Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deep pelvic endometriosis negatively affects ovarian reserve and the number of oocytes retrieved for in vitro fertilization

Objective. Endometriosis‐associated infertility results in reduced ovarian response, fewer oocytes available for fertilization, compromised oocyte quality and higher miscarriage rates. A consistent proportion of women with endometriosis require in vitro fertilization. We sought to clarify the impact of deep infiltrating pelvic disease on antral follicle count and ovarian response to follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH) stimulation in patients with severe endometriosis. Design. Retrospective cohort study. Setting. University hospital. Population. Patients with severe endometriosis (stages III–IV; n=51) were divided into two groups regarding localization of endometriosis during surgical staging: ovarian (n=27) and both ovarian and deep infiltrating disease (n=24). Methods. A total of 73 long‐protocol ovulation induction cycles with recombinant FSH for an intracytoplasmic sperm injection program were given. On day 3 of the cycle, measurements of FSH and luteinizing hormone and an ultrasound evaluation of antral follicle count were performed. Main Outcome Measures. Number of oocytes collected at ovum pick up, number of mature oocytes, number of embryos transferred and clinical pregnancy rate. Results. Ovarian reserve in terms of antral follicle count was damaged in both groups but, if adjusted for age, it was significantly lower in the ovarian and pelvic infiltrating group compared with patients having only ovarian endometriosis. Pelvic deep infiltrating disease significantly impacted on the number of oocytes collected at pick up when adjusted for age. Conclusions. Deep infiltrating pelvic disease can negatively affect ovarian reserve in terms of antral follicle count and number of oocytes retrieved. Mechanisms underlying this phenomenon need to be elucidated.
An Analysis of Actor/Critic Algorithms Using Eligibility Traces: Reinforcement Learning with Imperfect Value Function

We present an analysis of actor/critic algorithms, in which the actor updates its policy using eligibility traces of the policy parameters. Most of the theoretical results for eligibility traces have been for only critic's value iteration algorithms. This paper investigates what the actor's eligibility trace does. The results show that the algorithm is an extension of Williams' REINFORCE algorithms for in(cid:12)nite horizon reinforcement tasks, and then the critic provides an appropriate reinforcement baseline for the actor. Thanks to the actor's eligibility trace, the actor improves its policy by using a gradient of actual return, not by using a gradient of the estimated return in the critic. It enables the agent to learn a fairly good policy under the condition that the approximated value function in the critic is hopelessly inaccurate for conventional actor/critic algorithms. Also, if an accurate value function is estimated by the critic, the actor's learning is dramatically ac-celerated in our test cases. The behavior of the algorithm is demonstrated through simu-lations of a linear quadratic control problem and a pole balancing problem.
Intraocular pressure during mechanical ventilation with different levels of positive end‐expiratory pressure

Objective.To determine the effect of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) on intraocular pressure. Design.Prospective, controlled, longitudinal, dual center study. In one group, patients served as their own control. In the second group, isolated determinations of intraocular pressure were made in mechanically ventilated patients receiving PEEP. Setting.Adult intensive care units of two university hospitals. Patients.Intraocular pressures were measured serially in eight patients during the recovery phase of different clinical conditions and in 22 patients receivingmechanical ventilation with PEEP ≥10 cm H2O for >24 hrs. Interventions.Group A) In eight patients, a PEEP dose-response curve was established (PEEP 0, 5, 10, 15, and 0 cm H2O every 15 mins). Intraocular pressures were measured at the end of each period. Group B) In 22 patients, measurement of intraocular pressures were done while the patients received mechanical ventilation with PEEP ≥10 cm H2O for at least >24 hrs. Measurements and Main Results.In both groups, there was a positive correlation between the PEEP level and the central venous pressure (p < .05 in group A, and p < .03 in group B). No relationships between intraocular pressure and PEEP or central venous pressure were observed. However, there was a correlation between intraocular pressure and length of PEEP therapy (p < .03). We found ocular hypertension in only one patient (right eye intraocular pressure = 26 mm Hg; left eye intraocular pressure = 24 mm Hg). Conclusions.Short-term therapy with PEEP of ≥15 cm H2O does not present a clinically important significant risk for intraocular pressure increase in a population with normal basal ocular tonometry. During prolonged mechanical ventilation with PEEP, increments in intraocular pressure may occur, but these increments appear to not be of a clinically relevant magnitude. (Crit Care Med 1993; 21:867–870)
GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor inversion channel mobility modeling

Lateral n-channel enhancement-mode GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) field-effect transistors and lateral capacitors have been fabricated on a p-type epi-GaN substrate semiconductor and electrically characterized at different temperatures. A clear positive behavior of the inversion channel mobility with temperature has been obtained. A physics-based model on the inversion charge and charge trapped in interface states characteristics has been used to investigate the temperature dependence of the inversion MOS channel mobility. The field-effect mobility increase with temperature is due to an increase in the inversion charge and a reduction in the trapped charge for a given voltage gate. Then, for larger gate bias and/or higher temperatures, surface roughness effects become relevant. The good fitting of the model with the experimental data leads us to consider that the high density of charged acceptor interface traps together with a large interface roughness modulates the channel mobility due to scattering.
THE EVOLUTION OF CALIFORNIA'S WILD RADISH HAS RESULTED IN THE EXTINCTION OF ITS PROGENITORS

Abstract If two previously isolated taxa mutually assimilate through hybridization and subsequent biparental introgression, and if their introgressed descendants have the same or higher fitness than their parents, then gene flow should result in the local extinction of parental taxa via replacement by hybrid derivatives. These dramatic events may occur rapidly, even in a few generations. Given the speed at which such extinction by hybridization may occur, it may be difficult to identify that the process has occurred. Thus, documented instances of extinction by hybridization are rare, and especially so for cases in which both parents are replaced by the hybrid lineage. Here we report morphological and allozyme evidence for the local extinction of two Raphanus species in California via replacement by their hybrid-derived descendants. The results from a greenhouse experiment demonstrate that California wild radishes have a specific combination of traits from their progenitors, and comparison of our results to that of an earlier report indicate that pure parental types are no longer present in the wild. Our results also show the hybrid-derived lineage has transgressive fruit weight compared to its parents. Allozyme analysis demonstrates that California wild radishes are derived from hybridization between the putative parental species. However, that analysis also demonstrates that California wild radish has now become an evolutionary entity separate from both of its parents. We suggest that the aggressive colonizing behavior of the hybrid-derived lineage probably results from a novel combination of parental traits, rather than genetic variability of the population per se.
Noninvasive Positive Pressure Ventilation or Conventional Mechanical Ventilation for Neonatal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Failure

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the success rate of nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) for treatment of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) failure and prevention of conventional ventilation (CV) in preterm neonates. Methods: Since November 2012 to April 2013, a total number of 55 consecutive newborns with gestational ages of 26-35 weeks who had CPAP failure were randomly assigned to one of the two groups. The NIPPV group received NIPPV with the initial peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) of 16-20 cmH2O and frequency of 40-60 breaths/min. The CV group received PIP of 12-20 cmH2O and frequency of 40-60 breaths/min. Results: About 74% of newborns who received NIPPV for management of CPAP failure responded to NIPPV and did not need intubation and mechanical ventilation. Newborns with lower postnatal age at entry to the study and lower 5 min Apgar score more likely had NIPPV failure. In addition, treatment failure was higher in newborns who needed more frequent doses of surfactant. Duration of oxygen therapy was 9.28 days in CV group and 7.77 days in NIPPV group (P = 0.050). Length of hospital stay in CV group and NIPPV groups were 48.7 and 41.7 days, respectively (P = 0.097). Conclusions: NIPPV could decrease the need for intubation and mechanical ventilation in preterm infants with CPAP failure.
CLINICAL AND IMAGING STUDY: Enhanced cue‐elicited brain activation in African American compared with Caucasian smokers: an fMRI study

Current evidence indicates that, although African Americans (AA) are more likely to attempt to quit smoking than Caucasians (CC) in any given year, success rates are lower for AA. However, factors contributing to these differences are not well known. In order to explore potential factors, this study assessed differences in attention to smoking cues between ethnic groups. Participants underwent morning functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning while viewing images of AA models and CC models who were either smoking (smoking cues) or engaging in everyday activities (neutral cues), interspersed with a fixation baseline period. The study was conducted at the Hoglund Brain Imaging Center of the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, KS. We studied 17 smokers (eight AA, nine CC) after 12‐hour abstinence and 17 non‐smokers (eight AA, nine CC) matched by age, gender, years of education, and handedness. The AA and CC smoking groups were also matched for number of cigarettes smoked per day. All results are P < 0.01, corrected for whole brain. There was a strong ethnicity by condition interaction among smokers in several a priori regions of interest. AA smokers showed a greater increase in response to smoking (versus neutral cues) than CC smokers in the medial prefrontal cortex, right lateral orbitofrontal cortex, and bilateral ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. In smoking versus baseline contrasts, additional areas of greater activation were found in AA, including the right amygdala and left caudate nucleus. No significant differences in cue‐elicited brain activation were found between AA and CC non‐smokers. These preliminary findings demonstrate variation in brain activation in response to smoking cues between AA and CC smokers in structures known to be associated with nicotine addiction. Differences in neural response may reflect fundamental differences in attention to smoking cues, which may in turn contribute to differences in effectiveness of nicotine dependence treatments among ethnic populations.
PsTRX h 1 and PsTRX h 2 Are Both Pea h-Type Thioredoxins with Antagonistic Behavior in Redox Imbalances 1 , 2

Departamento de Bioquı́mica, Biologı́a Celular y Molecular de Plantas, Estación Experimental del Zaidı́n, 18008 Granada, Spain (J.A.T., A.P., M.S., A.C.); Laboratoire Génome et Développement des Plantes, Université de Perpignan, Unité Mixte de Recherche 5096, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 66860 Perpignan, France (F.V., Y.M.); Laboratoire d’Agrophysiologie, Unité Mixte de Recherche 1054 Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Ecole Supérieure d’Agriculture de Purpan, 31076 Toulouse cedex 3, France (R.C.); and Instituto de Bioquı́mica Vegetal y Fotosı́ntesis, Centro de Investigaciones Cientı́ficas Isla de la Cartuja, 41092 Seville, Spain (F.J.C.)
Should Restrictions Be Relaxed for Metformin Use in Chronic Kidney Disease? Yes, They Should Be Relaxed! What’s the Fuss?

Metformin is and has been considered as first-line therapy for type 2 diabetes for over a quarter of a century. Like other biguanides, metformin can cause a lactic acidosis that is exceptionally rare but fatal. The likelihood of metformin-associated lactic acidosis is substantially higher in patients with kidney impairment and also among those with seemingly normal kidney function who are at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI). Hence, regulatory agencies in many industrialized nations have maintained strict renal restrictions surrounding metformin. However, there have been millions of people exposed to metformin for many years, many of them with serum creatinine values at or close to 1.5 mg/dL with estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs) much below 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 who have not developed lactic acidosis. Thus, there clearly remains controversy in this area, and there has been heightened pressure to remove the renal restrictions of metformin. To provide a discussion on the pros and cons of relaxing the renal restrictions for metformin use, we provide a Point-Counterpoint. In the preceding point narrative, Drs. Kalantar-Zadeh and Kovesdy provide their argument that although there is little evidence of the potential benefits of metformin in kidney disease, just considering the sheer numbers of metformin users and the high fatality rate of its associated lactic acidosis, the most appropriate practice is to avoid metformin use in people with eGFR <45 mL/min/1.73 m2 or in those who are at high risk of AKI irrespective of underlying eGFR. In the counterpoint narrative below, Drs. Bakris and Molitch argue that the data from a very large analysis demonstrate clearly that serum creatinine should be supplanted with eGFR as the criteria for metformin use and that the incidence of lactic acidosis is only elevated in those with a reduced eGFR who become dehydrated for various reasons or in those exposed to some toxin resulting in AKI. Otherwise the data clearly support the use of metformin under normal circumstances down to eGFR >30 mL/min/1.73 m2. —William T. Cefalu Editor in Chief, Diabetes Care
Comparison of 18F Fluoride PET/CT and 99mTc-MDP Bone Scan in the Detection of Skeletal Metastases in Urinary Bladder Carcinoma

Aim The aim of this study was to compare 18F-fluoride PET/CT and 99mTc-MDP bone scintigraphy in the detection of skeletal metastases in urinary bladder carcinoma. Patients and Methods In this prospective study, 48 patients with urinary bladder carcinoma (44 male and 4 female patients, aged 35–80 years) underwent 99mTc-MDP planar and SPECT/CT bone scan (BS) followed by 18F-fluoride PET/CT within 48 hours. Skeletal metastasis diagnosed on each of these techniques was compared against a final diagnosis based on contrast-enhanced CT, MRI, skeletal survey, clinical follow-up, and histological correlation. Results 18F-fluoride PET/CT identified bony metastases and changed the management in 17 of 48 patients (35%). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of 99mTc-MDP planar BS were 82.35%, 64.51%, 56%, 86.95%, and 70.83%; of 99mTc-MDP SPECT/CT were 88.23%, 74.19%, 65.21%, 92%, and 79.16%; and of 18F-fluoride PET/CT were 100%, 87.09%, 80.95%, 100%, and 91.66%, respectively. Fair agreement between 99mTc-MDP planar BS and 18F-fluoride PET/CT (&kgr; = 0.42) and excellent agreement between SPECT/CT and 18F-fluoride PET/CT (&kgr; = 0.74) were found. Conclusions 18F-fluoride PET/CT has higher sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy in detecting bone metastases in urinary bladder carcinoma than conventional 99mTc-MDP planar BS. SPECT/CT improves all these parameters compared with planar BS and may serve as a cost-effective screening procedure for the detection of skeletal metastases in high-risk patients.
In Vitro and In Vivo Properties of Adenovirus Vectors with Increased Affinity to CD 46

In Vitro and In Vivo Properties of Adenovirus Vectors with Increased Affinity to CD46 Hongjie Wang, Ying Liu, ZongYi Li, Sebastian Tuve, Daniel Stone,† Oleksandr Kalyushniy, Dmitry Shayakhmetov, Christophe L. M. Verlinde, Thilo Stehle, John McVey, Andrew Baker, Kah-Whye Peng, Steve Roffler, and André Lieber* Division of Medical Genetics, Department of Biochemistry, and Department of Pathology, University of Washington, 1705 NE Pacific St., Seattle, Washington 98195; Interfaculty Institute for Biochemistry, University of Tübingen, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany, and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232; Thrombosis Research Institute, Manresa Road, London SW3 6LR, United Kingdom; British Heart Foundation Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre, University of Glasgow, 126 University Place, Glasgow G12 8TA, United Kingdom; Molecular Medicine Program, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, Minnesota 559057; and Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
Paradoxical ischaemic stroke in the setting of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura

receiving levodopa may turn black. Levodopa is a precursor of the biological pigment melanin. The enzyme tyrosinase catalyses the oxidation of levodopa to the reactive intermediate dopaquinone, which reacts further, eventually leading to melanin formation, especially in alkaline urine. Melanin formation in acidic urine is slow. Black urine without myoglobin or bilirubin might be caused by ingestion of large amounts of rhubarb or fava beans. Some medications associated with black urine are methyldopa, chloroquine and primaquine, furazolidone, metronidazole and sorbitol. In addition, diseases, such as alkaptonuria, disorders of tyrosine metabolism and disseminated melanoma, might be associated with black urine.
Practical implementation of a narrowband high frequency distributed model for locating partial discharge in a power transformer

This paper proposes the use of a narrowband high frequency based distributed transformer model for estimating partial discharge location within the winding of an interleaved power transformer. At high frequencies, the residual inductance within a transformer winding becomes significant This inductive interaction generates its own characteristic response which, due to its distributed nature, can be utilized for partial discharge location. The technique proposed here takes advantage of the high frequency nature of a partial discharge and requires measurement at one location only. It also does not require detailed knowledge of the transformer's physical and material specifications. To confirm this approach, practical tests were conducted on a 66 kV/25 MVA interleaved transformer winding. The partial discharge injection was delivered by an oil immersed point-plane 7.5 kV source with the data captured using a current probe on the earth terminated neutral.
Developmental patterns and family predictors of adolescent weight concerns: a replication and extension.

OBJECTIVE We examined how weight concerns changed across adolescence and whether within-person changes in parent-adolescent relationships were longitudinally linked to within-person changes in adolescent weight concerns. METHOD Participants were mothers, fathers, and the two eldest adolescent siblings from 201 families. Adolescents rated their weight concerns on five occasions across 7 years. Parents rated their acceptance of and conflict with their adolescents, and adolescents rated their depressive symptoms, a year prior to each weight concern measurement. RESULTS Although girls' weight concerns increased from early to late adolescence and then leveled off, boys' weight concerns remained relatively unchanged. Moreover, controlling for adolescents' depressive symptoms, when mothers reported less acceptance of and fathers reported more conflict with their adolescents than usual, adolescents reported more weight concerns than usual in the following year. DISCUSSION Findings highlight the vulnerability of adolescents and the role of both mothers and fathers in the etiology of weight-related problems.
Maternal Depression and the Emotional Development of the Child

Ninety-two women and their first-born children took part in a longitudinal survey of maternal mental health. When the children were four years old, their mothers were interviewed by means of the Behavioural Screening Questionnaire, and the children's problems were rated by a psychiatrist, who was unaware of the mothers' psychiatric histories or of assessments of their current health. As expected, mothers who were concurrently depressed reported significantly more behavioural difficulties in their children. Marital disharmony during pregnancy and a history of paternal psychiatric problems were also associated with later childhood behavioural difficulties. Children who scored below average on the McCarthy scales of cognitive abilities were also reported by their mothers to have more behavioural problems, but the children's behavioural difficulties at four showed no clear links with postnatal depression.
Propofol Sedation for Infants With Idiopathic Clubfoot Undergoing Percutaneous Tendoachilles Tenotomy

Objectives: To determine whether percutaneous tenotomy of the Achilles tendon in infants with idiopathic clubfeet can be safely performed under propofol sedation. Background: Many orthopaedic surgeons prefer to do a tenotomy under general anesthesia. At our institution, we have been using 2 different methods of induction and maintenance of anesthesia: one method using combined propofol and sevoflurane and various types of airway management, and the other using only propofol with facemask. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of all patients less than 1 year of age with idiopathic clubfoot who underwent a percutaneous tendoachilles tenotomy under anesthesia. Collected data included: chronological age, earlier apneic events, medical risk factors, time from operating room entry to surgery, and surgical-related and anesthesia-related complications. Results: The study group comprised 114 patients who underwent 162 tenotomies. Sixty-five patients were in group 1 (sevoflurane/propofol) and 49 patients were in group 2 (propofol). The 2 groups did not differ with respect to sex, bilaterality, chronological age, number of preterm infants, ASA class, or associated risk factors. The average time from operating room entry to surgery was approximately 5 minutes longer with group 1, which included 14 cases taking longer than 20 minutes. However, there were no differences between the 2 groups with respect to postoperative complications. Conclusions: Percutaneous tendoachilles tenotomy in infants with idiopathic clubfeet may be safely performed under anesthesia. Propofol sedation was safe and effective without the need for airway instrumentation for this short procedure. Level of Evidence: Level IV (retrospective).
Whole-Genome Sequencing Elucidates Epidemiology of Nosocomial Clusters of Acinetobacter baumannii

ABSTRACT We characterized two epidemiologically similar Acinetobacter baumannii clusters from two separate intensive care units (ICU) using core genome multilocus sequence typing. Clonal spread was confirmed in ICU-1 (12 of 14 isolates shared genotypes); in ICU-2, all genotypes (13 isolates) were diverse, thus excluding transmissions and enabling adequate infection control measures.