Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Epidemiology and Clinical Manifestations of Dysexecutive Syndrome in Parkinson’s Disease

This mini-review summarizes the evidence of the cognitive and behavioral features of dysexecutive syndrome in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Deficits in response inhibition, set-shifting, mental flexibility, and strategy have been frequently described from the earliest stages of PD, although there are inconsistencies in study findings due to the complexity of the executive function (EF) construct and methodological limitations. Behavioral disorders of PD, e.g., apathy, distractibility, perseverative behavior, and impulse-control disorders, may be viewed as the other side of dysexecutive syndrome. Despite the interrelationship between the cognitive and behavioral domains, some reports reveal that the two syndromes may be dissociated, suggesting that both aspects must be clinically assessed. EFs are widely associated with the prefrontal areas, although dysexecutive syndrome may be observed in patients with damage to other brain regions. EFs drive numerous abilities essential to daily life, such as prospective remembering and language comprehension, which may be impaired in PD subjects. Considering the impact of dysexecutive syndrome on independence and quality of life, early detection of executive impairment is crucial in the management of PD.
Clinical Presentation of Hypertensive Crises in Emergency Medical Services

Objectives: The objective of this study is to evaluate the incidence and clinical presentation of hypertensive crises in the Emergency medical services of the Community Health Centre “Dr. Mustafa Šehović” Tuzla in relation to age, sex, duration and severity of hypertension, as well as the prevalence of accompanying symptoms and clinical manifestations. Methods: The study was conducted between November 2009 and April 2010 and included 180 subjects of both sexes, aged 30-80 with a diagnosis of arterial hypertension. All subjects were divided into two groups: a control group, which consisted of subjects without hypertensive crisis (95 subjects) and an experimental group that consisted of subjects with hypertensive crisis (85 subjects). Results: The study results indicate that female subjects were significantly over- represented compared to men (60% vs. 40 %, p=0.007). The average age of the male subjects was 55.83±11.06 years, while the female subjects’ average age was 59.41±11.97 years. The incidence of hypertensive crisis was 47.22%, with hypertensive urgency significantly more represented than emergency (16.47% vs. 83.53%, p<0.0001). The majority of subjects in the experimental group (28.23%) belonged to the age group of 60-69 years of age: 26.76% urgency and 35.71% emergency. The most common accompanying symptoms in hypertensive subjects were headache (75%), chest pain (48.33%), vertigo (44.44%), shortness of breath (38.88%) and nausea (33.89%). The most common symptoms in subjects with hypertensive crisis were headache (74.11%), chest pain and shortness of breath (62.35%), vertigo (49.41%), and nausea and vomiting (41.17%). Conclusions: Chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea and vomiting were significantly over-represented in subjects with hypertensive crisis (p<0.005). Clinical manifestations of hypertensive emergencies in almost all subjects included acute coronary syndrome, and only one subject had acute pulmonary edema.
Spatial Pyramid Pooling based Convolutional Autoencoder Network for Loop Closure Detection

Loop closure detection is a crucial module in simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), which reduces accumulative error in building environment map. Traditional appearance-based methods for loop closure detection are vulnerable to environmental variations as they mainly rely on hand-crafted features. The convolutional neural networks (ConvNets) can automatically learn feature representation from original image, and it is more robust to illumination changes. However, the ConvNets methods may fail when the viewpoint changes significantly due to it extract global features. In order to solve the problem mentioned above, in this paper, we design an unsupervised network which combines the advantage of the traditional and ConvNets methods, and propose a new module named spatial pyramid pooling based convolution autoencoder (SPP-CAE). We evaluate the performance of the proposed method on several open datasets using precision-recall metric. The results show that our method is feasible for detecting loops and is more robust than state-of-the-art methods.
Institutional Ownership, Capital Structure and R&D Investment

Research and development (R&D) is vital for IT firm's innovation. This study investigates the relationship among institutional ownership, capital structure, and R&D investment for 336 listed IT firms from 2006 to 2009 by using OLS regression model. Empirical evidence shows that there is no significant relationship between institutional ownership and R&D investment. The finding suggests that institutional investors may not influence management decision making on R&D investment. This study also finds that capital structure has a negative relationship with R&D investments. The result indicates that IT firms may use less debt when investment outcome is uncertain.
New Generation Cardiac Contractility Modulation Device—Filling the Gap in Heart Failure Treatment

(1) Background: Heart failure (HF) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Despite substantial progress in its prevention and treatment, mortality rates remain high. Device therapy for HF mainly includes cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and the use of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). Recently, however, a new device therapy—cardiac contractility modulation (CCM)—became available. (2) Aim: The purpose of this study is to present a first case-series of patients with different clinical patterns of HF with a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), supported with the newest generation of CCM devices. (3) Methods and results: Five patients with a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 35% and a New York Heart Association (NYHA) class ≥ III were supported with CCM OPTIMIZER® SMART IPGCCMX10 at our clinic. The patients had a median age of 67 ± 8.03 years (47–80) and were all males—four with ischemic etiology dilated cardiomyopathy. In two cases, CCM was added on top of CRT (non-responders), and, in one patient, CCM was delivered during persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). After 6 months of follow-up, the LVEF increased from 25.4 ± 6.8% to 27 ± 9%, and the six-minute walk distance increased from 310 ± 65.1 m to 466 ± 23.6 m. One patient died 47 days after device implantation. (4) Conclusion: CCM therapy provided with the new model OPTIMIZER® SMART IPG CCMX10 is safe, feasible, and applicable to a wide range of patients with HF.
Relationship of Nursing Personnel and Nursing Home Care Quality

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between nurse staffing hours and 6 quality indicators: physical restraints, weight loss, incontinence, late loss activities of daily living decline, stages 1 to 4 pressure ulcers, and problem behaviors toward others. Increasing registered nurse staff hours may achieve better quality indicator scores for pressure ulcers. An increase in nurse aide hours should be carefully weighed with the amount of registered nurse staff time available for supervision and direction.
Randomized Trial of Ceftazidime-Avibactam vs Meropenem for Treatment of Hospital-Acquired and Ventilator-Associated Bacterial Pneumonia (REPROVE): Analyses per US FDA–Specified End Points

Abstract Background Hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia (HAP/VAP; nosocomial pneumonia) due to Gram-negative pathogens are associated with significant morbidity and mortality; treatment options for multidrug-resistant infections are limited. The pivotal phase III REPROVE trial evaluated the efficacy of ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ-AVI) vs meropenem in the treatment of patients with HAP/VAP. Study results for prespecified analyses per US Food and Drug Administration–recommended trial end points are reported here. Methods Hospitalized adults with HAP/VAP proven or suspected to be caused by a Gram-negative pathogen were randomized 1:1 to receive CAZ-AVI or meropenem for 7 to 14 days. The primary outcome was 28-day all-cause mortality in the intent-to-treat (ITT) population. Secondary outcomes included clinical cure at test of cure (TOC) in the ITT and microbiological ITT (micro-ITT) populations, and safety and tolerability throughout the study. Results hundred seventy randomized patients received treatment and were included in the ITT population (CAZ-AVI, n = 436; meropenem, n = 434). CAZ-AVI was noninferior to meropenem for the primary end point (28-day all-cause mortality; ITT) based on the prespecified 10% noninferiority margin (CAZ-AVI, 9.6%; meropenem, 8.3%; difference, 1.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], –2.4% to 5.3%) and for the clinical cure end point in the ITT population based on a prespecified –10% noninferiority margin (CAZ-AVI, 67.2%; meropenem, 69.1%; difference, −1.9%; 95% CI, –8.1% to 4.3%). Clinical cure rates at TOC for patients infected with CAZ-nonsusceptible pathogens were similar (CAZ-AVI, 75.5%; meropenem, 71.2%; micro-ITT). Safety data were consistent with established safety profiles for both agents. Conclusions CAZ-AVI provides an important new treatment option for HAP/VAP due to Gram-negative pathogens, including CAZ-nonsusceptible strains.
Individualized stress management for primary hypertension: a randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE To test the efficacy of individualized stress management for primary hypertension in a randomized clinical trial with the use of ambulatory blood pressure (BP) measures. METHODS Men and women aged 28 to 75 years with mean ambulatory BP greater than 140/90 mm Hg received 10 hours of individualized stress management by means of semistandardized treatment components. They were randomly assigned to immediate treatment (n = 27) or a wait list control group (n = 33). Participants on the wait list were subsequently offered treatment. Six-month follow-up data were available from 36 of the 45 participants who completed treatment. Measures were 24-hour ambulatory BP, lipid levels, weight, and psychological measures. RESULTS Blood pressure was significantly reduced in the immediate treatment group and did not change in control subjects (-6.1 vs +0.9 mm Hg for systolic and -4.3 vs +0.0 mm Hg for diastolic pressure). When the wait list control group was later treated, BP was similarly reduced by -7.8 and -5.2 mm Hg, and for the combined sample, total change at follow-up was -10.8 and -8.5 mm Hg. Level of BP at the beginning of treatment was correlated with BP change (r = 0.45 [P<.001] and 0.51 [P<.001], respectively), and amount of systolic BP change was positively correlated with reduction in psychological stress (r = 0.34) and change in anger coping styles (r = 0.35-0.41). CONCLUSIONS Individualized stress management is associated with ambulatory BP reduction. The effects were replicated and further improved by follow-up. Reductions in psychological stress and improved anger coping appear to mediate the reductions in BP change.
Rituximab for Children with Immune Thrombocytopenia: A Systematic Review

Background Rituximab has been widely used off-label as a second line treatment for children with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). However, its role in the management of pediatric ITP requires clarification. To understand and interpret the available evidence, we conducted a systematic review to assess the efficacy and safety of rituximab for children with ITP. Methodology/Principal Findings We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CBM, CNKI, abstract databases of American Society of Hematology, American Society of Clinical Oncology and Pediatric Academic Society. Clinical studies published in full text or abstract only in any language that met predefined inclusion criteria were eligible. Efficacy analysis was restricted to studies enrolling 5 or more patients. Safety was evaluated from all studies that reported data of toxicity. 14 studies (323 patients) were included for efficacy assessment in children with primary ITP. The pooled complete response (platelet count ≥100×109/L) and response (platelet count ≥30×109/L) rate after rituximab treatment were 39% (95% CI, 30% to 49%) and 68% (95%CI, 58% to 77%), respectively, with median response duration of 12.8 month. 4 studies (29 patients) were included for efficacy assessment in children with secondary ITP. 11 (64.7%) of 17 patients associated with Evans syndrome achieved response. All 6 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus associated ITP and all 6 patients with autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome associated ITP achieved response. 91 patients experienced 108 adverse events associated with rituximab, among that, 91 (84.3%) were mild to moderate, and no death was reported. Conclusions/Significance Randomized controlled studies on effect of rituximab for children with ITP are urgently needed, although a series of uncontrolled studies found that rituximab resulted in a good platelet count response both in children with primary and children secondary ITP. Most adverse events associated with rituximab were mild to moderate, and no death was reported.
Intermittent cyclophosphamide with prednisone versus placebo for polyneuropathy with IgM monoclonal gammopathy

Background: The best treatment for polyneuropathy associated with IgM monoclonal gammopathy (MGUS) is unknown. Oral cyclophosphamide combined with prednisone showed limited efficacy in a previous open label pilot study. We therefore performed a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of combined oral cyclophosphamide and prednisone in IgM MGUS polyneuropathy. Methods: Thirty-five patients with progressive IgM MGUS polyneuropathy were included. After stratification for anti-MAG antibodies patients were randomized to oral cyclophosphamide 500 mg once daily for 4 days combined with oral prednisone 60 mg once daily for 5 days (treatment) (n = 16), or placebo (n = 19), repeated every 28 days for six times. Primary outcome was improvement of the Rivermead Mobility Index (RMI). Secondary outcomes were improvement of the modified Rankin scale, Medical Research Council and sensory sum scores, levels of M protein, EMG, and Short Form–36 scale after treatment. Patients were examined at 0, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Results: After 6 months of treatment and at later follow-up, no difference in change of the RMI between the two groups was observed. Change of the Rankin scale was similar in both groups. Other outcome parameters showed more improvement in the treatment group: the MRC sum score improved more from 6 to 24 months after treatment; the sensory sum score improved more at 6 months; the SF 36 mean health change score and physical role score improved more; and the median nerve distal conduction (abductor pollicis brevis muscle) improved more in the treatment group. The most common adverse event was nausea. Conclusions: Compared with placebo treatment, this first double-blind randomized trial with cyclophosphamide and prednisone in IgM MGUS polyneuropathy showed no beneficial effect on the functional scales, but a beneficial effect on muscle strength and sensation was observed.
A GPU implementation of EGSnrc's Monte Carlo photon transport for imaging applications

EGSnrc is a well-known Monte Carlo simulation package for coupled electron–photon transport that is widely used in medical physics application. This paper proposes a parallel implementation of the photon transport mechanism of EGSnrc for graphics processing units (GPUs) using NVIDIA's Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA). The implementation is specifically designed for imaging applications in the diagnostic energy range and does not model electrons. No approximations or simplifications of the original EGSnrc code were made other than using single floating-point precision instead of double precision and a different random number generator. To avoid performance penalties due to the random nature of the Monte Carlo method, the simulation was divided into smaller steps that could easily be performed in a parallel fashion suitable for GPUs. Speedups of 20 to 40 times for 643 to 2563 voxels were observed while the accuracy of the simulation was preserved. A detailed analysis of the differences between the CUDA simulation and the original EGSnrc was conducted. The two simulations were found to produce equivalent results for scattered photons and an overall systematic deviation of less than 0.08% was observed for primary photons.
Relationship Between ACTN3 R577X Polymorphism and Physical Abilities in Polish Athletes

Abstract Orysiak, J, Busko, K, Mazur-Różycka, J, Michalski, R, Gajewski, J, Malczewska-Lenczowska, J, and Sitkowski, D. Relationship between ACTN3 R577X polymorphism and physical abilities in polish athletes. J Strength Cond Res 29(8): 2333–2339, 2015—The purpose of this study was to examine the association between &agr;-actinin 3 (ACTN3) R577X polymorphism and physical abilities of male athletes performing various sports (volleyball, ice hockey, canoeing, swimming). One hundred eighty-five subjects were recruited for the study. The following measurements were taken: height of jump and power output in countermovement jump and spike jump (SPJ) and muscle strength of 10 muscle groups. The R577X polymorphism of ACTN3 was typed using polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism. The results showed that RR genotype carriers develop greater power output in SPJ than RX and XX individuals (44.6 ± 11.1, 42.6 ± 11.0, and 38.4 ± 7.9 W·kg−1 for RR, RX, and XX genotypes, respectively) and height of jump in SPJ (0.537 ± 0.075, 0.523 ± 0.072, and 0.498 ± 0.053 m for RR, RX, and XX genotypes, respectively). Muscle strength did not differ between genotype groups. This suggests that the ACTN3 gene has a greater impact on determining dynamic movements than influencing static muscle strength.
The ‘Bloomfield Movement Classification’: Motion Analysis of Individual Players in Dynamic Movement Sports

It is critical to employ sound scientific principles of physical conditioning and coaching in order to enhance sports performance. One of the most critical of these principles is the rule of specificity. To this end the specific requirements of the performance must be investigated to elicit a high degree of transfer from competition into a training regime which optimises performance in competition. One useful method of investigating physical requirements of sport is time-motion analysis where various modes of motion are subjectively or objectively chosen and timed throughout the performance. To date, fewer than 8 modes of motion have often been chosen in time-motion investigations, however it is arguable that this does not provide a high enough degree of specificity to detail the physical demands of a sport. In this paper, we outline a new approach to timemotion analysis through a method involving 14 modes of timed-motion, 3 ‘other’ non-timed movements, 14 directions, 4 intensities, 5 turning categories and 7 ‘On the Ball’ activity classifications known as the ‘Bloomfield Movement Classification’ (BMC). The BMC is performed through computerised video-analysis and is highly specific, accurate and reliable. The details of the method are explained within this paper.
Further evidence on managerial motives for stock splits

This field research study uses the responses from a 1991 mail survey to examine managerial motives for issuing stock splits. The sample consists of 251 NYSE and AMEX firms that issued stock splits of at least 25 percent between January 1, 1987 and December 31, 1990. Based on survey data from 136 responding firms, the evidence suggests that the main motive of a split is moving the stock price into a better trading range, followed by improving trading liquidity. The results also show that the mean preferred trading range of stock split firms is from $20 to $35, but differs between firms with small (< 2-for-l) versus large (22-for-l) stock splits.
Fish oil attenuates liver injury caused by LPS in weaned pigs associated with inhibition of TLR4 and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain protein signaling pathways

This study evaluated whether fish oil exerted a hepatoprotective effect in a LPS-induced liver injury model via regulation of TLR4 and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain protein (NOD) signaling pathways. Twenty-four piglets were used in a 2 × 2 factorial design, and the main factors included diet (5% corn oil or 5% fish oil) and immunological challenge (LPS or saline). Fish oil resulted in enrichment of eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid and total (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids in liver. Less severe liver injury was observed in pigs fed fish oil, as evidenced by improved serum biochemical parameters and less severe histological liver damage. In addition, higher expression of liver tight junction proteins, and lower hepatocyte proliferation and higher hepatocyte apoptosis were observed in pigs fed fish oil. The improved liver integrity in pigs fed fish oil was concurrent with reduced hepatic mRNA expression of TLR4, myeloid differentiation factor 88, IL-1 receptor-associated kinase 1 and TNF-α receptor-associated factor 6, and NOD1, NOD2 and receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 2, as well as reduced hepatic protein expression of NF-κB p65, leading to reduced hepatic pro-inflammatory mediators. These results indicate that fish oil improves liver integrity partially via inhibition of TLR4 and NOD signaling pathways under an inflammatory condition.
Melodic Intonation Therapy: Back to Basics for Future Research

We present a critical review of the literature on melodic intonation therapy (MIT), one of the most formalized treatments used by speech-language therapist in Broca's aphasia. We suggest basic clarifications to enhance the scientific support of this promising treatment. First, therapeutic protocols using singing as a speech facilitation technique are not necessarily MIT. The goal of MIT is to restore propositional speech. The rationale is that patients can learn a new way to speak through singing by using language-capable regions of the right cerebral hemisphere. Eventually, patients are supposed to use this way of speaking permanently but not to sing overtly. We argue that many treatment programs covered in systematic reviews on MIT's efficacy do not match MIT's therapeutic goal and rationale. Critically, we identified two main variations of MIT: the French thérapie mélodique et rythmée (TMR) that trains patients to use singing overtly as a facilitation technique in case of speech struggle and palliative versions of MIT that help patients with the most severe expressive deficits produce a limited set of useful, readymade phrases. Second, we distinguish between the immediate effect of singing on speech production and the long-term effect of the entire program on language recovery. Many results in the MIT literature can be explained by this temporal perspective. Finally, we propose that MIT can be viewed as a treatment of apraxia of speech more than aphasia. This issue should be explored in future experimental studies.