Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spinal endoscopic adhesiolysis in post lumbar surgery syndrome: an update of assessment of the evidence.

BACKGROUND Post lumbar surgery syndrome refers to pain occurring or present after lumbar surgery. While the causes of pain after lumbar surgery are multi-factorial, scarring is a significant source of that pain. Low back and/or leg pain after lumbar surgery can persist despite appropriate conservative therapy. Spinal endoscopy allows direct visual evaluation of the epidural space, along with mechanical lysis of any adhesions present. STUDY DESIGN A systematic review of the effectiveness of spinal endoscopic adhesiolysis in post lumbar surgery syndrome. OBJECTIVE To evaluate and update the effectiveness of spinal endoscopic adhesiolysis in treating post lumbar surgery syndrome. METHODS The available literature on spinal endoscopic adhesiolysis in treating post lumbar surgery syndrome was reviewed. The quality assessment and clinical relevance criteria utilized were the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Review Group criteria as utilized for interventional techniques for randomized trials and the criteria developed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale criteria for observational studies.The level of evidence was classified as good, fair, and limited or poor based on the quality of evidence developed by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Data sources included relevant literature identified through searches of PubMed and EMBASE from 1966 to September 2012, and manual searches of the bibliographies of known primary and review articles. OUTCOME MEASURES Pain relief and functional improvement were the primary outcome measures. Other outcome measures were improvement of psychological status, opioid intake, and return to work. Short-term effectiveness was defined as improvement of 12 months or less; whereas, long-term effectiveness was defined 12 months or longer. RESULTS For this systematic review, 21 studies were identified. Of these, one randomized controlled trial (RCT) and 5 observational studies met the inclusion criteria. Two of the observational studies were excluded because of other methodological issues, despite showing positive outcomes.Using current criteria for successful outcomes, these studies indicate that there is fair evidence for the effectiveness of spinal endoscopy in the treatment of persistent low back and/or leg pain in post lumbar surgery syndrome. LIMITATIONS The limitations of this systematic review include the paucity of literature. CONCLUSIONS The evidence is fair that spinal endoscopy is effective in the treatment of post lumbar surgery syndrome.
High-Gain State Feedback Analysis Based on Singular System Theory

We consider linear, time-invariant state-space systems under high-gain state feedback. The analysis is couched in terms of singular system theory and Grassman manifolds. Our work is distinguished from that of other authors by the fact that we do not allow a gain-dependent state coordinate change. Simple necessary and sufficient conditions are proven under which a singular system is a high-gain limit of a given state-space system. It is shown that the feedback matrix achieves a limit on an appropriate Grassmanian, so infinite gains constitute well-defined mathematical objects. The special cases of minimum-order stable and zeroth-order limits are studied in depth, including an analysis of solution behavior. Finally, the classical "cheap control" problem is interpreted within the context of our results
Plasma serpinB1 is related to insulin sensitivity but not pancreatic β‐Cell function in non‐diabetic adults

Pancreatic β‐cell dysfunction because of reduced β‐cell mass and function is a primary determinant in the progression of diabetes. Increase in β‐cell mass and compensatory hyperinsulinaemia is frequently associated with insulin‐resistant states. Although the humoral factors mediating this compensatory response are unknown, serpinB1, a protease inhibitor, has recently been proposed to be one such factor. In this study, we examine the relationships between plasma serpinB1, insulin sensitivity, and pancreatic β‐cell function in non‐diabetic individuals. 117 subjects (women, n = 50, men, n = 67; age= 37.6 ± 10.8; BMI=31.1 ± 7.7 kg/m2) underwent an insulin‐modified frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIVGTT) at the NIH Clinical Research Center. Acute insulin response (AIR) and insulin sensitivity index (SI) were obtained from the FSIVGTT with MINMOD analysis. The Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI) was calculated from fasting insulin and glucose values. Plasma serpinB1 levels were measured using an ELISA assay. Simple linear correlation analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between serpinB1 and measures of insulin sensitivity and β‐cell function. Circulating serpinB1 levels were unrelated to age, sex, race, BMI, or percent body fat. SI but not AIR significantly correlated with circulating serpinB1 levels (r = 0.23, P < 0.05). QUICKI tended to positively correlate with serpinB1 (r = 0.16, P = 0.09). Circulating serpinB1 is directly associated with insulin sensitivity but not β‐cell function in non‐diabetic adults. Whether this modest association plays a role in insulin sensitivity in humans remains to be clarified.
Specificity of constitutive and induced resistance: pigment glands influence mites and caterpillars on cotton plants

Cotton plants contain suites of phytochemicals thought to be important in defense against herbivores, some of which are localized in pigment glands which contain gossypol and other terpenoid aldehydes. The simple genetic basis for the expression of these glands has led to the development of near‐isogenic glanded and glandless genotypes. Glands may also be phenotypically induced by herbivory. We determined the consequences of constitutive and induced gland expression on two types of herbivores, spider mites (cell content feeders) and noctuid caterpillars (leaf chewers).
Resting-state functional connectivity changes within the default mode network and the salience network after antipsychotic treatment in early-phase schizophrenia

Objective Abnormal resting-state functional connectivity (FC), particularly in the default mode network (DMN) and the salience network (SN), has been reported in schizophrenia, but little is known about the effects of antipsychotics on these networks. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of atypical antipsychotics on DMN and SN and the relationship between these effects and symptom improvement in patients with schizophrenia. Methods This was a prospective study of 33 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and treated with antipsychotics at Shanghai Mental Health Center. Thirty-three healthy controls matched for age and gender were recruited. All subjects underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Healthy controls were scanned only once; patients were scanned before and after 6–8 weeks of treatment. Results In the DMN, the patients exhibited increased FC after treatment in the right superior temporal gyrus, right medial frontal gyrus, and left superior frontal gyrus and decreased FC in the right posterior cingulate/precuneus (P<0.005). In the SN, the patients exhibited decreased FC in the right cerebellum anterior lobe and left insula (P<0.005). The FC in the right posterior cingulate/precuneus in the DMN negatively correlated with the difference between the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) score pre/post-treatment (r=−0.564, P=0.023) and negative trends with the difference in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score pre/post-treatment (r=−0.475, P=0.063) and the difference in PANSS-positive symptom scores (r=−0.481, P=0.060). Conclusion These findings suggest that atypical antipsychotics could regulate the FC of certain key brain regions within the DMN in early-phase schizophrenia, which might be related to symptom improvement. However, the effects of atypical antipsychotics on SN are less clear.
A role for the Pcl9‐Pho85 cyclin–cdk complex at the M/G1 boundary in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

PHO85 is a cyclin‐dependent kinase (CDK) with roles in phosphate and glycogen metabolism and cell cycle progression. As a CDK, Pho85 is activated by association with Pho85 cyclins (Pcls), of which 10 are known. PCL1, PCL2 and PCL9 are the only members of the Pho85 cyclin family that are expressed in a cell cycle‐regulated pattern. We found that PCL9 is expressed in late M/early G1 phase of the cell cycle and is activated by the transcription factor, Swi5. This pattern of regulation is different from PCL1 and PCL2, which are expressed later in G1 phase and are regulated primarily by the transcription factor SBF. Co‐immunoprecipitation experiments using in vitro translated proteins showed that Pcl9 and Pho85 form a complex. Furthermore, immunoprecipitated Pcl9 complexes from yeast lysates were capable of phosphorylating the exogenous substrate Pho4. The Pcl9‐associated kinase activity was dependent on PHO85, showing that Pcl9 and Pho85 form a functionally active kinase complex in vivo. Deletion of PCL9 in diploid cells caused random, rather than bipolar, budding in 18% of cells. In contrast, deletion of PCL2, the closest relative of PCL9, had no effect on the budding pattern. Deleting more members of the PCL1,2 subfamily (which includes PCL9 ) increased the percentage of random budding in the cell population. When all members of the PCL1,2 subfamily were deleted, 73% of cells budded randomly, a value similar to that obtained when the CDK partner PHO85 was deleted. Our results show that PCL9 and PHO85 form a functional kinase complex and suggest a role for Pho85 CDKs at the M/G1 boundary.
Treatment of Paederus Dermatitis with Sambucus ebulus Lotion

Paederus dermatitis is an irritant contact dermatitis due to accidental contact by a beetle belonging to the genus paederus. In this study, clinical efficacies of S. ebulus fruit extract solution in patients affected by paederus dermatitis were evaluated. A randomized double-blind, prospective, placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed in 62 patients with clinical symptoms and sings of dermatitis due to paederus beetles. The patients received either a topical solution of palemolin (a 5% S. ebulus fruit extract in ethanol 70%) or ethanol 70% topical solution thrice a day. Topical hydrocortisone ointment was prescribed for all patients. Palemolin was statistically more effective in controlling of burning, pain, inflammation, drying the wound, infections and acceleration of healing than control group (p ≤ 0.05). Specially in controlling of inflammation, palemolin had more significant efficacy (p < 0.001) than control group. About 63.6% of patients in palemolin group cured during first 24 h (versus 27.4% in control groups). The problems related to lesions in 93.9% of patients were eliminated completely during 48 hours after the beginning of the treatment by palemolin (versus 65.4% in control groups). Topical 5% solution of S. ebulus fruit extract is an effective pharmaceutical preparation in treatment of paederus dermatitis.
Differential requirement for de novo lipogenesis in cholangiocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma of mice and humans

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) are the most prevalent types of primary liver cancer. These malignancies have limited treatment options, resulting in poor patient outcomes. Metabolism reprogramming, including increased de novo lipogenesis, is one of the hallmarks of cancer. Fatty acid synthase (FASN) catalyzes the de novo synthesis of long‐chain fatty acids from acetyl‐coenzyme A and malonyl‐coenzyme A. Increased FASN expression has been reported in multiple tumor types, and inhibition of FASN expression has been shown to have tumor‐suppressing activity. Intriguingly, we found that while FASN is up‐regulated in human HCC samples, its expression is frequently low in human ICC specimens. Similar results were observed in mouse ICC models induced by different oncogenes. Ablating FASN in the mouse liver did not affect activated AKT and Notch (AKT/Notch intracellular domain 1) induced ICC formation in vivo. Furthermore, while both HCC and ICC lesions develop in mice following hydrodynamic injection of AKT and neuroblastoma Ras viral oncogene homolog oncogenes (AKT/Ras), deletion of FASN in AKT/Ras mice triggered the development almost exclusively of ICCs. In the absence of FASN, ICC cells might receive lipids for membrane synthesis through exogenous fatty acid uptake. In accordance with the latter hypothesis, ICC cells displayed high expression of fatty acid uptake‐related proteins and robust long‐chain fatty acid uptake. Conclusion: Our data demonstrate that FASN dependence is not a universal feature of liver tumors: while HCC development is highly dependent of FASN and its mediated lipogenesis, ICC tumorigenesis can be insensitive to FASN deprivation; our study supports novel therapeutic approaches to treat this pernicious tumor type with the inhibition of exogenous fatty acid uptake. (Hepatology 2016;63:1900‐1913)
Progress Report on Numerical Modeling of Experimental Polymer Melt Flow Behavior.

A combination of experiment and modeling is being used to investigate the effects of material properties on the melt flow behavior of thermoplastics. The dripping behavior of several types of polypropylene has been studied, including measurements of mass loss from the sample and mass collection in the catchpan, surface temperature, and surface velocities. An experimental method was developed for extrapolating viscosity data to high temperatures where bubbles in the polymer make standard rheometry impossible. A finite volume model that uses the volume of fluid method to track the highly distorted interface for a melting and dripping polymer is described. The model includes heat flux to the distorted interface, empirical viscosity as a function of temperature, flow due to gravity, and gasification.
The Supply of Corporate Directors and Board Independence

Empirical evidence on the relations between board independence and board decisions and firm performance is generally confounded by serious endogeneity issues. We circumvent these endogeneity problems by demonstrating the strong impact of the local director labor market on board composition. Specifically, we show that proximity to larger pools of local director talent leads to more independent boards for all but the largest quartile of S&P1500. Using local director pools as an instrument for board independence, we document that board independence has a positive effect on firm value and operating performance and CEO fraction of incentive based pay and turnover.
Policy Coherence for Development: A Background paper on Foreign Direct Investment

Meeting international commitments to development co-operation such as the Millennium Development Goals, the Monterrey Consensus on financing for development and the Gleneagles G8 summit agreements to increase aid by around $50 billion per year by 2010 will require not only increased resources, but also their judicious use. In this context policymakers and others cannot limit their attention to the effectiveness of foreign aid alone; they must broaden the discussion to include the development-related impacts of a spectrum of rich-country policies, including those related to investment, trade, and international migration (.).
Default Reasoning about Actions via Abstract Argumentation

Reasoning about actions is a subfield of artificial intelligence that is concerned with representing and reasoning about dynamic domains. We propose to employ abstract argumentation for this purpose. Specifically, we present a translation of action domains from a specification language into Dung-style argumentation frameworks (AFs). As the key advantage of our approach, we use existing semantics for argumentation to make predictions about the domain in various manners and utilise existing results about argumentation to show that the approach can be efficiently implemented. This demonstrates the practical value not only of its theoretical results, but also abstract argumentation itself.
Regularized spatiotemporal deconvolution of fMRI data using gray-matter constrained total variation

Resting-state fMRI provides challenging data that needs to be analyzed without knowledge about timing or duration of neuronal events. The “total activation” framework is one recent approach that combines temporal and spatial regularization to deconvolve the fMRI signals; i.e., undo them from the influence of the hemodynamic response. The temporal regularization is using generalized total variation that promotes piece-wise constant signals of the deconvolved timecourses. In the original formulation, the spatial regularization is expressing ℓ2-smoothness within regions of a predefined brain atlas. In this work, we replace the latter with 3-D total variation that constrained to the gray matter domain. This allows the recovery of activation clusters with sharp boundaries without any bias from the atlas' partitioning. We propose the corresponding variational formulation and optimization problem, together with results that demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach for both simulated and real fMRI data.
Ischemia‐Induced Accumulation of Extracellular Amino Acids in Cerebral Cortex, White Matter, and Cerebrospinal Fluid

Abstract: In a global model of brain ischemia, accumulation of amino acids was studied in the extracellular space of the auditory cortex and the internal capsule using microdialysis, and in CSF of halothane anesthetized cats. In both brain regions, blood flow determined by hydrogen clearance decreased below 10 ml/100 g/min after extracranial multiple‐vessel occlusion, and extracellular potassium activity (Ke) measured in the dialysate increased significantly. A delayed rise in Ke was observed in CSF. In contrast, ischemic amino acid accumulation differed markedly between the two brain regions investigated. In cortex, transmitter amino acids glutamate, aspartate, and γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) rose almost immediately after onset of ischemia, and increased 30‐, 25‐, and 250‐fold, respectively, after 2 h of ischemia. The nontransmitter amino acids taurine, alanine, and serine increased 10‐, seven‐, and fourfold, respectively, whereas glutamine and essential amino acids (valine, phenylalanine, isoleucine, and leucine) increased only 1.5‐fold. In the internal capsule, increases in amino acids, if any, were delayed and much smaller than in cortex. The largest alteration was a fivefold elevation of GABA. In CSF, changes in amino acids were small and comparable to those in the internal capsule. Our results demonstrate that ischemia‐induced extracellular amino acid accumulation is a well localized phenomenon restricted to gray matter structures that possess release and reuptake systems for these substances. We assume that amino acids diffuse slowly into adjacent white matter structures, and into CSF.
Does addition of lidocaine to medium- and long-chain triglyceride propofol emulsions significantly reduce pain on injection?

BACKGROUND Propofol formulated with medium- and long-chain triglycerides (MCT/LCT) causes less pain on injection than standard Propofol, but the incidence of pain persists between 28 and 67 percent. Such a broad range begs the question so the authors wanted to clarify whether the addition of lidocaine to medium- and long-chain triglyceride emulsion propofol results in any clinically significant lessening of pain on injection. The authors conducted a randomized, prospective, double-blinded study to compare the injection pain felt following the administration of propofol-MCT/LCT (Propofol-Lipuro) to propofol-MCT/LCT plus 20 mg lidocaine for the induction of anesthesia. MATERIAL AND METHOD The present study included 270 non-premedicated ASA I-II adult patients scheduledfor elective surgery under general anesthesia. Patients were allocated randomly into two groups to receive either propofol-MCT/LCT alone or propofol-MCT/LCT plus 20 mg lidocaine. The study solution was injected at 1 mL/second by one anesthesiologist and patients graded any associated pain using a four-point scale. RESULTS The overall incidence of pain on injection was 31/133 (23%) in the propofol-MCT/LCT plus lidocaine group vs. 45/135 (33%) in the propofol-MCT/LCT alone group. The difference in the incidence of pain on injection between groups failed to achieve statistical significance (p = 0.23) and no significant difference in intensity of pain between the two study groups occurred CONCLUSIONS The authors concluded that the addition of lidocaine (20 mg) to the propofol-MCT/LCT does not significantly reduce the incidence or severity of the pain on injection.
Premature chromosome condensation and cell cycle analysis

The application of the phenomenon of premature chromosome condensation for cell cycle analysis in HeLa and CHO cells has been examined. Random populations of HeLa and CHO cells pulse labelled with H3‐TdR were separately fused with mitotic HeLa cells using U.V. inactivated Sendai virus. The resulting prematurely condensed chromosomes (PCC) were scored and classified into G1, S and G2‐PCC on the basis of both morphological and autoradiographic data. The results of this study indicated that the G1, S and G2 phase cells are equally susceptible to virus‐induced fusion with mitotic cells and subsequent induction into PCC. Hence the PCC method for cell cycle analysis is both practical and accurate. This study also revealed that the process of chromosome decondensation initiated during the telophase of mitosis continues throughout the G1 period reaching an ultimate state of decondensation by the end of G1, at which point the fusion of such cells with those in mitosis yield PCC with the most diffused morphology instead of the discrete single stranded structures characteristic of early G1‐PCC. Thus, the decondensation of chromatin during G1 appears to be a prerequisite for the subsequent initiation of DNA synthesis.
Accurate Physics-Based Registration for the Outcome Validation of Minimal Invasive Interventions and Open Liver Surgeries

Objective: The purpose of this paper is to present an outcome validation tool for tumor radiofrequency (RF) ablation and resection. Methods: Intervention assessment tools require an accurate registration of both pre- and postoperative computed tomographies able to handle big deformations. Therefore, a physics-based method is proposed with that purpose. To increase the accuracy both automatically detected internal and surface physical landmarks are incorporated in the registration process. Results: The algorithm has been evaluated in 25 clinical datasets containing RF ablations, resections, and patients with recurrent tumors. The achieved accuracy is 1.2 mm measured as mean internal distance between vessel landmarks and a positive predictive value of 0.95. The quantitative and qualitative results of the outcome validation tool show that in 50% of the cases tumors were only partially covered by the treatment. Conclusion: The use of internal and surface landmarks combined with a physics-based registration method increases the accuracy of the results compared to the accuracy of state of the art methods. An accurate outcome validation tool is important in order to certify that the tumor and its safety margin were fully covered by the treatment. Significance: An accurate outcome validation tool can result in a decrease of the tumor recurrence rate.