Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do small airway abnormalities characterize asthma phenotypes? In search of proof

The role of small airway abnormalities in asthma pathogenesis has been extensively studied and debated for several decades. However, whether or not small airway abnormalities play a relevant role in specific phenotypes of asthmatic patients and contribute to clinical presentation is largely unknown. In the present review, we evaluated available data on the role of small airways in severe asthma, with a further focus on asthma in smokers and asthma in the elderly. These phenotypes are characterized by a poor response to treatment and they can represent a model of greater small airway impairment. In severe asthmatics, small airway involvement has been shown through evidence of both distal inflammation and of increased air trapping. The few available data on asthmatics who smoke, and elderly asthmatics, similarly suggests that small airway abnormalities contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease. In this perspective, there could be a rationale for specifically assessing small airway impairment in these patients and for clinical studies evaluating whether pharmacological approaches targeting the more peripheral airways result in clinical benefits beyond conventional therapy.
Effect of Reveromycin A on Experimental Tooth Movement in OPG−/− Mice

In osteoprotegerin-deficient (OPG−/−) mice, osteoclast activity causes bone resorption to outpace bone formation, leading to the development of severe osteoporosis. Such mice are therefore useful for investigating the alveolar bone of patients with osteoporosis. Reveromycin A (RM-A) was recently identified as the unique agent acting on osteoclast activation. This study aimed to analyze the effect of RM-A on the orthodontic treatment of OPG−/− mice (a model of osteoporosis patients with high levels of bone turnover). We examined alveolar bone remodeling in OPG−/− and wild-type (WT) mice during continuous tooth movement. The orthodontic force was induced by means of a Ni-Ti closed-coil spring to move the maxillary first molar for 14 days. RM-A sodium salt (1 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally twice daily. In OPG−/− mice, the tooth movement distance was longer, alveolar bone resorption was enhanced, the osteoclast count was greater, and serum alkaline phosphatase and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase levels were higher relative to those in WT mice. However, the administration of RM-A in OPG−/− mice reduced these parameters. We conclude that RM-A normalizes bone metabolism and loss of alveolar bone during continuous tooth movement in OPG−/− mice.
Serum cyclosporine level and orange juice in pediatric renal‐transplanted patients

Abstract: Organ transplant survival has been improved with CsA, but the PK of CsA may be affected by many drugs and foods. This study was performed to investigate the impact of orange juice on PK of CsA in children who had received a renal transplant. This cross‐over placebo‐controlled study was performed on 10 pediatric kidney‐transplanted patients. All children received orange juice (Thomson novel) or water. After morning dose of CsA, patients were given 250 mL orange juice or water and investigation of the PK was performed in 12 h. Co‐administration of orange juice with CsA compared with water did not significantly increase the area under the curve from 0–12 h (AUC0–12) of CsA (orange juice 2833 ± 553, water 3053 ± 1532, p > 0.05). Also, there were not significant effects on peak concentration (Cmax) or time to Cmax (tmax). Orange juice can be used with CsA and there was no interaction between the juice and CsA in pediatric renal transplants.
Coronary artery stenting and non-cardiac surgery--a prospective outcome study.

BACKGROUND A 45% complication rate and a mortality of 20% were reported previously in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery after coronary artery stenting. Discontinuation of antiplatelet drugs appeared to be of major influence on outcome. Therefore we undertook a prospective, observational multicentre study with predefined heparin therapy and antiplatelet medication in patients undergoing non-cardiac procedures after coronary artery stenting. METHODS One hundred and three patients from three medical institutions were enrolled prospectively. Patients received coronary artery stents within 1 yr before non-cardiac surgery (urgent, semi-urgent or elective). Antiplatelet drug therapy was not, or only briefly, interrupted. Heparin was administered to all patients. All patients were on an intensive/intermediate care unit after surgery. Main outcome was the combined (cardiac, bleeding, surgical, sepsis) complication rate. RESULTS Of 103 patients, 44.7% (95% CI 34.9-54.8) suffered complications after surgery; 4.9% (95% CI 1.6-11.0) of the patients died. All but two (bleeding only) adverse events were of cardiac nature. The majority of complications occurred early after surgery. The risk of suffering an event was 2.11-fold greater in patients with recent stents (<35 days before surgery) as compared with percutaneous cardiac intervention more than 90 days before surgery. CONCLUSIONS Despite heparin and despite having all patients on intensive/intermediate care units, cardiac events are the major cause for new perioperative morbidity/mortality in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery after coronary artery stenting. The complication rate exceeds the re-occlusion rate of stents in patients without surgery (usually <1% annually). Patients with coronary artery stenting less than 35 days before surgery are at the greatest risk.
FORENSIC Autopsy of People Having Committed Suicide in 2002 and in 2012: Comparison of Epidemiological and Sociological Data

This work compares epidemiological and sociological data on persons having committed suicide in 2002 and in 2012 through a retrospective study of every suicide case having led to an autopsy at the Institute for Forensic Medicine of Lyon in 2002 and in 2012. The study included sociodemographic data, medical data, and toxicological data. A total of 486 cases were included (242 cases in 2002 and 244 cases in 2012). People committing suicide were on average older in 2012 than in 2002 with a larger proportion of over 55. There was also an increase in the proportion of psychiatric antecedents (p < 0.001). Whatever the date of death by suicide, the most affected age range is the 45–54. The results highlight the necessity of bolstering the prevention plans, in particular for people over 45.
How contexts promote and prevent relapse to drug seeking

The contexts where drugs are self‐administered play an important role in regulating persistent drug taking and in relapse to such taking after periods of abstinence. Here, we review the behavioral and brain mechanisms enabling contexts to promote and prevent relapse to drug seeking. We review the key brain structures, their neuropharmacology and their connectivity. We discuss the similarities and differences between the mechanisms for context‐induced reinstatement of drug seeking vs. other forms of relapse to drug seeking in animal models and we highlight the numerous deficits in our understanding. We emphasize that current understanding, although significant, defies explanations in terms of models at the level of brain structures and their connectivity. Rather, we show that there is significant functional compartmentalization and segregation within these structures during reinstatement and extinction of drug seeking that parallels their anatomical segregation into circuits and channels. A key challenge is to recognize this complexity, understand how these circuits and channels are organized, as well as understand how different modes of activity of ensembles of neurons within them promote abstinence or relapse to drug seeking.
Elevated NFk B Activation Is Conserved in Human Myocytes Cultured From Obese Type 2 Diabetic Patients and Attenuated by AMP-Activated Protein Kinase

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Muscle precursor cells were isolated from four age-matched subject groups: 1) nonobese, normal glucose tolerant; 2) obese, normal glucose tolerant; 3) obese, impaired glucose tolerant; and 4) obese, type 2 diabetes (T2D). The level of inflammation (nuclear factor-kB [NF-kB] signaling) and effect of pharmacological AMPK activation was assessed by Western blots, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and radioactive assays (n = 5 for each subject group).
Mode-Coupling SRLS versus Mode-Decoupled Model-Free N-H Bond Dynamics: Mode-Mixing and Renormalization

The common approach to N−H motion in proteins is model-free (MF), where the global (RC) and local (RL) motions are assumed decoupled. We have recently applied to N−H bond dynamics the slowly relaxing local structure (SRLS) model, which accounts rigorously for mode-coupling. The original and extended MF formulas are perturbational expansions of SRLS with respect to the local ordering, (S02)2, when RL ≫ RC. Their functional form, number of terms equal to the number of dynamic modes, is implied by mode-decoupling, and the free diffusion eigenvalue, 1/τ = 6RL, by the absence of strong-potential-induced renormalization. However, for N−H motion, (S02)2 is high and in the extended MF regime ≈ RC. Although the functional form of the original MF formula is largely valid for RC/RL ≤ 0.01 and (S02)2 ≥ 0.8, τe MF represents the significantly reduced potential-dependent renormalized value of τ. Hence, the application of this formula to calculate NMR variables is appropriate in this parameter range, but associating τe .
Age related histomorphochemical changes in ovaries of Punjab white quail

In India, quail was introduced two decades ago and has partially replaced the domestic fowl both in research and open market for human consumption. The quail originally domesticated around 11th century as a pet song bird, is now highly valued [1,2]. Quail reproduces throughout the year on contrary to seasonally breeding birds. It attains the maturity at 28 days and first decline of fertility has been recorded at 12 months and last egg laid or 90% fertility loss at 17-24 months of age [3]. The advantages of quail farming includes minimum floor space, low investment, comparatively sturdy birds, early market age and sexuality, high rate of egg production and less feed requirement [4]. Besides, Quail meat and egg are tastier than chicken and has less fat contents. It has been shown to promote body and brain development in children and nursing mothers [5]. In quail farming, the reproductive and immune status of birds is of prime importance to obtain good production [6].
Unsupervised Morphemes Segmentation

In this work, we describe the algorithm adopted to split the words into smallest possible meaningful units or morphemes. The algorithm is unsupervised and not dependent on any language. The model is developed using English language. However, the linguistic rules specific to English language are not implemented. The algorithm focuses on the identification of smallest units of words based on their frequency of occurrence in a given text corpus. The model works in two stages. In first stage the model learns from a given text corpus and makes a list of possible morphemes. In the second stage the model divides the words into possible meaningful segments. There is no predefined list of morphemes attached or hardcoded in the model.
Comparative studies of three types of coplanar waveguide structures for millimeter-wave applications

Three types of coplanar waveguide (CPW) structures with shielding grooves for suppressing surface wave leakage are characterized by using a full-wave mode-matching analysis. Influence of the geometrical dimensions of the groove on their phase constants, characteristic impedances, and single mode frequency bands are investigated. The results reveal that the inverted microshield CPW is particularly attractive for realizing wide band and low dispersion millimeter wave transmission lines and circuits.
Adjustment, Social Skills, and Self-Esteem in College Students With Symptoms of ADHD

Many studies of ADHD have shown that the problems associated with the disorder continue into adolescence and beyond for 10% to 60% of patients. The present study assesses several aspects of college adjustment, social skills, and self-esteem in a nonreferred sample of college students meeting criteria for a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) diagnosis of ADHD. Twenty-one undergraduate students with symptoms of ADHD are compared to 20 students without significant ADHD symptoms, who match the ADHD students on age, gender, and grade point average. Students with ADHD symptoms show decreased functioning in several areas of college adjustment as well as lower levels of self-reported social skills and self-esteem. The results also suggest that the relation between ADHD and college adjustment is partially mediated by self-reported levels of self-esteem.
Nanoparticles used in medical applications for the lung: hopes for nanomedicine and fears for nanotoxicity

Nanotechnology is a promising tool for the development of innovative treatment strategies allowing to overcome obstacles encountered by classical drug delivery. This has led to the development of nanomedicine. Indeed, nano-delivery systems (NDS) may allow the controlled release of therapeutics, protection of drugs against degradation, targeted drug delivery and facilitated transport across barriers. All these advantages of NDS are particularly interesting for treatments of the lung which is a challenging organ in respect to drug delivery. However, for the development of nanomaterials aimed to transport therapeutics, there is also a need to assess the potential health hazards of these new materials, especially as a variety of nanoparticles have been shown to induce toxicity related to their nanometer size leading to the new field of nanotoxicology. We will address both aspects of NDS, specifically in respect to lung treatments: their potential benefits and the possible adverse health effects of these materials.
Markerless motion capture based on diffusion geometry and silhouettes

Abstract. Markerless human motion capture has a wide variety of applications, but recovering a pose from multiple-view calibrated images remains challenging. In general, the problem of pose estimation is an optimization problem, but cost functions easily trapped in a local minimum based on extrinsic similarities (silhouette, edge, etc.) and pose estimation fail if the body is largely self-occluded. We define an effective cost function that combines extrinsic and intrinsic similarities, that can be translated by projecting a mesh model onto camera views to best match the silhouettes from an extrinsic point of view, and that attempts to preserve the intrinsic geometry of the shape using predefined mesh models based on heat diffusion. The results of experiment show that our proposed method is more robust for sequence motion capture than pure extrinsic similarity or pure intrinsic similarity.
Autonomous Construction of Reliable Multi-agent Systems

Trust mechanism always has two popular architectures: centralized fashion and distributed fashion. However, those two architectures are not well suited for multi-agent system since they cannot achieve the trust management autonomy. To achieve the trust management autonomy, the paper presents an autonomous reliable construction model based on Bayesian method. The presented model adopts the Bayesian method to evaluate the trust value of each agent. Every agent can implement trust management autonomously. The simulation experiment results prove that the autonomous trust construction is effective.
Classification of crucigenoid algae: phylogenetic position of the reinstated genus Lemmermannia, Tetrastrum spp. Crucigenia tetrapedia, and C. lauterbornii (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta)1

The subfamily Crucigenioideae was traditionally classified within the well‐characterized family Scenedesmaceae (Chlorophyceae). Several morpho‐logical revisions and questionable taxonomic changes hampered the correct classification of crucigenoid species resulting in a high number of synonymous genera. We used a molecular approach to determine the phylogenetic position of several Tetrastrum and Crucigenia species. The molecular results were correlated with morphological and ontogenetic characters. Phylogenetic analyses of the SSU rDNA gene resolved the position of Tetrastrum heteracanthum and T. staurogeniaeforme as a new lineage within the Oocystis clade of the Trebouxiophyceae. Crucigenia tetrapedia, T. triangulare, T. punctatum, and T. komarekii were shown to be closely related to Botryococcus (Trebouxiophyceae) and were transferred to Lemmer‐mannia. Crucigenia lauterbornii was not closely related to the other Crucigenia strains, but was recovered within the Chlorella clade of the Trebouxiophyceae.
In vitro antibacterial activity of Pituranthos scoparius from Algeria

Traditional medicine has a key role in health care worldwide; the search for antimicrobial agents from plants has been a growing interest in the last few decades. In the present study, antibacterial properties of Pituranthos scoparius were explored. Aerial and root parts of the plant were extracted with a series of solvent of varying polarity including water, methanol, acetone and chloroform. The antibacterial activity of extracts was assessed by agar disc diffusion method and broth microdilution method against 14 Gram positive and Gram negative pathogenic bacteria. The extracts from the aerial parts have shown a better antibacterial activity than the root extracts. The acetone aerial part extract showed the highest activity (about 22 mm inhibition zone) against Proteus mirabilis , and a MIC of 1.04 mg/mL against Salmonella Typhimurium, followed by the methanolic aerial part extract (about 15mm inhibition zone), with a MIC of 1.56 against Enterococcus faecalis . The values of MIC obtained show that the extracts have weak activities since all MIC values are greater than 1 mg/ml, comparing with the references antibiotics. The findings of the study indicate that Pituranthos scoparius could be a new source of antibacterial natural drugs. In vivo studies remain necessary to ensure the antibacterial efficacy of the plant. Keywords : Pituranthos scoparius, medicinal plants, extracts, disk diffusion method, minimum inhibitory concentration.
Attributable causes of chronic kidney disease in adults: a five-year retrospective study in a tertiary-care hospital in the northeast of the Malaysian Peninsula

ABSTRACT CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an escalating medical and socioeconomic problem worldwide. Information concerning the causes of CKD, which is a prerequisite for reducing the disease burden, is sparse in Malaysia. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the attributable causes of CKD in an adult population at a tertiary referral hospital. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective study at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM). METHODS: This was an analysis based on medical records of adult patients at HUSM. Data regarding demographics, laboratory investigations, attributable causes and CKD stage were gathered. RESULTS: A total of 851 eligible cases were included. The patients' mean age was 61.18 ± 13.37 years. CKD stage V was found in 333 cases (39.1%) whereas stages IV, IIIb, IIIa, and II were seen in 240 (28.2%), 186 (21.9%), 74 (8.7%) and 18 (2.1%), respectively. The percentage of CKD stage V patients receiving renal replacement therapy was 15.6%. The foremost attributable causes of CKD were diabetic nephropathy (DN) (44.9%), hypertension (HPT) (24.2%) and obstructive uropathy (9.2%). The difference in the prevalence of CKD due to DN, HPT and glomerulonephritis between patients ≤ 50 and > 50 years old was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that DN and HPT are the major attributable causes of CKD among patients at a Malaysian tertiary-care hospital. Furthermore, the results draw attention to the possibility that greater emphasis on primary prevention of diabetes and hypertension will have a great impact on reduction of hospital admissions due to CKD in Malaysia.
Extent of high-grade dysplasia in Barrett's esophagus correlates with risk of adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND & AIMS The identification of any high-grade dysplasia (HGD) in Barrett's esophagus has been considered to be an indication for esophagectomy because of the increased risk of cancer. The aim of this study was to determine if a limited extent of HGD has the same potential for cancer as diffuse HGD. METHODS A retrospective cohort study was performed to assess the risk of developing adenocarcinoma in relationship to the extent of HGD found on endoscopic surveillance. The extent of HGD was defined as focal if cytologic and/or architectural changes of HGD were limited to a single focus of 5 or fewer crypts and diffuse if more than 5 crypts were involved in a single biopsy specimen or if HGD involved more than one biopsy fragment. The relative risk of cancer was assessed using a Cox proportional hazard model, and cancer-free survival was determined using survival curves. RESULTS Sixty-seven patients with diffuse HGD and 33 with focal HGD satisfied selection criteria. Cancer-free survival rates at 1 and 3 years were 93% and 86% for focal HGD compared with 62% and 44% for diffuse HGD (P < 0.001). On univariate analysis, extent of HGD (relative risk, 5.36; 95% confidence interval, 1.84-15.56), nodularity on endoscopy (relative risk, 3.98; 95% confidence interval, 1.97-8.04), and lack of acid suppression (relative risk, 2.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.16-5.28) were associated with an increased risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Diffuse HGD had a 3.7-fold increase in the risk of esophageal cancer compared with focal HGD (P = 0.02) on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS Patients with focal HGD are less likely to have cancer during the first year after diagnosis or on subsequent follow-up compared with diffuse HGD.
Clinical, neuroimaging, and pathologic features of progressive nonfluent aphasia

We report the clinical, neuroimaging, and neuropathologic features of progressive nonfluent aphasia (PNFA), a rare neurodegenerative syndrome most notable for its distinct language disturbance. Longitudinal observations of 3 patients revealed progressively telegraphic speech and writing, followed by gradual deterioration of sentence comprehension, and finally, preterminal mutism and dementia. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed cortical atrophy most pronounced in anterior regions of the left hemisphere. Functional neuroimaging demonstrated reduced cerebral activity most prominently in left frontal and temporal regions. At necropsy, microscopic pathology of brain was most consistent with the diagnosis of “dementia lacking distinctive histology” (DLDH). A review of published primary progressive aphasia cases with adequate clinical and hietopathological descriptions reveals that the most common pathology underlying PNFA is DLDH. PNFA is one example of a family of clinical syndromes with similar underlying histopathology that affects different regions of the frontal lobe.
Is there an emotion signature in intonational patterns? and can it be used in synthesis?

Intonation is often considered to play an important role in the vocal communication of emotion. Early studies using pitch manipulation have supported this view. However, the proper-ties of pitch contours involved in marking emotional state remain largely unidentified. In this contribution, a corpus of actor-generated utterances for 8 emotions was used to measure intonation (pitch contour) by identifying key features of the F0 contour. The data show that the profiles obtained vary reliably with respect to F0 level as a function of the degree of activation of the emotion concerned. However, there is little evidence for qualitatively different forms of profiles for different emotions. Results of recent collaborative studies on the use of the F0 patterns identified in this research with synthesized utterances are presented. The nature of the contribution of F0/pitch contours to emotional speech is discussed; it is ar-gued that pitch contours have to be considered as configurations that acquire emotional meaning only through interaction with a linguistic and paralinguistic context.