Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mechanical thrombectomy versus systemic thrombolysis in MCA stroke: a distance to thrombus-based outcome analysis

Background Acute ischemic stroke due to occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) has a poor outcome. The distance to thrombus (DT) from the carotid T can predict the outcome after intravenous thrombolysis (IVT). With a DT <16 mm, fewer than 50% of patients treated with IVT have a favorable outcome. Objective To compare stent retriever-based endovascular mechanical thrombectomy (MT) plus additional IVT (IVT–MT) with IVT alone. Materials and methods Patients with MCA occlusion proved by CT angiography with a DT <16 mm, treated with either IVT alone or with stent retriever-based endovascular IVT–MT, were included in this study. Changes in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), the 7-day NIHSS, and the 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores were analyzed by treatment modality. Results Of 621 patients, 87 fulfilled all inclusion criteria. Fifty-nine patients were treated with IVT and 28 with IVT–MT. Although patients treated with IVT–MT had had significantly more severe strokes than those treated with IVT alone (initial NIHSS 16 (7–18) vs 14 (5–22); p=0.032), both the short- and long-term outcomes were significantly better in this patient group (NIHSS improvement on day 7: 10.9±6.3 vs 6.7±6.7; p=0.008/90-day mRS: 2 (0.75–2.5) vs 4 (2–6); p=0.003). Conclusions In patients with an acute MCA occlusion and a DT <16 mm, IVT–MT leads to a significantly better outcome than in patients treated with IVT alone.
H2, H3+ and the age of molecular clouds and prestellar cores

Measuring the age of molecular clouds and prestellar cores is a difficult task that has not yet been successfully accomplished although the information is of paramount importance to help in understanding and discriminating between different formation scenarios. Most chemical clocks suffer from unknown initial conditions and are therefore difficult to use. We propose a new approach based on a subset of deuterium chemistry that takes place in the gas phase and for which initial conditions are relatively well known. It relies primarily on the conversion of H3+ into H2D+ to initiate deuterium enrichment of the molecular gas. This conversion is controlled by the ortho/para ratio of H2 that is thought to be produced with the statistical ratio of 3 and subsequently slowly decays to an almost pure para-H2 phase. This slow decay takes approximately 1 Myr and allows us to set an upper limit on the age of molecular clouds. The deuterium enrichment of the core takes longer to reach equilibrium and allows us to estimate the time necessary to form a dense prestellar core, i.e. the last step before the collapse of the core into a protostar. We find that the observed abundance and distribution of DCO+ and N2D+ argue against quasi-static core formation and favour dynamical formation on time scales of less than 1 Myr. Another consequence is that ortho-H2 remains comparable to para-H2 in abundance outside the dense cores.
Ecology and Biogeography of Bacterial Communities Associated with Chloroethene-Contaminated Aquifers

Massive usage, along with careless handling, storage, spills, and leakages made chloroethenes (CEs) one of the most abundant classes of groundwater contaminants. Anaerobic organohalide respiring bacteria (OHRB) can couple reductive dechlorination of CEs with energy conservation, a central microbial process in (enhanced) natural attenuation of CE-contaminated aquifers. Spatial variability of OHRB guild members present in contaminated sites has not yet been investigated in detail and it is not known whether the spatial localization of contaminated sites could impact differentially remediation capacities. The goal of this study was to investigate how spatially distant microbial communities responded to the presence of CEs. Bacterial communities associated with five geographically distant European CE-contaminated aquifers were analyzed with terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism. Numerical ecology tools were used to assess the separate and combined effects on the communities of their spatial localization, their local environmental conditions and their contaminant concentrations. Three spatial scales were used for the assessment of the structuration of the communities as a function of geographical distances, namely at the aquifer scale, at medium (50 km) and long (ca. 1000 km) distances between aquifers. As a result, bacterial communities were structured with an almost identical contribution by both the geographical position of the aquifer and local environmental variables, especially electron donors and acceptors. The impact of environmental factors decreased with distance between aquifers, with the concomitant increase in importance of a geographical factor. Contrastingly, CEs contributed at a low extent at the medium scale and became important only when all aquifers were considered together, at a large geographical scale, suggesting that distant communities were structured partially by a common niche specialization in organohalide respiration.
Understanding and Mitigating Display and Presence Disparity in Mixed Presence Groupware

Mixed Presence Groupware (MPG) supports both co-located and distributed participants working over a shared visual workspace. It does so by connecting multiple single-display groupware workspaces together through a shared data structure. Our implementation and observations of MPG systems exposes two problems: the first is display disparity, where connecting heterogeneous displays introduces issues in how people are seated around the workspace and how workspace artifacts are oriented; the second problem is presence disparity, where the perceived presence of collaborators is markedly different depending on whether they are co-located or remote. Presence disparity is likely caused by inadequate consequential communication between remote participants, which in turn disrupts group collaborative and communication dynamics. To mitigate display and presence disparity problems, we determine virtual seating positions and replace conventional telepointers with digital arm shadows that extend from a person’s side of the table to their pointer location. ACM Classification: H.5. 3 (Groups and organizational interfaces – Computer supported cooperative work).
Relationships between the physicochemical properties of an amphiphilic triblock copolymers/DNA complexes and their intramuscular transfection efficiency

Poly(ethyleneoxide)-poly(propyleneoxide)-poly(ethyleneoxide) triblock copolymer (PEO-PPO-PEO) based plasmid delivery systems are increasingly drawing attention in the field of nonviral gene transfer because of their proven in vivo transfection capability. They result from the simple association of DNA molecules with uncharged polymers. We examined the physicochemical properties of PEO-PPO-PEO/DNA mixtures, in which the PEO-PPO-PEO is Lutrol® (PEO75-PPO30-PEO75), formulated under various conditions. We found that interactions between PEO-PPO-PEO and DNA are mediated by the central hydrophobic block within the block copolymer. Dynamic light scattering and cryo-electron microscopy showed that the mean diameter of transfecting particles as well as their stability depended on the PEO-PPO-PEO/DNA ratio and on the ionic composition of the formulating medium. The most active formulation promoting a good tissue-distribution and an optimal transfection was characterized by a reduced electrophoretic mobility, a mean hydrodynamic diameter of ∼250–300 nm and by a conserved B-DNA form as shown by circular dichroism studies. Our study also revealed that the stability of these formulations strongly depended on a concentration balance between the DNA and the PEO-PPO-PEO, over which the DNA conformation was modified, micron-sized particles were generated, and the transgene expression was declined. We showed that the physicochemical properties of PEO-PPO-PEO/DNA formulations directly impact the level of gene expression in transfected muscles.
The Use of Quick Response Codes in the Classroom

The purpose of this article is to explore and analyse teaching methods and processes that incorporate Quick Response (QR) codes and mobile devices into the classroom. Quick Response codes are two dimensional barcodes that are used to encode and decode information. QR codes can contain information such as text, URL links, automatic SMS messages, or just about any other information that can be embedded in a two-dimensional barcode. This encoded data can be decoded by scanning the barcode with a mobile device that is equipped with a camera and QR reader software. Although QR codes are very versatile and have been around for over fifteen years, their use in education is still in its infancy. This paper introduces the available implementations of QR codes in education. These implementations were developed with teachers to correspond to their needs and wishes. The students were very enthusiastic and motivated but the teachers’ attitude was more sceptical. The main feedback from the teachers was that the planning of QR activities is an arduous task when one is not familiar with QR codes or the ways to utilize them. In our study we found that QR codes can support learning in different contexts. We also found that QR codes can support both independent and collaborative learning and that QR codes can motivate and engage learners. Author
Outcomes of Cardiac Surgery: Associations With Physician Characteristics, Institutional Characteristics, and Transfers of Care

Background:Although there are several studies of the human and system factors that influence the outcomes of cardiac surgery, it remains difficult to draw conclusions because many do not simultaneously adjust for the characteristics of patients, physicians, and institutions. The current study explores the associations between these factors and inhospital mortality, with a particular focus on whether patients had the same operating and attending physician. Method and Results:This is a retrospective observational study of 114,751 hospitalizations from 2003 to 2009 in Pennsylvania that included a coronary artery bypass graft, valve surgery, or both. The study included 70 teaching and nonteaching hospitals, 289 operating physicians who were also the attending physicians for 75% of the hospitalizations, and 2654 attending physicians for the remaining hospitalizations. After adjustment, there was a 38.4% decrease (95% CI, 20.3%–56.5%) in mortality when the operating and attending physician were the same. For the operator, each procedure performed was associated with a 0.05% (95% CI, 0.04%–0.06%) decrease in mortality and each year since medical school was associated with a 0.9% (95% CI, 0.02%–1.8%) increase in mortality. For the attending, each year since medical school was associated with a 0.67% (95% CI, 0.01%–1.4%) decrease in patient mortality. Conclusions:The findings indicated that an increase in the log odds of mortality was associated with the transfer of care between an attending and operating physician. Better patient outcomes were associated with an operator with higher volume who was closer to medical school graduation and an attending physician with more clinical experience.
A dynamic interplay of nucleosome and Msn2 binding regulates kinetics of gene activation and repression following stress

The transcription factor Msn2 mediates a significant proportion of the environmental stress response, in which a common cohort of genes changes expression in a stereotypic fashion upon exposure to any of a wide variety of stresses. We have applied genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation and nucleosome profiling to determine where Msn2 binds under stressful conditions and how that binding affects, and is affected by, nucleosome positioning. We concurrently determined the effect of Msn2 activity on gene expression following stress and demonstrated that Msn2 stimulates both activation and repression. We found that some genes responded to both intermittent and continuous Msn2 nuclear occupancy while others responded only to continuous occupancy. Finally, these studies document a dynamic interplay between nucleosomes and Msn2 such that nucleosomes can restrict access of Msn2 to its canonical binding sites while Msn2 can promote reposition, expulsion and recruitment of nucleosomes to alter gene expression. This interplay may allow the cell to discriminate between different types of stress signaling.
Prediction of depressive relapse in remitted bipolar patients using corticotrophin‐releasing hormone challenge test

Abnormalities in corticotrophin (ACTH) and Cortisol levels before and after corticotrophin‐releasing hormone (CRH) stimulation have been reported in depressed bipolar patients. The ACTH and free Cortisol response to the injection of 100 ug of synthetic human CRH and plasma cortisol‐binding globulin (CBG) levels were measured in 42 lithium‐treated patients suffering from RDC bipolar‐I disorder in remission, and in 21 age‐ and sex‐matched control subjects. A 1‐year follow‐up was conducted in order to assess any possible relationship between outcome and the hormonal response. Bipolar patients showed higher baseline and peak ACTH concentrations than controls. A lower net area under the ACTH concentration curve after CRH stimulation predicted depressive relapse within 6 months by multiple regression analysis. The CRH challenge test could be a potentially good predictor of depressive relapse in remitted bipolar patients.
Role of Routine Subhepatic Abdominal Drain Placement following Uncomplicated Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Prospective Randomised Study.

INTRODUCTION Routine abdominal drainage after laparoscopy cholecystectomy is an issue of considerable debate. Reason for draining is to detect early bile/blood leak and allow CO2 insufflate during laparoscopy to escape via drain site thereby decreased shoulder tip pain and post-operative nausea and vomiting. But some studies show no difference in post-operative nausea /vomiting/pain between drain and no drain group. AIM To assess the role of drains following uncomplicated laparoscopic cholecystectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS This prospective randomized study was conducted in the Department of General Surgery, Government Medical College and Rajindra Hospital, Patiala. Hundred patients of symptomatic gallstones satisfying the selection and exclusion criteria, undergoing uncomplicated laparoscopic cholecystectomy were included in this study, 50 cases with drains in right subhepatic space (Group I) and 50 cases without drains (Group II). Both groups were compared in terms of post-operative shoulder pain, analgesic requirement, nausea and vomiting, hospital stay and analgesic requirement in patient with drains and without drains. SPSS version 16.0 (Chi-Square Test and Fisher-Exact Test) were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS In this study, average operative time in both the groups was same (p-value 0.977). There was more incidence of nausea /vomiting in no drain group than in drain group. Shoulder tip pain was lower in drain group in first 12 hours post-operative. However, after 12 hours, drain group had higher shoulder tip pain than no drain group. Analgesic requirement was higher in no drain group upto 12 hours after which it was higher in drain group (statistically not significant). In terms of hospital stay patients in drain group had a longer stay in hospital as compared to no drain group (2.96 vs 2.26; p <0.001 statistically significant). CONCLUSION Use of drains in uncomplicated laparoscopic cholecystectomy is not advantageous; its role in reducing post-operative nausea/vomiting is insignificant. It increases post-operative shoulder tip pain and hospital stay. Therefore, routine use of drains cannot be justified as it increases morbidity without significant advantage.
Title Genome-wide association study of hepatocellular carcinoma in Southern Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection

One of the most relevant risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development is chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, but only a fraction of chronic HBV carriers develop HCC, indicating that complex interactions among viral, environmental and genetic factors lead to HCC in HBV-infected patients. So far, host genetic factors have incompletely been characterized. Therefore, we performed a genome-wide association (GWA) study in a Southern Chinese cohort consisting of 95 HBV-infected HCC patients (cases) and 97 HBV-infected patients without HCC (controls) using the Illumina Human610Quad BeadChips. The top single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were then validated in an independent cohort of 500 cases and 728 controls. 4 SNPs (rs12682266, rs7821974, rs2275959, rs1573266) at chromosome 8p12 showed consistent association in both the GWA and replication phases (ORcombined = 1.31–1.39; pcombined = 2.71610 –5.19610; PARcombined = 26–31%). We found a 2.3-kb expressed sequence tag (EST) in the region using in-silico data mining and verified the existence of the full-length EST experimentally. The expression level of the EST was significantly reduced in human HCC tumors in comparison to the corresponding non-tumorous liver tissues (P,0.001). Results from sequence analysis and in-vitro protein translation study suggest that the transcript might function as a long non-coding RNA. In summary, our study suggests that variations at chromosome 8p12 may promote HCC in patients with HBV. Further functional studies of this region may help understand HBV-associated hepatocarcinogenesis. Citation: Chan KY-K, Wong C-M, Kwan JS-H, Lee JM-F, Cheung KW, et al. (2011) Genome-Wide Association Study of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Southern Chinese Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection. PLoS ONE 6(12): e28798. doi:10.1371/journal.pone. 0028798 Editor: Amanda Ewart Toland, Ohio State University Medical Center, United States of America Received June 17, 2011; Accepted November 15, 2011; Published December 8, 2011 Copyright: 2011 Chan et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: The study was supported by Hong Kong Research Grants Council Collaborative Research Fund (HKU 1/06C and HKU 7/CRG/09). I.O. L. Ng is Loke Yew Professor in Pathology. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. * E-mail: iolng@hku.hk (IOLN); pcsham@hku.hk (PCS) . These authors contributed equally to this work.
Treatment of Pediatric non‐Hodgkin lymphomas in a country with limited resources: Results of the first national protocol in Nicaragua

We report the results of a protocol for the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric non‐Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) conducted in Nicaragua in the context of an international collaborative program. Fifty‐three children with NHL treated between 1996 and 2003 were retrospectively evaluated. Therapy was designed based on local drug availability and affordability with dose and schedule adaptations for Burkitt and lymphoblastic lymphomas. With a median follow‐up of 3 years, the projected 9‐year overall survival was 63% and event‐free survival 53%. The treatment was efficacious, feasible, and well tolerated in spite of the local socio‐economical conditions. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2008;50:148–152. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Hypokalemic weakness in hyperaldosteronism: Activity-dependent conduction block

The authors describe a 48-year-old man who presented with acute weakness. Serum K+ was 1.7 mmol/L, and investigations established hyperaldosteronism. Nerve excitability studies during hypokalemia demonstrated that axons were of high threshold with a fanning out of threshold electrotonus, consistent with hyperpolarization. Activity-dependent conduction block was induced by voluntary contraction. Excitability abnormalities resolved with K+ replacement. Activity-dependent conduction block induced by normal activity may contribute to weakness and paralysis developing with hypokalemia.
Changes in land use and housing on resource lands in Washington state, 1976–2006

Changes in human land use patterns have wide-ranging social, economic and ecological implications. How urban and residential areas develop to accommodate population increase can have varying effects on forest and agricultural production from resource lands. Estimates of the amount and type of land use change differ substantially with definitions and analytical methods used. The purpose of this study was to apply a robust manual image classification method to assess changes in land use and housing density across Washington state for a 30-year period. Digital imagery from 1976, 1994, and 2006 was classified to land use, classifications were assigned to a systematic-random grid of 44,554 photointerpretation points on nonfederal lands, and houses were identified within 80-ac circles around each nonurban point. Population in the state increased by 2.5 million people (66 percent) over the 30-year period, during which time 1.16 million acres were converted from forest and agriculture land use classes to residential and urban land uses. The greatest changes were in western Washington, where forest lands declined at a rate of 0.2 percent per year and intensive agricultural lands declined at a rate of 0.7 percent per year. Twenty percent of nonfederal land in western Washington was in developed land uses in 2006. The density of housing structures on lands that remained in forest and agricultural land uses also increased over the period of interest, particularly in areas close to developed land uses. The rate of housing increase on resource lands was greater from 1994 to 2006 than from 1976 to 1994 in eastern Washington, but declined in western Washington. This method of assessing land use change compared favorably with other approaches, and had the advantage that it could be applied consistently to a longer period of time and allowed detailed assessment of patterns at local scales.
Growing Minds: The Effect of a School Gardening Program on the Science Achievement of Elementary Students

Science achievement of third, fourth, and fifth grade elementary students was studied using a sample of 647 students from seven elementary schools in Temple, Texas. Students in the experimental group participated in school gardening activities as part of their science curriculum in addition to using traditional classroom-based methods. In contrast, students in the control group were taught science using traditional classroom-based methods only. Students in the experimental group scored signifi cantly higher on the science achievement test compared to the students in the control group. No statistical signifi cance was found between girls and boys in the experimental group, indicating that gardening was equally effective at teaching science for both genders. After separating the data into the grade levels, the garden curriculum was more effective as a teaching method in raising science achievement scores for boys in third and fi fth grades, and for girls in the fi fth grade compared to traditional classroom-based methods alone.