Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cost and Survival Analysis Before and After Implementation of Dana-Farber Clinical Pathways for Patients With Stage IV Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

PURPOSE Increasing costs and medical complexity are significant challenges in modern oncology. We explored the use of clinical pathways to support clinical decision making and manage resources prospectively across our network. MATERIALS AND METHODS We created customized lung cancer pathways and partnered with a commercial vendor to provide a Web-based platform for real-time decision support and post-treatment data aggregation. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) Pathways for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were introduced in January 2014. We identified all DFCI patients who were diagnosed and treated for stage IV NSCLC in 2012 (before pathways) and 2014 (after pathways). Costs of care were determined for 1 year from the time of diagnosis. RESULTS Pre- and postpathway cohorts included 160 and 210 patients with stage IV NSCLC, respectively. The prepathway group had more women but was otherwise similarly matched for demographic and tumor characteristics. The total 12-month cost of care (adjusted for age, sex, race, distance to DFCI, clinical trial enrollment, and EGFR and ALK status) demonstrated a $15,013 savings after the implementation of pathways ($67,050 before pathways v $52,037 after pathways). Antineoplastics were the largest source of cost savings. Clinical outcomes were not compromised, with similar median overall survival times (10.7 months before v 11.2 months after pathways; P = .08). CONCLUSION After introduction of a clinical pathway in metastatic NSCLC, cost of care decreased significantly, with no compromise in survival. In an era where comparative outcomes analysis and value assessment are increasingly important, the implementation of clinical pathways may provide a means to coalesce and disseminate institutional expertise and track and learn from care decisions.
Maternal and fetal inherited thrombophilias are not related to the development of severe preeclampsia.

OBJECTIVE Thrombotic vascular disease may predispose patients to the development of preeclampsia. The purpose of this study was to determine whether maternal or fetal genotype frequencies of the inherited thrombophilic gene mutations (factor V Leiden, methylenetetrahydrofolate, and prothrombin) are altered in severe preeclampsia. STUDY DESIGN We performed a prospective cross-sectional study to compare the maternal and fetal genotype frequencies of factor V Leiden, methylenetetrahydrofolate, and prothrombin. One hundred ten patients with severe preeclampsia were matched for gestational age to 97 normotensive pregnancies. Umbilical cord blood was obtained from 92 control patients and 75 patients with preeclampsia. Deoxyribonucleic acid was extracted from leukocytes and polymerase chain reaction was performed. Polymerase chain reaction products were digested with the appropriate restriction enzyme and fractionated by gel electrophoresis. Genotype frequencies were calculated. Statistical significance was determined by the chi(2) test. RESULTS There were no significant differences between patients with severe preeclampsia and control patients regarding frequency of maternal factor V Leiden G/506/A mutation (4.4% vs 4.3%; P =.96), methylenetetrahydrofolate CC/667/TT mutation (9.6% vs 6.3%; P =.54), or prothrombin G/20210/A mutation (0% vs 1.1%; P =.92). In addition, no statistical difference could be found between fetal thrombophilias and the development of preeclampsia. Findings were similar in both white (n = 47) and African American (n = 63) preeclamptic subsets. Moreover, there was no association between any of the maternal or fetal genetic polymorphisms and the incidence of hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count syndrome (n = 21); eclampsia (n = 12); or intrauterine growth restriction (n = 9). CONCLUSION Inherited thrombophilias are not associated with severe preeclampsia.
Interruption to cutaneous gas exchange is not a likely mechanism of WNS-associated death in bats

ABSTRACT Pseudogymnoascus destructans is the causative fungal agent of white-nose syndrome (WNS), an emerging fungal-borne epizootic. WNS is responsible for a catastrophic decline of hibernating bats in North America, yet we have limited understanding of the physiological interactions between pathogen and host. Pseudogymnoascus destructans severely damages wings and tail membranes, by causing dryness that leads to whole sections crumbling off. Four possible mechanisms have been proposed by which infection could lead to dehydration; in this study, we tested one: P. destructans infection could cause disruption to passive gas-exchange pathways across the wing membranes, thereby causing a compensatory increase in water-intensive pulmonary respiration. We hypothesized that total evaporative water loss would be greater when passive gas exchange was inhibited. We found that bats did not lose more water when passive pathways were blocked. This study provides evidence against the proposed proximal mechanism that disruption to passive gas exchange causes dehydration and death to WNS-infected bats. Summary: White-nose syndrome is unlikely to cause death in hibernating bats by interfering with passive gas exchange across wing surfaces.
The Multiple Facets of Influence

This study compares six metrics commonly used to identify influential players in two of Canada’s largest political Twitter communities based on the users, and ranking order of users, identified by each metric. All tweets containing the hashtag #CPC, representing the Conservative Party of Canada (government), and #NDP, representing the New Democratic Party of Canada (official opposition), were collected over a 2-week period in March 2013 and a follower network graph was created. Social network analysis and content analysis were employed to identify influentials. Kendall’s τ was the primary quantitative measure for comparison. Categorization of Twitter profiles of users found within the top 20 most influential lists, according to each metric of influence, made up the qualitative portion of analysis. The authors find that measures of centrality—indegree and eigenvector centrality—identify the traditional political elite (media outlets, journalists, politicians) as influential, whereas measures considering the quality of messages and interactions provide a different group of influencers, including political commentators and bloggers. Finally, the authors investigate the possibility of using the local clustering coefficient of nodes to identify those who are both aware of the traditional elite and embedded in tightly knit communities, similar to the “opinion leader,” described in the Two-Step Flow Hypothesis.
Performance Analysis of M-LWDF and EXP-PF Schedulers for Real Time Traffic in Satellite LTE Networks

This paper investigates the performance of the Modified Largest Weighted Delay First (M-LWDF) and Exponential Proportional Fairness (EXP-PF) scheduling schemes for satellite LTE with the adoption of MIMO technology. The Satellite Long Term Evolution (LTE) air interface will provide global coverage and hence complement its terrestrial counterpart in the provision of LTE services to mobile users. A land mobile dual-polarized GEO satellite system has been considered for this work. The packet scheduling scheme is a vital element that is needed in order to effectively utilize the resources of the satellite LTE network. The aim of this paper is to conduct a performance evaluation of the two scheduling algorithms through simulations, using throughput, average delay, packet loss ratio, and fairness indices as metrics. Video streaming and VoIP flows have been considered to model real-time traffic.
Equilibrium of acidifying and alkalinizing metabolic acid–base disorders in cirrhosis

Background and Aims: Conflicting results exist with regard to metabolic acid–base status in liver cirrhosis, when the classic concept of acid–base analysis is applied. The influence of the common disturbances of water, electrolytes and albumin on acid–base status in cirrhosis has not been studied. The aim of this study was to clarify acid–base status in cirrhotic patients by analyzing all parameters with possible impact on acid–base equilibrium.
Femoral Revision with the Wagner SL Revision Stem: Evaluation of One Hundred and Twenty-nine Revisions Followed for a Mean of 4.8 Years

Background: It is difficult to achieve a successful revision total hip replacement when a patient has severe proximal femoral bone loss. The Wagner SL revision stem has some theoretical advantages, but the durability of this prosthesis is not known. Methods: We reviewed the results of 129 revisions of the femoral component with a Wagner SL revision stem in 123 patients. The indication for revision was aseptic loosening in ninety-seven hips, periprosthetic fracture in thirteen (one of which also had an infection), and septic loosening in sixteen. In the three remaining hips, a Wagner revision stem was inserted during a second-stage reimplantation after the performance of a Girdlestone resection arthroplasty to treat chronic deep infection. The prerevision defects were classified with the system described by Pak et al. as well as with our system. A functional evaluation of the patients and a survival analysis of the revision stems were performed. Results: The mean duration of follow-up was 4.8 years (range, two months to 11.1 years). Six revision stems required repeat revision. With removal of the stem for any cause or the worst case (removal of the stem for any cause and/or lost to follow-up) as the end point, cumulative survival at 11.1 years was 93.9% and 92.8%, respectively. The mean Merle d’Aubigné score improved from 7.7 points preoperatively to 14.8 points at the latest follow-up examination. The most recent radiographs showed good or excellent restoration of the proximal part of the femur in 113 hips (88%). Conclusions: Because of the encouraging results of implantation of this femoral component with distal fixation, we will continue to use it in the majority of femoral revisions. However, the need for regular follow-up remains, since the rate of complications such as osteolysis of the femur, aseptic loosening, periprosthetic fracture, and late infection may increase in the future.
Bronchogenic Carcinoma after Lung Transplantation: Characteristics and Outcomes

Background: Lung cancer may occur in the lung transplant population because many patients are former smokers. Not much is known about risk factors and outcomes in these patients. Methods: We performed a search of the lung transplant database at our institution to identify patients who had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Records and reports were reviewed for demographics, risk factors for malignancy, lung transplant characteristics, radiographic characteristics, treatment, and outcomes. Results: We identified 12 lung transplant patients with bronchogenic carcinoma at our institution [age 47.2 ± 13.2 years (mean ± SD); 7 (58%) men and 5 (42%) women]. Eleven patients were transplanted for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Time from transplantation to diagnosis of cancer was 119 (21–416) [mean (range)] weeks. Eleven cancers occurred in the native lung; most common cancer cell types were adenocarcinoma (N = 5). Incidence among patients with COPD, who received single lung transplantation was 5.15%. Time from diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma to death was 10.8 (1–60) [mean (range)] weeks with a 75% (9/12) 1-year mortality. Conclusions: Among our patients, almost all cancers occurred in native lung in ex-smokers who received a lung transplant for COPD. The cancer was often an incidental finding on a routine chest radiograph; however, the disease was usually at an advanced stage at diagnosis, limiting therapeutic options.
Nasal Oxytocin Treatment Biases Dogs’ Visual Attention and Emotional Response toward Positive Human Facial Expressions

The neuropeptide oxytocin plays a critical role in social behavior and emotion regulation in mammals. The aim of this study was to explore how nasal oxytocin administration affects gazing behavior during emotional perception in domestic dogs. Looking patterns of dogs, as a measure of voluntary attention, were recorded during the viewing of human facial expression photographs. The pupil diameters of dogs were also measured as a physiological index of emotional arousal. In a placebo-controlled within-subjects experimental design, 43 dogs, after having received either oxytocin or placebo (saline) nasal spray treatment, were presented with pictures of unfamiliar male human faces displaying either a happy or an angry expression. We found that, depending on the facial expression, the dogs’ gaze patterns were affected selectively by oxytocin treatment. After receiving oxytocin, dogs fixated less often on the eye regions of angry faces and revisited (glanced back at) more often the eye regions of smiling (happy) faces than after the placebo treatment. Furthermore, following the oxytocin treatment dogs fixated and revisited the eyes of happy faces significantly more often than the eyes of angry faces. The analysis of dogs’ pupil diameters during viewing of human facial expressions indicated that oxytocin may also have a modulatory effect on dogs’ emotional arousal. While subjects’ pupil sizes were significantly larger when viewing angry faces than happy faces in the control (placebo treatment) condition, oxytocin treatment not only eliminated this effect but caused an opposite pupil response. Overall, these findings suggest that nasal oxytocin administration selectively changes the allocation of attention and emotional arousal in domestic dogs. Oxytocin has the potential to decrease vigilance toward threatening social stimuli and increase the salience of positive social stimuli thus making eye gaze of friendly human faces more salient for dogs. Our study provides further support for the role of the oxytocinergic system in the social perception abilities of domestic dogs. We propose that oxytocin modulates fundamental emotional processing in dogs through a mechanism that may facilitate communication between humans and dogs.
Is karate effective in improving postural control

Background: Performing complex motor skills, such as the ones performed by karate athletes, requires a great sense of balance. Because the posturo-kinetic performance seems to be improved by sport practice, especially by sports involving a lot of posturokinetic activities, the aim of this review was to critically analyse the scientific literature in order to appraise whether any positive correlation between karate and improved postural control is scientifically supported. Material/Methods: The online search engines Scirus and Medline were used for generating the data. A comprehensive literature search was conducted based on the following keywords: “karate”, “postural control” and “body sway”. Results were collected and filtered manually. Results: Four articles were identified related to karate practice and postural control, covering a period between 1998 and 2009. Although different experimental approaches were used to investigate this concept, overall the results of these studies confirm the effectiveness of karate in improving postural control. Conclusions: Practicing karate seems to elicit long term improvements in postural control. However, a much deeper approach to this fighting sport, which would take into account its technical specificities (e.g. kata & kumite), is required in order to increase our understanding of the posture-kinetic impact of this relatively unexplored sport activity.
Social and monumental space in Neolithic Thessaly, Greece

The article considers the ways in which material culture and especially architecture is used in the negotiation of social relationships in Neolithic settlements in Thessaly, Greece. Thus it reconstructs the possibilities past agents had to form an identity in relation to houses and subsequently the consequences of two different habitation strategies, i.e. rebuilding on the same spot or relocation to another area, in relation to the conceptualization of time and the past. It is suggested that the different entanglement of memories with the material culture played an important role in the negotiation of relationships, by allowing agents to use the past as cultural capital and, even more, in the late Neolithic, to appropriate its reference points spatially and thus lay preferential claims over it.
Internalization of the radioiodinated somatostatin analog [125I-Tyr3]octreotide by mouse and human pituitary tumor cells: increase by unlabeled octreotide.

Recently, we developed a technique that allows the in vivo visualization in man of somatostatin receptor-positive neuroendocrine tumors after i.v. injection of [125I-Tyr3]octreotide or [111In-DTPA-D-Phe1]octreotide. Radiotherapy of such tumors using somatostatin analogs coupled to alpha- or beta-emitting radionuclides has been proposed as an application for radiolabeled somatostatin analogs. To develop this concept further, it is of importance to know whether the above-mentioned radiolabeled somatostatin analogs are internalized by the tumor cells, and whether it might be possible to manipulate the degree of internalization. In the present study we investigated the internalization of a stable somatostatin analog, [125I-Tyr3]octreotide, by mouse AtT20/D16V pituitary tumor cells and primary cultures of human GH-secreting pituitary tumor cells. Treatment of the cells with low pH was used to distinguish between membrane-bound (acid-releasable) and internalize (acid-resistant) radioligand. [125I-Tyr3]octreotide showed a time-dependent increasing accumulation in AtT20 cells; after 4 h of incubation, values up to 6-8% of the dose of radioligand added were obtained. Binding and internalization of [125I-Tyr3]octreotide were temperature dependent and inhibited by pertussis toxin. Inhibitors of lysosomal degradation did not increase the amount of internalized radioligand. After 4 h of incubation, 88% of the radioactivity present in the cells was still peptide bound, suggesting a low intracellular breakdown of this radioligand. Six of seven human GH-secreting adenoma cell cultures also internalized [125I-Tyr3]octreotide (variation between 0.24-4.98% of the dose radioligand added). Displacement of binding and internalization of [125I-Tyr3]octreotide by unlabeled octreotide showed a bell-shaped curve in AtT20 cells. At low concentrations (0.1 and 1 nM), binding and internalization were increased, whereas at higher concentrations, saturation occurred. In contrast to this, binding of [125I-Tyr3]octreotide to a broken cell preparation of AtT20 cells was displaced in a dose-dependent manner by unlabeled octreotide, with an IC50 of 0.1 nM. Similar observations were made in the human GH-secreting adenoma cell cultures. In conclusion, a high amount of [125I-Tyr3]octreotide is internalized in a specific-, time-, temperature-, and pertussis toxin-sensitive GTP-binding protein-dependent manner by mouse AtT20 and human GH-secreting pituitary tumor cells. In the presence of a low concentration of unlabeled octreotide, a rapid increase in the amount of [125I-Tyr3]octreotide internalized by AtT20 cells and by the majority of the human GH-secreting adenoma cell cultures was found. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Nomenclature of granulocyte alloantigens

The Granulocyte Antigen Working Party of the International Society of Blood Transfusion recently published a new nomenclature for granulocyte alloantigens.1 In this nomenclature, the coding genes for NA1, NA2, and SH are presented as three different alleles (FCGR3B*1, FCGR3B*2, and FCGR3B*3) at the locus FCGR3B. However, for the following reasons, we believe that this is probably not the usual case. In 1997, Bux et al.2 published the DNA sequence that is specific for SH, and, because of close homology between NA2 and SH, they proposed that SH was a third allele in the FCGR3B locus. Although SH may be located at the FCGR3B locus, there is no evidence to support this proposal. Morever, persons carrying three different alleles have been described by Koene et al.3 and subsequently by others.4,5 These findings support the existence of two different loci coding for NA1/NA2 and SH, respectively. The two loci are in linkage disequilibrium,4,5 and SH may be linked to either NA1 or NA2. In one study, SH seemed to be associated most frequently with NA2.2 In other studies, SH was more frequently associated with NA1.4,5 Homologous alleles to SH have not been identified, and it is likely that a null allele is the most common at this locus, at least in whites. In the study by Koene et al.,5 granulocyte membranes from three SH-positive persons who were heterozygous for NA1/NA2 expressed 50 percent more FcγRIIIb than did granulocyte membranes from SH-negative persons. The amount of FCGR3B gene material detected by quantitative Southern blotting was 50 percent higher in SHpositive persons than in SH-negative persons.3 In view of this information, we propose that the gene coding for SH should be designated FCGR3C and its allele designated FCGR3C*1. Rudi Steffensen, MT Kim Varming, MD Casper Jersild, MD Regional Center for Blood Transfusion and Clinical Immunology Aalborg Hospital, Reberbansgade DK-9100 Aalborg, Denmark e-mail: rudi@aas.nja. dk
Mechanical and physical responses to stretching with and without preisometric contraction in human skeletal muscle.

OBJECTIVE To examine electromyography (EMG) activity, passive torque, and stretch perception during static stretch and contract-relax stretch. DESIGN Two separate randomized crossover protocols: (1) a constant angle protocol on the right side, and (2) a variable angle protocol on the left side. SUBJECTS 10 male volunteers. INTERVENTION Stretch-induced mechanical response in the hamstring muscles during passive knee extension was measured as knee flexion torque (Nm) while hamstring surface EMG was measured. Final position was determined by extending the knee to an angle that provoked a sensation similar to a stretch maneuver. Constant angle stretch: The knee was extended to 10 degree below final position, held 10sec, then extended to the final position and held for 80 sec. Variable angle stretch: The knee was extended from the starting position to 10 degrees below the final position, held 10sec, then extended to the onset of pain. Subjects produced a 6-sec isometric contraction with the hamstring muscles 10 degrees below the final position in the contract-relax stretch, but not in the static stretch. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Passive torque, joint range of motion, velocity, and hamstring EMG were continuously recorded. RESULTS Constant angle contract-relax and static stretch did not differ in passive torque or EMG response. In the final position, passive torque declined 18% to 21% in both contract-relax and static stretch (p<.001), while EMG activity was unchanged. In the variable angle protocol, maximal joint angle and corresponding passive torque were significantly greater in contract-relax compared with static stretch(p<.01), while EMG did not differ. CONCLUSION At a constant angle the viscoelastic and EMG response was unaffected by the isometric contraction. The variable angle protocol demonstrated that PNF stretching altered stretch perception.