Yahoo!

About: Yahoo! is a company organization based out in London, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Web search query. The organization has 26749 authors who have published 29915 publications receiving 732583 citations. The organization is also known as: Yahoo! Inc. & Maudwen-Yahoo! Inc.

Detecting controversial events from twitter

Abstract: Social media provides researchers with continuously updated information about developments of interest to large audiences. This paper addresses the task of identifying controversial events using Twitter as a starting point: we propose 3 models for this task and report encouraging initial results.

Physicochemical Properties Related to Quality of Rice Noodles

Abstract: Eleven rice genotypes with diverse Rapid Visco Analyzer (RVA) pasting characteristics were evaluated for their physicochemical and gel textural characteristics relative to their suitability for making rice noodles. Apparent amylose content (AC) was highly correlated with swelling power (r = -0.65, P < 0.05), flour swelling volume (FSV) (r = -0.67, P < 0.05), noodle hardness (r = 0.74, P < 0.01), gumminess (r = 0.82, P < 0.01), chewiness (r = 0.74, P < 0.01), and tensile strength (r = 0.72, P < 0.05). Solubility showed an inverse relationship with the pasting parameters and noodle rehydration, and a positive relationship with cooking loss, noodle hardness, and gumminess. FSV and most of the pasting parameters were negatively correlated with noodle hardness. RVA parameters and textural parameters of gels formed in the RVA canister were well correlated with actual noodle texture and may, therefore, be used for predicting rice noodle quality during early screening of genotypes in breeding programs.

Human Leukocyte Antigen-G Expression After Heart Transplantation Is Associated With a Reduced Incidence of Rejection

Abstract: Background— Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G, a nonclassic major histocompatibility complex class I molecule expressed in the extravillous cytotrophoblast at the feto-maternal interface, is known to protect the fetus from maternal cellular immunity. In a preliminary study, we showed that HLA-G is expressed in the hearts of some patients after heart transplantation. Methods and Results— In the present study, a larger number of patients was investigated to confirm this finding and to look for possible correlations between HLA-G expression and the number and types of rejection. Expression of HLA-G in endomyocardial biopsy specimens was investigated by immunohistochemical analysis, and detection of the soluble HLA-G in the serum was performed by immunoprecipitation followed by Western blot analysis. HLA-G was detected in the biopsy specimens and serum of 9 of 51 patients (18%). The number of episodes of acute rejection was significantly lower in HLA-G-positive patients (1.2±1.1) as compared with HLA-G-negative...

Combination therapy (intratympanic dexamethasone + high-dose prednisone taper) for the treatment of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

Abstract: BACKGROUND Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (ISSNHL), commonly defined as greater than 20 dB of unilateral hearing loss in at least 3 frequencies occurring within 3 days, has a reported incidence of 5 to 20 per 100,000 patients per year. Untreated, it has a recovery rate of 32 to 65%. Although accepted therapy is high-dose prednisone taper (HDPT), recent publications suggest that intratympanic dexamethasone (IT-Dex) therapy may improve hearing recovery. METHODS This multicenter, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized study seeks to compare hearing results in ISSNHL patients who have received HDPT alone, IT-Dex alone, or IT-Dex and HDPT (combination therapy). Fifty-one patients with a less than 6-week history of ISSNHL were randomized to 1 of 3 arms and followed prospectively. Group A (17 patients) received IT-Dex therapy with placebo taper, whereas Group B (18 patients) were administered HDPT and placebo intratympanic injections. Patients in Group C (16 patients) were administered IT-Dex and HDPT, otherwise known as combination therapy. Injections (IT-Dex/placebo) and audiograms were performed weekly for 3 weeks, and a final audiogram was obtained 4 weeks after the final injection. RESULTS Patients receiving combination therapy (IT-Dex + HDPT) in Group C had an average improvement in speech discrimination score of 44 percentage points and a 40-dB improvement in pure-tone average (PTA). Patients in Group C had statistically significant improvements in speech discrimination score compared with Group B patients (HDPT alone; p < 0.05). When defining a significant improvement in PTA as greater than 15 dB, there was a statistically significant difference between the groups in the proportion of patients achieving hearing improvement. Furthermore, the proportion of patients achieving a significant PTA improvement in Group C was statistically greater than patients in Group B (p < 0.02). Logistic regression analysis indicates that patients receiving combination therapy demonstrated better odds of hearing recovery than patients in both of the other groups (p < 0.05), when all 3 groups were adjusted for age, vertigo, initial hearing levels, and time delay between onset of hearing loss and treatment. Lastly, combination therapy patients recovered their hearing more quickly than patients in the other groups (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION The results of this study suggest that ISSNHL patients treated with IT-Dex + HDPT (combination therapy) have a higher likelihood of hearing recovery than those treated with HDPT alone.

Focus on Extracellular Vesicles: New Frontiers of Cell-to-Cell Communication in Cancer

Abstract: Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) have received considerable attention in recent years, both as mediators of intercellular communication pathways that lead to tumor progression, and as potential sources for discovery of novel cancer biomarkers. For many years, research on EVs has mainly investigated either the mechanism of biogenesis and cargo selection and incorporation, or the methods of EV isolation from available body fluids for biomarker discovery. Recent studies have highlighted the existence of different populations of cancer-derived EVs, with distinct molecular cargo, thus pointing to the possibility that the various EV populations might play diverse roles in cancer and that this does not happen randomly. However, data attributing cancer specific intercellular functions to given populations of EVs are still limited. A deeper functional, biochemical and molecular characterization of the various EV classes might identify more selective clinical markers, and significantly advance our knowledge of the pathogenesis and disease progression of many cancer types.