Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlation of EEG, CT, and MRI Brain with Neurological Outcome at 12 Months in Term Newborns with Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy

Objective: To correlate electroencephalogram (EEG), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain with neurological outcome at 12 months in term neonates with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Design: Prospective observational study. Setting: Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted between June 2010 and November 2011. Consecutive term neonates with perinatal asphyxia and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy were the subjects. All babies were managed as per standard protocol. EEG was done as soon as the baby was stable and CT brain within 7 days. MRI was done at 3 months. Neurodevelpmental assessment was done at 12 months. Results: Of the 31 babies, four died and one was lost to follow-up. Neurodevelopmental at 12 months of age was normal in 15 babies. EEG was normal in six babies and all of them had a normal neurodevelopment. Thirteen of the 14 babies with burst suppression pattern were abnormal (P<0.001). CT brain was normal in 14 and all of them had normal neurodevelopment (P<0.001), while 11 of the 12 with cerebral edema had abnormal outcome (P<0.001). Of the 16 babies with normal MRI, 14 were normal, while all six babies with abnormal signals in the cortex and thalamus had abnormal outcome (P=0.002). Conclusions: A normal EEG and CT brain in a term newborn with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is associated with good neurological outcome. Burst suppression pattern in EEG, bleeds, or hypodensities in the CT and involvement of basal ganglia/thalamus in the MRI are predictors of abnormal outcome.
Smoking cessation, decline in pulmonary function and total mortality: a 30 year follow up study among the Finnish cohorts of the Seven Countries Study

BACKGROUND Permanent smoking cessation reduces loss of pulmonary function. Less is known in the long term about individuals who give up smoking temporarily or quitters with lower initial pulmonary function. Little is known also about the relationship between decline in pulmonary function and mortality. We examined these aspects and the association between smoking, decline in pulmonary function, and mortality. METHODS Two middle aged male Finnish cohorts of the Seven Countries Study and their re-examinations on five occasions during a 30 year period of follow up were analysed. RESULTS During the first 15 years (n=1007) adjusted decline in forced expiratory volume in 0.75 seconds (FEV0.75) was 46.4 ml/year in never smokers, 49.3 ml/year in past smokers, 55.5 ml/year in permanent quitters, 55.5 ml/year in intermittent quitters, and 66.0 ml/year in continuous smokers (p<0.001 for trend). Quitters across the entire range of baseline FEV0.75 had a slower decline in FEV0.75 than continuous smokers. Among both continuing smokers and never smokers, non-survivors had a significantly (p<0.001) more rapid decline in FEV0.75 than survivors. The adjusted relative hazard for total mortality was 1.73 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.41 to 2.11) and 1.24 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.52) in the lowest and middle tertiles of decline in FEV0.75. Never smokers, past smokers, and quitters had significantly lower total mortality than continuous smokers, partly because of their slower decline in FEV0.75. CONCLUSION These results highlight the positive effect of smoking cessation, even intermittent cessation, on decline in pulmonary function. Accelerated decline in pulmonary function was found to be a risk factor for total mortality. The beneficial effect of smoking cessation on mortality may partly be mediated through a reduced decline in pulmonary function.
Difference gel electrophoresis. A single gel method for detecting changes in protein extracts

We describe a modification of two‐dimensional (2‐D) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis that requires only a single gel to reproducibly detect differences between two protein samples. This was accomplished by fluorescently tagging the two samples with two different dyes, running them on the same 2‐D gel, post‐run fluorescence imaging of the gel into two images, and superimposing the images. The amine reactive dyes were designed to insure that proteins common to both samples have the same relative mobility regardless of the dye used to tag them. Thus, this technique, called difference gel electrophoresis (DIGE), circumvents the need to compare several 2‐D gels. DIGE is reproducible, sensitive, and can detect an exogenous difference between two Drosophila embryo extracts at nanogram levels. Moreover, an inducible protein from E. coli was detected after 15 min of induction and identified using DIGE preparatively.
Evaluation of different irrigating solutions on smear layer removal of primary root dentin.

AIM To evaluate the efficacy of ethanolic extract of Salvadora persica (S. persica) and BioPure MTAD (a mixture of a tetracycline isomer, an acid, and a detergent) in removing the intracanal smear layer of primary teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS The root canal of 40 extracted human primary anterior teeth were cleaned, shaped and grouped into experimental (n = 30) and control (n = 10). The root canals of the positive (n = 5) and the negative control (n = 5) were irrigated for 3 minutes with 5 ml of 17% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) or saline respectively. The canals in the experimental groups were irrigated for 3 minutes with 5 ml of 1 mg/ml ethanolic extract of S. persica (n = 15) or BioPure MTAD (n = 15) and then flushed with 2 ml of saline. The presence or absence of smear layer at the coronal and middle portion of each canal were examined under a scanning electron microscope (SEM). RESULTS A significant difference (p = 0.004) in smear layer removal between S. persica and MTAD at the middle third of the canal was observed. MTAD solution was as effective as 17% EDTA in removing the smear layer. CONCLUSION MTAD was significantly more effective in smear layer removal than S. persica solution at the middle third of the canal wall. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Both tested irrigant solutions have the ability to remove the intracanal smear from primary root dentin following cleaning and shaping of the root canal and could be an alternative to EDTA.
Differential Cytokine Gene Expression According to Outcome in a Hamster Model of Leptospirosis

Background Parameters predicting the evolution of leptospirosis would be useful for clinicians, as well as to better understand severe leptospirosis, but are scarce and rarely validated. Because severe leptospirosis includes septic shock, similarities with predictors evidenced for sepsis and septic shock were studied in a hamster model. Methodology/Principal Findings Using an LD50 model of leptospirosis in hamsters, we first determined that 3 days post-infection was a time-point that allowed studying the regulation of immune gene expression and represented the onset of the clinical signs of the disease. In the absence of tools to assess serum concentrations of immune effectors in hamsters, we determined mRNA levels of various immune genes, especially cytokines, together with leptospiraemia at this particular time-point. We found differential expression of both pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators, with significantly higher expression levels of tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin 1α, cyclo-oxygenase 2 and interleukin 10 genes in nonsurvivors compared to survivors. Higher leptospiraemia was also observed in nonsurvivors. Lastly, we demonstrated the relevance of these results by comparing their respective expression levels using a LD100 model or an isogenic high-passage nonvirulent variant. Conclusions/Significance Up-regulated gene expression of both pro- and anti-inflammatory immune effectors in hamsters with fatal outcome in an LD50 model of leptospirosis, together with a higher Leptospira burden, suggest that these gene expression levels could be predictors of adverse outcome in leptospirosis.
Astigmatism and Early Academic Readiness in Preschool Children

Purpose This study investigated the relationship between uncorrected astigmatism and early academic readiness in at-risk preschool-aged children. Methods A vision screening and academic records review were performed on 122 three- to five-year-old children enrolled in the Philadelphia Head Start program. Vision screening results were related to two measures of early academic readiness, the teacher-reported Work Sampling System (WSS) and the parent-reported Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ). Both measures assess multiple developmental and skill domains thought to be related to academic readiness. Children with astigmatism (defined as >|−0.25| in either eye) were compared with children who had no astigmatism. Associations between astigmatism and specific subscales of the WSS and ASQ were examined using parametric and nonparametric bivariate statistics and regression analyses controlling for age and spherical refractive error. Results Presence of astigmatism was negatively associated with multiple domains of academic readiness. Children with astigmatism had significantly lower mean scores on Personal and Social Development, Language and Literacy, and Physical Development domains of the WSS, and on Personal/Social, Communication, and Fine Motor domains of the ASQ. These differences between children with astigmatism and children with no astigmatism persisted after statistically adjusting for age and magnitude of spherical refractive error. Nonparametric tests corroborated these findings for the Language and Literacy and Physical Health and Development domains of the WSS and the Communication domain of the ASQ. Conclusions The presence of astigmatism detected in a screening setting was associated with a pattern of reduced academic readiness in multiple developmental and educational domains among at-risk preschool-aged children. This study may help to establish the role of early vision screenings, comprehensive vision examinations, and the need for refractive correction to improve academic success in preschool children.
Ecomorphology and bone microstructure of Proterochampsia from the Chañares Formation

Proterochampsians are a South American endemic group of non-archosaurian archosauriforms with morphological characteristics recollecting Recent crocodilians, and therefore have been proposed as aquatic species. However, this has not been based on careful examination of anatomical and histological features. We provide a review of the morphological and histological evidence present in the skeleton of proterochampsids and discuss its implications for inferring the lifestyles of these organisms. Anatomical features such as a secondary palate, marginal dentition, palatine teeth, morphology of the tail, limb modification, and dermal armor are reviewed, and details of histological structures are described based on bone thin sections. Histological examination reveals a predominance of fibrolamellar bone tissue, suggesting rapid periosteal osteogenesis and therefore overall fast bone growth. The existence of discontinuities (LAGs) demonstrates that these animals responded to changes in their environment. Ecomorphological features do not provide definitive evidence for the lifestyles of proterochampsids, but allow us to propose a terrestrial/amphibious condition. The same is true of the histological features, particularly compactness of the bone.
Knockdown of Arginase I Restores NO Signaling in the Vasculature of Old Rats

Arginase, expressed in endothelial cells and upregulated in aging blood vessels, competes with NO synthase (NOS) for l-arginine, thus modulating vasoreactivity and attenuating NO signaling. Moreover, arginase inhibition restores endothelial NOS signaling and l-arginine responsiveness in old rat aorta. The arginase isoform responsible for modulating NOS, however, remains unknown. Because isoform-specific arginase inhibitors are unavailable, we used an antisense (AS) oligonucleotide approach to knockdown arginase I (Arg I). Western blot and quantitative PCR confirmed that Arg I is the predominant isoform expressed in endothelialized aortic rings and is upregulated in old rats compared with young. Aortic rings from 22-month-old rats were incubated for 24 hours with sense (S), AS oligonucleotides, or medium alone (C). Immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting, and enzyme assay confirmed a significant knockdown of Arg I protein and arginase activity in AS but not S or C rings. Conversely, calcium-dependent NOS activity and vascular metabolites of NO was increased in AS versus S or C rings. Acetylcholine (endothelial-dependent) vasorelaxant responses were enhanced in AS versus S or C treated rings. In addition, 1H-oxadiazolo quinoxalin-1-one (10 &mgr;mol/L), a soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitor, increased the phenylephrine response in AS compared with S and C rings suggesting increased NO bioavailability. Finally, l-arginine (0.1 mmol/L)-induced relaxation was increased in AS versus C rings. These data support our hypothesis that Arg I plays a critical role in the pathobiology of age-related endothelial dysfunction. AS oligonucleotides may, therefore, represent a novel therapeutic strategy against age-related vascular endothelial dysfunction.
Psychological and Social Effects of One Year Robot Assisted Activity on Elderly People at a Health Service Facility for the Aged

A long-term experiment of robot assisted activity for elderly people has been conducted at a health service facility for the aged since Aug. 2003. Three therapeutic seal robots, Paro, were introduced there. This paper describes the results of the experiment for one year. Face scales that consist of illustrations of person's faces were used to evaluate person's moods. In addition, Geriatric Depression Scales were used to measure person's depression by questionnaires. As the results, feelings of the elderly people were improved by interaction with the seal robots.
Syntactic processing as a marker for cognitive impairment in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Despite recent interest in cognitive changes in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), investigations of language function looking at the level of word, sentence and discourse processing are relatively scarce. Data were obtained from 26 patients with sporadic ALS and 26 healthy controls matched for age, education, gender, anxiety, depression and executive function performance. Standardized language tasks included confrontation naming, semantic access, and syntactic comprehension. Quantitative production analysis (QPA) was used to analyse connected speech samples of the Cookie Theft picture description task. Results showed that the ALS patients were impaired on standardized measures of grammatical comprehension and action/verb semantics. At the level of discourse, ALS patients were impaired on measures of syntactic complexity and fluency; however, the latter could be better explained by disease related factors. Discriminant analysis revealed that syntactic measures differentiated ALS patients from controls. In conclusion, patients with ALS exhibit deficits in receptive and expressive language on tasks of comprehension and connected speech production, respectively. Our findings suggest that syntactic processing deficits seem to be the predominant feature of language impairment in ALS and that these deficits can be detected by relatively simple language tests.
Comparing Beta-Blocking Effects of Bisoprolol, Carvedilol and Nebivolol

Objective: Bisoprolol, carvedilol and nebivolol have been shown to be effective in the treatment of heart failure. However, the beta-blocking effects of these drugs have never been compared directly. Methods: Therefore, we performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial in 16 healthy males. Subjects received 10 mg bisoprolol, 50 mg carvedilol, 10 mg nebivolol and placebo on the first morning followed by 5 mg bisoprolol once daily, 25 mg carvedilol twice daily, 5 mg nebivolol once daily and placebo for 1 week. Heart rate and blood pressure were measured at rest and exercise 3 and 24 h following intake of the first dose, and immediately before and 3 hours following intake of the last dose of each drug. In addition, effects of the drugs on nocturnal melatonin release were determined, and quality of life (QOL) was evaluated. Results: Heart rate at exercise was decreased at 3 h following intake of the first single dose of each drug by bisoprolol (–24%), carvedilol (–17%) and nebivolol (–15%), and at 24 h following intake of the respective last dose of each drug following 1 week of chronic administration by bisoprolol (–14%), carvedilol (12 h; –15%) and nebivolol (–13%) (p < 0.05 in all cases). Thus, trough-to-peak-ratios at long-term were as follows: Bisoprolol, 58%; carvedilol (12 h), 85%; nebivolol, 91%. Nocturnal melatonin release was decreased by bisoprolol (–44%, p < 0.05) whereas nebivolol and carvedilol had no effect. QOL with carvedilol was slightly but significantly lower than with the other drugs, whereas bisoprolol and nebivolol did not alter QOL. Conclusions: These data show that peak beta-blocking effects of bisoprolol appear stronger than those of nebivolol and carvedilol. On the other hand, nebivolol exerts the highest trough-to-peak-ratio. However, beta-blocking effects of all the three drugs are similar at trough. Only bisoprolol but neither nebivolol nor carvedilol decreased nocturnal melatonin release, a feature which might cause sleep disturbances. Finally, only carvedilol slightly decreased QOL, whereas nebivolol and bisoprolol did not affect QOL. We conclude that different beta-blockers may exert clinically relevant different effects.
Bupropion in the treatment of bipolar disorders: the same old story?

BACKGROUND The treatment of bipolar disorders with mood stabilizing agents is complicated by breakthrough episodes of depression. Currently there are no consistently safe and effective medications for these episodes. The authors address the use of bupropion for this purpose. METHOD Bupropion was added to the treatment regimens of 3 male and 8 female patients who had bipolar disorders as diagnosed by DSM-III-R criteria and were depressed and nonresponsive to current treatment. Ten of the 11 had previously cycled into manic episodes when treated with either a tricyclic antidepressant, fluoxetine, or phenelzine. RESULTS Seven of the 11 patients had moderate-to-marked improvement after 6 weeks of treatment. A moderate-to-marked improvement continued in 4 of the 11 patients after a mean of 12 months of treatment (range, 0-20 months), justifying the continuation of bupropion. Baseline Global Assessment of Functioning scores, history of previous response to other antidepressants, treatment refractoriness, comorbid diagnoses, bipolar subtype, family history, cycle length, and demographics did not discriminate between bupropion responders and nonresponders. However, 6 of the 11 patients experienced manic or hypomanic episodes that necessitated discontinuation of bupropion. Five of the 6 patients who had manic episodes had been stabilized on lithium and carbamazepine or valproate prior to the addition of bupropion. CONCLUSION These findings, based on consecutive cases, suggest that bupropion may pose the same risks as other antidepressants in precipitating manic episodes in depressed bipolar patients. The authors conclude that caution should be exercised when using bupropion in the treatment of bipolar disorders.
Investigation of erosion phenomena and influencing factors due to the presence of solid particles in the flow: a review

Solid particles are the elements who originate the erosion of system component. These are either introduced during the process, for example in oil industries as sand particles or introduced by intention, example nanomaterial for heat transfer enhancement. The eroded components may result in the failure and further system failure. Therefore, it is important to know the erosion phenomena and factors responsible for it. This work discusses these key factors and their level of influence on the erosion. From this study it can be seen that the erosion is the complex phenomena and need to focus on especially for nanoparticles that are added as fluid performance enhancement element. Finally, possible limitations and gaps regarding erosion phenomena w.r. t. influencing factors are discussed. The present work can be used by oil, heat transfer equipment manufacturer companies as a review for understanding the erosion challenges and numerous factors impact on the erosion.
Progression of keratoconus by longitudinal assessment with corneal topography.

PURPOSE To investigate the longitudinal changes in corneal topographic indices over time in patients with mild keratoconus (KC) and to determine predictive factors for the increase in corneal curvature. METHODS The authors retrospectively reviewed the data of 94 eyes of patients with mild KC who had undergone computerized videokeratography (Orbscan IIz; Bausch & Lomb Surgical, Rochester, NY) at least twice at an interval of ≥1 year. Patients with an increase of ≥1.50 diopters (D) in the central keratometry (K) were placed in the progression group, and the others were placed in the nonprogression group. In each group, the quantitative topographic parameters were compared and tested as predictive factors for KC progression. Additionally, corneal astigmatic changes were evaluated by means of vector analysis. RESULTS In total, 94 eyes of 85 patients were included. Twenty-five of 94 (26.5%) eyes showed progression of the central K ≥1.50 D; progression took 3.5 years on average. Median time to progression by Kaplan-Meier analysis was 12 years. Significant predictors for KC progression were as follows: highest point on the anterior elevation from the anterior best-fit sphere (BFS), ≥0.04 mm; irregularity index at 3 mm, ≥6.5 D; irregularity index at 5 mm, ≥6.0 D; thinnest pachymetry, <350 μm at baseline examination; yearly change rate of anterior BFS, ≥0.1 D/y; central K, ≥0.1 D/y; simulated K in maximum, ≥0.15 D/y; simulated K in minimum, ≥0.2 D/y; and anterior chamber depth, ≥0.0 mm/y. The dominant with-the-rule pattern of astigmatism at the baseline examination was changed to an oblique pattern of astigmatism at the last examination. CONCLUSIONS Mild KC tended to be progressive in approximately 25% of patients, and progression lasted 3.5 years on average. Longitudinal changes in the corneal topography quantitative indices can be used as predictors of KC progression.
A robust estimation of distribution algorithm for power electronic circuits design

The automated synthesis and optimization of power electronic circuits (PECs) is a significant and challenging task in the field of power electronics. Traditional methods such as the gradient-based methods, the hill-climbing techniques and the genetic algorithms (GA), are either prone to local optima or not efficient enough to find highly accurate solutions for this problem. To better optimize the design of PECs, this paper presents an extended histogram-based estimation of distribution algorithm with an adaptive refinement process (EDA/a-r). In the EDA/a-r, the histogram-based estimation of distribution algorithm is used to roughly locate the global optimum, while the adaptive refinement process is used to improve the accuracy of solutions. The adaptive refinement process, with its search radius adjusted adaptively during the evolution, is executed to search the surrounding region of the best-so-far solution in every generation. To maintain the diversity, a historic learning strategy is used in constructing the probabilistic model and a mutation strategy is hybridized in the sampling operation. The proposed EDA/a-r has been successfully used to optimize the design of a buck regulator. Experimental results show that compared with the GA and the particle swarm optimization (PSO), the EDA/a-r can obtain much better mean solution quality and is less likely to be trapped into local optima.