Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tractional retinal detachment after intravitreal injection of bevacizumab in proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

PURPOSE To assess the short-term complications of a single dose of intravitreal bevacizumab in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). METHODS Retrospective review of 343 patients with PDR who were treated with intravitreal injection of bevacizumab (2.5 mg/0.1 mL). RESULTS Five patients (1.45%) presented tractional retinal detachment 1 to 6 weeks (mean 3 weeks) after intravitreal injection. All cases underwent pars plana vitrectomy, removal of all epiretinal fibrovascular membranes, further endolaser panretinal photocoagulation, and silicone tamponade. CONCLUSION Tractional retinal detachment may occur in a short time post intravitreal injection of bevacizumab in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy with extensive areas of ischemia and fibrovascular proliferations, and may require prompt vitreoretinal surgery.
Toxicity Profile of Solvents by Aspiration Approach for Topical Agent Delivery to Respiratory Tract Epithelium

Agent solubility is a problem for aspiration of agents into lungs for chemopreventive efficacy evaluation, since many agents have to be dissolved in solvents. These solvents may be toxic to the lung epithelium. A study was conducted in female A/J mice to determine toxicity of different solvent concentrations by using saline, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), ethanol, polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG-400), and labrasol for 1, 5, and 28 days via aspiration route. Toxicity was determined by measuring changes in body weight and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). No significant difference was observed in body weight, differential cell counts, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and total protein in all solvent groups compared to saline by 28 days except 50% ethanol. However, myeloperoxidase (MPO) and macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) showed significant increase in 2% and 10% DMSO, 10% ethanol, 0.1% and 2% PEG-400, and 1% labrasol by longer dosing. All solvents except for 10% ethanol and 2% PEG-400 are suitable for agent aspiration.
Colder environments did not select for a faster metabolism during experimental evolution of Drosophila melanogaster

The effect of temperature on the evolution of metabolism has been the subject of debate for a century; however, no consistent patterns have emerged from comparisons of metabolic rate within and among species living at different temperatures. We used experimental evolution to determine how metabolism evolves in populations of Drosophila melanogaster exposed to one of three selective treatments: a constant 16°C, a constant 25°C, or temporal fluctuations between 16 and 25°C. We tested August Krogh's controversial hypothesis that colder environments select for a faster metabolism. Given that colder environments also experience greater seasonality, we also tested the hypothesis that temporal variation in temperature may be the factor that selects for a faster metabolism. We measured the metabolic rate of flies from each selective treatment at 16, 20.5, and 25°C. Although metabolism was faster at higher temperatures, flies from the selective treatments had similar metabolic rates at each measurement temperature. Based on variation among genotypes within populations, heritable variation in metabolism was likely sufficient for adaptation to occur. We conclude that colder or seasonal environments do not necessarily select for a faster metabolism. Rather, other factors besides temperature likely contribute to patterns of metabolic rate over thermal clines in nature.
Effect of Atm Disruption on Spontaneously Arising and Radiation-Induced Deletion Mutations in Mouse Liver

Abstract Furuno-Fukushi, I. , Masumura, K. , Furuse, T. , Noda, Y. , Takahagi, M. , Saito, T. , Hoki, Y. , Suzuki, H. , Wynshaw-Boris, A. , Nohmi, T. and Tatsumi, K. Effect of Atm Disruption on Spontaneously Arising and Radiation-Induced Deletion Mutations in Mouse Liver. Radiat. Res. 160, 549–558 (2003). Deletion mutations were efficiently recovered in mouse liver after total-body irradiation with X rays by using a transgenic mouse “gpt-delta” system that harbored a lambda EG10 shuttle vector with the red and gam genes for Spi− (sensitive to P2 lysogen interference) selection. We incorporated this system into homozygous Atm-knockout mice as a model of the radiosensitive hereditary disease ataxia telangiectasia (AT). Lambda phages recovered from the livers of X-irradiated mice with the Atm+/+ genotype showed a dose-dependent increase in the Spi− mutant frequency up to sixfold at 50 Gy over the unirradiated control of 2.8 × 10−6. The livers from Atm−/− mice yielded a virtually identical dose–response curve for X rays with a background fraction of 2.4 × 10−6. Structural analyses revealed no significant difference in the proportion of −1 frameshifts and larger deletions between Atm+/+ and Atm−/− mice, although larger deletions prevailed in X-ray-induced Spi− mutants irrespective of Atm status. While a possible defect in DNA repair after irradiation has been strongly indicated in the literature for nondividing cultured cells in vitro from AT patients, the Atm disruption does not significantly affect radiation mutagenesis in the stationary mouse liver in vivo.
Serum VEGF-C is associated with metastatic site in patients with malignant melanoma

Vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) is involved in lymphatic metastatic spread. Metastatic site is a prognostic factor in melanoma. We assessed whether serum levels of VEGF-C are associated with metastatic sites or prognosis in patients treated for stage IV melanoma. The study included 64 patients, who received dacarbazine or four-drug chemotherapy (dacarbazine, vincristine, bleomycin and lomustine; BOLD) both combined with interferon-alfa. Serum samples for VEGF-C were analyzed by ELISA. The patients (n =22) with only skin and subcutaneous metastases had significantly lower mean VEGF-C levels (1 643 pg/ml) then the patients (n =42) with other distant metastases (2 584 pg/ml, Mann-Whitney, p =0.033). VEGF-C levels above the median (1 590 pg/ml) were significantly related to deep lymph node involvement (OR 3.763; 95% CI 1.038 − 13.646, p =0.034). There were no other significant associations between VEGF-C levels and tumour burden, nor were the levels significantly related to the response to therapy or survival. Those eight patients, who had received previous adjuvant IFN-alfa therapy had lower mean VEGF-C levels (1 738 pg/ml) as compared to those 56 patients without previous IFN-alfa therapy (2 335 pg/ml, ANOVA, p =0.026). This is the first study exploring serum VEGF-C in melanoma. VEGF-C might be involved in the deep lymphatic dissemination and progression of melanoma metastasis.
Early life second-hand smoke exposure and serious infectious morbidity during the first 8 years: evidence from Hong Kong’s “Children of 1997” birth cohort

Background: Second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure is a modifiable cause of ill health. Despite the smoking ban in public places introduced in Hong Kong in 2007, infants and children continue to be exposed within the home. Aims: To determine the critical windows of SHS exposure and the duration of its impact on serious infectious morbidity in the first 8 years of life. Methods: The Hong Kong “Children of 1997” birth cohort is a prospective, population-based study of 8327 children comprising 88% of all births in April and May 1997, of whom 7402 (89%) were followed up until their eighth birthday in 2005. We used multivariable Cox regression to assess the relation between postnatal SHS exposure and risk of first admission to public hospitals (together accounting for >95% total bed-days overall) for respiratory, other and all infections from birth to 8 years of age, for all individuals and for vulnerable subgroups. Results: Overall, household SHS exposure within 3 metres in early life was associated with a higher risk of admission for infectious illness up until 8 years of age (hazard ratio 1.14, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.31), after adjustment for sex, birthweight, gestational age, feeding method, maternal age, highest parental education and proxies of preferred service sector. The association was strongest in the first 6 months of life (HR 1.45, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.83). In vulnerable subgroups such as premature babies, the association held through to 8 years of age (HR 2.00, 95% CI 1.08 to 3.72). Infants exposed to SHS in the first 3 months of life were most vulnerable to infectious causes of hospitalisation. Conclusion: Household SHS exposure in early infancy increases severe infectious morbidity requiring hospital admission. Reducing SHS exposure in infants and particularly in more vulnerable infants will lower the bed-days burden due to infectious causes.
Degree of dysplasia following diagnosis of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance is influenced by patient history and type of follow‐up

Previous studies have shown that atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) are a predictor of higher grade lesions when patients are followed up by biopsy. The purpose of this study was to examine follow‐up on all patients with ASCUS to determine if the prediction of higher grade lesions seen in association with ASCUS is a function of bias in selection of patients for biopsy. The diagnosis of ASCUS, based on Bethesda System criteria, was made on 235 cases between June 1993 and December 1994 (2% of the total cases at Yale‐New Haven clinics). Of these cases, 36 were biopsied and 94 were followed by cervical/vaginal smears (CVS). As has been seen in other retrospective studies, we found that 55% (20 of 36) biopsied after ASCUS on CVS showed condyloma or dysplasia. In cases with CVS follow‐up instead of biopsy, only 26% (25 of 94) had significant lesions. We find that if ASCUS is evaluated by biopsy, the prediction for higher grade lesions is roughly twice that predicted by follow‐up CVS. We propose that nonstandardized management by gynecologists results, in many instances, in selection of patients with significant past history for biopsy. Consequently, the current literature finding of ASCUS as predictor of higher grade lesions should be reanalyzed, taking into account other parameters (past history, age, etc.) in the process of defining the clinical and biological implications of the ASCUS diagnosis. Diagn. Cytopathol. 17:14–19, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Skew-spectra and skew energy of various products of graphs

‎‎Given a graph $G$‎, ‎let $G^sigma$ be an oriented graph of $G$ with‎ ‎the orientation $sigma$ and skew-adjacency matrix $S(G^sigma)$‎. ‎Then the spectrum of $S(G^sigma)$ consisting of all the eigenvalues of‎ ‎$S(G^sigma)$ is called the skew-spectrum of $G^sigma$‎, ‎denoted by‎ ‎$Sp(G^sigma)$‎. ‎The skew energy of the oriented graph $G^sigma$‎, ‎denoted by $mathcal{E}_S(G^sigma)$‎, ‎is defined as the sum of the‎ ‎norms of all the eigenvalues of $S(G^sigma)$‎. ‎In this paper‎, ‎we give orientations of the Kronecker product $Hotimes G$ and the strong‎ ‎product $Hast G$ of $H$ and $G$ where $H$ is a bipartite graph and $G$‎ ‎is an arbitrary graph‎. ‎Then we determine the skew-spectra of the resultant‎ ‎oriented graphs‎. ‎As applications‎, ‎we construct new families of oriented‎ ‎graphs with optimum skew energy‎. ‎Moreover‎, ‎we consider the skew energy of‎ ‎the orientation of the lexicographic product $H[G]$ of a bipartite graph $H$‎ ‎and a graph $G$‎.
Null-space based control for human following and social field avoidance

The development of human-friendly applications are focused on abstracting social behaviors as part of the robotic design. The most important is without doubt the social zone, which acts like a repulsive potential field to protect the personal space of humans and in consequence to avoid its intrusion. In robotics, many approaches have been proposed to define and to avoid these fields, which contributes to improve the human comfort during interactions. This paper proposes a novel null-space-based (NSB) algorithm for a non-holonomic mobile robot platform, which is programmed to escort a human in a behaviour-based paradigm. The emphasis is posed in the evasion of other humans in the environment by considering them as elliptical potential fields with non-holonomic motion. Finally, experimental results are presented to show the performance of the proposed control algorithm with static and dynamic human obstacles.
Atrial Dilatation Development in Hypertensive Treated Patients: The Campania-Salute Network.

BACKGROUND Left atrial (LA) dilatation is associated with unfavorable outcome in hypertension. However, there are few data on clinical, demographic, and echocardiographic findings correlated with LA dilatation development. METHODS From the Campania-Salute Network registry, we identified 5,375 hypertensive patients (52±11 years, 38% women) in normal sinus rhythm, with normal LA diameter (parasternal short-axis <24.0 in women and <25.4mm/m in men), with normal left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction, and with at least 12 months of echocardiographic follow-up. We included in the clinic evaluation type of antihypertensive drugs. RESULTS Follow-up duration was of 70±48 months. During follow-up, 647 patients (12%) showed LA dilatation. Patients with incident LA dilatation were older, most likely to be women, more obese, more diabetics, with lower Modification of Diet in Renal Disease, higher total cholesterol, lower uric acid, higher pulse pressure, lower heart rate, higher LV mass, concentric geometry and lower E/A ratio at mitral level, longer E deceleration time, and higher intima-media carotid thickness. They take more drugs, and follow-up was longer (overall P < 0.05). In the Cox analysis, age, female gender, obesity, higher LV mass, LA diameter at baseline, and longer E deceleration time were determinants of LA dilatation. Furthermore, the use of diuretics protected against LA dilatation. CONCLUSIONS Our data identify a risk profile for LA dilatation, characterized by older age, female sex, obesity, higher LV mass, and worse diastolic function. In this subgroup of patients, the use of diuretics seems to protect against LA dilatation.
Correction of Sickle Cell Disease in Transgenic Mouse Models by Gene Therapy

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is caused by a single point mutation in the human βA globin gene that results in the formation of an abnormal hemoglobin [HbS (α2βS 2)]. We designed a βA globin gene variant that prevents HbS polymerization and introduced it into a lentiviral vector we optimized for transfer to hematopoietic stem cells and gene expression in the adult red blood cell lineage. Long-term expression (up to 10 months) was achieved, without preselection, in all transplanted mice with erythroid-specific accumulation of the antisickling protein in up to 52% of total hemoglobin and 99% of circulating red blood cells. In two mouse SCD models, Berkeley and SAD, inhibition of red blood cell dehydration and sickling was achieved with correction of hematological parameters, splenomegaly, and prevention of the characteristic urine concentration defect.
The residual cognitive effects of heavy marijuana use in college students.

OBJECTIVE To assess whether frequent marijuana use is associated with residual neuropsychological effects. DESIGN Single-blind comparison of regular users vs infrequent users of marijuana. PARTICIPANTS Two samples of college undergraduates: 65 heavy users, who had smoked marijuana a median of 29 days in the last 30 days (range, 22 to 30 days) and who also displayed cannabinoids in their urine, and 64 light users, who had smoked a median of 1 day in the last 30 days (range, 0 to 9 days) and who displayed no urinary cannabinoids. INTERVENTION Subjects arrived at 2 PM on day 1 of their study visit, then remained at our center overnight under supervision. Neuropsychological tests were administered to all subjects starting at 9 AM on day 2. Thus, all subjects were abstinent from marijuana and other drugs for a minimum of 19 hours before testing. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Subjects received a battery of standard neuropsychological tests to assess general intellectual functioning, abstraction ability, sustained attention, verbal fluency, and ability to learn and recall new verbal and visuospatial information. RESULTS Heavy users displayed significantly greater impairment than light users on attention/executive functions, as evidenced particularly by greater perseverations on card sorting and reduced learning of word lists. These differences remained after controlling for potential confounding variables, such as estimated levels of premorbid cognitive functioning, and for use of alcohol and other substances in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS Heavy marijuana use is associated with residual neuropsychological effects even after a day of supervised abstinence from the drug. However, the question remains open as to whether this impairment is due to a residue of drug in the brain, a withdrawal effect from the drug, or a frank neurotoxic effect of the drug. from marijuana
Potential value of vertebral proton MR spectroscopy in determining bone weakness.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Increased fat content in vertebrae may indicate bone weakness. Vertebral proton MR spectroscopy ((1)H MRS) quantitatively measures vertebral fat relative to water. Thus, (1)H MRS measurements of percent fat fraction (%FF) and spectral line width (LW) of vertebral bone marrow may differ between subjects with and those without MR imaging evidence of weakened bone. METHODS We measured %FF and LW in 22 subjects with (15 men and 7 women, aged 26 to 80 years) and 72 control subjects without (33 male and 39 female subjects, aged 15 to 87 years) MR findings of weakened bone, including prominent Schmorl's nodes, endplate depression, vertebral wedging, and vertebral compression fractures. In those with bone weakness, (1)H MRS data were sampled from an intact vertebra, usually L2. Data were analyzed for differences by age and sex. We compared the mean %FF and LW in subjects with and in those without bone weakness by use of Student's t test. RESULTS The %FF increased linearly with age in the control subjects, ranging from 20.5% in the second and third decades of life to 49.4% in eighth or ninth decades of life. Across all age groups, male control subjects had a higher aggregate %FF than did female control subjects. Male control subjects tended to have a greater LW than did female control subjects, but differences between the sexes within or across age groups were not significant. Contrary to expectations, LW was greatest in the oldest control subjects and lowest among younger control subjects, but there were insufficient data points to make definitive conclusions. Overall, %FF was a relative 45% higher in subjects with weakened bone compared with control subjects (48.8 vs 33.6 [P <.001]). The subjects with evidence of vertebral bone weakness also had a higher overall mean LW (37 vs 29 Hz [P <.002]), but this finding is of uncertain importance. CONCLUSION The %FF was significantly higher within the L2 vertebral body in 22 subjects with weakened bone compared with the control group, suggesting that it could serve as a measure of bone quality. The LW measurements did not yield meaningful conclusions.
The glnA gene of the cyanobacterium Agmenellum quadruplicatum PR-6 is nonessential for ammonium assimilation

The glnA gene of the cyanobacterium Agmenellum quadruplicatum PR-6 (Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002) was isolated by complementing an Escherichia coli strain auxotrophic for glutamine (YMC11) with a PR-6 cosmid library. PR-6 glnA is a single-copy gene that encodes a deduced amino acid sequence that is highly homologous to the deduced glnA amino acid sequences reported for other bacteria. No homology was found between the PR-6 glnA flanking sequences and the ntrB, ntrC, or glnB genes of other bacteria. Northern (RNA) and primer extension analyses of PR-6 RNA revealed one predominant and several minor glnA transcripts of about 1.5 to 1.7 kb. The steady-state amounts of these transcripts increased three- to fivefold when the cells were starved for nitrogen. However, we found that mutant PR-6 cells lacking glnA were still able to use nitrate or ammonium as a sole nitrogen source. Although no RNA homologous to an internal fragment of the glnA gene could be detected in the mutant cells, they retained about 60% of wild-type glutamine biosynthetic activity. The mutant cells were more sensitive than the wild-type cells to methionine sulfoximine, a transition state analog of glutamate, a result that might indicate the presence of an additional glutamine synthetase; however, cell extracts of wild-type PR-6 cells and those lacking glnA were both able to use carbamyl phosphate instead of ammonium as a nitrogen donor for the synthesis of glutamine, a result that indicates the use of carbamyl phosphate synthetase to assimilate ammonium and produce glutamine.
Collective Extraction for Opinion Targets and Opinion Words from Online Reviews

Online reviews are very important for lots of Web applications. Extracting opinion targets and opinion words from online reviews is one of the core works for review analysis and mining. The traditional extraction methods mainly include two categories: the pipeline-based methods and the propagation-based ones. The former extracts opinion targets and opinion words separately, which ignores the opinion relations between them. The latter extracts opinion targets and opinion words iteratively by exploiting the nearest-neighbor rules or syntactic patterns, which would probably lead to poor results due to the limitations on predefined window size and the propagating errors of dependency relation parsing. Due to such shortcomings of traditional methods, we propose a collective extraction method for opinion targets and opinion words based on the word alignment model, which especially adopts the concept of Classification to simultaneously extract opinion targets and corresponding opinion words. In order to tackle the time-consuming and error-prone problem of manual annotation, we further devise a semi-supervised extraction method based on active learning. Finally, we carry out a series of experiments on real-world datasets to validate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.