Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Causal Explanations and Diagnostic Labeling on Medical Students' Views of Schizophrenia

Purpose Negative attitudes toward mental illness among medical professionals can influence the quality of medical care they provide. The authors examined the impact of causal explanations and diagnostic labeling on medical students' views of schizophrenia. Method Medical students in their fifth and sixth years at the Second University of Naples (Italy) who attended lectures from April through June 2010 completed a self-report questionnaire regarding their beliefs about the mental disorder described (but not named) in a case vignette depicting a person who meets the International Classification of Diseases–10 criteria for schizophrenia. Results Of the 232 students invited, 194 (84%) completed the questionnaire. Students most frequently cited heredity as the cause (81%), followed by stress (69%), psychological traumas (45%), and misuse of street drugs (44%). Most students (82%) labeled the case “schizophrenia”; a minority (24%) believed that persons with the case vignette disorder could be well again. Both labeling the case as “schizophrenia” and naming heredity as the cause were independently associated with pessimism about the possibility of recovery and with the perception that “others” keep their distance from persons with this diagnosis. Heredity was more frequently cited by respondents who labeled the case schizophrenia and was significantly associated with students' perception that people with this diagnosis are unpredictable. Conclusions These findings confirm that, in a sample of medical students, biogenetic causal explanations and diagnostic labeling have negative effects on beliefs about schizophrenia. They highlight the need to educate medical students about recovery from and stigma related to schizophrenia.
Beyond Gómez‐López‐Hernández syndrome: Recurring phenotypic themes in rhombencephalosynapsis

Rhombencephalosynapsis (RES) is an uncommon cerebellar malformation characterized by fusion of the hemispheres without an intervening vermis. Frequently described in association with Gómez‐López‐Hernández syndrome, RES also occurs in conjunction with VACTERL features and with holoprosencephaly (HPE). We sought to determine the full phenotypic spectrum of RES in a large cohort of patients. Information was obtained through database review, patient questionnaire, radiographic, and morphologic assessment, and statistical analysis. We assessed 53 patients. Thirty‐three had alopecia, 3 had trigeminal anesthesia, 14 had VACTERL features, and 2 had HPE with aventriculy. Specific craniofacial features were seen throughout the cohort, but were more common in patients with alopecia. We noted substantial overlap between groups. We conclude that although some distinct subgroups can be delineated, the overlapping features seen in our cohort suggest an underlying spectrum of RES‐associated malformations rather than a collection of discrete syndromes. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Emerging Targeted Therapies for Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

Until recently, few therapeutic options were available for patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Since 2010, four new molecules with a demonstrated benefit (sipuleucel-T, cabazitaxel, abiraterone, and denosumab) have been approved in this setting, and to-date several other agents are under investigation in clinical trials. The purpose of this review is to present an update of targeted therapies for CRPC. Presented data are obtained from literature and congress reports updated until December 2011. Targeted therapies in advanced phases of clinical development include novel androgen signaling inhibitors, inhibitors of alternative signaling pathways, anti-angiogenic agents, inhibitors that target the bone microenvironment, and immunotherapeutic agents. Radium-223 and MDV3100 demonstrated a survival advantage in phase III trials and the road for their introduction in clinical practice is rapidly ongoing. Results are also awaited for phase III studies currently underway or planned with new drugs given as monotherapy (TAK-700, cabozantinib, tasquinimod, PROSTVAC-VF, ipilimumab) or in combination with docetaxel (custirsen, aflibercept, dasatinib, zibotentan). The optimal timing, combination, and sequencing of emerging therapies remain unknown and require further investigation. Additionally, the identification of novel markers of response and resistance to these therapies may better individualize treatment for patients with CRPC.
Unconventional implant treatment: I. Implant placement in contact with ankylosed root fragments. A series of five case reports.

OBJECTIVE Implant treatment presumes that implants are placed in bone, without any contact with root. At ankylosed teeth, complete root removal is often invasive; subsequently, the sites require additional augmentation procedures to complete the treatment. The aim of this paper is to report on a series of five cases that have been treated with an approach that avoided extractive invasive surgery and bone damage. MATERIAL AND METHODS The procedure consisted of preparing the osteotomy site by drilling through the root. At the end of the drilling sequence, the root fragments that were not removed were deliberately left at the osteotomy site. Their mobility was checked with a dental pick and when stable an implant was placed in contact with them. The sites were required to be asymptomatic and inflammation free. Ankylosed teeth were replaced with 13-15-mm-long Osseotite implants, four in the anterior maxilla and one in the anterior mandible. RESULTS All implants healed uneventfully; they have been now loaded for a period of 12-42 months. On peri-apical radiographs, appearance of the bone-implant interface was similar to osseointegrated implants. The remaining root fragments were visible, in contact with the implants; no specific pathological sign could be detected. A limited resorption of dentine was found at one site after 4 years. CONCLUSION This series of cases suggests that implants placed in contact with ankylosed root fragments might not interfere with implant integration or harm occlusal function, at least in the mid-term. More cases are warranted before this procedure might be considered as a reliable clinical option when, at ankylosed teeth, one wishes to avoid an invasive extraction surgery.
Substituted Imidazole of 5-Fluoro-2-[4-[(2-phenyl-1H-imidazol-5-yl)methyl]-1-piperazinyl]pyrimidine Inactivates Cytochrome P450 2D6 by Protein Adduction

5-Fluoro-2-[4-[(2-phenyl-1H-imidazol-5-yl)methyl]-1-piperazinyl]pyrimidine (SCH 66712) is a potent mechanism-based inactivator of human cytochrome P450 2D6 that displays type I binding spectra with a Ks of 0.39 ± 0.10 μM. The partition ratio is ∼3, indicating potent inactivation that addition of exogenous nucleophiles does not prevent. Within 15 min of incubation with SCH 66712 and NADPH, ∼90% of CYP2D6 activity is lost with only ∼20% loss in ability to bind CO and ∼25% loss of native heme over the same time. The stoichiometry of binding to the protein was 1.2:1. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with Western blotting and autoradiography analyses of CYP2D6 after incubations with radiolabeled SCH 66712 further support the presence of a protein adduct. Metabolites of SCH 66712 detected by mass spectrometry indicate that the phenyl group on the imidazole ring of SCH 66712 is one site of oxidation by CYP2D6 and could lead to methylene quinone formation. Three other metabolites were also observed. For understanding the metabolic pathway that leads to CYP2D6 inactivation, metabolism studies with CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 were performed because neither of these enzymes is significantly inhibited by SCH 66712. The metabolites formed by CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 are the same as those seen with CYP2D6, although in different abundance. Modeling studies with CYP2D6 revealed potential roles of various active site residues in the oxidation of SCH 66712 and inactivation of CYP2D6 and showed that the phenyl group of SCH 66712 is positioned at 2.2 Å from the heme iron.
Mutualism between Consumers and Their Shared Resource Can Promote Competitive Coexistence

Competitive coexistence depends on dynamic interactions between competitor and resource populations, including mutualism between the resource and each competitor. We add mutualism to a well‐known model of resource competition and show that it can powerfully stabilize competitive coexistence in the absence or presence of resource heterogeneity. We use a transition matrix approach to describe lottery competition, while allowing each of two competitors to affect the population dynamics of their shared resource. For example, two plant‐defending ant species may compete for nesting space within ant‐adapted (myrmecophytic) plants. We show that mutualism between consumers and a resource species can stabilize competitive coexistence of the consumers by allowing each competitor to influence resource dynamics in a way that benefits the other. The effect of this novel coexistence mechanism depends on a mutualism’s biological details: for example, altering myrmecophyte fecundity affects competing ant species differently than does altering plant survival. Finally, we consider a heterogeneous resource (e.g., two types of nest site) and show how niche partitioning can stabilize coexistence in the absence of resource dynamics. When resource heterogeneity is dynamic (e.g., small and large plants of the same species), niche partitioning also provides new routes for additional stabilization via mutualism.
A Binocular Approach to Treating Amblyopia: Antisuppression Therapy

Purpose. We developed a binocular treatment for amblyopia based on antisuppression therapy. Methods. A novel procedure is outlined for measuring the extent to which the fixing eye suppresses the fellow amblyopic eye. We hypothesize that suppression renders a structurally binocular system, functionally monocular. Results. We demonstrate using three strabismic amblyopes that information can be combined normally between their eyes under viewing conditions where suppression is reduced. Also, we show that prolonged periods of viewing (under the artificial conditions of stimuli of different contrast in each eye) during which information from the two eyes is combined leads to a strengthening of binocular vision in such cases and eventual combination of binocular information under natural viewing conditions (stimuli of the same contrast in each eye). Concomitant improvement in monocular acuity of the amblyopic eye occurs with this reduction in suppression and strengthening of binocular fusion. Furthermore, in each of the three cases, stereoscopic function is established. Conclusions. This provides the basis for a new treatment of amblyopia, one that is purely binocular and aimed at reducing suppression as a first step.
West Nile virus infection: MR imaging findings in the nervous system.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE West Nile virus (WNV) infection is an ongoing seasonal epidemic. We correlated the MR imaging findings with the clinical presentations and outcomes of WNV infection. METHODS We reviewed 14 brain and three spinal MR images: nonenhanced and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images (T1WIs) and T2-weighted images (T2WIs), nonenhanced fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images (11 patients) and enhanced FLAIR images (three patients), with diffusion-weighted (DW) images and apparent diffusion coefficient maps. WNV infection was diagnosed by means of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with a plaque reduction neutralization test. We also correlated the MR findings with the clinical presentation, course, and outcome to determine their prognostic importance. RESULTS MR imaging findings included: 1) normal (five patients); 2) DW imaging-only abnormalities in the white matter, corona radiata, and internal capsule (four patients); 3) hyperintensity on FLAIR images and T2WIs in the lobar gray and white matter, cerebellum, basal ganglia, thalamus and internal capsule, pons and midbrain (three patients); 4) meningeal involvement (two patients); and 5) spinal cord, cauda equina, and nerve root involvement (three patients). All patients with finding 1 and all but one with finding 2 recovered completely. Two patients with finding 3 died. Those with finding 4 or 5 had residual neurologic deficits that were severe or moderate to severe, respectively. CONCLUSION Patients with normal MR images or abnormalities on only DW images had the best prognosis, while those with abnormal signal intensity on T2WI and FLAIR images had the worst outcomes. No definite predilection for any specific area of the brain parenchyma was noted.
On genetic algorithms

We analyze the performance of a Genetic Type Algorithm we call Culling and a variety of other algorithms on a problem we refer to as ASP. Culling is near optimal for this problem, highly noise tolerant, and the best known a~~roach . in some regimes. We show that the problem of learning the Ising perception is reducible to noisy ASP. These results provide an example of a rigorous analysis of GA’s and give insight into when and how C,A’s can beat competing methods. To analyze the genetic algorithm, we view it as a special type of submartingale. We prove some new large deviation bounds on this submartingale w~ich enable us to determine the running time of the algorithm.
Global Concave Minimization for Optimal Spectrum Balancing in Multi-User DSL Networks

Dynamic spectrum management (DSM) is an effective technique for mitigating detrimental effect of crosstalk in digital subscriber lines (DSL). Among various DSM techniques, centralized optimal spectrum balancing (OSB) achieves the maximum possible data rates by computing the optimal power spectral densities (PSDs) for all modems in DSL systems. Unfortunately, its computational complexity grows exponentially in the number of users and becomes intractable for large . To reduce the complexity of OSB, this paper exploits the fact that the non-convex optimization problem in OSB can be reformulated as an equivalent global concave minimization problem by representing its objective function explicitly as the difference of two convex functions (dc). This dc structure makes the non-convex optimization problem in OSB suitable for being solved by various dc algorithms developed over the decades. In particular, a modified prismatic branch-and-bound algorithm, which only requires solving a sequence of linear programming subproblems, is applied to find the global optimum with substantial reduction in complexity especially for large .
The evolution and prognostic value of N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide in predicting 1-year mortality in patients following transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

AIMS N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) has been found to correlate with the severity of aortic valve stenosis and to provide prognostic information in aortic stenosis patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement. There is a paucity of data describing the association between clinical outcomes after TAVI and NT-proBNP levels. We investigated the evolution and prognostic value of NT-proBNP levels after TAVI. METHOD AND RESULTS We prospectively collected data on the baseline characteristics, NT-proBNP levels (baseline, post-treatment and discharge) and adverse clinical outcomes of patients undergoing TAVI from 2007 to 2010. Using a univariable and multivariable Cox regression model, pre- and postimplantation NT-proBNP tertile levels were correlated to 30-day and 1-year mortality. A total of 373 patients underwent TAVI with either the Medtronic CoreValve or Edwards SAPIEN prosthesis. The cumulative 30-day and 1-year mortality was 7.3% and 18%, respectively. Rehospitalization for heart failure was observed in 0.8% at 30 days and 7.8% at 1 year. The tertile baseline NT-proBNP levels were identified as ≤1570 ng/L, 1571 to 4690 ng/L and ≥4691 ng/L. In the univariable analysis, baseline (HR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.001-1.02; P=.02) and post-treatment NT-proBNP (HR 1.02; 95% CI, 1.002-1.04; P=.04) were predictors for 1-year mortality. In the multivariable analysis, however, only baseline NT-proBNP and atrial fibrillation were identified as predictors for the 1-year mortality (HR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01-1.05; P=.006 and HR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.25-9.5; P=.017, respectively). CONCLUSIONS NT-proBNP and atrial fibrillation were predictors for 1-year mortality, offer independent prognostic information, and identify patients being at increased risk for mortality. Thus, NT-proBNP reveals more incremental value for patient selection and should be included in the risk stratification of patients undergoing TAVI.
The End-State Comfort Effect in Bimanual Grip Selection

Abstract During a unimanual grip selection task in which people pick up a lightweight dowel and place one end against targets at variable heights, the choice of handgrip (overhand vs. underhand) typically depends on the perception of how comfortable the arm will be at the end of the movement: an end-state comfort effect. The two experiments reported here extend this work to bimanual tasks. In each experiment, 26 right-handed participants used their left and right hands to simultaneously pick up two wooden dowels and place either the right or left end against a series of 14 targets ranging from 14 to 210 cm above the floor. These tasks were performed in systematic ascending and descending orders in Experiment 1 and in random order in Experiment 2. Results were generally consistent with predictions of end-state comfort in that, for the extreme highest and lowest targets, participants tended to select opposite grips with each hand. Taken together, our findings are consistent with the concept of constraint hierarchies within a posture-based motion-planning model.
Small Integrin Binding Ligand N-Linked Glycoprotein Gene Family Expression in Different Cancers

Purpose: Members of the small integrin binding ligand N-linked glycoprotein (SIBLING) gene family have the capacity to bind and modulate the activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). The expression levels of five SIBLING gene family members [bone sialoprotein (BSP), osteopontin (OPN), dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP1), matrix extracellular phosphoglycoprotein (MEPE), and dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP)] and certain MMPs were determined using a commercial cancer array. Experimental Design: Cancer profiling arrays containing normalized cDNA from both tumor and corresponding normal tissues from 241 individual patients were used to screen for SIBLING and MMP expression in nine distinct cancer types. Results: Significantly elevated expression levels were observed for BSP in cancer of the breast, colon, stomach, rectum, thyroid, and kidney; OPN in cancer of the breast, uterus, colon, ovary, lung, rectum, and thyroid; DMP1 in cancer of the breast, uterus, colon, and lung; and dentin sialophosphoprotein in breast and lung cancer. The degree of correlation between a SIBLING and its partner MMP was found to be significant within a given cancer type (e.g., BSP and MMP-2 in colon cancer, OPN and MMP-3 in ovarian cancer; DMP1 and MMP-9 in lung cancer). The expression levels of SIBLINGs were distinct within subtypes of cancer (e.g., breast ductal tumors compared with lobular tumors). In general, SIBLING expression increased with cancer stage for breast, colon, lung, and rectal cancer. Conclusions: These results suggest SIBLINGs as potential markers of early disease progression in a number of different cancer types, some of which currently lack vigorous clinical markers.
Signals through the Striatopallidal Indirect Pathway Stop Movements by Phasic Excitation in the Substantia Nigra

The striatum and subthalamic nucleus (STN) are the input stations of the basal ganglia and receive excitatory afferents from the cerebral cortex. The basal ganglia control voluntary movements through three parallel pathways mediated by the input stations: the hyperdirect pathway, which conveys direct cortical inputs to the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr), the output nucleus, through the STN; the direct pathway, which arises from striatal neurons expressing dopamine D1 receptors and projects to the SNr; and the indirect pathway, which arises from striatal neurons expressing dopamine D2 receptors (D2Rs) and projects indirectly to the SNr by way of the globus pallidus (GP) and STN. Our previous study showed that immunotoxin-mediated cell targeted ablation of D2R-expressing striatal neurons in mice induced motor hyperactivity. To elucidate the mechanism underlying the hyperactivity, here we examined neuronal activity in the GP and SNr. The ablation of D2R-expressing striatal neurons had little effect on spontaneous activity in the GP and SNr, but induced dramatic changes in the cortically evoked triphasic response composed of early excitation, inhibition, and late excitation in the GP and SNr (i.e., reduced inhibition in the GP, and reduced late excitation in the GP and SNr). In contrast, the ablation of striatal cholinergic interneurons, which also express D2Rs, did not show such effects. Therefore, the reduction of the cortically evoked late excitation in the SNr seems to be responsible for hyperactivity. These observations suggest that phasic late excitation in the SNr through the striatopallidal indirect pathway plays a key role in stopping movements.
Sequence of the fourth gene of human rotaviruses recovered from asymptomatic or symptomatic infections

The complete nucleotide sequence of the fourth gene of symptomatic (Wa, DS-1, P, and VA70) and asymptomatic (M37, 1076, McN13, and ST3) rotaviruses of serotype 1, 2, 3, or 4 was determined by the dideoxy chain termination method. In each strain, the fourth gene, which encodes the outer capsid protein VP3, is 2,359 base pairs in length and has 5'- and 3'-noncoding regions of 9 and 25 nucleotides, respectively. The gene has a single long open reading frame of 2,325 base pairs that is capable of coding for a protein of 775 amino acids. A total of 14 N-terminal and 12 C-terminal amino acids are completely conserved or almost completely conserved, respectively, among nine human rotavirus VP3 genes that have been sequenced. In addition, there is conservation of arginine at the two trypsin cleavage sites as well as conservation of clusters of amino acids in different regions of the two VP3 cleavage products, VP8 and VP5. Three distinct forms of VP3 were identified among the nine human rotavirus strains analyzed. Three symptomatic rotaviruses (serotypes 1, 3, and 4) possess highly related VP3 genes (92.2 to 97% nucleotide identity). Two symptomatic serotype 2 rotaviruses possess VP3 genes which are even more closely related to each other (98.6% nucleotide identity) and only moderately related to the aforementioned VP3 genes of serotypes 1, 3, and 4 (87.4 to 88.2% nucleotide identity). The four asymptomatic rotaviruses, which constitute the third group, possess highly related VP3 genes (95.5 to 97.5% nucleotide identity) which are distinct from those of the virulent rotaviruses (73 to 74.8% nucleotide identity). At 91 positions in the protein sequence of VP3, an amino acid is conserved among the asymptomatic rotaviruses, while a different amino acid is conserved among the symptomatic rotaviruses. Notably, five regions are conserved among the symptomatic rotaviruses, while a different set of sequences are conserved among the asymptomatic rotaviruses. It is possible that some or all of these regions of sequence dimorphism may be responsible for the difference in virulence of these two groups of human rotaviruses. There are 13 regions in the VP3 protein sequence which exhibit the greatest variability; the majority of these variable regions are observed between amino acids 106 to 192. These regions may represent potential antigenic sites related to heterotypic rotavirus neutralization.