Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Rest Myocardial Perfusion Imaging on Clinical Management of Non-High Risk Chest Pain in the VA Caribbean Healthcare System Emergency Department: 2006-2008.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the appropriate clinical use of an acute rest myocardial perfusion imaging (R-MPI) in the initial emergency department (ED) evaluation of a patient presenting with chest pain (CP). METHODS This is a retrospective study of patients evaluated with CP at the ED with an acute R-MPI. The data collected included medical history, clinical presentation, electrocardiogram, laboratory data, MPI results, confirmatory studies, disposition diagnosis and cost analysis. RESULTS Three-hundred-sixty-six (366) patients were evaluated. The population studied had a mean Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) score of 2 and predominance of patients in the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) CP Category-Scale between level 3 and 4 (34% and 49% respectively). The risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) was significantly higher in patients with abnormal compared to normal studies (50% versus 0.4%; P < .0005; RR, 129.5; 95% CI, 18 to 924). There were a total of 14 and 19 major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) events during the follow-up of 30-days and 1-year respectively. There were no cardiovascular fatalities. The risk of MACE at 30-days was significantly higher in patients with abnormal compared to normal studies (12% versus 0.4%; P < .001; RR, 32; 95% CI, 4.2 to 240), as well as with 1-year of follow-up (14% versus 1.6%; P < .001; RR, 9.1; 95% CI, 3.1 to 27). CONCLUSION Using acute R-MPI in the evaluation of non-high risk patients presenting with CP is a safe, reliable and cost-effective strategy to be used in the ED to predict ACS and future MACE.
A Nationwide Study of Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2A in Norway: Predictive and Prognostic Factors for the Clinical Course of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN 2A) is an autosomal dominant syndrome caused by activating germline mutations in the RET (REarranged during Transfection) proto-oncogene. MEN 2A has a strong (>95%) and age-dependent (5-25 years) clinical penetrance of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). Several major studies have analyzed the predictive and prognostic factors for MEN 2A to find indicators that predict the optimal timing of prophylactic thyroidectomy. The aims of this study were to describe all known RET positive MEN 2A patients diagnosed in Norway and to evaluate the clinical course of MTC, as well as its predictive and prognostic factors. METHODS This nationwide retrospective cohort study included data for 65 (14 index and 51 screening patients) out of a total of 67 MEN 2A patients with the RET gene mutation who were diagnosed in Norway since 1974. Data were collected by reviewing patient files. The variables analyzed were genotype, phenotype, preoperative basal calcitonin, age at thyroid surgery, central lymph node dissection and nodal status at primary surgery, number of surgical procedures, and biochemical cure. Of the 65 patients, 60 had undergone thyroid surgery. The median follow-up period was 9.9 years. The patients were divided into pre-RET-and RET-era, which included patients who had thyroid surgery before January 1, 1994, and after, respectively. RESULTS In index and screening patients, MTC was found, respectively, in 100% and 45% of cases, central lymph node dissection at primary surgery was done for 64% and 52% of patients, and the median total number of surgical procedures was two (range 1-6) and one (range 1-4). At primary surgery, all patients (n = 13) with lymph node metastases had preoperative basal calcitonin levels ≥68 pg/mL, and all patients (n = 17) without central lymph node dissection and preoperative basal calcitonin <40 pg/mL were biochemically cured. Multivariate analysis showed that preoperative basal calcitonin was a significant predictive factor for MTC superior to age at thyroid surgery when analyzing the entire period (p = 0.009) and the RET-era separately (p = 0.021). Prognostic factors for biochemical cure were preoperative basal calcitonin, central lymph node dissection, and nodal status at primary surgery (p = 0.037, p = 0.002, and p = 0.005) when analyzing the entire period, but only nodal status at primary surgery when the RET-era was considered separately (p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS Preoperative basal calcitonin alone can serve as an indicator for optimal timing and the extent of thyroid surgery for MEN 2A patients that could be considered safe. The results are consistent with previously reported data.
Cold recombinant influenza B/Texas/1/84 vaccine virus (CRB 87): attenuation, immunogenicity, and efficacy against homotypic challenge.

Healthy susceptible young adults were inoculated intranasally with increasing doses of wild-type influenza B/Texas/1/84, or the cold-adapted vaccine possessing the genes specifying the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase of the wild-type parent and the six internal genes of cold adapted B/Ann Arbor/1/66 (CRB 87). Most volunteers inoculated with 10(6.6)-10(7.6) TCID50 of CRB 87 were infected, but a high frequency of serum antibody responses was seen only at the highest dose (17/29; 59%). The dose of CRB 87 necessary to infect 50% of all human volunteers (1 HID50) was approximately 10(5.4) TCID50. All volunteers given 10(3.9)-10(7.1) TCID50 of the wild-type virus were infected (i.e., 1 HID50 was less than 10(3.9) TCID50). The frequency of mild febrile reactions, mean peak titer of virus in respiratory secretions, and duration of virus shedding were significantly greater in volunteers given 10(7.1) TCID50 of wild-type virus than in those given 10(7.6) TCID50 of CRB 87. Thirteen volunteers were rechallenged with a second 10(7.6) TCID50 dose of CRB 87 3-4 months after vaccination. The frequencies of mild upper respiratory symptoms and signs, virus shedding, and infection were significantly reduced in prior vaccinees compared with volunteers inoculated with a similar dose for the first time. These data suggest that CRB 87 is attenuated, immunogenic, and can confer protection against homotypic virus challenge in this susceptible population.
The Three-Dimensional Kinematics of a Barbell During the Snatch of Taiwanese Weightlifters

Chiu, HT, Wang, CH, Cheng, KB. The Three-Dimensional Kinematics of a Barbell During the Snatch of Taiwanese Weightlifters. J Strength Cond Res 24(6): 1520-1526, 2010-The purpose of this study is to characterize the trajectory of a barbell and clarify whether there is a standard pattern in the barbell trajectory for each lifter. Two high-speed cameras (mega-speed MS1000, sampling rate = 120 Hz) were used to film the barbell trajectories of male Taiwanese weightlifters under competitive conditions. Twenty-four successful lifts were filmed and classified into 3 groups (n = 8 per group) by relative barbell-mass (RBM): the better-performance group (RBM > 1.63), the middle group (1.28 < RBM < 1.63), and the worse-performance group (RBM < 1.28). The results indicate that 3 horizontal (the horizontal position of the barbell at clearing the knee of the lifter, projectile range, and the horizontal velocity of the barbell at its highest position) and 3 vertical variables (the barbell's maximum vertical height, the maximum height normalized by the height of the catch position, and the vertical displacement from the maximum height to the catch position) of the barbell movements in the sagittal plane were significantly different in the 3 groups (p < 0.05). A greater vertical travel range of the barbell (19.5 ± 1.9 cm) was found for the better-performance group than for the results of male weightlifters (about 10-14 cm) in previous studies. Although the barbell movement patterns in the vertical direction were similar, there seemed to be no standard trajectory for each weightlifter because of the variation in horizontal movements. The results of this study suggest that weightlifters may be instructed to reduce horizontal velocity and increase the vertical travel range of the bar to catch it under the conditions of less strength (as in female lifters) or heavier barbell mass.
Validation of the Persian version of the fear avoidance belief questionnaire in patients with low back pain.

OBJECTIVES Fear of pain or re-injury and avoidance attitudes have a great impact on maintenance of chronic low back pain (CLBP) and disability. Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ) is developed to assess these psychosocial factors. The aim of this study was to provide a translated and validated version of the FABQ for Persian speaking population. METHODS Forward and backward translation techniques were carried out for translation and cultural adaptation of the questionnaire into Persian. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were used to assess the reliability of the Persian questionnaire. Construct validity of the scale was assessed by divergent validity (using Spearman correlation coefficient) and exploratory factor analysis. Principle component analysis with varimax rotation method was applied for assessment of factor analysis. RESULTS The test-retest reliability was excellent with the Intra-class Correlation (ICC) value of 0.802 and 0.808 for the physical activity and work subscales of the questionnaire, respectively. The Chronbach's alpha coefficient value of 0.89, demonstrated adequate internal consistency of the questionnaire. Factor analysis revealed two factors which could explain 57.9% of the total variance. Items 7, 10 and 11 of the questionnaire were used in both major factors of the final Persian version. Regarding the divergent validity of the questionnaire, data demonstrated no correlation (r< 0.3) between factor 2 (which is about physical activity) and measured clinical variables (pain intensity and level of dysfunction), while factor 1 (which is about work) was fairly correlated with both pain intensity and disability level of the subjects. CONCLUSION The provided Persian version of FABQ is a reliable and valid measurement and further research into its use as a diagnostic and prognostic tool is warranted. Development of this questionnaire will be useful for comparability between Persian and English language studies and facilitates an international collaboration in this field.
Histone deacetylase inhibitors suppress immune activation in primary mouse microglia

Neuroinflammation is required for tissue clearance and repair after infections or insults. To prevent excessive damage, it is crucial to limit the extent of neuroinflammation and thereby the activation of its principal effector cell, microglia. The two main major innate immune cell types in the CNS are astrocytes and microglia. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) have been implicated in regulating the innate inflammatory response, and here we addressed their role in pure astrocyte and microglia cultures. Endogenous HDAC expression levels were determined in microglia and astrocytes and after treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or LPS and interferon γ (IFNγ). The relative expression level of HDACs was reduced in LPS‐ or LPS/IFNγ (with the exception of HDAC1 and −7)‐stimulated astrocytes and increased in microglia after LPS treatment both in primary cultures and in microglia acutely isolated from LPS‐treated mice, so we focused on the inflammatory response in microglia. Primary microglia cultures were treated with LPS in the presence or absence of HDAC inhibitors (HDACi). Expression and release of inflammatory cytokines was determined by quantitative RT‐PCR, flow cytometry, and ELISA. HDACi strongly suppressed LPS‐induced cytokine expression and release by microglia. Furthermore, expression of M1‐ and M2‐associated activation markers was suppressed, and the migratory behavior of microglia was attenuated. Our findings strongly suggest that HDACi suppress innate immune activation in microglia. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Acute administration of alcohol blocks cocaine‐induced striatal c‐fos immunoreactivity protein in the rat

Immediate‐early genes, such as c‐fos, are induced in the brain by cocaine and other psychotropic drugs. This induction is thought to be mediated via the activation of dopamine D1 and glutamate N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor subtypes. Because alcohol selectively blocks NMDA receptor function, we determined the ability of alcohol to block the expression of c‐fos normally induced by systemic cocaine exposure in perikarya of the rat striatum. Acute administration of alcohol (2 g/kg; IP) approximately 30 min prior to a single cocaine (20 mg/kg) injection significantly reduced the patchy appearance of intensely immunoreactive gene signal in dorsal‐central quadrants of the caudate putamen. Separate administration of three doses of alcohol alone (1, 2, or 3 g/kg) was ineffectual in inducing FOS‐like protein in this or other regions of the rat brain. The blockade of the encoded protein by alcohol was partial in magnitude reminiscent of that produced by MK‐801 and related NMDA receptor antagonist drugs. Furthermore, the blockade of cocaine‐induced FOS‐like protein by alcohol occurred at a dose which produced a blood alcohol concentration of approximately 180 mg/dl (40 mM), comparable to that detected in intoxicating humans. Considering the fact that the concomitant use of alcohol and cocaine is the most common substance abuse pattern found in the addictive population, the present results suggest an antagonistic effect exerted by these two drugs at the transcriptional level and further support the consensus that NMDA receptors are the plausible surface‐target elements mediating some of the effects of alcohol and cocaine. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Heavy Metal Contamination in Soil and Brown Rice and Human Health Risk Assessment near Three Mining Areas in Central China

Background Metal mining and waste discharge lead to regional heavy metal contamination and attract major concern because of the potential risk to local residents. Methods This research was conducted to determine lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), manganese (Mn), and antimony (Sb) concentrations in soil and brown rice samples from three heavy metal mining areas in Hunan Province, central China, and to assess the potential health risks to local inhabitants. Results Local soil contamination was observed, with mean concentrations of Cd, Pb, Sb, and As of 0.472, 193.133, 36.793, and 89.029 mg/kg, respectively. Mean concentrations of Cd, Pb, Sb, Mn, and As in brown rice were 0.103, 0.131, 5.175, 6.007, and 0.524 mg/kg, respectively. Daily intakes of Cd, As, Sb, Pb, and Mn through brown rice consumption were estimated to be 0.011, 0.0002, 0.004, 0.0001, and 0.0003 mg/(kg/day), respectively. The combined hazard index for the five heavy metals was 22.5917, and the total cancer risk was 0.1773. Cd contributed most significantly to cancer risk, accounting for approximately 99.77% of this risk. Conclusions The results show that potential noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks exist for local inhabitants and that regular monitoring of pollution to protect human health is urgently required.
Extracellular Vesicles Released by Oxidatively Injured or Intact C2C12 Myotubes Promote Distinct Responses Converging toward Myogenesis

Myogenic differentiation is triggered, among other situations, in response to muscle damage for regenerative purposes. It has been shown that during myogenic differentiation, myotubes release extracellular vesicles (EVs) which participate in the signalling pattern of the microenvironment. Here we investigated whether EVs released by myotubes exposed or not to mild oxidative stress modulate the behaviour of targeted differentiating myoblasts and macrophages to promote myogenesis. We found that EVs released by oxidatively challenged myotubes (H2O2-EVs) are characterized by an increased loading of nucleic acids, mainly DNA. In addition, incubation of myoblasts with H2O2-EVs resulted in a significant decrease of myotube diameter, myogenin mRNA levels and myosin heavy chain expression along with an upregulation of proliferating cell nuclear antigen: these effects collectively lead to an increase of recipient myoblast proliferation. Notably, the EVs from untreated myotubes induced an opposite trend in myoblasts, that is, a slight pro-differentiation effect. Finally, H2O2-EVs were capable of eliciting an increased interleukin 6 mRNA expression in RAW264.7 macrophages. Notably, this is the first demonstration that myotubes communicate with surrounding macrophages via EV release. Collectively, the data reported herein suggest that myotubes, depending on their conditions, release EVs carrying differential signals which could contribute to finely and coherently orchestrate the muscle regeneration process.
Low-Frequency Fast Multipole Method Based on Multiple-Precision Arithmetic

We present a low-frequency fast multipole method for the solution of three-dimensional electromagnetic problems involving small objects and their dense discretizations with respect to wavelength. The diagonalization of the Green's function is stabilized using a multiple-precision arithmetic (MPA) for accurate and efficient computations of subwavelength interactions. MPA provides a direct remedy for the low-frequency breakdown of the standard diagonalization based on plane waves, and it enables straightforward implementations for low-frequency problems.
Remission and residual symptoms after short-term treatment in the Treatment of Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS).

OBJECTIVE To ascertain remission rates in depressed youth participating in the Treatment for Adolescents With Depression Study (TADS), a multisite clinical trial that randomized 439 adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) to a 12-week treatment of fluoxetine (FLX), cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), their combination (COMB), or clinical management with pill placebo (PBO). METHOD Using an end-of-treatment Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R) total score of 28 or below as the criterion for remission, rates of remission were examined with logistic regression, controlling for site. Loss of MDD diagnosis and residual symptoms in responders (defined as Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement (CGI-I) score of 1 (very much improved) or 2 (much improved) were also examined across treatment groups. RESULTS After 12 weeks of treatment, 102 (23%) of 439 youths had reached remission. The remission rate was significantly higher in the COMB group (37%) relative to the other treatment groups (FLX, 23%; CBT, 16%; PBO, 17%), with odds ratios of 2.1 for COMB versus FLX, 3.3 for COMB versus CBT, and 3.0 for COMB versus PBO. In addition, 71% of subjects across treatment groups no longer met criteria for MDD at the end of acute treatment. Fifty percent of the youths who responded by CGI-I criteria continued to have residual symptoms, such as sleep or mood disturbances, fatigue, and poor concentration. CONCLUSIONS The combination of FLX and CBT was superior to both monotherapy and PBO in terms of remission rates, but overall rates of remission remain low and residual symptoms are common at the end of 12 weeks of treatment.
Establishment of a versatile seminoma model indicates cellular plasticity of germ cell tumor cells

In western countries, 60% of all malignancies diagnosed in men between 17–45 years of age are germ cell tumors (GCT). GCT arise from the common precursor lesion carcinoma in situ, which transforms within an average of 9 years into invasive Type‐II GCTs. Seminomas are considered to be the default developmental pathway of carcinoma in situ cells and the seminoma‐like cell line TCam‐2 has been used to study seminoma biology in vitro. However, the generation of an animal model, which would allow for the in vivo analysis of seminoma formation, remained elusive. We applied transplantation approaches using TCam‐2 cell transfer into ectopic (skin, brain) and orthopic (testis) sites of immunodeficient mice. We demonstrate that a transplantation into the seminiferous tubules results in formation of a carcinoma in situ/seminoma. In contrast, TCam‐2 cells adopt an embryonal carcinoma‐like fate when grafted to the flank or corpus striatum and display downregulation of the seminoma marker SOX17 and upregulation of the embryonal carcinoma markers SOX2 and CD30. Grafted TCam‐2 cells reduce AKT‐, ERK‐, EphA3‐, and Tie2/TEK‐signaling to levels comparable to embryonal carcinoma cells. Hence, TCam‐2 cell transplantation into the testis generated a carcinoma in situ/seminoma mouse model, which enables addressing the biology of these tumors in vivo. The fact that TCam‐2 cells give rise to a carcinoma in situ/seminoma or embryonal carcinoma in a transplantation site specific manner implies that conversion of carcinoma in situ/seminoma to an embryonal carcinoma does not require additional genetic aberrations but relies on signals from the tumor‐microenvironment. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Barriers and facilitators to adoption of soft copy interpretation from the user perspective: Lessons learned from filmless radiology for slideless pathology

Background: Adoption of digital images for pathological specimens has been slower than adoption of digital images in radiology, despite a number of anticipated advantages for digital images in pathology. In this paper, we explore the factors that might explain this slower rate of adoption. Materials and Method: Semi-structured interviews on barriers and facilitators to the adoption of digital images were conducted with two radiologists, three pathologists, and one pathologist′s assistant. Results: Barriers and facilitators to adoption of digital images were reported in the areas of performance, workflow-efficiency, infrastructure, integration with other software, and exposure to digital images. The primary difference between the settings was that performance with the use of digital images as compared to the traditional method was perceived to be higher in radiology and lower in pathology. Additionally, exposure to digital images was higher in radiology than pathology, with some radiologists exclusively having been trained and/or practicing with digital images. The integration of digital images both improved and reduced efficiency in routine and non-routine workflow patterns in both settings, and was variable across the different organizations. A comparison of these findings with prior research on adoption of other health information technologies suggests that the barriers to adoption of digital images in pathology are relatively tractable. Conclusions: Improving performance using digital images in pathology would likely accelerate adoption of innovative technologies that are facilitated by the use of digital images, such as electronic imaging databases, electronic health records, double reading for challenging cases, and computer-aided diagnostic systems.