jimnoneill/paper-to-field-training huggingface dataset:
Role of [68Ga]DOTANOC PET/computed tomography and [131I]MIBG scintigraphy in the management of patients with pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma: a prospective study

Field: Medicine (Health Sciences)

Purpose The primary aim of study was to compare role of iodine-131 (I-131)-labeled metaiodobenzylguanidine ([ 131 I]MIBG) and gallium-68 (Ga-68)-labeled DOTA-l-Nal3-octreotide ([ 68 Ga]DOTANOC) PET/computed tomography (CT) in patients with pheochromocytoma (PCC) and paraganglioma (PGL), subsequent follow-up to see management. The secondary aim was to see association of germline mutation in histopathologically proven patients. Procedures We performed [ 68 Ga]DOTANOC PET/CT and [ 131 I]MIBG in 106 patients (61 men; age: 38.5 ± 16.2 years) of known or suspected PCC/PGL. Following scans, 16 histopathologically proven patients were screened for germline mutations. Results [ 131 I]MIBG detected 41 lesions in 34 patients and [ 68 Ga]DOTANOC PET/CT detected more than 79 lesions in 55 patients. The mean duration of follow-up was 20.6 ± 16.5 months. Management following scans: surgery in 35 patients (positive histopathology in 34 patients, negative in 1 patient); lutecium-177 (Lu-177)-labeled DOTA-0-Tyr-3 octreotate ([ 177 Lu]DOTATATE) therapy in 2 patients; chemotherapy in 1 patient; conservative therapy in 34 patients; no therapy in 17 patients; 2 patients have died and 3 were lost to follow-up. Among 12 previously operated, 2 patients showed metastatic disease and 1 showed residual disease. Out of 16 patients who underwent genotypic analysis (15 operated), 8 were positive for germline mutations. Mutations were seen in SDHB , RET , VHL , MDH2 and SDHA genes, including two germline mutations in two patients. Deletion was observed in one patient in SDHB gene and substitution in all other mutations. Four novel mutations in MDH2 (c.1005G>C, c.916G>A, c.580G>A) and SDHB (c.378_380delAAT) were observed (SRA accession: PRJNA551457). Conclusions [ 68 Ga]DOTANOC PET/CT should be considered as a first-line investigation in PCC/PGL especially at high risk of metastasis and screening of persons with familial syndrome.
Association between Dengue Outbreak and Weather in Southern Taiwan, 1988

Field: Medicine (Health Sciences)

To identify the effects of rainfall and temperature on changes of dengue cases, parameters such as numbers of total patients, adults with fever and adults with abdominal pain from Emergency Service of the Kaohsiung Medical College Hospital, daily precipitation and mean temperatures of Kaohsiung City from July 1st to November 30th were analyzed. Using adult cases of abdominal pain as a control, total emergent patients and adult patients with fever increased from the beginning of September and decreased after late November. The adult febrile cases significantly increased at the 18th day after rainy days and decreased from the 5th day after mean temperature less than 25℃. Our results indicated that the weather could be used as a reference guide for outbreak prediction, medical care resource allocation during dengue outbreak and evaluation effectiveness of its control.
Health-Related Quality of Life following Minimally Invasive Totally Endoscopic Mitral Valve Surgery

Field: Medicine (Health Sciences)

Abstract Background To compare the impact of two different types of mitral valve surgery on health-related quality of life, we conducted a retrospective study comparing modified totally endoscopic mitral valve surgery with median sternotomy mitral valve surgery. Methods A total of 163 patients who underwent mitral valve surgery at our institution between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019 were enrolled. For these 163 patients, mitral valve surgery was performed using either a modified totally endoscopic approach or median sternotomy approach. We used the numerical rating scale and the Scar Cosmesis Assessment and Rating Scale to measure pain intensity and the aesthetic appearance of the surgical incision and used the MOS 36-item Short-Form Health Survey to assess health-related quality of life. Results Seventy-eight patients underwent the modified totally endoscopic mitral valve surgery, and eighty-five patients underwent the median sternotomy mitral valve surgery. The two groups of patients were similar in terms of demographics and echocardiography findings. The number of bioprosthetic valve replacements performed was significantly higher in the totally endoscopic group than in the median sternotomy group (p = 0.04), whereas the subvalvular apparatus was less preserved in only 33 cases in the totally endoscopic group (p = 0.01). The rate of postoperative adverse events was similar between the two groups. The pain was mild and aesthetic appearance was significantly better in the totally endoscopic approach group than in the sternotomy approach group. Significant differences in the scores for the bodily pain and mental health subscales of the MOS 36-item Short-Form Health Survey were found between the two groups. Conclusions Compared with median sternotomy mitral valve surgery, totally endoscopic mitral valve surgery has an equally good treatment effect, improving patient’s health-related quality of life with a better cosmetic appearance and a lower pain intensity. Our study suggested that the totally endoscopic approach is superior to the median sternotomy approach in terms of pain intensity, aesthetic appearance and health-related quality of life.
Drug Interaction with Pristinamycin in a Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Patient

Field: Medicine (Health Sciences)

We report the case of a 49-year-old renal and pancreatic female transplant recipient, who presented a drug interaction between tacrolimus, warfarin and pristinamycin. Three days after oral pristinamycin 1000 mg bid administrations, the patient presented nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and violent headaches that required hospitalization. Tacrolimus trough level was 5 times higher (34.9 μg/l) than the target required (5-8 μg/l) and the INR was at 5.8 (therapeutic index between 2 and 3) despite a stable kidney function (serum creatinine 130 μmol/L) and no other organic disorders. Five days following discontinuation, drug monitoring revealed adequate tacrolimus plasma trough concentrations (8.9 μg/l) and the INR subsequently decreased.
Pristinamycin is an antibiotic effective against the majority of Gram positive bacteria. This drug is an inhibitor of the multidrug transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp) that could lead to the accumulation of tacrolimus. Moreover, pristinamycin IIA is the active metabolite of quinupristin/dalfopristin which, is known to be an inhibitor of cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP 3A4). Our case supposes that pristinamycin is also an inhibitor of CYP 3A4 that can lead to an increase of tacrolimus levels.
This case report brings to light potential drug interactions of pristinamycin with narrow therapeutic index drugs such as tacrolimus and warfarin.
Moderation in Worship and Its Applications in Al-Mawardi Al-Shafi’i Thought: An Analytical Study

Field: Arts and Humanities (Social Sciences)

One of the characteristics of the Islamic religion is moderation. An obvious benefit of Islamic law. People have become somewhat confused about this truth in several different ways. They are situated between extreme and negligence, as well as between radical and careless. Certain laws and rituals of worship may not make sense to many individuals when it comes to moderation. To extract moderation and its genuine position from this religion, this research aims to elucidate the notion of moderation and expose its applications in worship through the writings and thoughts of Imam Al-Mawardi Al-Shafi'i. This study relies on extrapolating from Al-Mawardi's works, where he defined and outlined the many forms of moderation. The most significant finding of this study is that Islam is moderate in every aspect. In terms of worship, moderation is fulfilling one's obligations to worship without sacrificing anything and refraining from superfluous acts that one cannot stand. Applying the following strategies will help attain this balance, as demonstrated by Al-Mawardi: a) combining simultaneously the needs of the body and the spirit, prioritizing the required in worship before moving on to the optional, taking into account the progressive fulfillment of each from less to more; considering the legal exemptions and what is acceptable to maintain the establishment and propagation of the faith; considering the religious practices that are closest to the heart, in addition to avoiding radicalism in worship by selecting the simplest option in accordance with Sharia.
Cask crush pad analysis using detailed and simplified analysis methods

Field: Engineering (Physical Sciences)

A crush pad has been designed and analyzed to absorb the kinetic energy of a hypothetically dropped spent nuclear fuel shipping cask into a 44-ft. deep cask unloading pool at the Fluorinel and Storage Facility (FAST). This facility, located at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) at the Idaho national Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), is a US Department of Energy site. The basis for this study is an analysis by Uldrich and Hawkes. The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate various hypothetical cask drop orientations to ensure that the crush pad design was adequate and the cask deceleration at impact was less than 100 g. It is demonstrated herein that a large spent fuel shipping cask, when dropped onto a foam crush pad, can be analyzed by either hand methods or by sophisticated dynamic finite element analysis using computer codes such as ABAQUS. Results from the two methods are compared to evaluate accuracy of the simplified hand analysis approach.
SJARACNe: a scalable software tool for gene network reverse engineering from big data

Field: Computer Science (Physical Sciences)

Abstract Summary Over the last two decades, we have observed an exponential increase in the number of generated array or sequencing-based transcriptomic profiles. Reverse engineering of biological networks from high-throughput gene expression profiles has been one of the grand challenges in systems biology. The Algorithm for the Reconstruction of Accurate Cellular Networks (ARACNe) represents one of the most effective and widely-used tools to address this challenge. However, existing ARACNe implementations do not efficiently process big input data with thousands of samples. Here we present an improved implementation of the algorithm, SJARACNe, to solve this big data problem, based on sophisticated software engineering. The new scalable SJARACNe package achieves a dramatic improvement in computational performance in both time and memory usage and implements new features while preserving the network inference accuracy of the original algorithm. Given that large-sampled transcriptomic data is increasingly available and ARACNe is extremely demanding for network reconstruction, the scalable SJARACNe will allow even researchers with modest computational resources to efficiently construct complex regulatory and signaling networks from thousands of gene expression profiles. Availability and implementation SJARACNe is implemented in C++ (computational core) and Python (pipelining scripting wrapper, ≥3.6.1). It is freely available at https://github.com/jyyulab/SJARACNe. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
snpR: User friendly population genomics for SNP data sets with categorical metadata

Field: Computer Science (Physical Sciences)

Abstract The analysis of genomic data can be an intimidating process, particularly for researchers who are not experienced programmers. Commonly used analyses are spread across many programs, each requiring their own specific input formats, and so data must often be repeatedly reorganized and transformed into new formats. Analyses often require splitting data according to metadata variables such as population or family, which can be challenging to manage in large data sets. Here, we introduce snpR, a user‐friendly data analysis package in R for processing SNP genomic data. snpR is designed to automate data subsetting and analyses across categorical metadata while also streamlining repeated analyses by integrating approaches contained in many different packages in a single ecosystem. snpR facilitates iterative and efficient analyses centred on a single R object for an entire analysis pipeline.
Biosynthesis of ketomycin.

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (Life Sciences)

The antibiotic ketomycin is formed from shikimic acid via chorismic acid and prephenic acid. Phenylalanine and 2',5'-dihydrophenylalanine are not intermediates in the biosynthesis. Degradation of ketomycin derived from [1,6-14C]shikimic acid showed that prephenic acid is converted into ketomycin with stereospecific discrimination between the two enantiotopic edges of the ring, the pro-S-R edge giving rise to the C-2', C-3' side of the cyclohexene ring of ketomycin.
Adoption of Technological Change in the Public Sector: Evidence From US States

Field: Social Sciences (Social Sciences)

Our paper explores the broad influences that stimulate technological change in governmental service delivery. Using panel data by state, we examine whether residents are able to apply for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits via technology services such as the internet or automated telephone, or are required to apply in person. The reduced form model tests for the relative influence of residential demand, political pressure, and bureaucratic influence. We find that it is the dispersion of the urban population across a state that provides the impetus for government adoption of new technology, in stark contrast to the importance of urban concentration found for the private sector. A unique additional influence we test is the ability of the entrenched bureaucracy to impede technology options. We find that governors of either political party in their term-limited term—when compromise with bureaucrats is less important—save 4% in administrative costs. We find that technology adoption can be delayed but not prevented by bureaucratic interests.
A brief history of Chinese martial arts

Field: Arts and Humanities (Social Sciences)

Chinese martial arts are considered by many to symbolise the strength of the Chinese and their pride in their history, and have long been regarded as an important element of Chinese culture. The past few decades have seen 'kung fu fever' spread across China and around the world. Due to its increasing popularity, wushu was made a competition event at the Asian Games in 1990, and the International Wushu Federation (IWUF) was established. Over the years, with the efforts of wushu enthusiasts and assisted by wuxia movies, Chinese martial arts have gained mainstream popularity. This chapter examines the development of Chinese martial arts in the context of history and politics. It points out that today, with millions of people practising wushu and participating in wushu competitions, Chinese martial arts are attracting a worldwide audience. They have made, and will continue to make, important contributions to the promotion of cross-cultural exchanges and understanding between China and the world.
Overexpression of artemisinic aldehyde Δ11 (13) reductase gene–enhanced artemisinin and its relative metabolite biosynthesis in transgenic Artemisia annua L.

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences (Life Sciences)

Abstract Artemisinic aldehyde Δ11 (13) reductase ( DBR 2) is the checkpoint enzyme catalyzing artemisinic aldehyde to form dihydroartemisinic aldehyde directly involved in artemisinin biosynthetic pathway. In the present study, DBR 2 was employed to engineer the biosynthetic pathway of artemisinin in transgenic plants of A rtemisia annua L . Seven independent transgenic plants of A . annua with DBR 2 overexpression driven by the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter were obtained by A grobacterium ‐mediated genetic transformation and confirmed by genomic PCR . The results of real‐time q PCR analysis showed that the expression levels of DBR 2 gene in all the seven transgenic lines were significantly higher than in nontransgenic control. The high‐performance liquid chromatography analysis of artemisinin and its relative metabolites demonstrated that the contents of artemisinin and its direct precursor dihydroartemisinic acid were remarkably increased in the transgenic plants of A . annua with DBR 2 overexpression. Interestingly, it was also found that the contents of arteannuin B and its direct precursor artemisinic acid in the branch pathway competing against artemisinin biosynthesis were also improved in DBR 2‐overexpressed A . annua plants. The transgenic results in the present study indicated that DBR 2 is a useful structural gene in engineering the artemisinin biosynthetic pathway to develop genetically modified A . annua with the higher yield of artemisinin.
Water Exchange versus Air Insufflation for Colonoscopy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Field: Medicine (Health Sciences)

Introduction: Colonoscopy is a widely used modality for screening and diagnostic purposes and is the most important tool in the prevention and early detection of colorectal cancer. In settings where un-sedated colonoscopy is offered, minimal pain and discomfort are desired by the patients. Prominent efforts have been made in the last few years to improve the quality of the procedure and minimize patient discomfort, costs and side effects related to the procedure. The water exchange (WE) method that involves infusion and withdrawal of water during the insertion phase of colonoscopy has been shown to be superior to the more conventional air insufflation (AI) method in several aspects including reduction in pain scores, increased adenoma detection rate and improved quality of bowel preparation. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the efficacy of WE method with the conventional AI method.Figure: Maximum Pain score during colonoscopy.Methods: We searched key bibliographic databases using keywords and MeSH terms related to ‘water exchange', ‘colonoscopy' and ‘air insuffl ation'. We included only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the WE method with the AI method. Our primary analysis included maximum pain score during insertion, adenoma detection rate and cecal intubation rate. Secondary outcomes included total time for colonoscopy, cecal intubation time, position changes, willingness to repeat colonoscopy and the quality of the bowel preparation. Relevant data were extracted and meta-analyses were performed using RevMan. Results: Thirteen RCTs with a total of 7543 participants were included in the meta-analysis after full text review that matched the inclusion and exclusion criteria. There was a significant reduction in maximum pain score with the WE method compared to the AI method (mean difference: -1.44; 95% CI: -1.85 to -1.03). There was an overall increase in the adenoma detection rate (odds ratio [OR]: 1.72; 95% CI: 1.35-2.20) and an increase in adenoma detection in the proximal colon (OR: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.35-1.90). There was no difference in cecal intubation rate between the WE and the AI methods. Although the time to reach cecum was increased with the WE method, there was no difference in the total time to complete colonoscopy. More people who underwent WE method were willing to repeat the colonoscopy and had better bowel preparation. These results are displayed in Table 1. Conclusion:: WE method appears to be a promising addition to colorectal cancer screening given the reduction in pain scores, increased adenoma detection rate and the willingness of the patients to repeat un-sedated colonoscopy. Further, there appears to be no difference in the time to perform colonoscopy which has been perceived to be a barrier to this method.Table: Table. Primary and Secondary Outcomes
Characterisation and Behaviour of Various Ceramic Coatings in Seawater. Influence of the Surface Preparation on the Adhesion and Corrosion Control

Field: Materials Science (Physical Sciences)

The object of this study was to determine the influence of the substrate preparation on the adhesion and corrosion resistance of various ceramic coatings used in seawater. The adhesion properties of the various coatings were characterised using a four-point bend test or a pull-out test, and the corrosion performance of the coatings was evaluated by electrochemical measurements and exposure tests. It was shown that substrate sandblasting was without effect both on adhesion and corrosion control. The presence of a sub-layer is not necessary to obtain good adhesion of the three kinds of ceramic coating studied here. The sub-layer/substrate interface is weaker than the ceramic/sub-layer or ceramic/substrate interface. Thus, the risk of decohesion of the multilayer coatings is higher than that of a single ceramic coating. The severity of cracking under mechanical stress depends on the thickness ratio of the ceramic and the sub-layer, and on the nature of this sub-layer. The electrochemical measurements have confirmed that all the ceramic coatings are porous. For both oxide ceramic coatings, the presence of a sub-layer has a beneficial effect on corrosion control but for the carbide coating it is not possible to conclude whether the presence of a sub-layer is beneficial.
Sticky Activism: The Gangnam Station Murder Case and New Feminist Practices against Misogyny and Femicide

Field: Social Sciences (Social Sciences)

This article examines the convergence of online and offline political action in the form of “sticky note activism” following the 2016 Gangnam Station murder in South Korea, which involved the posting of handwritten sticky notes in public spaces and the dissemination of images of the notes through digital media. I argue that, as an alternative feminist media practice, sticky note activism has helped catalyze the formation of affective counterpublics by mobilizing women’s affect, challenging dominant narratives about the misogynistic murder, and, thereby, broadening the context for the collective articulation of new feminist voices and practices.
Metabolism of Glutamic Acid in Aspergillus ochraceus During the Biosynthesis of Ochratoxin A

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (Life Sciences)

The uptake and utilization of glutamic acid in the biosynthesis of ochratoxin A by Aspergillus ochraceus were studied. Uniformly labeled L-[14C]glutamic acid was incorporated into both the phenylalanine and isocoumarin moieties of ochratoxin A. Penicillic acid was also labeled. During the early stages of development, the amino acid was used mainly for the synthesis of ribonucleic acid and protein. A portion of glutamic acid was oxidized and was recovered as metabolic 14CO2. The initial uptake velocity of glutamic acid decreased with age and was pH and temperature dependent. No relationship was found between the initial uptake velocities and ochratoxin A biosynthesis.
Current clinical efficacy of chloroquine for the treatment of plasmodium falciparum infections in Ugwogo-Nike, Enugu East Local Government Area Of Enugu State, Nigeria

Field: Medicine (Health Sciences)

Background: There has been persistent report of increasing rate of chloroquine resistance in Plasmodium faciparum malaria in Nigeria. The present study is aimed at assessing the current level of chloroquine resistance among under five children in Ugwogo-Nike, Enugu East Local Government Area Enugu State. \nMaterials and Methods: One hundred and five under-five children with microscopically confirmed falciparum malaria were given the standard oral chloroquine therapy (l0mg/kg days 1 and 2; 5mg/kg day 3). Using the 14-day WHO protocol, they were followed up.\nResults: Treatment failure was recorded in 33% of the cases, 20% of which were early treatment failure, the remaining 13% being late treatment failure. \nConclusion: We conclude that the clinical efficacy of chloroquine as a first line therapy in this environment is low.