Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Peri-Operative Anemia and Blood Transfusions in Patients with Gastric Cancer Receiving Gastrectomy.

BACKGROUND Potential disadvantages of blood transfusion during curative gastrectomy for gastric cancer have been reported, and the role of peri-operative transfusions remains to be ascertained. Thus, the aim of our study was to survey its impact in patients with gastric cancer undergoinging gastrectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Clinical data of patients receiving curative gastrectomy at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital were obtained. Findings for pre-operative anemia states, pre-, peri- and post-operative transfusion of red blood cell (RBC) products as well as post-operative complication events were collected for univariate analysis. RESULTS A total of 116 patients with gastric cancer received gastrectomy at Far Eastern Memorial Hospital from 2011 to 2014. Both pre-operative and intra- and post-operative transfusion of RBC products were markedly associated with post-operative infectious events (OR: 3.70, 95% CI: 1.43-9.58, P=0.002; OR: 8.20, 95% CI: 3.11-22.62, P<0.001, respectively). In addition, peri- and post-operative RBC transfusion was significantly associated with prolonged hospital stay from admission to discharge (OR: 8.66, 95% CI: 1.73-83.00, P=0.002) and post-operative acute renal failure (OR: 19.69, 95% CI: 2.66-854.56, P<0.001). Also, the overall survival was seemingly decreased by peri-operative RBC transfusion in our gastric cancer cases (P=0.078). CONCLUSIONS Our survey indicated that peri-operative RBC transfusion could increase the risk of infectious events and acute renal failure post curative gastrectomy as well as worsen the overall survival in gastric cancer cases. Hence, unnecessary blood transfusion before, during and after curative gastrectomy should be avoided in patients with gastric cancer.
Voriconazole in fungal keratitis caused by Scedosporium apiospermum.

OBJECTIVE To describe the first case, to the best of our knowledge, of posttraumatic Scedosporium apiospermum (ScA) keratitis successfully treated with systemic and topical voriconazole. CASE SUMMARY A 19-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with an incisive wound of his left eye and the cornea totally sectioned after trauma with a cutter used in gardening. Initial empirical treatment was followed by systemic and topical voriconazole, and the eye did not have to be enucleated. Five months after the trauma, a penetrating keratoplasty and chamber intraocular lens implantation was performed with a favorable visual outcome. DISCUSSION ScA keratitis is rare, but it must be suspected if a history of ocular injury with contaminated objects exists. Among the antifungals available to treat ScA keratitis, voriconazole has shown advantages such as the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration and the availability of an oral formulation. CONCLUSIONS Voriconazole shows promise as an effective alternative to conventional antifungals in the treatment of ScA keratitis. It is available both as oral and intravenous preparations, which is a great advantage in these lengthy infections.
Post Synthesis of Aluminum Modified Mesoporous TUD-1 Materials and Their Application for FCC Diesel Hydrodesulfurization Catalysts

Post-synthesis methods are a promising technology and have received much attention. In this paper, a series of post-synthesis aluminum modified TUD-1 (PAT) materials with different Al contents were successfully prepared by using aluminum isopropoxide to be Al sources, then the as-synthesized materials were adopted as support additives mixed with commercial γ-Al2O3 to prepare hydrodesulfurization (HDS) catalysts for FCC diesel. The supports and catalysts were analyzed using N2 adsorption-desorption, XRD, SEM, Py-IR, ICP, 27Al MAS NMR, UV-vis, H2-TPR and HRTEM techniques. The results of Py-IR and 27Al MAS NMR indicated that the addition of Al species could bring Lewis (L) and Bronsted (B) sites into Si-TUD-1, and that the material of PAT-3 had the highest total acidity sites and Bronsted acid sites among the series PAT composites. The HRTEM technique showed that, compared to the traditional catalyst NiMo/γ-Al2O3, the sulfided catalyst NiMo/APAT-3 had a relatively short length (3.2 nm) and suitable stacking number (2.5) of MoS2 slabs. The HDS efficiencies of all the catalysts were tested in a fixed bed micro-reactor with FCC diesel as feedstock. The catalytic results confirmed that the catalyst NiMo/APAT-3 possessed the highest HDS efficiency (97.0%), due to synergistic effects of advantageous properties such as higher acidity, moderate MSI, and relatively short length of the MoS2 slabs.
Large granular lymphocyte leukaemia is characterized by a clonal T‐cell receptor rearrangement in both memory and effector CD8+ lymphocyte populations

Large granular lymphocyte (LGL) leukaemia is a disease with increased numbers of circulating granular lymphocytes and an increased percentage of clonally rearranged CD8+CD57+ cells. To determine whether LGL cells are also found in other lymphocyte subsets, CD8+ cells from 10 LGL patients were sorted into CD57+ and CD57− fractions and analysed for clonality using a T‐cell receptor γ (TCRγ) polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In nine patients, a clonal TCR rearrangement was identified in the CD8+CD57+ cells, and in one patient, the TCR rearrangement was oligoclonal in the CD8+CD57+ fraction. In eight out of nine of the clonally rearranged patients, the same band was also present in the CD8+CD57− fraction. To define the relationship between CD57− and CD57+ LGL populations, CD8+CD57− and CD8+CD57+ cells were sorted from five patients and cultured in the presence of anti‐CD3 plus CD28 antibodies. The CD57+ cells died of apoptosis before d 7, while the CD57− cells proliferated and differentiated into CD57+ cells. Clonal analysis identified the same band in both cultured subpopulations and in the uncultured CD8+ cells. Immunophenotypical analysis showed that CD8+CD57− cells expressed memory cell markers, while the CD8+CD57+ cells exhibited effector characteristics. These results suggest that LGL disease originates in a CD57− memory T‐cell compartment that continually generates CD57+ (effector cell) progeny.
Comparative study of OFDM system with carrier interferometry code and STBC in flat fading channels

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) splits a high-rate data stream into a number of lower rate streams that are transmitted simultaneously over a number of subcarriers. In this paper, we use SPW simulation platform and implement the OFDM system incorporated with the Carrier Interferometry (CI) codes and Space-Time Block Coding (STBC) to undertake performance comparison. The simulation results show that the performances of STBC CI-OFDM and CI-OFDM show approximately a 10 dB gain over the STBC-OFDM in flat fading channels.
Production of hollow atoms by the excitation of highly charged ions in interaction with a metallic surface.

The capture of many electrons by ${\mathrm{Ar}}^{17+}$ ions, at low velocity, near a metallic surface, has been studied. Multiexcited bound states with many electrons in the outermost shells (hollow atoms) have been observed. The surrounding of an ionic excited core by many outermost electrons greatly decreases the lifetimes of the states. This characteristic decrease explains the main striking features of the relaxation of the ions.
Evaluation of wild-type MIC distributions as a tool for determination of clinical breakpoints for Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to establish wild-type MIC distributions of first-line drugs for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as well as to explore the usefulness of such distributions when setting clinical breakpoints. METHODS We determined the MICs of rifampicin, isoniazid and ethambutol for M. tuberculosis using a Middlebrook 7H10 dilution method for 90 consecutive clinical isolates, 8 resistant strains and 16 isolates from the WHO proficiency test panel. M. tuberculosis H37Rv was used for quality control and susceptibility results using 7H10 were compared with the results obtained with BACTEC460. RESULTS The agreement with BACTEC460 was very high for isoniazid (99.1%) and rifampicin (99.1%) but lower for ethambutol (94.7%). Intra- and inter-assay variation was below one MIC dilution. The MIC distributions for isoniazid and rifampicin provided a clear separation between susceptible and resistant strains. Regarding ethambutol, the current breakpoint for 7H10 (5 mg/L) is close to the wild-type and all strains (n = 6) showing a disagreement between BACTEC460 and 7H10 were distributed very close to the breakpoint (MIC 4-8 mg/L). This problematic relation was confirmed by investigating isolates from the WHO panel with an agreement <95% (64%-88% among 26 laboratories, n = 4) for which the MICs were 4-8 mg/L. CONCLUSIONS Utilizing the wild-type MIC distribution was found to be as useful in M. tuberculosis as in other bacteria when setting clinical breakpoints. We suggest that the present clinical breakpoints should be re-evaluated, taking into account wild-type MIC distributions and available pharmacokinetic data.
Prevalence of foodborne microorganisms in retail foods in Thailand.

Worldwide, foodborne illness is often associated with consumption of meats and poultry products sold at retail markets. A cross-sectional retail food study was conducted in Bangkok, Thailand to assess the prevalence of bacterial pathogens on retail food samples. Raw chicken, beef, pork, and chicken eggs were purchased from fresh markets and supermarkets and tested for Salmonella spp. , Campylobacter spp. , Arcobacter spp. , and Enterococcus spp. Suspect bacterial pathogens were isolated by differential culture and Salmonella species were serotyped. A total of 200 samples were collected from 50 markets between May and August 2003. Of the 200 samples tested, 121 (61%) were positive for at least one Salmonella spp. serogroup. A total of 175 Salmonella spp. were isolated. The most common serotype was Salmonella Anatum, followed by S. Corvallis and S. Derby. Campylobacter spp. were found in 31 (15.5%) of 200 samples. C. jejuni was isolated from 15% of fresh market chicken samples and 35% of supermarket chicken samples. Arcobacter spp. were isolated from 42 (21%) samples; fresh market chicken had significantly higher A. butzleri contamination than supermarket chicken. The presence of Enterococcus spp. , an indication of fecal contamination, was detected in 188 (94%) samples, including 100% of the beef and pork sources. Few studies have examined retail food contamination in Thailand. In particular, the high prevalence of samples with Arcobacter spp. warrants further study to determine pathogenicity.
A Synchronization-Free Spread Spectrum Clock Generation Technique for Automotive Applications

A synchronization-free, and all digital design technique for the generation of a spread spectrum clock is presented and simulated in 0.35 μm CMOS technology with a low power consumption of 1.45 mW at 10 MHz. The proposed technique uses a period locking delay-locked loop, multiple phase generator, and a digital controller to modulate the input clock frequency. The peak power of the clock and the supply current are reduced up to 8.5 and 11 dB without any interface circuit for the synchronization between the nonspread spectrum and spread spectrum clock domains.
Dehydroepiandrosterone Decreases Serum Tumor Necrosis Factor-α and Restores Insulin Sensitivity: Independent Effect from Secondary Weight Reduction in Genetically Obese Zucker Fatty Rats.

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfate ester are the most abundant circulating adrenal steroids in humans. Administration of DHEA has been reported to have beneficial effects on obesity, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and atherosclerosis in obese rodents, although its effects on insulin resistance have not been fully elucidated. In this study, the effects of DHEA treatment on insulin sensitivity were investigated in genetically obese Zucker rats, an animal model of insulin resistance, using the euglycemic clamp technique. After 0.4% DHEA was administered for 10 days to female obese Zucker rats aged 16 weeks, body weight and plasma insulin decreased and glucose disposal rate (GDR), which was normally reduced in obese rats, rose significantly compared with age- and sex-matched control obese rats. On the other hand, although the pair-fed obese rats also showed levels of weight reduction similar to those of DHEA-treated rats, the increase in GDR of DHEA-treated rats was significantly greater than in pair-fe.
Neuroanatomical correlates of emotional blunting in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia and early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

BACKGROUND Emotional blunting is a characteristic feature of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and can help discriminate between patients with bvFTD and other forms of younger-onset dementia. OBJECTIVE We compared the presence of emotional blunting symptoms in patients with bvFTD and early-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD), and investigated the neuroanatomical associations between emotional blunting and regional brain volume. METHODS Twenty-five individuals with bvFTD (n = 11) and early-onset AD (n = 14) underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and were rated on symptoms of emotional blunting using the Scale for Emotional Blunting (SEB). The two groups were compared on SEB ratings and MRI-derived brain volume using tensor-based morphometry. Voxel-wise linear regression was performed to determine neuroanatomical correlates of SEB scores. RESULTS The bvFTD group had significantly higher SEB scores compared to the AD group. On MRI, bvFTD patients had smaller bilateral frontal lobe volume compared to AD patients, while AD patients had smaller bilateral temporal and left parietal volume than bvFTD patients. In bvFTD, SEB ratings were strongly correlated with right anterior temporal volume, while the association between SEB and the right orbitofrontal cortex was non-significant. CONCLUSIONS Symptoms of emotional blunting were more prevalent in bvFTD than early-onset AD patients. These symptoms were particularly associated with right-sided atrophy, with significant involvement of the right anterior temporal region. Based on these findings, the SEB appears to measure symptoms of emotional blunting that are localized to the right anterior temporal lobe.
Factors Affecting Small Micro Medium Enterprises' (SMMEs) Adoption of E-Commerce in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

This paper presents the findings of a study on the factors that affect SMMEs ability to adopt E-commerce conducted in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. The study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analysis in order to ensure reliability and generalisability of the results. Qualitative data was first subjected to thematic analysis and content analysis to turn it to enumerative data. Eventually all the quantitative data was coded into SPSS for graphs and descriptive statistics. According to the findings the most significant e-business adoption variables in the province are security, prestige, government support, vision and the need to service niche markets.
Fully developed turbulence and statistical mechanics

This paper gives a self contained review of some recent progress of the statistical theory of fully developed turbulence. The emphasis is on both analogies and differences with Hamiltonian statistical mechanics, in particular critical phenomena. The method of spectral equations, which plays to a certain extent the role of a mean field theory, is discussed in detail. It is here viewed as a reformulation of the Kolmogorov 1941 theory leading to quantitative insight into the energetics of turbulence (power-law spectra, direct and inverse energy cascades, energy dissipation in the limit of zero viscosity, etc.). In addition, it sheds light on the proven and conjectured properties of the Navier-Stokes and Euler equations which are reviewed in terms more accessible than those of the mathematical literature. There are strong experimental indications (intermittency) that the Kolmogorov 1941 theory is only approximate. Some of the current efforts to handle higher than second order statistics by formal methods inspired from quantum field theory or critical phenomena are also discussed.
Fusion of Multibiometrics Based on a New Robust Linear Programming

Multibiometrics provides a reliable method for identity authentication and has the potential to be widely applied. The success of a multibiometrics method depends critically on its ability to fuse complementary information supplied by different modalities, where the most challenging problem is to evaluate the importance of different modalities. In addition, identity authentication at a distance has become a development trend of multibiometrics. In this paper, we propose a new robust linear programming method to fuse multibiometrics by combining the modalities optimally. The proposed method can provide a reasonable trade off between conservatism and robustness. Experimental results on CASIA-Iris-Distance, a public and challenging multibiometric database, demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of this method.
Limit distribution of distances in biased random tries

The trie is a sort of digital tree. Ideally, to achieve balance, the trie should grow from an unbiased source generating keys of bits with equal likelihoods. In practice, the lack of bias is not always guaranteed. We investigate the distance between randomly selected pairs of nodes among the keys in a biased trie. This research complements that of Christophi and Mahmoud (2005); however, the results and some of the methodology are strikingly different. Analytical techniques are still useful for moments calculation. Both mean and variance are of polynomial order. It is demonstrated that the standardized distance approaches a normal limiting random variable. This is proved by the contraction method, whereby the limit distribution is shown to approach the fixed-point solution of a distributional equation in the Wasserstein metric space.
Characterization of the humoral immune response to the beta-cell antigens insulin and glutamic acid decarboxylase in preclinical and clinical type 1 diabetes

The characteristics of humoral immunity have been proposed to reflect the bias between two T helper (Th) lymphocyte subsets: Th1 cells, which activate cell-mediated immunity, and Th2 cells, which mediate humoral immunity. The present study aimed to characterize the humoral immunity to betacell autoantigens insulin and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65) in preclinical and clinical type 1 diabetes. Insulin antibodies were analyzed in pregnant women with or without type 1 diabetes and their newborn infants and in prediabetic children. Epitope or/and isotype-specific GAD65 antibodies (GAD65Abs) were analyzed in prediabetic children, in children and adolescents diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and in patients with the autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) syndrome. Antibodies were determined by radioligand immunoassays. The humoral immune response to insulin and GAD65 was observed to be a highly dynamic process, comprising mainly the IgG1 subclass and, less frequently, other IgG subclasses. GAD65Abs were directed primarily to the middle region and secondarily to the C-terminal region of GAD65 as a consequence of epitope spreading. Young children who progressed to overt type 1 diabetes were characterized by a broad initial isotype response to insulin and GAD65 and by a strong IgG1 and IgG3 response to insulin. Children who did not progress to clinical type 1 diabetes were characterized by an emerging IgG4 response to GAD65. Rising levels of GAD65Abs targeted to the middle region of GAD65 were associated with high titers of islet cell antibodies and a decreased requirement for exogenous insulin, probably reflecting a persistent residual beta-cell mass, in patients with manifest type 1 diabetes. Non-immunoglobulin insulin-binding activity was observed to be induced by pregnancy. APECED-associated humoral autoimmunity to GAD65 did not differ markedly from that observed in subjects with type 1 diabetes alone. In conclusion, isotype-specific GAD65 and especially insulin antibodies are valuable markers of the risk of progression to type 1 diabetes in young children. The appearance of an initial IgG3 subclass response and a strong IgG3 response to insulin in children who progressed to overt type 1 diabetes may reflect the role of cytotoxic Th1-biased immunity in the disease process leading to clinical presentation of type 1 diabetes.
Sensitivity to tumor microvasculature without contrast agents in high spectral and spatial resolution MR images

Contrast‐enhanced (CE)‐MRI is sensitive to cancers but can produce adverse reactions and suffers from insufficient specificity and morphological detail. This research investigated whether high spectral and spatial resolution (HiSS) MRI detects tumor vasculature without contrast agents, based on the sensitivity of the water resonance line shape to tumor blood vessels. HiSS data from AT6.1 tumors inoculated in the hind legs of rats (N = 8) were collected pre‐ and post–blood pool contrast agent (iron‐oxide particles) injection. The waterline in small voxels was significantly more asymmetric at the tumor rim compared to the tumor center and normal muscle (P < 0.003). Composite images were synthesized, with the intensity in each voxel determined by the Fourier component (FC) of the water resonance having the greatest relative image contrast at that position. We tested whether regions with high contrast in FC images (FCIs) contain vasculature by comparing FCIs with CE‐MRI as the “gold standard” of vascular density. The FCIs had 75% ± 13% sensitivity, 74% ± 10% specificity, and 91% ± 4% positive predictive value (PPV) for vasculature detection at the tumor rim. These results suggest that tumor microvasculature can be detected using HiSS imaging without the use of contrast agents. Magn Reson Med 61:291–298, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evaluation of HER2 gene amplification status in invasivebreast cancer patients by Fluorescence in Situ Hybridizationanalysis and its correlation with clinical features

Precise assessment of HER2 gene status as an important biomarker plays a significant role in identifying the eligible patients for Trastuzumab therapy and determining their clinical outcomes. In this study, the researchers assigned HER2 amplification status in invasive breast cancer specimens by Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization (FISH) and determined its association with other clinical features. Formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tumor tissue specimens of 46 patients with invasive breast cancer were collected from November 2011 till May 2012. HER2status was evaluated by FISH. The Zytolight SPEC HER2/CEN17 dual color probe kit was applied for assessment of HER2status. HER2 gene amplification was defined as HER2/CEP17 ratio>2.2. The association between HER2status and clinical features like tumor grade, tumor type, tumor size, axillary lymph node involvement and age of patient was done using Chi squared test at the 0.05 level of significance (p value). Amplification of HER2 gene was detected in twelve cases (26%). On statistical analysis HER2status showed correlation with tumor grade (p=0.02). There was no correlation between HER2status and tumor type, tumor size, lymph node status and age of patients. The results of this study are consonant with the findings of other studies about the presence of HER2 gene amplification in invasive breast cancer. Statistical analysis showed patients with HER2 amplified gene have tumors with higher grade. In these patients the probability of increased proliferation and metastasis is high therefore evaluation of HER2 gene amplification status in breast cancer patients specially in high grade tumor with an accurate method such as FISH is essential