LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Osteocel Plus cellular allograft in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: evaluation of clinical and radiographic outcomes from a prospective multicenter study.

STUDY DESIGN
Prospective, multicenter, nonrandomized, institutional review board-approved clinical and radiographic study.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate and summarize the 2-year outcomes of patients treated with Osteocel Plus cellular allograft as part of an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion procedure.


SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA
Osteocel Plus is an allograft cellular bone matrix containing native mesenchymal stem cells and osteoprogenitor cells that is intended to mimic the performance of iliac crest autograft without the morbidity associated with its harvest.


METHODS
A total of 182 patients were treated with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion using Osteocel Plus in a polyetheretherketone cage and anterior plating at 1 or 2 consecutive levels. Clinical outcomes included visual analogue scale for neck and arm pain, neck disability index, and SF-12 physical and mental component scores. Computed tomography and plain film radiographic measures included assessment of bridging bone, disc height, disc angle, and segmental range of motion.


RESULTS
A total of 249 levels were treated in 182 patients. Mean procedure time was 100 minutes, blood loss was less than 50 mL in 93% of patients, and hospital stay was 1 day or less in 84% of patients. Significant (P<0.05) average improvements in clinical outcomes from preoperatively to 24 months included the following: neck disability index: 21.5%; visual analogue scale neck: 34 mm; visual analogue scale arm: 35 mm; SF-12 physical component score: 11.2; SF-12 mental component score: 6.8. At 24 months, 93% of patients were satisfied with their outcome. In patients treated at a single level with a minimum of 24-month follow-up, 92% (79/86) of levels achieved solid bridging and 95% of levels demonstrated range of motion of less than 3°. In combined single- and 2-level procedures, 87% (157/180) of levels achieved solid bridging and 92% (148/161) had range of motion of less than 3° at 24 months. No patient required revision for pseudarthrosis.


CONCLUSION
Improvements in clinical results at 2 years, high patient satisfaction, and high radiographic and clinical fusion rates provide confidence in Osteocel Plus as an effective alternative to structural allograft or autograft in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion procedures.


LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
4.
Anthropology in the Clinic: The Problem of Cultural Competency and How to Fix It

October 2006 | Volume 3 | Issue 10 | e294 Cultural competency has become a fashionable term for clinicians and researchers. Yet no one can defi ne this term precisely enough to operationalize it in clinical training and best practices. It is clear that culture does matter in the clinic. Cultural factors are crucial to diagnosis, treatment, and care. They shape health-related beliefs, behaviors, and values [1,2]. But the large claims about the value of cultural competence for the art of professional care-giving around the world are simply not supported by robust evaluation research showing that systematic attention to culture really improves clinical services. This lack of evidence is a failure of outcome research to take culture seriously enough to routinely assess the cost-effectiveness of culturally informed therapeutic practices, not a lack of effort to introduce culturally informed strategies into clinical settings [3].
Hierarchical Classification Approach to Emotion Recognition in Twitter

Twitter is a micro logging service where worldwide users publish and share their feelings. However, sentiment analysis for Twitter messages ('tweets') is regarded as a challenging problem because tweets are short and informal. In this paper, we apply a novel approach for automatically classifying the sentiment and emotions of Twitter messages. These messages are hierarchically categorized on basis of neutrality, polarity (positive or negative) and presence of various emotions. The hierarchical classification approach (HC) is a specialization of the well-known flat classification task. The main difference between them is that when using HC, examples must be assigned to classes organized in a previously defined class hierarchy, while traditional flat classification does not take into account the hierarchical information. We applied our model to posts collected from Twitter regarding the 2011 season of the Brazilian Soccer League. Our results show that the proposed method outperforms the corresponding flat approach in emotion classification.
Prospective study on the mismatch concept in acute stroke patients within the first 24 h after symptom onset - 1000Plus study

BACKGROUND
The mismatch between diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) lesion and perfusion imaging (PI) deficit volumes has been used as a surrogate of ischemic penumbra. This pathophysiology-orientated patient selection criterion for acute stroke treatment may have the potential to replace a fixed time window. Two recent trials - DEFUSE and EPITHET - investigated the mismatch concept in a multicenter prospective approach. Both studies randomized highly selected patients (n = 74/n = 100) and therefore confirmation in a large consecutive cohort is desirable. We here present a single-center approach with a 3T MR tomograph next door to the stroke unit, serving as a bridge from the ER to the stroke unit to screen all TIA and stroke patients. Our primary hypothesis is that the prognostic value of the mismatch concept is depending on the vessel status. Primary endpoint of the study is infarct growth determined by imaging, secondary endpoints are neurological deficit on day 5-7 and functional outcome after 3 months.


METHODS AND DESIGN
1000Plus is a prospective, single centre observational study with 1200 patients to be recruited. All patients admitted to the ER with the clinical diagnosis of an acute cerebrovascular event within 24 hours after symptom onset are screened. Examinations are performed on day 1, 2 and 5-7 with neurological examination including National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scoring and stroke MRI including T2*, DWI, TOF-MRA, FLAIR and PI. PI is conducted as dynamic susceptibility-enhanced contrast imaging with a fixed dosage of 5 ml 1 M Gadobutrol. For post-processing of PI, mean transit time (MTT) parametric images are determined by deconvolution of the arterial input function (AIF) which is automatically identified. Lesion volumes and mismatch are measured and calculated by using the perfusion mismatch analyzer (PMA) software from ASIST-Japan. Primary endpoint is the change of infarct size between baseline examination and day 5-7 follow up.


DISCUSSIONS
The aim of this study is to describe the incidence of mismatch and the predictive value of PI for final lesion size and functional outcome depending on delay of imaging and vascular recanalization. It is crucial to standardize PI for future randomized clinical trials as for individual therapeutic decisions and we expect to contribute to this challenging task.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
clinicaltrials.gov NCT00715533.
The fundamental constants in physics and their time dependence

Abstract We discuss the fundamental constants in the Standard Model of particle physics. Furthermore we discuss possible changes of these constants on the cosmological time scale. The Grand Unification of the observed strong, electromagnetic and weak interactions implies relations between the time variations of the finestructure constant α and of the QCD scale Λ c . A change of α by 10 −15 /year, as seen by an astrophysics experiment, implies a time variation of Λ c of at least 10 −15 /year. An experiment in Quantum Optics, which was designed to look for a time variation of Λ c , is discussed.
Ultrasound-Guided Prolotherapy for Acromial Enthesopathy and Acromioclavicular Joint Arthropathy: A Single-Arm Prospective Study.

OBJECTIVES
Prolotherapy is an injection-based complementary treatment for various musculoskeletal diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of ultrasound-guided prolotherapy in the treatment of acromial enthesopathy and acromioclavicular joint arthropathy.


METHODS
Thirty-one patients with chronic moderate-to-severe shoulder pain were recruited from September 2015 to September 2017. Ultrasound-guided prolotherapy was performed by injecting 10 mL of a 15% dextrose solution into the acromial enthesis of the deltoid or acromioclavicular joint capsule aseptically. Prolotherapy was given in 2 sessions separated by a 1-month interval. The pretreatment-to-posttreatment change in the pain visual analog scale (VAS) score was recorded as the primary outcome. The mean follow-up duration was 61.8 days. A paired t test was used to assess the difference in pretreatment and posttreatment VAS scores. A univariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the demographic variables associated with substantial pain reduction after the intervention. Substantial pain reduction was defined as a posttreatment VAS score of 3 or less.


RESULTS
Twenty of the 31 patients reported substantial pain reduction without adverse effects after the intervention. The mean VAS score reduction ± SD was 4.3 ± 2.6 (pretreatment, 6.8 ± 1.5; posttreatment, 2.5 ± 2.1; P < .01).


CONCLUSIONS
Ultrasound-guided prolotherapy with a 15% dextrose solution is an effective and safe therapeutic option for moderate-to-severe acromial enthesopathy and acromioclavicular joint arthropathy.
HPV testing as a triage for borderline or mild dyskaryosis on cervical cytology: results from the Sentinel Sites study

Background:Earlier pilot studies of human papillomavirus (HPV) triage concluded that HPV triage was feasible and cost-effective. The aim of the present study was to study the impact of wider rollout of HPV triage for women with low-grade cytology on colposcopy referral and outcomes.Methods:Human papillomavirus testing of liquid-based cytology (LBC) samples showing low-grade abnormalities was used to select women for colposcopy referral at six sites in England. Samples from 10 051 women aged 25–64 years with routine call or recall cytology reported as borderline or mild dyskaryosis were included.Results:Human papillomavirus-positive rates were 53.7% in women with borderline cytology and 83.9% in those with mild dyskaryosis. The range between sites was 34.8–73.3% for borderline cytology, and 73.4–91.6% for mild dyskaryosis. In the single site using both LBC technologies there was no difference in rates between the two technologies. The positive predictive value of an HPV test was 16.3% for CIN2 or worse and 6.1% for CIN3 or worse, although there was considerable variation between sites.Conclusion:Triaging women with borderline cytological abnormalities and mild dyskaryosis with HPV testing would allow approximately a third of these women to be returned immediately to routine recall, and for a substantial proportion to be referred for colposcopy without repeat cytology. Variation in HPV-positive rates results in differing colposcopy workload.
EDITH PENROSE ’ S CONTRIBUTION TO THE RESOURCE-BASED VIEW OF STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

Edith Penrose’s (1959) book, The Theory of the Growth of the Firm, is considered by many scholars in the strategy field to be the seminal work that provided the intellectual foundations for the modern, resource-based theory of the firm. However, the present paper suggests that Penrose’s direct or intended contribution to resource-based thinking has been misinterpreted. Penrose never aimed to provide useful strategy prescriptions for managers to create a sustainable stream of rents; rather, she tried to rigorously describe the processes through which firms grow. In her theory, rents were generally assumed not to occur. If they arose this reflected an inefficient macro-level outcome of an otherwise efficient micro-level growth process. Nevertheless, her ideas have undoubtedly stimulated ‘good conversation’ within the strategy field in the spirit of Mahoney and Pandian (1992); their emerging use by some scholars as building blocks in models that show how sustainable competitive advantage and rents can be achieved is undeniable, although such use was never intended by Edith Penrose herself. Copyright  2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Clinical presentations of Peyronie's disease

Patients with Peyronie's disease usually present soon after the onset of the disease with penile pain and deformity when they develop an erection. They are middle-aged men and a palpable plaque is usually present. A good clinical history and examination are all that are necessary to manage most patients with Peyronie's disease. Further investigation is only required in those men with erectile dysfunction or where surgery is indicated.
Comparison the efficacy of phonophoresis and ultrasound therapy in myofascial pain syndrome

The aim of this study is to compare the effect of phonophoresis, ultrasound and placebo ultrasound therapies in the treatment of myofascial pain syndrome (MPS). This is a randomized, double-blind placebo controlled study. Sixty patients (48 women, 12 men, mean age 37.9 ± 12.2 years) with MPS were included in this study. Patients were allocated into three groups. Group 1(n = 20) was received diclofenac phonophoresis, group 2(n = 20) was received ultrasound and group 3(n = 20) was received placebo ultrasound therapies over trigger points, 10 min a day for 15 session during 3 weeks (1 MHz-1,5 watt/cm2). Additionally, all patients were given neck exercise program including isotonic, isometric and stretching. Patients were assessed by means of pain, range of motion (ROM) of neck, number of trigger points (NTP), algometric measurement and disability. Pain severity was measured by visual analog scale (VAS) and Likert scale. The neck pain disability index (NPDI) was used for assessing disability. Measurements were taken before and after treatment. After treatment, there were statistically significant improvements in pain severity, NTP, pressure pain threshold (PPT), ROM and NPDI scores both in phonophoresis and in ultrasound therapy groups (P < 0.05). Statistically significant increase in cervical lateral flexion and rotation was observed in the placebo US group. While there was no statistically significant improvement in the cervical flexion–extension joint movement, pain levels, number of trigger points and NPDI score, pressure pain threshold (P > 0.05), also there were no significant differences in all parameters between group 1 and 2 (P = 0.05). Both diclofenac phonophoresis and ultrasound therapy were effective in the treatment of patients with MPS. Phonophoresis was not found to be superior over ultrasound therapy.
High-Yield Methods for Accurate Two-Alternative Visual Psychophysics in Head-Fixed Mice

Research in neuroscience increasingly relies on the mouse, a mammalian species that affords unparalleled genetic tractability and brain atlases. Here, we introduce high-yield methods for probing mouse visual decisions. Mice are head-fixed, facilitating repeatable visual stimulation, eye tracking, and brain access. They turn a steering wheel to make two alternative choices, forced or unforced. Learning is rapid thanks to intuitive coupling of stimuli to wheel position. The mouse decisions deliver high-quality psychometric curves for detection and discrimination and conform to the predictions of a simple probabilistic observer model. The task is readily paired with two-photon imaging of cortical activity. Optogenetic inactivation reveals that the task requires mice to use their visual cortex. Mice are motivated to perform the task by fluid reward or optogenetic stimulation of dopamine neurons. This stimulation elicits a larger number of trials and faster learning. These methods provide a platform to accurately probe mouse vision and its neural basis.
ZNCC-based template matching using bounded partial correlation

This paper describes a class of algorithms enabling efficient and exhaustive matching of a template into an image based on the Zero mean Normalized Cross-Correlation function (ZNCC). The approach consists in checking at each image position two sufficient conditions obtained at a reduced computational cost. This allows to skip rapidly most of the expensive calculations required to evaluate the ZNCC at those image points that cannot improve the best correlation score found so far. The algorithms shown in this paper generalize and extend the concept of Bounded Partial Correlation (BPC), previously devised for a template matching process based on the Normalized Cross-Correlation function (NCC). 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Brian: A Simulator for Spiking Neural Networks in Python

We present Brian, a new clock driven simulator for spiking neural networks which is available on almost all platforms. Brian is easy to learn and use, highly flexible and easily extensible. The Brian package itself and simulations using it are all written in the Python programming language, which is very well adapted to these goals. Python is an easy, concise and highly developed language with many advanced features and development tools, excellent documentation and a large community of users providing support and extension packages. Brian allows you to write very concise, natural and readable code for simulations, and makes it quick and efficient to play with these models (for example, changing the differential equations doesn't require a recompile of the code). Figure 1 shows an example of a complete network implemented in Brian, a randomly connected network of integrate and fire neurons with exponential inhibitory and excitatory currents (the CUBA network from [1]). Defining the model, running from Seventeenth Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting: CNS*2008 Portland, OR, USA. 19–24 July 2008
Radiological Outcome of Short Segment Posterior Instrumentation and Fusion for Thoracolumbar Burst Fractures

STUDY DESIGN
Retrospective study.


PURPOSE
To evaluate the radiological outcome of the surgical treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures by using short segment posterior instrumentation (SSPI) and fusion.


OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE
The optimal surgical treatment of thoracolumbar burst fractures remains a matter of debate. SSPI is one of a number of possible choices, yet some studies have revealed high rates of poor radiological outcome for this SSPI.


METHODS
Patients treated using the short segment instrumentation and fusion technique at the Spinal Injuries Center (Iizuka, Fukuoka, Japan) from January 1, 2006 to July 31, 2012 were selected for this study. Radiographic parameters such as local sagittal angle, regional sagittal angle, disc angle, anterior or posterior height of the vertebral body at admission, postoperation and final observation were collected for radiological outcome evaluation.


RESULTS
There were 31 patients who met the inclusion criteria with a mean follow-up duration of 22.7 months (range, 12-48 months). The mean age of this group was 47.9 years (range, 15-77 years). The mean local sagittal angles at the time of admission, post-operation and final observation were 13.1°, 7.8° and 14.8°, respectively. There were 71% good cases and 29% poor cases based on our criteria for the radiological outcome evaluation. The correction loss has a strong correlation with the load sharing classification score (Spearman rho=0.64, p<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
The loss of kyphotic correction following the surgical treatment of thoracolumbar burst fracture by short segment instrumentation is common and has a close correlation with the degree of comminution of the vertebral body. Patients with high load sharing scores are more susceptible to correction loss and postoperative kyphotic deformity than those with low scores.
Obesity and thyroid cancer risk among U.S. men and women: a pooled analysis of five prospective studies.

BACKGROUND
Thyroid cancer incidence has risen dramatically in the United States since the early 1980s. Although the prevalence of obesity has doubled during this time period, the relationship between obesity and thyroid cancer is uncertain.


METHODS
We examined the association between body mass index (BMI) and thyroid cancer risk in a pooled analysis of five prospective U.S. studies, including 413,979 women and 434,953 men. Proportional hazards models with attained age as the time metric were adjusted for education, race, marital status, smoking, alcohol intake, and (where appropriate) cohort and sex.


RESULTS
Over follow-up (mean=10.3 years), 768 women and 388 men were diagnosed with thyroid cancer. The risk of thyroid cancer was greater with increasing BMI [per 5 kg/m2: HR in women, 1.16 (95% CI, 1.08-1.24); HR in men, 1.21 (95% CI, 0.97-1.49)]. There was no significant heterogeneity between studies (both P>0.05). For women and men combined, the HRs for overweight (25.0-29.9 kg/m2) and obesity (≥30 kg/m2) compared with normal-weight (18.5-24.9 kg/m2) were 1.20 (95% CI, 1.04-1.38) and 1.53 (95% CI, 1.31-1.79), respectively. We found no significant effect modification by other factors, and the results did not differ significantly by histologic type. A significant positive association for BMI in young adulthood (ages 18-20) with thyroid cancer risk was also observed [per 5-kg/m2 increase: HR, 1.18 (95% CI, 1.03-1.35)].


CONCLUSION
BMI was positively associated with thyroid cancer risk in both men and women.


IMPACT
Our study provides strong evidence that obesity is an independent risk factor for thyroid cancer.
Why do people buy virtual goods: A meta-analysis

During the last decade, virtual goods have become an important target of consumption online (especially in games, virtual worlds and social networking services) amongst physical and digital goods. In this study we investigate the question of why do people purchase virtual goods by conducting a meta-analysis (random effects model) of the existing quantitative body of literature (24 studies) on the topic. The meta-analysis revealed an important aspect of value of virtual goods: contrary to traditional goods, the reasons why people purchase virtual goods are tightly connected to the platform where they are sold in. These findings underline the significance of service design and its relationship to the formation of value of virtual goods: the value of virtual goods is context-bound, and therefore, bound to the environment where they are usable in. Most factors that were found to be significant predictors of purchase behavior (such as network effects, self-presentation, enjoyment, ease of use, flow and use of the platform) are directly related to the aspects and design of the platform beyond the general attitudes towards virtual goods themselves. Moreover, we found that enjoyment and prolonged use of the platform were more important predictors for purchases in virtual worlds than in games. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.