Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thyroid Carcinosarcoma in a Dog

An adult male mixed breed dog developed pain, on swallowing, that lasted for 1 week. Physical exam and radiographs revealed a subcutaneous mass in the cervical area and three metastatic nodules in the lung. The cervical mass was surgically removed and fixed in 10% buffered formalin. Histopathologic diagnosis was carcinosarcoma supported by positive immunohistochemistry (IHC) results for cytokeratin and vimentin. IHC for thyroglobulin proved that the tissue of origin was the thyroid gland. This is the fifth canine case of thyroid carcinosarcoma to be documented, but the first one to be confirmed by specific cell markers. It is an extremely rare neoplasm that also occurs in people.
Cortical Terminations of the Inferior Fronto-Occipital and Uncinate Fasciculi: Anatomical Stem-Based Virtual Dissection

We combined the neuroanatomists’ approach of defining a fascicle as all fibers passing through its compact stem with diffusion-weighted tractography to investigate the cortical terminations of two association tracts, the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF) and the uncinate fasciculus (UF), which have recently been implicated in the ventral language circuitry. The aim was to provide a detailed and quantitative description of their terminations in 60 healthy subjects and to do so to apply an anatomical stem-based virtual dissection, mimicking classical post-mortem dissection, to extract with minimal a priori the IFOF and UF from tractography datasets. In both tracts, we consistently observed more extensive termination territories than their conventional definitions, within the middle and superior frontal, superior parietal and angular gyri for the IFOF and the middle frontal gyrus and superior, middle and inferior temporal gyri beyond the temporal pole for the UF. We revealed new insights regarding the internal organization of these tracts by investigating for the first time the frequency, distribution and hemispheric asymmetry of their terminations. Interestingly, we observed a dissociation between the lateral right-lateralized and medial left-lateralized fronto-occipital branches of the IFOF. In the UF, we observed a rightward lateralization of the orbito-frontal and temporal branches. We revealed a more detailed map of the terminations of these fiber pathways that will enable greater specificity for correlating with diseased populations and other behavioral measures. The limitations of the diffusion tensor model in this study are also discussed. We conclude that anatomical stem-based virtual dissection with diffusion tractography is a fruitful method for studying the structural anatomy of the human white matter pathways.
Prediction of resistance to erythromycin in the genus Rickettsia by mutations in L22 ribosomal protein.

OBJECTIVES Typhus group (TG) rickettsiae are naturally susceptible to erythromycin whereas spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsioses are not. The aim of this study was to compare in silico genetic determinants known to be associated with resistance to macrolide compounds. METHODS AND RESULTS Available sequences of the 23S RNA gene, and L4 and L22 ribosomal proteins of rickettsial strains were aligned and compared using in silico methods. Although there were no sequence differences in domain V of the 23S RNA gene and in the conserved region of the L4 ribosomal protein gene, we found that TG rickettsiae had a triple amino acid difference in the highly conserved region of the L22 ribosomal protein compared with the SFG rickettsiae. CONCLUSIONS We believe that the triple amino acid difference in the L22 ribosomal protein found in this study may explain the difference in susceptibility to erythromycin among the Rickettsia genus. Genome analysis may help to predict possible molecular mechanisms of resistance for fastidious and intracellular bacteria and cloning and expression of such proteins should be investigated in the future in order to prove our hypothesis.
ACR Appropriateness Criteria® Conservative surgery and Radiation – Stage I and II Breast Carcinoma

Abstract: Breast conservation is a safe and effective alternative to mastectomy for the majority of women with early‐stage breast cancer. Adjuvant radiation therapy lowers the risk of recurrence within the breast and also confers a survival benefit. Although acute side effects of radiation therapy are generally well tolerated; efforts are ongoing to minimize the long‐term side effects of radiation, most prominently atherosclerotic heart disease. Efforts to minimize radiation therapy are also underway. They include omitting treatment altogether in the elderly and using accelerated, hypofractionated whole‐breast irradiation, and accelerated partial‐breast irradiation. Several randomized studies are ongoing to determine the efficacy, safety, and appropriate patients for these shorter treatments.
In the spotlight: Bioinstrumentation

The emergence and recent developments of the smart home have been briefly introduced in this review. Initial developments of smart homes comprised of computer-based housing to support elderly and challenged persons at home during daily living through the automatic monitoring of the usage of home infra structures. In light of the rapid growth of the aging society, which has created what might be regarded as a longevity crisis, healthcare is also one of the most serious and worldwide issues to address. From this background, the smart home with health care management has rapidly been pushed into the spotlight.
Ultrastructural changes in hamster lung 15 min to 3 hr after exposure to pancreatic elastase

A single endotracheal instillation of porcine pancreatic elastase into hamster lungs induces morphological changes that can be detected as early as 15 min after the instillation of enzyme. Lung tissue from animals sacrificed at six time points between 15 min and 3 hr after enzyme instillation was examined for ultrastructural alterations. There were few of these alterations and they were highly focal, but they included damaged epithelial cells and partially digested elastic fibers that occurred both in the parenchyma and the pleura.
Developing a Rubric for Evaluating Reading Applications for Learners With Reading Difficulties

Tablet devices, as assistive and instructional technologies, can be highly effectual pedagogical tools with multifaceted benefits, such as the ability to integrate multimedia and the ability to track student progress over time. The unique value of particular assistive and instructional technologies explains, in part, why they are more widely used to teach struggling learners, as well as learners in general who demonstrate a spectrum of strengths and weaknesses. Given the centrality of reading and the cultivation of attendant skills as a prerequisite for learning all subjects, assessing the quality of literacy-based applications for tablet use is important. No such evaluative tool currently exists, necessitating the creation of a systematic tool, for use by both parents and educators, to select appropriate applications for their children or students who are struggling readers. To address this need, this article distills the effective instructional components for reading and provides a comprehensive rubric for reading applications. Suggestions from practitioners informed this process and were also implemented to enhance the usability of the rubric for educational reading applications. Descriptions of each rubric item and examples based on the sample reading application are provided.
Full-wave inversion of off-ground monostatic GPR signal focused on the surface reflection for identifying surface dielectric permittivity

S. Lambot*, L. Weihermullert, I. van den Boscht, M. Vancloosters and E.C. Slob* *Delft University of Technology Mijnbouwstraat 120, 2628 RX Delft, The Netherlands s.lambot @citg.tudelft. nl, e.c. slob@citg.tudelft. nl t Agrosphere Institute, ICG IV, Forschungszentrum lulich GmbH 52425 Jiilich, Germany l.weihermueller@ fz-juelich.de hlicrowave Laboratory, UniversitC catholique de Louvain Place du Levant 3, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium denbosch@emic.ucl. ac.be §Department of Environmental Sciences and Land Use Planning, UniversitC catholique de Louvain Croix du Sud 2 Box 2, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium vanclooster@geru.ucl. ac.be
PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF ORGANIZATION BASED SELF-ESTEEM

Present study examines the relationship between perceived organizational support (POS) and organizational commitment and the mediating role of organization based self-esteem between these variables. 148 white collared employees participated to the study. Results indicated a significant relationship between POS and affective commitment and normative commitment, but a negative relationship between POS and continuance commitment. Results reveal that organization based self-esteem (OBSE) has a partial mediating role between perceived organizational support and affective commitment and full mediating role between perceived organizational support and continuance commitment. Findings also indicate that OBSE has no mediating role between perceived organizational support and normative commitment.
Preventing HIV infection: the effects of community linkages, time, and money on recruiting and retaining women in intervention groups.

Few studies have addressed recruitment and retention of participants in preventive interventions directed at human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and these generally have not focused on women. In this study, part of the Women in Group Support (WINGS) project, we examine the experience of three sites in recruiting 444 high-risk women for a small group intervention to reduce risky sexual behavior. The intervention included six structured sessions, followed by a continuing series of client-focused, drop-in sessions. Incentives for participants included child care, food, and transportation tokens. Attendees at each structured session also received a cash incentive of $10-$20. Forty-six percent of the women were recruited from community sources, 35% from clinics, and 19% from drug programs. Across all recruitment sources, almost a third of the women reported having had a sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the past year, 88%-94% reported a risky male partner (who, they believed, had sex with other partners or with sex workers, was an injecting drug user, or was HIV positive), and 10%-36% reported trading sex for money or drugs. During 18 months of recruitment, each site averaged 34 screening interviews monthly to secure 8 eligible women a month who completed baseline interviews and reported for randomization. The average number of paid sessions attended by participants was five of six (83%). Average attendance at unpaid sessions was 1 of 12 (8%). Key facilitators to recruitment and retention included linkages with community agencies and monetary incentives. Our findings suggest that researchers and community service providers need to explore alternative strategies to paying women for attending group sessions (e.g., incorporating group interventions into existing program requirements) and balance these against the costs and recruitment effectiveness.
Changes in sexual functioning associated with duloxetine, escitalopram, and placebo in the treatment of patients with major depressive disorder.

INTRODUCTION Depression and antidepressant therapy have been associated with sexual dysfunction in short-term and point-prevalence trials. AIM This report describes effects of duloxetine and escitalopram on sexual functioning during acute and long-term treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). METHODS In this 8-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, adult outpatients with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV)-defined MDD were randomized to duloxetine 60 mg/day (N = 273; 173 female), escitalopram 10 mg/day (N = 274; 186 female), or placebo (N = 137; 87 female). After the first 8 weeks of treatment, dose increases were permitted to optimize treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE The 14-item Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (CSFQ) was used to assess sexual functioning. RESULTS Of the 114 patients who did not meet total CSFQ score criteria for global sexual dysfunction at baseline (duloxetine, N = 51; escitalopram, N = 39; placebo, N = 24), the incidence of treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction was significantly higher for escitalopram compared with placebo at 4 and 8 weeks, and significantly higher compared with duloxetine at 4 weeks. At 8 weeks, the incidence of treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction was 17/51 (33.3%) for duloxetine-treated patients; 19/39 (48.7%) for escitalopram-treated patients; and 4/24 (16.7%) for placebo-treated patients (P = 0.01 escitalopram vs. placebo; P = 0.13 duloxetine vs. placebo). After 12 weeks, no significant differences were observed between active drugs. At 8 months, the incidence of treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction was 33.3% for duloxetine, 43.6% for escitalopram, and 25.0% for placebo. Regardless of treatment, patients who achieved remission of MDD showed improvement in global sexual functioning, whereas worsening was observed for patients who did not achieve remission (P < 0.001). Discontinuation rates for sexual side effects did not differ between duloxetine (N = 2) and escitalopram (N = 7) (P = 0.07). CONCLUSIONS Short-term treatment demonstrated a higher incidence of treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction with escitalopram compared with duloxetine and placebo. After 12 weeks, there were no statistically significant differences between drugs; however, MDD outcome (regardless of treatment) had a significant impact on improvement in global sexual functioning.
Implementation of Electronic Data Interchange: An Innovation Diffusion Perspective

Electronic data interchange (EDI) has dramatically changed the manner in which interorganizational transactions are conducted. The electronic exchange of transaction documents has had a significant impact on business practices, particularly in the sales and purchase/merchandising functions of organizations. EDI brings in many benefits to the organization such as reduced costs, faster turnaround, better customer service, and in some firms strategic advantage over their competitors. Despite these benefits, firms still have problems in implementing EDI.This study, drawing upon research in innovation theory and information systems, examines the relationship between various innovation characteristics (complexity, two forms of compatibility, costs, relative advantage, and communicability) and various attributes of diffusion (adaptation, internal diffusion, external diffusion, and implementation success) of EDI in organizations. The data for the study were collected from a large-scale field survey of 201 firms in the United States that have implemented EDI. Two senior executives, one from information systems (IS) and the other from the sales/purchase function, provided matched responses to a questionnaire that measured the various research constructs.The results of the multivariate regression analyses revealed that relative advantage, costs, and technical compatibility were the major predictors of adaptation. While relative advantage and duration were important predictors of internal diffusion, technical compatibility and duration were found to be important predictors of external diffusion. Both forms of compatibility (technical and organizational) and costs were found to be important predictors of implementation success in EDI.
Nutritional Programming of Blood Pressure and Renal Morphology

A range of epidemiological evidence from several diverse populations, supports the hypothesis that risk of essential hypertension, coronary heart disease and non-insulin dependent diabetes is, in part, programmed by intrauterine nutritional status. Animal models developed to investigate the mechanisms that are responsible for such programming are becoming more important as challenges to the epidemiological data become more robust. With strong evidence from animal studies it is now widely accepted that maternal nutritional status in pregnancy is a major programming influence upon the fetus. This paper considers the hypothesis that renal structure and function are determined by prenatal nutrition and that this is a key mechanism in the programming of hypertension. The feeding of low protein diets or other insults in pregnancy that have an impact upon the development of cardiovascular functions, also appears to impact upon nephron number. In the sheep nephron number is related to weight at birth following nutrient restriction, and in the rat low protein diets reduce nephron number by approximately 30%. However, it is possible that hypertension and reduced renal reserve merely coincide and are not causally associated. A study of rats fed low protein diets supplemented with additional nitrogen sources found that whilst only glycine could reverse the hypertensive effects of low protein diets, all supplements could normalise nephron number. The evidence thus suggests that prenatal undernutrition may programme renal structure in later life, but that renal programming is not one of the primary mechanisms leading to hypertension.
Effect of chronic alcohol drinking on rat liver microsomal nitroreductive metabolism of Nifurtimox and Benznidazole

Nifurtimox (Nfx) and benznidazole (Bz) have serious toxic side effects. Manufacturers warn about significant adverse effects when simultaneous alcohol consumption is being made, but its mechanism is not known. The levels and toxicity of these drugs are linked to their liver microsomal nitroreduction to reactive metabolites. In this study, we analyzed whether alcohol drinking enhanced those nitroreductive processes. Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats, 5–6 weeks old (125–150 g body weight) were used. They were fed ad libitum for 28 days with Lieber and De Carli control or alcohol regular liquid diets. The rats were separated into two dietary groups: ethanol and control group. Both were pair fed with the respective diet. Their liver microsomes were isolated and the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-dependent nitroreduction of Nfx and Bz were determined. Alcohol drinking significantly induced microsomal nitroreduction of these drugs in male rats (11% for Nfx and 41% for Bz) but not in females. The activity observed in the alcohol-induced male rats was 100% inhibited by diphenyleneiodonium and attributable to P450 reductase. Inductive effects of alcohol drinking on nitroreductive activation of both drugs might be only partially involved in the harmful interactions described.
The effects of long-term cadmium exposure in turkeys: Accumulation and zinc prevention

Experiments with turkeys were conducted to determine the effects of long-term ingestion of Cd (2.0 mg Cd/day/turkey) on its accumulation in the tissues and organs. The cadmium was found especially in the muscles, livers and kidneys. The highest average content of cadmium was found in the kidneys (1.09 mg/kg). The contents of Cd in the kidneys and livers were 19 times and 14 times (respectively) higher compared to the muscles. The administration of Zn (72 mg / day / turkey) along with high doses of Cd, significantly (P < 0.001) reduced the concentrations of Cd in the organs of the experimental animals. The average concentrations of cadmium in the kidneys and livers of turkeys from the CdZn group were 43 % and 48 % (respectively) lower than the average concentrations in the same organs in the turkeys from the group which received only Cd.
Forming a Stress Management and Health Promotion Program for Women Undergoing Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer

Objective. To assess the effects of an 8-week stress management and health promotion program on women undergoing breast cancer chemotherapy treatment. Patients and methods. A total of 61 patients were recruited in 2 cancer centers and were randomly assigned to the intervention program (n = 30) or control group (n = 31). The intervention program consisted of different stress management techniques, which were combined with instructions for lifestyle modification. Assessments were carried out through questionnaires and measurement of body mass index (BMI) at baseline and at the end of the 8-week program. Results. In all, 25 participants completed the intervention program, whereas 28 participants completed the observational control program. The intervention program resulted in a small effect size on internal dimension of Health Locus of Control (HLC) and a medium effect size on stress, depression, anxiety, night sleep duration, and chance dimension of HLC. A strong effect size was recorded for BMI and sleep onset latency. Self-rated health, spiritual well-being, and powerful others dimension of HLC were not significantly affected. Additionally, some of the participants reported a reduction in the side effects caused by chemotherapy. Conclusions. The intervention resulted in several benefits for the general health status of patients. Therefore, it should be considered as feasible and potentially beneficial for women undergoing breast cancer chemotherapy. However, it is necessary for this intervention to be tested through a randomized controlled trial in a larger sample of patients before adopting this program in standard cancer care.
Single and Multiple-Dose Kinetics of Ofloxacin in Patients on Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD)

To evaluate the pharmacokinetics of ofloxacin, a novel quinolon antibiotic, in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRO) on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPO), we investigated 6 patients in a single-dose study and 9 patients in a multiple-dose study, all without peritonitis. In the single-dose study, patients received 200 mg ofloxacin orally. Serum concentrations (Cmax) peaked at 3.1 ± 0.3 mg/L (x ± SEM), 1.6 ± 0.5 h after p. 0. administration of the drug. Elimination half-life (t112) was 26.8 ± 2.5 h. Peritoneal clearance accounted for 10% of the total body clearance. After 5- h dwell time, ofloxacin concentrations in the dialysate were 1.5 ± 0.2 mg/L, which is above the MIC90 for most bacteria responsible for peritonitis in patients on CAPO. In the multiple dose study, 200 mg ofloxacin were administered twice, with a time interval of 12 h, followed by 200 mg for 9 days every morning. Mean trough serum levels were 2.6 ± 1.0 mg/L, mean peak concentrations were 4.1 ± 1.7 mg/L. Mean ofloxacin concentrations in the peritoneal effluent were 1.9 ± 0.9 mg/L. It is concluded that an oral loading dose of 400 mg on the first day and a maintenance dose of 200 mg ofloxacin/day does not lead to significant accumulation, even though the elimination by the peritoneal route is only small. The proposed dosing regimen could be an adequate therapy of peritonitis and exit-site infections in patients on CAPO since levels reached in the dialysate effluent are bactericidal. The clinical usefulness in the treatment of peritonitis has to be proven in further studies.
Pica and the obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders.

BACKGROUND The concept of a spectrum of obsessive-compulsive related disorders may have clinical and research heuristic value in the approach to disorders similar to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in respect of phenomenology and psychobiology. Like other repetitive and ritualistic behaviours, pica may be postulated to fall at times on this spectrum. METHODS Five cases of pica seen at our clinics are presented here in order to test this hypothesis. Phenomenology, neurobiology (where available) and pharmacotherapy data are provided in order to consider a possible relationship with OCD and OCD spectrum disorders. RESULTS In 2 of the cases, pica appeared to be a compulsion and patients had additional symptoms which met diagnostic criteria for OCD. In 2 of the cases, the clinical picture and neurobiological data were reminiscent of an impulse control disorder. Four of the 5 patients responded to treatment with a serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SRI). CONCLUSION These results are consistent with a hypothesis that at least some cases of pica may usefully be conceptualised as lying within a compulsive-impulsive spectrum of symptoms and disorders.