Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of fluoroscopically guided caudal epidural injections.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate accuracy of needle placement and flow patterns of fluoroscopically guided caudal epidural injections. DESIGN A prospective observational study of patients with low back pain undergoing caudal epidural injections under fluoroscopy. BACKGROUND Epidural administration of corticosteroids is one of the commonly used interventions in managing chronic low back pain. Sacral or caudal epidural placement of the needle is one of the commonly used means to access the lumbar epidural space for administration of various drugs. METHODS A total of 100 consecutive patients underwent fluoroscopically guided caudal epidural injections. Needle insertion was performed blindly (without the use of fluoroscopic guidance) based on palpable landmarks, palpation of subcutaneous airflow, subjective impression that the needle was in a satisfactory position, and ease of injection of contrast. These clinical criteria were compared with the position of the needle as seen under fluoroscopy and the spread of radiopaque contrast in the epidural space. The contrast flow patterns, ventral or dorsal epidural filling, nerve root filling, and correlation of filling to the side of pain were evaluated. RESULTS Successful injection placement without fluoroscopic visualization was confirmed on subsequent fluoroscopic visualization in 77% of the patients. Various filling and flow patterns showed that with injection of 10 mL of contrast, filling was noted up to S1 in 70% of the patients, followed by L5 nerve root filling in 12% of the patients. Ventral epidural filling was seen in 69% of the patients, in contrast to dorsal filling in 92% of the patients. Nerve root filling correlated with leg pain in only 43% of the patients. Intravenous placement of the needle was noted in 14% of the patients with positive flashback and aspiration in 50% of the patients. CONCLUSION Caudal epidural injections are ideally performed with fluoroscopic guidance as the gold standard for accurate needle placement. However, this does not assure either targeted delivery or accurate placement of the drug.
Cytochrome P450 1B1 inhibition suppresses tumorigenicity of prostate cancer via caspase-1 activation

Cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) is recognized as a universal tumor biomarker and a feasible therapeutic target due to its specific overexpression in cancer tissues. Despite its up-regulation in prostate cancer (PCa), biological significance and clinicopathological features of CYP1B1 are still elusive. Here, we show that overexpression or hyperactivation of CYP1B1 stimulated proliferative, migratory and invasive potential of non-tumorigenic PCa cells. Attenuation of CYP1B1 with its specific small hairpin (sh) RNAs greatly reduced proliferation through apoptotic cell death and impaired migration and invasion in PCa cells. Intratumoral injection of CYP1B1 shRNA attenuated growth of pre-existing tumors. The antitumor effect of CYP1B1 shRNA was also observed in prostate tumor xenograft mouse models. Among the genes altered by CYP1B1 knockdown, reduction of caspase-1 (CASP1) activity attenuated the antitumor effect of CYP1B1 inhibition. Indeed, CYP1B1 regulates CASP1 expression or activity. Finally, CYP1B1 expression was increased in higher grades of PCa and overall survival was significantly reduced in patients with high levels of CYP1B1 protein. CYP1B1 expression was reversely associated with CASP1 expression in clinical tissue samples. Together, our results demonstrate that CYP1B1 regulates PCa tumorigenesis by inhibiting CASP1 activation. Thus, the CYP1B1-CASP1 axis may be useful as a potential biomarker and a therapeutic target for PCa.
The in Vivo Phosphorylation Sites of Rat Brain Dynamin I*

Dynamin I (dynI) is phosphorylated in synaptosomes at Ser774 and Ser778 by cyclin-dependent kinase 5 to regulate recruitment of syndapin I for synaptic vesicle endocytosis, and in PC12 cells on Ser857. Hierarchical phosphorylation of Ser774 precedes phosphorylation of Ser778. In contrast, Thr780 phosphorylation by cdk5 has been reported as the sole site (Tomizawa, K., Sunada, S., Lu, Y. F., Oda, Y., Kinuta, M., Ohshima, T., Saito, T., Wei, F. Y., Matsushita, M., Li, S. T., Tsutsui, K., Hisanaga, S. I., Mikoshiba, K., Takei, K., and Matsui, H. (2003) J. Cell Biol. 163, 813–824). To resolve the discrepancy and to better understand the biological roles of dynI phosphorylation, we undertook a systematic identification of all phosphorylation sites in rat brain nerve terminal dynI. Using phosphoamino acid analysis, exclusively phospho-serine residues were found. Thr780 phosphorylation was not detectable. Mutation of Ser774, Ser778, and Thr780 confirmed that Thr780 phosphorylation is restricted to in vitro conditions. Mass spectrometry of 32P-labeled phosphopeptides separated by two-dimensional mapping revealed seven in vivo phosphorylation sites: Ser774, Ser778, Ser822, Ser851, Ser857, Ser512, and Ser347. Quantification of 32P radiation in each phosphopeptide showed that Ser774 and Ser778 were the major sites (up to 69% of the total), followed by Ser851 and Ser857 (12%), and Ser853 (2%). Phosphorylation of Ser851 and Ser857 was restricted to the long tail splice variant dynIxa and was not hierarchical. Co-purified, 32P-labeled dynIII was phosphorylated at Ser759, Ser763, and Ser853. Ser853 is homologous to Ser851 in dynIxa. The results identify all major and several minor phosphorylation sites in dynI and provide the first measure of their relative abundance and relative responses to depolarization. The multiple phospho-sites suggest subtle regulation of synaptic vesicle endocytosis by new protein kinases and new protein-protein interactions. The homologous dynI and dynIII phosphorylation indicates a high mechanistic similarity. The results suggest a unique role for the long splice variants of dynI and dynIII in nerve terminals.
Strategies of High-Performing EMT-Basic Educational Programs

Introduction. The objective of this project was to identify the specific educational strategies used by emergency medical technician (EMT) educational programs that have attained consistently high success rates on the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) examination. Methods. NREMT data from 2001 to 2005 was analyzed in order to identify consistently high-performing EMT-Basic educational programs. Representatives from each program were invited to participate in a focus group. Using the nominal group technique (NGT), participants were asked to answer the following question: “What are specific strategies that lead to a successful EMT-Basic educational program? ” Results. Ten out of the 12 EMS educational programs meeting the eligibility requirements participated. After completing the seven-step NGT process, 12 strategies were identified as leading to a successful EMT-Basic educational program: 1) accept students who are highly motivated to succeed; 2) assure institutional support; 3) administer multiple assessments; 4) develop standardized lesson plans; 5) have a passing standard that is above the minimum competency level; 6) hire qualified/certified instructors; 7) maintain effective communication between didactic, practical, andfield instructors; 8) maintain instructional consistency; 9) provide clearly defined objectives; 10) provide immediate feedback for written, practical evaluations to students; 11) require prerequisites; and12) teach test-taking skills. Conclusions. Twelve specific strategies were identified by high-performing EMT-Basic programs. From these, seven recommendations to improve programmatic pass rates on the NREMT certification exam were derived. Further study should be conducted to determine if implementation of these recommendations improves programmatic pass rates on the NREMT certification exam.
Do mothers of overweight Argentinean preschool children perceive them as such?

Childhood overweight is rapidly on the rise and underlies the younger presentation of diabetes. The aim of this study was to determine the association between overweight and age, sex, and the perception of the overweight children by their mothers. Three hundred and twenty‐one (160 males) children (mean age 4.39 ± SD 0.83 yr) [body mass index (BMI) 16.6 ± 2.11] from schools at the kindergarten level were evaluated. Data on age, sex, weight, and height were recorded. At risk for overweight and overweight were defined as a BMI of ≥85th or ≥95th percentile, respectively. Written questionnaires for mothers’ perceptions about their children’s eating habits (a lot, right, little, or very little) and shape (very fat, fat, normal, and thin) were performed. The prevalence of at risk of overweight and overweight was 19 and 18.4%, respectively. There was a significant difference in the proportion of distorted perception of shape between mothers of normal‐weight children vs. those of at risk of overweight and overweight children (17 vs. 87.5%, p < 0.001). Seventy‐six and 98% of mothers of overweight and at risk of overweight children, respectively, rated them as normal or thin. Mothers exhibited poor overall ability to estimate the way at risk of overweight and overweight children ate. There was a significant difference in the proportion of distorted perception of eating habits between mothers of normal‐weight children vs. those of at risk of overweight and overweight children (36.3 vs. 90.8%, p < 0.001). Eighty‐four and 96% of mothers of obese and overweight children, respectively, thought that their children ate right or little. A multiple regression analysis using BMI > 95th percentile as the dependent variable showed that the mothers’ perceptions of shape and eating habits [odds ratio 4.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.5–7.8; p < 0.0001] were both significant independent risk factors for overweight, adjusted for age and sex. The agreement between the perception of shape and eating habits vs. the medical records BMI > 95th percentile was poor; for shape: kappa 0.31 + 0.07; 95% CI 0.17–0.44, and for nutrition: 0.14 + 0.06; 95% CI 0.02–0.27. This suggests that the mothers’ perceptions of shape and eating behavior is a predictor of obesity and could be used in clinical practice as a simple tool to identify children at high risk for overweight.
Culture Conditions for the Mycelial Growth of Ganoderma applanatum

Ganoderma applanatum is one of the most popular medicinal mushrooms due to the various biologically active components it produces. This study was conducted to obtain basic information regarding the mycelial culture conditions of Ganoderma applanatum. Based on the colony diameter and mycelial density, PDA, YMA and MCM media were suitable for the mycelial growth of the mushroom. The optimum temperature for mycelial growth was found to be 25~30°C. The optimum carbon and nitrogen sources were mannose and dextrin, respectively, and the optimum C/N ratio was 2 to 10 when 2% glucose was used. Other minor components required for the optimal growth included thiamine-HCl and biotin as vitamins, succinic acid and lactic acid as organic acids, and MgSO4·7H2O, KH2PO4 and NaCl as mineral salts.
Molecular marker of Plasmodium falciparum resistance to chloroquine (Pfcrt) in an area with long history of antimalarial resistance

Background High levels Plasmodium falciparum resistance to Chloroquine (CQ) compelled Tanzania to replace CQ with Suphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) as first-line antimalarial in 2001 which was however replaced with Artemether Lumefantrine (AL) in 2006. Studies in Malawi have shown sufficient recovery of CQ-sensitivity after its withdrawal warranting re-using CQ in combination with other antimalarials in the future. This paper assessed the level of CQ resistance at molecular level in an area with long history of antimalarial resistance in Northeastern Tanzania.
Captain America and the Nationalist Superhero: Metaphors, Narratives, and Geopolitics

Nationalist superheroes-such as Captain America, Captain Canuck, and Union Jack-often signify the "nation-state" for readers, but how do these characters and comic books address issues of multiculturalism and geopolitical order? In his engaging book Captain America and the Nationalist Superhero, geographer Jason Dittmer traces the evolution of the comic book genre as it adapted to new national audiences. He argues that these iconic superheroes contribute to our contemporary understandings of national identity, the righteous use of power, and the role of the United States, Canada, and Britain in the world. Tracing the nationalist superhero genre from its World War II origins to contemporary manifestations throughout the world, Captain America and the Nationalist Superhero analyzes nearly one thousand comic books and audience responses to those books. Dittmer also interviews key comic book writers from Stan Lee and J. M. DeMatteis to Steve Englehart and Paul Cornell. At a time when popular culture is saturated with superheroes and their exploits, Captain America and the Nationalist Superhero highlights the unique relationship between popular culture and international relations. Copyright © 2013 by Temple University. All rights reserved.
Differential Gene Expression in Cultured Osteoblasts and Bone Marrow Stromal Cells From Patients With Paget's Disease of Bone

Paget's disease is a focal condition of bone. To study changes in cells within pagetic lesions, we cultured osteoblasts and stromal cells from 22 patients and compared gene expression in these cells to cells from healthy bone. We identified several differentially regulated genes, and we suggest that these changes could lead to the formation of the lesions.
Individual Appropriation of Learning Management Systems - Antecedents and Consequences

IT support in the learning process constitutes a key factor for the success of innovative teaching/learning scenarios. To ensure learning success in innovative teaching/learning scenarios, learners need to faithfully apply learning management systems (LMS). However, we lack theoretical insights into which factors affect whether they do so. To help solve this issue, we first used adaptive structuration theory to identify antecedents and consequences regarding faithful LMS appropriation and embed them into a theoretical model. Second, we conducted a survey study with 173 participants to evaluate the model. The results show that the perceived IT support, interactivity, and the task-technology fit significantly affect the degree to which learners faithfully apply a LMS. Moreover, the results indicate that faithful appropriation is a significant indicator of the learning process satisfaction as well as perceived learning success. The present paper thus theoretically contributes to the scientific discussion concerning technology-mediated learning processes while also making a practical contribution by deriving implications for LMS application.
Effects of computer keyboarding on ultrasonographic measures of the median nerve.

BACKGROUND Keyboarding is a highly repetitive daily task and has been linked to musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremity. However, the effect of keyboarding on median nerve injuries is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to use ultrasonographic measurements to determine whether continuous keyboarding can cause acute changes in the median nerve. METHODS Ultrasound images of the median nerve from 21 volunteers were captured at the levels of the pisiform and distal radius prior to and following a prolonged keyboarding task (i.e., 1 hr of continuous keyboarding). Images were analyzed by a blinded investigator to quantify the median nerve characteristics. Changes in the median nerve ultrasonographic measures as a result of continuous keyboarding task were evaluated. RESULTS Cross-sectional areas at the pisiform level were significantly larger in both dominant (P = 0.004) and non-dominant (P = 0.001) hands following the keyboarding task. Swelling ratio was significantly greater in the dominant hand (P = 0.020) after 60 min of keyboarding when compared to the baseline measures. Flattening ratios were not significantly different in either hand as a result of keyboarding. CONCLUSION We were able to detect an acute increase in the area of the median nerve following 1 hr of keyboarding with a computer keyboard. This suggests that keyboarding has an impact on the median nerve. Further studies are required to understand this relationship, which would provide insight into the pathophysiology of median neuropathies such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
New pathways for end-to-end validation of CT ventilation imaging (CTVI) using deformable image registration

Computed tomography ventilation imaging (CTVI) is a powerful functional lung imaging modality based on quantification of lung motion in four-dimensional CT (4DCT). However the implementation of CTVI workflows is challenging, requiring seamless integration of lung segmentation, de-formable image registration (DIR) and motion field analysis. To address the need for open source CTVI software, we have developed VESPIR (VEntilation via Scripted Pulmonary Image Registration), a command-line toolkit for prototyping CTVI workflows using the MATLAB programming interface. This paper describes the capabilities of VESPIR to achieve stepwise improvement in CTVI accuracy by comparing paired 4DCT and clinical ventilation imaging.
Pain Perception and Response: Central Nervous System Mechanisms

ABSTRACT: Although several decades of studies have detailed peripheral and ascending nociceptive pathways to the thalamus and cerebral cortex, pain is a symptom that has remained difficult to characterize anatomically and physiologically. Positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic imaging (fMRI) have recently demonstrated a number of cerebral and brain stem loci responding to cutaneous noxious stimuli. However, intersubject variability, both in the frequency and increased or decreased intensity of the responses, has caused uncertainty as to their significance. Nevertheless, the large number of available imaging studies have shown that many areas with recognized functions are frequently affected by painful stimuli. With this evidence and recent developments in tracing central nervous system connections between areas responding to noxious stimuli, it is possible to identify nociceptive pathways that are within, or contribute to, afferent spinothalamo-cortical sensory and efferent skeletomotor and autonomic motor systems. In this study it is proposed that cortical and nuclear mechanisms for pain perception and response are hierarchically arranged with the prefrontal cortex at its highest level. Nevertheless, all components make particular contributions without which certain nociceptive failures can occur, as in pathological pain arising in some cases of nervous system injury.
Expression of erythropoietin and its receptor in neuroblastomas

Children with high‐risk neuroblastomas (NB) potentially may benefit from treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (Epo). Epo is a stimulator of erythropoiesis, acting through its receptor (EpoR). The objective of the current study was to evaluate expression levels of Epo and EpoR in NB and in normal tissues and their effects on the proliferation of tumor cells.
NUTSEDGE ( CYPERUS SPP ) CONTROL IN ALFALFA

The competitive advantage of purple and yellow nutsedge in low desert alfalfa production areas of Southern California and Arizona is due to a combination of factors. These include frequent harvest and irrigation, high incident solar radiation, high summer temperatures that are supraoptimal for alfalfa growth, and the presence of C4 photosynthesis and vegetative reproduction (e.g., tubers) in nutsedge species. Research in Arizona has shown that only three herbicides have the ability to suppress the growth of purple nutsedge in alfalfa in the low desert: Eptam (EPTC), Zorial (norflurazon) and glyphosate (Roundup, Touchdown and other trade names). Multiple Eptam granule applications can reduce the amount of nutsedge foliage in alfalfa hay and the density of purple nutsedge shoots (stem/ft) compared to untreated areas but nutsedge density in both treated and untreated areas increased during the first two years of the alfalfa stand. Zorial granules applied at 1 to 3 lb ai/A in a heavily infested alfalfa field (60 to 80% nutsedge cover) resulted in poor control (30 to 40% control) following a single spring application and 76 to 94% control in treatments receiving two applications per year (i.e., spring and summer) for 2 years. Zorial was not applied in the third year of the study but residual soil concentrations of norflurazon continued to provide substantial suppression of purple nutsedge. By August of the third year, the 2 lb ai/A per year and lower rate treatments did not keep purple nutsedge densities from rebounding to pretreatment levels while the 3 and 4 lb ai/A per year rate provided 51 and 75% suppression, respectively. Similar purple nutsedge suppression was observed in a second study where treatments were initiated in the spring following a fall alfalfa planting in a field with a lower initial density. In another study, glyphosate was applied in the summer and fall in a fallow field infested with purple nutsedge that mimicked the appearance of heavily infested, recently cut and irrigated fields in Parker Valley, AZ. Two to 4 glyphosate applications at 1.5 lb ae/A greatly reduced nutsedge tuber sprouting and shoot emergence in the following spring. Experiments to date suggest that reducing purple nutsedge tuber populations in alfalfa fields may be greatly facilitated by the commercial introduction of Roundup Ready alfalfa.
Parametric Study of High-Temperature Volumetric Solar Absorbers

Due to its extraordinary potential when compared to other energy sources, solar energy has been the main target for renewable energy investment for the past years, with the purpose of increasing the conversion efficiencies and making it profitable, while exploring new ways of harnessing more solar radiation. This study is focused on one of the most recent technologies regarding solar energy, the Solar Power Tower, which is a prospective solution to replace the common coal power plants, more precisely on the reticulated porous ceramic (RPC) material used to absorb the reflected radiation intensity at the top of the tower and transfer that energy to a working fluid. In this work, a computational model using the discrete ordinates (DO) method on a discretized one-dimensional domain is developed, taking into account the heat transfers by conduction, convection and radiation, and is used to predict the performance of the RPC absorber. The individual working parameters, such as the thermal conductivity, the porosity of the absorber and the fluid mass flow rate are then studied with the purpose of increasing the solar to thermal conversion efficiency at the volumetric receiver, and several case studies are presented.
Secret-key agreement with public discussion over multi-antenna transmitters with amplitude constraints

We consider secret-key agreement with public discussion over a multiple-input single output (MISO) Gaussian channel with an amplitude constraint. We prove that the capacity is achieved by a discrete input, i.e., an input whose support is sparse. The proof follows from the concavity of the conditional mutual information in terms of the input distribution and hence the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) condition provides a necessary and sufficient condition for optimality. Then, a contradiction argument that rules out the non-sparsity of any optimal input's support is utilized. The latter approach is essential to apply the identity theorem in a multidimensional setting as Rn is not an open subset of Cn.