Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The functional neuroanatomy of geriatric depression

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) studies of cerebral glucose metabolism have demonstrated sensitivity in evaluating the functional neuroanatomy of treatment response variability in depression, as well as in the early detection of functional changes associated with incipient cognitive decline. The evaluation of cerebral glucose metabolism in late life depression may have implications for understanding treatment response variability, as well as evaluating the neurobiological basis of depression in late life as a risk factor for dementia.
Screening of bovine coagulase-negative staphylococci from milk for superantigen-encoding genes

A collection of 102 coagulase-negative staphylococci (cns), isolated from cases of subclinical and clinical bovine mastitis and belonging to 10 different species, were screened by pcr for the presence of genes encoding enterotoxins and enterotoxin-like toxins (sea, seb, sec, sed, see, seg, seh, sei, sej, selk, sell, selm, seln, selo, selp, selq and selu), toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (tst), and exfoliative toxins A and B (eta and etb). No toxin gene sequences were amplified from any of the isolates, indicating that superantigens encoded by genes detectable by the pcr tests used were not involved in the development of subclinical and clinical mastitis in cattle infected with the cns isolates tested.
Temporal resolution in sensorineural hearing loss Resolução temporal em perdas auditivas sensorioneurais

Purpose: To evaluate temporal resolution in adults with mild and moderate sensorineural hearing loss using the Gaps in Noise (GIN) test to determine whether these losses affect the test performance. Methods: Fifty-seven patients between 20 and 59 years of age (30 men and 27 women) were evaluated; these patients had a complete medical history taken and underwent ENT examination, basic audiological evaluation, and auditory screening via the dichotic digits test. The subjects were divided into three groups: G1 (normal hearing), G2 (mild hearing loss), and G3 (moderate hearing loss). The appropriate statistical analysis was performed, and the adopted level of significance was 5%. Results: A significant proportion of men was observed in the group with hearing loss. There were no significant differences in test performance between the groups. However, the control group’s performance was worse than the normality criteria set for young Brazilian adults. The mean gap detection threshold for the total sample was 8.2 ms in both ears, and the mean percentage of correct responses was 49.7% for the right ear (RE) and 50.6% for the left ear (LE). Conclusion: The temporal resolution evaluated by the GIN test was not influenced by mild-to-moderate sensorineural hearing loss either in the gap detection thresholds or in the percentage of correct responses for both ears.
Knowledge management(s)

This article reviews developments in the field of applied knowledge management dating from 1990 and argues that a fragmented mosaic of programs and problematics currently exists, at various levels of incompatibility. Using a software product, we map the information space around applied knowledge management as an illustration of this basic fact. We then describe a research program that extends this logic and develop a model on four dimensions that appears to order the various programs, practices and processes in this divergent field. Implications for managers of knowledge management initiatives are discussed, and avenues for future research suggested.
AAOS Clinical Practice Guideline: Surgical Management of Osteoarthritis of the Knee: Evidence-based Guideline.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common cause of disability in adults in the United States.1-4 Symptomatic OA of the knee develops in nearly one in two people by age 85 years. Currently, total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is the most common reason for inpatient hospitalization; 3 million women and 1.7 million men have undergone knee arthroplasty in the United States.5 In 2011, 757,000 knee arthroplasties were performed for arthritis. Genetic predisposition, trauma, overuse, obesity, and certain occupations increase the risk for the development of OA of the knee. The symptoms associated with OA of the knee include joint pain, stiffness, and decreased mobility. The goal of treatment is to provide symptomatic relief initially through noninvasive and nonsurgical means, including NSAIDS, weight loss, and anexercise/strengtheningprogram.5-7 When symptoms persist and worsen despite the use of nonsurgical methods, TKA is an effective intervention to relieve pain and improve function and mobility.4,5,8 However, there are risks and benefits with any surgical intervention and these will vary depending on patient factors and comorbidities. During the preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative aspects of surgical management of OA of the knee, there are multiple decision points and options. Those options, based on the best evidence, are highlighted in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Surgical Management of Osteoarthritis of the Knee: Evidence-Based Guideline.5
Carotid intima‐media thickness in young survivors of childhood cancer

Radiotherapy (RT) and some chemotherapy regimens are known risk factors predisposing to the development of premature arterial disease. Vascular ultrasound measurement of carotid intima‐media thickness (IMT) is a non‐invasive technique, useful to detect early subclinical symptoms of atherosclerosis that can appear in the paediatric population. We analysed the influence of chemotherapy and moderate doses of head or neck irradiation in childhood cancer survivors on the possibility of premature carotid artery disease.
Radical S-adenosylmethionine enzymes: mechanism, control and function.

Covering: January 2007 to March 2011 The radical SAM superfamily of enzymes use an iron sulfur cluster to reduce S-adenosylmethionine, which leads to the formation of a highly reactive intermediate, usually the 5′-deoxyadenosyl radical. This potent oxidant is able to functionalize relatively inert substrates, including unactivated C–H bonds. This reactivity is evidently useful, as radical SAM enzymes are widely distributed throughout metabolism and catalyze some of the most complex and elegant biotransformations. In the first part of this review, the focus is on the mechanism of radical formation, including the features shared across the family, followed by a discussion of recent evidence for variations in cluster binding motifs and the mechanism of radical formation. In the second part, we survey how radical SAM chemistry has been applied to biosynthesis.
Effect of Corneal Drying on Central Corneal Thickness

PurposeTo determine the amount of corneal thinning induced by corneal drying, and to discuss its possible consequences on applanation pressure. Patients and MethodsTwo sets of central corneal thickness measurement from 100 eyes of 100 patients were taken by ultrasonic pachymeter at time settings of 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 seconds. During the first set (group 1), patients were asked to blink voluntarily between the measurements. During the second set (group 2), the same patients were prevented from blinking during the measurements. ResultsMean central corneal thickness at 0 second in groups 1 and 2 were 547.0 ± 37.4 &mgr;m, and 546.7 ± 37.6 &mgr;m, respectively. Corneal thickness did not change significantly in group 1, but did significantly decrease in group 2. Rate of thinning increased linearly during the first 30 seconds, and then leveled around 0.3 &mgr;m/s up to 60 seconds. Mean corneal thickness decreased 3.0% during the 60 second drying. The decrease in thickness was significant when each time point in group 2 was compared with the preceding one (P < 0.01). Neither age nor 0 second corneal thickness in group 2 showed a significant correlation with the amount of corneal thinning at 60 seconds. ConclusionCorneal thickness may significantly decrease during 1 minute of drying. Decreased thickness may result in underestimation of applanated pressure as well as central corneal thickness.
Monoclonal antibodies to desmin, the muscle‐specific intermediate filament protein.

A set of monoclonal antibodies to desmin has been isolated from a fusion of mouse myeloma cells with spleen cells from mice immunized with purified porcine desmin. Eleven group I antibodies recognized desmin in the immune blot, and using defined desmin fragments the epitope has been tentatively assigned as lying between residues 325 and 372. When cell lines were tested in immunofluorescence only the human line RD and hamster BHK‐21 were positive. When tissue sections were used, skeletal, cardiac, visceral and some vascular smooth muscle cells were positive. Thus, the group I antibodies appear specific for desmin and do not recognize other intermediate filament proteins. Group II monoclonals recognized not only desmin in the immune blot but also other polypeptides. The epitope of this class is located between residues 70 and 280. In immunofluorescence on cell lines and tissues, the staining patterns of group II antibodies were more complicated and demonstrate that not only other intermediate filament proteins but also additional antigenic determinants are being recognized. The group I antibodies stain, as expected from their desmin specificity, rat and human rhabdomyosarcomas and thus appear to be useful reagents in pathology.
Short-Term Refractive Change and Ocular Parameter Changes after Cycloplegia

Purpose To explore short-term refractive and ocular parameter changes and their correlations after cycloplegia with tropicamide. Methods This study prospectively enrolled 114 right eyes of 114 participants (mean [±SD] age, 9.1 [±2.8] years). Spherical equivalent of refractive error (SER), axial length (AL), corneal curvature (CC), and anterior chamber depth (ACD) were measured before and after 30 minutes from instillation of 0.4% tropicamide. A partial optical coherence interferometry (Zeiss IOLMaster) was used for ocular parameter measurement. Refractive change and ocular parameter changes after cycloplegia and their correlations were evaluated. Results Spherical equivalent of refractive error, AL, and ACD all positively shifted significantly at 30 minutes after application of 0.4% tropicamide (p < 0.0001 for each parameter measured). After cycloplegia, 28 eyes (24.6%) had a hyperopic shift of more than 0.25 diopters (D), 3 eyes (2.6%) had a myopic shift of more than 0.25 D, and 83 eyes (72.8%) had their SER changes within −0.25 to 0.25 D. The mean, maximum, and minimum keratometric values all decreased (p = 0.005, 0.03, and 0.05, respectively), whereas corneal astigmatism did not change significantly. The changes in AL, ACD, or mean keratometric values contributed little to the refractive changes after cycloplegia by tropicamide (p > 0.05, pr2 ⩽ 0.01 for all values). Conclusions Spherical equivalent of refractive error, AL, and ACD all positively shifted after cycloplegia with tropicamide. Corneal curvature became flattened after cycloplegia with tropicamide, but the corneal astigmatism did not change significantly. Refractive changes did not correlate with changes in AL, ACD, or CC after cycloplegia with tropicamide.
Physiological Changes in Male Competitive Cyclists after Two Weeks of Intensified Training

To study the physiological response to heavy training, seven male competitive cyclists intensified their normal training program for two weeks (IIT) in order to achieve a state of short-term overtraining. The subjects underwent a graded cycle ergometer test to exhaustion, an outdoor 8.5 km time trial and a computerized test to study reaction time and visual perception, before, during and after the two weeks of intensified training and after two weeks of recovery. Furthermore subjects kept a daily log in the form of a questionnaire. After two weeks of IIT all subjects showed symptoms of overtraining: the general state of well being declined as indicated by the questionnaire while performances on time trial (mean +/- SEM: 830 +/- 14 sec-871 +/- 19 sec), contests and maximal power output (mean +/- SEM: 336 7 watt-310 +/- 5 watt) declined significantly. Maximal (mean +/- SEM 11.8 +/- 1.1 mmol.l-1-5.9 +/- 0.5 mmol.l-1) and submaximal lactate values were significantly lowered during ergometer test after the IIT, while the workload at the 4 mmol point increased significantly (mean +/- SEM 234 +/- 10 watt-267 +/- 13 watt). Sleeping heart rate increased significantly (mean +/- SEM 49.5 +/- 9.3 BPM-54.3 +/- 8.8 BPM). Maximal heart rate (mean +/- SEM 185 +/- 3 BPM-178 +/- 2 BPM, mean heart rate during the time trial (mean +/- SEM 178 +/- 2 BPM-169 +/- 2 BPM) and VO2max (mean +/- SEM 4801 +/- 121 ml.min-1-4409 +/- 101 ml.min-1) were all significantly lowered by the IIT. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention ( MBRP-R 12 ) for Substance Misuse : A Feasibility Study

5 Introduction . 6 Hypotheses . 15 Method . 17 Study Situation and Participants . 17 Procedure. 18 Measures . 21 Research Design & Analysis . 22 Ethical Considerations . 23 Results . 23 Group Comparisons. 23 Descriptives. 24 Feasibility . 28 Discussion . 31 Study Limitations . 36 Research Challenges . 37 Future Research . 40 Clinical Implications . 43 Conclusions . 43 References . 44 Appendices. 51 APPENDIX 1: Community Recovery Timetable . 51 APPENDIX 2: Participant Information Sheet. 52 APPENDIX 3: Consent Form . 54 APPENDIX 4: Demographics Questionnaire . 55 APPENDIX 5: FFMQ-SF . 56 APPENDIX 6: TOPS Form . 57 APPENDIX 7: Penn Adapted Measure , inc. PANAS-A . 58 APPENDIX 8: Adapted PANAS-A, comparisons. 60 APPENDIX 9: Questionnaire to Quantify Mindfulness Practice . 62 APPENDIX 10: Course Evaluation . 63 APPENDIX 11: Gatekeeper Approval . 65 Student Number: 500285962
Efficient Reinforcement Learning with Bayesian Optimization

A probabilistic reinforcement learning algorithm is presented for finding control policies in continuous state and action spaces without a prior knowledge of the dynamics. The objective of this algorithm is to learn from minimal amount of interaction with the environment in order to maximize a notion of reward, i.e. a numerical measure of the quality of the resulting state trajectories. Experience from the interactions are used to construct a set of probabilistic Gaussian process (GP) models that predict the resulting state trajectories and the reward from executing a policy on the system. These predictions are used with a technique known as Bayesian optimization to search for policies that promise higher rewards. As more experience is gathered, predictions are made with more confidence and the search for better policies relies less on new interactions with the environment.The computational demand of a GP makes it eventually impractical to use as the number of observations from interacting with the environment increase. Moreover, using a single GP to model different regions that may exhibit disparate behaviors can produce unsatisfactory representations and predictions. One way of mitigating these issues is by partitioning the observation points into different regions each represented by a local GP. With the sequential arrival of the observation points from new experiences, it is necessary to have an adaptive clustering method that can partition the data into an appropriate number of regions. This led to the development of EM+ algorithm presented in the second part of this work, which is an extension to the Expectation Maximization (EM) for the Gaussian mixture models, that assumes no prior knowledge of the number of components.Lastly, an application of the EM+ algorithm to filtering problems is presented. We propose a filtering algorithm that combines the advantages of the well-known particle filter and the mixture of Gaussian filter, while avoiding their issues.
Activity of Daptomycin against Recent North American Isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae

ABSTRACT Daptomycin MICs at which 50% of isolates were inhibited (MIC50s) and MIC90s determined by the NCCLS broth microdilution method were both 0.25 μg/ml (range, 0.06 to 2 μg/ml) for 350 pneumococcal isolates. MICs determined by E test strips on commercially prepared Mueller-Hinton sheep blood agars with different calcium contents were 2 to 3 dilutions higher than those determined by strips that contained daptomycin plus calcium. Daptomycin zone diameters varied little on the same media.
Phenotype of the zebrafish masterblind (mbl) mutant is dependent on genetic background

The zebrafish masterblind (mbl) mutant is characterized by the lack of olfactory placodes and optic vesicles, reduced telencephalon, an expanded epiphysis (Heisenberg et al. [ 1996 ] Development 123:191–203), and enlarged jaw. To understand the cellular events giving rise to the olfactory placode defect of this mutant, we examined the expression pattern of the distal‐less‐3 (dlx3) gene in mbl. In the mutant, dlx3, which is normally expressed in the developing nose and ear, showed reduced expression in the olfactory placode field, but normal expression in the developing ear. To determine whether the loss of dlx3 expression was due to cell loss, we assayed cell death by using TUNEL labeling. Although cell death in the mutant was not concentrated in the region of dlx3 expression, there was increased cell death in the forebrain, epiphysis, and jaw region, as compared with that in wild‐type controls. This cell death phenotype was cyclical in nature, showing an increase and decrease in cell death on a roughly 24‐hr cycle. Further analysis showed that this cyclical phenotype was specific to the genetic background. The severity of the mbl phenotype, including cell death, expanded epiphysis, and enlarged jaw, decreased when the mutation was moved from the original “TL” background to the “AB” background. Thus, the severity of developmental defects in the mbl mutant is strongly dependent on genetic background. We examined the contribution of cell death to the morphologic defects of mbl by blocking cell death by using zVADfmk, a known caspase inhibitor. We found that this treatment partially rescued the expanded jaw defect and that this rescue was dependent on the genetic background. Therefore, the mbl mutant phenotypes result, in part, from genetic background effects that alter the pattern of programmed cell death early in development. Developmental Dynamics 227:291–300, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Role of Mac-1 and ICAM-1 in ischemia-reperfusion injury in a microcirculation model of BALB/C mice.

The leukocyte beta 2-integrin Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18) and its endothelial ligand intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) are involved in leukocyte adhesion to and macromolecular leakage from postcapillary venules during inflammatory reactions. Both events are also encountered after ischemia-reperfusion of striated muscle, suggesting a central role of both adhesion proteins in reperfusion injury. Using intravital fluorescence microscopy and a microcirculation model in awake BALB/C mice, we investigated the effects of monoclonal antibodies (MAb) and Fab fragments to Mac-1 and MAb to ICAM-1 on leukocyte-endothelium interaction and macromolecular leakage of fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (1.5 x 10(5) mol wt) in striated skin muscle after 3 h of ischemia followed by reperfusion. We demonstrated that administration of MAb and Fab to Mac-1 before reperfusion was as effective as administration of MAb to ICAM-1, which was found to be significantly upregulated in the postischemic tissue by immunohistochemical analysis, in preventing postischemic leukocyte adhesion to and macromolecular leakage from postcapillary venules, whereas postischemic leukocyte rolling was not affected after MAb administration. Postischemic capillary perfusion was efficiently preserved in animals treated with anti-Mac-1 and anti-ICAM-1 MAb compared with animals receiving the isotype-matched control antibodies. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Effects on blood coagulation of adjuvant CNF (cyclophosphamide, novantrone, 5-fluorouracil) chemotherapy in stage II breast cancer patients.

We prospectively studied the alterations of coagulation during adjuvant CNF (Cyclophosphamide, Novantrone--Mitoxantrone, 5-Fluorouracil) chemotherapy in patients with stage II breast cancer. In 50 consecutive stage II breast cancer patients (pre-peri-postmenopausal), and 50 controls, serial coagulation parameters including prothrombin time (P.T.), partial thromboplastin time (P.T.T.), fibrinogen, fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products (F.D.P.), protein C, protein S, antithrombin III (AT-III) and platelet count were performed. Blood samples for coagulation tests were collected at pretherapy, midtherapy (before the 3rd course), before the 6th course of chemotherapy, and 2 months after the cessation of therapy (post-therapy) of 6 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy (Cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m2, Novantrone 10 mg/m2, 5-Fluorouracil 500 mg/m2). Chemotherapy was repeated every 3 weeks. None of our stage II breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant CNF chemotherapy developed thromboembolic complications. Before any treatment all the tested coagulation parameters were within the normal limits as compared to controls. No statistically significant changes of FDP were noted throughout the study. Fibrinogen, plasma protein C, protein S and AT-III were significantly decreased during chemotherapy. This decline was more evident at midtherapy. Their levels returned to the pretherapy values 2 months after the completion of chemotherapy. The P.T. was statistically shortened, while the P.T. T. showed a statistically significant prolongation during chemotherapy. In conclusion, it appears that monitoring stage II breast cancer with sophisticated coagulation tests during adjuvant CNF chemotherapy can not identify patients at high risk for thromboembolic events. These serially performed coagulation tests, could be considered as a cost-intensive monitoring and not justifiable as a screening for breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. However, the increasing number of reports of life-threatening and sometimes fatal thromboembolic events following chemotherapy or hormonochemotherapy are of great concern. Our results suggest caution when using chemotherapeutic agents in patients with other thrombosis risk factors, since a significant decrease of protein C and protein S was observed in all patients. Additional studies are required to determine the exact association between chemotherapy and/or hormonochemotherapy and thrombotic events.
Hepatocellular Carcinomas and Primary Liver Tumors as Predictive Factors for Postoperative Mortality after Liver Resection: A Meta-Analysis of More than 35,000 Hepatic Resections

Liver resection is considered the therapeutic gold standard for primary and metastatic liver neoplasms. The reduction of postoperative complications and mortality has resulted in a more aggressive approach to hepatic malignancies. For the most part, results of liver surgery have been published by highly experienced institutions, but the observations of highly specialized units results may not reflect the current status of hepatic surgery, underestimating mortality and complications. The objective of this study is to evaluate morbidity and mortality as a result of liver resection for primary and metastatic lesions, analyzing a large number of studies with a meta-analytic process taking into account the overdispersion of data. An extensive literature search has been conducted, and 148 papers published between January 2000 and April 2008, including a total of 36,629 patients from both high-volume and low volume institutions, were included in the meta-analysis. A beta binomial model was used to provide a robust estimate of the summary event rate by pooling overdispersion binomial data from different studies. Overall morbidity and mortality after liver surgery were 29.32 per cent and 3.15 per cent, respectively. Significantly higher postoperative mortality was observed after liver resection for hepatocellular carcinomas and primary hepatic tumors. The application of a beta binomial model to correct for overdispersion of liver surgery data showed significantly higher postoperative mortality rates in patients with hepatocellular carcinomas or primary hepatic tumors after liver resection.