Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Cement Augmentation on the Geometry and Structural Response of Recovered Osteopenic Vertebrae: An Anterior-Wedge Fracture Model

Study Design. The efficacy of cement augmentation in restoring the geometry and structural competence of failed thoracic and lumbar human vertebrae under mechanical loads was studied. Objectives. To quantify whether cement augmentation restores and maintains the geometry and structural competence of failed osteopenic vertebrae and to assess the contribution of vertebral geometry to the achieved augmentation. Summary of Background Data. Cement augmentation of failed vertebrae was clinically shown to alleviate significant pain and functional impairments associated with vertebral fragility fractures. However, the procedure’s efficacy in restoring the structural response of the failed vertebrae and maintaining the achieved geometry under functional loads remains unclear. Methods. Nineteen thoracic and lumbar human vertebrae were tested to failure under compression-flexion loading. The vertebrae were allowed to recover, were retested to failure, augmented with Polymethylmethacrylate and again retested to failure. Repeated measures analysis was used to compare the change in vertebral geometry and structural response, defined as the multiplanar force and moment response of the vertebra to the imposed deformation, at each of the test stages. Linear regression was used to assess the role of the geometry of the failed vertebrae in affecting the outcome of augmentation. Results. Augmentation significantly increased the compressive (228%) and flexion (118%) strength of the failed vertebrae and achieved a significant, albeit partial, restoration of vertebral geometry. However, the structural response of the failed vertebrae was markedly altered, whereas under applied loads, the achieved height restoration was significantly diminished. Although the geometry of the fractured vertebral body was associated with the degree of restoration of the vertebral body afteraugmentation, it was not correlated with the change in the structural parameters. Conclusion. Augmentation increases the structural competence of failed vertebrae and to a degree, restores their geometry. However, the structural response of the augmented vertebrae was significantly modified. Furthermore, the augmented vertebrae were unable to maintain the degree of geometry restoration under load.
Randomized study to assess the effect of thrombus aspiration on flow area in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction: an optical frequency domain imaging study--TROFI trial.

AIMS Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) with thrombectomy (TB) seems to reduce the thrombus burden, resulting in a larger flow area as measured with optical frequency domain imaging (OFDI). METHODS AND RESULTS In a multi-centre study, 141 patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction <12 h from onset were randomized to either PPCI with TB using an Eliminate catheter (TB: n = 71) or without TB (non-TB: n = 70), having operators blinded for the OFDI results. The primary endpoint was minimum flow area (MinFA) post-procedure assessed by OFDI, defined as: [stent area + incomplete stent apposition (ISA) area] - (intraluminal defect + tissue prolapse area). Sample size was based on the expected difference of 0.72 mm(2) in MinFA. Baseline demographics, pre-procedural quantitative coronary angiography (QCA), and procedural characteristics were well matched between the two groups. On OFDI, the stent area (TB: 7.62 ± 2.23 mm(2), non-TB: 7.05 ± 2.12 mm(2), P = 0.14) and MinFA (TB: 7.08 ± 2.14 mm(2) vs. non-TB: 6.51 ± 1.99 mm(2), Δ0. 57 mm(2), P = 0.12) were not different. In addition, the amount of protrusion, intraluminal defect, and ISA area were similar in the both groups. CONCLUSION PPCI with TB was associated with a similar flow area as well as stent area to PPCI without TB.
Using divide-and-conquer GA strategy in fuzzy data mining

Data mining is most commonly used in attempts to induce association rules from transaction data. Transactions in real-world applications, however, usually consist of quantitative values. This work thus proposes a fuzzy data-mining algorithm for extracting both association rules and membership functions from quantitative transactions. A GA-based framework for finding membership functions suitable for mining problems is proposed. The fitness of each set of membership functions is evaluated using the fuzzy-supports of the linguistic terms in the large 1-itemsets and the suitability of the derived membership functions. The proposed framework thus maintains multiple populations of membership functions, with one population for one item's membership functions. The final best set of membership functions gathered from all the populations is used to effectively mine fuzzy association rules.
c-MYC-regulated miR-23a/24-2/27a Cluster Promotes Mammary Carcinoma Cell Invasion and Hepatic Metastasis by Targeting Sprouty2*

Background: The regulation of the miR-23a/24-2/27a cluster is largely unknown. Results: EGF induced c-MYC expression to promote the expression of the miR-23a/24-2/27a cluster, resulting in decreased expression of Sprouty2 and increased activation of p44/42 MAPK to stimulate mammary carcinoma cell invasion and subsequent hepatic metastases. Conclusion: EGF promoted mammary carcinoma cell invasion and hepatic metastasis. Significance: The miR-23a/24-2/27a cluster might be used as a biomarker for breast cancer metastasis. Emerging evidence indicates that the miR-23a/24-2/27a cluster may possess a causal role in mammary tumorigenesis and function as a novel class of oncogenes. However, the regulatory mechanism of the miR-23a/24-2/27a cluster in mammary carcinoma cell invasion and migration is still largely unknown. We observed that the expression levels of miR-23a, miR-24-2 and miR-27a were significantly higher in breast cancer with lymph node metastasis, compared with that from patients without lymph node metastasis or normal tissue. Forced expression of the miR-23a/24-2/27a cluster promoted mammary carcinoma cell migration, invasion, and hepatic metastasis, through targeting Sprouty2 (SPRY2) and consequent activation of p44/42 MAPK. Epidermal growth factor induced the expression of the transcription factor c-MYC, which promoted the expression of mature miR-23a, miR-24-2, and miR-27a and subsequently decreased expression of SPRY2 and activated p44/42 MAPK to promote mammary carcinoma cell migration and invasion. We therefore suggest a novel link between epidermal growth factor and the miR-23a/24-2/27a cluster via the regulation of c-MYC, providing the potential for the miR-23a/24-2/27a cluster to be used as biomarker in the diagnosis and/or treatment of breast cancer.
Taming Test Anxiety: The Activation of Failure-Related Concepts Enhances Cognitive Test Performance of Test-Anxious Students

We investigated processes underlying performance decrements of highly test-anxious persons. Three experiments contrasted conditions that differed in the degree of activation of concepts related to failure. Participants memorized a list of words either containing words related to failure or containing no words related to failure in Experiment 1. In Experiment 2, all participants initially memorized words related to failure, but one experimental condition subsequently required the intentional forgetting of these words, thereby, decreasing the words’ activation in memory. The performance of highly test-anxious participants in unannounced cognitive ability tests following the memorizing phase profited from the activation of failure-related concepts. Experiment 3 replicated this finding by contrasting a condition priming failure–related concepts with a neutral control condition. The results point to a mechanism of suppressing worrying thoughts that is detrimental to test performances of highly test-anxious persons. Bringing the feared threat of failure to their awareness prevents that suppression.
Cultural Similarity's Consequences

Previous research found null results examining predicted relationships between emotion recognition accuracy and Hofstede's cultural dimensions. Prior theory was "static," linking cultural profiles with absolute levels of emotion recognition accuracy. By contrast, a "distance" theory links cultural differences with the discrepancy in recognition accuracy achieved by members of the group posing versus the group recognizing the expressions, known as the in-group advantage. Reanalyzing data from four large-scale studies, and pooling results across studies for greater precision, we find no support for static hypotheses. Notably, no patterns differ across emotions, a central prediction by static theories focusing on decoding rules. However, analyses parsimoniously support the distance perspective. These findings add to expanding evidence for cultural differences in emotional communication.
Direct Microscopic Quantification of Dynamics of Plasmodium berghei Sporozoite Transmission from Mosquitoes to Mice

ABSTRACT The number of malaria sporozoites delivered to a host by mosquitoes is thought to have a significant influence on the subsequent course of the infection in the mammalian host. We did studies with Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes with salivary gland infections of Plasmodium berghei sporozoites expressing a red fluorescent protein. After individual mosquitoes fed on an ear pinna or the ventral abdomen of a mouse, fluorescence microscopy was used to count numbers of sporozoites. Mosquitoes allowed to feed on the ear for periods of 3 versus 15 min deposited means of 281 versus 452 sporozoites, respectively, into the skin; this may have epidemiological implications because mosquitoes can feed for longer periods of time on sleeping hosts. Mosquitoes feeding on the ventral abdomen injected sporozoites not only into the skin but also into the underlying peritoneal musculature. Although mosquitoes injected fewer sporozoites into the abdominal tissues, more of these were reingested into the mosquito midgut, probably a consequence of easier access to blood intake from the abdominal area. The most consistent parameter of sporozoite transmission dynamics under all conditions of mosquito probing and feeding was the relatively slow release rate of sporozoites (∼1 to 2.5 per second) from the mosquito proboscis. The numbers of sporozoites introduced into the host by mosquitoes and the transmission efficiencies of sporozoite delivery are multifactorial phenomena that vary with length of probing time, skin site being fed upon, and numbers of sporozoites within the salivary glands.
Connecting non-quadratic variational models and MRFs

Spatially-discrete Markov random fields (MRFs) and spatially-continuous variational approaches are ubiquitous in low-level vision, including image restoration, segmentation, optical flow, and stereo. Even though both families of approaches are fairly similar on an intuitive level, they are frequently seen as being technically rather distinct since they operate on different domains. In this paper we explore their connections and develop a direct, rigorous link with a particular emphasis on first-order regularizers. By representing spatially-continuous functions as linear combinations of finite elements with local support and performing explicit integration of the variational objective, we derive MRF potentials that make the resulting MRF energy equivalent to the variational energy functional. In contrast to previous attempts, we provide an explicit connection for modern non-quadratic regularizers and also integrate the data term. The established connection opens certain classes of MRFs to spatially-continuous interpretations and variational formulations to a broad range of probabilistic learning and inference algorithms.
Use and perceptions of antibiotics for upper respiratory infections among college students.

BACKGROUND Upper respiratory infections (URIs) are mainly viral in nature, rendering antibiotics ineffective. Little is known about what college students believe concerning the effectiveness of antibiotics as a treatment for URIs. METHODS Students (n=425) on 3 college campuses were surveyed using a survey describing 3 variations in presentation of an uncomplicated URI. Participants were questioned about their likelihood of using a variety of treatments for the URI and about their likelihood of seeking a physician's care. RESULTS The percentage of students endorsing antibiotic use differed significantly by symptom complex. Likelihood of seeking medical care also differed significantly across symptom groups, with greater endorsement in the discolored nasal discharge and low-grade fever scenarios. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that belief in antibiotic effectiveness for cold symptoms decreased with tic and Therapeutic increasing years of higher education. Likelihood of antibiotic use across different scenarios increased with age. Likelihood of seeking care across different scenarios was related to type of health insurance and belief in antibiotic effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS Undergraduate college students show poor recognition of typical presentations of the common cold and have misconceptions about effective treatment. Although increasing years of college correlated with decreasing belief in antibiotics' effectiveness for a cold, more health education at the college level is recommended.
Physical activity, stress, and metabolic risk score in 8- to 18-year-old boys.

BACKGROUND We examined whether physical activity modifies the relationship between stress and the metabolic risk score in 8- to 18-year-old males (n = 37). METHODS Physical activity (PA) and television (TV)/videogame (VG) use were assessed via accelerometer and questionnaire, respectively. Stress was determined from self-report measures. A metabolic risk score (MRS) was created by summing age-standardized residuals for waist circumference, mean arterial pressure, glycosylated hemoglobin, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. RESULTS Correlations between PA and MRS were low (r < -.13), and TV and VG were moderately associated with MRS (r = .39 and .43, respectively). Correlations between stress-related variables and MRS ranged from r = . 19 to . 64. After partitioning by PA, significant correlations were observed in the low PA group between school- and sports-related self-esteem and anxiety with the MRS. CONCLUSIONS The results provide suggestive evidence that PA might modify the relationship between stress and MRS in male adolescents.
Intrapartum fetal scalp lactate sampling for fetal assessment in the presence of a non-reassuring fetal heart rate trace.

BACKGROUND Fetal blood sampling for lactate estimation may be considered following identification of an abnormal or non-reassuring fetal heart rate pattern. The smaller volume of blood required for this test, compared with the more traditional pH estimation, may improve sampling rates. The appropriate use of this practice mandates systematic review of its safety and clinical effectiveness prior to widespread introduction. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effectiveness and risks of fetal scalp lactate sampling in the assessment of fetal well-being during labour, compared with no testing or alternative testing. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (November 2009). SELECTION CRITERIA All published and unpublished randomised and quasi-randomised trials that compared fetal scalp lactate testing with no testing or alternative testing to evaluate fetal status in the presence of a non-reassuring cardiotocograph during labour. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors assessed the studies independently. MAIN RESULTS The two identified randomised trials considered outcomes for 3348 mother-baby pairs allocated to either lactate or pH estimation of fetal blood samples in labour. There were no statistically significant differences for any fetal/neonatal/infant outcomes, including low Apgar score at five minutes, admission to neonatal intensive care units or neonatal encephalopathy, or for low umbilical arterial pH, base deficit or metabolic acidaemia. There was a statistically higher success rate for lactate compared with pH estimation (risk ratio 1.10, 95% confidence interval 1.08 to 1.12, n = 2992). There were no significant between-group differences in mode of birth or operative birth for non-reassuring fetal status. No studies reported outcomes of maternal satisfaction with fetal monitoring, anxiety, length of hospital stay or economic analysis. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS When further testing to assess fetal well-being in labour is indicated, fetal scalp blood lactate estimation is more likely to be successfully undertaken than pH estimation. Action cut-off lactate values need to consider the lactate meter used. Further studies may consider sub-group analysis by gestational age, the stage of labour and sampling within a prolonged second stage of labour. Additionally, future studies may address longer-term neonatal outcomes, maternal satisfaction with intrapartum fetal monitoring and an economic analysis.
Case-control study of intrapartum care, cerebral palsy, and perinatal death

Abstract Objective: To investigate the relation between suboptimal intrapartum obstetric care and cerebral palsy or death. Design: Case-control study. Setting: Oxford Regional Health Authority. Subjects - 141 babies who subsequently developed cerebral palsy and 62 who died intrapartum or neonatally, 1984-7. All subjects were born at term of singleton pregnancies and had no congenital anomaly. Two controls, matched for place and time of birth, were selected for each index case. Main outcome measures - Adverse antenatal factors and suboptimal intrapartum care (by using predefined criteria). Results: Failure to respond to signs of severe fetal distress was more common in cases of cerebral palsy (odds ratio 4.5; 95% confidence interval 2.4 to 8.4) and in cases of death (26.1; 6.2 to 109.7) than among controls. This association persisted even after adjustment for increased incidence of a complicated obstetric history in cases of cerebral palsy. Neonatal encephalopathy is regarded as the best clinical indicator of birth asphyxia; only two thirds (23/33) of the children with cerebral palsy in whom there had been a suboptimal response to fetal distress, however, had evidence of neonatal encephalopathy; these 23 formed 6.8% of all children with cerebral palsy born to residents of the region in the four years studied. Conclusion: There is an association between quality of intrapartum care and death. The findings also suggest an association between suboptimal care and cerebral palsy, but this seems to have a role in only a small proportion of all cases of cerebral palsy. The contribution of adverse antenatal factors in the origin of cerebral palsy needs further study.
The incidence of metastases after multimodal therapy for cancer of the head and neck

Combined therapeutic regimens integrating chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery are reported to be effective in treating advanced squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck. The current study evaluates 58 consecutive patients with advanced (T4, N3) head and neck cancers. Forty patients (multimodal group) were treated with 2 courses of chemotherapy (cisplatin 2 mg/kg; methotrexate 280–560 mg/m2 with leucovorin rescue; bleomycin 30 μ ×3) followed by radiation therapy and surgery. Eighteen patients (combined group) were treated with preoperative radiation therapy followed by surgery. In the multimodal group there were 27 (67.5%) partial responses and nine (22.5%) complete responses, for an overall response rate of 90%. Response rates by site of primary lesion were: oral cavity, 11 of 11; oropharynx, 13 of 17; hypopharynx, 5 to 5; and larynx 7 of 7. Distant metastases (skin, lung, bone, central nervous system [CNS]) appeared in 16 patients (40%) (P < 0.05 versus combined) at a median time of 8.5 months after diagnosis, 15 in patients having a partial (11) or complete (4) response. Thirteen patients (33%) developed distant metastases within 1 year of diagnosis (P < 0.05 versus combined). In 11 of these patients, the primary lesion and neck disease were resectable. Two thoracotomies were performed for solitary pulmonary metastases; one was resected for cure. Fifteen patients (38%) underwent curative resection; 11 (73%) were alive at 1 year, and ten (67%) were free of disease. Overall survival was 20 of 40 (50%) at 1 year. In the combined group, there were 14 partial responses (78%) and no complete responses. Early distant metastases appeared in two patients (12.5%), at 2 and 6 months after diagnosis. Seven patients (38%) underwent curative resection; six of seven (86%) were alive at 1 year, four of seven (57%) were disease‐free. Six of 16 patients at risk (37.5%) survived 1 year. After combined therapy, six of ten patients (60%) with responses to therapy survived 1 year versus 12 of 20 responders (57%) without distant metastases in the multimodal group. It is concluded that multimodal therapy for advanced head and neck cancer results in a higher response rate than with conventional combined therapy. The incidence of early and postoperative distant metastases was increased after the multimodal regimen. At 1 year there were no differences in survival between the combined and multimodal groups for responders without early metastases. Further observation is needed to determine the net long‐term effects of this regimen. A prospective randomized comparison of combined and multimodal therapy for advanced lesions is indicated.
Recognition of core binding sites by bacteriophage integrases.

Bacteriophage integrases promote recombination between DNA molecules that carry attachment sites. They are members of a large and widely distributed family of site-specific recombinases with diverse biological roles. The integrases of phages lambda and HK022 are closely related members of this family, but neither protein efficiently recombines the attachment sites of the other phage. The nucleotides responsible for this specificity difference are located close to the points of recombinational strand exchange, within an integrase binding motif called the extended core binding site. There are four imperfectly repeated copies of this motif in each set of phage attachment sites, but only two, B' and C, contain major specificity determinants. When these specificity determinants were replaced by the corresponding nucleotides from a site with the alternative specificity, the resulting mutant was recombined by both integrases. Thus, the determinants act by impeding recombination promoted by the non-cognate integrase. We found that identical nucleotide substitutions within different core site copies had different effects on recombination, suggesting that integrase does not recognize each of the extended core binding sites in the same way. Finally, substitution at several positions in lambda integrase with the corresponding HK022-specific amino acids prevents recombination of lambda attachment sites, and this defect can be suppressed in an allele-specific manner by appropriate substitutions of HK022-specific nucleotides in the extended core binding sites.