Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Preliminary Investigation of Pathways to Inflated Responsibility Beliefs in Children with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

BACKGROUND Cognitive theorists posit that inflated responsibility beliefs contribute to the development of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Salkovskis et al. (1999) proposed that experiencing heightened responsibility, overprotective parents and rigid rules, and thinking one influenced or caused a negative life event act as 'pathways' to the development of inflated responsibility beliefs, thereby increasing risk for OCD. Studies in adults with OCD and non-clinical adolescents support the link between these experiences and responsibility beliefs (Coles et al., 2015; Halvaiepour and Nosratabadi, 2015), but the theory has never been tested in youth with current OCD. AIMS We provided an initial test of the theory by Salkovskis et al. (1999) in youth with OCD. We predicted that childhood experiences proposed by Salkovskis et al. (1999) would correlate positively with responsibility and harm beliefs and OCD symptom severity. METHOD Twenty youth with OCD (age 9‒16 years) completed a new child-report measure of the experiences hypothesized by Salkovskis et al. (1999), the Pathways to Inflated Responsibility Beliefs Scale-Child Version (PIRBS-CV). Youth also completed the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire-Child Version (Coles et al., 2010) and the Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Child Version (Foa et al., 2010). RESULTS Consistent with hypotheses, the PIRBS-CV was significantly related to responsibility and harm beliefs and OCD symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS Results provide initial support for the theory proposed by Salkovskis et al. (1999) as applied to youth with OCD. Future studies are needed to further assess the model in early-onset OCD.
A Unified Successive Pseudoconvex Approximation Framework

In this paper, we propose a successive pseudoconvex approximation algorithm to efficiently compute stationary points for a large class of possibly nonconvex optimization problems. The stationary points are obtained by solving a sequence of successively refined approximate problems, each of which is much easier to solve than the original problem. To achieve convergence, the approximate problem only needs to exhibit a weak form of convexity, namely, pseudoconvexity. We show that the proposed framework not only includes as special cases a number of existing methods, for example, the gradient method and the Jacobi algorithm, but also leads to new algorithms that enjoy easier implementation and faster convergence speed. We also propose a novel line search method for nondifferentiable optimization problems, which is carried out over a properly constructed differentiable function with the benefit of a simplified implementation as compared to the state-of-the-art line search techniques that directly operate on the original nondifferentiable objective function. The advantages of the proposed algorithm are shown, both theoretically and numerically, by several example applications, namely, multi-input multi-output (MIMO) broadcast channel capacity computation, energy efficiency maximization in massive MIMO systems, and $\ell_1$-regularized least square problems in sparse signal recovery.
Satisfiability-based Set Membership Filters

Introduced here is a novel application of Satisfiability (SAT) to the set membership problem with specific focus on efficiently testing whether large sets contain a given element. Such tests can be greatly enhanced via the use of filters, probabilistic algorithms that can quickly decide whether or not a given element is in a given set. This article proposes SAT filters (i.e., filters based on SAT) and their use in the set membership problem. Both the theoretical advantages of SAT filters and experimental results show that this technique yields significant performance improvements over previous techniques. Specifically, a SAT filter is a filter construction that is simple yet efficient in terms of both query time and filter size; i.e., SAT filters asymptotically achieve the information-theoretic limit while providing fast querying. As well, this is the first application that makes use of the random k-SAT phase transition results and may drive research into efficient solvers for this and similar applications.
Dietary reversal of neuropathy in a murine model of prediabetes and metabolic syndrome

ABSTRACT Patients with metabolic syndrome, which is defined as obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), can develop the same macro- and microvascular complications as patients with type 2 diabetes, including peripheral neuropathy. In type 2 diabetes, glycemic control has little effect on the development and progression of peripheral neuropathy, suggesting that other metabolic syndrome components may contribute to the presence of neuropathy. A parallel phenomenon is observed in patients with prediabetes and metabolic syndrome, where improvement in weight and dyslipidemia more closely correlates with restoration of nerve function than improvement in glycemic status. The goal of the current study was to develop a murine model that resembles the human condition. We examined longitudinal parameters of metabolic syndrome and neuropathy development in six mouse strains/genotypes (BKS-wt, BKS-Leprdb/+, B6-wt, B6-Leprdb/+, BTBR-wt, and BTBR-Lepob/+) fed a 54% high-fat diet (HFD; from lard). All mice fed a HFD developed large-fiber neuropathy and IGT. Changes appeared early and consistently in B6-wt mice, and paralleled the onset of neuropathy. At 36 weeks, B6-wt mice displayed all components of the metabolic syndrome, including obesity, IGT, hyperinsulinemia, dyslipidemia and oxidized low density lipoproteins (oxLDLs). Dietary reversal, whereby B6-wt mice fed a HFD from 4-20 weeks of age were switched to standard chow for 4 weeks, completely normalized neuropathy, promoted weight loss, improved insulin sensitivity, and restored LDL cholesterol and oxLDL by 50% compared with levels in HFD control mice. This dietary reversal model provides the basis for mechanistic studies investigating peripheral nerve damage in the setting of metabolic syndrome, and ultimately the development of mechanism-based therapies for neuropathy. Summary: A mouse model of metabolic syndrome can be used to investigate peripheral nerve damage, enabling the development of mechanism-based therapies for neuropathy.
Short- and long-term reliability of leg extensor power measurement in middle-aged and older adults

ABSTRACT Muscular power is important for maintaining physical functioning with aging. Proper quantification of the reliability of muscular power tests is crucial to inform monitoring of individuals and sample size planning for interventional studies. This study evaluated short- and long-term reliability of leg extensor power measurement in 72 adults (age 62.7 ± 8.6 years). Participants completed four repeat trials on the Nottingham leg extensor power rig, with a further trial twelve weeks later. Mean change, typical error, and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated. For short-term reliability, mean change in power output was trivial after two trials (1.2–4.8%). Typical errors were small following four trials in the dominant leg of males (10.9–5.8%), three in the non-dominant leg of males (9.9–6.2%) and the dominant leg of females (10.0–9.6%) and two in the non-dominant leg in females (8.3%). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were very high (0.88–0.96). For long-term reliability, mean change remained trivial (1.0–2.5%), typical errors remained small (5.8–8.6%), and ICCs very high (0.94–0.96). The leg extensor power rig is a reliable method for assessing lower body muscular power, both short- and long-term, with only minimal habituation effects.
The post-occipital spinal venous sinus of the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus): Its anatomy and use for blood sample collection and intravenous infusions.

The post-occipital sinus of the spinal vein is often used for the collection of blood samples from crocodilians. Although this sampling method has been reported for several crocodilian species, the technique and associated anatomy has not been described in detail in any crocodilian, including the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus). The anatomy of the cranial neck region was investigated macroscopically, microscopically, radiographically and by means of computed tomography. Latex was injected into the spinal vein and spinal venous sinus of crocodiles to visualise the regional vasculature. The spinal vein ran within the vertebral canal, dorsal to and closely associated with the spinal cord and changed into a venous sinus cranially in the post-occipital region. For blood collection, the spinal venous sinus was accessed through the interarcuate space between the atlas and axis (C1 and C2) by inserting a needle angled just off the perpendicular in the midline through the craniodorsal cervical skin, just cranial to the cranial borders of the first cervical osteoderms. The most convenient method of blood collection was with a syringe and hypodermic needle. In addition, the suitability of the spinal venous sinus for intravenous injections and infusions in live crocodiles was evaluated. The internal diameter of the commercial human epidural catheters used during these investigations was relatively small, resulting in very slow infusion rates. Care should be taken not to puncture the spinal cord or to lacerate the blood vessel wall using this route for blood collection or intravenous infusions.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Improves Walking Performance in Patients With Intermittent Claudication

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of 2 types of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on walking distance and measures of pain in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and intermittent claudication (IC). In a phase 2a study, 40 participants with PAD and IC completed a graded treadmill test on 2 separate testing occasions. Active TENS was applied to the lower limb on the first occasion; and placebo TENS, on the second. The participants were divided into 2 experimental groups. One group received high-frequency TENS; and the other, low-frequency TENS. Measures taken were initial claudication distance, functional claudication distance, and absolute claudication distance. The McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) vocabulary was completed at the end of the intervention, and the MPQ–Pain Rating Index score was calculated. Four participants were excluded from the final analysis because of noncompletion of the experimental procedure. Median walking distance increased with high-frequency TENS for all measures (P < .05, Wilcoxon signed rank test, all measures). Only absolute claudication distance increased significantly with low-frequency TENS compared with placebo (median, 179–228; Ws = 39; z = 2.025; P = .043; r = 0.48). No difference was observed between reported median MPQ–Pain Rating Index scores: 21.5 with placebo TENS and 21.5 with active TENS (P = .41). Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation applied to the lower limb of the patients with PAD and IC was associated with increased walking distance on a treadmill but not with any reduction in pain. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation may be a useful adjunctive intervention to help increase walking performance in patients with IC.
Evaluation of Recycled Polymers from Crt Monitor Frames of Different Years of Manufacture

The recycling of polymeric waste has attracted considerable interest and many efforts have been made to facilitate large scale recycling. The rapid evolution of technology has generated large volumes of obsolete and unusable polymeric products. One example is the CRT (cathode ray tubes) monitor that are rapidly being replaced by monitor types such as LCD, LED and Plasma. The present materials and routes for recycling this waste is not well known, which encourages studies in this area. The main objective of this work is to identify the type of polymer present in the CRT monitor frames and evaluate if the quality of the recycled polymer is changed according to the monitor age (year of manufacture). Monitors of different years of manufacture but the same brand were collected and disassembled. Frames were separated into two groups (older and younger). After, the frames were comminuted and samples were injected, according to ASTM D638-08. The samples were characterized by infrared, density, mechanical, MEV and TGA tests. The results obtained by infrared (FTIR) showed that regardless of the year of manufacture the monitor frames are produced with the same polymeric material, which was identified as copolymer ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene). The results of mechanical and thermal tests showed that, in general, the recycled ABS polymers regardless of the year of manufacture showed no significant losses in their properties. However, it was found, by the TGA test, that there was a small variation in polymer composition.
Object-based RGBD image co-segmentation with mutex constraint

We present an object-based co-segmentation method that takes advantage of depth data and is able to correctly handle noisy images in which the common foreground object is missing. With RGBD images, our method utilizes the depth channel to enhance identification of similar foreground objects via a proposed RGBD co-saliency map, as well as to improve detection of object-like regions and provide depth-based local features for region comparison. To accurately deal with noisy images where the common object appears more than or less than once, we formulate co-segmentation in a fully-connected graph structure together with mutual exclusion (mutex) constraints that prevent improper solutions. Experiments show that this object-based RGBD co-segmentation with mutex constraints outperforms related techniques on an RGBD co-segmentation dataset, while effectively processing noisy images. Moreover, we show that this method also provides performance comparable to state-of-the-art RGB co-segmentation techniques on regular RGB images with depth maps estimated from them.
Frailty and Subsequent Disability and Mortality among Patients with Critical Illness

Rationale: The prevalence of frailty (diminished physiologic reserve) and its effect on outcomes for those aged 18 years and older with critical illness is unclear. Objectives: We hypothesized greater frailty would be associated with subsequent mortality, disability, and cognitive impairment, regardless of age. Methods: At enrollment, we measured frailty using the Clinical Frailty Scale (range, 1 [very fit] to 7 [severely frail]). At 3 and 12 months post‐discharge, we assessed vital status, instrumental activities of daily living, basic activities of daily living, and cognition. We used multivariable regression to analyze associations between Clinical Frailty Scale scores and outcomes, adjusting for age, sex, education, comorbidities, baseline disability, baseline cognition, severity of illness, delirium, coma, sepsis, mechanical ventilation, and sedatives/opiates. Measurements and Main Results: We enrolled 1,040 patients who were a median (interquartile range) of 62 (53‐72) years old and who had a median Clinical Frailty Scale score of 3 (3‐5). Half of those with clinical frailty (i.e., Clinical Frailty Scale score ≥5) were younger than 65 years old. Greater Clinical Frailty Scale scores were independently associated with greater mortality (P = 0.01 at 3 mo and P < 0.001 at 12 mo) and with greater odds of disability in instrumental activities of daily living (P = 0.04 at 3 mo and P = 0.002 at 12 mo). Clinical Frailty Scale scores were not associated with disability in basic activities of daily living or with cognition. Conclusions: Frailty is common in critically ill adults aged 18 years and older and is independently associated with increased mortality and greater disability. Future studies should explore routine screening for clinical frailty in critically ill patients of all ages. Interventions to reduce mortality and disability among patients with heightened vulnerability should be developed and tested. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials. gov (NCT 00392795 and NCT 00400062).
A Prospective Observational Study of the Epidemiology, Management, and Outcomes of Skin and Soft Tissue Infections Due to Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae

Abstract Background This study was performed to characterize the epidemiology, management, and outcomes of skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI) and colonization due to carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). Methods Patients from the Consortium on Resistance Against Carbapenem in Klebsiella and Other Enterobacteriaceae (CRACKLE-1) from December 24, 2011 to October 1, 2014 with wound cultures positive for CRE were included in the study. Predictors of surgical intervention were analyzed. Molecular typing of isolates was performed using repetitive extragenic palindromic polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Carbapenemase genes were detected using PCR. Results One hundred forty-two patients were included: 62 had SSTI (44%) and 56% were colonized. Mean age was 61 years, and 48% were male: median Charlson score was 3 (interquartile range, 1–5). Forty-eight percent of patients were admitted from long-term care facilities (LTCFs), and 31% were from the community. Two strain types (ST258A and ST258B) were identified (73% of 45 tested). Carbapenemase genes were detected in 40 of 45 isolates (blaKPC-3 [47%], blaKPC-2 [42%]). Sixty-eight patients (48%) underwent surgical intervention, 63% of whom had SSTI. Patients admitted from LTCFs were less likely to undergo surgical intervention (odds ratio [OR], 0.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.18–0.71). In multivariable analysis, among patients with SSTI, those admitted from LTCFs were less likely to undergo debridement (OR, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.04–0.93). Conclusions Patients admitted from LTCFs with CRE SSTI were less likely to undergo surgical intervention. Sixteen percent of the patients died, and approximately 50% of survivors required more intensive care upon discharge. These findings suggest a unique, impactful syndrome within the CRE infection spectrum. Further studies are needed to assess the role of surgical debridement in management of CRE-SSTI, particularly among LTCF residents.
Surgical complications in zygomatic implants: A systematic review

Background The use of zygomatic implants in the prosthetic rehabilitation of the patient with severe maxillary bone atrophy is another therapeutic alternative, not exempt from complications. The main objective of this review is to analyze and describe the most frequent surgical complications associated with the use of zygomatic implants. Material and Methods An electronic database search on PubMed, along with a manual search, without taking into account date nor language, was undertaken by two observers, selecting studies that comprised a study period from 6 to 12 months, any type of clinical trial, and series that included a follow-up and/or review period during the aforementioned margin, that mentioned at least two types of complications. Results Out of the initial search that yielded 455 studies, 67 were considered potentially relevant for the present study, out of which 14 were finally selected. Out of the most frequent surgical complications, sinusitis (3,9%) and failure in osseointegration (2,44%) are highlighted. Conclusions The analysis of the results shows that the most frequent complications are sinusitis and failure in osseointegration of the zygomatic implant. However, a standardised data collection system for the data on complications is needed. Key words:Implant, zygomatic implant, surgery, complications.
EMBRACE STEMI study: a Phase 2a trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of intravenous MTP-131 on reperfusion injury in patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

AIMS Among patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), reperfusion injury contributes to additional myocardial damage. MTP-131 is a cell-permeable peptide that preserves the integrity of cardiolipin, enhances mitochondrial energetics, and improves myocyte survival during reperfusion. METHODS AND RESULTS EMBRACE STEMI is a multicentre, randomized, double-blind Phase 2a trial that evaluated the efficacy and safety of MTP-131 vs. placebo infused at a rate of 0.05 mg/kg/h for 1 h among first-time anterior STEMI subjects undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for a proximal or mid left anterior descending (LAD) artery occlusion. Administration of MTP-131 was not associated with a significant reduction in the primary endpoint, infarct size by creatine kinase-myocardial band (CK-MB) area under the curve (AUC) over 72 h (5785 ± 426 ng h/mL in placebo vs. 5570 ± 486 ng h/mL in MTP-131; ITALIC! P = NS). MTP-131 was not associated with an improvement in pre-specified magnetic resonance imaging, angiographic, electrocardiographic, or clinical outcomes. CONCLUSION Among subjects with first-time anterior STEMI due to a proximal or mid LAD lesion who undergo successful PCI, administration of MTP-131 was safe and well tolerated. Treatment with MTP-131 was not associated with a decrease in myocardial infarct size as assessed by AUC0-72 of CK-MB.
Potential repositioning of exemestane as a neuroprotective agent for Parkinson’s disease

Abstract Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterised by selective degeneration of the nigral dopaminergic neurons, and neuroinflammation and oxidative stress are believed to be involved in its pathogenesis. In the present study, we provide data that the synthetic steroid exemestane, which is currently being used to treat breast cancer, may be useful for PD therapy. In BV-2 microglial cells, exemestane activated the transcription factor Nrf2 and induced expression of the Nrf2-dependent genes that encode the antioxidant enzymes NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1, haem oxygenase-1, and glutamylcysteine ligase. It also downregulated gene expression of inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase, lowered the levels of NO and reactive oxygen species, interleukin-1β and tumour necrosis factor-α in lipopolysaccharide-activated microglial cells. In CATH.a dopaminergic neuronal cells, exemestane also induced the same set of Nrf2-dependent antioxidant enzyme genes and provided neuroprotection against oxidative damage. In vivo, the drug protected the nigral dopaminergic neurons, decreased microglial activation, and prevented motor deficits in C57Bl/6 male mice that had been administered with the dopaminergic neurotoxin MPTP. Taken together, the results suggested a utility of repositioning exemestane towards disease-modifying therapy for PD.