Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Response patterns of recurrent glioblastomas treated with tumor-treating fields.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common form of primary malignant brain cancer. Median overall survival (OS) for newly diagnosed patients is only about 12 to 18 months. GBM tumors invariably recur, and there is no widely recognized and effective standard treatment for recurrent GBM. NovoTTF Therapy is a novel and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved antimitotic treatment for recurrent GBM with potential benefits compared with other options. Recurrent GBM patients from two prior trials with demonstrated radiologic tumor response to single-agent NovoTTF Therapy were analyzed to better characterize tumor response patterns and evaluate the associations between response, compliance, and OS. In addition, a compartmental tumor growth model was developed and evaluated for its ability to predict GBM response to tumor-treating fields (TTFields). The overall response rate across both trials was 15% (4% complete responses): 14% in the phase III trial (14/120) and 20% (2/10) in a pilot study. Tumor responses to NovoTTF Therapy developed slowly (median time to response, 5.2 months) but were durable (median duration, 12.9 months). Response duration was highly correlated with OS (r(2) = . 92, P<. 0001), and median OS for responders was 24.8 months. Seven of 16 responders exhibited initial tumor growth on magnetic resonance imaging. Compliance appeared to be linked with both improved response and survival. The tumor growth model predicted tumor arrest and shrinkage only after several weeks of continuous NovoTTF Therapy, consistent with the observed clinical findings of initial transient tumor growth in some patients. NovoTTF Therapy is a novel antimitotic treatment for recurrent GBM associated with slowly developing but durable tumor responses in approximately 15% of patients. Some responders exhibit initial tumor growth before shrinkage, indicating treatment should not be terminated prior to allowing for the full effect of NovoTTF Therapy to be realized. OS is longer in responders than in nonresponders. High daily compliance rates may be associated with increased likelihood of an objective response and are predictive of improved survival.
" Capitalisation " Des Frais De R&D En France : Determinants Et Pertinence

Selon les regles comptables francaises, les societes ont la possibilite de " capitaliser " leurs frais de R&D sous certaines conditions. En analysant les rapports annuels 2000 des societes non financieres appartenant a l'indice SBF 250, nous avons tente de comprendre pourquoi certaines societes francaises " capitalisent " leurs frais de R&D. Nos resultats montrent que les societes qui " capitalisent " la R&D sont celles qui sont cotees uniquement sur le marche boursier francais, qui appartiennent au secteur de la haute technologie et qui ont un risque Beta plus eleve. Nous avons egalement teste l'hypothese selon laquelle la decision de " capitaliser " la R&D ameliore la pertinence des chiffres comptables par rapport a la valeur de marche. Notre analyse de regression lineaire ne fournit pas de resultats probants dans ce sens. Ceci confirme les particularites dans la diffusion des informations financieres sur le marche francais en raison d'un modele de gouvernement d'entreprise different de celui en vigueur dans le monde anglo-saxon.
Aleurone flour increases red-cell folate and lowers plasma homocyst(e)ine substantially in man

Aleurone flour (ALF) is a rich source of natural folate (>500 μg/100 g wet weight). Our objective was to establish whether intake of ALF in man can significantly improve folate status and reduce plasma homocyst(e)ine. We performed a randomised, controlled intervention, of 16 weeks duration, in free-living healthy individuals (mean age 46–52 years). Participants were assigned to one of three groups: ALF, 175 g bread made with ALF and placebo tablet each day; PCS, 175 g bread made with pericarp seed coat (PCS) flour and placebo tablet each day (low-folate control); or FA, 175 g bread made with PCS flour and tablet containing 640 μg folic acid each day (high-folate control). The daily folate intake contributed by the bread and tablet was 233 μg in the PCS group, 615 μg in the ALF group and 819 μg in the FA group. The number of participants completing all phases of the PCS, ALF and FA interventions was twenty-five, twenty-five and eighteen, respectively. Plasma and red-cell folate increased significantly (P<0·0001) and plasma homocyst(e)ine decreased significantly (P<0·0001) in the ALF and FA groups only. Plasma folate and red-cell folate in the ALF group (mean, 95 % CI) increased from baseline values of 12·9 (9·9, 15·7) nmol/l and 509 (434, 584) nmol/l to 27·1 (22·5, 31·7) nmol/l and 768 (676, 860) nmol/l, respectively. Plasma homocyst(e)ine in the ALF group decreased from 9·1 (8·2, 10·0) μmol/l at baseline to 6·8 (6·2, 7·5) μmol/l after 16 weeks. In conclusion, moderate dietary intake of ALF can increase red-cell folate and decrease plasma homocyst(e)ine substantially.
Composition and medicinal properties of camel milk: A Review

Many research findings proved that camel milk is closer to human milk than any other milk. Camel milk is different from other ruminant milk, having low cholesterol, low sugar, high minerals (sodium, potassium, iron, copper, zinc and magnesium), high vitamin C. Camel milk is unique from other ruminant's milk in terms of composition as well as claimed health effects. Camel milk has potential therapeutic characteristics, such as anti-hypertensive, anti-diabetic and anti-carcinogenic. It is often easily digested by lactose-intolerant individuals. On the other hand, camel milk also has ability to reduce the elevated level of bilirubin, globulin and granulocytes. Camel milk failed to show any effect towards improving the level of hemoglobin and leukocytes, and decreasing the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Camel milk proteins contained satisfactory balance of essential amino acids. It contains disease-fighting immunoglobulin's which are small in size, allowing penetration of antigens and boosting the effectiveness of the immune system. This review focused on the medicinal properties of camel milk which will be more useful to generate value added product.
Blind alleys in variable type explanations of the downfall of the former Yugoslavia

In this paper certain attractive explanations, present in sociological and other scholarship, on the dismemberment of Yugoslavia are considered, by reviewing them in light of certain thus far unpublished survey and census data on the former Yugoslavia, immediately preceding the dismemberment. Particularly one influential, but biased explanation of the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia is considered. Books by the sociologist Stjepan Mestrovic merit particular attention in the depiction of bias towards the Yugoslav break-up. It is refuted that there was an in-depth incompatibility based on authoritarianism of any nationality, on emotional instability of any nationality, of ethnic stratification, of ethnic distance among the basic groups, which may explain the break-up. Instead, it is proposed that the break-up be explained by a maturation of nationalities, where the former Yugoslavia served as a nation-building institution, but for numerous nationalities.
Effect of the Size of the Field of View on the Perceived Amplitude of Rotations of the Visual Scene

Efficient navigation requires a good representation of body position/orientation in the environment and an accurate updating of this representation when the body-environment relationship changes. We tested here whether the visual flow alone - i.e., no landmark - can be used to update this representation when the visual scene is rotated, and whether having a limited horizontal field of view (30 or 60 degrees), as it is the case in most virtual reality applications, degrades the performance as compared to a full field of view. Our results show that (i) the visual flow alone does not allow for accurately estimating the amplitude of rotations of the visual scene, notably giving rise to a systematic underestimation of rotations larger than 30 degrees, and (ii) having more than 30 degrees of horizontal field of view does not really improve the performance. Taken together, these results suggest that a 30 degree field of view is enough to (under)estimate the amplitude of visual rotations when only visual flow information is available, and that landmarks should probably be provided if the amplitude of the rotations has to be accurately perceived.
The current concepts in management of animal (dog, cat, snake, scorpion) and human bite wounds

Animal and human bite wounds represent a significant global health issue. In the United States, animal and human bites are a very common health issue, causing significant morbidity and even, in rare scenarios, mortality. Most animal bite wounds in the United States are caused by dogs, with cat bites being a distant second. Human bite wounds constitute a dominant subset of all bite wounds. Several studies of bite wounds have reported improved outcomes with early diagnosis and immediate treatment. However, the available literature on the initial treatment provides a plethora of conflicting opinions and results. In this review, our aim was to identify and assess the current evidence on the management of animal (dog, cat, insects, scorpions, and snakes) and human bite wounds. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Review article, level III.
Factors Associated with Siman Immunodeficiency Virus Transmission in a Natural African Nonhuman Primate Host in the Wild

ABSTRACT African green monkeys (AGMs) are naturally infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) at high prevalence levels and do not progress to AIDS. Sexual transmission is the main transmission route in AGM, while mother-to-infant transmission (MTIT) is negligible. We investigated SIV transmission in wild AGMs to assess whether or not high SIV prevalence is due to differences in mucosal permissivity to SIV (i.e., whether the genetic bottleneck of viral transmission reported in humans and macaques is also observed in AGMs in the wild). We tested 121 sabaeus AGMs (Chlorocebus sabaeus) from the Gambia and found that 53 were SIV infected (44%). By combining serology and viral load quantitation, we identified 4 acutely infected AGMs, in which we assessed the diversity of the quasispecies by single-genome amplification (SGA) and documented that a single virus variant established the infections. We thus show that natural SIV transmission in the wild is associated with a genetic bottleneck similar to that described for mucosal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission in humans. Flow cytometry assessment of the immune cell populations did not identify major differences between infected and uninfected AGM. The expression of the SIV coreceptor CCR5 on CD4+ T cells dramatically increased in adults, being higher in infected than in uninfected infant and juvenile AGMs. Thus, the limited SIV MTIT in natural hosts appears to be due to low target cell availability in newborns and infants, which supports HIV MTIT prevention strategies aimed at limiting the target cells at mucosal sites. Combined, (i) the extremely high prevalence in sexually active AGMs, (ii) the very efficient SIV transmission in the wild, and (iii) the existence of a fraction of multiparous females that remain uninfected in spite of massive exposure to SIV identify wild AGMs as an acceptable model of exposed, uninfected individuals. IMPORTANCE We report an extensive analysis of the natural history of SIVagm infection in its sabaeus monkey host, the African green monkey species endemic to West Africa. Virtually no study has investigated the natural history of SIV infection in the wild. The novelty of our approach is that we report for the first time that SIV infection has no discernible impact on the major immune cell populations in natural hosts, thus confirming the nonpathogenic nature of SIV infection in the wild. We also focused on the correlates of SIV transmission, and we report, also for the first time, that SIV transmission in the wild is characterized by a major genetic bottleneck, similar to that described for HIV-1 transmission in humans. Finally, we report here that the restriction of target cell availability is a major correlate of the lack of SIV transmission to the offspring in natural hosts of SIVs.
Why retest young adults with childhood-onset growth hormone deficiency?

In the past decade it has become increasingly clear that growth hormone deficiency (GHD) has clinical implications for adult man. The main characteristics of the adult GHD syndrome are an increased subcutaneous and visceral fat mass, a reduced extracellular fluid volume, a subnormal muscle mass, a low bone density, a reduced cardiac performance, moderately elevated serum low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, reduced physical performance, impaired cognitive function, and reduced well-being (1, 2). Many of these abnormalities are at least partially reversible with GH replacement started in adult life. Based on these observations the concept is emerging that it might be advisable not to stop GH replacement therapy in GHD adolescents who have reached their final height. The main objective of the present review is to evaluate whether current evidence is sufficiently strong to support a policy that proposes continuation of GH treatment in young adults with a diagnosis of GHD in childhood to prevent the development of the adult GHD syndrome in these patients.
Does group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal infection increase risk for behavioral and neuropsychiatric symptoms in children?

OBJECTIVE To determine whether group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal infections increase the risk of developing symptoms characteristic of the diagnosis pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS). DESIGN Prospective cohort study. METHODS Children (N = 814) aged 4 to 11 years seen for sore throat or well-child care in a large pediatric practice in Rochester, NY, were enrolled from October 2001 to June 2002 (group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal [GAS] infected, n = 411; GAS uninfected, n = 403, of whom 207 had a sore throat of presumed viral etiology and 196 were well children). Symptomatic children with GAS infection (n = 399) were treated with antibiotics. At baseline and 2 and 12 weeks following baseline, all parents completed a 20-item questionnaire about the presence/absence of recent PANDAS symptoms in their children, and capable children answered 10 items about worries, obsessions, and compulsions. The relative risk of developing a "mild PANDAS variant" (> or = 2 new PANDAS symptoms) by illness type (GAS positive, presumed viral, or well child) and by parent and child report was determined and adjusted for potential covariates. RESULTS By parent report, ill children more frequently manifested several PANDAS symptoms at baseline than well children. However, neither new symptoms nor the risk of developing a mild PANDAS variant developed during the subsequent 12 weeks more commonly in children with GAS infection than in those with presumed viral illness or in well children by parent or child report. CONCLUSIONS Ill children with GAS infection, treated for their GAS infection, were not at increased risk for developing PANDAS symptoms or a mild PANDAS variant compared with children with presumed viral illness or well children. The role of antibiotics in the prevention or treatment of PANDAS as well as the investigation of PANDAS in the asymptomatic, infectious host deserves future research.
Redo hypospadias repair: experience at a tertiary care children's hospital.

OBJECTIVE Treatment of patients with failed hypospadias repairs can be challenging. Our study aimed to determine the best type of redo repair depending on the location and size of the urethral meatus, the status of the urethral plate and genital skin, the severity of residual chordee and the amount of scar tissue. METHODS The Institutional Review Board approved our retrospective chart review of patients who had a redo hypospadias repair at our institution over the past 6 years. We recorded the type and number of previous repair(s), the type and number of redo procedure(s),as well as the complications and functional outcomes. RESULTS There were 28 patients, aged 1-12 (mean 3.8) years, with failed hypospadias repairs. The initial severity of the hypospadias were as follows: perineal (1), penoscrotal (9), proximal shaft (1), mid-shaft (9), distal shaft (4), coronal (3) and mega-meatus (1). Of all the patients, 24 had 1 repair, 3 had 2 repairs and 1 had 3 repairs. The initial repairs comprised 11 tubularized island flaps (TIFs), 8 Snodgrass tubularized incised plate (TIP) techniques, 5 Mathieu repairs, 1 Meatal Advancement and GlanuloPlasty Incorporated (MAGPI) technique, 1 Pyramid, 1 Arap technique and 1 Thiersch-Duplay repair. Twenty-one of 28 patients had 1 redo operation, 5 had 2 redo operations, 1 had 3 redo operations and 1 had 4 redo operations, for a total of 38 redo operations. Of these, 26 were TIP techniques (68.4%), 3 were Mathieu (7.9%), 3 were TIF repairs (7.9%), 2 were onlay island flaps (5.3%) and 4 were buccal mucosal grafts (10.5%). Follow-up was 1-5 years (mean 3.5 yr). The final locations of urethral meatus included glans (18), corona (6), mid-shaft (3) and penoscrotal (1). Complications after redo surgery comprised 4 urethrocutaneous fistulae, 2 meatal stenoses, 1 urethral stricture and 3 dehiscences. Sixteen patients were followed with yearly uroflow with a Q-mean (mean uroflow) range of 3-14 mL/s (mean 8.1 mL/s). CONCLUSION The majority of hypospadias failures can be salvaged with one operation. The TIP repair is our procedure of choice in most cases. In the setting of a poor urethral plate, TIF or buccal mucosa may be necessary. Complications are not infrequent in redo procedures.
Intracranial arterial stenting for symptomatic stenoses: a Latin American experience.

BACKGROUND The proportionally higher incidence of intracranial atherosclerosis among Asian and black patients and a greater proclivity for intracranial artery stenosis in the Hispanic population merit drawing attention to a Latin American experience with intracranial arterial stenting. METHODS This is a retrospective analysis of an observational study of 33 intracranial lesions (each >50% stenosis) in 32 patients treated by intracranial angioplasty in 6 Latin American centers over a 3-year period. The investigation used a unique device, a balloon-expandable stent (Lekton Motion stent system, now Pharos, Biotronik, AG, Bülach, Switzerland). RESULTS The treated patients ranged in age from 30 to 81 years (mean, 59.3 years; SD, 12 years), including 24 male and 8 female patients (sex ratio, 4:1). Two were Asians, 4 were blacks, and the rest were white Hispanic. Our mean follow-up is of 10.2 months (SD, 7.84 months), with a mortality rate of 9.4% (3/32), a nonfatal complication rate of 6.2%, and a stroke rate (rate of recurrence) of 0%. The mean pretreatment stenosis of 68.75% (SD, 14%) was reduced to a residual of 5.16% (SD, 16%) (P = .000; 95% confidence interval, 56.8%-70.3%). A control angiogram was performed in 82% of patients, and in that case, the restenosis 50% or greater was of 8.7% during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION The treatment of intracranial stenosis with the Lekton Motion stent (Pharos) is feasible with a high technical success rate. Restenosis as well as the rate of new neurologic events during follow-up suggests some efficacy of stroke prevention by using the latest-generation, highly trackable, balloon-expandable stents.
Conservation of peptide structure of outer membrane protein-macromolecular complex from Neisseria gonorrhoeae

The structural conservation of an outer membrane protein of Neisseria gonorrhoeae called OMP-MC (outer membrane protein-macromolecular complex) was investigated by determining the isoelectric point and amino-terminal amino acid sequence of the protein and by using high-performance liquid chromatography for comparative tryptic peptide mapping. The 76,000-dalton subunits generated by reduction and alkylation of the native 800,000-dalton complex from six test strains focused in ultrathin gels as bands of restricted heterogeneity at an approximate pI of 7.6. Dansyl chloride labeling indicated that all strains shared glycine as the amino-terminal amino acid. Sequence analysis of OMP-MC from two strains revealed no amino acid differences within the first 11 residues. Dual-label peptide maps revealed an extremely high degree of conservation of peptide structure. The results indicate that (i) OMP-MCs isolated from various strains of N. gonorrhoeae share structural homology and (ii) the 800,000-dalton complex is a homopolymer composed of 10 to 12 apparently identical 76,000-dalton subunits.
The Safety and Immunogenicity of a Quadrivalent Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Varicella Vaccine in Healthy Children: A Study of Manufacturing Consistency and Persistence of Antibody

Background: This clinical trial was conducted to demonstrate that each of 3 consistency lots of a combined measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccine (MMRV) would be well tolerated, induce clinically acceptable and similar immune responses to each antigen and induce immune responses similar to measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) administered concomitantly with varicella vaccine (V). An additional objective was to evaluate the persistence of antibodies 1 year postvaccination. Methods: Study participants 12 to 23 months of age received a single injection of either one of 3 consistency lots of MMRV or MMR + V administered at separate injection sites. Results: A total of 3928 healthy children were enrolled at study sites in the United States and Canada. Immune responses to measles, mumps, rubella and varicella in children immunized with each of 3 lots of MMRV were similar and the combined response to all 3 lots was comparable to that of the control group. The 1-year antibody persistence rates for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella viruses were each greater than 95% and comparable among the recipients of the 3 consistency lots of MMRV and the control group. All vaccines were generally well tolerated during the 42 days after vaccination and the overall incidence of adverse experiences was comparable between recipients of MMRV and MMR + V. Rates of fever (temperature ≥38.9°C oral equivalent or tactile) were greater in recipients of MMRV than in recipients of MMR + V (39.1% versus 33.1%, P = 0.001). Fevers were transient and there was no difference in the incidence of febrile seizures. Conclusions: MMRV was generally well tolerated and had comparable immunogenicity and overall safety profiles to MMR + V administered concomitantly. Long-term persistence of antibodies after receipt of MMRV is expected based on similar antibody titers against all 4 antigens 1 year postvaccination compared with recipients of MMR and V.
Cross-Entropy Method for the Optimization of Optical Alignment Signals With Diffractive Effects

We present a cross-entropy (CE)-based method to design 2-D zero reference codes (ZRCs) with minimum diffractive effects. Without diffraction effects, the optimum ZRC design problem is known as autocorrelation approximation. However, in high-resolution grating systems, limitations are given by the diffraction in the design of ZRCs. If the diffraction is considered, the output signal registered in the photodiode will widen and degrade, invalidating the autocorrelation approximation for the 2-D ZRC design. To minimize the diffractive effects in the design of 2-D ZRC, this paper first formulates the 2-D ZRC design problem with diffractive effects as a particular combinatorial optimization problem. Next, it proposes the application of the CE method to solve the problem. Compared with the conventional genetic algorithm (GA)-assisted 2-D ZRC design method, the simulation results show that the proposed CE method obtains better 2-D ZRCs that are less sensitive to diffractive effects. About 11.43 times less searching is required for the proposed CE method than for the GA. This indicates that the proposed CE method can obtain good ZRCs with minimum diffractive effects while maintaining low complexity.