Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PII: S1010-7940(99)00111-6

Objective: In recent years, satisfactory outcome of primary cardiac operation in octogenerians and increased ageing of cardiac surgical population in western hospitals have led to increased expectations and referrals for reoperation. Outcome of reoperation in this aged subset was analysed. Methods: Consecutive 18 octogenerians (mean age 81.2 years, 10 men, eight women) undergoing cardiac reoperations from November 1989 through August 1998 were retrospectively reviewed. Results: They represented 6.2% of all octogenerian cardiac surgical patients and 2.7% of all reoperations during the same period. Mean preoperative NYHA class was 3.4 and Parsonnet score was 29.4. The interval to reoperation was 114:5 ^ 11:96 (4±188) months. Priority was urgent in 11 and elective in seven patients. The procedures included four AVRs, ®ve MVRs (including two associated TVAs), six CABGs and one each of MVR with CABG, AVR with CABG and AVR, MVR and CABG. Average graft/patient was 2.3. Mean ICU stay was 4:6 ^ 1:5 (1±28) days. There was one hospital death (5.5%) on 18 pod after MVR in an 83-year-old woman. Mean postoperative stay was 20:2 ^ 5:13 (8±93) days. There were three late deaths (17.6%) ± at 32 months after MVR, at 44 and 63 months after CABG. Long-term survivors were 90% among men and 50% among women who were followed up for 42:7 ^ 6:9 (9±93) months. Mean Karnofsky score in survivors at 1 year of follow-up was 78:5 ^ 2:9. Despite continued medication in all survivors, mean current NYHA is 1.9 and most have improved lifestyle. Conclusions: Satisfactory outcome may be expected after cardiac reoperations in highly selected octogenerians. However, increased procedural risks, complications, hospital stay and slower convalescence during early follow-up may be anticipated, and will indicate very careful screening. These results indicate a need to reconsider the treatment policy in primary operation with regard to choice of graft conduits and prosthetic valves in other elderly patients. q 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Frequency of Asymptomatic Optic Nerve Enhancement in a Large Retrospective Cohort of Patients With Aquaporin-4+ NMOSD

Background and Objectives Asymptomatic or persistent optic nerve enhancement in aquaporin-4 (AQP4)-immunoglobulin G (IgG)–positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is thought to be rare. Improved understanding may have important implications for assessment of treatment efficacy in clinical trials and in clinical practice. Our objective was to characterize NMOSD interattack optic nerve enhancement. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study performed between 2000 and 2019 (median follow-up 5.5 [range 1–35] years) of patients with AQP4-IgG–positive optic neuritis (ON) evaluated at Mayo Clinic. MRI orbits were reviewed by a neuroradiologist, neuro-ophthalmologist, and neuroimmunologist blinded to the clinical history. Interattack optic nerve enhancement (>30 days after attack) was measured. The correlation between interattack enhancement and Snellen visual acuity (VA), converted to logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR), at attack and at follow-up were assessed. Results A total of 198 MRI scans in 100 patients with AQP4-IgG+ NMOSD were identified, with 107 interattack MRIs from 78 unique patients reviewed. Seven scans were performed before any ON (median 61 days before attack [range 21–271 days]) and 100 after ON (median 400 days after attack [33–4,623 days]). Optic nerve enhancement was present on 18/107 (16.8%) interattack scans (median 192.5 days from attack [33–2,943]) of patients with preceding ON. On 15 scans, enhancement occurred at the site of prior attacks; the lesion location was unchanged, but the lesion length was shorter. Two scans (1.8%) demonstrated new asymptomatic lesions (prior scan demonstrated no enhancement). In a third patient with subjective blurry vision, MRI showed enhancement preceding detectable eye abnormalities on examination noted 15 days later. There was no difference in VA at preceding attack nadir (logMAR VA 1.7 vs 2.1; p = 0.79) or long-term VA (logMAR VA 0.4 vs 0.2, p = 0.56) between those with and without interattack optic nerve enhancement. Discussion Asymptomatic optic nerve enhancement occurred in 17% of patients with NMOSD predominantly at the site of prior ON attacks and may represent intermittent blood-brain barrier breakdown or subclinical ON. New asymptomatic enhancement was seen only in 2% of patients. Therapeutic clinical trials for NMOSD require blinded relapse adjudication when assessing treatment efficacy, and it is important to recognize that asymptomatic optic nerve enhancement can occur in patients with ON.
A Novel Enolase-1 Antibody Targets Multiple Interacting Players in the Tumor Microenvironment of Advanced Prostate Cancer

Abstract Prostate cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer death in men worldwide, and the treatment options are limited for patients with advanced stages of prostate cancer. Upon oncogenic or inflammatory stimulation, tumor cells or immune cells express cell surface enolase-1 (ENO1) as plasminogen receptor to facilitate their migration via plasmin activation. Little is known about the roles of ENO1 in prostate cancer, especially in the tumor microenvironment (TME). We hypothesized that targeting surface ENO1 with specific mAbs would exert multifactorial therapeutic potentials against prostate cancer. In vivo, we showed ENO1 mAb (HuL227) reduced the growth of subcutaneous PC-3 xenograft, monocytes recruitment, and intratumoral angiogenesis. In a PC-3 intratibial implantation model, HuL227 reduced tumor growth and osteoclast activation in the bone. To investigate the antitumor mechanism of ENO1 mAb, we found that blocking surface ENO1 significantly reduced VEGF-A–induced tube formation of endothelial cells in vitro. Furthermore, HuL227 inhibited inflammation-enhanced osteoclasts activity and the secretion of invasion-related cytokines CCL2 and TGFβ from osteoclasts. In addition, inflammation-induced migration and chemotaxis of androgen-independent prostate cancer cells were dose-dependently inhibited by HuL227. In summary, we showed that, ENO1 mAb targets multiple TME niches involved in prostate cancer progression and bone metastasis via a plasmin-related mechanism, which may provide a novel immunotherapy approach for men with advanced prostate cancer.
The influence of active video game play upon physical activity and screen-based activities in sedentary children

Background Few children meet physical activity recommendations, partly due to the prevalence of screen-based sedentary activities. Active video game (AVG) play produces light to moderate physical activity. Yet, providing children access to AVG does not increase physical activity, possibly because children who play AVG may also tend towards sedentary screen-based activities. How multiple days of AVG play influences children’s choice of other activities is not yet known. Purpose To examine how AVG influences children’s physical activity, sedentary screen-based activities, and other alternative activities. Methods Sedentary children (N = 49) played AVG 3 times/week and sedentary video games (SVG) ad libitum for 6 weeks, followed by 4 weeks of ad libitum play of both AVG and SVG. Participants wore an activity monitor for 7 days and completed a 24-hour activity recall on 4 randomly selected days at baseline, week 6, and week 10. Results AVG play increased during the intervention (p < 0.01). Light activity and SVG play both decreased baseline to 10 weeks (p = 0.006) and 6 to 10 weeks (p = 0.017). Non-SVG sedentary behavior increased from baseline to 10 weeks (p = 0.005) and 6 to 10 weeks (p = 0.007). Changes over time were not observed in physical activity, or recall-measured active play, social activities, other hobbies, television or computer/phone use. Conclusion AVG play did not change children’s objectively-measured physical activity or subjectively measured active play. SVG time was substituted with other sedentary behaviors. AVG did not increase time engaged in SVG or screen-based devices.
Implementing a Financial Decision-Making Scale in APS Financial Exploitation Investigations: Use of the PARIHS Conceptual Framework

Abstract Background and Objectives Adult protective services (APS) agencies investigate cases of financial exploitation, and a critical aspect of such investigations is often the assessment of decision-making abilities. This study examined APS workers’ implementation of a 10-item financial decision-making screening tool, the Financial Decision Tracker (FDT), across a 34-month period: pre-COVID-19, throughout COVID-19 restrictions, and for 1 year following the restrictions. Research Design and Methods Using the Promoting Action in Research Implementation in the Health Services implementation science conceptual framework, we examined aspects of context, facilitation, and evidence to determine how well APS workers were trained, certified, and skilled in using the FDT. Using individual and group interviews, we assessed factors often related to successful implementation (context and facilitation) and measured the number of scales used, the types of decisions under investigation, and how the tool’s scoring system aligned with the APS workers’ final ratings (evidence). Results Overall, implementation was sustained throughout the 34-month period. However, during COVID-19 restrictions, usage dropped to a rate 58% below that prior to and following the restrictions. A total of 839 scales were administered. Individuals with no decision-making deficits were slightly older (78.7 vs 77.1 years; t(837) = 2.54, p = . 01) and had completed high school at a significantly higher rate (69% vs 59%, χ 2(1) = 5.20, p = . 023) than those who had decision-making deficits. Discussion and Implications Overall, the implementation trial can be considered a success. The FDT was used so often and effectively that it is now an APS best practices tool, meaning that in audits, the correct use of the FDT will be assessed.
Analysis of Mid-range Wireless Power Transfer Circuits Based on Reactance Function and Image Impedance

This paper proposes a novel method to analyze the mid-range wireless power transfer circuits comprised of square coils and capacitors and maximize overall efficiency. The method is based on the equivalent circuit model derived from the reactance function and image impedance. The mid-range circuits are promising as an efficient wireless power transfer method using near field electromagnetic waves. However, no simple design and the analysis methods are available for wireless power transfer. This paper assumes both transmitter and receiver antennas are identical and electrically small. It analyzes the resonance frequencies of the even and odd modes, which are used to model the equivalent circuit describing the actual wireless power transfer circuits. This paper also analyzes the transfer efficiency using the equation of the equivalent circuit, simulation software based on the moment method and an experiment. It clarifies that the analytical values derived by the proposed method and the simulation results mostly agree with the measured values. As a result, the mid-range wireless power transfer circuits designed using the proposed analysis method achieve high efficiency.
Human midbrain dopaminergic neuronal differentiation markers predict cell therapy outcomes in a Parkinson’s disease model

Human pluripotent stem cell–based (hPSC-based) replacement therapy holds great promise for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the heterogeneity of hPSC-derived donor cells and the low yield of midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons after transplantation hinder its broad clinical application. Here, we have characterized the single-cell molecular landscape during mDA neuron differentiation. We found that this process recapitulated the development of multiple but adjacent fetal brain regions including the ventral midbrain, the isthmus, and the ventral hindbrain, resulting in a heterogenous donor cell population. We reconstructed the differentiation trajectory of the mDA lineage and identified calsyntenin 2 (CLSTN2) and protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type O (PTPRO) as specific surface markers of mDA progenitors, which were predictive of mDA neuron differentiation and could facilitate high enrichment of mDA neurons (up to 80%) following progenitor cell sorting and transplantation. Marker-sorted progenitors exhibited higher therapeutic potency in correcting motor deficits of PD mice. Different marker-sorted grafts had a strikingly consistent cellular composition, in which mDA neurons were enriched, while off-target neuron types were mostly depleted, suggesting stable graft outcomes. Our study provides a better understanding of cellular heterogeneity during mDA neuron differentiation and establishes a strategy to generate highly purified donor cells to achieve stable and predictable therapeutic outcomes, raising the prospect of hPSC-based PD cell replacement therapies.
Issues of Water Resources Management and Usage in Samoa

The paper highlights outstanding water conservation and water delivery needs for Samoa. The Government of Samoa in partnership with the European Union have committed extensive funding into ensuring that the people of Samoa have access to clean and reliable water all in the name of Sustainable Development. There is also the widespread adoption of the Integrated Water Resources Management Framework to aid in the implementation, delivery and management of water resources and water services infrastructure. These efforts while not in vain, have come up against a number of obstacles that existed long before government and donors formalized the partnership to upgrade water services delivery. Obstacles pertaining to land tenure, land-use management and ownership, farming practices near the watershed are some of the existing problems that continue to plague the Ministries responsible for water resources management (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment) and water service delivery (Samoa Water Authority). To ease some of the obstacles to water resources conservation efforts, require a holistic bottoms-up approach beginning with the Samoan household unit, the main water users and land holders.
Association Between Insulin Resistance and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Varies According to Glucose Tolerance Status: A Nationwide Prospective Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether the association between insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease (CVD) differs by glucose tolerance status. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We analyzed a nationwide sample of 111,576 adults without CVD at baseline, using data from the China Cardiometabolic Disease and Cancer Cohort Study. Insulin resistance was estimated by sex-specific HOMA of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) quartiles for participants with normal glucose tolerance, prediabetes, or diabetes, separately, and by 1 SD of HOMA-IR for the overall study participants. We used Cox proportional hazards models to examine the association between insulin resistance and incident CVD according to glucose tolerance status and evaluate the CVD risk associated with the combined categories of insulin resistance and obesity in prediabetes and diabetes, as compared with normal glucose tolerance. Models were adjusted for age, sex, education attainment, alcohol drinking, smoking, physical activity, and diet quality. RESULTS In participants with normal glucose tolerance, prediabetes, and diabetes defined by three glucose parameters, multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (95% CIs) for incident CVD associated with the highest versus the lowest quartile of HOMA-IR were 1.03 (0.82–1.30), 1.23 (1.07–1.42), and 1.61 (1.30–2.00), respectively; the corresponding values for CVD per 1-SD increase in HOMA-IR were 1.04 (0.92–1.18), 1.12 (1.06–1.18), and 1.15 (1.09–1.21), respectively (P for interaction = 0.011). Compared with participants with normal glucose tolerance, in participants with prediabetes, the combination of the highest HOMA-IR quartile and obesity showed 17% (95% CI 2–34%) higher risk of CVD, while the combination of the lowest two HOMA-IR quartiles and nonobesity showed 15–17% lower risk of CVD. In participants with diabetes, the upper two HOMA-IR quartiles exhibited 44–77% higher risk of CVD, regardless of obesity status. Consistent findings were observed for glucose tolerance status defined by different combinations of glycemic parameters. CONCLUSIONS Glucose intolerance status exacerbated the association between insulin resistance and CVD risk. Compared with adults with normal glucose tolerance, adults with prediabetes who were both insulin resistant and obese exhibited higher risks of CVD, while in adults with diabetes, the CVD risk related to insulin resistance remained, regardless of obesity.
Assessing systemic vascular resistance using arteriolar pulse transit time based on multi-wavelength photoplethysmography

Objective. Sympathetic nerve activity affects blood pressure by contracting the arteriole, which can increase systemic vascular resistance (SVR). Consequently, SVR is a key factor affecting blood pressure. However, a method for measuring SVR continuously is lacking. This paper formulated and experimentally validated a method that uses the arteriolar pulse transmit time (aPTT) to track changes in SVR. Approach. multi-wavelength photoplethysmogram (PPG), electrocardiogram (ECG), and galvanic skin response (GSR) data were simultaneously gathered using a measurement system designed by this study. Blood perfusion was monitored by laser Doppler. Least mean square (LMS) is an adaptive filtering algorithm. Our LMS-based algorithm formulated in this study was used to calculate the aPTT from the multi-wavelength PPGs. A cold stimulation experiment was conducted to verify the relationship between aPTT determined by algorithm and arteriole vasodilation. An emotinal stimulation experiment conducted, in which GSR was employed to further verify the relationship between aPTT and SVR. Twenty healthy young participants were asked to watch movie clips, which excited their sympathetic nerves. The dynamic time warping (DTW) distance is applied to evaluate between correlation of GSR and aPTT. Main results. The changes in aPTT was extracted using our LMS-based method. During the recovery period after cold stimulation, aPTT decreased with the average slope of −0.2080, while blood perfusion increased with the average slope of 0.7046. Meanwhile, 70% participants’ DTW distances median between aPTT and GSR were significantly smaller than that between PTT and GSR during emotion stimulation. Significance. Our method uses aPTT, a continuous measurable parameter, to closely reflect SVR, as verified through experiments.
Orange protein, phytoene synthase regulator, has protein disulfide reductase activity

ABSTRACT Orange protein (OR) is known to interact with phytoene synthase (PSY) that commits the first step in carotenoid biosynthesis, and functions as a major post-transcriptional regulator on PSY. We here tried to reveal enzymatic characteristics of OR, that is, protein disulfide reductase (PDR) activity of the Arabidopsis thaliana OR protein (AtOR) was analyzed using dieosin glutathione disulfide (Di-E-GSSG) as a substrate. The AtOR part containing only the zinc (Zn)-finger motif was found to show PDR activity, with an apparent K m of 12,632 nM, K cat of 11.85 min−1, and K cat K m −1 of 15.6 × 103 M−1sec−1. To evaluate the significance of the N-terminal region of AtOR, we examined the kinetic parameters of a fusion protein composed of the N-terminal region and the Zn-finger motif from AtOR. Consequently, the fusion protein had lower values for K m (2,074 nM) and K cat (3.18 min−1) and higher catalytic efficiency (25.9 × 103 M−1sec−1) than that of only the Zn-finger motif part, suggesting that the N-terminal region of AtOR should be important for substrate affinity and catalytic efficiency of PDR activity. Complementation experiments with E. coli further demonstrated that AtOR containing the N-terminal region and the Zn-finger motif increases phytoene synthase activity of AtPSY especially under reduced circumstances retaining a NADPH- and H+-regeneration system.
HDA-2-Containing Complex Is Required for Activation of Catalase-3 Expression in Neurospora crassa

Clearance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is critical to the survival of aerobic organisms. In the model filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa, catalase-3 (cat-3) expression is activated in response to H2O2-induced ROS stress. ABSTRACT It is essential for aerobic organisms to maintain the homeostasis of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) for survival and adaptation to the environment. In line with other eukaryotes, the catalase of Neurospora crassa is an important enzyme for clearing ROS, and its expression is tightly regulated by the growth phase and various oxidative stresses. Our study reveals that, in N. crassa, histone deacetylase 2 (HDA-2) and its catalytic activity positively regulate the expression of the catalase-3 (cat-3) gene. HDA-2, SIF-2, and SNT-1 may form a subcomplex with such a regulation role. As expected, deletion of HDA-2 or SIF-2 subunit increased acetylation levels of histone H4, indicating that loss of HDA-2 complex fails to deacetylate H4 at the cat-3 locus. Furthermore, loss of HDA-2 or its catalytic activity led to dramatic decreases of TFIIB and RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) recruitment at the cat-3 locus and also resulted in high deposition of H2A.Z at the promoter and transcription start site (TSS) regions of the cat-3 gene. Collectively, this study strongly demonstrates that the HDA-2-containing complex activates the transcription of the cat-3 gene by facilitating preinitiation complex (PIC) assembly and antagonizing the inhibition of H2A.Z at the cat-3 locus through H4 acetylation. IMPORTANCE Clearance of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is critical to the survival of aerobic organisms. In the model filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa, catalase-3 (cat-3) expression is activated in response to H2O2-induced ROS stress. We found that histone deacetylase 2 (HDA-2) positively regulates cat-3 transcription in N. crassa; this is widely divergent from the classical repressive role of most histone deacetylases. Like HDA-2, the SIF-2 or SNT-1 subunit of HDA-2-containing complex plays a positive role in cat-3 transcription. Furthermore, we also found that HDA-2-containing complex provides an appropriate chromatin environment to facilitate PIC assembly and to antagonize the inhibition role of H2A.Z at the cat-3 locus through H4 acetylation. Taken together, our results establish a mechanism for how the HDA-2-containing complex regulates transcription of the cat-3 gene in N. crassa.
Subtenon triamcinolone injection to treat serous choroidal detachment after glaucoma surgery: A case series

Purpose To report the effect of subtenon triamcinolone acetonide (TA) injection in the treatment of serous choroidal detachment (SCD) after glaucoma surgery. Methods In this prospective case series, patients with persistent, non-resolving, or progressive SCD after glaucoma surgery were enrolled. For those with non-resolving or progressive SCD despite of using systemic corticosteroids, topical atropine and topical steroids, one milliliter of TA (40mg/mL) was injected inferotemporally into the posterior subtenon space. Results Sixteen consecutive patients with a mean ± SD age of 70.12 ± 11.12 years were included in this study. After injection of subtenon TA, SCD was completely resolved after 1 to 4 weeks, with deepening of the anterior chamber in all cases. All cases were followed for at least 6 months after the injection with no signs of recurrence. Conclusion Subtenon injection of TA is a safe and effective modality of treatment for resolving a persistent or progressive SCD after glaucoma surgeries.