Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Knowledge of Safety Rules during Isotretinoin Acne Treatment – Survey in Women in Childbearing Age from Polish Population

Background: Oral isotretinoin is very effective in severe acne treatment. Due to a large number of its adverse effects and necessity of the long-term use, patients have difficulties in complying with the therapy. In order to provide successful and safe healing, patients must be aware of recommended precautions. Methods: The study included 412 women (age 15-45 years). It was based on the anonymous, on-line questionnaire, designed in Polish and it contained 30 multiple-choice questions. The data was collected through social-networking service, web logs, isotretinoin Internet forum and from out-patient clinic. Results: On average, 78.6% of isotretinoin cured patients believe to be clearly informed by their physician about possible side-effects during the therapy. 65.3% attended medical appointment once a month and had blood tested regularly. 94.2% were aware of the risk of serious fetal malformation. Before isotretinoin administration 39.3% were told to exclude pregnancy by test at home and 28.2% were referred for gynecological consultation. 48% did not have pregnancy excluded. 34.3% of sexually active females used two methods of contraception, 56.7% used one method, but 9% did not use any. Conclusions: The results of our study indicate that the majority of females gained some information about sideeffects, basic safety rules and teratogenicity of isotretinoin. Nevertheless, women do not fully understand the risks of the treatment and underestimate necessary precautions, mainly those regarding pregnancy exclusion and effective contraception. Physician counseling is crucial to achieve appropriate patients’ compliance during the isotretinoin treatment.
Dependence of radar backscatter on coniferous forest biomass

Two independent experimental efforts have examined the dependence of radar backscatter on above-ground biomass of monospecie conifer forests using polarimetric airborne SAR data at P-, L- and C-bands. Plantations of maritime pines near Landes, France, range in age from 8 to 46 years with above-ground biomass between 5 and 105 tons/ha. Loblolly pine stands established on abandoned agricultural fields near Duke, NC, range in age from 4 to 90 years and extend the range of above-ground biomass to 560 tons/ha for the older stands. These two experimental forests are largely complementary with respect to biomass. Radar backscatter is found to increase approximately linearly with increasing biomass until it saturates at a biomass level that depends on the radar frequency. The biomass saturation level is about 200 tons/ha at P-band and 100 tons/ha at L-band, and the C-band backscattering coefficient shows much less sensitivity to total above-ground biomass. >
Thermal parameters evaluation of a fractional-slot concentrated winding machine for home appliance applications

Efficiency and reliability of electrical machines are considerably affected by their thermal performance, therefore, thermal simulation models have been developed to support the thermal design of electrical machines. However, the adoption of reasonable values to represent the input thermal parameters required in such simulations is as important as the modeling strategy itself. This paper deals with the determination of thermal parameters concerning a Fractional-Slot Concentrated Winding “FSCW” electrical machine properly designed for home appliance applications. Equivalent thermal resistance and capacitance of the winding insulation system composed by winding, impregnation, and coil support are evaluated. In addition, the equivalent thermal conductivity value has been assessed using a novel approach suitable for FSCW machines. A critical analysis of the obtained results has been conducted and it has shown that the equivalent thermal conductivity of the FSCW machine is up to two times higher than the values obtainable for conventional distributed winding machines.
Temperature Effects on Zn(II) Toxicity to Metabolisms of PolyphosphateAccumulating Organisms in Aerobic and Anaerobic Conditions

This study explores the influence of temperature on the tolerance of polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) to Zn(II) in enhanced biological phosphorus removal. The results show anaerobic and aerobic metabolisms of PAOs decreased with increasing Zn(II) concentration varying between 0-2 mg L-1 and temperature indeed affected inhibitive degrees. Furthermore, Zn(II) is more toxic to anaerobic poly-P hydrolysis and glycogen degradation at 10°C than at 20 and 30°C. For anaerobic polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) synthesis, Zn(II) had a highly inhibitive effect at 10°C too. The inhibitions of PAOs aerobically taking up phosphorus, degrading PHA and replenishing glycogen in the presence of Zn(II) were amplified at 10°C. The metabolism of aerobic PHA degradation at 10°C was completely terminated and the aerobic replenishment of glycogen at 10° C was also completely terminated at 0.1 mg L-1 of Zn(II) due to the complete inhibition of aerobic PHA metabolism, which provides the required reducing power for synthesizing glycogen.
Novel type of interstitial cell (Cajal‐like) in human fallopian tube

We describe here ‐ presumably for the first time‐a Cajal‐like type of tubal interstitial cells (t‐ICC), resembling the archetypal enteric ICC. t‐ICC were demonstrated in situ and in vitro on fresh preparations (tissue cryosections and primary cell cultures) using methylene‐blue, crystal‐violet, Janus‐Green B or Mito Tracker‐Green FM Probe vital stainings. Also, t‐ICC were identified in fixed specimens by light microscopy (methylene‐blue, Giemsa, trichrome stainings, Gomori silver‐impregnation) or transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The positive diagnosis of t‐ICC was strengthened by immunohistochemistry (IHC; CD117/c‐kit+ and other 14 antigens) and immunofluorescence (IF; CD117/c‐kit+ and other 7 antigens). The spatial density of t‐ICC (ampullar‐segment cryosections) was 100–150 cells/mm2. Non‐conventional light microscopy (NCLM) of Epon semithin‐sections revealed a network‐like distribution of t‐ICC in lammina propria and smooth muscle meshwork. t‐ICC appeared located beneath of epithelium, in a 10–15μ thick ‘belt’, where 18±2% of cells were t‐ICC. In the whole lamina propria, t‐ICC were about 9%, and in muscularis ∼7%. In toto, t‐ICC represent ∼8% of subepithelial cells, as counted by NCLM. In vitro, t‐ICC were 9.9±0.9% of total cell population.
Cyclic GMP Kinase II (cGKII) Inhibits NHE3 by Altering Its Trafficking and Phosphorylating NHE3 at Three Required Sites

Background: cGKII acutely inhibits brush-border NHE3, but the mechanism is unknown. Results: cGMP/cGKII phosphorylates NHE3 at three sites. All are necessary for NHE3 inhibition. One of these is also phosphorylated by SGK1 to stimulate NHE3. Conclusion: cGKII inhibits NHE3 by phosphorylating and reducing NHE3 surface amount. Significance: Phosphorylation of the same site in a protein can alter function differently based on phosphorylation of additional sites. The epithelial brush-border Na+/H+ exchanger NHE3 is acutely inhibited by cGKII/cGMP, but how cGKII inhibits NHE3 is unknown. This study tested the hypothesis that cGMP inhibits NHE3 by phosphorylating it and altering its membrane trafficking. Studies were carried out in PS120/NHERF2 and in Caco-2/Bbe cells overexpressing HA-NHE3 and cGKII, and in mouse ileum. NHE3 activity was measured with 2′,7′-bis(carboxyethyl)-S-(and 6)carboxyfluorescein acetoxy methylester/fluorometry. Surface NHE3 was determined by cell surface biotinylation. Identification of NHE3 phosphorylation sites was by iTRAQ/LC-MS/MS with TiO2 enrichment and immunoblotting with specific anti-phospho-NHE3 antibodies. cGMP/cGKII rapidly inhibited NHE3, which was associated with reduced surface NHE3. cGMP/cGKII increased NHE3 phosphorylation at three sites (rabbit Ser554, Ser607, and Ser663, equivalent to mouse Ser552, Ser605, and Ser659), all of which had to be present at the same time for cGMP to inhibit NHE3. NHE3-Ser663 phosphorylation was not necessary for cAMP inhibition of NHE3. Dexamethasone (4 h) stimulated wild type NHE3 activity and increased surface expression but failed to stimulate NHE3 activity or increase surface expression when NHE3 was mutated to either S663A or S663D. We conclude that 1) cGMP inhibition of NHE3 is associated with phosphorylation of NHE3 at Ser554, Ser607, and Ser663, all of which are necessary for cGMP/cGKII to inhibit NHE3. 2) Dexamethasone stimulates NHE3 by phosphorylation of a single site, Ser663. The requirement for three phosphorylation sites in NHE3 for cGKII inhibition, and for phosphorylation of one of these sites for dexamethasone stimulation of NHE3, is a unique example of regulation by phosphorylation.
Pain and pain relief in fibromyalgia patients followed for three years.

OBJECTIVE To examine the natural clinical course of pain in fibromyalgia (FM) and patients' reports of the use of interventions for pain relief. METHODS This prospective 3-year study examined pain, and the treatment thereof, in a cohort of 82 women with FM, of whom 59 (72%) were reassessed on 3 subsequent occasions. Pain was measured by the following parameters: visual analog scale (VASpain), tender point count (TP), and the occurrence of widespread pain (WP). Function was assessed by the Health Assessment Questionnaire and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, and depression and anxiety by the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales. All treatments for FM were recorded, and patients identified the treatment that they believed had helped their symptoms of FM. RESULTS Pain reporting as measured by all parameters decreased significantly for the whole group over the duration of the study. The mean VASpain decreased from 66 to 55, the mean TP count decreased from 13.5 to 10.5, and the number of patients with WP decreased from 100% to 63%. VASpain correlated positively with TP and WP. One third of patients experienced a reduction in pain by at least 30% from baseline as well as a better outcome in overall status of FM. There was a decline in the use of prescribed medications, whereas the use of alternative products increased. Physical treatment modalities were more often perceived to be of benefit than prescribed medications. CONCLUSION We have observed a spontaneous improvement in pain reporting and less medication use in FM patients, suggesting that the course of this condition may be more favorable than has previously been reported.
Human Gesture Recognition using Sparse B-spline Polynomial Representations

The extraction and quantization of local image and video descriptors for th e subsequent creation of visual codebooks is a technique that has proved extremely effective for imag e and video retrieval applications. In this paper we build on this concept and extract a new set of visual des criptors that are derived from spatiotemporal salient points detected on given image sequences and provid e l cal space-time description of the visual activity. The proposed descriptors are based on the geometr ical properties of three-dimensional piecewise polynomials, namely B-splines, that are fitted on the spatiotempor al locations of the salient points that are engulfed within a given spatiotemporal neighborhood. Ou r descriptors are inherently translation invariant, while the use of the scales of the salient points for the definition of the neighborhood dimensions ensures space-time scaling invariance. Subsequently, a clu stering algorithm is used in order to cluster our descriptors across the whole dataset and create a codebo ok of visual verbs, where each verb corresponds to a cluster center. We use the resulting codebook in a ’bag of verbs’ approach in order to recover the pose and short-term motion of subjects at a short set of su ccessive frames, and we use Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) in order to align the sequences in our dataset and stru cture in time the recovered poses. We define a kernel based on the similarity measure provided by th e DTW in order to classify our examples in a Relevance Vector Machine classification scheme. We prese nt ults from two different databases of human actions that verify the effectiveness of our metho d.
The clinical outcome of acute kidney injury in critically ill Thai patients stratified with RIFLE classification.

OBJECTIVE The Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative (ADQI) Group published a consensus definition (the RIFLE criteria) for acute renal failure. We sought to assess the ability of the RIFLE criteria to predict mortality in critically ill Thai patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). MATERIAL AND METHOD We performed a retrospective cohort study, in Siriraj Hospital (a large single tertiary care academic center in Thailand) on 121 patients admitted during November 2005-November 2006. We classified patients according to the maximum RIFLE class (class R, class I or class F) reached during their hospital stay. Demographic data, hospital mortality, hospital length of stay, and need of renal replacement therapy was collected. RESULTS Patients with maximum RIFLE class R, class I and class F had hospital mortality rates of 35.7%, 35.7% and 65.9%, respectively, compared with 20% for patients without acute kidney injury. Overall hospital mortality of the patients in AKI group (Risk, Injury, Failure group) was increased when compared with no AKI group (Odds ratio = 4.2; 95% Confidence Interval, 1.6-10.6; p =0.003). Mortality was not significantly different among those with the "Risk" and "Injury" class of RIFLE AKI compared with those without AKI, but mortality increased significantly with the "Failure" class (Odds ratio = 7.7; 95% Confidence Interval, 2.7-21.8; p < 0.001). There was the highest rate of renal replacement therapy in the failure group (52.3%) compared with no AKI group (5.7%), and injury group (7.1%) (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION Acute kidney injury 'risk, injury, failure', as defined by the newly developed RIFLE classification, is associated with increased hospital mortality and renal replacement therapy in critically ill Thai patients.
Lytic Infection of Lactococcus lactis by Bacteriophages Tuc2009 and c2 Triggers Alternative Transcriptional Host Responses

ABSTRACT Here we present an entire temporal transcriptional profile of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris UC509.9 undergoing lytic infection with two distinct bacteriophages, Tuc2009 and c2. Furthermore, corresponding high-resolution whole-phage genome tiling arrays of both bacteriophages were performed throughout lytic infection. Whole-genome microarrays performed at various time points postinfection demonstrated a rather modest impact on host transcription. The majority of changes in the host transcriptome occur during late infection stages; few changes in host gene transcription occur during the immediate and early infection stages. Alterations in the L. lactis UC509.9 transcriptome during lytic infection appear to be phage specific, with relatively few differentially transcribed genes shared between cells infected with Tuc2009 and those infected with c2. Despite the apparent lack of a coordinated general phage response, three themes common to both infections were noted: alternative transcription of genes involved in catabolic flux and energy production, differential transcription of genes involved in cell wall modification, and differential transcription of genes involved in the conversion of ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides. The transcriptional profiles of both bacteriophages during lytic infection generally correlated with the findings of previous studies and allowed the confirmation of previously predicted promoter sequences. In addition, the host transcriptional response to lysogenization with Tuc2009 was monitored along with tiling array analysis of Tuc2009 in the lysogenic state. Analysis identified 44 host genes with altered transcription during lysogeny, 36 of which displayed levels of transcription significantly reduced from those for uninfected cells.
Clinical implications of and lessons learnt from external assessment of Mers-CoV diagnostics

With the emergence of new viral infections, it is necessary to set up new target-specific assays, based on existing molecular techniques such as real-time PCR, as quickly as possible. Without these diagnostic tools, the geographical spread of new infections, follow-up of the disease outbreak and analysis of the pathogenesis of the disease are not possible. Therefore, the genomic information of the emerging pathogen, diagnostic protocols and standards allowing quality control need to be available in a few days. This can only be implemented with good quality experienced laboratories having suitable infrastructure to establish in-house assays. Even though these molecular tools are available quickly, challenges still remain with what sample types to select for a proper diagnostic value.
Manipulator dynamics using the extended zero reference position description

A simplified description of robotic manipulator is in terms of its zero reference position. It requires the specification of the joint axes directions and the coordinates of points locating the joint axes in the base coordinate system. Manipulator dynamics is developed in an extended zero reference position description. The recursive Newton-Euler formulations for the problems of inverse and direct dynamics are presented.
Investigating the potential of polymer gel dosimetry for interventional radiology . Preliminary results

Complex interventional radiology (IR) procedures contribute an increasing percentage of the overall medical radiation exposure of the population making accurate dosimetry a challenge. Magnetic resonance (MR) based polymer gel dosimetry has been widely employed in complex dosimetric problems in radiotherapy. The aim of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of normoxic gel dosimetry in IR. Dose response, energy dependence and dose rate dependence were investigated in irradiation setups relevant to IR for a particular normoxic gel, based on Methacrylic Acid (MAA) as the monomer and including THPC (Tetrakis-hydroxy-methyl-phosphonium chloride) as antioxidant. The gel presents a linear dose response beyond a 25 cGy threshold. While no significant energy dependence was observed in the useful range of interventional radiology (80-110kVp) at the low dose level, a linear correlation between gel response and dose rate was observed in the range of dose rates relevant to IR (5-8 cGy/min). These results may suggest that oxygen scavenging of free radicals and polymerization inhibition reactions by hydroquinone have a quantitative effect at gel response at very low dose rates.
Association of interleukin‐1 receptor antagonist VNTR polymorphism and risk of pre‐eclampsia in southeast Iranian population

Pre‐eclampsia (PE) is an obstetric disorder that may result in maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity. Growing evidence indicates that cytokines, such as interleukins, are involved in the pathogenesis of this complication. Hence the current study aimed to assess the possible association between interleukin‐1 receptor antagonist (IL‐1Ra) VNTR polymorphism, and PE susceptibility in southeast Iranian women.
DUSP 1 Expression Induced by HDAC 1 Inhibition Mediates Ge fi tinib Sensitivity in Non – Small Cell Lung Cancers

Purpose: Non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Patients with NSCLC with EGFR-activating mutation benefit greatly by gefitinib, an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor. However, acquired resistance limits its clinical use. Histone deacetylases (HDAC) are oncoproteins associatedwith cancer progression anddrug resistance.Here, we disclosed that inhibition of HDAC1 induced protein phosphatase DUSP1 upregulation to overcome gefitinib-acquired resistance. Experimental Design: The effect ofHDAC1 inhibition restored gefitinib sensitivity was assessed by in vitro MTT and apoptotic assays, and in vivo xenograft and orthotopic lung cancer mouse models. Protein phosphatase array was used to detect DUSP1 expression. Immunohistochemical staining and quantitative PCR were used to analyze DUSP1 expression in clinical NSCLC specimens. Results: Gefitinib-resistant NSCLC cells showed HDAC1 overexpression, and its knockdown sensitized resistant cells to gefitinib in vitro and in preclinical models through DUSP1 expression. Overexpression of DUSP1 in resistant cells restored gefitinib sensitivity by inhibiting EGFR signaling and inducing apoptosis, whereas its knockdown in sensitive cells conferred gefitinib resistance. AnovelHDAC inhibitor,WJ-26210-2, in combinationwith gefitinib upregulatedDUSP1 expression to exert in vitro and in vivo synergistic effect on inactivation of EGFR signaling, growth inhibition, and apoptosis. Clinically, highDUSP1 level was correlated with delayed emergence of gefitinib-acquired resistance. Conclusions: Decreased DUSP1 might be a mechanism responsible for gefitinib resistance, and DUSP1 might be a biomarker for gefitinib efficacy. HDAC1 inhibition–induced DUSP1 upregulation could be a promising strategy to overcome gefitinibacquired resistance. Clin Cancer Res; 21(2); 428–38. 2015 AACR.
Information Extraction from Web Documents Based on Unranked Tree Automaton Inference

Information extraction (IE) aims at extracting specific information from a collection of documents. A lot of previous work on IE from semi-structured documents (in XML or HTML) uses learning techniques based on strings. Some recent work converts the document to a ranked tree and uses tree automaton induction. This paper introduces an algorithm that uses unranked trees to induce an automaton. Experiments show that this gives the best results obtained so far for IE from semi-structured documents based on learning.
Allergy and Immunology

Background: The diagnosis and management of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) may vary between otolaryn-gologists and allergists. Moreover, the adherence of different practitioners to European Position Paper on Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyps (EPOS)2020 guideline recommendations has not been previously ascertained in Asia-Pacific regions. Objective: Different specialists’ perceptions and managements of CRS in Asia-Pacific regions were assessed in an attempt to gauge these practices against EPOS2020 guidelines. Methods: A transregional, cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess otolaryngologists’ and allergists’ perceptions and managements of CRS with regard to diagnosis, management and adherence to EPOS2020 guidelines. Results: Sixteen physicians in Asia-Pacific regions responded to the questionnaire. A total of 71.4% of otolaryngolo-gists preferred to diagnose CRS with a combination of positive nasal symptoms and nasal endoscopy plus sinus CT, whereas 22.2% of allergists took such criterion to diagnose CRS. Compared to allergists, otolaryngologists more often considered the endotype classification (85.8% versus 55.5%). For the preferred first-line treatment, in addition to intra-nasal corticosteroids recommended by all respondents, 66.7% of allergists preferred antihistamines, whereas 71.4% of otolaryngologists preferred nasal saline irrigation. Regarding the proper timing of surgery, 71.4% of otolaryngologists reported 8-12 weeks of treatment after the initiation of medication, while more than half of the allergists recommended 4-6 weeks of medical treatment. Conclusion: This survey shows that variable perceptions and practices for CRS may exist between physicians with different specialties and highlights the need for increased communication and awareness between otolaryngologists and allergists to improve the diagnosis and treatment of CRS.