Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Postoperative parathyroid hormone levels in conjunction with corrected calcium values as a predictor of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia: review of outcomes 1 year after the implementation of a new protocol.

OBJECTIVES To determine the effectiveness of post-thyroidectomy parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels in conjunction with corrected calcium values as predictors of patients at risk of developing hypocalcemia. METHODS This is a follow-up study reviewing the results of a newly implemented post-thyroidectomy algorithm. The changes in management from the previous protocol involve decision making based on the 12-hour corrected calcium and PTH levels, as well as the 1-hour PTH value. The study involved 120 patients separated into two groups: 60 prior to implementation of the protocol and 60 following the implementation of the protocol. Patients having completion thyroidectomy, neck dissections, or parathyroidectomy were excluded. RESULTS Since the implementation of the new protocol, there has been a reduction in the rate of transient hypocalcemia (25% to 12%; p = .059), fewer blood tests (23 to 15 per patient), and earlier patient discharges. CONCLUSIONS The new algorithm is effective in detecting patients who are not at risk of developing hypocalcemia at 12 hours. This has led to significant cost savings at our institution. Moreover, calcium supplementation based on the 1-hour PTH level has coincided with a reduction in cases of transient hypocalcemia.
Collaborative indoor navigation for emergency services personnel

First responders and other emergency services personnel must often enter buildings which prevent the use of GPS or other satellite navigation signals for positioning. Loss of navigation capability combined with the fact that the buildings are often unknown to the personnel in question makes it more difficult for individual team members to coordinate with one another, and difficult or impossible for the team leader to monitor and direct the actions of each team member. While inertial navigation or pedestrian dead reckoning provide for some degree of navigation in GPS signal denied environments, these solutions degrade with time and may require prohibitively large and expensive inertial solutions to navigate over extended periods, while also allowing each individual user to accumulate independent positioning errors and thereby appearing to ‘drift away’ from one another. This paper presents an implementation of a collaborative navigation system utilizing each of user-to-user radio links, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) when available, inertial navigation, pedestrian dead reckoning, as well as camera based Simultaneous Location and Mapping (SLAM) to provide a team of users with absolute and relative situational awareness for themselves and their team. The application of collaborative navigation to such a team provides the triple benefits of providing improved absolute navigation accuracy, improved relative navigation accuracy, and greatly enhanced situational awareness for all cooperating team members.
Diurnal Blood Pressure Variation in Patients with Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) is an important risk factor for hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. Diurnal blood pressure (BP) changes are evaluated by 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between diurnal BP variation and SAS severity, as well as the impact of antihypertensive therapy on diurnal BP variation. Patients seen at our clinic between April and September 2006 with excessive daytime sleepiness or apnea were enrolled. All patients had polysomnography and ABPM. Mean 24 h BP and nighttime BPs were significantly higher in the SAS group than in the non-SAS group. No significant differences were observed in daytime BPs between the two groups. SAS patients had a high mean 24-h BP and an elevated nighttime BP, both of which increased as SAS severity increased. Nighttime BPs were significantly higher in the moderate SAS group than in the non-SAS group. Nighttime BP and morning BP were significantly higher in the severe SAS group than in the non-SAS group. With respect to antihypertensive agents' effects on diurnal BP changes, there were no significant differences between the SAS and non-SAS groups. In conclusion, compared with non-SAS patients, patients with SAS had a higher 24-h BP, especially nighttime BP. Patients with moderate SAS tended to have elevated nighttime BP. In patients with severe SAS, elevated BP was sustained during the night despite the use of antihypertensive agents.
Persistent neuropathic pain influences persistence behavior in rats.

AIMS To determine whether self-regulation can be studied successfully in a rodent model and whether persistent facial pain influences self-regulatory behavior. METHODS Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats, divided into two groups, (1) chronic constriction injury of the infraorbital nerve (CCI-ION) and (2) naïve, were used in a two-part behavioral paradigm of self-regulation. This paradigm consisted of both a cued go/no-go task (part one) and a persistence trial (part two). All animals were acclimated and trained for a period of 4 weeks prior to the experimental manipulation and then tested for a total of 5 weeks following experimental manipulation. Results were analyzed with t tests, one-way analysis of variance, and two-way, repeated measures analysis of variance. RESULTS CCI-ION surgery induced significant mechanical hypersensitivity of the ipsilateral whisker pad that began 3 weeks postsurgery and persisted through the duration of the experiment (P < .001). At weeks 4 and 5 post-experimental manipulation, naïve animals demonstrated a significant decrease in lever presses during the persistence task (P < .05) compared to baseline, whereas CCI-ION animals did not (P = .55). CONCLUSION These results suggest that persistent pain influences behavioral regulation and that animals experiencing persistent pain may have difficulty adapting to environmental demands.
The Effect of Paracetamol versus Meperidine on Postoperative Pain of Cesarean Section

Background and Aim: Meperidine and paracetamol are frequently used in postoperative pain control. We evaluated the effect of paracetamol versus meperidine on postoperative pain control of elective cesarean section in patients under general anesthesia. Materials and Methods: In this randomized double-blind study, seventy mothers' candidate for cesarean section under general anesthesia were randomized in paracetamol group (n = 35), received 1 g paracetamol in 100 ml normal saline, and meperidine group (n = 35), received 25 mg meperidine in 100 ml normal saline and then compared regarding the pain and vomiting severity based on visual analog scale (VAS). Results: Two groups did not show significant difference regarding pain score based on VAS during 30 min after surgery in the recovery room, however, the pain score after 30 min in paracetamol group was significantly more than meperidine group. The difference between two groups regarding pain score in surgery ward at 0, 2, 4, 6 h, were not significant, however, pain score after 6 h in meperidine group was significantly lower than paracetamol group. The score of vomiting based on VAS in the recovery room in meperidine group was marginally more than paracetamol group (P > 0.05). The score of vomiting, based on VAS in meperidine group was significantly more than paracetamol group during the 24 h in the surgery ward. The analgesic consumption in meperidine group during 24 h after surgery was significantly lower than paracetamol group. Conclusion: We indicated that the meperidine decreased postoperative pain score and analgesic consumption more than paracetamol, but increased the vomiting score.
Emerging protein kinase inhibitors for non-small cell lung cancer

Introduction: In the current paradigm of precision medicine in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the therapeutic strategy is determined by the molecular characteristics. The best examples of this approach are the kinase inhibitors that selectively target tumors bearing an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation or an anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement. Emerging protein kinase inhibitors may enhance our ability to effectively treat these and other genomic subtypes of NSCLC. Areas covered: This article reviews the next-generation kinase inhibitors targeting EGFR and ALK-positive NSCLC. In addition, targeted kinase inhibitors in clinical development for other specific molecular subtypes of NSCLC are covered, including ROS1, BRAF, RET, HER2, KRAS (upstream of the MEK kinase), MET, PIK3CA, FGFR1, DDR2, VEGFR and AAK. Expert opinion: In EGFR-mutant NSCLC, there are several kinase inhibitors with promising activity, most notably dacomitinib and CO-1686 in tumors with acquired resistance to EGFR-targeted therapy. Next-generation ALK inhibitors appear to have greater potency than crizotinib and several ongoing trials may shed light on their role in both ALK- and ROS1-positive NSCLC. While there is optimism regarding the role of kinase inhibitors in other molecular subtypes, the available evidence is too immature to make recommendations and results from prospective trials are needed.
A Requirement for Syk in the Activation of the Microtubule-associated Protein Kinase/Phospholipase A2 Pathway by FcεR1 Is Not Shared by a G Protein-coupled Receptor (*)

Stimulation of the mast cell line, RBL-2H3, with antigen via the tetrameric (αβγ2) immunoglobulin E receptor (FcεR1) leads to the activation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 and the release of arachidonic acid. This pathway is dependent on the activation of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. In this paper, we show that the MAP kinase/cytosolic phospholipase A2 pathway is linked to FcεR1 via the cytosolic tyrosine kinase, Syk, and that the GDP/GTP exchange factor, Vav, might be one candidate for accomplishing this link. Cross-linking of transmembrane chimeras containing the FcεR1γ motif, which is known to activate Syk, results in the tyrosine phosphorylation of Vav, activation of MAP kinase, and release of arachidonic acid. Cross-linking of chimeras containing the FcεR1β motif does not cause these events. Furthermore, stimulation of these events by antigen is enhanced by transient overexpression of a wild-type form of Syk and blocked by overexpression of a dominant negative form of Syk. By contrast, stimulation via the transfected, G protein-coupled, muscarinic m1 receptor is not influenced by either form of Syk and does not result in tyrosine phosphorylation of Vav. These data establish unequivocally that the two types of receptor are independently linked to the MAP kinase/cytosolic phospholipase A2 pathway and demonstrate the existence of the FcεR1-Syk-MAP kinase pathway.
FAK Promotes Osteoblast Progenitor Cell Proliferation and Differentiation by Enhancing Wnt Signaling

Decreased bone formation is often associated with increased bone marrow adiposity. The molecular mechanisms that are accountable for the negative correlation between bone mass and bone marrow adiposity are incompletely understood. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) has critical functions in proliferation and differentiation of many cell types; however, its roles in osteoblast lineage cells are largely unknown. We show herein that mice lacking FAK in Osterix‐expressing cells exhibited decreased osteoblast number and low bone mass as well as increased bone marrow adiposity. The decreased bone mass in FAK‐deficient mice was accounted for by decreased proliferation, compromised osteogenic differentiation, and increased adipogenic differentiation of bone marrow Osterix‐expressing cells resulting from downregulation of Wnt/β‐catenin signaling due to the reduced expression of canonical Wnt ligands. In contrast, FAK loss in calvarial preosteoblasts had no adverse effect on their proliferation and osteogenic differentiation and these cells had intact Wnt/β‐catenin signaling. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Intravitreal voriconazole: an electroretinographic and histopathologic study.

BACKGROUND Voriconazole, a novel triazole antifungal agent, presents potent activity against a broad spectrum of yeast and molds. OBJECTIVE To determine whether voriconazole could be safely used as an intravitreal agent in the treatment of fungal endophthalmitis. METHODS Retinal toxicity of voriconazole was examined in a rodent animal model. Voriconazole solutions were serially diluted and injected intravitreally into the eyes of normal adult Sprague-Dawley rats so that the final intravitreal concentrations were 5 microg/mL, 10 microg/mL, 25 microg/mL, 50 microg/mL, and 500 microg/mL (n = 3 for each concentration group). Saline was injected into the fellow eyes of all animals as controls. Three weeks after injections, electroretinograms were measured, and eyes were subsequently enucleated for histologic examination. RESULTS In electroretinographic studies, maximum scotopic b-wave, intensity needed for half saturation, and saturated a-wave amplitude were measured. There was no statistically significant difference in these parameters recorded between control eyes and voriconazole-injected eyes in any concentration groups. Histologic examination with light microscopy did not reveal any retinal abnormality in the eyes with 5 to 25 microg/mL of intravitreal voriconazole. In the eyes with 50 microg/mL and 500 microg/mL of voriconazole, small foci of retinal necrosis were occasionally observed in the outer retina, especially in the eyes with 500 microg/mL of voriconazole. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that intravitreal voriconazole of up to 25 microg/mL [corrected] causes no electroretinographic change or histologic abnormality in rat retinas. This indicates that voriconazole is a safe antifungal agent for intravitreal injection in rodents and may be used in the treatment of human fungal endophthalmitis following further study.
LGR5 and LGR6 in stem cell biology and ovarian cancer

Wnt signaling plays a fundamental role in patterning of the embryo and maintenance of stem cells in numerous epithelia. Epithelial stem cells are closeted in niches created by surrounding differentiated cells that express secreted Wnt and R-spondin proteins that influence proliferation rate and fate determination of stem cell daughters. R-spondins act through the LGR receptors to enhance Wnt signaling. This close association of stem cells with more differentiated regulatory cells expressing Wnt-pathway ligands is a feature replicated in all of the epithelial stem cell systems thus far examined. How the stem cell niche operates through these short-range interactions is best understood for the crypts of the gastrointestinal epithelium and skin. Less well understood are the stem cells that function in the ovarian surface epithelium (OSE) and fallopian tube epithelium (FTE). While the cuboidal OSE appears to be made up of a single cell type, the cells of the FTE progress through a life cycle that involves differentiation into ciliated and secretory subtypes that are eventually shed into the lumen in a manner similar to the gastrointestinal epithelium. Available evidence suggests that high grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) originates most often from stem cells in the FTE and that Wnt signaling augmented by LGR6 supports tumor development and progression. This review summarizes current information on LGR5 and LGR6 in the OSE and FTE and how their niches are organized relative to that of the gastrointestinal epithelium and skin.
Role of paraventricular nucleus‐projecting norepinephrine/epinephrine neurons in acute and chronic stress

Chronic variable stress (CVS) exposure modifies the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) in a manner consistent with enhanced central drive of the hypothalamo‐pituitary‐adrenocortical (HPA) axis. As previous reports suggest that post‐stress enhancement of norepinephrine (NE) action contributes to chronic stress regulation at the level of the PVN, we hypothesised that PVN‐projecting NE neurons were necessary for the stress facilitatory effects of CVS. Following intra‐PVN injection of saporin toxin conjugated to a dopamine beta‐hydroxylase (DBH) antibody (DSAP), in rats PVN DBH immunoreactivity was almost completely eliminated, but immunoreactive afferents to other key regions involved in stress integration were spared (e.g. DBH fiber densities were unaffected in the central nucleus of the amygdala). Reductions in DBH‐positive fiber density were associated with reduced numbers of DBH‐immunoreactive neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract and locus coeruleus. Following 2 weeks of CVS, DSAP injection did not alter stress‐induced adrenal hypertrophy or attenuation of body weight gain, indicating that PVN‐projecting NE [and epinephrine (E)] neurons are not essential for these physiological effects of chronic stress. In response to acute restraint stress, PVN‐targeted DSAP injection attenuated peak adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone in controls, but only attenuated peak ACTH in CVS animals, suggesting that enhanced adrenal sensitivity compensated for reduced excitatory drive of the PVN. Our data suggest that PVN‐projecting NE/E neurons contribute to the generation of acute stress responses, and are required for HPA axis drive (ACTH release) during chronic stress. However, loss of NE/E drive at the PVN appears to be buffered by compensation at the level of the adrenal.
Variability of Shear Wave Velocity using Different Frequencies in Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) Elastography: A Phantom and Normal Liver Study

Abstract Purpose: To assess the variability of shear wave velocity (SWV) from acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography at various depths using different frequencies. Materials and Methods: ARFI elastography of the elasticity phantom and normal liver was performed at different depths (2 – 5 cm) with convex (1 – 4 MHz) and linear (4 – 9 MHz) probes. Ten valid SWV measurements at each depth were performed. This was repeated ten times with the phantom and performed in eight healthy volunteers (M:F = 3:5, age 20 – 34 years). The mean value and standard deviation of the SWV were calculated. Results: In both the phantom and liver, the mean velocities as measured by two probes at the same depth were different. Variabilities of SWV at different depths were also different for the two probes. The depth with lower variability in the phantom was 4 and 5 cm with a convex probe and 2 cm with a linear probe. In the liver, the depth with lower variability was 4 cm with a convex probe and 3 and 4 cm with a linear probe. In comparative analysis of the two probes, the linear probe displayed a lower variability at a depth of 2 and 3 cm in the phantom and at 3 cm in the liver, whereas the convex probe displayed a lower variability at a depth of 4 cm in both the phantom and the liver. Conclusion: SWVs and variability are different depending on the depth and the frequency used. SWVs with a low frequency probe had a tendency to be higher at the same depth. To reduce variability of SWV, a high frequency probe is recommended for a depth of 2 – 3 cm, and a low frequency probe is recommended for a depth of 4 – 5 cm.
Trusting Software Tools in a Secure DRM Architecture

In this paper we propose some security mechanisms that can be used in a multimedia content distribution system with digital rights management (DRM) to ensure that the software tools used in the client side are trusted not only in the moment when they are installed but during their whole life operation. For this purpose, certification, verification, reverification and recertification mechanisms are described, discussing the advantages as well as the drawbacks of using such techniques. A complex use case is presented to complement the description of the proposed mechanisms. The presented architecture and mechanisms are being implemented in the AXMEDIS project, which aims to create an innovative technology framework for the automatic production, protection and distribution of digital cross media contents over a range of different media channels, including PC (on the Internet), PDA, kiosks, mobile phones and i-TV.
Comparison of Cysteine String Protein (Csp) and Mutant α-SNAP Overexpression Reveals a Role for Csp in Late Steps of Membrane Fusion in Dense-Core Granule Exocytosis in Adrenal Chromaffin Cells

Assembly of the SNARE complex and its disassembly caused by the action of soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor (NSF) attachment protein (SNAP) and NSF is crucial for the maintenance of vesicular traffic, including fusion of regulated exocytotic vesicles. Various other proteins may also have important roles in the processes leading to membrane fusion via interaction with the SNARE proteins, including the secretory vesicle cysteine string protein (Csp). Here we have examined the effect of overexpression of a dominant negative α-SNAP mutant or Csp on exocytosis of dense-core granules in single chromaffin cells monitored using amperometry to detect released catecholamine. Exocytosis of trans-Golgi network (TGN)-derived dense-core granules was substantially inhibited by expression of α-SNAP(L294A). The amplitude and characteristics of the individual release events were unaffected by expression of α-SNAP(L294A), consistent with an essential role for α-SNAP in early steps of priming but not in the fusion process. In contrast, Csp overexpression, which also inhibited the extent of exocytosis, also modified the kinetics of the individual release events seen as an increase in the rise time and a broadening of the residual amperometric spikes in Csp-transfected cells. These results suggest that unlike α-SNAP, Csp plays a key role in the protein interactions close to the fusion process or fusion pore opening during Ca2+-regulated exocytosis.
Retrieval from Episodic Memory: Neural Mechanisms of Interference Resolution

Selectively retrieving a target memory among related memories requires some degree of inhibitory control over interfering and competing memories, a process assumed to be supported by inhibitory mechanisms. Evidence from behavioral studies suggests that such inhibitory control can lead to subsequent forgetting of the interfering information, a finding called retrieval-induced forgetting [Anderson, M. C. , Bjork, R. A. , & Bjork, E. L. Remembering can cause forgetting: Retrieval dynamics in long-term memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory & Cognition, 20, 1063–1087, 1994]. In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we investigated the neural processes underlying retrieval-induced forgetting and, in particular, examined the extent to which these processes are retrieval (i.e., selection) specific. Participants actively retrieved a subset of previously studied material (selection condition), or were re-exposed to the same material for relearning (nonselection condition). Replicating prior behavioral work, selective retrieval caused significant forgetting of the nonretrieved items on a delayed recall test, relative to the re-exposure condition. Selective retrieval was associated with increased BOLD responses in the posterior temporal and parietal association cortices, in the bilateral hippocampus, and in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Medial and lateral prefrontal areas showed a strong negative linear relationship between selection-related neural activity and subsequent forgetting of competitors. These findings suggest reduced demands on inhibitory control processes when interference is successfully resolved during early selective retrieval from episodic memory.