Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Weekly Paclitaxel and Carboplatin Induction Chemotherapy Followed by Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy in Locally Advanced Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

ObjectiveTo perform a phase II trial evaluating dose dense induction chemotherapy for locally advanced head and neck cancer. Patients and MethodsThirty-five patients received 6 weekly doses of carboplatin (area under the curve=2) and paclitaxel (135 mg/m2) followed by concurrent weekly paclitaxel (40 mg/m2) and carboplatin (area under the curve=1) and daily radiation (66-72 Gy). ResultsThere was 1 induction death from neutropenic sepsis and 1 sudden death during chemoradiotherapy. The overall response rate with induction was 79%. With >40 months of follow-up, the 36-month overall survival was 67% and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck survival 84%. Patients undergoing biopsy of the primary tumor site after the therapies had 17/18 (94%) pathologic complete response rate. The locoregional relapse rate was 40% (24 mo 28%) and distant relapse rate was 8% with only 1 distant site. ConclusionsTherapy was active but patients must be carefully selected and monitored. Compared with the historical controls, dose dense and intense induction chemotherapy decreased distant failure rate without compromising the locoregional control.
Structural and functional differences in the cingulate cortex relate to disease severity in anorexia nervosa.

BACKGROUND The dysfunction of specific brain areas might account for the distortion of body image in patients with anorexia nervosa. The present study was designed to reveal brain regions that are abnormal in structure and function in patients with this disorder. We hypothesized, based on brain areas of altered activity in patients with anorexia nervosa and regions involved in pain processing, an interrelation of structural aberrations in the frontoparietal-cingulate network and aberrant functional activation during thermal pain processing in patients with the disorder. METHODS We determined pain thresholds outside the MRI scanner in patients with anorexia nervosa and matched healthy controls. Thereafter, thermal pain stimuli were applied during fMRI imaging. Structural analyses with high-resolution structural T1-weighted volumes were performed using voxel-based morphometry and a surface-based approach. RESULTS Twenty-six patients and 26 controls participated in our study, and owing to technical difficulties, 15 participants in each group were included in our fMRI analysis. Structural analyses revealed significantly decreased grey matter volume and cortical thickness in the frontoparietal-cingulate network in patients with anorexia nervosa. We detected an increased blood oxygen level-dependent signal in patients during the painful 45 °C condition in the midcingulate and posterior cingulate cortex, which positively correlated with increased pain thresholds. Decreased grey matter and cortical thickness correlated negatively with pain thresholds, symptom severity and illness duration, but not with body mass index. LIMITATIONS The lack of a specific quantification of body image distortion is a limitation of our study. CONCLUSION This study provides further evidence for confined structural and functional brain abnormalities in patients with anorexia nervosa in brain regions that are involved in perception and integration of bodily stimuli. The association of structural and functional deviations with thermal thresholds as well as with clinical characteristics might indicate a common neuronal origin.
CHEMICAL MEETING THE CRITERIA FOR LISTING AS CAUSING REPRODUCTIVE TOXICITY VIA THE AUTHORITATIVE BODIES MECHANISM

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (CAS No. 117-81-7) meets the criteria for listing under Proposition 65 via the authoritative bodies listing mechanism. The regulatory guidance for listing by this mechanism is set forth in Title 22, California Code of Regulations (CCR), Section 12306. For example, the regulations include provisions covering the criteria for evaluating the documentation and scientific findings by the authoritative body to determine whether listing under Proposition 65 is required.
The implementation of intranasal fentanyl for children in a mixed adult and pediatric emergency department reduces time to analgesic administration.

OBJECTIVES The objective was to determine whether the introduction of intranasal (IN) fentanyl for children with acute pain would reduce the time to analgesic administration in a mixed adult and pediatric emergency department (ED). METHODS A protocol for IN fentanyl (1.5 microg/ kg) for children age 1-15 years presenting with acute pain was introduced to the department. All children who received intravenous (IV) morphine in the 7 months prior to the introduction of the protocol and either IV morphine or IN fentanyl in the 7 months after the introduction of the protocol were identified from drug registers. Time to analgesic administration, time to see a doctor, and the ages of patients were compared between the periods before and after the introduction of IN fentanyl. RESULTS Following implementation, 81 patients received IN fentanyl and 37 received IV morphine, compared to 63 patients receiving morphine in the previous 7 months. The median time to analgesic administration for IN fentanyl was significantly shorter than for morphine (32 minutes vs. 63 minutes, p = 0.001). Children receiving fentanyl were significantly younger than those receiving morphine (median = 8.5 years vs. 12 years, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that children treated with IN fentanyl received analgesic medication faster than those treated with IV morphine in a mixed ED. Younger children were more likely to receive opioid analgesia following the introduction of fentanyl.
Will direct thrombin inhibition change the boundaries of oral anti-coagulation?

There are many indications for anti-coagulation, such as the prevention of stroke in atrial fibrillation (AF), treatment of venous thrombo-embolic disease and thrombo-prophylaxis for mechanical heart valves. Therapy may be required for many months, if not lifelong, and safe oral preparations are therefore desirable.1 Until recently, the choice of oral anti-coagulant treatment has been confined to vitamin K antagonists, such as warfarin, and these are prescribed for ∼1% of the UK population as a whole and 8% of those aged over 80 years.2 Warfarin acts as an anti-coagulant by inhibiting the vitamin K-dependent modification of proenzymes (Factors II, VII, IX and X) to active serine proteases of the coagulation cascade.3 Treatment with warfarin is, however, complicated by a narrow therapeutic range, numerous interactions with food and other drugs, and a highly variable dose-response relationship.1 The aim of this article is to describe how a novel class of anti-coagulant, the direct thrombin inhibitors, may change the management of patients with AF and following surgery. The limitations of existing anti-coagulants have stimulated the search for novel therapies that target specific steps in the coagulation cascade, particularly factors Xa and IIa (thrombin). Thrombin is the final enzyme of the clotting cascade and thus represents an excellent therapeutic target. Inhibition of thrombin prevents the formation of fibrin, blocks the feedback activation of factors V, VIII and XI, and attenuates the aggregation of platelets. Inhibition of thrombin may be indirect, using heparin (and, in effect, factor Xa inhibitors); or direct, using parenterally administered hirudin or novel oral agents, such as ximelagatran and dabigatran. Direct thrombin inhibitors are small, synthetic molecules that offer rapid, reversible, competitive inhibition of thrombin, few interactions with food or other drugs, no metabolism by the cytochrome P450 system and a predictable pharmacodynamic effect that does not require …
Quality of life in non‐melanoma skin cancer

Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are the most common malignancies and are classified under the umbrella of non‐melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). NMSC exerts a small but appreciable decrement in quality of life (QOL). The impact posed may arise from the tumour itself or as a result of treatment, and through symptoms, functional limitations, cosmetic burden and auxiliary considerations such as cost and disturbance to the activities of daily living. Researchers have evaluated this burden using a variety of outcome measures including generic, dermatology‐specific and disease‐specific instruments. The skin cancer index represents a promising disease‐specific patient‐reported outcome measure in this setting. To overcome some of the constraints inherent to disease‐specific instruments, and to allow comparisons with other diseases, utility weightings have been developed. Utility weightings represent a cardinal measure for a specific health status and are established through methods such as the standard gamble, willingness‐to‐pay and time trade‐off, and have also been employed to generate utility weightings for NMSC. Utilities are becoming increasingly important as a means of comparing health states across medicine and are of particular importance from a health‐care policy perspective as they are used for resource allocation. The small but definite impact on the individual's QOL posed by NMSC should be a clinical consideration for physicians and it should be recognised by researchers as a potential outcome measure.
Prostaglandin E 2 is a potent inhibitor of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition : interaction with hepatocyte growth factor

Zhang, Aihua, Mong-Heng Wang, Zheng Dong, and Tianxin Yang. Prostaglandin E2 is a potent inhibitor of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition: interaction with hepatocyte growth factor. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 291: F1323–F1331, 2006. First published July 25, 2006; doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00480. 2005. —Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has emerged as a critical event in the pathogenesis of tubulointerstitial fibrosis. EMT is typically induced by transforming growth factor1 (TGF1) and inhibited by hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). The present study was undertaken to evaluate the potential role of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2-derived PGE2 in regulation of EMT in cultured Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells, in the setting of HGF treatment. Exposure to 50 ng/ml HGF significantly induced COX-2 protein expression and PGE2 release, whereas other growth factors, including epidermal growth factor, the insulin-like growth factor I protein, platelet-derived growth factorBB, and TGF1, had no effects on COX-2 expression or PGE2 release. COX-2 induction by HGF was preceded by activation of ERK1/2, and an ERK1/2-specific inhibitor, U-0126 (10 M), completely abolished HGF-induced COX-2 expression. Exposure of MDCK cells to 10 ng/ml TGF1 for 72 h induced EMT as evidenced by conversion to the spindle-like morphology, loss of E-cadherin, and activation of -smooth muscle actin. In contrast, treatment with 1 M PGE2 completely blocked EMT, associated with a significant elevation of intracellular cAMP and complete blockade of TGF1-induced oxidant production. cAMP-elevating agents, including 8-Br-cAMP, forskolin, and IBMX, inhibited EMT and associated oxidative stress induced by TGF1, but inhibition of cAMP pathway with Rp-cAMP, the cAMP analog, and H89, the protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor, did not block the effect of PGE2. The effect of HGF on EMT was inhibited by 50% in the presence of a COX-2 inhibitor SC-58635 (10 M). Therefore, our data suggest that PGE2 inhibits EMT via inhibition of oxidant production and COX-2-derived PGE2 partially accounts for the antifibrotic effect of HGF.
The health impacts of semiconductor production: an epidemiologic review

Abstract Background: Despite concerns over the harmful health effects of semiconductor production, epidemiological studies have shown mixed results. Objectives: We aim to critically appraise epidemiologic studies to date, and to suggest future research and actions to protect workers in semiconductor industry. Methods: Epidemiologic studies were identified through electronic database searches, review of reference lists of relevant published works, and expert consultations, and were narratively reviewed. Results: Most evidence suggests reproductive risks from fabrication jobs, including spontaneous abortion (SAB), congenital malformation, and reduced fertility. Although chemicals have been suspected as causal agents, knowledge of the likely contribution(s) from specific exposures is still limited. Evidence of cancer risk seems to be equivocal. However, the available studies had serious limitations including healthy worker effects (HWEs), information bias, and insufficient power, all of which are associated with underestimation. Nevertheless, excess risks for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), leukemia, brain tumor, and breast cancer were observed. Conclusions: Monitoring and innovative research based on international collaboration with a focus on sentinel events are required.
Interictal epileptiform discharges and phasic phenomena of REM sleep

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of phasic rapid eye movement (REM) sleep events on interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs). Twelve patients with focal epilepsy and IEDs during REM sleep were examined by video-EEG monitoring. The number of IEDs was calculated in different REM sleep episodes according to the rate of rapid eye movements. A negative correlation was identified between the occurrence of rapid eye movements and IEDs, indicating that the suppression of propagation of IEDs during REM sleep is enhanced by phasic REM sleep events, probably as a result of phasic activation of cholinergic neurons of the ponto-mesencephalic tegmentum. This study demonstrates that the degree of EEG desynchronization and IEDs is influenced by REM density.
Can neuropathic screening tools be used as outcome measures?

OBJECTIVE To examine whether the Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS) screening tool can satisfy Rasch model expectations and therefore be transformed into an interval level measurement scale, suitable for use as an outcome measure in clinical studies. DESIGN Rasch analysis (using the software RUMM2020) of LANSS data from both a random selection of all chronic pain patients and also specific chronic pain diagnostic categories. PATIENTS Original LANSS data from a previous study of 2,480 patients with chronic pain were used. Specific diagnostic groups examined included diabetic neuropathy, postsurgical pain, osteoarthritis, posttraumatic injury, and low back pain. OUTCOME MEASURES The following assessments were made: fit to the Rasch model, scale reliability, scale multi-dimensionality, and differential item functioning. RESULTS The overall fit to the Rasch model was only acceptable in two groups; diabetic neuropathy and chronic postsurgical pain. For these groups, the scale is unidimensional (measures a single construct) and there is no evidence of differential item functioning across gender and age groups. The scale only has reliability consistent with use at the group level. CONCLUSIONS Neuropathic screening tools such as the LANSS have been used as outcome measures in clinical studies. Rasch analysis demonstrates that the LANSS can be used as such in specific populations of patients with neuropathic pain, however it's reliability in this context does not support use at the individual level and it cannot be used as a generalised measurement tool across pain diagnostic groups. The LANSS remains primarily a diagnostic tool.
Horizon-Independent Optimal Prediction with Log-Loss in Exponential Families

We study online learning under logarithmic loss with regular parametric models. Hedayati and Bartlett (2012b) showed that a Bayesian prediction strategy with Jeffreys prior and sequential normalized maximum likelihood (SNML) coincide and are optimal if and only if the latter is exchangeable, and if and only if the optimal strategy can be calculated without knowing the time horizon in advance. They put forward the question what families have exchangeable SNML strategies. This paper fully answers this open problem for one-dimensional exponential families. The exchangeability can happen only for three classes of natural exponential family distributions, namely the Gaussian, Gamma, and the Tweedie exponential family of order 3/2. Keywords: SNML Exchangeability, Exponential Family, Online Learning, Logarithmic Loss, Bayesian Strategy, Jeffreys Prior, Fisher Information1
Impact of Maturational Status on the Ability of Osteoblasts to Enhance the Hematopoietic Function of Stem and Progenitor Cells

Osteoblasts (OBs) exert a prominent regulatory effect on hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). We evaluated the difference in hematopoietic expansion and function in response to co‐culture with OBs at various stages of development. Murine calvarial OBs were seeded directly (fresh) or cultured for 1, 2, or 3 weeks prior to seeding with 1000 Lin‐Sca1 + cKit+ (LSK) cells for 1 week. Significant increases in the following hematopoietic parameters were detected when comparing co‐cultures of fresh OBs to co‐cultures containing OBs cultured for 1, 2, or 3 weeks: total hematopoietic cell number (up to a 3.4‐fold increase), total colony forming unit (CFU) number in LSK progeny (up to an 18.1‐fold increase), and percentage of Lin‐Sca1+ cells (up to a 31.8‐fold increase). Importantly, these studies were corroborated by in vivo reconstitution studies in which LSK cells maintained in fresh OB co‐cultures supported a significantly higher level of chimerism than cells maintained in co‐cultures containing 3‐week OBs. Characterization of OBs cultured for 1, 2, or 3 weeks with real‐time PCR and functional mineralization assays showed that OB maturation increased with culture duration but was not affected by the presence of LSK cells in culture. Linear regression analyses of multiple parameters measured in these studies show that fresh, most likely more immature OBs better promote hematopoietic expansion and function than cultured, presumably more mature OBs and suggest that the hematopoiesis‐enhancing activity is mediated by cells present in fresh OB cultures de novo. © 2011 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Scalar Processing Overhead on SIMD-Only Architectures

The Cell processor consists of a general-purpose core and eight cores with a complete SIMD instruction set. Although originally designed for multimedia and gaming, it is currently being used for a much broader range of applications.In this paper we evaluate if the Cell SPEs could benefit significantly from a scalar processing unit using two methodologies. In the first methodology the scalar processing overhead is eliminated by replacing all scalar data types by the quadword data type. This methodology is feasible only for relatively small kernels. In the second methodology SPE performance is compared to the performance of a similarly configured PPU, which supports scalar operations. Experimental results show that the scalar processing overhead ranges from 19% to 57% for small kernels and from 12% to 39% for large kernels. Solutions to eliminate this overhead are also discussed.
A "Long Indel" model for evolutionary sequence alignment.

We present a new probabilistic model of sequence evolution, allowing indels of arbitrary length, and give sequence alignment algorithms for our model. Previously implemented evolutionary models have allowed (at most) single-residue indels or have introduced artifacts such as the existence of indivisible "fragments. " We compare our algorithm to these previous methods by applying it to the structural homology dataset HOMSTRAD, evaluating the accuracy of (1) alignments and (2) evolutionary time estimates. With our method, it is possible (for the first time) to integrate probabilistic sequence alignment, with reliability indicators and arbitrary gap penalties, in the same framework as phylogenetic reconstruction. Our alignment algorithm requires that we evaluate the likelihood of any specific path of mutation events in a continuous-time Markov model, with the event times integrated out. To this effect, we introduce a "trajectory likelihood" algorithm (Appendix A). We anticipate that this algorithm will be useful in more general contexts, such as Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations.
Knowledge of Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors among a Community Sample in Oman: Pilot study.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of Omani adults regarding conventional coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors and to identify demographic variables associated with these knowledge levels. METHODS This descriptive cross-sectional pilot study was carried out among a convenience sample of 130 adults attending a health awareness fair held in a local shopping mall in Muscat, Oman, in November 2012. A modified version of the Heart Disease Facts Questionnaire in both English and Arabic was used to assess knowledge of CHD risk factors. Scores were calculated by summing the correct answers for each item (range: 0-21). Inadequate knowledge was indicated by a mean score of <70%. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to establish the participants' knowledge levels and identify associated demographic variables. RESULTS A total of 114 subjects participated in the study (response rate: 87.7%). Of these, 69 participants (60.5%) had inadequate mean CHD knowledge scores. Knowledge of CHD risk factors was significantly associated with body mass index (odds ratio [OR] = 0.739; P = 0.023), marital status (OR = 0.057; P = 0.036) and education level (OR = 9.243; P = 0.006). CONCLUSION Low knowledge levels of CHD risk factors were observed among the studied community sample in Oman; this is likely to limit the participants' ability to engage in preventative practices. These findings support the need for education programmes to enhance awareness of risk factors and prevention of CHD in Oman.
Video Recording Custodial Interrogations: Implications of Psychological Science for Policy and Practice

Many of the wrongful convictions that have been brought to light over the last decade have their roots in the interrogation phase of criminal investigations where coerced or false confessions are sometimes extracted from detained crime suspects. A “simple” solution has been advanced to correct this particular problem: video record all custodial interrogations. Certainly, such a procedural modification has the potential to improve the administration of justice; however, prudence calls for some consideration of its possible pitfalls. Toward that end, we briefly review some relevant psychological science that points to significant limitations inherent in the video-recording practice. Some limitations can be offset with proper implementation of the practice, and in these instances we provide research-based recommendations for achieving it. Other drawbacks, however, cannot be as easily rectified, and in these cases criminal justice practitioners and mental health professionals should heed the old adage, “forewarned is forearmed,” when making use of video-recorded interrogations.
Fast and Robust Least Squares Estimation in Corrupted Linear Models

Subsampling methods have been recently proposed to speed up least squares estimation in large scale settings. However, these algorithms are typically not robust to outliers or corruptions in the observed covariates. The concept of influence that was developed for regression diagnostics can be used to detect such corrupted observations as shown in this paper. This property of influence - for which we also develop a randomized approximation - motivates our proposed subsampling algorithm for large scale corrupted linear regression which limits the influence of data points since highly influential points contribute most to the residual error. Under a general model of corrupted observations, we show theoretically and empirically on a variety of simulated and real datasets that our algorithm improves over the current state-of-the-art approximation schemes for ordinary least squares.