Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Repeat microvascular decompression for patients with persistent or recurrent trigeminal neuralgia

Abstract Patients with persistent or recurrent trigeminal neuralgia (TN) after microvascular decompression (MVD) are frequently difficult to manage. This study aimed to analyze the safety and efficiency of repeat MVD, with the main focus on prognostic factors and long-term outcomes. We performed a retrospective study of 41 TN patients (19 men, 22 women) who underwent repeat MVD due to persistent or recurrent pain from January 2008 to January 2016. These patients were followed up from 12 to 96 months (mean, 42 ± 17.3 months). Univariate analysis by Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used for analysis of prognostic factors. During the repeat MVD, compression of the trigeminal nerve was noted by an artery in 15 patients (36.6%), vein in 6 patients (14.6%), Teflon in 8 patients (19.5%), and no compression in 12 patients (29.3%). Twenty-one patients (51.2%) had already undergone 1 or more previous ablative procedures, either before the first MVD or between the surgeries. The complete pain relief rates of repeat MVD were 87.8% immediately after surgery and 75% at last follow-up. Thirteen patients (31.7%) had new or increased facial numbness after repeat surgery. Univariate analysis revealed 2 prognostic factors, negative finding during reoperation (P = .021) and no pain relief after the initial surgery (P = .038), that showed a negative influence on success rates after repeat MVD. Repeat MVD can still achieve an excellent outcome in patients with persistent or recurrent pain. However, the risk of facial numbness is increased. Surgeons should be selective in performing repeat MVD, priority should be given to patients who have a pain-free interval after initial MVD or show demonstrable compression on imaging studies.
XRCC1 Polymorphisms and Cancer Risk: A Meta-analysis of 38 Case-Control Studies

Several potential functional polymorphisms (Arg194Trp, Arg280His, Arg399Gln) in the DNA base excision repair gene X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) have been implicated in cancer risk. Our meta-analysis on total of 11,957 cancer cases and 14,174 control subjects from 38 published case-control studies showed that the odds ratio (OR) for the variant genotypes (Trp/Trp + Arg/Trp) of the Arg194Trp polymorphism, compared with the wild-type homozygote (Arg/Arg), was 0.89 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.81-0.98] for all tumor types without between-study heterogeneity. Similarly, the overall risk for the combined variant genotypes (His/His + Arg/His) of the Arg280His, compared with the wild homozygote (Arg/Arg), was 1.19 (95% CI, 1.00-1.42). However, there was no main effect in either recessive or dominant modeling for the Arg399Gln, and the variant Gln/Gln homozygote was not associated with overall cancer risk (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.90-1.14). The analyses suggest that XRCC1 Arg194Trp, Arg280His polymorphisms may be biomarkers of cancer susceptibility and a single larger study with thousands of subjects and tissue-specific biochemical and biological characterization is warranted to further evaluate potential gene-to-gene and gene-to-environment interactions on XRCC1 polymorphisms and cancer risk.
Pediatric cone beam CT on Varian Halcyon and TrueBeam radiotherapy systems: radiation dose and positioning accuracy evaluations

Medical exposure to ionizing irradiation has become a recognised carcinogenic risk. Balancing the concomitant imaging dose and positioning accuracy is critical in image-guided-radiotherapy (IGRT) especially for children, whose higher biological susceptibility and longer expected life make them more vulnerable to develop secondary cancer. This work aims to evaluate and benchmark the imaging dose and positioning accuracy of a new MV cone-beam-CT (CBCT)-guided IGRT system, Varian Halcyon, against conventional kV CBCT. Weighted-CT-dose-index (CTDIw) were measured for Varian TrueBeam kV CBCT, and computed for Halcyon MV CBCT using Eclipse system as validated before. Simulating the IGRT workflow, the positioning accuracy of correcting a known shift was tested on various regions of 1-year, 5-year and adult anthropomorphic phantoms, respectively. Inter-scanner and inter-protocol comparisons of dose and accuracy were performed. kV CTDIw for ‘Head’, ‘Thorax’, ‘Pelvis’ and ‘Image Gently’ (in CTDIΦ16cm/CTDIΦ32cm phantoms, respectively) protocols were measured as 4.5 mGy, 5.4 mGy, 19.3 mGy, and 1.1 mGy/0.5 mGy, respectively. Using ‘High Quality’ mode, MV CTDIw in the CTDIΦ16cm and CTDI Φ32cm phantoms were computed as 84.5 mGy and 63.8 mGy (imaging length = 28 cm), 68.8 mGy and 55.5 mGy (imaging length = 16 cm), respectively, which were about twice of ‘Low Dose’ mode. The maximum positioning deviation observed on Halcyon was 0.51 mm (‘Low Dose’ adult thorax), which was lower than that of standard (0.58 mm, ‘Pelvis’ adult pelvis) and ‘Image Gently’ kV CBCT (1.57 mm, adult pelvis). Accuracy of ‘Image Gently’ kV CBCT head & neck and thoracic imaging were clinically acceptable for adults (maximum deviation = 0.54 mm, adult thorax). Complying with Image Gently campaign, dose-efficient protocols should be used for pediatric IGRT, achieving comparable positioning accuracy on the new Halcyon MV CBCT system relative to the conventional kV CBCT.
Entrainment of slow oscillations of auditory thalamic neurons by repetitive sound stimuli

Slow oscillations at frequencies <1 Hz manifest in many brain regions as discrete transitions between a depolarized up state and a hyperpolarized down state of the neuronal membrane potential. Although up and down states are known to differentially affect sensory-evoked responses, whether and how they are modulated by sensory stimuli are not well understood. In the present study, intracellular recording in anesthetized guinea pigs showed that membrane potentials of nonlemniscal auditory thalamic neurons exhibited spontaneous up/down transitions at random intervals in the range of 2–30 s, which could be entrained to a regular interval by repetitive sound stimuli. After termination of the entraining stimulation (ES), regular up/down transitions persisted for several cycles at the ES interval. Furthermore, the efficacy of weak sound stimuli in triggering the up-to-down transition was potentiated specifically at the ES interval for at least 10 min. Extracellular recordings in the auditory thalamus of unanesthetized guinea pigs also showed entrainment of slow oscillations by rhythmic sound stimuli during slow wave sleep. These results demonstrate a novel form of network plasticity, which could help to retain the information of stimulus interval on the order of seconds.
Self-presentation and emotional contagion on Facebook: new experimental measures of profiles' emotional coherence

Social Networks allow users to self-present by sharing personal content, and emotions expressed in a post affect the subsequent posts, eliciting a congruent emotion. The main goals of this research were to investigate the emotional coherence between wall posts and their comments on SNSs and to evaluate the association between the profiles' General Emotional Coherence and self-presentation styles from a sample of adolescent's Facebook profiles (n = 50; Mage = 16.95; 50% female). Two new experimental metrics were developed, describing the emotional load (positive and negative) of posts and comments, and the mood correspondence between them. The combination of these measures was used to define the profiles' "General Emotional Coherence". Results confirm how publishing an emotional post corresponds to receiving comments with a coherent mood. The more "emotionally coherent" profiles are characterized by a typical self-presentation style (more posts, more comments and likes).
The human Myt1 kinase preferentially phosphorylates Cdc2 on threonine 14 and localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complex

Entry into mitosis requires the activity of the Cdc2 kinase. Cdc2 associates with the B-type cyclins, and the Cdc2-cyclin B heterodimer is in turn regulated by phosphorylation. Phosphorylation of threonine 161 is required for the Cdc2-cyclin B complex to be catalytically active, whereas phosphorylation of threonine 14 and tyrosine 15 is inhibitory. Human kinases that catalyze the phosphorylation of threonine 161 and tyrosine 15 have been identified. Here we report the isolation of a novel human cDNA encoding a dual-specificity protein kinase (designated Myt1Hu) that preferentially phosphorylates Cdc2 on threonine 14 in a cyclin-dependent manner. Myt1Hu is 46% identical to Myt1Xe, a kinase recently characterized from Xenopus laevis. Myt1Hu localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complex in HeLa cells. A stretch of hydrophobic and uncharged amino acids located outside the catalytic domain of Myt1Hu is the likely membrane-targeting domain, as its deletion results in the localization of Myt1Hu primarily to the nucleus.
Solitary Intestinal Lymphoid Tissue Provides a Productive Port of Entry for Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium

ABSTRACT Oral infection of mice with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium results in the colonization of Peyer's patches, triggering a vigorous inflammatory response and immunopathology at these sites. Here we demonstrate that in parallel to Peyer's patches a strong inflammatory response occurs in the intestine, resulting in the appearance of numerous inflammatory foci in the intestinal mucosa. These foci surround small lymphoid cell clusters termed solitary intestinal lymphoid tissue (SILT). Salmonella can be observed inside SILT at early stages of infection, and the number of infected structures matches the number of inflammatory foci arising at later time points. Infection leads to enlargement and morphological destruction of SILT but does not trigger de novo formation of lymphoid tissue. In conclusion, SILT, a lymphoid compartment mostly neglected in earlier studies, represents a major site for Salmonella invasion and ensuing mucosal pathology.
Disparities in complementary alternative medicine use and asthma exacerbation in the United States

Abstract Background: Complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) are associated with poor asthma medication adherence, a major risk factor for asthma exacerbation. However, previous studies showed inconsistent relationships between CAM use and asthma control due to small sample sizes, demographic differences across populations studied, and poor differentiation of CAM types. Methods: We examined associations between CAM use and asthma exacerbation using a cross-sectional analysis of the 2012 National Health Interview Survey. We included adults ≥18 years with current asthma (n = 2,736) to analyze racial/ethnic differences in CAM use as well as the association between CAM use and both asthma exacerbation and emergency department (ED) visit for asthma exacerbation across racial/ethnic groups. We ran descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regressions. Result: Blacks (OR = 0.63 [0.49-0.81]) and Hispanics (OR = 0.66 [0.48–0.92]) had decreased odds of using CAM compared to Whites. Overall, there was no association between CAM use and asthma exacerbation (OR = 0.99 [0.79–1.25]) but the subgroup of ‘other complementary approaches’ was associated with increased odds of asthma exacerbation among all survey respondents (1.90 [1.21–2.97]), Whites (OR = 1.90 [1.21–2.97]), and Hispanics (OR = 1.43 [0.98–2.09). CAM use was associated with decreased odds of an ED visit for asthma exacerbation (OR = 0.65 [0.45–0.93]). These associations were different among racial/ethnic groups with decreased odds of ED visit among Whites (OR = 0.50 [0.32–0.78]) but no association among Blacks and Hispanics. Conclusion: We found that both CAM use and the association between CAM use and asthma exacerbation varied by racial/ethnic group. The different relationship may arise from how CAM is used to complement or to substitute for conventional asthma management.
Screening methods used for the detection of veterinary drug residues in raw cow milk – a review

Navrátilová P. (2008): Screening methods used for the detection of veterinary drug residues in raw cow milk – a review. Czech J. Food Sci., 26 : 393–401. At both national and international levels, increasing attention is paid to the evaluation of the risk of occurrence of veterinary drug residues in foodstuffs and foods of animal origin, and to the introduction of appropriate measures to reduce this risk. The design and strategy of antibiotics and sulphonamide detection in milk involve two different aspects: the ability to sell the milk depending on its quality (technological safety), and the health safety of the milk regulated by the recent legislative regulations (toxicological safety). Veterinary drug residues in milk represent a health risk for the consumer. This review describes the methods used for extensive monitoring of antimicrobial agents – microbial inhibitor methods and rapid specific assays.
Spectral Complexity Reduction of Music Signals for Mitigating Effects of Cochlear Hearing Loss

In this paper we study reduced-rank approximations of music signals in the constant-Q spectral domain as a means to reduce effects stemming from cochlear hearing loss. The rationale behind computing reduced-rank approximations is that they allow to reduce the spectral complexity of a music signal. The method is motivated by studies with cochlear implant listeners which have shown that solo instrumental music or music remixed at higher signal-to-interference ratios are preferred over complex music ensembles or orchestras. For computing the reduced-rank approximations we investigate methods based on principal component analysis and partial least squares analysis, and compare them to source separation algorithms. The strategies, which are applied to music with a predominant leading voice, are compared in terms of their ability for mitigating effects of simulated reduced frequency selectivity and with respect to source signal distortions. Established instrumental measures and a newly developed measure indicate a considerable reduction of the auditory distortion resulting from cochlear hearing loss. Furthermore, a listening test reveals a significant preference for the reduced-rank approximations in terms of melody clarity and ease of listening.
Distances From Capillaries to Arterioles or Venules Measured Using OCTA and AOSLO

Purpose To investigate distances from retinal capillaries to arterioles or venules noninvasively. Methods An adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) imager acquired detailed maps of retinal vasculature. Using OCTA, we quantified the distance from the edge of an arteriole or venule to the middle of the nearest capillaries (periarteriole or perivenule capillary-free zones, respectively) within the superficial vascular plexus of 20 young healthy subjects with normal axial lengths. These distances were compared to AOSLO images for three subjects. We tested the relation between the peripheral capillary-free zones and FAZ horizontal, vertical, effective diameters, and asymmetry indices in the deep vascular plexus. We examined enlargement with OCTA of capillary-free zones in a type 2 diabetic patient. Results The periarteriole capillary-free zone (67.2 ± 25.3 μm) was readily visible and larger than the perivenule capillary-free zone (42.7 ± 14.4 μm), F(1, 998) = 771, P < 0.0001. The distance from foveal center (P = 0.003) and diameter (P = 0.048) were predictive of perivenule capillary-free zone values. OCTA and AOSLO corresponded for arterioles. FAZ effective diameter was positively associated with asymmetry indices, r = 0.49, P = 0.028, but not peripheral capillary-free zones, although focal enlargements were found in a diabetic patient. Conclusions For normal retinas, periarteriole and perivenule capillary-free zones are readily visible with OCTA and AOSLO. Periarteriole capillary-free zones were larger, consistent with arterioles carrying oxygen rich blood that diffuses to support the retina.
MoO 3 Thickness , Thermal Annealing and Solvent Annealing Effects on Inverted and Direct Polymer Photovoltaic Solar Cells

Several parameters of the fabrication process of inverted polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells based on titanium oxide as an electron selective layer and molybdenum oxide as a hole selective layer were tested in order to achieve efficient organic photovoltaic solar cells. Thermal annealing treatment is a common process to achieve optimum morphology, but it proved to be damageable for the performance of this kind of inverted solar cells. We demonstrate using Auger analysis combined with argon etching that diffusion of species occurs from the MoO3/Ag top layers into the active layer upon thermal annealing. In order to achieve efficient devices, the morphology of the bulk heterojunction was then manipulated using the solvent annealing technique as an alternative to thermal annealing. The influence of the MoO3 thickness was studied on inverted, as well as direct, structure. It appeared that only 1 nm-thick MoO3 is enough to exhibit highly efficient devices (PCE = 3.8%) and that increasing the thickness up to 15 nm does not change the device performance. OPEN ACCESS Materials 2012, 5 2522
Safety of specific sublingual immunotherapy with SQ standardized grass allergen tablets in children

The aim of the study was to confirm the safety of an orodispersible grass allergen tablet 75,000 SQ‐T (Grazax®, ALK‐Abelló A/S, Hørsholm, Denmark) in children aged 5–12 yr. The study was randomized, double‐blinded and placebo‐controlled. Sixty children aged 5–12 yr suffering from grass pollen‐induced rhinoconjunctivitis (with or without asthma) from five centres in two countries (three in Germany and two in Spain) participated in the study. They were randomized at the ratio of 3:1 as receiving either Grazax or placebo tablet given sublingually once daily for 28 days outside the grass pollen season. A total of 810 treatment‐related adverse events were reported in the Grazax group. The majority of these were local reactions in the mouth or throat and were mostly mild (71%) to moderate (27%) in severity and resolved within days. Thirty‐five (78%) subjects treated with Grazax and five (33%) treated with placebo reported at least one treatment‐related adverse event. Oral pruritus, throat irritation, mouth oedema and ear pruritus appeared as the most frequently reported treatment‐related adverse events. 62% (28 of 45) of the actively treated subjects reported oral pruritus, 36% (16 of 45) throat irritation, 31% (14 of 45) mouth oedema and 22% (10 of 45) ear pruritus. Two actively treated subjects withdrew from the study: one subject due to four adverse events (moderate eye pruritus, moderate pharyngolaryngeal pain, moderate non‐cardiac chest pain and moderate dysphagia) and one subject due to a serious adverse event (asthmatic attack). The subjects recovered completely from the events. In conclusion, in the present study, Grazax was in general tolerated in a paediatric population and considered suitable for further clinical investigations in children.
Sex differences in early communication development: behavioral and neurobiological indicators of more vulnerable communication system development in boys

Perhaps due to different roles they have had in social groups during evolution, men and women differ in their verbal abilities. These differences are also (if not even more) present in children, both in the course of typical and pathological development. Beside the fact that girls have a well-documented advantage in early language development, almost all developmental disorders primarily affecting communication, speech, and language skills are more frequent in boys. The sex-related difference in the prevalence of these disorders is especially pronounced in autism spectrum disorder (1 girl for each 4-5 boys is affected). The aim of this review is to present the sex differences in typical communication and language development and in the prevalence of communication-related neurodevelopmental disorders. Also, a special focus is put on data from the field of neuroscience that might provide insight into the neurobiological mechanisms that can add to the understanding of this phenomenon. We argue that the functional organization of the female brain gives women an inherent advantage in the acquisition of communication and language system over men.
Can We Save the American Dream? A Dynamic General Equilibrium Analysis of the Effects of School Financing on Local Opportunities

Neighborhoods in the US differ substantially in the educational and economic opportunities that they offer to children who grow up in them. We develop and estimate a structural spatial equilibrium model of residential and education choice to study the effects of school financing policies on education outcomes, intergenerational mobility, and welfare at the local and aggregate level. Our model generates persistent effects of children's neighborhoods on adult outcomes through local labor market access and local human capital formation. Local school funding is an important component of the latter. Schools are funded through income taxation and local rent taxation. We estimate the model using a range of US Census datasets by fitting model predictions to regional data of the actual US geography. We use the estimated model to study the effects of counterfactual policy interventions, in particular, the equalization of school funding across all students and the use of rent subsidies. We find that general equilibrium responses in local prices and local skill compositions significantly dampen the partial equilibrium effects of the policy, so that effects on education outcomes and intergenerational mobility are positive but only moderate in general equilibrium.
Docosapentaenoic acid is not a predictor of low docosahexaenoic acid status in Canadian preschool children 1 – 3

Background: The n 3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6n 3) is important for neural and visual functional development. In animals, 22:6n 3 deficiency is accompanied by increased docosapentaenoic acid (DPA; 22:5n 6), which suggests that the ratio of 22:6n 3 to 22:5n 6 could be a useful biochemical marker of low n 3 fatty acid status. The n 3 fatty acid status of preschool children has not been described, and data are lacking on whether low 22:6n 3 is accompanied by high 22:5n 6 in humans. Objective: We determined n 3 fatty acid status and investigated the relation between 22:6n 3 and 22:5n 6 in children. Design: In Canadian children aged 18–60 mo (n 84), the n 3 and n 6 fatty acid status of erythrocyte phosphatidylethanolamine was measured, and dietary fat intake was estimated by using a foodfrequency questionnaire. Results: The mean ( SEM) 22:6n 3 concentration in erythrocyte phosphatidylethanolamine among children was 3.06 0.13 g/100 g fatty acids (5th–95th percentiles: 1.43–5.79 g/100 g fatty acids). Concentrations of 22:5n 6 increased with increasing 22:6n 3 concentrations in erythrocyte phosphatidylethanolamine (P 0.01). Mean intakes of linoleic acid (18:2n 6), linolenic acid (18:3n 3), and trans fatty acids were 3.6 0.2%, 0.7 0.5%, and 2.0 1.3%, respectively. Phosphatidylethanolamine 22:6n 3 and 22:5n 3 concentrations were inversely related to the intakes of 18:2n 6 and trans fatty acids, but not to those of total fat or n 3 fatty acids. Conclusions: The concentration of 22:5n 6 is not a useful biochemical marker of low n 3 fatty acid intake or status in the membrane phosphatidylethanolamine of preschool children. High intakes of 18:2n 6 and trans fatty acids could compromise the incorporation of 22:6n 3 into membrane phospholipids. Am J Clin Nutr