Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High resolution computed tomography of the lung in lifelong non-smoking patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES--To define pulmonary involvement on high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of the thorax in lifelong non-smoking rheumatoid arthritis patients and to relate the results to pulmonary function, bronchial reactivity, and a variety of clinical and serological factors. METHODS--Twenty lifelong non-smoking RA patients (mean age 59 years (range 44-72; 18 females) were studied. Detailed medical and drug histories were taken. Protease inhibitor phenotype (Pi) and HLA-DR4 status were assessed. Schirmer's tear tests were performed to detect keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS). Spirometry, flow volume loops, and gas transfer factor measurement were recorded. The degree of bronchial reactivity (PC20 FEV1) was measured by a methacholine inhalation test. Chest and hand radiographs and HRCT of the lung were performed in all patients. RESULTS--Thirteen patients were HLA-DR4 positive. Eighteen had the Pi MM and two the Pi MS phenotype. Eight patients had evidence of KCS on Schirmer's tear testing. Ten patients achieved PC20 FEV1 in the methacholine inhalation test. All the patients had normal chest radiographs and all showed evidence of erosive arthropathy on hand radiographs. Five patients (25%) showed basal bronchiectasis and one mild interstitial lung disease on HRCT. All five patients with bronchiectasis had the Pi MM phenotype, four had HLA-DR4, four had KCS and three achieved PC20 FEV1; these values were not significantly different (p > 0.05) from those in patients without bronchiectasis. CONCLUSION--Using the highly sensitive technique of HRCT, we found evidence to suggest that the incidence of bronchiectasis in lifelong non-smoking RA patients may be much higher than previously reported.
Diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance among the inuit population of Greenland.

OBJECTIVE To assess the prevalence of diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) among the Inuit population of Greenland and to determine risk factors for developing glucose intolerance. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This cross-sectional study included 917 randomly selected adult Inuit subjects living in three areas of Greenland. Diabetes and IGT were diagnosed using the oral glucose tolerance test. BMI and waist-to-hip ratio were measured and blood samples were taken from each subject. Sociodemographic characteristics were investigated using a questionnaire. RESULTS The age-standardized prevalences of diabetes and IGT were 10.8 and 9.4% among men and 8.8 and 14.1% among women, respectively. Of those with diabetes, 70% had not been previously diagnosed. Significant risk factors for diabetes were family history of diabetes, age, BMI, and high alcohol consumption, whereas frequent intake of fresh fruit and seal meat were inversely associated with diabetic status. Age, BMI, family history of diabetes, sedentary lifestyle, and place of residence were significant predictors of IGT. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of diabetes is high among the Inuit of Greenland. Heredity was a major factor, while obesity and diet were important environmental factors. The high proportion of unknown cases suggests a need for increased diabetes awareness in Greenland.
An Empirical Evaluation of the Use of Fixed Cutoff Points in RMSEA Test Statistic in Structural Equation Models

This article is an empirical evaluation of the choice of fixed cutoff points in assessing the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) test statistic as a measure of goodness-of-fit in Structural Equation Models. Using simulation data, the authors first examine whether there is any empirical evidence for the use of a universal cutoff, and then compare the practice of using the point estimate of the RMSEA alone versus that of using it jointly with its related confidence interval. The results of the study demonstrate that there is little empirical support for the use of . 05 or any other value as universal cutoff values to determine adequate model fit, regardless of whether the point estimate is used alone or jointly with the confidence interval. The authors' analyses suggest that to achieve a certain level of power or Type I error rate, the choice of cutoff values depends on model specifications, degrees of freedom, and sample size.
Computed tomography features associated with operative management for nonstrangulating small bowel obstruction.

BACKGROUND The management of nonstrangulating small bowel obstruction (SBO) may require surgery, but the need for and timing of surgical intervention isn't always apparent. We sought to determine whether specific features on computed tomography (CT) can predict the necessity for operative management. METHODS Two radiologists independently reviewed CT scans from all patients admitted to hospital with SBO between 2004 and 2006. We examined the association between radiographic features and operative management by univariate analysis using the χ(2) or Fisher exact test. Significant factors with high concordance between radiologists were entered into a multivariable stepwise logistic regression model. RESULTS There were 228 patients with SBO, 63 of whom met our inclusion criteria and had CT scans available for review. Three CT features were frequently associated with operative management and had good concordance between radiologists: complete bowel obstruction, small bowel dilation greater than 4 cm and transition point. Transition point was the only significant factor predictive of operative management for SBO on multivariable logistic regression analysis (OR 19, 95% confidence interval 1.8-201, p = 0.014). CONCLUSION In patients with nonstrangulating SBO, the presence of a transition point on CT scan should alert the surgeon to the increased likelihood that operative management may be required.
The cyclic GMP‐protein kinase G pathway regulates cytoskeleton dynamics and motility in astrocytes

We have previously demonstrated that inflammatory compounds that increase nitric oxide (NO) synthase expression have a biphasic effect on the level of the NO messenger cGMP in astrocytes. In this work, we demonstrate that NO‐dependent cGMP formation is involved in the morphological change induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in cultured rat cerebellar astroglia. In agreement with this, dibutyryl‐cGMP, a permeable cGMP analogue, and atrial natriuretic peptide, a ligand for particulate guanylyl cyclase, are both able to induce process elongation and branching in astrocytes resulting from a rapid, reversible and concentration‐dependent redistribution of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and actin filaments without significant change in protein levels. These effects are also observed in astrocytes co‐cultured with neurons. The cytoskeleton rearrangement induced by cGMP is prevented by the specific protein kinase G inhibitor Rp‐8Br‐PET‐cGMPS and involves downstream inhibition of RhoA GTPase since is not observed in cells transfected with constitutively active RhoA. Furthermore, dibutyryl‐cGMP prevents RhoA‐membrane association, a step necessary for its interaction with effectors. Stimulation of the cGMP‐protein kinase G pathway also leads to increased astrocyte migration in an in vitro scratch‐wound assay resulting in accelerated wound closure, as seen in reactive gliosis following brain injury. These results indicate that cGMP‐mediated pathways may regulate physio‐pathologically relevant responses in astroglial cells.
Prospective risk of stillbirth and neonatal complications in twin pregnancies: systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To determine the risks of stillbirth and neonatal complications by gestational age in uncomplicated monochorionic and dichorionic twin pregnancies. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases (until December 2015). Review methods Databases were searched without language restrictions for studies of women with uncomplicated twin pregnancies that reported rates of stillbirth and neonatal outcomes at various gestational ages. Pregnancies with unclear chorionicity, monoamnionicity, and twin to twin transfusion syndrome were excluded. Meta-analyses of observational studies and cohorts nested within randomised studies were undertaken. Prospective risk of stillbirth was computed for each study at a given week of gestation and compared with the risk of neonatal death among deliveries in the same week. Gestational age specific differences in risk were estimated for stillbirths and neonatal deaths in monochorionic and dichorionic twin pregnancies after 34 weeks’ gestation. Results 32 studies (29 685 dichorionic, 5486 monochorionic pregnancies) were included. In dichorionic twin pregnancies beyond 34 weeks (15 studies, 17 830 pregnancies), the prospective weekly risk of stillbirths from expectant management and the risk of neonatal death from delivery were balanced at 37 weeks’ gestation (risk difference 1.2/1000, 95% confidence interval −1.3 to 3.6; I2=0%). Delay in delivery by a week (to 38 weeks) led to an additional 8.8 perinatal deaths per 1000 pregnancies (95% confidence interval 3.6 to 14.0/1000; I2=0%) compared with the previous week. In monochorionic pregnancies beyond 34 weeks (13 studies, 2149 pregnancies), there was a trend towards an increase in stillbirths compared with neonatal deaths after 36 weeks, with an additional 2.5 per 1000 perinatal deaths, which was not significant (−12.4 to 17.4/1000; I2=0%). The rates of neonatal morbidity showed a consistent reduction with increasing gestational age in monochorionic and dichorionic pregnancies, and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit was the commonest neonatal complication. The actual risk of stillbirth near term might be higher than reported estimates because of the policy of planned delivery in twin pregnancies. Conclusions To minimise perinatal deaths, in uncomplicated dichorionic twin pregnancies delivery should be considered at 37 weeks’ gestation; in monochorionic pregnancies delivery should be considered at 36 weeks. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42014007538.
[Detection of pulmonary nodules with breath-hold magnetic resonance imaging in comparison with computed tomography].

PURPOSE Evaluation of sensitivity and false positive findings of two fast MRI sequences for the detection of pulmonary nodules in comparison with spiral CT by two independent observers. MATERIALS AND METHODS All 30 enrolled patients had a spiral CT or MSCT as base line study. MRI was performed with a 1.5 T MR scanner (Sonata, Siemens) using a transverse 3D gradient echo sequence (3D-GRE: TR/TE/flip = 2.9 ms/1.1 ms/5 degrees ) and a half-Fourier single-shot fast spin-echo sequence (HASTE: TR/TE/flip = 800/25/150 degrees ) acquired in three planes. A separate analysis for both sequences was carried out prospectively by two independent readers (A and B) with different experience regarding pulmonary MRI. Additionally, a retrospective reading with knowledge of the CT scans was done. Results were calculated for all lesions and for lesions larger than 4 mm. RESULTS The sensitivities were 73 %, 70 % and 84 % for the 3D-GRE sequence (reader A, reader B, retrospective reading) and 65 %, 68 % and 81 % for the HASTE sequence. For lesions larger than 4 mm, the sensitivities were 93 %, 89 %, 96 % for the 3D-GRE sequence and 85 %, 85 %, 96 % for the HASTE sequence. The rate of false positive findings depended on the reader's experience, but was generally lower for the 3D-GRE sequence with 2 and 16 (reader A and B) false positive nodules compared to 4 and 40 false positive findings for the HASTE sequence. The 3D-GRE sequence was more accurate for both readers (reader A: p = 0.08, reader B: p = 0.00003). CONCLUSION The sensitivity of MRI for the detection of lung nodules was only acceptable for lesions larger than 4 mm. The 3D-GRE sequence is superior to the HASTE sequence due to the reduced amount of false positive findings with comparable sensitivity.
Understanding Members’ Active Participation in Online Question-and-Answer Communities: A Theory and Empirical Analysis

Abstract Community-based question-and-answer (Q&A) websites have become increasingly popular in recent years as an alternative to general-purpose Web search engines for open-ended complex questions. Despite their unique contextual characteristics, only a handful of Q&A websites have been successful in sustaining members’ active participation that, unlike lurking, consists of not only posting questions but also answering others’ inquiries. Because the specific design of the information technology artifacts on Q&A websites can influence their level of success, studying leading Q&A communities such as Yahoo! Answers (YA) provides insights into more effective design mechanisms. We tested a goal-oriented action framework using data from 2,920 YA users, and found that active online participation is largely driven by artifacts (e.g., incentives), membership (e.g., levels of membership and tenure), and habit (e.g., past behavior). This study contributes to the information systems literature by showing that active participation can be understood as the setting, pursuit, and automatic activation of goals.
Gesture generation by imitation: from human behavior to computer character animation

In an e ort to extend traditional human-computer interfaces research has introduced embodied agents to utilize the modalities of everyday human-human communication, like facial expression, gestures and body postures. However, giving computer agents a human-like body introduces new challenges. Since human users are very sensitive and critical concerning bodily behavior the agents must act naturally and individually in order to be believable. This dissertation focuses on conversational gestures. It shows how to generate conversational gestures for an animated embodied agent based on annotated text input. The central idea is to imitate the gestural behavior of a human individual. Using TV show recordings as empirical data, gestural key parameters are extracted for the generation of natural and individual gestures. The gesture generation task is solved in three stages: observation, modeling and generation. For each stage, a software module was developed. For observation, the video annotation research tool ANVIL was created. It allows the eAEcient transcription of gesture, speech and other modalities on multiple layers. ANVIL is application-independent by allowing users to de ne their own annotation schemes, it provides various import/export facilities and it is extensible via its plugin interface. Therefore, the tool is suitable for a wide variety of research elds. For this work, selected clips of the TV talk show \Das Literarische Quartett" were transcribed and analyzed, arriving at a total of 1,056 gestures. For the modeling stage, the NOVALIS module was created to compute individual gesture pro les from these transcriptions with statistical methods. A gesture pro le models the aspects handedness, timing and function of gestures for a single human individual using estimated conditional probabilities. The pro les are based on a shared lexicon of 68 gestures, assembled from the data. Finally, for generation, the NOVA generator was devised to create gestures based on gesture pro les in an overgenerate-andlter approach. Annotated text input is processed in a graph-based representation in multiple stages where semantic data is added, the location of potential gestures is determined by heuristic rules, and gestures are added and ltered based on a gesture pro le. NOVA outputs a linear, player-independent action script in XML.
Social functioning of patients with personality disorder in secondary care.

OBJECTIVE Patients with personality disorder are often viewed as falling outside the primary therapeutic role of specialist care. This focus on axis I disorders can lead to overlooking patients' personality function. This study explored the social dysfunction associated with personality function and its severity within secondary care. METHODS A cross-sectional survey using census data, face-to-face interviews, and audit of case notes was used to collect information from secondary care populations in four urban settings in the United Kingdom. The Quick Personality Assessment Schedule, the Comprehensive Psychopathology Rating Scale, and operational criteria for diagnosis were used to confirm axis I and axis II disorders. Social functioning was assessed with the Camberwell Assessment of Need and the Social Functioning Questionnaire. Because this was a secondary analysis, a priori hypotheses were tested to the p=. 01 level to minimize the possibility of type I error. RESULTS A total of 2,528 key workers completed questionnaires (99%), and 282 randomly selected patients were interviewed (71%). Severity of personality disorder accounted for 14% of the variance in objective measure of social dysfunction and for 19% of the variance in subjective measure of social dysfunction. Of other mental disorders, only depression interacted significantly with either measure, according to multiple stepwise linear regression. CONCLUSIONS Personality disturbance led to social dysfunction to a greater extent than most other pathology. In order to address the issue of social dysfunction, a variety of approaches are needed to turnattention toward personality pathology.
Assessment of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 Status in Urothelial Carcinoma of the Upper Urinary Tract: A Study Using Dual-color In Situ Hybridization and Immunohistochemistry

Aim:Upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UUTUC) is an uncommon neoplasm frequently discovered at a high-stage disease. The prognosis of disseminated UUTUCs is poor despite the use of platinum-based chemotherapy. The aim of the study was to evaluate HER2 overexpression and amplification in a series of 83 UUTUCs. Materials and Methods:All tumors were formalin fixed. TNM stage, grade, lymphovascular invasion, surgical margins, morphologic variants were reviewed by 2 pathologists. All tumors were immunostained with anti-HER2 antibody. HER2 gene amplification was determined by dual-color in situ hybridization. Gene amplification was defined by an HER2/CEN 17 ratio >2.2. Results:HER2 immunostaining was observed in 33/83 tumors. Twelve cases were 2+ score and 2 cases were 3+ score. HER2 in situ hybridization was evaluable in 75/83 cases. Amplification was observed in 6 (7%) cases. All amplified tumors were of high grade and 4/6 were stage pT3. A strong correlation between HER2 overexpression and amplification was noted (P<0.0001). HER2 overexpression and amplification were correlated with the pN+ stage but not with specific survival or recurrence. Conclusions:These results suggest that HER2 amplification is a rare event in UUTUC but may be of interest for targeted therapy in selected high-grade and high-stage tumors.
Promoter Interference in a Bacteriophage Lambda Control Region: Effects of a Range of Interpromoter Distances

ABSTRACT The pR and pRM promoters of bacteriophage lambda direct transcription in divergent directions from start sites separated by 83 phosphodiester bonds. We had previously shown that the presence of an RNA polymerase at pR interfered with open complex formation at pRM and that this effect was alleviated by the deletion of 10 bp between the two promoters. Here we present a detailed characterization of the dependence of the interference on the interpromoter distance. It was found that the reduced interference between the two promoters is unique to the 10-bp deletion. The relief of interference was demonstrated to be due to the facilitation of a step subsequent to RNA polymerase binding to the pRM promoter. A model to explain these observations is proposed. A search of known Escherichia coli promoters identified three pairs of divergent promoters with similar separations to those investigated here.
Oculomotor functions in a Swedish population of dyslexic and normally reading children

Abstract Eighty‐six nine‐year‐old dyslexic children were matched to control children with regard to age, sex, class in school, and intelligence. Orthoptic and eye movement analysis were performed on all children. It was concluded that the dyslexic pupils did not differ significantly from control children in terms of strabismus, accommodation, stereo acuity, vergence function or ocular dominance. Eye movement recordings did not show any qualitative differences between the groups in vergence dynamics during synoptophore investigations.
The modeling of randomly modulated jump processes

We treat the problem of modeling events happening randomly in time at a rate determined by some other random "signal" process. It is shown that a martingale model includes all previously proposed models for such problems and also covers the difficult case of "past-dependent" signals that arises in feedback communication and control problems. It turns out that this model is very similar to the well-known signal-in-additive-white-Gaussian-noise model, so that it can be used conveniently in solving problems of detection of signals in jump processes and estimation of signals from jump processes.
Patient rights.

POLICY: The patient, or his/her personal representative, is fully informed of his/her rights available under federal and state law, and of all rules and regulation governing patient conduct and responsibilities. The patient will be asked to acknowledge receipt of information on patient rights prior to or at the time of admission. Long term patients will be also be provided written information regarding patient rights annually.
Salivary Levels of NLRP3 Inflammasome‐Related Proteins as Potential Biomarkers of Periodontal Clinical Status

BACKGROUND Emerging evidence suggests that activation of inflammasomes plays a central mechanism in pathogenesis of periodontitis. This study aims to compare salivary levels of nod-like receptor family pyrin domain containing protein (NLRP) 3, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC), cysteine aspartase (caspase)-1, and interleukin (IL)-1β from individuals with aggressive (AgP) or chronic periodontitis (CP) and healthy controls (HC), as well as elucidate its association with periodontal clinical status. METHODS Saliva samples from individuals with CP (n = 75), AgP (n = 20), and HC (n = 69) were collected. Periodontal status was assessed by measurement of probing depth, clinical attachment level, and extent and severity of disease. Salivary levels of analytes were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Association between biomarkers with CP or AgP was analyzed using multivariate binary logistic regression models. RESULTS Significantly higher levels of NLRP3, ASC, and IL-1β were detected in periodontitis groups in comparison to the periodontally HC group. However, no significant differences were observed for caspase-1 levels between clinical groups, and only NLRP3 salivary concentration was significantly higher in AgP compared with CP patients. Also, positive significant correlations among NLRP3, ASC, and IL-1β salivary concentrations and clinical parameters were observed. Logistic regression analyses revealed a strong/independent association of NLRP3, ASC, and IL-1β salivary levels with CP and AgP. CONCLUSION Although the concentration of caspase-1 in saliva samples makes its determination useless for detection of periodontal disease and/or its severity, salivary levels of NLRP3, ASC, and IL-1β may act as strong/independent indicators of amount and extent of periodontal breakdown in both CP and AgP and could potentially be used for prevention and therapy of this group of diseases.