Contribution of Color Information in Visual Saliency Model for Videos

International audienceMuch research has been concerned with the contribution of the low level features of a visual scene to the deployment of visual attention. Bottom-up saliency models have been developed to predict the location of gaze according to these features. So far, color besides to brightness, contrast and motion is considered as one of the primary features in computing bottom-up saliency. However, its contribution in guiding eye movements when viewing natural scenes has been debated. We investigated the contribution of color information in a bottom-up visual saliency model. The model efficiency was tested using the experimental data obtained on 45 observers who were eye tracked while freely exploring a large data set of color and grayscale videos. The two datasets of recorded eye positions, for grayscale and color videos, were compared with a luminance-based saliency model. We incorporated chrominance information to the model. Results show that color information improves the performance of the saliency model in predicting eye positions

Serum magnesium and calcium levels in relation to ischemic stroke : Mendelian randomization study

ObjectiveTo determine whether serum magnesium and calcium concentrations are causally associated with ischemic stroke or any of its subtypes using the mendelian randomization approach.MethodsAnalyses were conducted using summary statistics data for 13 single-nucleotide polymorphisms robustly associated with serum magnesium (n = 6) or serum calcium (n = 7) concentrations. The corresponding data for ischemic stroke were obtained from the MEGASTROKE consortium (34,217 cases and 404,630 noncases).ResultsIn standard mendelian randomization analysis, the odds ratios for each 0.1 mmol/L (about 1 SD) increase in genetically predicted serum magnesium concentrations were 0.78 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.69-0.89; p = 1.3 7 10-4) for all ischemic stroke, 0.63 (95% CI 0.50-0.80; p = 1.6 7 10-4) for cardioembolic stroke, and 0.60 (95% CI 0.44-0.82; p = 0.001) for large artery stroke; there was no association with small vessel stroke (odds ratio 0.90, 95% CI 0.67-1.20; p = 0.46). Only the association with cardioembolic stroke was robust in sensitivity analyses. There was no association of genetically predicted serum calcium concentrations with all ischemic stroke (per 0.5 mg/dL [about 1 SD] increase in serum calcium: odds ratio 1.03, 95% CI 0.88-1.21) or with any subtype.ConclusionsThis study found that genetically higher serum magnesium concentrations are associated with a reduced risk of cardioembolic stroke but found no significant association of genetically higher serum calcium concentrations with any ischemic stroke subtype

Measurement of the W+W- Production Cross Section in ppbar Collisions at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV using Dilepton Events

We present a measurement of the W+W- production cross section using 184/pb of ppbar collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV collected with the Collider Detector at Fermilab. Using the dilepton decay channel W+W- -> l+l-vvbar, where the charged leptons can be either electrons or muons, we find 17 candidate events compared to an expected background of 5.0+2.2-0.8 events. The resulting W+W- production cross section measurement of sigma(ppbar -> W+W-) = 14.6 +5.8 -5.1 (stat) +1.8 -3.0 (syst) +-0.9 (lum) pb agrees well with the Standard Model expectation.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables. To be submitted to Physical Review Letter

Associations of autozygosity with a broad range of human phenotypes

In many species, the offspring of related parents suffer reduced reproductive success, a phenomenon known as inbreeding depression. In humans, the importance of this effect has remained unclear, partly because reproduction between close relatives is both rare and frequently associated with confounding social factors. Here, using genomic inbreeding coefficients (FROH) for >1.4 million individuals, we show that FROH is significantly associated (p < 0.0005) with apparently deleterious changes in 32 out of 100 traits analysed. These changes are associated with runs of homozygosity (ROH), but not with common variant homozygosity, suggesting that genetic variants associated with inbreeding depression are predominantly rare. The effect on fertility is striking: FROH equivalent to the offspring of first cousins is associated with a 55% decrease [95% CI 44–66%] in the odds of having children. Finally, the effects of FROH are confirmed within full-sibling pairs, where the variation in FROH is independent of all environmental confounding

Cyanide oxygenase and cyanase activities of Pseudomonas fluorescens NCIMB 11764

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DX79697 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ ПРОСПЕКТИВНОГО МНОГОЦЕНТРОВОГО НАБЛЮДАТЕЛЬНОГО ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ ЭФФЕКТИВНОСТИ ЛОПИНАВИРА/РИТОНАВИРА В СОЧЕТАНИИ С ЛАМИВУДИНОМ В ТЕЧЕНИЕ 48 НЕДЕЛЬ У ВИЧ-1-ИНФИЦИРОВАННЫХ ПАЦИЕНТОВ В РУТИННОЙ КЛИНИЧЕСКОЙ ПРАКТИКЕ В РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ (ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ SIMPLE)

Objective. To evaluate the virologie efficiency of dual antiretroviral therapy (ART) [lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) + lamivudine (3TC)] in treatment-experienced HIV-1-infected patients in the routine clinical settings of the Russian Federation. Subjects and methods. The multicenter non-interventional study was conducted in 13 federal and republican centers for prevention and control of AIDS and communicable diseases in 12 regions of the Russian Federation. The inclusion criteria were an age 18 years or older, plasma HIV-1 RNA + T-cell counts at weeks 24 and 48. The safety assessment included HIV ART resistance testing, anthropometric measurements, blood chemistry evaluation, and the rates of serious and non-serious adverse events (AEs). The results were interpreted using descriptive statistics methods. Results. Between November 2015 and May 2017, the investigation enrolled 216 HIV-infected Caucasian male and female patients aged 20 to 69 years (mean age, 38.1 + 8.5 years; median age, 36.0 years); out of them, 202 (93.52%) patients completed the per-protocol study; 14 (6.48%) patients discontinued prematurely because of various reasons. The proportion of patients with an undetectable HIV-1 RNA level was 100% (95% Cl, 98.31-100.0) at Visit 1 (enrollment), 98.1 % (95% Cl, 95.17-99.48) at Visit 2 (week 12), 99.5%> (95% Cl, 9729-99.99) at Visit 3 (week 24), 100% (95% Cl, 98.21-100.0) at Visit 4 (week 36), and 100% (95% Cl, 98.18-100] at Visit 5 (week 48). At Visit 2 (week 12), VT + 50 copies/ml was recorded in 4 patients; in 2 of them, ineffective therapy (VT 3 400 copies/ml) was confirmed by repeated assays. One patient with a therapy failure was found to have a number of nucleoside and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor mutations. The СD4+ -lymphocyte cell counts increased significantly during ART versus at baseline; the mean week 48 increment in СD4+ -lymphocyte counts was 111.75 ± 184.48 cells/mm3(95% Cl, 86.15-137.34) or 1.43 ± 6.31% (95% Cl, 0.55-2.31). The patients well tolerated the TPV/r + 3TC regimen. There were no statistically significant changes in the mean anthropometric and laboratory values as compared to the baseline ones. Clinically significantly abnormal ATT, AST, blood glucose, and total cholesterol levels were recorded in 4 (1.9%) patients at weeks 24 and 48. The spontaneous reporting method showed that a total of 3 (1.4%) patients had 9 AEs. They all were non-serious and regarded by the attending physician as being unrelated to TPV/r + 3TC therapy. Six cases of AEs in 2 (1.9%) patients were related to gastrointestinal tract disorders (abdominal pain, diarrhea, dyspepsia, and vomiting); 3 (1.4%) patients terminated their participation in the study early due to pregnancy. Conclusion. Switching treatment-experienced HIV-1 infected patients to the TPV/r + 3TC regimen ensured maintenance of virologie suppression and improvement of an immune response during the 48-week follow-up. The proposed therapy regimen showed a good tolerance and a favorable safety prof ile.Цель исследования. Оценка вирусологической эффективности двойной схемы антиретровирусной терапии (APT) [лопинавир/ритонавир (TPV/r) + ламивудин (ЗТС)] у ВИЧ-1-инфицированных пациентов, имеющих предшествующий опыт лечения, в рутинной клинической практике в Российской Федерации. Материалы и методы. Проведено неинтервенционное многоцентровое исследование на базе 13 федеральных и республиканских центров по профилактике и борьбе со СПИД и инфекционными заболеваниями в 12 регионах Российской Федерации. Критерии включения в исследование: возраст пациентов 18 лет и старше, уровень РНК ВИЧ-1 в плазме крови 50 копий/мл, у 2 из них по результатам повторных анализов была подтверждена неэффективность терапии (ВН > 400 копий/мл). У 1 пациента с неэффективностью терапии был выявлен ряд мутаций к НИОТ и ННИОТ. На фоне APT значительно увеличилось количество CD4+-лимфоцитов по сравнению с исходным уровнем: средний прирост на 48-й неделе составил 111,75 ± 184,48 клеток/мм3 [95% ДИ 86,15-137,34] или 1,43 ± 6,31%> [95% ДИ 0,55-2,31]. Пациенты хорошо переносили APT по схеме TPV/r + ЗТС. Не было выявлено статистически значимых изменений средних значений антропометрических и лабораторных показателей по сравнению с исходными. У 4 (1,9%) пациентов на 24-й и 48-й неделях были зарегистрированы клинически значимые отклонения от нормы уровней АЛТ, ACT, глюкозы крови и общего холестерина. Всего у 3 (1,4%) пациентов методом спонтанных сообщений были зарегистрированы 9 НЯ. Все они были несерьезными и расценены лечащим врачом как не связанные с терапией LPV/r + ЗТС. 6 случаев НЯ у 2 (1,9%) пациентов относились к нарушениям со стороны желудочно-кишечного тракта (боль в животе, диарея, диспепсия и рвота). 3 (1,4%) пациентки досрочно прекратили участие в исследовании в связи с беременностью. Заключение. Переключение ВИЧ-1-инфицированных пациентов с предшествующим опытом APT на режим LPV/r + ЗТС обеспечивало поддержание вирусологической супрессии и улучшение иммунного ответа на протяжении 48 нед. наблюдения. Отмечены хорошая переносимость и благоприятный профиль безопасности предложенной схемы терапии

РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ ПРОСПЕКТИВНОГО МНОГОЦЕНТРОВОГО НАБЛЮДАТЕЛЬНОГО ИССЛЕДОВАНИЯ ЭФФЕКТИВНОСТИ ЛОПИНАВИРА/РИТОНАВИРА В СОЧЕТАНИИ С ЛАМИВУДИНОМ В ТЕЧЕНИЕ 48 НЕДЕЛЬ У ВИЧ-1-ИНФИЦИРОВАННЫХ ПАЦИЕНТОВ В РУТИННОЙ КЛИНИЧЕСКОЙ ПРАКТИКЕ В РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ (ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ SIMPLE)

Objective. To evaluate the virologie efficiency of dual antiretroviral therapy (ART) [lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) + lamivudine (3TC)] in treatment-experienced HIV-1-infected patients in the routine clinical settings of the Russian Federation. Subjects and methods. The multicenter non-interventional study was conducted in 13 federal and republican centers for prevention and control of AIDS and communicable diseases in 12 regions of the Russian Federation. The inclusion criteria were an age 18 years or older, plasma HIV-1 RNA + T-cell counts at weeks 24 and 48. The safety assessment included HIV ART resistance testing, anthropometric measurements, blood chemistry evaluation, and the rates of serious and non-serious adverse events (AEs). The results were interpreted using descriptive statistics methods. Results. Between November 2015 and May 2017, the investigation enrolled 216 HIV-infected Caucasian male and female patients aged 20 to 69 years (mean age, 38.1 + 8.5 years; median age, 36.0 years); out of them, 202 (93.52%) patients completed the per-protocol study; 14 (6.48%) patients discontinued prematurely because of various reasons. The proportion of patients with an undetectable HIV-1 RNA level was 100% (95% Cl, 98.31-100.0) at Visit 1 (enrollment), 98.1 % (95% Cl, 95.17-99.48) at Visit 2 (week 12), 99.5%> (95% Cl, 9729-99.99) at Visit 3 (week 24), 100% (95% Cl, 98.21-100.0) at Visit 4 (week 36), and 100% (95% Cl, 98.18-100] at Visit 5 (week 48). At Visit 2 (week 12), VT + 50 copies/ml was recorded in 4 patients; in 2 of them, ineffective therapy (VT 3 400 copies/ml) was confirmed by repeated assays. One patient with a therapy failure was found to have a number of nucleoside and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor mutations. The СD4+ -lymphocyte cell counts increased significantly during ART versus at baseline; the mean week 48 increment in СD4+ -lymphocyte counts was 111.75 ± 184.48 cells/mm3(95% Cl, 86.15-137.34) or 1.43 ± 6.31% (95% Cl, 0.55-2.31). The patients well tolerated the TPV/r + 3TC regimen. There were no statistically significant changes in the mean anthropometric and laboratory values as compared to the baseline ones. Clinically significantly abnormal ATT, AST, blood glucose, and total cholesterol levels were recorded in 4 (1.9%) patients at weeks 24 and 48. The spontaneous reporting method showed that a total of 3 (1.4%) patients had 9 AEs. They all were non-serious and regarded by the attending physician as being unrelated to TPV/r + 3TC therapy. Six cases of AEs in 2 (1.9%) patients were related to gastrointestinal tract disorders (abdominal pain, diarrhea, dyspepsia, and vomiting); 3 (1.4%) patients terminated their participation in the study early due to pregnancy. Conclusion. Switching treatment-experienced HIV-1 infected patients to the TPV/r + 3TC regimen ensured maintenance of virologie suppression and improvement of an immune response during the 48-week follow-up. The proposed therapy regimen showed a good tolerance and a favorable safety prof ile.Цель исследования. Оценка вирусологической эффективности двойной схемы антиретровирусной терапии (APT) [лопинавир/ритонавир (TPV/r) + ламивудин (ЗТС)] у ВИЧ-1-инфицированных пациентов, имеющих предшествующий опыт лечения, в рутинной клинической практике в Российской Федерации. Материалы и методы. Проведено неинтервенционное многоцентровое исследование на базе 13 федеральных и республиканских центров по профилактике и борьбе со СПИД и инфекционными заболеваниями в 12 регионах Российской Федерации. Критерии включения в исследование: возраст пациентов 18 лет и старше, уровень РНК ВИЧ-1 в плазме крови 50 копий/мл, у 2 из них по результатам повторных анализов была подтверждена неэффективность терапии (ВН > 400 копий/мл). У 1 пациента с неэффективностью терапии был выявлен ряд мутаций к НИОТ и ННИОТ. На фоне APT значительно увеличилось количество CD4+-лимфоцитов по сравнению с исходным уровнем: средний прирост на 48-й неделе составил 111,75 ± 184,48 клеток/мм3 [95% ДИ 86,15-137,34] или 1,43 ± 6,31%> [95% ДИ 0,55-2,31]. Пациенты хорошо переносили APT по схеме TPV/r + ЗТС. Не было выявлено статистически значимых изменений средних значений антропометрических и лабораторных показателей по сравнению с исходными. У 4 (1,9%) пациентов на 24-й и 48-й неделях были зарегистрированы клинически значимые отклонения от нормы уровней АЛТ, ACT, глюкозы крови и общего холестерина. Всего у 3 (1,4%) пациентов методом спонтанных сообщений были зарегистрированы 9 НЯ. Все они были несерьезными и расценены лечащим врачом как не связанные с терапией LPV/r + ЗТС. 6 случаев НЯ у 2 (1,9%) пациентов относились к нарушениям со стороны желудочно-кишечного тракта (боль в животе, диарея, диспепсия и рвота). 3 (1,4%) пациентки досрочно прекратили участие в исследовании в связи с беременностью. Заключение. Переключение ВИЧ-1-инфицированных пациентов с предшествующим опытом APT на режим LPV/r + ЗТС обеспечивало поддержание вирусологической супрессии и улучшение иммунного ответа на протяжении 48 нед. наблюдения. Отмечены хорошая переносимость и благоприятный профиль безопасности предложенной схемы терапии

Protecting against anthracycline-induced myocardial damage: a review of the most promising strategies

Over the last 40 years, great progress has been made in treating childhood and adult cancers. However, this progress has come at an unforeseen cost, in the form of emerging long-term effects of anthracycline treatment. A major complication of anthracycline therapy is its adverse cardiovascular effects. If these cardiac complications could be reduced or prevented, higher doses of anthracyclines could potentially be used, thereby further increasing cancer cure rates. Moreover, as the incidence of cardiac toxicity resulting in congestive heart failure or even heart transplantation dropped, the quality and extent of life for cancer survivors would improve. We review the proposed mechanisms of action of anthracyclines and the consequences associated with anthracycline treatment in children and adults. We summarise the most promising current strategies to limit or prevent anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity, as well as possible strategies to prevent existing cardiomyopathy from worsenin