Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A rapid nested polymerase chain reaction method to detect circulating cancer cells in breast cancer patients using multiple marker genes

The aim of the present study was to develop a simple and rapid method for the detection of circulating cancer cells using multiple tumor markers and to investigate the clinical significance of circulating cancer cells in breast cancer patients. A novel rapid nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, with high sensitivity and specificity, was evaluated, which was considered to be suitable for clinical application. The rapid nested PCR method was used to detect the circulating cancer cells of 142 breast cancer patients, using a panel of marker genes (FAM83A, NPY1R and KRT19), which were identified by the Digital Gene Expression Displayer Tool of the National Cancer Institute-Cancer Genome Anatomy Project. In total, 79.6% of the 142 breast cancer patient blood samples were found to express at least one tumor marker. In addition, the number of positive markers was found to significantly correlate with the disease stage and presence of distant metastasis. Furthermore, positivity for more than one tumor marker appeared to predict a reduced survival time in breast cancer patients.
Comparison of serum paraoxonase and arylesterase activities between iron deficiency anemia patients and chronic kidney disease patients with anemia

Abstract Objective: Altered paraoxonase (PON) and arylesterase (ARE) activities have been shown in anemic chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and in iron deficiency anemia (IDA) patients. Whether accompanying anemia alone is responsible for this diminished PON and ARE activities in CKD patients or an additive factor for this is not well studied. Therefore, we tried to clarify this issue here. Methods: A total of 82 subjects that consisted of 19 patients with IDA (group 1), 23 anemic CKD patients (group 2), and 40 age and sex matched healthy subjects (group 3) were enrolled. Carotid intima media thickness (CIMT), serum total thiol (–SH), PON, and ARE activities of the participants were analyzed. Results: Group 2 patients had significantly lowest serum levels of Total –SH, PON and ARE. Further comparison showed that total –SH, PON and ARE levels were lower in group 1 than group 3 (p = 0.0001 in both). Regarding comparison of group 1 and 2, only serum ARE levels were significantly lower in group 2 (p = 0.001). PON activity was not different between group 1 and group 2 whereas ARE activity was lower in group 2 than groups 1 and 3. In addition, correlation analysis showed that CIMT was negatively correlated with PON and ARE. Conclusions: This markedly decreased ARE activity in CKD patients, which could not be explained by the anemia alone, may have a role in the pathogenesis of increased atherosclerosis in such patients. Still further studies are needed to certain this.
The effect of Saqez (Pistacia atlantica) ointment on nipple fissure improvement in breastfeeding women during one-month follow-up

Objective: Painful nipple fissure is a troublesome problem for breastfeeding mothers. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of saqez (Pistacia atlantica) ointment on the improvement of nipple fissure in breastfeeding women during one-month follow-up. Materials and Methods: This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 100 eligible women who visited the selected health centers affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, from July 2015 to December 2015 during their postpartum period. A total of 100 subjects were randomly divided into two equal groups of 50 women grouped as saqez ointment group and breast milk group, and followed-up for one month. Both groups received face-to-face instructions on breastfeeding techniques. For severity of nipple fissure, Storr scale and to measure the intensity of pain, visual analog scale (VAS) were used. Results: The results showed that the two groups were matched in terms of demographic and obstetric characteristics. Mean of nipple fissure severity in ointment group (42.62) was lower than that of the control group (48.02), that was significantly different between the two groups (p=0.047). In addition, Mean nipple pain intensity in ointment group (40.57) was lower than that of the control group (49.81), but there was no significant difference between the two groups (p=0.056). Conclusion: The present study showed that saqez ointment was more effective than breast milk in healing and controlling nipple fissures during one-month follow-up, without resulting in any side effects.
More than face-to-face: empathy effects of video framing

Video conferencing attempts to convey subtle cues of face-to-face interaction (F2F), but it is generally believed to be less effective than F2F. We argue that careful design based on an understanding of non-verbal communication can mitigate these differences. In this paper, we study the effects of video image framing in one-on-one meetings on empathy formation. We alter the video image by framing the display such that, in one condition, only the head is visible while, in the other condition, the entire upper body is visible. We include a F2F control case. We used two measures of dyad empathy and found a significant difference between head-only framing and both upper-body framing and F2F, but no significant difference between upper-body framing and F2F. Based on these and earlier results, we present some design heuristics for video conferencing systems. We revisit earlier negative experimental results on video systems in the light of these new experiments. We conclude that for systems that preserve both gaze and upper-body cues, there is no evidence of deficit in communication effectiveness compared to face-to-face meetings.
POSSIBILISTIC ACTIVITY RECOGNITION IN SMART HOMES FOR COGNITIVELY IMPAIRED PEOPLE

In order to maintain and improve the quality of life in the homes of people with dementia, we must elaborate assistive technologies that will alleviate the effects of cognitive decline, such as those erroneous behaviors associated with carrying on activities of daily living (ADL). In order to provide adequate assistive services at the opportune moment, it is necessary to recognize the occupant behavior from sensor events of the smart home. To address this challenge, this paper presents a formal model of activity recognition in smart homes based on possibility theory and environmental contexts. This activity recognition model is able to take into account coherent and erroneous behaviors that may result from the cognitive decline of the occupant. An implementation of this model was validated in a smart home laboratory with valid sensor data from coherent and erroneous realizations of an ADL scenario.
M2RC: multiplicative-increase/additive-decrease multipath routing control for wireless sensor networks

Routing protocols in wireless sensor networks (WSN) face two main challenges: first, the challenging environments in which WSN's are deployed negatively affect the quality of the routing process. Therefore, routing protocols for WSN's should recognize and react to node failures and packet losses. Second, sensor nodes are battery-powered, which makes power a scarce resource. Routing protocols should optimize power consumption to prolong the lifetime of the WSN. In this paper, we present a new adaptive routing protocol for WSN's, we call it M2RC. M2RC has two phases: mesh establishment phase and data forwarding phase. In the first phase, M2RC establishes the routing state to enable multipath data forwarding. In the second phase, M2RC forwards data packets from the source to the sink. Targeting hop-by-hop reliability, an M2RC forwarding node waits for an acknowledgement (ACK) that its packets were correctly received at the next neighbor. Based on this feedback, an M2RC node applies multiplicative-increase/additive-decrease (MIAD) to control the number of neighbors targeted by its packet broadcast. We simulated M2RC in the ns-2 simulator [4] and compared it to GRAB [1], Max-power, and Min-power routing schemes. Our simulations show that M2RC achieves the highest throughput with at least 10-30% less consumed power per delivered report in scenarios where a certain numberof nodes unexpectedly fail. -
Arterial Stiffness Is Associated With Carotid Intraplaque Hemorrhage in the General Population: The Rotterdam Study

Objective—The relation between arterial stiffness and atherosclerosis, and specifically the influence of arterial stiffness on plaque composition, is largely unknown. In a population-based study, we investigated the association between arterial stiffness and the presence and composition of carotid atherosclerotic plaques. Approach and Results—Arterial stiffness was measured in 6527 participants (67.0±8.6 years) using aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV). Presence of carotid atherosclerotic plaques was assessed with ultrasound. Subsequently, 1059 subjects with carotid plaques (>2.5 mm) underwent MRI to assess plaque composition (presence of intraplaque hemorrhage, lipid, and calcification). Generalized estimation equation analyses adjusted for age, sex, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, carotid wall thickening, pulse pressure, and traditional cardiovascular risk factors were used to study the association between PWV and the presence and composition of carotid atherosclerotic plaques. In multivariable analysis, higher PWV was independently related to higher prevalence of carotid atherosclerotic plaque on ultrasound (odds ratio for highest quartile of PWV compared with lowest quartile, 1.24 [95% confidence interval, 1.02–1.51]). Furthermore, higher PWV was associated with intraplaque hemorrhage (age- and sex-adjusted odds ratio per SD increase in PWV, 1.20 [1.04–1.38] and calcification, 1.18 [1.03–1.35]), but not with lipid. After adjustment for cardiovascular risk factors, PWV remained significantly associated with intraplaque hemorrhage (1.20 [1.01–1.43]). Additional adjustment for pulse pressure did not materially affect the effect estimate (1.19 [1.00–1.42]). Conclusions—Higher PWV is associated with presence and composition of carotid atherosclerotic plaques, in particular with intraplaque hemorrhage. These findings provide further clues for understanding the development of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque.
Single Institution Experience of Ipilimumab 3 mg/kg with Sargramostim (GM-CSF) in Metastatic Melanoma

The FDA-approved dosage of anti–CTLA-4, with and without GM-CSF, was tested on patients with melanoma. Although the antitumor action was equivalent in all groups, the toxic side effects were reduced when GM-CSF was present. Ipilimumab, 10 mg/kg with sargramostim (GM-CSF; GM), improved overall survival (OS) and safety of patients with advanced melanoma over ipilimumab in a randomized phase II trial. The FDA-approved dose of ipilimumab of 3 mg/kg has not been assessed with GM (IPI-GM). Consecutive patients treated with IPI-GM at a single institution were reviewed. Treatment included ipilimumab every 3 weeks × 4 and GM, 250-μg s.c. injection days 1 to 14 of each ipilimumab cycle. Efficacy, clinical characteristics, toxicities, and blinded radiology review of tumor burden were evaluated. Thirty-two patients were identified with 25 (78%) having immune-related response criteria (irRC) measurable disease and 41% with central nervous system metastases. A total of 88.6% of GM doses were administered. Response rate by irRC and disease control rate at 12 weeks were 20% and 44%, respectively (median follow-up 37 weeks). Immune-related adverse events (irAE) were observed in 10 (31.3%) patients, with 3 (9.4%) grade 3 events. Patients with grade 3 irAEs had prior autoimmunity, advanced age, and poor performance status. The median OS from first dose of ipilimumab was 41 weeks. Ipi-GM treatment is feasible and in this poor-risk advanced melanoma population, efficacy appeared similar but safety appeared improved relative to historical ipilimumab alone. Cancer Immunol Res; 3(9); 986–91. ©2015 AACR.
A single-chip 900-MHz spread-spectrum wireless transceiver in 1-μm CMOS. I. Architecture and transmitter design

A single-chip transceiver for frequency-hopped code division multiple access (CDMA) in the 900 MHz industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) band is implemented in 1-/spl mu/m CMOS. It combines a digital frequency synthesizer, a double quadrature upconverter, an integrated oscillator, and a power amplifier with variable output. Data modulates a carrier hopping at 20 kHz with quaternary frequency-shift keying (4-FSK). At an output power level of +3 dBm, the harmonics and spurious tones lie at -52 dBc or below. When active, the transmitter drains 100 mA from 3 V.
Chapter 2 . 1 Different patterns of gray matter atrophy in early and late-onset AD

We assessed patterns of grey matter atrophy according to age-at-onset in a large sample of 215 AD patients and 129 controls with voxel-based morphometry using 3Tesla 3DT1 magnetic resonance imaging. Local grey matter amounts were compared between lateand early-onset AD patients and older and younger controls, taking into account the effect of APOE. Additionally, combined effects of age and diagnosis on volumes of hippocampus and precuneus were assessed. Compared to age-matched controls, late-onset AD patients exhibited atrophy of hippocampus, right temporal lobe and cerebellum, whereas early-onset AD patients showed GM atrophy in hippocampus, temporal lobes, precuneus, cingulate gyrus, and inferior frontal cortex. Direct comparisons between lateand early-onset AD revealed more pronounced atrophy of precuneus in early-onset AD patients and more severe atrophy in medial temporal lobe in late-onset AD patients. Age and diagnosis independently affected hippocampus; moreover, the interaction between age and diagnosis showed that precuneus atrophy was most prominent in early-onset AD. Our results suggest that patterns of atrophy may vary in the spectrum of AD.
Assessing Oral Health Status and Behaviors in 6-Year-Old School Children in Rural and Urban Areas of Shiraz, Southern Iran

Background: Poor oral health can affect general health and quality of life in the school children. Tooth brushing and regular dental checkups can promote oral health status. In Iran, few studies have assessed oral health status, and oral health behaviors and their association in primary school children. Objectives: The present study was conducted to assess the oral health status and behaviors among 6-year-old school children in Shiraz, south-west of Iran. Patients and Methods: This analytic cross-sectional study was conducted during the 2014-2015 school year using a multi-stage stratified sampling method to select 830 first grade school children. Oral examination was performed to register simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S). Oral health behaviors including tooth brushing frequencies and reason for using oral health services were assessed by completing a questionnaire. Independent-samples t-test, chi-square, one-way ANOVA and logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Results: A total of 801, 6-year-old school children, including 421 boys and 380 girls, and their parents participated in the study, with the response rate of 96.5%, and an overall mean OHI-S score of 0.59 ± 0.4. The OHI-S scores in rural areas were higher than those of urban areas (P < 0.001). The frequencies of tooth brushing were different among rural and urban children (P = 0.005). The percentage of children who brushed their teeth once a day or more was fewer in rural than in urban children. The OHI-S scores were significantly different in children with different tooth brushing frequencies (P < 0.001). The reasons for dental attendance were different in urban and rural areas (P < 0.001), where regular dental visits were more frequent in urban children. The OHI-S scores were different in children with various reasons for visiting a dentist. Children who never visited a dentist, regarding toothaches or regular checkups, had the highest OHI-S scores in comparison to other groups. Frequency of tooth brushing and reason for visiting a dentist both had impacts on OHI-S scores (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Oral health behaviors such as daily tooth brushing and regularly visiting a dentist can improve the oral health status. Therefore, improving oral hygiene behaviors in schools, especially in rural areas, can promote children’s oral health status.
Point set surfaces

We advocate the use of point sets to represent shapes. We provide a definition of a smooth manifold surface from a set of points close to the original surface. The definition is based on local maps from differential geometry, which are approximated by the method of moving least squares (MLS). We present tools to increase or decrease the density of the points, thus, allowing an adjustment of the spacing among the points to control the fidelity of the representation. To display the point set surface, we introduce a novel point rendering technique. The idea is to evaluate the local maps according to the image resolution. This results in high quality shading effects and smooth silhouettes at interactive frame rates.
ENZYMATIC ACTIVITIES OF STREPTOMYCIN-DEPENDENT ESCHERICHIA COLI IN RELATION TO VALINE FORMATION

Bragg, P. D. (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada), and W. J. Polglase. Enzymatic activities of streptomycin-dependent Escherichia coli in relation to valine formation. J. Bacteriol. 88:1399–1402. 1964. —The activities of several enzymes were compared in antibiotic-depleted and antibiotic-supplemented streptomycin-dependent Escherichia coli. Depleted cells were somewhat lower than supplemented cells in several oxidase activities. Isocitric dehydrogenase was very much lower in depleted cells than in supplemented cells. The lactic dehydrogenase activity of depleted and supplemented cells was similar. The balance of enzymatic activities in depleted and supplemented cells was thus found to correlate well with the observed extracellular products. Thus, depleted cells excreted lactic acid and were deficient in oxidase activity (although normal in lactic dehydrogenase activity), whereas supplemented cells excreted valine and were rich in the reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-producing enzyme, isocitric dehydrogenase. Since antibiotic-depleted cells were not deficient in lactic dehydrogenase, it appeared probable that the failure of depleted cells to metabolize lactate was related to a deficiency in the electron-transport system.
Meeting Design Characteristics and Att endee Perceptions of Staff/T eam Meeting Quality

University of Minnesota DuluthMeetings are a common tool in organizations and are used for a variety of purposes andimplemented in a variety of ways. Despite the prevalence of meetings, surveys suggestthat they are often unproductive and costly. The current study focused on how meetingsare designed in hopes of providing practically and theoretically meaningful recommen-dations for improving meeting quality. A total of 18 design characteristics associatedwith staff/team meetings were identiÞed and their relevance to perceptions of meetingquality was tested. Using an online panel-based respondent pool of working adults, 367individuals participated in a survey that they completed within 48 hr of their mostrecent staff/team meeting. The results demonstrated that 9 of the design characteristics,spanning all 4 categories of design characteristics (i.e., temporal, physical, procedural,and attendee), signiÞcantly predicted perceptions of meeting quality. Furthermore, thisstudy validated and greatly extended previous research showing that agenda use,meeting punctuality, facility quality, and meeting facilitator status relate to meetingquality. In addition, this study identiÞed speciÞc relationships to meeting quality forseveral facility quality characteristics, including lighting, meeting space, refreshments,and temperature, and expanded our knowledge of key characteristics by identifyingagreement use and the number of attendees as important. Taken together, these Þndingssuggest that effective meeting design warrants holistic attention to all meeting aspects.These results were robust across demographics, including organizational type, gender,and supervisory status. Implications for meeting design are discussed.Keywords: meeting, quality, satisfaction, design, facilitator
Sense of coherence and perceived physical health explain the better quality of life in adolescents with congenital heart disease

Background: Since survival rates of patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) have improved, issues beyond the quantity of life have become more important. Quality of life (QOL) has mainly been investigated in adults with CHD. Hence, research about QOL among adolescents with CHD is much needed. Aim: To compare the QOL of adolescents with CHD with that of control subjects from the general population and to explore whether sense of coherence (SOC) explains differences in QOL between patients and controls. Methods: In this cross-sectional, comparative study, we included 429 patients (229 boys; 200 girls) aged 14–18 years, who were matched to control subjects for age and sex. QOL was measured with a Linear Analogue Scale; SOC was measured using the SOC-13. Results: Median QOL score in patients was 82 (Q1=75; Q3=90). The QOL of patients was significantly (Z=−5.888; p<0.001) better than that of controls (median=80; Q1=70; Q3=85.5). Adjusted for other potentially confounding factors, linear mixed modelling showed that the better QOL in patients was explained by a higher SOC (mean=61.4±12.0 vs. 53.6±10.4) and better perceived physical health (mean=87.0±13.8 vs. 85.3±13.2). Conclusions: This study found that adolescents with CHD have a good QOL, one that is better than that of control subjects from the general population. A stronger SOC and better perceived physical health are potential resources for better QOL in patients.
Effect of Fluvoxamine on Carrageenan-Induced Paw Edema in Rats Evaluation of the Action Sites

The present study was designed to explore the anti-inflammatory effect of fluvoxamine, as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) anti-depressant, on carrageenan-induced paw edema in more details. At first, fluvoxamine was administered intra-peritoneally (2.5, 12.5, 25 and 50 mg Kg-1) 30 min before the subplantar injection of carrageenan. Fluvoxamine was also injected intra-peritoneally at a dose of 50 mg Kg-1 30 or 90 min after carrageenan injection. Then, fluvoxamine was given intra-cerebroventricularly (25, 50 and 100 μg/rat) and intra-thecally (25, 50 and 100 μg/rat) 30 min before the carrageenan challenge. Finally, the effect of mifepristone (5 mg Kg-1), an antagonist of the glucocorticoid receptor, on the anti-edema effect of fluvoxamine (50 mg Kg-1) was investigated. Results showed that intra-peritoneal (IP) administration of fluvoxamine before or after carrageenan injection considerably inhibited paw edema response at 4 h post-carrageenan (p < 0.001), but intra-cerebroventricular (i.c.v.) and intra-thecal (i.t.) injection of fluvoxamine did not alter the degree of paw swelling. The inhibitory effect of fluvoxamine was reduced by the pretreatment of mifepristone (p < 0.01). Our results suggest that IP administration of fluvoxamine produces a noticeable anti-inflammatory effect in the carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats and at least, a part of this effect is mediated through glucocorticoid receptor. Moreover, it seems unlikely that central sites have an important role in this inhibitory effect of fluvoxamine.