Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clonal haemopoiesis may occur after conventional chemotherapy and is associated with accelerated telomere shortening and defects in the NQO1 pathway; possible mechanisms leading to an increased risk of t‐AML/MDS

The molecular pathogenesis of therapy‐related acute myeloid leukaemia/myelodysplastic syndrome (t‐AML/MDS) remains uncertain. However, clonal haemopoiesis may develop following stem cell transplantation and precede the development of t‐AML/MDS. Moreover, accelerated telomere shortening may be induced by replicative stress or oxidative damage, leading to genomic instability, and inactivating polymorphisms of the gene encoding NADPH‐quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) are more frequently observed in patients with t‐AML. We studied clonal haemopoiesis, telomere length and NQO1 status in 146 patients receiving conventional chemotherapy for non‐myeloid malignancies. Clonal haemopoiesis was demonstrated in eight of 98 (8%) patients. Telomere length was reduced in patients following chemotherapy (n = 52) compared with controls (n = 42) (P < 0·001), particularly in those with clonal haemopoiesis (P < 0·002). Whilst there was a trend towards telomere shortening in control subjects polymorphic for NQO1‐187Ser (n = 12), chemotherapy‐exposed patients polymorphic for the NQO1‐187Ser allele (n = 29) had significantly shorter telomeres (P < 0·001). Furthermore, chemotherapy‐treated patients with the NQO1‐187Ser, polymorphism were more likely to develop clonal haemopoiesis than patients with wild type NQO1 (odds ratio = 7; 1·16–42·6). We conclude that a switch to clonal haemopoiesis may occur after conventional chemotherapy and lead to accelerated telomere shortening. Patients with the NQO1‐187Ser polymorphism have an increased risk of developing both clonal haemopoiesis and telomere shortening, which may partly explain the predisposition to t‐AML in NQO1‐187Ser null individuals.
Effect of Factor VIIIc Levels in Pediatric Stroke Patients

Twenty consecutive patients with ischemic stroke confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging and 40 healthy age-matched controls were enrolled in the study. Thirteen of the patients had an underlying disease and/or risk factors. Infection was the most common underlying factor (4 patients). Four patients had heterozygote FVL and 3 patients showed heterozygosity for PT 20210A. A weak positive association between FV1691A and high FVIIIc levels (r= −.110) was determined. Comparison of the prevalence of high FVIIIc levels in patients and healthy subjects with and without FVL/PT 20210 indicated that high FVIII levels are an independent risk factor.
Prevalence and risk factors for left ventricular hypertrophy and left ventricular geometric abnormality in the patients with hypertension among Han Chinese.

BACKGROUND Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and geometric abnormality are associated with morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular disease and stroke. Hypertension is the major cause of LVH. Yet the prevalence and other risk factors of LVH and geometric abnormality in Chinese hypertensive population are unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of LVH and geometric abnormality in community-based Chinese hypertensive population. METHODS The study was a community-based cross-sectional study, and comprised 4270 hypertension patients with integrated clinical and echocardiographic data. Left ventricular mass was measured by transthoracic echocardiography. LVH was diagnosed by using the criteria of over 49.2 g/m(2.7) for men and 46.7 g/m(2.7) for women. LV geometric patterns (normal, concentric remodeling, concentric or eccentric hypertrophy) were calculated according to LVH and relative wall thickness. Logistic regression model was used to determine the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the risk factors of LVH. RESULTS The prevalence of LVH was 42.7% in 4270 hypertensive patients, with 37.4% in males and 45.4% in females, respectively. The prevalence of concentric remodeling, concentric or eccentric hypertrophy was 24.7%, 20.2%, and 22.6%, respectively. In Logistic regression model, female (OR 1.3, 95%CI 1.1 - 1.5, P < 0.01), age (OR 1.02, 95%CI 1.01 - 1.03, P < 0.01), body mass index (OR 1.2, 95%CI 1.15 - 1.20, P < 0.01), systolic blood pressure (OR 1.02, 95%CI 1.01 - 1.03, P < 0.01), and serum triglyceride (OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.00 - 1.20, P < 0.01) were risk factors of LVH. Female, age, body mass index, systolic blood pressure and serum triglyceride were also risk factors of left ventricular geometric abnormality. CONCLUSIONS The echocardiographic LVH is the major complication of patients with hypertension in rural area of China, especially for women. To effectively treat hypertension, weight loss and control of serum triglyceride may help to prevent LVH in hypertensive population.
Proprioception more impaired distally than proximally in subjects with hemispheric dysfunction

Article abstract Holmes noted that with hemispheric injuries proprioceptive disturbances were more marked in the distal than proximal limb segments and proposed that this difference was related to the size of cortical sensory representations. An alternative hypothesis is that sensation from distal segments projects to the contralateral hemisphere and sensation from proximal segments projects to both hemispheres. Selective hemispheric anesthesia was used to test these alternative hypotheses and revealed a decrement in distal but not proximal proprioception with hemispheric anesthesia, thereby supporting the bilateral projection hypothesis.
The structural analysis of chitosan tubes using meshless methods

Chitosan is a natural polymer widely studied and often considered as a suited biomaterial for the construction of nerve guidance channels for peripheral nerve injuries. These tubes can take the shape of hollow tubes that bridge the gap between the distal and proximal nerve stumps, creating optimal conditions towards the regeneration of the peripheral nerve. In this work, several geometric models of chitosan tubes were constructed and numerically simulated using advanced discretization techniques. The results show the structural response of these scaffolds when submitted to flexion.
THORACIC AND PULMONARY INVOLVEMENT BY MULTIPLE MYELOMA. SONOGRAPHIC APPEARANCE AND ULTRASONICALLY‐GUIDED BIOPSY

Pulmonary parenchymal involvement by multiple myeloma (MM) is unusual and, in vivo, may be confused with pneumonia or other parenchymal disease (1). While findings of skeletal lesions in MM by conventional imaging techniques (radiography and radionuclide bone scans) are well discussed in the literature (2), significant extraskeletal spread of the disease is clinically rare and data on the ultrasonographic (US) appearance are fragmentary and very poor (3, 4). We have recently studied 3 patients with MM who developed thoracic extraskeletal tumor masses; 2 patients had peripheral pulmonary lesions and l showed a chest wall mass. We report the US findings and the usefulness of real time ultrasonically-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy (UGFNAB) to obtain a definite cytological diagnosis, findings which have not been previously reported in the English language literature. Pafienf I: a 77-year-old white male with a 4-yr history of stage 2A IgA-h MM (5) treated with chemotherapy developed thoracic pain while he was in clinical remission. Chest X-ray showed a peripheral opacity in the posterior part of the right upper lung. Putienf 2: a 67-yr-old white female who had been diagnosed stage 3A IgA-h MM (5) 2 yr previously and had received chemotherapy. Now she had fever, disease progression and was critically ill. A pulmonary nodule in the left lower lobe, with pleural thickening, was seen on the chest X-ray film. Thoracic computed tomography was unable to sug-
Spinal cord axonal loss in multiple sclerosis: a post‐mortem study

There is increasing interest in the contribution that axonal damage may make to clinical disability in multiple sclerosis (MS). The present study reports a post‐mortem examination of the area occupied by the lateral white matter columns of the spinal cord and nerve fibre density in the corticospinal tracts at C3 and T2 in 23 males and 20 females with MS, who lacked plaques at these levels, and in 31 controls who, although most had had some neurological disease, showed no sign of cervical or spinal cord thoracic disease. The lateral column cross‐sectional area, measured by low power image analysis of the outlined lateral columns, was reduced in MS by 17% at C3 and 21% at T2 in males and by 13% at C3 and 18% at T2 in females. These reductions were significant at both levels in males (P<0.004 at C3 and P<0.009 at T2 ) but only at T2 in females (P<0.03). The nerve fibre density, measured by automatic image analysis of ×200 microscopic fields in the region occupied by the crossed pyramidal tracts, was reduced by 41% at C3 and 42% at T2 in males and by 19% at both C3 and T2 in females. These reductions were likewise significant at both levels in males (P<0.003 and P<0.000 at C3 and T2 , respectively) and T2 only in females (P<0.045). In MS, nerve fibre density was significantly lower at C3 (P<0.004) and T2 (P<0.000) in males than females. No differences were seen in these parameters between males and females in controls. The reductions in total nerve fibre densities were entirely accounted for by reductions in small nerve fibres (cross sectional area less than 5 μm2 ). No significant reductions were seen in large fibre (cross sectional area 5 μm2 or more) densities. It is concluded that substantial axonal loss and spinal cord lateral column white matter atrophy occur at C3 and T2 in MS, and that these changes can be detected in some patients from early in the course of the disease.
Clinical features and outcome of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer who harbor EML4-ALK.

PURPOSE The EML4-ALK fusion oncogene represents a novel molecular target in a small subset of non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLC). To aid in identification and treatment of these patients, we examined the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients who had NSCLC with and without EML4-ALK. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with NSCLC were selected for genetic screening on the basis of two or more of the following characteristics: female sex, Asian ethnicity, never/light smoking history, and adenocarcinoma histology. EML4-ALK was identified by using fluorescent in situ hybridization for ALK rearrangements and was confirmed by immunohistochemistry for ALK expression. EGFR and KRAS mutations were determined by DNA sequencing. RESULTS Of 141 tumors screened, 19 (13%) were EML4-ALK mutant, 31 (22%) were EGFR mutant, and 91 (65%) were wild type (WT/WT) for both ALK and EGFR. Compared with the EGFR mutant and WT/WT cohorts, patients with EML4-ALK mutant tumors were significantly younger (P < .001 and P = .005) and were more likely to be men (P = .036 and P = .039). Patients with EML4-ALK-positive tumors, like patients who harbored EGFR mutations, also were more likely to be never/light smokers compared with patients in the WT/WT cohort (P < .001). Eighteen of the 19 EML4-ALK tumors were adenocarcinomas, predominantly the signet ring cell subtype. Among patients with metastatic disease, EML4-ALK positivity was associated with resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Patients in the EML4-ALK cohort and the WT/WT cohort showed similar response rates to platinum-based combination chemotherapy and no difference in overall survival. CONCLUSION EML4-ALK defines a molecular subset of NSCLC with distinct clinical characteristics. Patients who harbor this mutation do not benefit from EGFR TKIs and should be directed to trials of ALK-targeted agents.
Inverse function, Taylor's expansion and extended Schröder's processes

Based on the Taylor's expansion of an inverse function, we extend the Schröder's process to find and improve high-order fixed-point iteration functions (IFs) for solving a nonlinear equation. We illustrate the extended processes by using them to find better iterative methods to compute the nth root and the logarithm of a strictly positive real number. IFs for inverse trigonometric function evaluations are also considered.
Assembly of Oligomeric Death Domain Complexes during Toll Receptor Signaling*

The Drosophila Toll receptor is activated by the endogenous protein ligand Spätzle in response to microbial stimuli in immunity and spatial cues during embryonic development. Downstream signaling is mediated by the adaptor proteins Tube, the kinase Pelle, and the Drosophila homologue of myeloid differentiation primary response protein (dMyD88). Here we have characterized heterodimeric (dMyD88-Tube) and heterotrimeric (dMyD88-Tube-Pelle) death domain complexes. We show that both the heterodimeric and heterotrimeric complexes form kidney-shaped structures and that Tube is bivalent and has separate high affinity binding sites for dMyD88 and Pelle. Additionally we found no interaction between the isolated death domains of Pelle and dMyD88. These results indicate that the mode of assembly of the heterotrimeric dMyD88-Tube-Pelle complex downstream of the activated Toll receptor is unique. The measured dissociation constants for the interaction between the death domains of dMyD88 and Tube and of Pelle and a preformed dMyD88-Tube complex are used to propose a model of the early postreceptor events in Drosophila Toll receptor signaling.
Testing the Calculation of a Realistic h-index in Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science for F. W. Lancaster

This paper focuses on the practical limitations in the content and software of the databases that are used to calculate the h-index for assessing the publishing productivity and impact of researchers. To celebrate F. W. Lancaster’s biological age of seventy-five, and “scientific age” of forty-five, this paper discusses the related features of Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science (WoS), and demonstrates in the latter how a much more realistic and fair h-index can be computed for F. W. Lancaster than the one produced automatically. Browsing and searching the cited reference index of the 1945–2007 edition of WoS, which in my estimate has over a hundred million “orphan references” that have no counterpart master records to be attached to, and “stray references” that cite papers which do have master records but cannot be identified by the matching algorithm because of errors of omission and commission in the references of the citing works, can bring up hundreds of additional cited references given to works of an accomplished author but are ignored in the automatic process of calculating the h-index. The partially manual process doubled the h-index value for F. W. Lancaster from 13 to 26, which is a much more realistic value for an information scientist and professor of his stature.
Demonstration of Nasopharyngeal and Middle Ear Mucosal Biofilms in an Animal Model of Acute Otitis Media

Objectives: We performed this study to determine the role of nasopharyngeal and middle ear (ME) biofilms in acute otitis media (AOM). Methods: Sixty female 6-month-old chinchillas, free of ME disease, were utilized. Experimental animals were inoculated with influenza A followed by Streptococcus pneumonia 7 days later. Control animals were inoculated with Sorensen's phosphate buffer. Daily otoscopy and tympanometry was performed, and the animals were painlessly sacrificed on days 1, 2, 5, 8, and 14. All mucosae were harvested and prepared for scanning electron microscopy. Results: The ME inflammation, initially detected on day 2 after bacterial inoculation, peaked on day 8. Eight percent of the dually inoculated chinchillas displayed type B tympanograms, and 40% displayed type C. Otoscopic evaluation of tympanic membrane inflammation was rated from 0 to 4 (0 = normal and 4 = severe drainage and/or inflammation) according to an otoscopic grading system. Ten percent of the experimental chinchillas had a grade 2 score, 20% had grade 3, and 6.7% had grade 4. The controls demonstrated no abnormal tympanometric or otoscopic findings. Scanning electron microscopic imaging showed dense biofilms on 83% of the nasopharynges and 67% of the MEs on day 8 in the experimental animals. All animals with ME biofilms had biofilms in the nasopharynx. The controls did not demonstrate biofilm formation. Conclusions: The study parallels the natural pathogenesis of AOM in humans. The demonstration of mucosal biofilms in both the nasopharynx (58%) and the ME (47%) of animals with ME inflammation and/or infection lends further support to the importance of mucosal biofilms in the pathogenesis of AOM.
PATHFINDING IN DYNAMICALLY CHANGING STEALTH GAMES WITH DISTRACTIONS

Stealth games are genre of games that require the player to sneak past guards to reach a goal location. Designing a level for a stealth game is difficult, however, as the stealth paths in a level depend on a complex interplay of the physical space, the movements of enemies, and other factors. One such factor that makes the creation of good levels much more complicated, but also makes the levels much more interesting is distractions. They are player actions that change the movements of the enemies. By having dynamically changing guard movements, the realm of possible solutions increases greatly. The search space is thus also much larger, and hence finding good solutions becomes that much harder. Here, we create our own version of a probabilistic search algorithm to analyze a level and find stealth paths in the presence of distractions. This is done in a way that naturally allows variation in level design and enemy movements, while also allowing for a large variation in types and numbers of distractions that are present in the level for the player to use. We then introduce a series of optimizations that dramatically increase the success rate of the search while greatly decreasing its runtime, and create a compositional form of the search to solve larger, more complicated levels that are similar to real game levels. This design is integrated into the Unity 3D game development framework, which allows the creation and exploration of different levels, and exploration of how all of these factors including the placement and types of distractions affect the potential for stealth movement by players. We also model some levels from existing games to show the applicability of this design.
Stem Cell Therapy Literatures

The definition of stem cell is "an unspecialized cell that gives rise to a specific specialized cell, such as a blood cell". Stem Cell is the original of life. All cells come from stem cells. Serving as a repair system for the living body, the stem cells can divide without limit to replenish other cells as long as the living body is still alive. When a ste m cell divides, each new cell has the potential to either remain a stem cell situ a tion or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, a bone cell, a nerve cell, or a brain cell. Stem cell research is a t y pical and important topic of life science. This material collects some literatures on stem cell therapy . (Smith MH. Stem Cell Therapy Literatures . Stem Cell 2013;4( 1 ): 65 - 118 ) ( ISSN 1545 - 4570 ). http://ww w.sciencepub. net/stem . 5
Immunohistochemical double-hit score is a strong predictor of outcome in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone.

PURPOSE Approximately 5% of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs) are double-hit lymphomas (DHLs) with translocations of both MYC and BCL2. DHLs are characterized by poor outcome. We tested whether DLBCLs with high expression of MYC protein and BCL2 protein share the clinical features and poor prognosis of DHLs. PATIENTS AND METHODS Paraffin-embedded lymphoma samples from 193 patients with de novo DLBCL who were uniformly treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) were studied using immunohistochemistry for MYC, BCL2, CD10, BCL6, and MUM1/interferon regulatory factor 4, and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) for MYC and BCL2. RESULTS FISH analysis identified DHL in 6% of patients, who showed the expected poor overall survival (OS; P = .002). On the basis of immunohistochemical MYC and BCL2 expression, a double-hit score (DHS) was assigned to all patients with DLBCL. The DHS-2 group, defined by high expression of both MYC and BCL2 protein, comprised 29% of the patients. DHS 2 was significantly associated with lower complete response rate (P = .004), shorter OS (P < .001), and shorter progression-free survival (PFS; P < .001). The highly significant correlation with OS and PFS was maintained in multivariate models that controlled for the International Prognostic Index and the cell-of-origin subtype (OS, P < .001; PFS, P < .001). DHS was validated in an independent cohort of 116 patients who were treated with R-CHOP. CONCLUSION The immunohistochemical DHS defined a large subset of DLBCLs with double-hit biology and was strongly associated with poor outcome in patients treated with R-CHOP.
Prostate Cancer Screening in African American Men: Barriers and Methods for Improvement

African American men have the highest rate of incidence for prostate cancer in the world and are more likely to die from the disease than other ethnic groups (National Institutes of Health, 1996). Routine screening for prostate cancer can lead to early detection of the disease, thereby reducing negative outcomes, but studies have shown that African American men are less likely than Caucasian men to engage in screening practices. Lack of access to health care, socioeconomic status, inadequate knowledge, fear, patient-provider communication, distrust of the medical profession, and aversion to digital rectal exam have been identified as possible barriers to prostate cancer screening in African American men. This literature review explores causes of this striking disparity between prostate cancer incidence and mortality in African American men and cites strategies used to improve prostate cancer screening rates among this population.
Calorimetric study of smectic polymorphism in octyloxyphenyl-nitrobenzoyloxy benzoate + decyloxyphenyl-nitrobenzoyloxy benzoate mixtures.

Binary mixtures of octyloxyphenyl-nitrobenzoyloxy benzoate (${\mathrm{DB}}_{8}$${\mathrm{ONO}}_{2}$) and decycloxyphenyl-nitrobenzoyloxy benzoate (${\mathrm{DB}}_{10}$${\mathrm{ONO}}_{2}$) exhibit a rich variety of smectic polymorphism. An ac calorimetric study has been carried out on six mixtures with mole percent X of the decyl homolog between 51 and 57, a range that includes the Sm-${A}_{d}$\char21{}${N}_{r}$\char21{}Sm-${A}_{1}$ point at X\ensuremath{\simeq}56. The sample with X=57 exhibits a first-order direct Sm-${A}_{d}$\char21{}Sm-${A}_{1}$ transition, while the sample with X=51.3 exhibits two transitions\char22{}a second-order Sm-${A}_{d}$\char21{}${N}_{r}$ transition with a very small excess heat-capacity peak and a tricritical ${N}_{r}$\char21{}Sm-${A}_{1}$ transition with a large heat-capacity peak. For samples with intermediate compositions, only weakly first-order ${N}_{r}$\char21{}Sm-${A}_{1}$ heat-capacity peaks are observed in the vicinity of the Sm-${A}_{d}$\char21{}${N}_{r}$\char21{}Sm-${A}_{1}$ point. All six investigated samples exhibit the Sm-${A}_{1}$\char21{}Sm-C\ifmmode \tilde{}\else \~{}\fi{}\char21{}Sm-${C}_{2}$ phase sequence at lower temperatures. The Sm-${A}_{1}$\char21{}Sm-C\ifmmode \tilde{}\else \~{}\fi{} transition is a weakly first-order phase transition with pretransitional excess heat capacity below the transition temperature. In contrast, the Sm-C\ifmmode \tilde{}\else \~{}\fi{}\char21{}Sm-${C}_{2}$ transition is a weakly first-order inverted Landau transition with no pretransitional behavior in the Sm-${C}_{2}$ phase below the transition but a large mean-field excess heat capacity observed in the Sm-C\ifmmode \tilde{}\else \~{}\fi{} phase above the transition.