LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Corpus callosum and cingulum tractography in Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND
In Parkinson's disease (PD) cell loss in the substantia nigra is known to result in motor symptoms; however widespread pathological changes occur and may be associated with non-motor symptoms such as cognitive impairment. Diffusion tensor imaging is a quantitative imaging method sensitive to the micro-structure of white matter tracts.


OBJECTIVE
To measure fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) values in the corpus callosum and cingulum pathways, defined by diffusion tensor tractography, in patients with PD, PD with dementia (PDD) and controls and to determine if these measures correlate with Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) scores in parkinsonian patients.


METHODS
Patients with PD (17 Males [M], 12 Females [F]), mild PDD (5 M, 1 F) and controls (8 M, 7 F) underwent cognitive testing and MRI scans. The corpus callosum was divided into four regions and the cingulum into two regions bilaterally to define tracts using the program DTIstudio (Johns Hopkins University) using the fiber assignment by continuous tracking algorithm. Volumetric MRI scans were used to measure white and gray matter volumes.


RESULTS
Groups did not differ in age or education. There were no overall FA or MD differences between groups in either the corpus callosum or cingulum pathways. In PD subjects the MMSE score correlated with MD within the corpus callosum. These findings were independent of age, sex and total white matter volume.


CONCLUSIONS
The data suggest that the corpus callosum or its cortical connections are associated with cognitive impairment in PD patients.
Ethnobotanical classification system and medical ethnobotany of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians

The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians live in one of the planet’s most floristically diverse temperate zone environments. Their relationship with the local flora was initially investigated by James Mooney and revisited by subsequent researchers such as Frans Olbrechts, John Witthoft, and William Banks, among others. This work interprets the collective data recorded by Cherokee ethnographers, much of it in the form of unpublished archival material, as it reflects the Cherokee ethnobotanical classification system and their medical ethnobotany. Mooney’s proposed classification system for the Cherokee is remarkably similar to contemporary models of folk biological classification systems. His recognition of this inherent system, 60 years before contemporary models were proposed, provides evidence for their universality in human cognition. Examination of the collective data concerning Cherokee medical ethnobotany provides a basis for considering change in Cherokee ethnobotanical knowledge, for reevaluation of the statements of the various researchers, and a means to explore trends that were not previously apparent. Index Words: Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, Ethnobiological Classification Systems, Ethnohistory, Ethnomedicine, Historical Ethnobotany, Medical Ethnobotany, Native American Medicine, Tradition Botanical Knowledge. ETHNOBOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM AND MEDICAL ETHNOBOTANY OF THE EASTERN BAND OF THE CHEROKEE INDIANS
Effects of a green tea extract, Polyphenon E, on systemic biomarkers of growth factor signalling in women with hormone receptor-negative breast cancer.

BACKGROUND
Observational and experimental data support a potential breast cancer chemopreventive effect of green tea.


METHODS
We conducted an ancillary study using archived blood/urine from a phase IB randomised, placebo-controlled dose escalation trial of an oral green tea extract, Polyphenon E (Poly E), in breast cancer patients. Using an adaptive trial design, women with stage I-III breast cancer who completed adjuvant treatment were randomised to Poly E 400 mg (n = 16), 600 mg (n = 11) and 800 mg (n = 3) twice daily or matching placebo (n = 10) for 6 months. Blood and urine collection occurred at baseline, and at 2, 4 and 6 months. Biological endpoints included growth factor [serum hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)], lipid (serum cholesterol, triglycerides), oxidative damage and inflammatory biomarkers.


RESULTS
From July 2007-August 2009, 40 women were enrolled and 34 (26 Poly E, eight placebo) were evaluable for biomarker endpoints. At 2 months, the Poly E group (all dose levels combined) compared to placebo had a significant decrease in mean serum HGF levels (-12.7% versus +6.3%, P = 0.04). This trend persisted at 4 and 6 months but was no longer statistically significant. For the Poly E group, serum VEGF decreased by 11.5% at 2 months (P = 0.02) and 13.9% at 4 months (P = 0.05) but did not differ compared to placebo. At 2 months, there was a trend toward a decrease in serum cholesterol with Poly E (P = 0.08). No significant differences were observed for other biomarkers.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest potential mechanistic actions of tea polyphenols in growth factor signalling, angiogenesis and lipid metabolism.
Post-operative cognitive functions after general anesthesia with sevoflurane and desflurane in South Asian elderly.

BACKGROUND
The duration of the recovery of cognition after anesthesia and surgery is multifactorial and is dependent on the type of anesthesia used, the type of surgery, and the patient. The present study compared the speed of recovery in elderly patients undergoing general anesthesia with sevoflurane or desflurane and the incidence and duration of cognitive impairment in them.


METHODS
The prospective study was conducted at a tertiary care centre in Bangalore from November 2008 to March 2010. Patients aged above 65 years with American Society of Anaesthesiology (ASA) physical status I, II, III undergoing surgeries under general anesthesia lasting from 45 min up to 3 hours were included in the study. The times from discontinuing nitrous oxide to eye opening, tracheal extubation, obeying commands, and the time to orientation to name and place were assessed at 30-60 s intervals. At 1, 3, 6 h after the end of anesthesia, the patient's cognitive functions were assessed by asking them to repeat the Mini Mental Score Examination.


STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED
Student t-test, Chi-square test.


RESULTS
The time to eye opening, time until extubation, time to follow commands and orientation to time, place were significantly better with desflurane compared to sevoflurane (p < .001). Hundred percent of patients in the desflurane group and 97% in the sevoflurane group demonstrated completely normal cognitive function at 6 h postoperatively (p = 0.31).


CONCLUSION
Desflurane was associated with a faster early recovery than sevoflurane in elderly patients. However, postoperative recovery of cognitive function was similar with both volatile anaesthetics.
The Visual Display of Quantitative Information

This is a surprisingly entertaining and informative book and should be of interest to all who employ the services of specialists for the presentation of graphics, as well as the producers of such visual aids. It makes a strong case for properly designed and interesting graphics of  a statistical nature,  where  content  and  integrity  rather  than artistic appeal should prevail. The initial chapter,  “Graphical  Excellence,”  establishes  basic ground rules which should be observed in the design and execution of statistical graphics,  to facilitate the  viewer’s  understanding  of complex data sets. The examples provided cover a broad spectrum of subject matter and treatment. Several of these were produced over a century  ago,  and are excellent  examples  in  terms of ease of comprehension of complex statistical data. For the reader not familiar with the history of this topic, the graphics provided include some of the work of C. J. Minard, France, published in the mid-1800’s. These  are quite  impressive,  treating  subjects  involving  rather complex statistics with a quality of design and clarity that is rarely found today. I believe the inclusion of additional good examples of a more contemporary nature might possibly improve the value of this chapter, if a subsequent edition is ever considered. Two chapters are dedicated to the subject of graphical inte,gity, and there are lessons here for everyone, including the viewerhser of data graphics. While, unfortunately, there will always be a market for “Lying Graphics,” the employment of visual and statistical tricks for intentional false impressions, the author’s position is that this practice is detrimental and has inhibited acceptance of data graphics for applications where their full value lies. Another, and more widespread fault, which the author singles out, is the practice of leaving the basic graphic design to those with artistic backgrounds whose priorities are biased in  favor  of  data beautification  rather  than statistical integrity. The remaining chapters deal with the theory, design, and execution of data graphics, and the treatment continues to be interesting, with both good and bad examples provided. Some of the specific issues addressed are the necessity for simplicity and clarity of presentation, the elimination of “chart junk,” maintaining the proper data-to-ink ratio, and the value of the tabular versus graphic presentations when limited data are to be shown. It appears that one of the author’s major goals is to increase the respectability of visual displays of statistical data, thereby broadening their acceptance and utilization for applications which are virtually unlimited. This book provides the rationale and the tools for the effective treatment and display of complex multivariate data, for those responsible for concepts as well as execution of statistical graphics. *
Case records of the Massachusetts General Hospital. Case 30-2005. A 56-year-old man with fever and axillary lymphadenopathy.

N Engl J Med 2005;353:1387-94. Copyright © 2005 Massachusetts Medical Society. A 56-year-old man was referred to the transplantation infectious-disease clinic because of a low-grade fever and left axillary lymphadenopathy. The patient had received a cadaveric kidney transplant five years earlier for polycystic kidney disease. He had been in his usual state of health until three weeks before the referral to the infectious-disease clinic, when he discovered palpable, tender lymph nodes in the left epitrochlear region and axilla. Ten days later a low-grade fever, dry cough, nasal congestion, and night sweats developed, for which trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole was prescribed, without benefit. He was referred to a specialist in infectious diseases. The patient did not have headache, sore throat, chest or abdominal pain, dyspnea, diarrhea, or dysuria. He had hypertension, gout, nephrolithiasis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and prostate cancer, which had been treated with radiation therapy two years earlier. He was a policeman who worked in an office. He had not traveled outside of the United States recently. He had acquired a kitten several months earlier and recalled receiving multiple scratches on his hands when he played with it. His medications were cyclosporine (325 mg daily), mycophenolate mofetil (2 g daily), amlodipine, furosemide, colchicine, doxazosin, and pravastatin. Prednisone had been discontinued one year previously. He reported no allergies to medications. The temperature was 36.0°C and the blood pressure 105/75 mm Hg. On physical examination, the patient appeared well. The head, neck, lungs, heart, and abdomen were unremarkable. On the dorsum of the left hand was a single, violaceous nodule with a flat, necrotic eschar on top (Fig. 1); there was no erythema, fluctuance, pus, or other drainage, and there was no sinus tract. The patient said that this lesion had nearly healed, but that he had been scratching it and thought that this irritation prevented it from healing. There was a tender left epitrochlear lymph node, 2 cm by 2 cm, and a mass of matted, tender lymph nodes, 5 cm in diameter, in the left axilla. There was no lymphangitic streaking or cellulitis. The results of a complete blood count revealed no abnormalities (Table 1). Additional laboratory studies were obtained, and clarithromycin (500 mg, twice a day) was prescribed. Within a day of starting treatment, the patient’s temperature rose to 39.4°C, and the fever was accompanied by shaking chills. He was admitted to the hospital. The temperature was 38.6°C, the pulse was 78 beats per minute, and the blood pressure was 100/60 mm Hg. The results of a physical examination were unchanged presentation of case
Gingerols and shogaols: Important nutraceutical principles from ginger.

Gingerols are the major pungent compounds present in the rhizomes of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) and are renowned for their contribution to human health and nutrition. Medicinal properties of ginger, including the alleviation of nausea, arthritis and pain, have been associated with the gingerols. Gingerol analogues are thermally labile and easily undergo dehydration reactions to form the corresponding shogaols, which impart the characteristic pungent taste to dried ginger. Both gingerols and shogaols exhibit a host of biological activities, ranging from anticancer, anti-oxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic to various central nervous system activities. Shogaols are important biomarkers used for the quality control of many ginger-containing products, due to their diverse biological activities. In this review, a large body of available knowledge on the biosynthesis, chemical synthesis and pharmacological activities, as well as on the structure-activity relationships of various gingerols and shogaols, have been collated, coherently summarised and discussed. The manuscript highlights convincing evidence indicating that these phenolic compounds could serve as important lead molecules for the development of therapeutic agents to treat various life-threatening human diseases, particularly cancer. Inclusion of ginger or ginger extracts in nutraceutical formulations could provide valuable protection against diabetes, cardiac and hepatic disorders.
A comparison of minutia triplet based features for fingerprint indexing

The sensitivities of features extracted from minutia triplets, in fingerprint indexing studies, against distortions on impression images have been compared. It has been shown that the geometric features of triangles can be made robust against elastic distortions and features used in other studies called minutia type, ridge counts and ridge pattern representation decrease indexing performance.
Semantic Role Labeling via FrameNet, VerbNet and PropBank

This article describes a robust semantic parser that uses a broad knowledge base created by interconnecting three major resources: FrameNet, VerbNet and PropBank. The FrameNet corpus contains the examples annotated with semantic roles whereas the VerbNet lexicon provides the knowledge about the syntactic behavior of the verbs. We connect VerbNet and FrameNet by mapping the FrameNet frames to the VerbNet Intersective Levin classes. The PropBank corpus, which is tightly connected to the VerbNet lexicon, is used to increase the verb coverage and also to test the effectiveness of our approach. The results indicate that our model is an interesting step towards the design of more robust semantic parsers.
Action learning and leadership

Action learning has quickly emerged as one of the most powerful and effective tools employed by organizations worldwide to develop and build their leaders. Companies such as Boeing, DuPont, Motorola, Alcoa, and Nokia have recently turned to action learning as to solve their critical, complex problems as well as to grow the competencies and attributes needed by their leaders if they are to succeed in the 21 century.
Radiofrequency ablation vs antiarrhythmic drugs as first-line treatment of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (RAAFT-2): a randomized trial.

IMPORTANCE
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common rhythm disorder seen in clinical practice. Antiarrhythmic drugs are effective for reduction of recurrence in patients with symptomatic paroxysmal AF. Radiofrequency ablation is an accepted therapy in patients for whom antiarrhythmic drugs have failed; however, its role as a first-line therapy needs further investigation.


OBJECTIVE
To compare radiofrequency ablation with antiarrhythmic drugs (standard therapy) in treating patients with paroxysmal AF as a first-line therapy.


DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS
A randomized clinical trial involving 127 treatment-naive patients with paroxysmal AF were randomized at 16 centers in Europe and North America to received either antiarrhythmic therapy or ablation. The first patient was enrolled July 27, 2006; the last patient, January 29, 2010. The last follow-up was February 16, 2012.


INTERVENTIONS
Sixty-one patients in the antiarrhythmic drug group and 66 in the radiofrequency ablation group were followed up for 24 months.


MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
The time to the first documented atrial tachyarrhythmia of more than 30 seconds (symptomatic or asymptomatic AF, atrial flutter, or atrial tachycardia), detected by either scheduled or unscheduled electrocardiogram, Holter, transtelephonic monitor, or rhythm strip, was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included symptomatic recurrences of atrial tachyarrhythmias and quality of life measures assessed by the EQ-5D tool.


RESULTS
Forty-four patients (72.1%) in the antiarrhythmic group and in 36 patients (54.5%) in the ablation group experienced the primary efficacy outcome (hazard ratio [HR], 0.56 [95% CI, 0.35-0.90]; P = .02). For the secondary outcomes, 59% in the drug group and 47% in the ablation group experienced the first recurrence of symptomatic AF, atrial flutter, atrial tachycardia (HR, 0.56 [95% CI, 0.33-0.95]; P = .03). No deaths or strokes were reported in either group; 4 cases of cardiac tamponade were reported in the ablation group. In the standard treatment group, 26 patients (43%) underwent ablation after 1-year. Quality of life was moderately impaired at baseline in both groups and improved at the 1 year follow-up. However, improvement was not significantly different among groups.


CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
Among patients with paroxysmal AF without previous antiarrhythmic drug treatment, radiofrequency ablation compared with antiarrhythmic drugs resulted in a lower rate of recurrent atrial tachyarrhythmias at 2 years. However, recurrence was frequent in both groups.


TRIAL REGISTRATION
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00392054.
Compiling Abstract Scientific Workflows into Web Service Workflows

Scientists from many different fields and disciplines, e.g., life sciences, earth sciences, and environmental sciences, increasingly rely on web-accessible information sources and computational tools in order to support or even drive their scientific research. Simple access methods to these scientific resources via form-based interfaces and generic web browsers have quickly led to their popularity and widespread use. However, the serious limitations of the “copy-paste-click” mode of end-users interacting directly with different web sites have now become apparent, and this error-prone and inefficient manual approach to data and process integration is not adequate for the goal of automated, high throughput scientific workflows.
Ultrasound-guided bilateral transversus abdominis plane block for postoperative analgesia after breast reconstruction by DIEP flap.

BACKGROUND
Autologous breast reconstruction by deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap provides higher postoperative pain at the abdominal donor site than at the thoracic one. The authors evaluated the analgesic efficacy of ultrasound-guided transverse abdominis plane block for postoperative analgesia after immediate breast reconstruction by DIEP flap.


METHODS
The authors conducted an open prospective study of 30 consecutive women undergoing immediate DIEP flap breast reconstruction after modified radical mastectomy for cancer. The last 15 patients received a bilateral ultrasound-guided block with 1.5 mg/kg ropivacaine on each side after DIEP flap harvesting, under general anesthesia. All patients received postoperative acetaminophen and patient-controlled intravenous morphine and were assessed for morphine use, satisfaction with pain relief, and adverse effects.


RESULTS
Morphine requirements were significantly lower in the block group than in the control group for the 0- to 12-hour (17.7 mg versus 22.7 mg, p = 0.0047) and 12- to 24-hour (14.2 mg versus 17.4 mg, p = 0.01) intervals but not for the 24- to 36-hour (11.3 mg versus 12.2 mg, p = 0.30) and 36- to 48-hour (8.6 mg versus 8.4 mg, p = 0.65) intervals. Cumulative morphine use was lower in the block group than in the control group for the first 24 hours (32.0 mg versus 40.2 mg, p = 0.0057) and the first 48 hours (51.7 mg versus 60.5 mg, p = 0.03). There was no complication attributable to the block, with an average follow-up of 9 months.


CONCLUSIONS
Bilateral ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane block after breast reconstruction by DIEP flap reduces the interval and cumulative morphine requirements for the first 24 and 48 hours, respectively.


CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
: Therapeutic, II.(Figure is included in full-text article.).
Prognostic importance of temporal changes in resting heart rate in heart failure patients: an analysis of the CHARM program.

BACKGROUND
Resting heart rate (HR) is a predictor of adverse outcome in patients with heart failure (HF). Whether changes in HR over time in patients with chronic HF are also associated with adverse outcome is unknown. We explored the relationship between changes in HR from a preceding visit, time-updated HR (i.e. most recent available HR value from a clinic visit) and subsequent outcomes in patients with chronic HF.


METHODS AND RESULTS
We studied 7599 patients enrolled in the candesartan in heart failure: assessment of reduction in mortality and morbidity program. We calculated change in HR from the preceding visit and explored its association with outcomes in Cox proportional hazards models, as well the association between time-updated HR and outcome. An increase in HR from preceding visit was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality and the composite endpoint of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for HF (adjusted hazard ratio 1.06, 95% confidence intervals, CI: 1.05-1.08, P < 0.001, per 5 b.p.m. higher HR), with lowering of HR being associated with lower risk, adjusting for covariates, including time-updated β-blocker dose and baseline HR. Time-updated resting HR at each visit was also associated with risk (adjusted hazard ratio 1.07, 95% CI: 1.06-1.09; P < 0.001, per 5 b.p.m. higher HR).


CONCLUSIONS
Change in HR over time predicts outcome in patients with chronic HF, as does time-updated HR during follow-up. These data suggest that frequent outpatient monitoring of HR, and identification of changes over time, possibly with remote technologies, may identify patients with HF who may be at increased risk of rehospitalization or death.
Block cipher based separable reversible data hiding in encrypted images

While most reversible data hiding in encrypted images (RDH-EI) are based on stream cipher, this paper aims to present an alternative method feasible for block-enciphered images. Before uploading data to a remote server, the content owner encrypts the original image with a block cipher algorithm using an encryption key. Then, the server embeds additional bits into the encrypted image with an embedding key to generate the marked encrypted image. On the recipient side, the additional bits can be extracted if the receiver has the embedding key. In case the receiver has only the encryption key, the marked encrypted image can be directly deciphered to a plaintext image with good quality. When both the embedding and encryption keys are available for the receiver, he can recover the original image without any errors. Compared with the existing block cipher based RDH-EI method, drawbacks of the encryption and the recovery are avoided, and good embedding payloads are achieved.