated Sca‐1+c‐Kit+Lin− bone marrow cells from mice without 5‐fluorouracil treatment, and transduced these cells in the absence of cytokine stimulation with a novel lentiviral vector containing a GFP (green flourescent protein) reporter gene. These cells were transplanted into lethally irradiated C57Bl/6 mice. In fully reconstituted animals, GFP expression was observed in 8.0% of peripheral blood mononuclear cells for 20 weeks posttransplantation. Lineage analysis demonstrated that a similar percentage (approximately 8.0%) of GFP‐positive cells was detected in peripheral blood B cells, T cells, granulocytes and monocytes, bone marrow erythroid precursor cells, splenic B cells, and thymic T cells. In secondary transplant recipients, up to 20% of some lineages expressed GFP. Our results suggest that quiescent, hematopoietic stem cells are efficiently transduced by lentiviral vectors without impairing self‐renewal and normal lineage specification in vivo. Efficient gene delivery into murine stem cells with lentiviral vectors will allow direct tests of genetic therapies in mouse models of hematopoietic diseases such as sickle cell anemia and thalassemia, in which corrected cells may have a selective survival advantage.
Activation of the human complement alternative pathway by Listeria monocytogenes: evidence for direct binding and proteolysis of the C3 component on bacteria

The capacity of the intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes to activate the alternative pathway of human complement was examined. Incubation of L. monocytogenes with human serum in optimal conditions (20% Mg2+EGTA [ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid]-chelated serum) consumed (31.3 +/- 3.9)% of C3 hemolytic activity and led to similar amounts of C3 deposition among the 27 strains tested, except for a rough mutant and the penicillin-induced L forms of strain EGD, which bound reduced amounts of C3. The same results were obtained with strains belonging to related species (L. innocua, L. seeligeri, L. welshimeri, and L. ivanovii). Direct evidence is provided that L. monocytogenes induces the deposition of C3b and its cleavage products iC3b and C3d through ester and amide linkages, as demonstrated by the analysis of the released products of radiolabelled purified C3 after treatment with hydroxylamine. Our results clearly demonstrate that L. monocytogenes activates the alternative pathway of human complement, suggesting that bacteria in the blood or in tissues of infected patients are opsonized and targeted to C3 receptor-bearing cells such as macrophages.
Viterbi Demodulation in Two-Level FH-CDMA Wireless Systems Based on Reed-Solomon Codes

Coded modulation with Reed-Solomon (RS) codes has recently been proposed to use atop of frequency-hopping code-division multiple access (FH-CDMA) in order to increase data transfer rate. In this paper, a new method on implementing the modulation and demodulation processes of the RS codes in RS/FH-CDMA is proposed. With the use of our specially "pruned" trellis and the Viterbi algorithm, both processes are simplified and so are their computational complexities. The performance and computational complexities of this RS/FH-CDMA system are analyzed and verified with computer simulation.
Indoor position estimation using image sensor based on VLC

Emerging white-light LEDs allow the combination of illumination and optical wireless communication in one optical source. Visible light communication (VLC) uses solid-state LEDs to broadcast information and is an attractive technology for indoor positioning system. In this paper, we propose a higher accuracy indoor positioning algorithm using a stereo image sensor and white-light LEDs by the visible light communication. Indoor white-light LEDs are located at the ceiling of a room and broadcast its position information by VLC technology. Mobile receiver with stereo image sensor receives LED position information by VLC and estimates its position and angle information. Simulation results are given to show the efficiency of proposed indoor positioning algorithm.
A Mixed-Size Monolithic 3D Placer with 2D Layout Inheritance

Monolithic 3D IC is a high integration density emerging technology in the age of both "More Moore" and "More-than-Moore". In this paper, we propose a novel method of generating mixed-size 3D placement based on transforming a 2D placement result. Experimental results indicate that, when compared with the input 2D placement, the 3D placer can reduce the wirelength by 57%, and provide a four-layer 3D chip footprint of about one quarter of the 2D counterpart. Moreover, our placer can preserve the layout information from the 2D placement input, which means that the 2D placement quality can be inherited in the 3D placement results. Compared with an analytical wirelength-driven placer, our placer achieves 34% benefit on 2D layout inheritance and 12% benefit on runtime with acceptable (4%) wirelength cost.
A Novel Wireless Sensor Networks Structure Based on the SDN

Since the SDN (Software Defined Network) technology based on OpenFlow was born, domestic and foreign research institutions have had increasing attention to this emerging field. The OpenFlow technology which is known for standardization and compatibility network virtualization has brought a lot of innovative solutions in the field of research. As the wireless sensor network node is complex and difficult to move and the network topology is changing rapidly with time, this requires a routing protocol for it to be able to adapt to this high topology change. Because traditional WSNS protocol communication needs to consider energy consumption, load balancing and other factors, it is difficult to find one to take into account all aspects of network algorithms. In this paper, we put forward a new solution for WSNS in accordance with the OpenFlow technology research in the application of traditional network.
Comparison of a 52‐kDa Phosphoprotein from Synaptic Plasma Membranes Related to Long‐Term Potentiation and the Major Coated Vesicle Phosphoprotein

Abstract: In the in vitro hippocampal slice preparation a short tetanus induces long‐term potentiation (LTP) and an increase in the post hoc phosphorylation of a 52‐kDa protein in synaptosomal plasma membranes (SPM) prepared from these slices. This 52‐kDa SPM phosphoprotein closely resembles the predominant phosphoprotein in coated vesicles, pp50, with respect to the insensitivity of its phosphorylation to Ca2+/calmodulin and cyclic AMP. This resemblance prompted us to compare in rat brain the 52‐kDa SPM protein with pp50 in isolated coated vesicles. Both proteins appear to be very similar on basis of the following criteria: (1) relative molecular weight on sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, (2) peptide mapping, (3) phospho‐amino acid content, and (4) isoelectric point. Since coated vesicles are thought to be involved in receptor‐mediated endocytosis and membrane recycling, our data suggest that LTP‐correlated changes in 52‐kDa phosphorylation may reflect increased coated vesicle activity.
Multi-objective optimization of the loading path for tube hydroforming process based on NSGA- II

The loading paths are very important for hydroforming results in tube hydroforming, and need to be designed carefully. But the optimal loading paths are difficultly obtained by using empirical, analytical and experimental methods. FE simulation is perceived by the industry to be a cost-effective process analysis tool compared to the conventional hard tooling prototyping. Unfortunately, the prevalent trial-and-error based simulation method becomes very costly when the process analyzed is complex. More powerful design methods are needed to help the engineers design better THF loading paths, thus reducing lead times and costs. A new optimum design method for loading paths in THF, which integrates dynamic explicit FEM procedure into multiple-objective genetic algorithms based on elitist nodominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II), is brought forward in this paper. Using the method, a case study is carried out for the hydroforming of an instrument panel beam. The results show that the loading paths obtained by the method are better than the loading paths obtained by the trial and error. In addition, some results are obtained by running simulation program at a time, and which offers a wider choice for process parameters and designer's decision-making.
Relationship between dysregulation of STAT 4 and clinicopathological significance in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Background: Aberrant expression of STAT4 has been validated in different cancers. However, its role in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains unidentified. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the clinical significance of STAT4 and its potential role in the carcinogenesis and deterioration of NPC. Materials and Methods: Expression of STAT4, as well as EGFR and P53 in 393 NPC patients and 54 benign nasopharyngeal diseases was detected by immunohistochemistry. Meanwhile, the correlation of STAT4 expression with a variety of clinicopathological features was analyzed. Results: The expression rate of STAT4 was significantly higher in NPC tissues (78.6%) than non-cancerous nasopharyngeal tissues (27.8%, Z = -7.836, P < 0.001). The area under curve (AUC) of STAT4 was 0.712 (95% CI: 0.611-0.813, P < 0.001) to diagnose squamous cell carcinoma of NPC. Expression of STAT4 was positively correlated to tumor infiltration (r = 0.392, P < 0.001), lymphatic metastasis (r = 0.289, P = 0.002), TNM clinical stage (r = 0.345, P < 0.001), EGFR (r = 0.267, P = 0.001) and P53 (r = 0.378, P < 0.001). Conclusion: STAT4 can be regarded as a potential diagnostic biomarker for NPC. It might be involved in the carcinogenesis and deterioration of NPC.
Painful diabetic neuropathy: treatment and future aspects

Around one of three diabetic patients is affected by distal symmetric polyneuropathy (DSP) which represents a major health problem, as it may present with partly excruciating neuropathic pain and is responsible for substantial morbidity and increased mortality. Treatment is based on four cornerstones: (1) multifactorial intervention aimed at (near)‐normoglycaemia and reduction in cardiovascular risk factors, (2) treatment based on pathogenetic mechanisms, (3) symptomatic treatment, and (4) avoidance of risk factors and complications. Among the pathogenetic treatments only α‐lipoic acid and epalrestat are available for treatment in several countries. Neuropathic pain, which is present in 8–26% of diabetic patients, exerts a substantial impact on the quality of life, particularly by causing considerable interference in sleep and enjoyment of life. Non‐pharmacologic options such as nerve or muscle stimulation should always be given consideration. Among the centrally acting analgesic drugs for many years mainly the tricyclic antidepressants (TCA), carbamazepine, gabapentin, and opioids have been used to treat neuropathic pain. More recently, significant pain relief has been reported in clinical trials of painful diabetic neuropathy using agents such as the dual selective serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), duloxetine and the anticonvulsant pregabalin, a specific modulator of the α2δ subunit of the voltage‐dependent calcium channels. A promising new anticonvulsant is lacosamide. In future, drug combinations might also include those aimed at symptomatic pain relief and quality of life on one hand and improvement or slowing the progression of the underlying neuropathic process on the other hand. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A comparison of the results of long‐term follow‐up for atypical intraductal hyperplasia and intraductal hyperplasia of the breast

Follow‐up information was obtained on 199 women with breast biopsy specimens containing intraductal epithelial proliferation. The proliferations were divided into regular or ordinary intraductal hyperplasia (IDH) (117 cases) and atypical intraductal hyperplasia (AIDH) (82 cases). The average length of followup was 14 years for the patients with IDH and 12.4 years for the patients with AIDH. Of the 117 patients with ordinary IDH, carcinoma subsequently developed in six (5%); three of these were invasive carcinomas (2.6%). All three invasive carcinomas were in the ipsilateral breast, but of the three intraductal carcinomas (IDCa), two were in the contralateral breast. Of the 82 patients with AIDH, invasive carcinoma subsequently developed in eight (9.8%); six of these were located in the ipsilateral breast and two in the contralateral breast. One of these six patients died of disseminated carcinoma. The average interval to the subsequent carcinoma (intraductal and invasive carcinoma) was about the same in the two groups (8.3 years for AIDH and 8.8 years for IDH lacking atypia). When considering only subsequent invasive carcinomas, the interval was 8.3 years for the AIDH and 14.3 years for the IDH lacking atypia. Of the 14 patients with IDH and a family history of breast carcinoma, invasive carcinoma subsequently developed in one (7%) as compared with two (2%) of the 91 with a negative family history. Among patients with AIDH, invasive carcinoma subsequently developed in two of the 13 (15%) of those with a family history of breast carcinoma as compared with one of 57 (1.8%) of the women with a negative family history. The presence of atypia in epithelial hyperplasia is a significant factor in increasing the likelihood of the development of subsequent invasive carcinoma (P = 0.03; two‐tailed test). Of women with AIDH, invasive carcinoma subsequently developed in 17% of those with sclerosing adenosis (SA) as compared with 4.2% of those without it. Therefore, SA may be a contributing factor to increased risk. A positive family history also appears to increase the likelihood of the subsequent development of invasive carcinoma, particularly in patients with AIDH.
Arterial Wall Elastic Properties and Endothelial Dysfunction in the Diabetic Foot Syndrome in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetic foot (DF) syndrome is the most common lower-extremity complication of poorly controlled type 2 diabetes (T2D) (1). DF affects the quality of life of T2D patients and is associated with increased morbidity (2). T2D-related mechanisms induce endothelial dysfunction and adverse effects on vascular biology (3). We have recently shown that measurements of endothelial function and arterial stiffness are strongly associated with diabetic retinopathy (4), but their association with DF has not been explored yet. To examine this, we enrolled 284 consecutive T2D subjects visiting our outpatient diabetes clinic and 196 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects without evidence of diabetes or cardiovascular or other disease. Subjects with known malignancy, hepatic impairment, or acute or chronic inflammatory disease were excluded from the study. Study protocol was approved by the institutional ethics committee. Endothelial function was assessed by the flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (AIx) were assessed by SphygmoCor (AtCor Medical) as …
An approach to visualizing transparency in computer-generated line drawings

This paper builds on the principles of depicting transparency in hand-made line drawings, and develops a method to generate similar, but computer-generated, line drawings in a two-step process. In the first step, a brightness image is generated, which is used as a basis for the line drawing created in the second step. Three different methods derived from traditional drawing techniques are shown.
&Dgr;Np63 (p40) and Thyroid Transcription Factor-1 Immunoreactivity on Small Biopsies or Cellblocks for Typing Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: A Novel Two-Hit, Sparing-Material Approach

Introduction: Diagnosing non-small cell lung cancer on biopsy/cellblock samples by morphology may be demanding. As sparing material for molecular testing is mandatory, a minimalist immunohistochemistry (IHC)-based diagnostic approach is warranted by means of novel, reliable, and easy-to-assess biomarkers. Methods: Forty-six consecutive biopsy/cellblock samples and the corresponding resection specimens (as the gold standard for morphology and IHC) from 30 adenocarcinomas (AD), 10 squamous carcinomas (SQC), 5 adenosquamous carcinomas (ADSQC), and 1 sarcomatoid carcinoma (SC) were IHC-evaluated for p40 [corresponding to nontransactivating &Dgr;Np63 isoforms] and thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF1) by semiquantitative assessment. For p40, also immunodecoration intensity was taken into account and dichotomized as strong or low. Results: Nonrandom and overlapping distributions of the relevant markers were found in biopsy/cellblock and surgical specimens, which closely correlated with each other and the diverse tumor categories, with no differences in area under curve-receiver-operating-characteristic curves for each marker between any two samples, including p40 and p63. Diagnostic combinations were p40−/TTF1+ or TTF1− for AD (where p40 was negative, apart from 5/30 AD showing at the best 1–2% tumor cells with low intensity); p40+/TTF1− (p40 strong and by far higher than 50%) for SQC; and p40+/TTF1+ or p40+/TTF1− (p40 strong and less than 50%) for ADSQC. The single SC case was p40−/TTF1−, suggesting glandular lineage. Practically, 41/46 (89%) tumors were correctly classified by IHC on small samples, including 30 AD, 10 SQC, 1/5 ADSQC, and no SC. Underdiagnosis of ADSQC was actually because of sampling error of biopsies/cellblocks rather than insufficient biomarker robustness, whereas underdiagnosis of SC was really because of the failure of either marker to highlight epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Conclusions: This minimalist IHC-based model of p40 and TTF1 on biopsy/cellblock samples was effective to correctly subtype most cases of lung cancer.
Efficient optical wireless communication in the presence of signal-dependent noise

This work investigates the problem of efficient signalling for optical wireless communication systems in the presence of signal-dependent noise. We propose a novel scheme based on signalling in the square-root domain (as defined by a square-root transform) where the optical channel originally distorted by signal-dependent noise is transformed into a stationary white Gaussian noise channel. The bit error rate (BER) of the proposed scheme is derived and compared with the BER performance of the conventional signalling in time domain. As an alternative solution, signalling in frequency domain is analyzed in the presence of signal-dependent noise.
Effect of Periodontal Treatment on Glycemic Control of Diabetic Patients

In February 2010 issue of Diabetes Care , Teeuw, Gerdes, and Loos (1) reported a systemic review and meta-analysis of the literature to determine if periodontal treatment improved the glycemic control of diabetic patients for at least three months. The authors identified five studies as meeting their review criteria and stipulated that periodontal treatment consisted of scaling and root planning, oral hygiene instruction, variable use of systemic or local antibiotics, and possibly surgical removal of deep residual periodontal lesions, all in …