Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inefficacy of infliximab in primary Sjögren's syndrome: results of the randomized, controlled Trial of Remicade in Primary Sjögren's Syndrome (TRIPSS).

OBJECTIVE There is no effective treatment for patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS). Since tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) could be a key element in the pathogenesis of primary SS, we conducted a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the effect of infliximab in primary SS. METHODS A total of 103 patients with primary SS were randomly assigned to receive infliximab infusions (5 mg/kg) or placebo at weeks 0, 2, and 6 and were followed up for 22 weeks. All patients fulfilled the new American-European Consensus Group criteria for SS and had active disease as assessed by values >50 mm on 2 of 3 visual analog scales (VAS) (0-100 mm) that evaluated joint pain, fatigue, and buccal, ocular, skin, vaginal, or bronchial dryness. A favorable overall response was defined as the patient having > or =30% improvement between weeks 0 and 10 in the values on 2 of the 3 VAS. Secondary end points were values on each VAS separately, the number of tender and swollen joints, the basal salivary flow rate, results of the Schirmer test for lacrimal gland function, the focus score on labial salivary gland biopsy, the level of C-reactive protein, and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate evaluated at weeks 0, 10, and 22, as well as quality of life evaluated by use of the generic Short Form 36 questionnaire administered at weeks 0, 10, and 22. RESULTS At week 10, 26.5% of patients receiving placebo and 27.8% of patients treated with infliximab had a favorable overall response (P = 0.89), and at week 22, 20.4% of the placebo group and 16.7% of the infliximab group had a favorable response (P = 0.62). In addition, the 2 groups did not differ in any of the secondary end points over the 22 weeks of the trial. Severe adverse events reported in the infliximab group did not differ from those observed in previous studies. CONCLUSION This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of an anti-TNF agent did not show any evidence of efficacy of infliximab in primary SS.
Spread of plasmid‐mediated nourseothricin resistance due to antibiotic use in animal husbandry

After using of the streptothricin antibiotic nourseothricin in animal husbandry for growth promotion, plasmid‐borne resistance to streptothricin could be observed in E. coli from nourseothricin fed pigs, from emploees in pig farms and from their family members. Moreover, streptothricin resistance plasmids also occurred in E. coli of man without any contact to pig farms (gut flora and even urinary tract infections). However, these individuals live in villages and towns of the territory where nourseothricin was applied to pigs. Similar streptothricin resistance plasmids belonging to different incompatibility groups were found in both E. coli from pigs and E. coli from human beings. As no coselection of resistance to drugs indispensable for therapeutic use in man was observed, the application of nourseothricin in animal husbandry has not clinical implication for human medicine yet. Nevertheless, this problem remains under further investigation.
Digital stress: Adolescents’ personal accounts

Based on a thematic content analysis of 2000 anonymous posts to the website AThinLine.org , this article explores adolescents’ personal accounts of digital stress. Six kinds of digital stressors that engender two distinctive types of digital stress are identified. Type 1 stressors—“mean and harassing personal attacks,” “public shaming and humiliation,” and “impersonation”—reflect the migration of common forms of relational hostility onto the online space and echo discussions of harassment, drama, and bullying. Type 2 stressors stem from adolescents’ use of digital technologies in the service of seeking relational connection. These lesser-discussed Type 2 stressors—“feeling smothered,” “pressure to comply with requests for access,” and “breaking and entering into digital accounts and devices”—transpire in the context of adolescents’ attempts to form and maintain intimacy or close connections with others.
Neurofilament architecture of superior and mesial premotor cortex in the human brain

MONOCLONAL antibody (SMI-32) to neurofilament protein was used in an immunochemical study of the premotor cortex of two human brains in comparison with other architectonic techniques such as Nissl, myelin, cytochrome-oxidase and acetylcholinesterase staining in order to distinguish cortical subdivisions. SMI-32 immunoreactivity technique provides ‘neurofilament architecture’ patterns specific to area 4, caudal area 6 (area 6c) and rostral area 6 (area 6r). Particularly, the distinction between the two subdivisions of area 6, which is difficult to appreciate with the usual cytochemical or enzyme architectonic techniques, appears very apparent with this technique. Hence, it was possible to localize the topographic boundaries of area 6aα and 6aβ of the Vogts on the dorso-lateral convexity and the supplementary motor area and the presupplementary motor area on the mesial wall of the hemisphere.
The Human Motor Corpus Callosum

The corpus callosum (CC) is the largest white matter fiber bundle to connect the two hemispheres of the brain. It is thought to be essential for interhemispheric transfer of information. The motor CC is that part of the CC which connects the primary motor cortices. Relatively little is known, in particular in humans, about where these fibers are located in the CC, what their function is, and how the structure of the motor CC relates to its function. This review surveys current knowledge about the human motor CC, with a focus on recent studies which assessed the motor CC by multimodal advanced neurophysiological and neuroimaging techniques.
Growth of the corticospinal tract and the development of placing reactions in the postnatal rat

The growth of corticospinal axons into the spinal cord has been demonstrated using the autoradiographic and the Fink‐Heimer silver degeneration methods. In addition, the development of several types of placing reactions has been studied. After unilateral injections of radioactive proline or unilateral injections of radioactive proline or unilateral ablations of the somatosesory‐motor cortex, corticospinal axons were found to extend into the contralateral dorsal funiculus of the lower cervical cord at one day postnatally, into mid‐thoracic segments at three days, into upper lumbar cord by five days and into coccygeal segments by nine days. Corticospinal axons are first present in the contralateral spinal gray of lower cervical cord at day 5 and in the contralateral spinal gray of lower lumbar and sacral cord by day 9. Little change in the topographical distribution or in the density of the projection is found at all levels of the spinal gray after the fourteenth postnatal day. Comparable results were found with both experimental techniques.
Trace-element concentrations in streambed sediment across the conterminous United States

Trace-element concentrations in 541 streambed-sediment samples collected from 20 study areas across the conterminous United States were examined as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program of the U.S. Geological Survey. Sediment samples were sieved and the <63-μm fraction was retained for determination of total concentrations of trace elements. Aluminum, iron, titanium, and organic carbon were weakly or not at all correlated with the nine trace elements examined: arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, selenium, and zinc. Four different methods of accounting for background/baseline concentrations were examined; however, normalization was not required because field sieving removed most of the background differences between samples. The sum of concentrations of trace elements characteristic of urban settingscopper, mercury, lead, and zincwas well correlated with population density, nationwide. Median concentrations of seven trace elements (all nine examined except arsenic an.
Osteoporosis in hemochromatosis: iron excess, gonadal deficiency, or other factors?

STUDY OBJECTIVE To define the prevalence, severity, type and pathogenesis of osteopenia in idiopathic hemochromatosis. DESIGN Prospective study conducted over 18 months. SETTING Tertiary care center. SUBJECTS Twenty-two men with idiopathic hemochromatosis and 20 age-matched controls. There were 5 hypogonadal patients, 9 eugonadal nonvenesected patients, and 8 eugonadal venesected patients. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS All patients and controls were evaluated by spinal radiography, spinal and forearm bone mineral density estimations, dynamic skeletal histomorphometry, and serum biochemistry. Ten patients (45%; 95% CI, 24% to 68%) had osteoporosis as defined by spinal and forearm bone density measurements. Trabecular bone volumes were significantly reduced in the patients (the difference in means between patients and age-matched controls was 3.9%; CI, 1.3% to 6.7%). No patient had osteomalacia. Hypogonadal men had lower bone mass measurements than eugonadal men (radial bone density: beta coefficient = -20.5; CI, -29.2 to -11.8; trabecular bone volume: beta coefficient = -7.1; CI, -10.8 to -3.3). Osteoid and osteoblastic surfaces and bone formation rates were significantly greater in the eugonadal venesected compared with the eugonadal nonvenesected persons (P less than 0.05 for all measurements). CONCLUSIONS A significant decrease in bone density is seen in idiopathic hemochromatosis, particularly when hypogonadism is present. Low serum free-testosterone concentrations rather than the calciotrophic hormones determine bone mass in this condition.
Improving molecular testing and personalized medicine in non-small-cell lung cancer in Ontario.

BACKGROUND Although molecular testing has become standard in managing advanced nonsquamous non-small-cell lung cancer (nsclc), most patients undergo minimally invasive procedures, and the diagnostic tumour specimens available for testing are usually limited. A knowledge translation initiative to educate diagnostic specialists about sampling techniques and laboratory processes was undertaken to improve the uptake and application of molecular testing in advanced lung cancer. METHODS A multidisciplinary panel of physician experts including pathologists, respirologists, interventional thoracic radiologists, thoracic surgeons, medical oncologists, and radiation oncologists developed a specialty-specific education program, adapting international clinical guidelines to the local Ontario context. Expert recommendations from the program are reported here. RESULTS Panel experts agreed that specialists procuring samples for lung cancer diagnosis should choose biopsy techniques that maximize tumour cellularity, and that conservation strategies to maximize tissue for molecular testing should be used in tissue processing. The timeliness of molecular reporting can be improved by pathologist-initiated reflex testing upon confirmation of nonsquamous nsclc and by prompt transportation of specimens to designated molecular diagnostic centres. To coordinate timely molecular testing and optimal treatment, collaboration and communication between all clinicians involved in diagnosing patients with advanced lung cancer are mandatory. CONCLUSIONS Knowledge transfer to diagnostic lung cancer specialists could potentially improve molecular testing and treatment for advanced lung cancer patients.
THE GEOGRAPHIC RANGE: Size, Shape, Boundaries, and Internal Structure

▪ Abstract Comparative, quantitative biogeographic studies are revealing empirical patterns of interspecific variation in the sizes, shapes, boundaries, and internal structures of geographic ranges; these patterns promise to contribute to understanding the historical and ecological processes that influence the distributions of species. This review focuses on characteristics of ranges that appear to reflect the influences of environmental limiting factors and dispersal. Among organisms as a whole, range size varies by more than 12 orders of magnitude. Within genera, families, orders, and classes of plants and animals, range size often varies by several orders of magnitude, and this variation is associated with variation in body size, population density, dispersal mode, latitude, elevation, and depth (in marine systems). The shapes of ranges and the dynamic changes in range boundaries reflect the interacting influences of limiting environmental conditions (niche variables) and dispersal/extinction dynamics.
USO DE INTELIGÊNCIA ANALÍTICA NA ENGENHARIA DE SOFTWARE – UM MAPEAMENTO SISTEMÁTICO DA LITERATURA

Informacoes existentes em repositorios de software podem auxiliar engenheiros de software em suas atividades durante todas as fases do desenvolvimento. O uso da inteligencia analitica em repositorios de software beneficia engenheiros de software a obterem informacoes relevantes a respeito do projeto que esta sob sua responsabilidade. Com a finalidade de fomentar os estudos do uso da inteligencia analitica na Engenharia de Software, este artigo realizou um mapeamento sistematico da literatura, para descobrir a aplicabilidade da inteligencia analitica na Engenharia de Software. Foram analisados 235 artigos extraidos de cinco bases cientificas da computacao e de duas conferencias da Engenharia de Software. Com base nesses artigos, foram categorizados os tipos de analise, as areas e as necessidades dos engenheiros de software que estao utilizando a inteligencia analitica. Descobriu-se que metodos sao estao sendo propostos com a finalidade de quantificar as mudancas dos artefatos de software na pratica de desenvolvimento, seja relacionado ao codigo-fonte do projeto ou como na estimativa de esforco e risco do projeto. Percebe-se um forte interesse dos engenheiros de software em utilizar a inteligencia analitica para entender as alteracoes durante a manutencao de software. A inteligencia analitica esta fortemente relacionada a pratica de manutencao de software, mas sua utilizacao vem crescendo na gestao de projetos e no gerenciamento de equipes. Pode-se verificar uma demanda ainda pouco explorada pelas pesquisas em relacao a pratica de testes, nos processos e ciclo de vida do desenvolvimento de software.
Fusing microwave and optical satellite observations for high resolution soil moisture data products

With the loss of the L-band radar, the NASA SMAP satellite lost the capability to directly provide high resolution global soil moisture data products after July 7th, 2015. However, the SMAP L-band radiometer has been successfully and continuously providing high quality coarse resolution observations with the best RFI mitigation since April 2015. These coarse resolution soil moisture observations could be downscaled to finer resolution using finer scale observations of soil moisture sensitive quantities from existing satellite sensors. In the past decade, several algorithms have been introduced to downscale passive microwave soil moisture observations. Most of these methods exploit the soil moisture information from optical sensing of land surface temperature and vegetation dynamics while others use active microwave (radar) observations. In this study, alternative algorithms are intercompared in order to find out the most reliable algorithm that could be implemented for routine or operational product generation. In this paper, coarse scale satellite data are from NASA SMAP radiometer and fine scale satellite data are backscatter from SMAP radar, land surface temperature (LST) and vegetation index from NOAA GOES, and AMSR2 Ka band observations for the warm seasons in 2015 and 2016. Results from three downscaling algorithms were analyzed. They were the NASA SMAP Active-Passive product algorithm, a simple LST regression algorithm, and a regression tree algorithm. Four sets of in situ soil moisture measurement data were collected and processed from Millbrook, NY, Walnut Gulch, AZ, Tibetan Plateau, China, and Yanco, Australia, respectively. Preliminary results of this inter-comparison study are reported.
Mycobacterium tuberculosisSusceptibility Testing of Indicator Tube ( MGIT 960 ) Automated System for Drug 2001 . Evaluation of BACTEC Mycobacteria Growth

J. Clin. Microbiol. 39(12):4440-4444. Mycobacterium tuberculosis Susceptibility Testing of Indicator Tube (MGIT 960) Automated System for Drug 2001. Evaluation of BACTEC Mycobacteria Growth Sanguinetti, et al. Fausta Ardito, Brunella Posteraro, Maurizio Mycobacterium tuberculosis Susceptibility Testing of Automated System for Drug Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT 960) Evaluation of BACTEC Mycobacteria
Tailoring boundary geometry to optimize heat transport in turbulent convection

By tailoring the geometry of the upper boundary in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection we manipulate the boundary layer-interior flow interaction, and examine the heat transport using the lattice Boltzmann method. For fixed amplitude and varying boundary wavelength λ, we find that the exponent β in the Nusselt-Rayleigh scaling relation, , is maximized at , but decays to the planar value in both the large ( ) and small ( ) wavelength limits. The changes in the exponent originate in the nature of the coupling between the boundary layer and the interior flow. We present a simple scaling argument embodying this coupling, which describes the maximal convective heat flux.
The prevalence of Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder. We sought to synthesize studies on the prevalence of PD to obtain an overall view of how the prevalence of this disease varies by age, by sex, and by geographic location. We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE for epidemiological studies of PD from 1985 to 2010. Data were analyzed by age group, geographic location, and sex. Geographic location was stratified by the following groups: 1) Asia, 2) Africa, 3) South America, and 4) Europe/North America/Australia. Meta‐regression was used to determine whether a significant difference was present between groups. Forty‐seven studies were included in the analysis. Meta‐analysis of the worldwide data showed a rising prevalence of PD with age (all per 100,000): 41 in 40 to 49 years; 107 in 50 to 59 years; 173 in 55 to 64 years; 428 in 60 to 69 years; 425 in 65 to 74 years; 1087 in 70 to 79 years; and 1903 in older than age 80. A significant difference was seen in prevalence by geographic location only for individuals 70 to 79 years old, with a prevalence of 1,601 in individuals from North America, Europe, and Australia, compared with 646 in individuals from Asia (P < 0.05). A significant difference in prevalence by sex was found only for individuals 50 to 59 years old, with a prevalence of 41 in females and 134 in males (P < 0.05). PD prevalence increases steadily with age. Some differences in prevalence by geographic location and sex can be detected. © 2014 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Optimal Algorithms for Distributed Optimization

In this paper, we study the optimal convergence rate for distributed convex optimization problems in networks. We model the communication restrictions imposed by the network as a set of affine constraints and provide optimal complexity bounds for four different setups, namely: the function $F(\xb) \triangleq \sum_{i=1}^{m}f_i(\xb)$ is strongly convex and smooth, either strongly convex or smooth or just convex. Our results show that Nesterov's accelerated gradient descent on the dual problem can be executed in a distributed manner and obtains the same optimal rates as in the centralized version of the problem (up to constant or logarithmic factors) with an additional cost related to the spectral gap of the interaction matrix. Finally, we discuss some extensions to the proposed setup such as proximal friendly functions, time-varying graphs, improvement of the condition numbers.
Roles of Meltrin-β/ADAM19 in Progression of Schwann Cell Differentiation and Myelination during Sciatic Nerve Regeneration*

Remyelination is an important aspect of nerve regeneration after nerve injury, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, we show that meltrin-β (ADAM19), a member of the ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) family, plays crucial roles in nerve regeneration after a crush injury to the sciatic nerves. The expression of meltrin-β was up-regulated in neurons after the crush injury. Morphometrical analysis revealed a delay in remyelination in meltrin-β-deficient nerves, whereas no significant defects were observed in their axon elongation. The activation of Krox-20, an indispensable transcription factor for myelination, was delayed in meltrin-β-deficient nerves and was accompanied by the retarded expression of myelin-related proteins. Expression of Krox-20 in Schwann cells was mediated by Akt. Phosphorylation of Akt but not that of Erks was reduced in regenerating nerves of meltrin-β-deficient mice. The cell membrane fraction prepared from meltrin-β-deficient nerves showed a defective activation of Akt in the membrane-loaded Schwann cells. Meltrin-β-deficient mice exhibited delayed sciatic functional recovery after the nerve crush. Altogether, these results reveal a role of meltrin-β in Schwann cell differentiation and re-myelination in nerve regeneration. Moreover, this study suggests that meltrin-β functions as a modulator of juxtacrine signaling from axons that activate the Akt pathway and the Krox-20 expression, which is the prerequisite for Schwann cell differentiation.