LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Bioabsorbable stent implantation vs. common femoral artery endarterectomy: early results of a randomized trial.

PURPOSE
To compare clinical and hemodynamic outcome in patients undergoing treatment of common femoral artery (CFA) atherosclerotic lesions by bioabsorbable stent implantation (BASI group) or by common femoral artery endarterectomy (CFE group).


METHODS
A randomized, controlled, single-center, open-label trial was initiated to compare outcomes of BASI or CFE in patients with chronic atherosclerotic occlusive lesions in the CFA. From May 2011 to April 2013, 116 consecutive patients were recruited; after excluding 36 patients, 80 patients (52 men; mean age 72.2±9.6 years) were enrolled 1:1 and are the subject of this intention-to-treat interim analysis (40 patients in each group). The primary endpoint was surgical site infections; secondary outcome measures were technical success, hemodynamic improvement, clinical improvement, patency, limb salvage, and survival.


RESULTS
There was no statistically significant difference between both groups regarding demographic data, cardiovascular risk factors, or CFA occlusions. The CFE patients presented with 7 surgical site infections (all minor) vs. none in the BASI group (p=0.002) and a longer mean postoperative hospital stay of 7 vs. 2 days for BASI patients (p<0.001). Technical success rates were 97.5% and 100% for the BASI and CFE groups, respectively. Postoperative ankle-brachial index means were comparable (p=0.38). The 30-day primary patency rates were 92.5% and 100% for the BASI and CFE groups, respectively (p=0.038). There were 6 reconstruction failures in CFE patients vs. none in the BASI group (p=0.02); 5 failures involved initial CFA occlusions. At 1 year, the primary and secondary patency rates were 80% vs. 100% (p=0.007) and 84% vs. 100% (p=0.01) for BASI and CFE patients, respectively. Limb salvage was equivalent, and survival rates were 88% and 90% for BASI vs. CFE patients (p=0.51) at 1 year.


CONCLUSION
This interim analysis suggests that BASI is not an option for CFA occlusion and is only a limited option for CFA stenosis. Clinical and hemodynamic results are comparable for BASI and CFE. An increased rate of redo procedures in the BASI patients outweighs lower surgical site infection rates compared to CFE. Short-term patency rates are significantly worse in patients undergoing CFA stenting with BASI.
Distensibility of the aorta and carotid artery and left ventricular mass from childhood to early adulthood.

UNLABELLED
In adults, arterial distensibility decreases with age and relates to changes in cardiac left ventricular mass. Longitudinal data on changes in arterial distensibility from childhood to adulthood are lacking. Our aim was to study the effect of age and sex, and low-saturated fat dietary counseling on arterial distensibility from childhood to early adulthood. In addition, we assessed the association of arterial distensibility with left ventricular mass. Distensibility of the abdominal aorta and common carotid artery was measured repeatedly at ages 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 years (n=395-472) in an atherosclerosis prevention trial (Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project [STRIP]). Aortic and carotid distensibility decreased with age (both P<0.0001). In boys, distensibility values were generally lower (P<0.0001) and showed steeper decrease by age (age and sex interaction: both P<0.01). The low-saturated fat dietary counseling given in STRIP was not significantly associated with arterial distensibility. Left ventricular mass increased with age (P<0.0001), and it was greater in boys (P<0.0001). In conclusion, a marked age-related decrease in vascular distensibility was found already at this young age, and this decrease was more pronounced in boys than girls. The longitudinal progression of aortic and carotid distensibility was related with changes in left ventricular mass.


CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION URL
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00223600.
Ortega y Gasset, José

Jose Ortega y Gasset (1883–1955) is Spain's foremost philosopher of the twentieth century (Ortega hereafter). His presence went well beyond the walls of academy: besides his academic work as metaphysics chair, he presented his work in newspapers, founded cultural magazines, published books and innumerable essays, gave conferences, and established distinctively intellectual political organizations. Under his editorship, works by many of his finest contemporaries – Einstein, Freud, Husserl, Heidegger – were first translated into Spanish. 
 
 
Keywords: 
 
authenticity; 
ethics; 
twentieth century
Mass transfer, clearance and plasma concentration of procalcitonin during continuous venovenous hemofiltration in patients with septic shock and acute oliguric renal failure

OBJECTIVES
To measure the mass transfer and clearance of procalcitonin (PCT) in patients with septic shock during continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH), and to assess the mechanisms of elimination of PCT.


SETTING
The medical department of intensive care.


DESIGN
A prospective, observational study.


PATIENTS
Thirteen critically ill patients with septic shock and oliguric acute renal failure requiring continuous venovenous postdilution hemofiltration with a high-flux membrane (AN69 or polyamide) and a 'conventional' substitution volume (< 2.5 l/hour).


MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
PCT was measured with the Lumitest PCT Brahms(R) in the prefilter and postfilter plasma, in the ultrafiltrate at the beginning of CVVH (T0) and 15 min (T15'), 60 min (T60') and 6 hours (T6h) after setup of CVVH, and in the prefilter every 24 hours during 4 days. Mass transfer was determined and the clearance and the sieving coefficient were calculated according to the mass conservation principle. Plasma and ultrafiltrate clearances, respectively, at T15', T60' and T6h were 37 +/- 8.6 ml/min (not significant) and 1.8 +/- 1.7 ml/min (P < 0.01), 34.7 +/- 4.1 ml/min (not significant) and 2.3 +/- 1.8 ml/min (P < 0.01), and 31.5 +/- 7 ml/min (not significant) and 5 +/- 2.3 ml/min (P < 0.01). The sieving coefficient significantly increased from 0.07 at T15' to 0.19 at T6h, with no difference according to the nature of the membrane. PCT plasma levels were not significantly modified during the course of CCVH.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that PCT is removed from the plasma of patients with septic shock during CCVH. Most of the mass is eliminated by convective flow, but adsorption also contributes to elimination during the first hours of CVVH. The effect of PCT removal with a conventional CVVH substitution fluid rate (<2.5 l/hour) on PCT plasma concentration seems to be limited, and PCT remains a useful diagnostic marker in these septic patients. The impact of high-volume hemofiltration on the PCT clearance, the mass transfer and the plasma concentration should be evaluated in further studies.
Does endoscopic ultrasound staging already allow individual treatment regimens in gastric cancer

AIM: The aim of our study was to evaluate the accuracy of preoperative TNM staging with endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) in gastric cancer patients in comparison with the pathohistological stage of the resected specimen, and to determine the possible implications of EUS for individualized treatment of gastric cancer patients at our institution. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study included 82 patients operated for resectable gastric cancer between January 1st 2001 and July 1st 2003 at the Maribor Teaching Hospital Department of Abdominal and General Surgery. The EUS stage was assessed preoperatively at the Endoscopical Unit, and the pathohistological stage in the resected specimen was determined postoperatively at the Department of Pathologic Morphology according to recommended standards. RESULTS: Comparison of EUS and pathohistological assessments revealed accuracy of EUS staging for locoregional tumor infiltration (category T) in 68% of patients. The accuracy of EUS staging was 68% for T1, 69% for T2, 69% for T3 and 60% for T4. Lymph nodes (category N) were correctly staged with EUS in 57% of cases. The EUS stage was correct for lymph nodes with no metastases (N−) in 40% of cases, and for lymph nodes with metastases (N+) in 90%. There was no significant difference in accuracy of EUS staging with regard to tumor site (P = 0.768) or tumor size (P = 0.766). CONCLUSIONS: According to our results the accuracy of EUS staging matched pathohistological staging with regard to tumor infiltration and lymph node stage in 68% and 57% of cases respectively. Underestimation of the final T2 and T3 stages as T1 stage by EUS presents a problem regarding the consistency of EUS examination at our institution, particularly with respect to individual treatment for early gastric cancer. The present uncertainty in EUS stage reliability makes it necessary to have a strategy of radical resection with D2 lymphadenectomy in patients within EUS stages T1–T3, with additional CT examinations in more advanced EUS stages in order to visualize the circumstances of tumor growth. Nevertheless, EUS provides an opportunity for the surgeon to gain more insight into the loco-regional circumstances of the gastric tumor process. For development of individual modes of treatment based on EUS staging, a more reliable assessment of EUS stage is mandatory.
Palliative Care Service Use in Four European Countries: A Cross-National Retrospective Study via Representative Networks of General Practitioners

BACKGROUND
Due to a rising number of deaths from cancer and other chronic diseases a growing number of people experience complex symptoms and require palliative care towards the end of life. However, population-based data on the number of people receiving palliative care in Europe are scarce. The objective of this study is to examine, in four European countries, the number of people receiving palliative care in the last three months of life and the factors associated with receiving palliative care.


METHODS
Cross-national retrospective study. Over two years (2009-2010), GPs belonging to representative epidemiological surveillance networks in Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and Spain registered weekly all deaths of patients (≥ 18 years) in their practices and the care they received in the last three months of life using a standardized form. Sudden deaths were excluded.


RESULTS
We studied 4,466 deaths. GPs perceived to have delivered palliative care to 50% of patients in Belgium, 55% in Italy, 62% in the Netherlands, and 65% in Spain (p<.001). Palliative care specialists attended to 29% of patients in the Netherlands, 39% in Italy, 45% in Spain, and 47% in Belgium (p<.001). Specialist palliative care lasted a median (inter-quartile range) of 15 (23) days in Belgium to 30 (70) days in Italy (p<.001). Cancer patients were more likely than non-cancer patients to receive palliative care in all countries as were younger patients in Italy and Spain with regard to specialist palliative care.


CONCLUSIONS
Although palliative care is established in the countries studied, there are considerable differences in its provision. Two potentially underserved groups emerge non-cancer patients in all countries and older people in Italy and Spain. Future research should examine how differences in palliative care use relate to both patient characteristics and existing national health care policies.
Image Denoising Techniques-A Review paper

6 Abstract— Removal of noise from the original signal is still a bottleneck for researchers. There are several methods and techniques published and each method has its own advantages, disadvantages and assumptions. This paper presents a review of some significant work in the field of Image Denoising.The brief introduction of some popular approaches is provided and discussed. Insights and potential future trends are also discussed
Development of SnAg-based lead free solders in electronics packaging

Lead free solder alloys for electronic assembly is being driven by environmental and health concerns regarding toxicity of lead and, more importantly, by the perceived economic advantage of marketing ‘‘green’’ products. Of the currently available lead free solders, SnAg has the greatest potential. In this solder, the Ag3Sn compound is distributed in a eutectic network throughout the b-Sn matrix and these results represent mechanical strength. In order to further improve the microstructures and properties of SnAg-based alloys, alloying elements such as rare earth, Zn, In, P, Cu, Ni and particles such as ZrO2, POSS are selected to meet the requirement of high reliability of high-density electronics devices. For SnAg solder bearing rare earth (Ce and La), the creep-rupture life of solder joints can be remarkably increased up to four times more than that of the original SnAg solder joints at room temperature, meanwhile, rare earths can dramatically reduce the thickness of IMCs layer at solder/pad interfaces and also refine the microstructure of the alloy which results in the enhancement of mechanical properties of the SnAg solder. Moreover, the addition of ZrO2 nanoparticles significantly refined the size of Ag3Sn due to the adsorption effect of the ZrO2 nanoparticles. This paper summarizes the effects of alloying elements and particles on the wettability, mechanical properties, creep behavior, microstructures, etc. of SnAg-based lead free
Health diplomacy the adaptation of global health interventions to local needs in sub-Saharan Africa and Thailand: Evaluating findings from Project Accept (HPTN 043)

BACKGROUND
Study-based global health interventions, especially those that are conducted on an international or multi-site basis, frequently require site-specific adaptations in order to (1) respond to socio-cultural differences in risk determinants, (2) to make interventions more relevant to target population needs, and (3) in recognition of 'global health diplomacy' issues. We report on the adaptations development, approval and implementation process from the Project Accept voluntary counseling and testing, community mobilization and post-test support services intervention.


METHODS
We reviewed all relevant documentation collected during the study intervention period (e.g. monthly progress reports; bi-annual steering committee presentations) and conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with project directors and between 12 and 23 field staff at each study site in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Thailand and Tanzania during 2009. Respondents were asked to describe (1) the adaptations development and approval process and (2) the most successful site-specific adaptations from the perspective of facilitating intervention implementation.


RESULTS
Across sites, proposed adaptations were identified by field staff and submitted to project directors for review on a formally planned basis. The cross-site intervention sub-committee then ensured fidelity to the study protocol before approval. Successfully-implemented adaptations included: intervention delivery adaptations (e.g. development of tailored counseling messages for immigrant labour groups in South Africa) political, environmental and infrastructural adaptations (e.g. use of local community centers as VCT venues in Zimbabwe); religious adaptations (e.g. dividing clients by gender in Muslim areas of Tanzania); economic adaptations (e.g. co-provision of income generating skills classes in Zimbabwe); epidemiological adaptations (e.g. provision of 'youth-friendly' services in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Tanzania), and social adaptations (e.g. modification of terminology to local dialects in Thailand: and adjustment of service delivery schedules to suit seasonal and daily work schedules across sites).


CONCLUSIONS
Adaptation selection, development and approval during multi-site global health research studies should be a planned process that maintains fidelity to the study protocol. The successful implementation of appropriate site-specific adaptations may have important implications for intervention implementation, from both a service uptake and a global health diplomacy perspective.
Recent Advances in Clustering : A Brief Survey

Unsupervised learning (clustering) deals with instances, which have not been pre-classified in any way and so do not have a class attribute associated with them. The scope of applying clustering algorithms is to discover useful but unknown classes of items. Unsupervised learning is an approach of learning where instances are automatically placed into meaningful groups based on their similarity. This paper introduces the fundamental concepts of unsupervised learning while it surveys the recent clustering algorithms. Moreover, recent advances in unsupervised learning, such as ensembles of clustering algorithms and distributed clustering, are described. Key-Words: Pattern Analysis, Machine Intelligence, Intelligent Systems
Phase Retrieval by Linear Algebra

The null vector method, based on a simple linear algebraic concept, is proposed as a solution to the phase retrieval problem. In the case with complex Gaussian random measurement matrices, a non-asymptotic error bound is derived, yielding an asymptotic regime of accurate approximation comparable to that for the spectral vector method.
Validation of SAG/RBX2/ROC2 E3 ubiquitin ligase as an anticancer and radiosensitizing target.

PURPOSE
Sensitive to apoptosis gene (SAG; also known as RBX2 or ROC2) was originally cloned as a redox-inducible antioxidant protein and was later characterized as a RING component of SCF E3 ubiquitin ligases. SAG overexpression inhibits apoptosis induced by many stimuli both in vitro and in vivo. SAG mRNA was overexpressed in human lung tumor tissues with a correlation to poor patient survival. To investigate whether SAG serves as an anticancer target, we determined the effect of SAG silencing on cell proliferation, survival, and radiosensitivity.


EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
SAG protein expression in human tumors was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining using tumor tissue arrays. SAG expression in cancer cells was knocked down by siRNA silencing. The anticancer effects of SAG silencing were evaluated by in vitro assays for cell growth and survival and by an in vivo orthotopic xenograft tumor model. Radiosensitization by SAG silencing of human cancer cells was determined by clonogenic survival assay. Apoptosis induction was evaluated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis, caspase-3 activation assay, and Western blotting of apoptosis-associated proteins.


RESULTS
SAG was overexpressed in multiple human tumor tissues compared with their normal counterparts. SAG silencing selectively inhibited cancer cell proliferation, suppressed in vivo tumor growth, and sensitized radiation-resistant cancer cells to radiation. Mechanistically, SAG silencing induced apoptosis with accumulation of NOXA, whereas SAG overexpression reduced NOXA levels and shortened NOXA protein half-life.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings showed that SAG E3 ubiquitin ligase plays an essential role in cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth and may serve as a promising anticancer and radiosensitizing target.
Patient–staff agreement in the perception of spinal cord lesioned patients' problems, emotional well-being, and coping pattern

Study design:Matched patient/staff study.Objectives:To investigate spinal cord lesion (SCL) rehabilitation staff perceptions of SCL patient problems, coping efforts, and well-being, and to compare these evaluations with patient self-reports of the same aspects.Settings:Spinal Unit, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden.Methods:In all, 29 persons with SCL and 24 members of the caring staff participated. Each patient was matched to a staff person actually involved in his or her care. The participants completed a study-specific questionnaire containing 45 SCL-related problems covering six problem areas: somatic symptoms, functional limitations, role problems, family-related problems, psychosocial problems, and emotional problems. Coping activities were assessed by a self-report 47-item questionnaire covering eight aspects of coping: self-trust, problem focusing, acceptance, fatalism, resignation, protest, minimization, and social trust. The patients were instructed to respond to the items included in the questionnaires according to their situation during the last week, while staff members were instructed to reply as ‘they thought that their matched patient would answer’.Results:Moderate but statistically significant correlations were demonstrated between patient and staff ratings of most investigated problem areas. However, the staff systematically overestimated patients' emotional as well as family problems, and tended to underestimate patients' reported coping ability and mental health. Staff were most accurate in assessing patients' physical symptoms, functional limitations, and role problems, but less accurate in their perception of less visible symptoms.Conclusion:Relatively high agreement between patients and staff concerning patients' problems and states is possible to obtain in a caring setting. This may be more related to the quality of caring in the studied unit than to the study methodology used. Small units with high staff density and a long stay and/or prolonged contact with the patients probably facilitate communication with and knowledge about the patients. Interventions aimed at increasing staff awareness of patients' coping efforts may further improve staff ability to understand and support patients in their adaptation process.Sponsorship:The Foundation of Rehabilitation Research (FRF), The Vårdal Foundation, Sweden.
Rhythmic delta activity represents a form of nonconvulsive status epilepticus in anti-NMDA receptor antibody encephalitis

Anti-NMDA receptor antibody encephalitis is a limbic encephalitis with psychiatric manifestations, abnormal movements, coma, and seizures. The coma and abnormal movements are not typically attributed to seizure activity, and slow activity is the most common EEG finding. We report drug-resistant nonconvulsive status epilepticus as the basis for coma in a 19-year-old woman with anti-NMDA receptor antibodies and a mediastinal teratoma. The EEG showed generalized rhythmic delta activity, with evolution in morphology, frequency, and field typical of nonconvulsive status epilepticus. The status was refractory to antiepileptic drugs, repeated drug-induced coma, resection of the tumor, intravenous steroids, rituximab, and plasmapheresis. She awoke after the addition of felbamate, and the rhythmic delta activity ceased. The rhythmic delta activity described with coma in anti-NMDA receptor antibody encephalitis may represent a pattern of status epilepticus in some patients. Felbamate, which has NMDA receptor antagonist activity, should be studied as a therapeutic agent in this condition.
The era of high bandwidth memory

■ HBM is a breakthrough memory solution for performance, power and form-factor constrained systems by delivering high bandwidth, Low effective power & Small form factor ■ HBM device provide various mechanisms to ensure quality/reliability at pre and post SiP assembly ■ HBM is an industry standard solution with multiple supply sources