Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION, OSTEOARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: Record Linkage Study

Purpose: The epidemiologic relationship between age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and arthritis is unknown and has implications for understanding disease pathogenesis and treatment strategies. Methods: An AMD cohort of 245,912 people was constructed from English linked hospital episode statistics (1999–2011), principally comprising neovascular AMD patients undergoing anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy. We compared the AMD cohort with a reference cohort (2,134,771 people) for rates of subsequent osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis (2,032,472 people) and rheumatoid arthritis (261,232 people) cohorts were also constructed and compared with the reference cohort for rates of subsequent AMD. Results: Risk of arthritis after AMD was not elevated. The rate ratio for OA was 0.96 (95% confidence interval 0.95–0.97) and for rheumatoid arthritis was 0.98 (0.94–1.02). However, risk of AMD after arthritis was modestly raised. For OA, the rate ratio was 1.06 (1.04–1.08), but risk increased with longer OA duration, for example, 1.15 (1.08–1.23) for >10 years. For rheumatoid arthritis, the rate ratio was also modestly elevated at 1.15 (1.12–1.19). Conclusion: Age-related macular degeneration and arthritis are degenerative aging conditions that share some disease mechanisms and extracellular matrix involvement. However, considering arthritis after AMD, they are not positively associated. By contrast, people with OA experience modestly increased AMD risk, perhaps owing to medical treatments for OA.
Effect of Attenuation Correction on Regional Quantification Between PET/MR and PET/CT: A Multicenter Study Using a 3-Dimensional Brain Phantom

A spatial bias in brain PET/MR exists compared with PET/CT, because of MR-based attenuation correction. We performed an evaluation among 4 institutions, 3 PET/MR systems, and 4 PET/CT systems using an anthropomorphic brain phantom, hypothesizing that the spatial bias would be minimized with CT-based attenuation correction (CTAC). Methods: The evaluation protocol was similar to the quantification of changes in neurologic PET studies. Regional analysis was conducted on 8 anatomic volumes of interest (VOIs) in gray matter on count-normalized, resolution-matched, coregistered data. On PET/MR systems, CTAC was applied as the reference method for attenuation correction. Results: With CTAC, visual and quantitative differences between PET/MR and PET/CT systems were minimized. Intersystem variation between institutions was +3.42% to −3.29% in all VOIs for PET/CT and +2.15% to −4.50% in all VOIs for PET/MR. PET/MR systems differed by +2.34% to −2.21%, +2.04% to −2.08%, and −1.77% to −5.37% when compared with a PET/CT system at each institution, and these differences were not significant (P ≥ 0.05). Conclusion: Visual and quantitative differences between PET/MR and PET/CT systems can be minimized by an accurate and standardized method of attenuation correction. If a method similar to CTAC can be implemented for brain PET/MRI, there is no reason why PET/MR should not perform as well as PET/CT.
Endoscopic-Assisted Powered Adenoidectomy versus Conventional Adenoidectomy: A Randomized Study

Background: Adenoidectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in children. Conventional curettage adenoidectomy has the advantage of being cost-effective and continues to be a commonly used method, especially in developing countries. Objective: To compare conventional curettage adenoidectomy and endoscopic-assisted powered adenoidectomy using a microdebrider. Methods: A total of 60 patients were randomly divided into two groups. Group I underwent conventional curettage adenoidectomy while group II underwent endoscopic-assisted powered adenoidectomy. Duration of surgery, amount of intraoperative bleeding, adequateness of removal, and damage to adjacent structures were assessed and compared between the two groups. All patients were followed for 24 months. Results: In our study, we observed approximately three times more mean blood loss and total operating time in the endoscopic-assisted powered procedure compared to the conventional technique (150 and 56 mL, respectively; 63 and 27 min, respectively). Nine (30%) cases in group I had more than 50% residual adenoid tissue while 20–50% of residual adenoid tissue was documented among 7 patients (23%). Postoperative pain was found to be significantly higher in group I compared to group II. In both groups, recovery time ranged from 24 to 48 h with a mean of 33.6 h for group I and 36 h for group II; 23 patients (77%) in group II presented with residual disease in the 3-month follow-up period. Conclusion: The endoscopic-assisted powered adenoidectomy technique is very efficient in complete removal of adenoid tissue, thus preventing patients from undergoing a second surgery and its possible associated risks. The precision of the microdebrider prevents damage to adjacent vital structures. However, on the other hand, conventional adenoidectomy scored better in terms of shorter duration of surgery and less intraoperative bleeding.
Gr upSM Evidence-Based Treatment of Behcet ’ s Disease

Behçet’s disease is a systemic vasculitis of unknown ethiology, characterized by recurrent oral and genital ulcers and uveitis. Although the etiology and pathogenesis is not clearly defined, genetic predisposition, infections and immunological dysfunctions have been implicated. One of the factors held responsible for its etiopathogenesis is increased neutrophil chemotaxis. It is speculated that this increase in chemotaxis may result from the release of leukocytes and endothelial adhesion molecules. The increase in the level of interleukin (IL)-8, which is a chemotactic cytokine, steps up neutrophil chemotaxis. Previous studies showed increased serum IL-8 levels in active Behcet’s disease patients, when compared to inactive periods and control groups [5]. Ümit Türsen1* 1Department of Dermatology, Mersin University, Turkey *Corresponding author: Ümit Türsen, Department of Dermatology, Mersin University, Zeytinlibahce-33079 Mersin, Turkey, Email: utursen@mersin.edu. tr
A Multicenter, Open Label, Double Tympanocentesis Study of High Dose Cefdinir in Children With Acute Otitis Media at High Risk of Persistent or Recurrent Infection

Background: Given the relatively high prevalence of recurrent and persistent acute otitis media (AOM) and the prominent etiologic role of Streptococcus pneumoniae, especially penicillin-nonsusceptible strains in children with these conditions, new alternative treatments are desirable. Methods: Children 6 months–4 years of age with AOM considered to be at risk for recurrent or persistent infection received large dosage cefdinir 25 mg/kg oral suspension once daily for 10 days. Children were evaluated pretreatment (day 1), on therapy (days 4–6), end of therapy (days 12–14) and at follow-up (days 25–28). All children had tympanocentesis at enrollment. In culture-positive children, tympanocentesis was repeated after 3–5 days (days 4–6) unless evidence of absence of middle ear effusion was documented. Results: Of 447 children enrolled, 230 were clinically and bacteriologically evaluable (74% 2 years old or younger; 57% treated for AOM in previous 3 months). Bacteriologic eradication, based on repeat tympanocentesis on days 4–6, was achieved in 74% (170 of 230) of children; 76% (201 of 266) of AOM pathogens were eradicated. Eradication of penicillin-susceptible, -intermediate and -resistant S. pneumoniae was 91% (50 of 55), 67% (18 of 27) and 43% (10 of 23), respectively (P < 0.001); eradication of H. influenzae was 72% (90 of 125). Overall clinical response at days 12–14 was 83% (76 and 82% for children with S. pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae, respectively). Sustained clinical response at days 25–28 was 85%. Clinical response was 83% for culture-positive children versus 96% for culture-negative children at baseline tympanocentesis (P < 0.001). Conclusions: In this study of AOM among children at risk for persistent or recurrent infection, large dose cefdinir resulted in an overall successful clinical response at end of treatment of 83%. This regimen was efficacious against penicillin-susceptible S. pneumoniae, but effectiveness was markedly decreased against nonsusceptible strains and was moderate for H. influenzae strains.
Gastroesophageal Reflux and Bronchial Responsiveness: Correlation and the Effect of Fundoplication

Background: A causal relationship between gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and asthma has been suggested. Should this be the case, one could expect treatment of GER to diminish bronchial sensitivity. There has been a lack of trials evaluating the efficacy of antireflux surgery on airway reactivity. Objectives: To investigate the correlation between GER and bronchial responsiveness, and to determine the efficacy of Nissen fundoplication on bronchial responsiveness and pulmonary function. Methods: A methacholine inhalation challenge was performed on 15 consecutive GER patients preoperatively and approximately 5 months after Nissen fundoplication. Airway responsiveness was quantified with a dose-response slope (DRS), calculated by dividing the decrease in FEV1 (%) with the dose of methacholine administered (micromoles). Results: A positive correlation between the severity of distal esophageal reflux and bronchial responsiveness was found (r = 0.83, p < 0.001). There was an improvement in FEV1 after fundoplication (p = 0.03). All 3 asthmatic patients participating in the study presented with bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) which improved clearly in all of these patients after fundoplication. This resulted in an apparent trend for DRS to improve when the entire study population was considered (p = 0.12). Conclusions: According to the current study there seems to be a positive correlation between the severity of distal esophageal reflux and bronchial responsiveness. These data suggest that operative treatment of GER may ameliorate BHR in asthmatic patients. Moreover, the results of the present study suggest that fundoplication may improve pulmonary function in patients with GER.
Regional Lymphadenectomy Is Indicated in the Surgical Treatment of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors (PNETs)

Objective:To explore the prognostic importance and preoperative predictors of lymph node metastasis in an effort to guide surgical decision making in patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs). Background:PNETs are uncommon, and the natural history of the disease is not well described. As a result, there remains controversy regarding the optimal management of regional lymph nodes during resection of the primary tumor. Methods:A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database of patients who underwent surgery for locoregional PNET between 1994 and 2012 was performed. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of nodal metastasis. Overall survival and disease-free survival were calculated using Kaplan-Meier method. Results were expressed as P values and odds ratio estimates, with 95% confidence intervals. Results:One hundred thirty-six patients were identified, of whom 50 (38%) patients had nodal metastasis. The frequency of lymph node metastasis was higher for larger tumors [> 1.5 cm (odds ratio [OR] = 4.7)], tumors of the head as compared with body-tail of the pancreas (OR = 2.8), tumors with Ki-67 greater than 20% (OR = 6.7), and tumors with lymph vascular invasion (OR = 3.6) (P < 0.05). Median disease-free survival was lower for patients with nodal metastases (4.5 vs 14.6 years, P < 0.0001). Conclusions:Lymph node metastasis is predictive of poor outcomes in patients with PNETs. Preoperative variables are not able to reliably predict patients where the probability of lymph node involvement was less than 12%. These data support inclusion of regional lymphadenectomy in patients undergoing pancreatic resections for PNET.
A hardware-efficient architecture for multi-resolution motion estimation using fully reconfigurable processing element array

Integer motion estimation (IME) for block-based video coding presents a significant challenge in external memory bandwidth, data latency, and circuit area with the increase of coding complexity and video resolution. To conquer these problems, this paper proposes a hardware-efficient VLSI architecture for multi-resolution motion estimation algorithm (MMEA) based on fully reconfigurable processing element (PE) array. On-chip storage and PE array are carefully designed to support parallel computation and hardware resource sharing. In addition, low data latency is obtained by arranging internal logics in parallel according to the data dependency. As a result, our design can support real time processing of 1080P@30fps with 2 reference frames and a search range of 256×192 and it is implemented under SMIC 0.18-µm CMOS technology with 920K logic gates and 192 KB SRAMs. Compared with previous work, our design can achieve the best performance-price rate benefiting from the proposed re-configurable PE array.
Crotalaria ochroleuca Susceptibility to Heterodera glycines Races

The aim of the study is to assess Crotalaria ochroleuca susceptibility to six Heterodera glycines races. To this, C. ochroleuca seedlings and two soybean cultivars were transplanted and individually inoculated with nematode races 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 14. Plants were collected and assessed 30 and 60 days after inoculation. Crotalaria ochroleuca reduced the number of females and the total number of eggs of the races 1, 2, 5 and 6. The reproduction of race 3 in crotalaria was equal to that of soybean cultivars in both assessment periods, whereas race 14 only reduced the reproduction in crotalaria to 60 days. Races 1 and 6 (30th day) and races 6 and 14 (60th day) showed number of eggs female-1 smaller than the controls. According to female index (FI), C. ochroleuca was resistant to races 1, 2 and 5, susceptible to race 3, and showed varying reactions to races 6 and 14.
Some Engineering and Chemical Properties of Cooked Bambara Groundnut

The effect of cooking duration on the chemical, physical and thermal properties of bambara groundnut were investigated. The samples were analyzed for chemical composition, physical properties (length, width, and thickness, arithmetic mean, geometric mean, sphericity, surface area and aspect ratio) and thermal properties (specific heat capacity, thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity). Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and means were separated using the Duncan multiple range test at p<0.05. Times required for samples to be cooked were 1, 2 and 3 hours respectively. The results of chemical composition for uncooked and cooked bambara groundnut showed that protein (18.32 - 21.70%); fat (4.12 – 5.29%); crude fibre (3.15 – 4.34%); ash (1.17 - 3.13%); moisture content (6.33 – 15.03%) and carbohydrate (54.27 - 61.34%). Length, width, and thickness of uncooked to cooked bambara groundnut at different time interval were 12.49 to 15.22 mm, 11.46 to 13.67 mm and 10.90 to 12.54 mm, respectively. The arithmetic mean diameter and geometric mean diameter of the sample were 11.62 to 13.81 mm and 11.59 to 13.75 mm respectively. The sphericity, surface area and aspect ratio of the samples varied from 0.89 to 0.93, 423.31 to 595.88 mm and 88.22 to 92.13%, respectively. Thermal conductivity varies from 0.15 to 0.20 W/mk, specific heat capacity varies from 1.298 to 1.5898 kJ/kgK. Thermal diffusivity varies from 1.10x10 -4 to 1.12 x10 -4 m 2 /s. The chemical, physical and thermal properties of bambara groundnut studied were significantly different (p<0.05).
Delayed immune‐mediated adverse effects related to hyaluronic acid and acrylic hydrogel dermal fillers: clinical findings, long‐term follow‐up and review of the literature

Introduction Implantation of dermal filler for cosmetic purposes is becoming increasingly common worldwide. It is thought that hyaluronic acid (HA) alone or combined with acrylic hydrogels (HA‐AH) does not have severe nor persistent side‐effects. However, recent evidence may show that major, local and/or systemic, immediate or delayed adverse effects may appear in relation with its use.
Screening for Antiviral Inhibitors of the HIV Integrase—LEDGF/p75 Interaction Using the AlphaScreen™ Luminescent Proximity Assay

Small-molecule inhibitors of HIV integrase (HIV IN) have emerged as a promising new class of antivirals for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. The compounds currently approved or in clinical development specifically target HIV DNA integration and were identified using strand-transfer assays targeting the HIV IN/viral DNA complex. The authors have developed a second biochemical assay for identification of HIV integrase inhibitors, targeting the interaction between HIV IN and the cellular cofactor LEDGF/p75. They developed a luminescent proximity assay (AlphaScreen™) designed to measure the association of the 80-amino-acid integrase binding domain of LEDGF/p75 with the 163-amino-acid catalytic core domain of HIV IN. This assay proved to be quite robust (with a Z′ factor of 0.84 in screening libraries arrayed as orthogonal mixtures) and successfully identified several compounds specific for this protein-protein interaction. (Journal of Biomolecular Screening 2008:406-414)
Impaired cytotrophoblast cell–cell fusion is associated with reduced Syncytin and increased apoptosis in patients with placental dysfunction

Preeclampsia (PE), Hemolysis Elevated Liver Enzymes and Low Platelets (HELLP)‐syndrome, and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) are associated with abnormal placentation. In early pregnancy, placental cytotrophoblasts fuse and form multinuclear syncytiotrophoblasts. The envelope gene of the human endogenous retrovirus‐W, Syncytin, is a key factor for mediating cell–cell fusion of cytotrophoblasts. This study investigated clinical parameters of PE and HELLP‐associated IUGR and analyzed the cell–cell fusion index and β‐human chorionic gonadotropin (β‐hCG) secretion of cytotrophoblasts isolated and cultured from placentas of these patients. In addition, we performed absolute quantitation of Syncytin and determined the apoptosis rate in both cultured cytotrophoblasts and placental tissues. Cultured cytotrophoblasts from PE and HELLP‐associated IUGR correlated with a pronounced lower cell–cell fusion index, 1.8‐ and 3.6‐fold; less nuclei per syncytiotrophoblast, 1.4‐ and 2.0‐fold; a significantly decreased β‐hCG secretion, 4.3‐ and 17.2‐fold and a reduction of Syncytin gene expression, 8.1 (P = 0.019) and 222.7‐fold (P = 0.011) compared with controls, respectively. In contrast, a significantly 2.3‐fold higher apoptosis rate was observed in cultured PE/IUGR cytotrophoblasts (P = 0.043). Importantly, Syncytin gene expression in primary placental tissues of PE/IUGR was 5.4‐fold lower (P = 0.047) and in HELLP/IUGR 10.6‐fold lower (P = 0.019) along with a 1.8‐ and 1.9‐fold significant increase in the apoptosis rate compared with controls, respectively. Low Syncytin expression in both cultured cytotrophoblasts and primary tissues from pathological placentas supports an intrinsic placenta‐specific deregulation of cell–cell fusion in the formation of syncytiotrophoblasts leading to increased apoptosis. These processes could contribute to the development and severity of PE and HELLP‐associated IUGR. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 75: 175–183, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A meta-analysis of the reliability and validity of the Rorschach.

The results of a meta-analysis of Rorschach studies indicate that reliabilities in the order of . 83 and higher and validity coefficients of . 45 or . 50 and higher can be expected for the Rorschach--when hypotheses supported by empirical or theoretical rationales are tested using reasonably powerful statistics. Three important determinants of variance accounted for in a variety of Rorschach scores were identified in 530 statistics from 39 papers published in the Journal of Personality Assessment from 1971 to 1980. The a priori theoretical or empirical evidence determining the likelihood of obtaining significant results, and the power of the statistic used to measure the results, as well as the interaction between the likelihood of results and the power of the statistic used, were all significant determinants of the proportion of variance accounted for in the Rorschach measures reported.
Attenuation of the neuropsychiatric effects of ketamine with lamotrigine: support for hyperglutamatergic effects of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists.

BACKGROUND The cognitive, behavioral, and mood effects of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists, such as phencyclidine and ketamine, have been used to study the effects of NMDA receptor dysfunction. Pharmacological modulation of the effects of NMDA receptor antagonists, such as ketamine, may lead to development of novel therapeutic agents for psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia. Preclinical studies indicate that some ketamine effects may be mediated through increased glutamate release. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that lamotrigine, a drug reported to inhibit glutamate release, will reduce the neuropsychiatric effects of ketamine in humans. METHOD Healthy subjects (n = 16) completed 4 test days involving the administration of lamotrigine, 300 mg by mouth, or placebo 2 hours prior to administration of ketamine (0.26 mg/kg by intravenous bolus and 0.65 mg/kg per hour by intravenous infusion) or placebo in a randomized order under double-blind conditions. Behavioral and cognitive assessments were performed at baseline and after administration of the medications. RESULTS Lamotrigine significantly decreased ketamine-induced perceptual abnormalities as assessed by the Clinician-Administered Dissociative States Scale (P<.001); positive symptoms of schizophrenia as assessed by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale positive symptoms subscale (P<.001); negative symptoms as assessed by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale negative symptoms subscale (P<.05); and learning and memory impairment as assessed by the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (P<.05). However, lamotrigine increased the immediate mood-elevating effects of ketamine (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS Glutamate release-inhibiting drugs may reduce the hyperglutamatergic consequences of NMDA receptor dysfunction implicated in the pathophysiologic processes of neuropsychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia. Further study is needed.