Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prone Thoracoscopic Release Does Not Adversely Affect Pulmonary Function When Added to a Posterior Spinal Fusion for Severe Spine Deformity

Study Design. Prospective clinical study. Objective. To analyze the effect of adding a thoracoscopic release and fusion performed in the prone position with double lung ventilation to a posterior spinal fusion and instrumentation (PSFI) for severe idiopathic scoliosis. Summary of Background Data. A prone thoracoscopic anterior release (TAR) offers the advantages of a minimally invasive approach, without requiring repositioning for the PSFI, and has significantly less acute pulmonary complications since single lung ventilation is avoided. It is unclear whether prone thoracoscopy adversely affects pulmonary function tests (PFT) when added to a PSFI for severe deformity. Methods. A prospective consecutive series of patients from a single institution undergoing spinal deformity surgery were reviewed. Those patients who underwent prone TAR followed by PSFI were compared to patients who had PSFI alone. In addition, those patients who had a thoracoplasty and PSF (PSFI-T) were compared to those who had a TAR and PSFI with T. (PFTs were measured before surgery and 1, 3, 6 weeks, 3 and 6 months, and 1 year after surgery. Forced vital capacity (FVC) and FE-1 parameters were compared to baseline levels for each patient. Results. There were 13 patients in the TAR + PSFI groups and 83 in the PSFI groups. The patients in the TAR + PSFI group had larger thoracic curves (83.2° vs. 59.7°), greater correction (59.4% vs. 50.1%) (P = 0.07), and greater increase in thoracic height (16.4% vs. 6.8%) following surgery. (P < 0.05) PFTs declined more rapidly for the TAR + PSFI patients in the first 3 weeks, however, improved rapidly until 1 year when they were significantly better than the PSFI group for predicted FVC % (29.7% vs. 7.5% above baseline) and forced expiratory volume (FEV) 1% (28.5% and 8.9% above baseline). (P < 0.05) When a thoracoplasty was added to the procedure, the differences in PFTs between those who had a TAR and those who did not was not significant. The TAR + PSFI-T group had FVC % predicted of 5.3% above baseline compared to 4.3% above baseline for the PSFI-T group. The percent predicted FEV 1% was 10.4% above baseline for the TAR + PSFI-T group compared to 4.5% for the PSF-T group (P > 0.05). Conclusion. When performing a prone thoracoscopic release for severe thoracic deformity, excellent coronal plane correction is achieved. There does not appear to be any detrimental effect on pulmonary function when a prone thoracoscopic release using double lung ventilation is added to a PSFI. This technique can be efficacious in achieving excellent deformity correction without adversely affecting pulmonary function and is recommended when treating severe spinal deformity. Adding a thoracoplasty provided a negative effect on pulmonary function and limited the benefits of performing a thoracoscopic release to the PSFI patients.
Adolescent mothers and the criminal behavior of their children.

There is little research on the relationship between adolescent motherhood and the criminality of the children. Data from the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development reveals that children from large families who were born to women who began childbearing early are at greatest risk of criminality. Three alternative explanations for this relationship are explored-the life course-immaturity account, the persistent poor parenting-role model account, and the diminished resources account. The authors find no evidence supporting the first account, but in various ways the analysis provides credible support for the latter two accounts, which themselves are not mutually exclusive
Factors influencing the adaptation of the Spanish Model of organ donation

Spain is the only existing example of a large country (40 million inhabitants) with a continuous increase in cadaveric organ donation for a period of over 10 years, and, in parallel, with an increase in the overall number of solid organ transplantations. A proactive donor detection program performed by well-trained transplant coordinators, the introduction of systematic death audits in the hospitals combined with a positive social atmosphere, adequate management of mass media relations, and adequate economic reimbursement for the hospitals accounted for this success. Some regions of Italy, for example Tuscany, have successfully adapted this approach with excellent results. We can conclude that the "Spanish Model" can be partially or totally adapted to other countries or regions if basic conditions are guaranteed. An adequate and careful study of the local characteristics that influence organ donation directly or incirectly should be carried out before planning any specific action to improve organ donor rates.
Anti-Toxoplasma gondii Antibody Levels in Blood Supply of Shiraz Blood Transfusion Institute, Iran

Background The prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in the blood donors has been poorly studied. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of acute and chronic toxoplasmosis in blood products. Methods A total of 250 blood products (112 fresh frozen plasma and 138 packed cells) in the Blood Transfusion Institute, Shiraz, Iran were tested for specific T. gondii antibodies (IgG and IgM) by ELISA method in 2013. Positive IgG anti-T. gondii samples were further tested for IgM anti-T. gondii antibody. A positive IgG test with the negative and positive IgM test was interpreted as a chronic and acute toxoplasmosis, respectively. The relationship of jobs, blood types, sex, marital status and residency of participants with chronic toxoplasmosis prevalence were statistically analyzed by χ2. Results Of 250 samples, 58 (23.2%) and one were positive for IgG anti-T. T. gondii (chronic) and IgM anti-T. T. gondii (acute) antibodies levels, respectively. Twenty nine (25.9%) of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) samples were positive for IgG anti-T. gondiiiand 1(0.89%) of them was positive for IgM anti-T. gondiii antibody. Thirty (21.74%) of packed cell samples were positive for IgG anti-T. gondii antibody. The prevalence of chronic toxoplasmosis was significantly higher in workers, farmers, house wives, unemployed and free jobs (P=0.007), people with low education levels (P=0.035) and B type of blood ABO system (P=0.0001). However, there were no significant differences regarding to age, sex, marital status, residency and type of blood products. Conclusions There were chronic and acute toxoplasmosis in blood products and the prevalence of toxoplasmosis especially chronic form was high. Therefore screening of blood for T. gondii antibodies may be considered.
Glia Enhanced the Formation of Spatiotemporal Motifs in Cultured Networks

We examine the effects of glia on the formation of spatiotemporal motifs, by tracking the spontaneous dynamics of cultured neuronal networks with different amount of glia growing on multi-electrode arrays. These recurring activity patterns were regarded as memory templates or substrates of information in the standalone networks. Repeating spatiotemporal motifs were consistently detected only in high glial and low glial cultures but not in glia-free cultures, with high glial cultures displayed spatiotemporal structures of relatively higher precision. Our results suggest the role of neuron-glia interactions in modulating memory and learning in vivo.
Genetic influence on methadone treatment outcomes in patients undergoing methadone maintenance treatment for opioid addiction: a pilot study

Introduction Treatment of opioid addiction with methadone is effective; however, it is known to produce interindividual variability. This may be influenced in part by genetic variants, which can increase the initial risk of developing opioid addiction as well as explain differences in response to treatment. This pilot study aimed to assess the feasibility of conducting a full-scale genetic analysis to identify genes that predict methadone treatment outcomes in this population. Methods This was a cross-sectional observational study of patients admitted to a methadone maintenance treatment program for opioid addiction. We obtained demographic and clinical characteristics in addition to blood and urine samples, for the assessment of treatment outcomes. Results The recruitment process yielded 252 patients, representing a 20% recruitment rate. We conducted genetic testing based on a 99.6% rate of provision of DNA samples. The average retention in treatment was 3.4 years, and >50% of the participants reported psychiatric and medical comorbidities. BDNF rs6265 and DRD2 rs1799978 were the common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) selected for the feasibility study. Discussion This study met our predetermined feasibility criteria; recruitment, response rates, and genetic testing were feasible; treatment duration was sufficient for follow up; and the prevalence of comorbid conditions indicated the need for reliable psychiatric and chronic pain measures. The study strengths included effective collaboration with clinics and the generalizability of sample population. Key learning points show the need for assessment of treatment outcomes on multiple domains, implementation of follow up, and the development of standardized training for the study clinical staff.
Preliminary development of a responder index for chronic low back pain.

OBJECTIVE One of the greatest obstacles to identifying the most effective therapy for chronic low back pain (CLBP) is the lack of standardized outcome measures for assessing treatment effect in clinical trials. The aim of the OMERACT Special Interest Group was to discuss the development and validation of a preliminary responder index in CLBP. METHODS Patient data from 5 clinical trials of celecoxib and valdecoxib use in CLBP were used to assess the reliability and validity of multiple items in the outcome domains of pain, functioning, and overall impression of health. Candidate preliminary responder indices were selected on the basis of effect size, high chi-square test values, and a placebo response rate < or = 25%. RESULTS Candidate indices comprised improvements in single outcome measures and combinations of improvements and/or avoidance of worsening in multiple measures. The preliminary choice for the responder index was at least 30% improvement in pain, with an improvement of at least 30% in patient global assessment and no worsening in function. CONCLUSION Further studies are needed to refine a responder index for CLBP trials that is clinically relevant, reliable, and easy to administer for standardizing assessments across clinical trials.
*You Get What You Pay for: Incentives and Selection in the Education System

We analyse worker self-selection, with a special focus on teachers, to explore whether worker composition is generally endogenous. We analyse laboratory experimental data to provide causal evidence on particular sorting patterns. Our field data analysis focuses specifically on selection patterns of teachers. We find that teachers are more risk averse than employees in other professions, indicating that relatively risk averse individuals sort into teaching occupations under the current system. Using survey measures on trust and reciprocity we find that teachers trust more and are less negatively reciprocal than other employees, and establish differences in personality based on the Big Five concept.
Facets of Self in Schizophrenia

Disturbance of self is a core feature of schizophrenia. In this article, we argue that a nuanced appreciation of self is necessary to understand the relation between the self and its disruption. After discussing evidence for the fractionation of self into several functionally independent yet normally interacting systems of knowledge, we focus on a specific self-system: trait self-knowledge. This system has proven robust in the presence of a host of cognitive and neural impairments rendering other systems of self dysfunctional. Little, however, is known about how this system is affected by schizophrenia. Our findings indicate that, in accord with previous investigations demonstrating the resilience of trait self-knowledge, schizophrenic patients maintain both highly reliable and moderately accurate trait self-knowledge.
Fine-Tuning of Photoautotrophic Protein Production by Combining Promoters and Neutral Sites in the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803

ABSTRACT Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic cell factories that use solar energy to convert CO2 into useful products. Despite this attractive feature, the development of tools for engineering cyanobacterial chassis has lagged behind that for heterotrophs such as Escherichia coli or Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Heterologous genes in cyanobacteria are often integrated at presumptively “neutral” chromosomal sites, with unknown effects. We used transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) data for the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 to identify neutral sites from which no transcripts are expressed. We characterized the two largest such sites on the chromosome, a site on an endogenous plasmid, and a shuttle vector by integrating an enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP) expression cassette expressed from either the Pcpc560 or the Ptrc1O promoter into each locus. Expression from the endogenous plasmid was as much as 14-fold higher than that from the chromosome, with intermediate expression from the shuttle vector. The expression characteristics of each locus correlated predictably with the promoters used. These findings provide novel, characterized tools for synthetic biology and metabolic engineering in cyanobacteria.
Accumulation of Tissue Factor into Developing Thrombi In Vivo Is Dependent upon Microparticle P-Selectin Glycoprotein Ligand 1 and Platelet P-Selectin

Using a laser-induced endothelial injury model, we examined thrombus formation in the microcirculation of wild-type and genetically altered mice by real-time in vivo microscopy to analyze this complex physiologic process in a system that includes the vessel wall, the presence of flowing blood, and the absence of anticoagulants. We observe P-selectin expression, tissue factor accumulation, and fibrin generation after platelet localization in the developing thrombus in arterioles of wild-type mice. However, mice lacking P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1 (PSGL-1) or P-selectin, or wild-type mice infused with blocking P-selectin antibodies, developed platelet thrombi containing minimal tissue factor and fibrin. To explore the delivery of tissue factor into a developing thrombus, we identified monocyte-derived microparticles in human platelet–poor plasma that express tissue factor, PSGL-1, and CD14. Fluorescently labeled mouse microparticles infused into a recipient mouse localized within the developing thrombus, indicating that one pathway for the initiation of blood coagulation in vivo involves the accumulation of tissue factor– and PSGL-1–containing microparticles in the platelet thrombus expressing P-selectin. These monocyte-derived microparticles bind to activated platelets in an interaction mediated by platelet P-selectin and microparticle PSGL-1. We propose that PSGL-1 plays a role in blood coagulation in addition to its known role in leukocyte trafficking.
Increased incidence of pneumococcal bloodstream infections

Pneumococcal bloodstream infections in pediatric patients rose from 3.6 to 14.8 episodes per 100,000 from 1986 to the year 2000 (P < 0.001) in a population of approximately 650,000 inhabitants (16% <16 years of age). Incidence in the group <24 months of age increased from 7.4 to 78.6 episodes per 100,000 per year (P < 0.001). Overall 75% of the serogroups are included in the new heptavalent vaccine.
Static postural sway, proprioception, and maximal voluntary quadriceps contraction in patients with knee osteoarthritis and normal control subjects

OBJECTIVES To investigate whether subjects with knee osteoarthritis (OA) have reduced static postural control, knee proprioceptive acuity, and maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of the quadriceps compared with normal controls, and to determine possible independent predictors of static postural sway. METHODS 77 subjects with symptomatic and radiographic knee OA (58 women, 19 men; mean age 63.4 years, range 36–82) and 63 controls with asymptomatic and clinically normal knees (45 women, 18 men; mean age 63 years, range 46–85) underwent assessment of static postural sway. 108 subjects (59 patients, 49 controls) also underwent assessment of knee proprioceptive activity and MVC (including calculation of quadriceps activation). In patients with knee OA knee pain, stiffness, and functional disability were assessed using the WOMAC Index. The height (m) and weight (kg) of all subjects was assessed. RESULTS Compared with controls, patients with knee OA were heavier (mean difference 15.3 kg, p<0.001), had increased postural lateral sway (controls: median 2.3, interquartile (IQ) range 1.8–2.9; patients: median 4.7, IQ range 1.9–4.7, p<0.001), reduced proprioceptive acuity (controls: mean 7.9, 95% CI 6.9 to 8.9; patients: mean 12.0, 95% CI 10.5 to 13.6, p<0.001), weaker quadriceps strength (controls: mean 22.5, 95% CI 19.9 to 24.6; patients: mean 14.7, 95% CI 12.5 to 16.9, p<0.001), and less percentage activation of quadriceps (controls: mean 87.4, 95% CI 80.7 to 94.2; patients: mean 66.0, 95% CI 58.8 to 73.2, p<0.001). The significant predictors of postural sway were knee pain and the ratio of MVC/body weight. CONCLUSIONS Compared with age and sex matched controls, subjects with symptomatic knee OA have quadriceps weakness, reduced knee proprioception, and increased postural sway. Pain and muscle strength may particularly influence postural sway. The interaction between physiological, structural, and functional abnormalities in knee OA deserves further study.
Subgenual cingulate cortex volume in first-episode psychosis.

OBJECTIVE Gray matter volume and glucose utilization have been reported to be reduced in the left subgenual cingulate of subjects with familial bipolar or unipolar depression. It is unclear whether these findings are secondary to recurrent illness or are part of a familial/genetic syndrome. The authors' goal was to clarify these findings. METHOD Volumetric analyses were performed by using magnetic resonance imaging in 41 patients experiencing their first episode of affective disorder or schizophrenia and in 20 normal comparison subjects. RESULTS The left subgenual cingulate volume of the patients with affective disorder who had a family history of affective disorder was smaller than that of patients with affective disorder with no family history of the illness and the normal comparison subjects. Patients with schizophrenia did not differ from comparison subjects in left subgenual cingulate volume. CONCLUSIONS Left subgenual cingulate abnormalities are present at first hospitalization for psychotic affective disorder in patients who have a family history of affective disorder.
Multifractal analysis of microvasculature in health and disease

A growing body of evidence suggests that there is a strong association between neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's Diseases and the abnormality of the cerebral vasculature, in particular the microvessels/capillaries that are responsible for the exchange of nutrients across the blood-brain barrier [1]. Many microvessels are described as being kinked or distorted [2], implying that they are modified by some destructive process. Imaging devices such as microCT can achieve resolutions on the order of several μm, allowing imaging the three dimensional (3D) microvasculature down to the capillary level. However, the main weakness of using microCT for vascular research is considered to be the lack of software for 3D quantification of microvasculature and microvascular image databases for developing and testing algorithms. In this paper we describe a multifractal analysis method for the microvasculature automatically segmented from microCT images of the mouse brain. Due to the lack of a benchmark microCT image database, the method has been tested using a surrogate database - a publicly available retinal vessel database. The results are preliminary indication of the multifractal properties of mouse brain vasculature. A potential solution to automated classification of healthy and disease brains are discussed.
Neurons in the hilus region of the rat hippocampus are depleted in number by exposure to alcohol during early postnatal life

We have previously shown that exposing rats to a relatively high dose of ethanol during early postnatal life resulted in a deficit in spatial learning ability. This ability is controlled, at least in part, by the hippocampal formation. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether exposure of rats to ethanol during early postnatal life affected the number of specific neurons in the hippocampus. Wistar rats were exposed to a relatively high daily dose of ethanol between postnatal days 10 and 15 by placing them for 3 h each day in a chamber containing ethanol vapor. The blood ethanol concentration was about 430 mg/dl at the end of the exposure period. Groups of ethanol‐treated (ET) rats, separation controls (SC), and mother‐reared controls (MRC) were anesthetized and killed at 16 days of age by perfusion with phosphate‐buffered glutaraldehyde (2.5%). The Cavalieri principle was used to determine the volume of various subdivisions of the hippocampal formation (CA1, CA2+CA3, hilus, and granule cell layer), and the physical disector method was used to estimate the numerical densities of neurons within each subdivision. The total number of neurons was calculated by multiplying estimates of the numerical density with the volume. There were, on average, about 441,000 granule cells in the granule cell layer and 153,000 to 177,000 pyramidal cells in both the CA1 and CA2+CA3 regions in all three treatment groups. In the hilus region, ET rats had about 27,000 neuronal cells. This was significantly fewer than the average of 38,000 such neurons estimated to be present in both MRC and SC animals. Thus, neurons in the hilus region may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of a high dose of ethanol exposure during early postnatal life. Hippocampus 10:284–295, 2000 © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Trimmed VLIW: Moving application specific processors towards high level synthesis

We describe a synthesis methodology called Trimmed VLIW, which we argue lies between application specific processors and high level synthesis. Much like application specific processors, our methodology starts from a known instruction set architecture and customizes it to create the final implementation. However, our approach goes further as we not only add custom functional units and define the parameters of the register file, but we also remove unneeded interconnect, which results in a data path that looks more similar to that created by high level synthesis tools. We show that there are substantial opportunities for eliminating unused resources, which results in an architecture that has significantly smaller area. We compare area, delay and performance results of a base architecture with trimmed one. Preliminary results show by only trimming wires we have an average of 25% area reduction while improving the performance around 5%. Furthermore, we evaluated our results with high-level synthesize tools C2V and AutoESL.