Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trunk strength and function using the multidirectional reach distance in individuals with non-traumatic spinal cord injury

Abstract Context Trunk control is essential to engage in activities of daily living. Measuring trunk strength and function in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) is difficult. Trunk function has not been studied in non-traumatic SCI (NTSCI). Objectives To characterize changes in trunk strength and seated functional reach in individuals with NTSCI during inpatient rehabilitation. To determine if trunk strength and seated reach differ between walkers and wheelchair users. To explore relationships between trunk and hip strength and seated functional reach. Design Observational study. Setting Two SCI rehabilitation facilities. Participants 32 subacute inpatients (mean age 48.0 ± 15.4 years). Outcome measures Isometric strength of trunk and hip and function (Multidirectional Reach Test: MDRT) were assessed at admission and within 2 weeks of discharge. Analysis of variance was conducted for admission measures (MDRT, hip and trunk strength) between walkers and wheelchair users. Changes in MDRT, hip and trunk strength were evaluated using parametric and non-parametric statistics. The level of association between changes in values of MRDT and strength was also examined. Results Significant differences between walkers and wheelchair users were found for strength measures (P < 0.05) but not for MDRT. Left- and right-sided reaches increased in wheelchair users only (P < 0.05). Associations between changes in hip strength, trunk strength, and reach distance were found (R = 0.67–0.73). Conclusion In clinical settings, it is feasible and relevant to assess trunk, hip strength, and MRDT. Future studies require strategies to increase the number of participants assessed, in order to inform clinicians about relevant rehabilitation interventions.
[The expression of ki-67, topoIIalpha in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the expression of ki-67 and topo II alpha in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, and the relationship between its intensity and the histological grade clinical stage and lymphoma metastasis. METHOD The levels of ki-67 and topo II alpha in larynx were measured by immunohistochemical method. RESULT The positive rate of ki-67 and topo II alpha in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma were 43.86% and 45.74%, respectively, and that in the control group were 5.66% and 5.98%, respectively. And significant difference was found between the two groups (P < 0.01). The intensity of ki-67 and topo II alpha expression correlated with histological grade. topo II alpha/ki-67 has a relationship to lymphoma metastasis. CONCLUSION The intensity of ki-67 and topo II alpha expression can evaluate the histological grade of carcinoma. topo II alpha/ki-67 is an indicator of prognosis of Laryngeal Squamous Cell carcinoma.
Advanced colorectal cancer: Exploring treatment boundaries

Dikkedarmkanker is een veelvoorkomende vorm van kanker, wereldwijd verantwoordelijk voor 1,2 miljoen diagnoses en meer dan 600.000 doden per jaar, waarvan 200.000 in Europa. De overleving hangt af van het moment van diagnose. Wie er snel bij is, heeft een overlevingskans van ongeveer 90 procent. Als de ziekte later wordt opgespoord, neemt de kans op overleven sterk af. Veel van deze patienten krijgen uitzaaiingen naar het buikvlies en de lever. Palliatieve chemotherapie verbetert de overleving van patienten met buikvliesuitzaaiingen van dikkedarmkanker. Chemotherapie kan echter buikvliesuitzaaiingen die niet operabel zijn, niet operabel maken. Dit is een conclusie uit het onderzoek van Daphne Hompes naar vergevorderde dikkedarmkanker, die is uitgezaaid naar het buikvlies of de lever. Een andere conclusie is dat de combinatie van het geheel wegsnijden van de uitzaaiingen op het buikvlies en een behandeling met verwarmde chemotherapie in de buikholte met een bepaald middel als tweede stap van de operatie, de kans op lange-termijnoverleving vergroot. Ten slotte keek Hompes naar het wegbranden van leveruitzaaiingen met radiogolven. Deze techniek is niet bewezen beter dan het wegnemen van de leveruitzaaiingen, maar bespaart soms meer gezond leverweefsel en biedt zicht op een sneller herstel na de operatie.
Carboxyl-terminal Prodomain-deleted Human Leukocyte Elastase and Cathepsin G Are Efficiently Targeted to Granules and Enzymatically Activated in the Rat Basophilic/Mast Cell Line RBL (*)

The hematopoietic neutral serine proteases leukocyte elastase and cathepsin G are synthesized as inactive precursors, but become activated by removal of an amino-terminal dipeptide and are stored in granules. Moreover, the pro forms of elastase and cathepsin G show carboxyl-terminal prodomains of 20 and 11 amino acids, respectively, which are not present in the mature enzymes. To investigate mechanisms for processing, activation, and granular targeting, we have utilized transgenic expression of myeloid serine proteases in the rat basophilic/mast cell line RBL-1 (Gullberg, U., Lindmark, A., Nilsson, E., Persson, A.-M., and Olsson, I.(1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 25219-25225). Leukocyte elastase was stably expressed in RBL-1 cells, and the translation products were characterized by biosynthetic labeling followed by immunoprecipitation, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and fluorography. Processing of a main pro form of 34 kDa into mature 31- and 29-kDa forms was demonstrated. Translocation of mature forms to granule-containing fractions was shown by subcellular fractionation experiments. The processed forms were enzymatically active, judging by the occurrence of amino-terminal processing demonstrated by radiosequence analysis, the acquisition of affinity for the protease inhibitor aprotinin, and the appearance of elastase activity in transfected RBL cells. To investigate the function of the carboxyl-terminal prodomains, deletion mutants of leukocyte elastase and cathepsin G lacking the carboxyl-terminal extension were constructed and transfected into RBL cells. Our results show that as full-length proteins, the deletion mutants were converted to active enzymes and transferred to granules with kinetics similar to that of wild-type enzymes. We conclude that human leukocyte elastase and cathepsin G are converted into enzymatically active forms when expressed in RBL cells and targeted for storage in granules; the carboxyl-terminal prodomains are necessary neither for enzymatic activation nor for targeting to granules in RBL cells.
High-dose chemotherapy supported by autologous stem cell transplantation in patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma: facts and opinions

The standard approach to primary central nervous system lymphomas (PCNSL), that is high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX)-based chemotherapy followed by whole-brain irradiation (WBRT), is associated with disappointing outcome. Moreover, this strategy is heavily conditioned by increased risk of disabling neurotoxicity, mostly among elderly patients. Several drugs and strategies have been investigated to improve results and neurotolerability. Among others, some investigators focused on the use of high-dose chemotherapy supported by autologous stem cells transplant (HDC/ASCT) as consolidation after primary chemotherapy. This approach has been used as salvage therapy in patients who experienced progressive disease or relapse after conventional chemo-radiotherapy or as consolidation after primary HD-MTX-based chemotherapy, replacing or preceding WBRT. Evidence supporting the role of HDC/ASCT is growing but several questions are still unanswered. The best conditioning regimen, the role of concomitant intrathecal chemotherapy, the neurotoxicity risk of further WBRT after transplant, the best time for response assessment and late effects both on neurological performance and extraneural organs remain to be characterised. This critical review is focused on the analysis of published experiences on HDC/ASCT in PCNSL in order to provide preliminary answers to the most pressing questions in this field.
Patients with new onset haematuria: assessing the discriminant value of clinical information in relation to urological malignancies.

BACKGROUND There is little information available to assist general practitioners (GPs) in deciding which patients with haematuria are likely to have a malignancy. AIM To derive discriminant functions for specific items or clusters of clinical history information in relation to the categorisation of patients presenting to the 'open access' haematuria clinic in Hull. DESIGN OF STUDY Recruitment of patients via an 'open-access' haematuria clinic. SETTING A consecutive series of 363 patients aged between 18 and 80 years who attended the clinic. METHOD Between February 1999 and October 1999 clinical history information derived from the participating patients was compared with the patients' diagnoses. Diagnoses were established by a combination of cystoscopy and radiological assessments and rechecked against the patient records and the hospital patient administration system two to three months later. RESULTS A number of individual variables seemed to be particularly helpful in discriminating malignancies. However, when indicants were combined using regression shrinkage techniques, only the following variables were preserved: age, sex, type of haematuria, number of episodes of haematuria, hesitancy, poor urinary stream, smoking history, and history of urinary tract infections. CONCLUSION It is possible to generate helpful discriminant information to assist GPs in making more appropriate decisions in a difficult area of clinical practice. However, it remains a matter of judgement as to how representative the study population is likely to be compared with all haematuria patients encountered in primary care. We have reasonable confidence in the general applicability of the rules for macroscopic haematuria: however, it seems likely that the prediction rules outlined for microscopic haematuria have their greatest relevance once a patient has been referred by a GP. In developing the work further and testing out the discriminators identified in this study, we propose that a primary care-based project now needs to be undertaken focusing on microscopic haematuria with a particular emphasis on addressing selection biases. In addition, there is a more general need to assess the reliability of all the suggested items of clinical discriminant information.
Cocktail without hangover: in search for the optimal chemotherapy in the combined management of non-operable esophageal carcinomas

Abstract Background: The worldwide incidence of esophageal cancer has greatly increased over the past few decades making it the sixth deadliest cancer. The disease is often detected in advanced stages when surgery is no longer an option. The standard treatment in these situations is combined chemoradiotherapy, by employing drug cocktails that lead to optimal treatment outcomes both from the perspective of tumor control and normal tissue toxicity. Methods: The aim of this work was to collate the existing trials and clinical studies reported on non-operable esophageal cancer and to analyze the results based on treatment outcomes after various drug combinations. Results: Of all drug combinations, cisplatin/5-FU is the most well established chemotherapy regimen for esophageal cancer as both neoadjuvant therapy, an alternative option to surgery, and for palliative purposes. Although this regimen is associated with the most toxicity, it also appears to have the best survival benefit and relief of symptoms. Conclusions: More research is warranted to further increase the therapeutic ratio in non-operable esophageal cancers.
Effect of preoperative biliary stenting on post-operative infectious complications in pancreaticoduodenectomy

Backgrounds/Aims The impact of pre-operative biliary stenting (PBS) in patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy on post-operative infectious complications is unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between PBS and post-operative infectious complications, to determine the effect of PBS on bile bacteriology, and to correlate the bacteriology of bile and bacteria cultured from post-operative infectious complications in our institute. Methods Details of 51 patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy January 2011-April 2015 were reviewed. Of 51 patients, 30 patients underwent pre-operative biliary stenting (PBS group) and 21 patients underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy without pre-operative biliary stenting. Post-operative infectious complications were compared between the two groups. Results Overall post-operative infectious complication rate was 77% and 67% in the PBS and non-PBS groups respectively. Wound infection was the main infectious complication followed by intraabdominal abscess. The rate of wound infection doubled in the PBS group (50% vs 28%). There was slight increase in incidence of intraabdominal abscess in PBS group (53% vs 46%). 80% of PBS patients had positive intraoperative bile culture as compared to 20% in non-PBS group. Conclusions Preoperative biliary drainage prior to pancreaticoduodenectomy increases risk of developing post-operative wound infections and intra-abdominal collections.
Changes of clinical response and bone biochemical markers in patients with ankylosing spondylitis taking etanercept.

OBJECTIVE Tumor necrosis factor-alpha has a prominent role in the inflammatory process and bone resorption in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). We evaluated the markers of clinical efficacy and bone biochemical changes in Korean patients with AS treated with etanercept therapy. METHODS Serum samples from 26 patients receiving etanercept for refractory AS were obtained at baseline and 12 weeks after treatment. Clinical measures and serum levels of transforming growth factor-Beta (TGF-Beta), matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF), bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP), osteocalcin, C-telopeptide (CTX), receptor activator of nuclear factor-kB ligand (RANKL), and osteoprotegerin (OPG) were measured at each timepoint. RESULTS Significant improvement of the Bath AS Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) and Functional Index (BASFI) was achieved after 12 weeks (p < 0.001). ASsessments in Ankylosing Spondylitis Working Group (ASAS) 20 criteria were achieved by 22 patients (84.6%) after 12 weeks' treatment. ASAS 50 and 70 were achieved by 10 (38.5%) and 7 patients (26.9%). Serum levels of BALP and osteocalcin were significantly increased after 12 weeks of treatment (p < 0.05). Serum levels of CTX were not changed after treatment. Serum levels of TGF-Beta, MMP-3, and M-CSF were significantly decreased after 12 weeks of treatment (p < 0.05). Serum levels of OPG and RANKL were not changed. Change of MMP-3 had a high correlation coefficient with changes of C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) upon etanercept treatment (CRP, r = 0.446, p = 0.022; ESR, r = 0.449, p = 0.021). CONCLUSION In patients with AS, etanercept therapy may be effective for reducing disease activity and improving bone biochemical markers. MMP-3 may be a useful biomarker for monitoring etanercept therapy.
Lapps and labyrinths : Saami prehistory, colonization and cultural resilience

Chapter 1 Director's Note Chapter 2 Foreword Chapter 3 Preface Chapter 4 Acknowledgments Chapter 5 List of Figures Chapter 6 List of Tables Chapter 7 1. Introduction and Narrative Context Chapter 8 2. Culture and Ecology Chapter 9 3. Prehistoric Foundation Chapter 10 4. The Research Strategy Chapter 11 5. Excavations and Analyses Chapter 12 6. Chronology and Culture Chapter 13 7. The Archaeological Roadmap Chapter 14 8. Rituals and Religion Chapter 15 9. Place-Names and Church Towns Chapter 16 10. The Labyrinth and the Bear Chapter 17 11. Synthesis Chapter 18 Appendix 1: Osteological Material Chapter 19 Appendix 2: Radiocarbon and AMS Dates Chapter 20 References Chapter 21 Index
Prediction of Treatment Outcome by Baseline Urine Cocaine Results and Self‐Reported Cocaine Use for Cocaine and Opioid Dependence

This study examined the usefulness of baseline cocaine urine toxicology results and self‐reported days of cocaine use in predicting treatment response in cocaine‐ and opioid‐dependent subjects. Ninety‐nine male and 52 female subjects, maintained on buprenorphine, participated in a 24‐week, randomized, double‐blind, four‐cell trial that evaluated desipramine (150 mg/d) or placebo plus contingency management or a noncontingent voucher control. Out of 151, 102 (67%) subjects had cocaine‐positive and 49 (32%) cocaine‐negative urines at the beginning of treatment. For the previous 30 days before study participation, 91 (60%) subjects reported using cocaine 15 or less days (low baseline cocaine use) and 60 (40%) subjects reported more than 15 days (high baseline cocaine use). By using the treatment effectiveness score (TES) as the outcome measure, a negative urine for cocaine at baseline predicted a better outcome during a 24‐week trial for cocaine and opioid use. There also was a significant interaction between baseline cocaine urine results and desipramine response with the urine cocaine‐negative group showing greater desipramine response than placebo for opioid and cocaine use. Self‐reported cocaine use at baseline did not show significant predictive power for TES scores during the clinical trial. These results suggest that baseline cocaine urine results should be considered as stratifying variables in clinical trials for cocaine dependence.
Glycated hemoglobin screening identifies patients admitted for retreatment of tuberculosis at risk for diabetes in Tanzania.

INTRODUCTION World Health Organization recommendations of bidirectional screening for tuberculosis (TB) and diabetes have been met with varying levels of uptake by national TB programs in resource-limited settings. METHODOLOGY Kibong'oto Infectious Diseases Hospital (KIDH) is a referral hospital for TB from northern Tanzania, and the national referral hospital for multidrug-resistant (MDR)-TB. Glycated hemoglobin (HgbA1c) testing was done on patients admitted to KIDH for newly diagnosed TB, retreatment TB, and MDR-TB, to determine the point prevalence of diabetes (HgbA1c ≥ 6.5%) and prediabetes (HgbA1c 5.7%-6.4%). RESULTS Of 148 patients hospitalized at KIDH over a single week, 59 (38%) had no prior TB treatment, 22 (15%) were retreatment cases, and 69 (47%) had MDR-TB. Only 3 (2%) had a known history of diabetes. A total of 144 (97%) had successful screening, of which 110 (77%) had an HgbA1c ≤ 5.6%, 28 (19%) had ≥ 5.7 < 6.5, and 6 (4%) had ≥ 6.5. Comparing subjects with prediabetes or diabetes to those with normal A1c levels, retreatment patients were significantly more likely to have a A1c ≥ 5.7% (odds ratio: 3.2, 95% CI: 1.2-9.0; p = 0.02) compared to those without prior TB treatment. No retreatment case was a known diabetic, thus the number needed to screen to diagnose one new case of diabetes among retreatment cases was 11. CONCLUSIONS Diabetes prevalence by HgbA1c was less common than expected, but higher HgA1c values were significantly more frequent among retreatment cases, allowing for a rational, resource-conscious screening approach.
A New Wearable Ultrasound Muscle Activity Sensing System for Dexterous Prosthetic Control

In this paper we introduce a novel Wearable Ultrasound Radial Muscle Activity Detection System (WURMADS) and a demonstration of its ability to recognize forearm muscle activities of amputee subjects to control a dexterous prosthetic hand. The system consists of control electronics to capture and record the ultrasound echo signals in real-time and two wearable bands embedded with eight ultrasound transducers. Based on the principles of Sonomyography, we recognized the intended isotonic finger gestures (trans-radial amputees) by analysing the echo patterns captured by eight single element transducers. Conventional non-invasive my electric detection strategy, Surface Electro Myography (sEMG), cannot reliably identify the deeper muscle activations in the forearm due to crosstalk and signal attenuation. It also suffers from signal degradation due to muscle fatigue and non-linearity. For this study we custom designed 1D single element waterproof transducers to be assembled in a radial structure. A real-time capturing electronic system was also designed, which is portable and wearable. The system operates at 5MHz, the frequency that demonstrated optimum performance for forearm applications. Ten trans-radial amputee subjects were employed in this study to capture data by executing five supervised gestures. The results obtained from offline analysis show that good gesture recognition rates can be achieved, while maintaining a decent correlation coefficient margin to distinguish gestures.
Optimizing outcomes for neonatal ARPKD

Abstract: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 10 consecutive cases of neonatal ARPKD, 9 of whom received kidney transplants (KT). All were diagnosed antenatally (n = 6) or at birth. In the first month of life 70% required ventilatory support. Pre‐emptive bilateral nephrectomy and peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter placement were performed in 9 at a mean age of 7.8 ± 11.9 months. The indications for nephrectomy were massive kidneys, resulting in suboptimal nutrition and respiratory compromise. All patients received assisted enteral nutrition, with significant increase in mean tolerated feeds following nephrectomy (p < 0.05), with increase in mean normalized weight and height (0.92 and 1.2 delta SDS respectively), by one year post‐transplantation. KT was performed at a mean age and weight of 2.5 ± 1.4 years and 13.3 ± 6.1 kg. The mean creatinine clearance at one year post‐KT was 91.3 ± 38.1 mls/min/1.73 m2, with a projected graft life expectancy of 18.4 years. Patient survival was 89% and death censored graft survival was 100%, at a mean follow‐up of 6.1 ± 4.5 years post‐transplant. Six patients demonstrated evidence of hepatic fibrosis, one of which required liver transplantation. In patients with massive kidneys from ARPKD, pre‐emptive bilateral nephrectomy, supportive PD and early aggressive nutrition, can minimize early infant mortality, so that subsequent KT can be performed with excellent patient and graft survival.
Time course of increased heme oxygenase activity and expression after experimental intracerebral hemorrhage: correlation with oxidative injury

Heme oxygenase (HO) activity in tissue adjacent to an intracerebral hematoma may modulate cellular vulnerability to heme‐mediated oxidative injury. Although HO‐1 is induced after experimental intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), the time course of this induction, its effect on tissue HO activity, and its association with oxidative injury markers has not been defined. We therefore quantified HO activity, HO‐1 expression, tissue heme content, and protein carbonylation for 8 days after injection of autologous blood into the mouse striatum. Increased striatal HO‐1 protein was observed within 24 h, peaked on day 5 at a level that was 10‐fold greater than baseline, and returned to baseline by day 8; HO‐2 expression was not altered. HO activity increased by only 1.6‐fold at its peak on day 5, and had also returned to baseline by day 8. A significant increase in protein carbonylation was observed at 3–5 days, which also was markedly attenuated by 8 days, concomitant with a return of tissue heme to near‐normal levels. These results suggest that the increase in HO activity in tissue surrounding an experimental ICH is considerably less than would be predicted based on an analysis of HO‐1 expression per se. As HO‐1 expression is temporally associated with increased tissue heme and increased protein carbonylation, it may be more useful as a marker of heme‐mediated oxidative stress in ICH models, rather than as an index of HO activity.