SACOC: A spectral-based ACO clustering algorithm

The application of ACO-based algorithms in data mining is growing over the last few years and several supervised and unsupervised learning algorithms have been developed using this bio-inspired approach. Most recent works concerning unsupervised learning have been focused on clustering, where ACO-based techniques have showed a great potential. At the same time, new clustering techniques that seek the continuity of data, specially focused on spectral-based approaches in opposition to classical centroid-based approaches, have attracted an increasing research interest–an area still under study by ACO clustering techniques. This work presents a hybrid spectral-based ACO clustering algorithm inspired by the ACO Clustering (ACOC) algorithm. The proposed approach combines ACOC with the spectral Laplacian to generate a new search space for the algorithm in order to obtain more promising solutions. The new algorithm, called SACOC, has been compared against well-known algorithms (K-means and Spectral Clustering) and with ACOC. The experiments measure the accuracy of the algorithm for both synthetic datasets and real-world datasets extracted from the UCI Machine Learning Repository

Sosialisasi Undang-undang No 1 Tahun 1974 Tentang Perkawinan terhadap Problematika Nikah Dini di Kabupaten Lombok Utara

Fokus kegiatan ini adalah pada sosialisasi undang-undang (UU) nomor 1(satu) tahun 1974 tentang perkawinan, lebih spesifik lagi terkait pasal 7 (tujuh) ayat (1) tentang batas minimum usia perkawinan, yang sebelumnya (sebelum revisi) bahwa, batas usia perkawinan bagi perempuan dan laki-laki adalah 19 tahun. Dalam pelaksaan kegiatan dilakuakn dengan cara turun langsung ke lapangan,melakukan sosialisasi bertemu secara langsung dengan warga masyarakat desa Dangiang kecamatan kayangan kabupaten Lombok Barat, kegiatan ini dilakukan di aula gedung serba guna desa Dangiang. Pernikahan dini sendiri menjadi masalah yang serius yang terjadi pada masyarakat desa Dangiang sebab tidak sedikit anak-anak dibawah umur di desa dangiang melewati masa mudanya dengan mengendong anak (menikah dini) sehingga berpengaruh pada kesiapan mental dan fisik mereka, oleh karena itu perlu dilakukan sebuah pendampingan kepada orang tua serta anak muda baik berupa pembinaan ataupun sosialisasi. Berdasarkan temuan lapangan bahwa tidak sedidkit masyarakat tidak memahami aturan Negara (UU) terkait dengan perkawinan, hal ini bias dipahami karena kurangnya sosialisasi dari instansi terkait, tingkat pendidikan yang masih rendah serta letak geografis yang sulit dan jauh dari pusat kota. Oleh karena itu kesimpulannya bahwa kedepannya perlu adanya pembinaan,pendampingnan terhadap masyarakat desa dangiang khusunya didalam memahami aturan perkawinan serta dampak daripada pernikahan dini

Association study of two interleukin-1 gene loci with essential hypertension in a Pakistani Pathan population

An association study of IL-1 beta -511C/T and IL-1 RN 86 bp VNTR polymorphisms with essential hypertension was carried out in a sample population of 500 Pakistani Pathan subjects selected randomly, comprising groups of 235 subjects with hypertension and 265 controls. The distribution of both genotypes and alleles was not statistically different in cases and controls. In conclusion, IL-1 beta -511C/T and IL-1 RN 86 bp VNTR do not contribute to the aetiology of essential hypertension in the Pakistani Pathan population investigated here

Treatment of hypertension in rural Cambodia: results of a 6-year programme

This study was aimed to describe the outcomes of a hypertension treatment programme in two outpatient clinics in Cambodia. We determined proportions of patients who met the optimal targets for blood pressure (BP) control and assessed the evolution of mean systolic and diastolic BP (SBP/DBP) over time. Multivariate analyses were used to identify predictors of BP decrease and risk factors for LTFU. A total of 2858 patients were enrolled between March 2002 and June 2008 of whom 69.2% were female, 30.5% were aged >/=64years and 32.6% were diabetic. The median follow-up time was 600 days. By the end of 2008, 1642 (57.4%) were alive-in-care, 8 (0.3%) had died and 1208 (42.3%) were lost to follow-up. On admission, mean SBP and DBP were 162 and 94 mm Hg, respectively. Among the patients treated, a significant SBP reduction of 26.8 mm Hg (95% CI: 28.4-25.3) was observed at 6 months. Overall, 36.5% of patients reached the BP targets at 24 months. The number of young adults, non-overweight patients and non-diabetics reaching the BP targets was more. Older age (>64 years), uncontrolled DBP (>/=90 mm Hg) on last consultation and coming late for the last consultation were associated with LTFU, whereas non-diabetic patients were 1.5 times more likely to default than diabetics (95% CI: 1.3-1.7). Although the definite magnitude of the BP decrease due to antihypertension medication over time cannot be assessed definitely without a control group, our results suggest that BP reduction can be obtained with essential hypertension treatment in a large-scale programme in a resource-limited setting

Transcriptional Repressor Gfi1 Integrates Cytokine-Receptor Signals Controlling B-Cell Differentiation

Hematopoietic stem cell differentiation is specified by cytokines and transcription factors, but the mechanisms controlling instructive and permissive signalling networks are poorly understood. We provide evidence that CLP1-dependent IL7-receptor mediated B cell differentiation is critically controlled by the transcriptional repressor Gfi1. Gfi1-deficient progenitor B cells show global defects in IL7Rα-dependent signal cascades. Consequently, IL7-dependent trophic, proliferative and differentiation-inducing responses of progenitor B cells are perturbed. Gfi1 directly regulates expression levels of IL7Rα and indirectly controls STAT5 signalling via expression of SOCS3. Thus, Gfi1 selectively specifies IL7-dependent development of B cells from CLP1 progenitors, providing clues to the transcriptional networks integrating cytokine signals and lymphoid differentiation

Potential Use of a Serpin from Arabidopsis for Pest Control

Although genetically modified (GM) plants expressing toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) protect agricultural crops against lepidopteran and coleopteran pests, field-evolved resistance to Bt toxins has been reported for populations of several lepidopteran species. Moreover, some important agricultural pests, like phloem-feeding insects, are not susceptible to Bt crops. Complementary pest control strategies are therefore necessary to assure that the benefits provided by those insect-resistant transgenic plants are not compromised and to target those pests that are not susceptible. Experimental GM plants producing plant protease inhibitors have been shown to confer resistance against a wide range of agricultural pests. In this study we assessed the potential of AtSerpin1, a serpin from Arabidopsis thaliana (L). Heynh., for pest control. In vitro assays were conducted with a wide range of pests that rely mainly on either serine or cysteine proteases for digestion and also with three non-target organisms occurring in agricultural crops. AtSerpin1 inhibited proteases from all pest and non-target species assayed. Subsequently, the cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis Boisduval and the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) were fed on artificial diets containing AtSerpin1, and S. littoralis was also fed on transgenic Arabidopsis plants overproducing AtSerpin1. AtSerpin1 supplied in the artificial diet or by transgenic plants reduced the growth of S. littoralis larvae by 65% and 38%, respectively, relative to controls. Nymphs of A. pisum exposed to diets containing AtSerpin1 suffered high mortality levels (LC50 = 637 µg ml−1). The results indicate that AtSerpin1 is a good candidate for exploitation in pest control

Application of Direct Renin Inhibition to Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease has serious implications with a high risk for progressive loss of renal function, increased cardiovascular events as well as a substantial financial burden. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is activated in chronic kidney disease, especially in diabetes and hypertension, which are the leading causes of chronic kidney disease. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) decrease the rate of progression of diabetic and non-diabetic nephropathy and are recommended therapy for chronic kidney disease. Key clinical trials supporting the use of ACE inhibitors and ARBs in chronic kidney disease are discussed. Recent developments in our understanding of RAAS biology and the use of direct renin inhibition are reviewed in the context of their potential impact on the prevention and management of chronic kidney disease. Despite the clinical success of ACE inhibitors and ARBs the rates of mortality and progression to renal failure remain high in these patient populations. ACE inhibitor or ARB monotherapy, in doses commonly used in clinical practice does not result in complete suppression of the RAAS. Aliskiren, a direct renin inhibitor, offers a novel approach to inhibit the RAAS in chronic kidney disease. High dose ARB therapy or combination therapies with ACE inhibitors and ARBs have shown beneficial effects on surrogate markers of chronic kidney disease. Early data based on urinary protein excretion rates as a surrogate marker for renal function suggest a possibly novel role for aliskiren alone or in combination with ARBs in chronic kidney disease

A meta-analysis of GFR slope as a surrogate endpoint for kidney failure

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decline is causally associated with kidney failure and is a candidate surrogate endpoint for clinical trials of chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. Analyses across a diverse spectrum of interventions and populations is required for acceptance of GFR decline as an endpoint. In an analysis of individual participant data, for each of 66 studies (total of 186,312 participants), we estimated treatment effects on the total GFR slope, computed from baseline to 3 years, and chronic slope, starting at 3 months after randomization, and on the clinical endpoint (doubling of serum creatinine, GFR < 15 ml min−1 per 1.73 m2 or kidney failure with replacement therapy). We used a Bayesian mixed-effects meta-regression model to relate treatment effects on GFR slope with those on the clinical endpoint across all studies and by disease groups (diabetes, glomerular diseases, CKD or cardiovascular diseases). Treatment effects on the clinical endpoint were strongly associated with treatment effects on total slope (median coefficient of determination (R2) = 0.97 (95% Bayesian credible interval (BCI) 0.82–1.00)) and moderately associated with those on chronic slope (R2 = 0.55 (95% BCI 0.25–0.77)). There was no evidence of heterogeneity across disease. Our results support the use of total slope as a primary endpoint for clinical trials of CKD progression

Addressing global disparities in blood pressure control: perspectives of the International Society of Hypertension

Raised blood pressure (BP) is the leading cause of preventable death in the world. Yet, its global prevalence is increasing, and it remains poorly detected, treated, and controlled in both high- and low-resource settings. From the perspective of members of the International Society of Hypertension based in all regions, we reflect on the past, present, and future of hypertension care, highlighting key challenges and opportunities, which are often region-specific. We report that most countries failed to show sufficient improvements in BP control rates over the past three decades, with greater improvements mainly seen in some high-income countries, also reflected in substantial reductions in the burden of cardiovascular disease and deaths. Globally, there are significant inequities and disparities based on resources, sociodemographic environment, and race with subsequent disproportionate hypertension-related outcomes. Additional unique challenges in specific regions include conflict, wars, migration, unemployment, rapid urbanization, extremely limited funding, pollution, COVID-19-related restrictions and inequalities, obesity, and excessive salt and alcohol intake. Immediate action is needed to address suboptimal hypertension care and related disparities on a global scale. We propose a Global Hypertension Care Taskforce including multiple stakeholders and societies to identify and implement actions in reducing inequities, addressing social, commercial, and environmental determinants, and strengthening health systems implement a well-designed customized quality-of-care improvement framework