Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Visual acuity and corneal topographic changes related with pterygium surgery.

PURPOSE Applied pre- and postoperative corneal topography outcomes with visual acuities were evaluated to determine the surgical results in pterygium therapy. METHODS The study group consisted of 30 eyes of 26 patients with primary and recurrent pterygium. Mean patient age was 52.26+/-11.50 years (range: 27 to 68 years). Pre- and postoperative visual acuity and comeal topography were evaluated for each case. Statistical analysis was performed using the repeated-measure test. RESULTS The mean uncorrected visual acuity was 0.41+/-0.30 preoperatively and 0.63+/-0.26 postoperatively (P<.001). The mean best spectacle-corrected visual acuity was 0.59+/-0.28 preoperatively and 0.84+/-0.22 postoperatively (P<.001). Surface regularity index ranged from 1.96+/-1.08 preoperatively to 1.09+/-0.76 postoperatively (P<.001). The mean surface asymmetry index was 3.05+/-2.85 preoperatively and 1.39+/-1.70 postoperatively (P=.003). The mean topographic astigmatism was 4.65+/-3.02 preoperatively and 2.33+/-2.26 postoperatively (P=.003). CONCLUSIONS Examination of the topographic records reveals pterygium-associated corneal flattening in the horizontal meridian along the line of the pterygium. The improvement in topographic pattern and best spectacle-corrected visual acuity can be used as one indicator of the success of pterygium surgery.
Pharmacokinetics and antitumor efficacy of paclitaxel-cyclodextrin complexes loaded in mucus-penetrating nanoparticles for oral administration.

AIM The authors report a novel approach for enhancing the oral absorption of paclitaxel (PTX) by encapsulation in poly(anhydride) nanoparticles (NPs) containing cyclodextrins and poly(ethylene glycol). MATERIALS & METHODS Formulations were prepared using the solvent displacement method. Subsequently, pharmacokinetics and organ distribution assays were evaluated after oral administration into C57BL/6J mice. In addition, antitumor efficacy studies were performed in a subcutaneous tumor model of Lewis lung carcinoma. RESULTS PTX-loaded NPs displayed sizes between 190-300 nm. Oral NPs achieved drug plasma levels for at least 24 h, with an oral bioavailability of 55-80%. Organ distribution studies revealed that PTX, orally administered in NPs, underwent a similar distribution to intravenous Taxol(®) (Bristol-Myers Squibb, NJ, USA). For in vivo antitumor assays, oral strategy maintained a slower tumor growth than intravenous Taxol. CONCLUSION PTX orally administered in poly(anhydride) NPs, combined with cyclodextrins and poly(ethylene glycol), displayed sustained plasma levels and significant antitumor effect in a syngenic tumor model of carcinoma in mice.
A Natural Experiment in Portfolio Management *

The PortfolioManagement Program (PMP) in Vienna Austria has been in existence formore than ten years. This paper analyzes the ten year performance (2004-2014) of the three competing funds with the objective of using this controlled setting to test two behavioral theories of funds management. We test both the tournament effect and the disposition effect, as well as looking at a selection of demographic variables. Consistent with tournament theory, the funds behave as predicted with trailing funds shifting into idiosyncratic risks that leading funds cannot mimic. The paper also documents a definitive reverse disposition effect, whereby losing assets are more likely to be sold than winning assets. We identify a group size effect where largermanagerial teams aremore cautious and have lower risk adjusted returns. These results show that managerial behavior in the partly controlled setting of academic guidance can vary greatly from what has been found with retail investors.
The effect of dopamine, apomorphine and piribedil on the mesenterial blood flow of the cat.

Responses to i.v. administration of dopamine, apomorphine, piribedil and bromocriptine were investigated in the feline mesenteric vascular bed. Dopamine increases the mesenterial flow in doses of 0.3 to 30 micrograms/kg; its effect can be inhibited by 1 to 3 mg/kg of sulpiride. Apomorphine and piribedil also increased the blood flow, but only in 20 to 200 times higher doses; they show a tachyphylaxis phenomenon and their maximal activity is 32 and 59 per cent, respectively, that of dopamine. Apomorphine is a partial agonist of dopamine and can inhibit the activity of the transmitter amine. Bromocriptine has no activity on the feline mesenterial flow. The postsynaptic dopamine receptors of the cat can be characterized by the following: strong efficacy of dopamine and lower ones of apomorphine, piribedil and of sulpiride. The presynaptic dopamine receptors are involved mostly in the hypotension, they are activated by low doses of apomorphine, and piribedil and by higher doses of dopamine; sulpiride reacts with these receptors in much lower doses than with the postsynaptic ones.
Anal carcinoma in HIV-infected patients in the period 1995–2009: A Danish nationwide cohort study

Abstract Background: Several studies have demonstrated an increased risk of non-AIDS cancers in HIV patients and, for some cancers, also in relatives of HIV patients. We aimed to estimate (1) the risk of anal carcinoma among HIV patients and their parents, and (2) the mortality after a diagnosis of anal carcinoma. Methods: We used Poisson regression to estimate the incidence rate ratios (IRR) of anal carcinoma in (1) a population of HIV patients identified from the Danish HIV Cohort Study (n = 4993) compared with a population control cohort matched on age and gender (n = 59,916) for the period 1995–2009, and (2) parents of HIV patients compared with parents of controls for the period 1978–2009. Cancer diagnoses were identified from The Danish Cancer Registry. We further estimated the mortality rate ratios (MRR) of HIV patients compared with controls after the diagnosis of anal carcinoma. Results: Thirty-six HIV patients versus 8 population controls were diagnosed with anal carcinoma. HIV patients had an increased risk of anal carcinoma (IRR 77.9, 95% CI 36.2–167.7), especially among men who have sex with men (MSM) (IRR 101.4, 95% CI 39.3–261.5). Fathers of HIV patients had an increased risk of anal carcinoma (IRR 7.4, 95% CI 1.4–38.3) compared to fathers of population controls. Mortality after diagnosis of anal carcinoma was increased in male HIV patients compared with the male control cohort (MRR 3.2, 95% CI 1.1–9.2). Conclusions: Danish HIV patients, especially MSM, have a considerably increased risk of anal carcinoma. We cannot exclude that fathers of HIV patients have an increased risk of anal carcinoma.
The future of PID control

Feedback is a very powerful idea. Its use has often had revolutionary consequences with drastic improvements in performance, see e.g. Bennett, (1979, 1993). Credit is often given to a particular form of feedback although it is frequently feedback itself that gives the real benefits and the particular form of feedback used is largely irrelevant. The PID controller is by far the most dominating form of feedback in use today. More than 90% of all control loops are PID. Most loops are in fact PI because derivative action is not used very often. Integral, proportional and derivative feedback is based on the past (I), present (P) and future (D) control error. It is surprising how much can be achieved with such a simple strategy. A strength of the PID controller is that it also deals with important practical issues such as actuator saturation and integrator windup. The PID controller is thus the bread and butter of automatic control. It is the first solution that should be tried when feedback is used. The PID controller is used for a wide range of problems: process control, motor drives, magnetic and optic memories, automotive, flight control, instrumentation, etc. The controller comes in many different forms, as standard single-loop controllers, as a software component in programmable logic controllers and distributed control systems, as a built in controller in robots and CD players. Although the PID controller has always been very important, practically it has only received moderate interest from theoreticians. Therefore, many important issues have not been well documented in the literature. A result of this is that many mistakes have been repeated when technology shifted from pneumatic, via electrical to digital. There has, however, been an increased interest in the last ten years. One reason is the emergence of automatic tuning, another is the increased use of model predictive control which requires well tuned PID controllers at the basic level. Still most papers on single loop control use PID controllers with Ziegler–Nichols tuning as a benchmark. This is a very unsatisfactory situation because the Ziegler–Nichols rules are known to give very poor results in many cases. This paper treats the future of PID control. It will try to answer questions like: Will the PID controller continue to be used or will it be replaced by other forms of feedback? What additional features are desirable in a PID controller? Are there any essential research issues in PID control? Our prediction will be based on a consideration of the current state of research and practice in PID control.
The Success of Free Gracilis Muscle Transfer to Restore Smile in Patients With Nonflaccid Facial Paralysis

BackgroundDevelopment of synkinesis, hypertonicity, and poor smile excursion after facial nerve insult and recovery contribute to disfigurement, psychological difficulties, and an inability to convey emotion via facial expression. Despite treatment with physical therapy and chemodenervation, some patients who recover from transient flaccid facial paralysis never spontaneously regain the ability to perform a meaningful smile. MethodsProspective evaluation was performed on 20 patients with nonflaccid facial paralysis who underwent free gracilis muscle transfer. Patients were evaluated using the quality-of-life (QOL) FaCE survey, Facial Nerve Grading Scale, and Facegram to quantify QOL improvement, smile excursion, and symmetry after muscle transfer. ResultsA statistically significant increase in the FaCE score was seen after muscle transfer (paired 2-tailed t test, P < 0.039). In addition, there was a statistically significant improvement in the smile score on the Facial Nerve Grading Scale (P < 0.002), in the lower lip length at rest (P = 0.01) and with smile (P = 0.0001), and with smile symmetry (P = 0.0077) after surgery. ConclusionsFree gracilis muscle transfer has become a mainstay in the management armamentarium for patients who develop severe reduction in oral commissure movement after facial nerve insult and recovery. The operation achieves a high overall success rate, and innovations involving transplanting thinner segments of muscle avoid a cosmetic deformity secondary to excess bulk. This study demonstrates a quantitative improvement in QOL and facial function after free gracilis muscle transfer in patients who failed to achieve a meaningful smile after physical therapy.
Luteinized adult granulosa cell tumors of the ovary: a report of four cases.

Four luteinized adult granulosa cell tumors of the ovary in women 22-76 (average 53) years of age are described. Two patients presented with postmenopausal bleeding, one with dysfunctional uterine bleeding and one with amenorrhea. The tumors were all stage Ia, ranged from 2 to 11 (average 5.1) cm in greatest dimension, and were typically solid, lobulated, and yellow. On microscopic examination the most striking feature was the abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm of most of the tumor cells, which resembled the granulosa cells of the corpus luteum. The tumor cells typically grew diffusely, but large nodules intersected by scanty fibrous septa were present in all the cases. Additional patterns present focally included cords or ribbons, nests, and thick trabeculae. The tumors had inconspicuous amounts of fibrothecomatous stroma; foci of stromal edema or myxoid change were present in three cases. The tumor cell nuclei were round, of moderate size, and pale, and many of them had nuclear grooves. There was no significant nuclear pleomorphism and the mitotic rate did not exceed 1 per 10 high power fields. Reticulum stains, available in three cases, confirmed the granulosa cell nature of the neoplasms by disclosing scanty intercellular fibrils in most areas. Immunostains, performed in two cases, showed positivity for vimentin in both of them and for cytokeratin, smooth-muscle actin, and S-100 in one. One tumor from a 75-year-old woman was associated with an ectopic decidual reaction in a periovarian adhesion. This patient had focal, severe atypical complex hyperplasia of the endometrium and focal secretory change in the endometrium uninvolved by the hyperplasia. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Multi‐locus genotype switching in Pneumocystis carinii sp. f. hominis: Evidence for reinfection

Pneumocystis curinii pneumonia (PCP) is commonly thought to be the result of reactivation of dormant Pneumocystis cun'nii sp. f. liominis (P. c. horninis) which persists for years [1,2]. However, recent genetic studies have suggested that recurrent PCP can also be due to reinfection 13, 4, 51. In the study here, we investigated the behavior of 4 loci: 1) mitochondria1 LSU ribosomal RNA locus (mtrRNA), 2) internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITSl), 3) ITS2 (spacer 2), and 4) major surface glycoprotein gene family (msg) in AIDS patients experiencing multiple PCP episodes. These patients exhibited genotype switching between disease episodes in all of these loci, which is strong evidence for reinfection. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids from each disease episode were collected and processed as previously described [6]. For the PCR of ITSl and ITS2, oligonucleotides NITSF and NITSR [5] were used under the following conditions: 95 OC hot start for 5 minutes, thirty cycles of incubation at 95 "C for 60 sec, 42 OC for 60 sec, and 72 "C for 60 sec. Reaction volumes were 25 ul containing 200 uM each of dATP, dCTP, dGTP, dTTP, 1.25 U of TJ polymerase (Epicentre, Madison, WI), 1.5 mM MgClz and 20 ng of each primer. Preamplification product (1~1) was used for nested PCR using primers ITSF3/RI and ITSR3/RI [ j ] , The PCR conditions described above were used except the annealing temperature was 50 "C. Amplicons of mtrRNA were generated as previously described [3]. DNA products were gel-purified (Bio 101, La Jolla, CA) and directly sequenced. The single stranded conformation polyniorphism (SSCP) assay was performed with the PCR conditions above, an annealing temperature of 50 OC, and 30 cycles. For SSCP, radioactive HG" primer and primer HGL (S.P.K. and J.R.S., manuscript in preparation) were used to amplify a 3' portion of nisg [7]. SSCP gels (0.75X MDE, AT Biochem, Malveni, PA) were mi overnight at 10 watts. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Six of twelve AIDS patients were previously observed to yield P. c. honiinis with different nitrRNA genotypes during initial and recurrent PCP disease episodes [4]. P. c. honririis from these 12 patients and from 3 additional AIDS patients were analyzed at the ITS locus. There were numerous different ITSl and ITS2 sequences. Most of the variable nucleotide positions in the ITS have been reported previously [ 5 , 81, however, new variable positions were found in our patients. Some nucleotide positions of the ITS have been difficult to score because they are located in homopolymeric tracts. Previous results utilizing cloned PCR products had shown that honiopolynieric tracts were susceptible to artifactual variation [5]. However, our control experiments showed that such artifacts were not in evidence when PCR products were sequenced directly. Hence all polymorphic nucleotide positions of the ITSl and ITS2 were used for scoring patient genotypes. Analysis of the ITS 1 and ITS2 together showed that 7 of 15 patients changed genotypes (Table 1). MATERIALS AND METHODS
Rare Blood Donors: The Past and the Future

For many years, there has been a clinical requirement for the provision of units of rare blood for patients with either single or multiple blood group antibodies present. To co‐ordinate this need, the Rare Blood Donor Working Party of the International Society of Blood Transfusion was established in 1985. Since then, the Working Party has been active in promoting information on the procedures and methods for testing, packaging, transport and delivery of rare blood internationally. The Working Party has a close relationship with the Blood Group Reference Laboratory in the United Kingdom. The availability of the World Health Organization International Donor Panel permits the rapid and accurate locating of rare blood units.
Matrix Completion with Noisy Entries and Outliers

This paper considers the problem of matrix completion when the observed entries are noisy and contain outliers. It begins with introducing a new optimization criterion for which the recovered matrix is defined as its solution. This criterion uses the celebrated Huber function from the robust statistics literature to downweigh the effects of outliers. A practical algorithm is developed to solve the optimization involved. This algorithm is fast, straightforward to implement, and monotonic convergent. Furthermore, the proposed methodology is theoretically shown to be stable in a well defined sense. Its promising empirical performance is demonstrated via a sequence of simulation experiments, including image inpainting.
Radioisotopes for metastatic bone pain.

BACKGROUND Bone metastases manifest through pain, which can arise even before the injury is radiologically detected. Pain occurs as a result of bone destruction and, as more destruction ensues, more pain can be experienced. Radiculopathies, plexopathies and shrinkage of spinal nerves due to tumour growth and fractures are very frequent in these patients. Relief of pain from bone metastasis can be achieved by treating the cancer itself; radiotherapy; conventional analgesics; and specific drugs that work on the bone tumour-induced alteration: biphosphonates, calcitonin or radioactive agents. OBJECTIVES To determine the efficacy of radioisotopes to control metastatic pain in patients with bone metastases and complications due to bone metastases (hypercalcaemia, bone fracture and spinal cord compression) as well as its efficacy in terms of patient survival and adverse effects. SEARCH STRATEGY Randomised and controlled clinical trials related to this review were retrieved electronically using MEDLINE (1966-2003), EMBASE (1974-2003) and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (Issue 1 2003). general strategies to identify RCTs were combined with specific commands to identify trials of radioisotopes and metastatic bone pain. SELECTION CRITERIA The inclusion criteria were: randomised trials of patients with metastatic bone pain that compared treatment with radioisotopes and placebo, and where the major outcome was either pain or complications of bone metastases (eg, hypercalcaemia, bone fracture, spinal cord compression) assessed at least four weeks after treatment. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS The quality of included studies was assessed using the Jadad scale and the Oxford Pain Validity Score. Two independent reviewers extracted the data and completed a standard form designed for that purpose. An intention-to-treat analysis was performed, and global estimates of effect were calculated using a random effects model. MAIN RESULTS Four trials (325 patients) provided data that suggest a small effect of radioisotopes on pain control both at short and medium term (one to six months). No evidence was available to assess long-term effects (12 months). Only one study provided data on analgesia use and concluded that patients given either radioisotopes or placebo showed similar levels of analgesic use when compared to baseline use. Leukocytopenia and thrombocytopenia are secondary effects associated with the administration of radioisotopes. The incidence of leukocytopenia is significantly greater in patients treated with radioisotopes (RR=4.56, 95% CI (1.22,17.08)). There were also a greater number of thrombocytopenia events in the treatment group, without reaching statistical significance. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS The efficacy of radioisotopes has been assessed in clinical trials with small sample sizes and short-term evaluations of the outcomes. There is some evidence indicating that radioisotopes may give complete reduction in pain over one to six months with no increase in analgesic use, but adverse effects, specifically leukocytopenia and thrombocytopenia, have also been experienced.
Influence of Geometrical Configurations and Polarization Basis Definitions on the Analysis of Bistatic Polarimetric Measurements

Within the frame of bistatic polarimetry, this paper discusses the entangled effects of bistatic geometry and target features on polarimetric measurements. Three different geometrical effects are distinguished: antenna rotations, target orientation, and bistatic angle. Antenna rotations are addressed through the use of polarimetric bases taking the scattering plane as the reference plane. Target orientation effects are not considered since only spheres are studied. This paper focuses on the bistatic angle effect through a bistatic polarimetric analysis on classical parameters. Targets consisting of single or multiple spheres in the resonance region are investigated. Finally, the results of indoor polarimetric measurements on such targets are presented and discussed.
Three-dimensional ultrasound of carotid atherosclerosis: semiautomated segmentation using a level set-based method.

PURPOSE Three-dimensional ultrasound (3D US) of the carotid artery provides measurements of arterial wall and plaque [vessel wall volume (VWV)] that are complementary to the one-dimensional measurement of the carotid artery intima-media thickness. 3D US VWV requires an observer to delineate the media-adventitia boundary (MAB) and lumen-intima boundary (LIB) of the carotid artery. The main purpose of this work was to develop and evaluate a semiautomated segmentation algorithm for delineating the MAB and LIB of the carotid artery from 3D US images. METHODS To segment the MAB and LIB, the authors used a level set method and combined several low-level image cues with high-level domain knowledge and limited user interaction. First, the operator initialized the algorithm by choosing anchor points on the boundaries, identified in the images. The MAB was segmented using local region- and edge-based energies and an energy that encourages the boundary to pass through anchor points from the preprocessed images. For the LIB segmentation, the authors used local and global region-based energies, the anchor point-based energy, as well as a constraint promoting a boundary separation between the MAB and LIB. The data set consisted of 231 2D images (11 2D images per each of 21 subjects) extracted from 3D US images. The image slices were segmented five times each by a single observer using the algorithm and the manual method. Volume-based, region-based, and boundary distance-based metrics were used to evaluate accuracy. Moreover, repeated measures analysis was used to evaluate precision. RESULTS The algorithm yielded an absolute VWV difference of 5.0% +/- 4.3% with a segmentation bias of -0.9% +/- 6.6%. For the MAB and LIB segmentations, the method gave absolute volume differences of 2.5% +/- 1.8% and 5.6% +/- 3.0%, Dice coefficients of 95.4% +/- 1.6% and 93.1% +/- 3.1%, mean absolute distances of 0.2 +/- 0.1 and 0.2 +/- 0.1 mm, and maximum absolute distances of 0.6 +/- 0.3 and 0.7 +/- 0.6 mm, respectively. The coefficients of variation of the algorithm (5.1%) and manual methods (3.9%) were not significantly different, but the average time saved using the algorithm (2.8 min versus 8.3 min) was substantial. CONCLUSIONS The authors generated and tested a semiautomated carotid artery VWV measurement tool to provide measurements with reduced operator time and interaction, with high Dice coefficients, and with necessary required precision.