Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in transfusion practice in multiple injury between 1993 and 2006: a retrospective analysis on 5389 patients from the German Trauma Registry

To evaluate transfusion practices in multiple injured patients and to demonstrate changes in the pattern of packed red blood cell (pRBC) transfusions over the last one‐and‐half decade (1993–2006). A retrospective analysis using the German Trauma Registry database (DGU‐Traumaregister) including 29 353 multiple injured patients was conducted. The study population included primary admissions presenting to the emergency room (ER) with clinical and laboratory signs of active haemorrhage [haemoglobin < 9 g × dL−1, platelets < 90000 ×μL−1 and prothrombin time (Quick‐value) < 60%]. The pattern of pRBC transfusions was followed from ER to intensive care unit (ICU) admission. A total of 5389 patients with complete data sets were divided into the following three groups according to the year of treatment and analysed: (a) group 1: 1993–1998 (n = 870), (b) group 2: 1999–2002 (n = 2044) and (c) group 3: 2003–2006 (n = 2475). Patients had a mean age of 40.5 (±20) years and were predominantly male (67.2%). All patients were substantially injured (mean injury severity score = 32 ± 15.5) and in 93% the mechanism of injury was blunt. The percentage of patients who received pRBC transfusions between ER and ICU dropped from 72% in 1993–1998 to 54% in 2003–2006 (P < 0.005). Similarly, the percentage of patients receiving mass transfusions (> 10 pRBC units) dropped from 51.3 to 17.1%. This decline was accompanied by lower incidence rates for septic complications, ventilator days, ICU length‐of‐stay and mortality. pRBC transfusion practices in acute trauma care have changed substantially over the last one‐and‐half decade and were associated with better outcome.
Three-Dimensional Virtual Surgery Based on CT Images

Virtual surgery is very important for doctors to ensure the success before real surgery. By combining VTK and ITK with MFC, three-dimensional reconstruction of sequence of medical images and virtual cutting system are achieved, and a three-dimensional virtual surgery system is developed. The system offers the function such as 3-D surface rendering, 3-D volume rendering, medical volume data segmentation, virtual surgical cutting, 3-D measurement, virtual surgical planning and so on. The system can help surgeons to observe 3-D models of human organs, parenchyma and the focus of a disease and carry out computer aided surgical. Key words-VTK; 3-D reconstruction; medical volume data segmentation; virtual cutting; virtual surgery
Examining sex differentials in the uptake and process of HIV testing in three high prevalence districts of India

Abstract Sex differentials in the uptake of HIV testing have been reported in a range of settings, however, men's and women's testing patterns are not consistent across these settings, suggesting the need to set sex differentials against gender norms in patient testing behaviour and provider practices. A community-based, cross-sectional survey among 347 people living with HIV in three HIV high prevalence districts of India examined reasons for undergoing an HIV test, location of testing and conditions under which individuals were tested. HIV testing was almost always provider-initiated for men. Men were more likely to be advised to test by a private practitioner and to test in the private sector. Women were more likely to be advised to test by a family member, and to test in the public sector. Men were more likely to receive pre-test information than women, when tested in the private sector. Men were also more likely to receive direct disclosure of their HIV positive status by a health provider, regardless of the sector in which they tested. More women than men were repeatedly tested for HIV, regardless of sector. These sex differentials in the uptake and process of HIV testing are partially explained through differences in public and private sector testing practices. However, they also reflect women's lack of awareness and agency in HIV care seeking and differential treatment by providers. Examining gender dynamics that underpin sex differentials in HIV testing patterns and practices is essential for a realistic assessment of the challenges and implications of scaling-up HIV testing and mainstreaming gender in HIV/AIDS programmes.
Oral sodium clodronate induced osteonecrosis of the jaw in a patient with myeloma

Bisphosphonate therapy has been shown to significantly reduce the incidence of skeletal complications in patients with myeloma. Several recent reports have described osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) associated with bisphosphonates. These reports mainly demonstrate an association between ONJ and potent i.v. bisphosphonates. We report a case of ONJ in a patient with myeloma, who had only been treated with oral sodium clodronate. While the degree of risk for osteonecrosis in patients taking oral bisphosphonates, such as clodronate, remains uncertain it would be prudent to consider carefully the indications for the use of these agents to minimise the risk of ONJ.
Distinct neuropsychological profiles within ADHD: a latent class analysis of cognitive control, reward sensitivity and timing

Background Multiple pathway models of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) suggest that this disorder is the behavioural expression of dysfunction in one of several separable brain systems. One such model focuses on the brain systems underlying cognitive control, timing and reward sensitivity. It predicts separable subgroups among individuals with ADHD, with performance deficits in only one of these domains. We used latent class analysis (LCA) to identify subgroups of individuals with ADHD based on their overall pattern of neuropsychological performance, rather than grouping them based on cut-off criteria. We hypothesized that we would find separable subgroups with deficits in cognitive control, timing and reward sensitivity respectively. Method Ninety-six subjects with ADHD (of any subtype) and 121 typically developing controls performed a battery assessing cognitive control, timing and reward sensitivity. LCA was used to identify subgroups of individuals with ADHD with a distinct neuropsychological profile. A similar analysis was performed for controls. Results Three subgroups represented 87% of subjects with ADHD. Two of our three hypothesized subgroups were identified, with poor cognitive control and timing. Two of the ADHD subgroups had similar profiles to control subgroups, whereas one subgroup had no equivalent in controls. Conclusions Our findings support multiple pathway models of ADHD, as we were able to define separable subgroups with differing cognitive profiles. Furthermore, we found both quantitative and qualitative differences from controls, suggesting that ADHD may represent both categorical and dimensional differences. These results show that by addressing heterogeneity in ADHD, we can identify more homogeneous subsets of individuals to further investigate.
Conception de systemes robustes de faible puissance pour des applications smarts-cards

Le besoin securitaire lie au developpement des cartes a puce intelligentes impose de fortes contraintes quant a la robustesse de fonctionnement de ces dispositifs afin de garantir des performances optimales dans un environnement sans cesse perturbe. Depuis Trois ans, des effets d'annonces, suivies de prudentes introductions commerciales, se sont multiplies pour promouvoir aupres des operateurs telecoms un nouveau concept de carte SIM : une carte, Mega, Very Large ou SuperSIM, offrant des capacites memoires etendues aptes a supporter de nouveaux services de gestion de contenus et, surtout, disposant d'un protocole de communication bien plus rapide que celui specifie par l'ISO7816-3 (9, 6kbits/s en standard). L'augmentation de ce taux de transfert est donc un enjeu important pour ce marche. Une des solutions envisagees serait d'utiliser la performance de la norme USB (Universal Serial Bus) qui est une interface rapide, bidirectionnelle, isochrone et de faible cout, dont les connections sont gerees dynamiquement. En depit de sa simplicite, cette solution a un cout. En effet, l'isochronisme n'est pas assure par le transfert d'une base de temps au travers de la connexion. Ainsi le lecteur et l'element connecte (host et device) doivent generer leurs propre reference. Cependant, celles-ci doivent avoir une precision compatible, aussi bien au niveau des taux de transfert que du nombre d'elements faisant partie de la chaine de communication. L'objectif de cette these est d'une part, la recherche de solutions innovantes et de faible cout permettant la recuperation d'horloge lors de la transmition de donnees entre la carte a puce et son lecteur en se servant du protocole USB, et d'autre part, de demontrer la faisabilite de la solution par l'implementation d'une structure robuste, a faible puissance, pour les applications Smart-Card.
Oxidative Damage to the c‐fos Gene and Reduction of Its Transcription After Focal Cerebral Ischemia

Abstract : We investigated oxidative damage to the c‐fos gene and to its transcription in the brain of Long‐Evans rats using a transient focal cerebral ischemia and reperfusion (FCIR) model. We observed a significant (p < 0.001) increase in the immunoreactivity to 8‐hydroxy‐2′‐guanine (oh8G) and its deoxy form (oh8dG) in the ischemic cortex at 0‐30 min of reperfusion in all 27 animals treated with 15‐90 min of ischemia. Treatment with a neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) inhibitor, 3‐bromo‐7‐nitroindazole (60 mg/kg, i.p.), abolished the majority but not all of the oh8G/oh8dG immunoreactivity. Treatment with RNase A reduced the oh8G immunoreactivity, suggesting that RNA may be targeted. This observation was further supported by decreased levels of mRNA transcripts of the c‐fos and actin genes in the ischemic core within 30 min of reperfusion using in situ hybridization. The reduction in mRNA transcription occurred at a time when nuclear gene damage, detected as sensitive sites to Escherichia coli Fpg protein in the transcribed strand of the c‐fos gene, was increased 13‐fold (p < 0.01). Our results suggest that inhibiting nNOS partially attenuates FCIR‐induced oxidative damage and that nNOS or other mechanisms induce nuclear gene damage that interferes with gene transcription in the brain.
Polymer principles and protein folding

This paper surveys the emerging role of statistical mechanics and polymer theory in protein folding. In the polymer perspective, the folding code is more a solvation code than a code of local ØΨ propensities. The polymer perspective resolves two classic puzzles: (1) the Blind Watchmaker' Paradox that biological proteins could not have originated from random sequences, and (2) Levinthal' Paradox that the folded state of a protein cannot be found by random search. Both paradoxes are traditionally framed in terms of random unguided searches through vast spaces, and vastness is equated with impossibility. But both processes are partly guided. The searches are more akin to balls rolling down funnels than balls rolling aimlessly on flat surfaces. In both cases, the vastness of the search is largely irrelevant to the search time and success. These ideas are captured by energy and fitness landscapes. Energy landscapes give a language for bridging between microscopics and macroscopics, for relating folding kinetics to equilibrium fluctuations, and for developing new and faster computational search strategies.
Characterization and functional analysis of PorB, a Chlamydia porin and neutralizing target

A predicted protein (CT713) with weak sequence similarity to the major outer membrane protein (20.4% identity) in Chlamydia trachomatis was identified by Chlamydia genome analysis. We show that this protein is expressed, surface accessible, localized to the chlamydial outer membrane complex and functions as a porin. This protein, PorB, was highly conserved among different serovars, with nearly identical sequences between serovars D, B, C and L2. Sequence comparison between C. trachomatis and Chlamydia pneumoniae showed less conservation between species with 59.3% identity. Immunofluorescence staining with monospecific antisera to purified PorB revealed antigen localized within chlamydial inclusions and found throughout the developmental cycle. Antibodies to PorB neutralized infectivity of C. trachomatis in an in vitro neutralization assay confirming that PorB is surface exposed. As PorB was found to be in the outer membrane, as well as having weak structural characteristics similar to major outer membrane protein (MOMP) and other porins, a liposome‐swelling assay was used to determine whether this protein had pore‐forming capabilities. PorB had pore‐forming activity and was shown to be different from MOMP porin activity.
Power and Time Efficient IP Lookup Table Design Using Partitioned TCAMs

This paper proposes a power and time efficient scheme for designing IP lookup tables. The proposed scheme uses partitioned Ternary Content Addressable Memories (TCAMs) that store IP lookup tables. The proposed scheme enables O(1) time penalty for updating an IP lookup table. The partitioned TCAMs allow an update done by a simple insertion without the need for routing table sorting. The organization of the routing table of the proposed scheme is based on a partition with respect to the output port for routing with a smaller priority encoder. The proposed scheme still preserves a similar storage requirement and clock rate to those of existing designs. Furthermore, this scheme reduces power consumption due to using a partitioned routing table.
Influence of Some Environmental Factors on the Essential Oil Variability of Thymus migricus

Essential oils of the air-dried aerial parts of five populations of Thymus migricus Klokov & Desj. -Shost. collected from northwest Iran were obtained by hydrodistillation with yield of 1.1 – 3.3% (w/w). The essential oils were analyzed by a combination of GC-FID and GC-MS techniques, to check for chemical variability. According to populations, twenty-nine components, representing 97.3 – 99.3% of the total components, were identified. Oxygenated monoterpenes were the main group of constituents in all samples (65.2 – 78.5%). Thymol (46.6 – 72.5%), γ-terpinene (6.2 – 16.7%), p-cymene (4.0 – 6.5%), n-hexadecanol (0.4 – 6.5%), geraniol (0.5 – 4.7%), limonene (0.0 – 3.5%) and carvacrol (0.5 – 3.4%) represented the major compounds. Two chemotypes were identified: thymol and thymol/linalool. In addition, canonical correlation analysis between some essential oil characters and some environmental factors revealed a significant relationship between oil components and environmental factors. The influence of environmental factors over p-cymene, γ-terpinene, linalool and thymol was evident. Essential oil yield was fairly strongly related to the concentrations of Ca2+ and K+, percentage of organic matter, altitude, temperature, and soil texture.
A network in a society composed of individuals characterized by the ultimatum bargaining games

In some published papers of the network formation, it is assumed that each player pays the same amount of cost for forming or maintaining a link, or a player who offers to form new link pays all of the link cost. In this paper, however, we construct two types of network formation models with general allocation procedures of the link cost, and examine stability of the network. In the first model, a pair of players share the cost unequally with a fixed fraction, and in the second model, the players divide the link cost in accordance with the procedure of the ultimatum bargaining games.
The collagenase gene promoter contains a TPA and oncogene‐responsive unit encompassing the PEA3 and AP‐1 binding sites.

PEA3 is a transcription factor which binds to the polyoma virus enhancer and whose activity is regulated by the expression of a number of oncogenes. We show here that PEA3 also binds specifically to the collagenase and fos cellular promoters. On the collagenase promoter, PEA3 acts synergistically with AP‐1 to achieve maximum levels of transcription activation by 12‐O‐tetradecanoylphorbol‐13‐acetate (TPA), and non‐nuclear oncoproteins, thereby defining a TPA‐ and oncogene‐responsive unit (TORU). From a comparative study of the collagenase TORU and the analogous polyoma virus TORU, we conclude that both the binding affinity of the PEA3 motif and the spacing between PEA3 and AP‐1 modulate transcription activation induced by oncogene expression.
Diabetes and nephropathy

Purpose of reviewDiabetic nephropathy is the single most common disorder leading to renal failure. Its annual incidence has more than doubled in the past decade to reach 44% of all end-stage renal disease, despite recent therapeutic advances. Thus, research into diabetic nephropathy pathophysiology that could lead to new treatment approaches is urgently needed and this review aims to summarize the work performed in this area in the past year. Recent findingsThere have been advances in the understanding of diabetic nephropathy pathology. Clearly, structural changes may be advanced before any clinical findings are apparent. Not all functional consequences of the condition are explained by current structural analyses. Genetic studies have connected the disorder risk to multiple candidate genes and a few genetic loci, but the exact genetic predisposition or protectors are not fully described. Perturbations in multiple metabolic pathways are associated with diabetic nephropathy in animals and humans, but their relative importance requires further work. Glycemia and blood pressure control are crucial for diabetic nephropathy prevention and treatment, but new modalities are needed. SummaryRecent advances in molecular biology and genetics will bring new insights to the mechanisms involved in diabetic nephropathy development. This will allow early identification of patients at risk of, or safe from, diabetic nephropathy and will hopefully lead to preventive strategies, based on the understanding of the pathophysiology of the disorder. Meanwhile, aggressive implementation of proven therapies to prevent (glycemic control) and slow (antihypertensive therapy, especially with renin-angiotensin system blockers) the progression of diabetic nephropathy are strongly recommended.
Calidad de servicio (QoS) basándonos en redes de nueva generación

La tendencia actual en cuanto a los equipamientos del entorno de usuario domestico esta entrelazando toda una mezcla de tecnologias de sistemas heterogeneos y redes de acceso sobre la movilidad de usuario, donde pueden entregarse en una arquitectura de interconexion, que admite una amplia variedad de servicios, hayan variado la calidad de servicio (QoS) (baja latencia, alta tasa de bits, bajo error, interactividad, y asi sucesivamente). En este tipo de escenarios, utilizacion de herramientas de Inteligencia Analitica (TIA), que contribuya a la composicion de la red se utilizara en mayor o menor medida para los servicios ubicuos sobre todo en redes(NGN) esta tecnica podra desempenar un papel clave para los proveedores de servicios. En este trabajo se plantea un escenario particular, utilizando TIA como punto de partida convirtiendose en una herramienta eficaz para implementacion a posteriori en la Inteligencia Artificial (IA)
Introduction and overview: recent advances in the immunotherapy of inflammatory bowel disease.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) comprise a series of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) resulting from chronic upregulation of the mucosal immune system. Although the pathogenesis of IBD remains elusive, it appears that there is chronic activation of the immune and inflammatory cascade in genetically susceptible individuals. Current disease management guidelines have therefore focused on the use of antiinflammatory agents, aminosalicylates and corticosteroids. However, some patients are still refractory to these therapies. Recent advances in the understanding of the pathophysiological conditions of IBD have provided new immune system modulators as therapeutic tools. Cytapheresis has demonstrated effectiveness against UC and has practical use in Japan. Immunosuppressive agents including cyclosporin A and tacrolimus (FK506) have expanded the choice of medical therapies available for certain subgroups of patients. Furthermore, biological therapies have begun to assume a prominent role. Studies with chimeric monoclonal anti-TNF-alpha antibody treatment of CD have been reported with dramatic success. Another antiinflammatory cytokine therapy includes anti-IL-6 receptor, anti-IL-12, or toxin-conjugated anti-IL-7 receptor. Given the diversity of proinflammatory products under its control, NF-kappa B may be viewed as a master switch in lymphocytes and macrophages, regulating inflammation and immunity. In the murine 2,4,6-trinitrobenzen sulfonic acid (TNBS) colitis model, an antisense oligonucleotide to NF-kappa B p65 ameliorated inflammation even after induction of colitis. Recently, a clinical pilot trial of this agent demonstrated promising results. Accumulating evidence suggests that luminal bacterial flora is a requisite and central factor in the development of IBD. Probiotic therapies such as a nonpathogenic Escherichia coli strain have been well tolerated, but larger clinical trials are needed. In addition, novel therapeutic strategies targeting adhesion molecules and costimulatory molecules, or enhancing tissue repair, are under investigation. Although some still need more confirmatory studies, these immune therapies will provide new insights into cell-based and gene-based treatment against IBD in the near future.
Teoria do prospecto e as diferenças de comportamento perante o risco entre gênero, escolaridade e idade

Este estudo investiga se existem diferencas de comportamento perante o risco entre homens e mulheres, entre niveis de escolaridade diferentes e entre idade. Para esse proposito, faz uso da teoria do prospecto de Kahneman e Tversky (1979) e Tversky e Kahneman (1992), a qual e parte da area de economia comportamental, para estimar os parâmetros da funcao utilidade e da funcao ponderacao das probabilidades que denotam como individuos atribuem valor (ou utilidade) a resultados concretos e como interpretam probabilidades. Com o intuito de obter os equivalentes de certeza necessarios a estimacao, foi realizado um experimento junto aos alunos e professores da graduacao e pos-graduacao da PUC-RS. Esse experimento consistiu na aplicacao de um questionario dinâmico no qual os participantes deveriam indicar sua preferencia entre uma aposta e um ganho certo. Esse processo foi repetido seis vezes para cada aposta, tornando possivel cercar os equivalentes de certeza referentes as apostas, sem a necessidade de perguntar diretamente seu valor aos participantes. O questionario foi desenvolvido num programa de planilha de calculo, e consistiu em 42 questoes, sendo 6 apostas cruzadas com 7 probabilidades diferentes (alem disso, 3 questoes foram repetidas para averiguar consistencia). A metodologia usada no experimento e em parte nova e em parte extraida de Gonzalez e Wu (1999). Os resultados nao sao definitivos, mas apontam na direcao de existencia de relevantes diferencas de comportamento perante o risco entre os grupos pesquisados. Nesse sentido, algumas hipoteses podem ser consideradas como explicativas dos resultados: as mulheres seriam mais avessas ao risco que os homens porque ponderariam as probabilidades de forma menos linear; uma maior escolaridade indicaria um melhor entendimento das probabilidades, o que levaria a uma diminuicao da busca pelo risco; e, por ultimo, uma idade mais alta provocaria um aumento da aversao ao risco porque diminuiria a atratividade nos valores monetarios envolvidos.