Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acute rise of circulating vascular endothelial growth factor-A in patients with coronary artery disease following cardiothoracic surgery.

AIMS Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) is an angiogenic and vasoprotective molecule whose expression is modulated by hypoxia and inflammatory mediators. Here we have tested the hypothesis that plasma levels of VEGF-A are influenced by pre-existing coronary artery disease and by changes in circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6). METHODS AND RESULTS Plasma VEGF-A and IL-6 were measured prior to and at various time intervals following surgery in individuals with angiographically normal coronary arteries requiring cardiac valve replacement (N group) and in patients with coronary artery disease and stable angina undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CAD group). Baseline VEGF-A levels were not significantly different in CAD (22.3+/-2.6 pg x ml(-1)) compared to the N group (14.9+/-2.9 pg x ml(-1)). Following cardiac surgery there was a significant rise of VEGF-A in CAD (P<0.0005 vs baseline), but not in the N group, reaching a maximum (approximately 2 fold increase) after 24 h. Surgery caused a rapid increase of plasma IL-6 in both groups, but the rise was significantly larger in CAD patients (P<0.0005 vs N) where it preceded the increase in VEGF-A. Furthermore, in patients with CAD there was a significant correlation between the change in VEGF-A and the change in IL-6 (P<0.04). CONCLUSION These findings demonstrate that in patients with coronary artery disease cardiothoracic surgery leads to an acute rise in VEGF-A. We suggest that this rise may result from an interaction between the pre-existing atheromatous process and a systemic increase of inflammatory mediators.
INTRA-ABDOMINAL INFECTIONS , HEPATITIS , AND GASTROENTERITIS ( T STEINER , SECTION EDITOR ) Hepatitis C Virus-Genotype 3 : Update on Current and Emergent Therapeutic Interventions

Purpose of Review Direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) have markedly improved the prognosis of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-genotype 3 (GT3), a highly prevalent infection worldwide. However, in patients with hepatic fibrosis, cirrhosis, or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), GT3 infection presents a treatment challenge compared with other genotypes. The dependence of the HCV life cycle on host lipid metabolism suggests the possible utility of targeting host cellular factors for combination anti-HCV therapy. We discuss current and emergent DAA regimens for HCV-GT3 treatment. We then summarize recent research findings on the reliance of HCV entry, replication, and virion assembly on host lipid metabolism. Recent Findings Current HCV treatment guidelines recommend the use of daclatasvir plus sofosbuvir (DCV/SOF) or sofosbuvir plus velpatasvir (SOF/VEL) for the management of GT3 based upon clinical efficacy [≥88% overall sustained virological response (SVR)] and tolerability. Potential future DAA options, such as SOF/VEL co-formulated with GS9857, also look promising in treating cirrhotic GT3 patients. However, HCV resistance to DAAs will likely continue to impact the therapeutic efficacy of interferon-free treatment regimens. Disruption of HCVentry by targeting required host cellular receptors shows potential in minimizing HCV resistance and broadening therapeutic options for certain subpopulations of GT3 patients. The use of cholesterol biosynthesis and transport inhibitors may also improve health outcomes for GT3 patients when used synergistically with DAAs. Summary Due to the morbidity and mortality associated with HCV-GT3 infection compared to other genotypes, efforts should be made to address current limitations in the therapeutic prevention and management of HCV-GT3 infection.
Multidirectional Pointing Input Using a Hardware Keyboard

Herein, we propose a novel method to create multidirectional and multilevel pointing input using only a hardware keyboard. The relative position vectors among pressed keys are calculated into an input vector. The pointing performance of this method is evaluated based on the ISO 9241‐9 recommendations. We find that the performance of the method is sufficient to create moderate pointing input, as the measurement of the throughput is close to that of a touchpad, as measured in past studies also using the ISO 9241‐9 recommendations.
INSTITUTIONAL THEORY AND INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE: INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL RESEARCH FORUM

Institutional theory has risen to prominence as a popular and powerful explanation for both individual and organizational action. It is a vibrant theory that has heen synthesized and contrasted with a number of other approaches. Although its scope has certainly heen expanded, institutional theory has often been criticized as largely being used to explain hoth the persistence and the homogeneity of phenomena. We helieve that this focus did little to tap the full power or potential of institutional theory. We find, for example, that institutions change over time, are not ttniformly taken-forgranted, have effects that are particularistic, and are challenged as well as hotly contested. Thus, we acknowledge that although institutions serve both to powerfully drive change and to shape the nature of change across levels and contexts, they also themselves change in character and potency over time. It was in this spirit that we put forth a call for papers on the study of institutional theory and institutional change. We also believed that the topic of institutional change has emerged as a central focus for organizational researchers. Therefore, we sought to provide new understandings of the manner in which institutions are created, transformed, and extinguished and the way in which institutional processes interact to affect institutional change. We received over 75 manuscripts for review. In-
Sensor selection for nonlinear systems in large sensor networks

In this paper, we consider multistage look-ahead sensor selection problems for nonlinear dynamic systems such as radar target tracking systems. We investigate the problem for large sensor networks for both independent and dependent Gaussian measurement noises in the presence of temporally separable as well as inseparable constraints, e.g., energy constraints. First, when the measurement noises are uncorrelated between sensors, we derive the optimal solution for sensor selection when the constraints are temporally separable. When constraints are temporally inseparable, we can obtain near-optimal solutions by relaxing the nonconvex problem formulation to a linear programming problem so that the sensor selection problem for a large sensor network can be solved in a computationally efficient manner. For illustration, a radar target tracking problem is considered where it is shown that the new method presented for nonlinear dynamic systems performs better than the method based on linearizing the nonlinear equations and using previous sensor selection methods for large sensor networks. Finally, when the measurement noises are correlated between the sensors, the sensor selection problem with temporally inseparable constraints can be relaxed to a Boolean quadratic programming problem,,which can be efficiently solved by a Gaussian randomization procedure along with solving a semidefinite programming problem. Numerical examples show that the proposed method that includes consideration of dependence performs much better than the method that ignores dependence of noises.
Use of Short Echo Time Two-Dimensional 1H-Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy with Negative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings

We evaluated short echo time two-dimensional 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (2D-1HMRS) with the point-resolved spatial selection (PRESS) protocol in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients with negative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and described the characteristics of 2D-1HMRS in the epileptic focus. Thirty-eight TLE patients with negative conventional MRI findings and 10 healthy controls were studied by 2D-1HMRS. A 128-channel prolonged video-electroencephalographic (EEG) method was used as the standard for epileptogenic focus localization to evaluate N-acetyl aspartate/(choline + creatine + phospho - creatine) (NAA/[Cho + Cr–PCr]), glutamate + glutamine/creatine (Glx/Cr–PCr) and myo-inositol/Cr–PCr ratios in patients with negative MRI findings. The 2D-1HMRS showed that 32/38 patients and all healthy controls had stable baselines and good signal-to-noise ratios. Compared with the healthy controls, 32 patients showed abnormal NAA/(Cho + Cr–PCr) ratios in the hippocampus and, in 25 of these patients, focus lateralization agreed with the EEG. It is concluded that short echo time 2D-1HMRS with the PRESS protocol can help find abnormalities in lateralization of temporal epilepsy in patients with negative MRI findings.
Causes and consequences of disproportionate care in intensive care medicine

Purpose of reviewIncreased use of advanced life-sustaining measures in patients with poor long-term expectations secondary to more chronic organ dysfunctions, comorbidities and/or a poor quality of life has become a worrying trend over the last decade. This can lead to futile, disproportionate or inappropriate care in the ICU. This review summarizes the causes and consequences of disproportionate care in the ICU. Recent findingsDisproportionate care seems to be common in European and North American ICUs. The initiation and prolongation of disproportionate care can be related to hospital facilities, healthcare providers, the patient and his/her representatives and society. This can have serious consequences for patients, their relatives, physicians, nurses and society. SummaryDisproportionate care is common in western ICUs. It can lead to violation of basic bioethical principles, suffering of patients and relatives and compassion fatigue and moral distress in healthcare providers. Avoiding inappropriate use of ICU resources and disproportionate care in the ICU should have high priority for ICU managers but also for every healthcare provider taking care of patients at the bedside.
Human-computer interactions in speech therapy using a blowing interface

In this paper we present a new human-computer interface for the quantitative measurement of blowing activities. The interface can measure the air flow and air pressure during the blowing activity. The measured values are stored and used to control the state of the graphical objects in the graphical user interface. In speech therapy children will find easier to play attractive therapeutic games than to perform repetitive and tedious, traditional blowing actions. Therefore, we also propose a set of games that can be used together with the blowing device. The paper focuses on the design of the interface, preliminary experiments and results. Additionally, fours blowing games are described.
Hippocampal and cerebellar mossy fibre boutons – same name, different function

Abstract Over a century ago, the Spanish anatomist Ramón y Cajal described ‘mossy fibres’ in the hippocampus and the cerebellum, which contain several presynaptic boutons. Technical improvements in recent decades have allowed direct patch‐clamp recordings from both hippocampal and cerebellar mossy fibre boutons (hMFBs and cMFBs, respectively), making them ideal models to study fundamental properties of synaptic transmission. hMFBs and cMFBs have similar size and shape, but each hMFB contacts one postsynaptic hippocampal CA3 pyramidal neuron, while each cMFB contacts ∼50 cerebellar granule cells. Furthermore, hMFBs and cMFBs differ in terms of their functional specialization. At hMFBs, a large number of release‐ready vesicles and low release probability (<0.1) contribute to marked synaptic facilitation. At cMFBs, a small number of release‐ready vesicles, high release probability (∼0.5) and rapid vesicle reloading result in moderate frequency‐dependent synaptic depression. These presynaptic mechanisms, in combination with faster postsynaptic currents of cerebellar granule cells compared with hippocampal CA3 pyramidal neurons, enable much higher transmission frequencies at cMFB compared with hMFB synapses. Analysing the underling mechanisms of synaptic transmission and information processing represents a fascinating challenge and may reveal insights into the structure–function relationship of the human brain.
Is it useful to repeat sacroiliac joint provocative tests post-block?

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of repeating sacroiliac joint (SIJ) provocative tests post-block. DESIGN Thirty-four patients with suspected unilateral mechanical SIJ pain participated. Eleven had confirmed SIJ origin pain (>79% pain relief with fluoroscopically guided comparative local anesthetic intra-articular blocks), whereas 23 were confirmed not to have SIJ origin pain (<80% pain relief with a single local anesthetic intra-articular block). Six SIJ provocative tests were performed 30 minutes prior to and following the blocks. Sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios were calculated for subjects who had three or more positive pre-block SIJ provocative tests and for subjects in whom the majority of the SIJ provocative tests converted from positive to negative (normalized) post-block. RESULTS The sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios for subjects with three or more positive pre-block SIJ provocative tests were 0.82, 0.57, and 1.9, respectively (P=0.04). For subjects in whom the majority of the SIJ provocative tests normalized, the sensitivity was 0.89, specificity 0.30, and likelihood ratio 1.3 (P=0.3). CONCLUSION Multiple positive pre-block SIJ provocative tests have diagnostic utility however post-block normalization of SIJ provocative tests does not.
Bilateral Lower Extremity Gangrene Requiring Amputation Associated with Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia

Heparin use, both prophylactically and therapeutically, is prevalent among hospitalized patients. Patients on heparin may develop a thrombocytopenia that is self-limited. Fewer patients develop a heparin-induced thrombocytopenia that can cause severe bleeding and thrombosis owing to intravascular platelet aggregation. The authors present a case report of heparininduced thrombocytopenia in a patient who underwent aortic arch and aortic valve replacement that resulted in bilateral above-knee amputations. The patient developed limb ischemia related to heparin-associated thrombosis, but had a delay in antibody seroconversion. Early and accurate diagnosis of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia requires a high clinical suspicion and may be present despite the absence of serum antibodies.
Targeting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling network in acute myelogenous leukemia

Background: The PI3K/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway plays a central role in cell growth, proliferation and survival not only under physiological conditions but also in a variety of tumor cells. Therefore, the PI3K/Akt/mTOR axis may be a critical target for cancer therapy. Objective: This review discusses how PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling network is constitutively active in acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), where it strongly influences proliferation, survival and drug-resistance of leukemic cells, and how effective targeting of this pathway with pharmacological inhibitors, used alone or in combination with existing drugs, may result in suppression of leukemic cell growth, including leukemic stem cells. Methods: We searched the literature for articles dealing with activation of this pathway in AML and highlighting the efficacy of small molecules directed against the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling cascade. Conclusions: The limit of acceptable toxicity for standard chemotherapy has been reached in AML. Therefore, new therapeutic strategies are needed. Targeting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling network with small molecule inhibitors, alone or in combinations with other drugs, may result in less toxic and more efficacious treatment of AML patients. Efforts to exploit selective inhibitors of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway that show effectiveness and safety in the clinical setting are currently underway.
Risk alleles for multiple sclerosis identified by a genomewide study.

BACKGROUND Multiple sclerosis has a clinically significant heritable component. We conducted a genomewide association study to identify alleles associated with the risk of multiple sclerosis. METHODS We used DNA microarray technology to identify common DNA sequence variants in 931 family trios (consisting of an affected child and both parents) and tested them for association. For replication, we genotyped another 609 family trios, 2322 case subjects, and 789 control subjects and used genotyping data from two external control data sets. A joint analysis of data from 12,360 subjects was performed to estimate the overall significance and effect size of associations between alleles and the risk of multiple sclerosis. RESULTS A transmission disequilibrium test of 334,923 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 931 family trios revealed 49 SNPs having an association with multiple sclerosis (P<1x10(-4)); of these SNPs, 38 were selected for the second-stage analysis. A comparison between the 931 case subjects from the family trios and 2431 control subjects identified an additional nonoverlapping 32 SNPs (P<0.001). An additional 40 SNPs with less stringent P values (<0.01) were also selected, for a total of 110 SNPs for the second-stage analysis. Of these SNPs, two within the interleukin-2 receptor alpha gene (IL2RA) were strongly associated with multiple sclerosis (P=2.96x10(-8)), as were a nonsynonymous SNP in the interleukin-7 receptor alpha gene (IL7RA) (P=2.94x10(-7)) and multiple SNPs in the HLA-DRA locus (P=8.94x10(-81)). CONCLUSIONS Alleles of IL2RA and IL7RA and those in the HLA locus are identified as heritable risk factors for multiple sclerosis.
UV-B-induced DNA damage and repair in the mouse lens.

PURPOSE Epidemiologic studies have linked UV-B exposure to development of cortical cataracts, but the underlying molecular mechanism(s) is unresolved. Here, we used a mouse model to examine the nature and distribution of DNA photolesions produced by ocular UV-B irradiation. METHODS Anesthetized mice, eye globes, or isolated lenses were exposed to UV-B. Antibodies specific for 6-4 photoproducts (6-4 PPs) or cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) were used to visualize DNA adducts. RESULTS Illumination of intact globes with UV-B-induced 6-4 PP and CPD formation in cells of the cornea, anterior iris, and central lens epithelium. Photolesions were not detected in retina or lens cells situated in the shadow of the iris. Photolesions in lens epithelial cells were produced with radiant exposures significantly below the minimal erythemal dose. Lens epithelial cells rapidly repaired 6-4 PPs, but CPD levels did not markedly diminish, even over extended postirradiation recovery periods in vitro or in vivo. The repair of 6-4 PPs did not depend on the proliferative activity of the epithelial cells, since the repair rate in the mitotically-active germinative zone (GZ) was indistinguishable from that of quiescent cells in the central epithelium. CONCLUSIONS Even relatively modest exposures to UV-B produced 6-4 PP and CPD photolesions in lens epithelial cells. Cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer lesions were particularly prevalent and were repaired slowly if at all. Studies on sun-exposed skin have established a causal connection between photolesions and so-called UV-signature mutations. If similar mechanisms apply in the lens, it suggests that somatic mutations in lens epithelial cells may contribute to the development of cortical cataracts.
Optical and Acoustic Sensor-Based 3D Ball Motion Estimation for Ball Sport Simulators †

Estimation of the motion of ball-shaped objects is essential for the operation of ball sport simulators. In this paper, we propose an estimation system for 3D ball motion, including speed and angle of projection, by using acoustic vector and infrared (IR) scanning sensors. Our system is comprised of three steps to estimate a ball motion: sound-based ball firing detection, sound source localization, and IR scanning for motion analysis. First, an impulsive sound classification based on the mel-frequency cepstrum and feed-forward neural network is introduced to detect the ball launch sound. An impulsive sound source localization using a 2D microelectromechanical system (MEMS) microphones and delay-and-sum beamforming is presented to estimate the firing position. The time and position of a ball in 3D space is determined from a high-speed infrared scanning method. Our experimental results demonstrate that the estimation of ball motion based on sound allows a wider activity area than similar camera-based methods. Thus, it can be practically applied to various simulations in sports such as soccer and baseball.
Role for para sodium channel gene 3′ UTR in the modification of Drosophila seizure susceptibility

Voltage‐gated sodium channel genes are highly regulated at the level of transcription or translation. In this study, we have utilized the combination of genetic, electrophysiological, and molecular analyses to identify a 7‐kb 3′‐untranslated region (UTR) of the Drosophila para sodium channel gene. Disruption of this segment by P‐element insertion causes reduction of para primary transcript, but not Rbp2 transcripts. The identification of this novel 3′‐UTR is based on a P‐insertion mutation called paraJS1, which was isolated from a P‐element mutagenesis screen for seizure suppressors in a Drosophila model of epilepsy. The paraJS1 mutation was identified 6845 bp downstream of the para gene, which resides in an intergenic region that lies between para and Rbp2 (RNA‐binding protein 2) genes. Interestingly, reverse‐transcription PCR showed that the region containing paraJS1 is substantially transcribed and this transcribed region is associated with para coding region. We discussed possible mechanisms of how reduced transcription of the para gene or alterations in sodium channel subunit composition might be indicated by the paraJS1 mutation and implications for para 3′ UTR function. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol, 2007
Deep Autoassociative Neural Networks for Noise Reduction in Seismic data

Machine learning is currently a trending topic in various science and engineering disciplines, and the field of geophysics is no exception. With the advent of powerful computers, it is now possible to train the machine to learn complex patterns in the data, which may not be easily realized using the traditional methods. Among the various machine learning methods, the artificial neural networks (ANNs) have received enormous attention. A variant of ANNs, autoassociative neural network (autoNN) tries to learn the reconstruction of input itself using backpropagation. In an autoNN, the input and output are the same, and an approximation to the identity mapping is obtained in a nonlinear setting. AutoNNs have primarily been used to extract sparse internal representations of any input and reduce its dimensionality. In this paper, we explore the potential of autoNNs in reducing random noise in geophysical data. In this paper, the first results of this study are presented. The synthetic mathematical example demonstrates the concept of autoNN. For the test seismic data, it is observed that autoNN can significantly remove the vertical time- and frequency-local noise, however, the resolution of the output signal is compromised to a certain extent. Future work includes testing larger examples with several different types of noise, and using deep-stacked-autoNNs to further reduce the noise, ensuring minimal compromise with the resolution of the signal.