Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Screening for pancreatic exocrine insufficiency in patients with diabetes mellitus

OBJECTIVES:Fecal elastase 1 (E1) is a relatively sensitive and specific indirect test of pancreatic exocrine function. Despite the high functional reserve of the pancreas, it is recognized that a significant proportion of diabetic patients may also have a deficit of the exocrine function. The aim of this study was to screen patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) for pancreatic exocrine insufficiency.METHODS:A total of 80 patients were enrolled in this prospective study, including 42 patients with DM and 38 nondiabetic controls. Exclusion criteria were as follows: age >75 yr; alcohol intake >40 g/day; intake of orlistat or acarbose; and history of diarrhea, pancreatitis, GI surgery, immunodeficiency, or cancer. All patients underwent the same study protocol, which included clinical evaluation, determination of fecal E1, plain x-rays of the abdomen, and abdominal ultrasound. An immunoenzymatic method (ScheBoTech, Wettenburg, Germany) was used for E1 determination. Diagnosis of pancreatic insufficiency was established for a fecal E1 <200 μg/g.RESULTS:The DM and control groups were comparable regarding age (62 ± 10 yr vs 56 ± 10 yr), sex (18 men and 24 women vs 15 men and 23 women), and proportion of patients with excess weight (50% vs 42%). Patients had DM diagnosed for 11.5 ± 8 yr, with structural changes of the pancreas detected on ultrasound in three cases and calcifications in one case. There was no relationship between E1 determination <200 μg/g and the duration or the type of therapy for DM. Fifteen patients (36%) in the DM group had a fecal E1 <200 μg/g, compared with two patients (5%) in the control group (p < 0.05). In the DM group (n = 42), 11 patients with excess weight presented a fecal E1 <200 μg/g, whereas four patients with a BMI <25 presented this result (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency occurs more frequently in diabetic patients than in controls. Diabetic individuals with excess weight (BMI >25) may be at increased risk for underlying exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.
Clinicopathologic characteristics of polymyositis patients with numerous tissue eosinophils

Introduction – We evaluated associated clinicopathologic features of polymyositis (PM) patients with numerous tissue eosinophils. Materials and methods — 680 muscle biopsies were examined in our institution and eight were identified with greater than 0.3 eosinophils per square millimeter in the inflammatory infiltrate without concomitant peripheral eosinophilia. Results — All eight patients had typical PM, but neither dermatomyositis nor inclusion body myositis was identified. Clinically, a large number of PM patients with eosinophils manifested an acute‐ or subacute‐onset of symptoms, myoglobinuria, a marked elevation of serum creatine kinase, a good response to steroid therapy, and a relatively benign course compared with 26 PM patients without eosinophils. Muscle biopsies demonstrated necrotic fibers more frequently in PM patients with eosinophils than in PM patients without eosinophils. Hypertrophic fibers, fiber splitting, basophilic fibers, and lobulated fibers were less frequently observed in PM patients with eosinophils. Conclusion — These results suggest that the majority of PM patients with eosinophils may be steroid‐responsive and suffer an acute or subacute onset of PM.
Sparse Estimation of Movie Preferences via Constrained Optimization

We propose extensions to traditional low-rank matrix completion methods used in movie recommendation systems, with the ability to recommend out-of-sample movies. We have implemented three recommendation systems; the first is a standard SVD model which learns abstract features for prediction and generalizes to out-of-sample movies using a nearest neighbor search. The second model is a constrained matrix completion using interpretable features instead of latent features. The third model is constrained matrix completion using LASSO regularization. We found that model 3 generalizes best due to the intrinsic sparsity of user preferences.
Correlation of NQO1 and Nrf2 in Female Genital Tract Cancer and Their Precancerous Lesions (Cervix, Endometrium and Ovary)

Background NAD (P) H/quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) is a metabolizing enzyme that detoxifies chemical stressors and antioxidants. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NrF2) is an important transcriptional activator involved in the cellular defense mechanisms against oxidative stress. Methods The immunohistochemical expression of NQO1 and Nrf2 in 80 cervical, 80 endometrial and 100 ovarian specimens with different lesions was studied. Then we study the relation of both NQO1 and Nrf2 expression and clinicopathological features of carcinoma cases. Results Immunohistochemical stain showed that NQO1 and Nrf2 were highly expressed in carcinoma compared with normal and precancerous lesions. Significant positive correlations were found between the mean expression of NQO1 and Nrf2 in different lesions. Moreover, there was significant correlation between the high level of NQO1 and Nrf2 expression and high tumor grade in cervical and endometrial carcinoma cases. Nrf2 expression was significant with advanced stage in endometrial and ovarian carcinomas. Conclusions NQO1 and Nrf2 might be new biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognostic evaluation as well as being targets for therapy in patients with tumors in female genital tract.
Esophageal bolus transit imaged by ultrafast computerized tomography.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Conventional transit imaging techniques detect only the solid or liquid component of a swallowed bolus within the esophagus. This study aimed to dynamically image the composition, distribution, and propulsion of esophageal contents during swallowing. METHODS Multiple adjacent cross-sectional images of the esophagus were obtained in 7 subjects using ultrafast computerized tomography. Images from two 10-mL swallows were synchronized and analyzed for bolus distribution and propulsion, cross-sectional area, intraluminal volume, and intraluminal content. RESULTS Both liquid and air were swallowed, with the relative distribution varying among levels. Within the ampulla, air occupied 71% of the luminal cross-sectional area. Air was propelled ahead of the liquid bolus at 17 cm/s compared with 7 cm/s for fluid (P < 0.01) and accumulation within the ampulla. Mean bolus velocity was slower through the ampulla. A variable (8-32 mL) volume of air was ingested during swallowing. CONCLUSIONS Ultrafast computerized tomography studies during transit of a swallowed bolus through the esophagus showed substantial aerophagia and partial bolus separation with air preceding fluid. The ampulla exhibited greater distention that the tubular esophagus because the bolus accumulated at this level before transfer across the hiatus.
CD4+ T Cell–Depleted Lymphocyte Infusion Impairs Neither the Recovery of Recipient Thymus nor the Development of Transplanted Thymus

Thymus transplantation, in conjunction with bone marrow transplantation (BMT), has been attracting attention for the treatment of various diseases. Recently, donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) has been used as a helpful tool for establishing donor chimerism and preventing a relapse of leukemia/lymphoma. However, the effects of DLI on transplanted and recipient thymuses have not been explored. We therefore performed DLI in the intrabone marrow–BMT + thymus transplantation setting. We have found that DLI leads to derangements in both recipient thymuses and transplanted thymuses; by 2 wk after BMT, we saw a decrease in total cell number, a lower percentage of CD4+CD8+ cells, and the obliteration of the thymic corticomedullary junction. Four weeks later, the thymic impairment became more serious. However, when we depleted the CD4+ T cells (CD4−-DLI), the recipient thymic recovery and transplanted thymic development were significantly restored by the treatment. In addition, there were much greater levels of TNF-α and Fas ligand, and a lower percentage of regulatory T cells in the DLI group than in the CD4−-DLI group. These findings indicate that inflammation induced by DLI, especially by CD4+ T cells, plays a crucial role in the thymic impairment.
Disturbance of the re-os chronometer of molybdenites from the late-caledonian galway granite, ireland, by hydrothermal fluid circulation.

Re-Os ages were determined for molybdenites from the late-Caledonian Galway Granite in the west of Ireland. Molybdenites from three localities within the batholith, Mace Head, Murvey, and Travore, yield respective Re-Os ages of 425.2 ± 3.1 Ma, 383.2 ± 8.1 and 426.1 ± 5.5 Ma, and 338.9 ± 5.6 and 464 ± 28 Ma. The molybdenites from the three localities are believed to be contemporaneous. However, the Re-Os ages obtained for each locality are not only in disagreement with the ages of the samples from the other localities but also are inconsistent within a single locality. Replicate analyses of a molybdenite standard (HLP-5) characterized by AIRIE using our method (Suzuki et al., 1992) yields reproducible Re-Os ages, which are in agreement with the results of Markey et al. (1998). Therefore, the age discrepancies in Galway molybdenites in this study should not be attributed to analytical errors. Suzuki et al. (2000) revealed experimentally that the Re-Os system in molybdenite can behave as an open-system when immersed in warm aqueous NaCl or NaHCO3 bearing fluid. Detailed fluid inclusion studies of molybdenite vein quartz and granite quartz (Gallagher et al., 1992; O'Reilly et al., 1997) have shown that the Galway Granite was the locus for repeated fluid events, i.e., 1. Expulsion of aqueous carbonic magmatic fluids during the final stages of crystallization, 2. Meteoric fluid convection probably driven by waning magmatic heat and 3. Incursion of basinal brines associated with fluorite mineralization at least 100 Ma after granite consolidation. We suggest that younger hydrothermal fluids perhaps associated with fluorite mineralization may have perturbed the Re-Os systematics of molybdenites from the Galway Granite.
Comparing Near Eastern Neolithic Megasites and Southwestern Pueblos: Population Size, Exceptionalism and Historical Trajectories

Çatalhöyük and other Near Eastern Neolithic ‘megasites’ are commonly interpreted as exceptional because of their large size and early dates. In this paper, we question exceptional claims about the size and social organization of megasites like Çatalhöyük by comparing them to pueblos in the American Southwest. We argue that Çatalhöyük and other Near Eastern Neolithic megasites are better understood as large villages whose size, layout and social organization compare readily to many of the late prehispanic and historic-period pueblos in the American Southwest. We suggest that four factors contribute to disparate interpretations of structurally similar sites in the Near East and American Southwest: 1) surface architectural visibility; 2) different regional intellectual traditions that emphasize ‘micro’ versus ‘macro’ scale social organization; 3) a tendency toward overestimation in archaeological population estimates, especially when the ‘biggest’ or the ‘earliest’ sites are involved; and 4) perceptions of continuity with later time periods.
Inactivation of bacteria using dc corona discharge: role of ions and humidity

Here we present the results of an experimental study of the effect of ions produced in a dc corona discharge on inactivation of bacteria on the surface of agarose gel. Both positive and negative corona discharges in various gases at different humidities were studied. The measurements in air, O2, N2, Ar and He mixtures show that there is no inactivation in pure N2, pure O2 and an N2–H2O mixture. The best results were achieved in the case of direct treatment, when discharge was ignited in oxygen and water-containing mixtures. We show that neither UV radiation, ozone or H2O2 nor other neutral active species alone produced by corona have an effect on bacteria viability. It is shown that the main role of charged particles may be related to the faster transport of active peroxide species—cluster ions OH−(H2O)n and H3O+(H2O)n. The efficiency of these radicals is much higher than that of the oxygen radicals and ions (including O−2, O+4 and O3) and that of nitrogen and argon ions.
Efficacy and Safety of Adalimumab in Moderately to Severely Active Cases of Ulcerative Colitis: A Meta-Analysis of Published Placebo-Controlled Trials

Background/Aims To evaluate the efficacy and safety of adalimumab (ADA) in moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) patients who are unresponsive to traditional therapy. Methods Electronic databases, including the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases, were searched to April 20, 2014. UC-related randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared ADA with placebo were eligible. Review Manager 5.1 was used for data analysis. Results This meta-analysis included three RCTs. ADA was considerably more effective compared with a placebo, and it increased the ratio of patients with clinical remission, clinical responses, mucosal healing and inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire responses in the induction and maintenance phases (p<0.05), as well as patients with steroid-free remission (p<0.05) during the maintenance phase. Clinical remission was achieved in a greater number of UC cases in the ADA 160/80/40 mg groups (0/2/4 week, every other week) compared with the placebo group at week 8 (p=0.006) and week 52 (p=0.0002), whereas the week 8 clinical remission rate was equivalent between the ADA 80/40 mg groups and the placebo group. Among the patients who received immunomodulators (IMM) at baseline, ADA was superior to the placebo in terms of inducing clinical remission (p=0.01). Between-group differences were not observed in terms of serious adverse events (p=0.61). Conclusions ADA, particularly at doses of 160/80/40 mg (0/2/4 week, every other week), is effective and safe in patients with moderate-to-severe UC who are unresponsive to traditional treatment. Concomitant IMM therapy may improve the short-term therapeutic efficacy of ADA.
Henoch‐Schönlein Purpura in a Child with Hyperimmunoglobulinemia D and Periodic Fever Syndrome

Abstract: This report describes a 3‐year‐old girl with a long history of periodic fever who presented with Henoch‐Schönlein purpura. She was diagnosed with hyperimmunoglobulinemia D and periodic fever syndrome by means of mutation analysis of the mevalonate kinase gene. The serum IgA concentration was markedly elevated, but the serum IgD concentration was normal. This report emphasizes that Henoch‐Schönlein purpura may be an important clinical feature of hyperimmunoglobulinemia D and periodic fever syndrome. In addition, this syndrome should be considered in patients with Henoch‐Schönlein purpura in whom there is a history of recurrent fevers, even when the serum IgD concentration is normal.
Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MR Imaging in Head and Neck Cancer: Techniques and Clinical Applications

SUMMARY: In the past decade, dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging has had an increasing role in assessing the microvascular characteristics of various tumors, including head and neck cancer. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging allows noninvasive assessment of permeability and blood flow, both important features of tumor hypoxia, which is a marker for treatment resistance for head and neck cancer. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging has the potential to identify early locoregional recurrence, differentiate metastatic lymph nodes from normal nodes, and predict tumor response to treatment and treatment monitoring in patients with head and neck cancer. Quantitative analysis is in its early stage and standardization and refinement of technique are essential. In this article, we review the techniques of dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging data acquisition, analytic methods, current limitations, and clinical applications in head and neck cancer.
Bladder contractility‐related neurons in barrington's nucleus: Axonal projections to the spinal cord in the cat

Barrington's nucleus projects directly to the sacral parasympathetic nucleus. The purpose of this study was to clarify whether neurons in Barrington's nucleus that increase their firing during bladder contractions project to the spinal cord and, if so, to which level(s) the axon reaches. Single units were recorded in Barrington's nucleus of cat with glass microelectrodes, and the termination level of descending axons was determined by antidromic stimulation of the spinal cord. Thirty‐nine neurons projecting to the spinal cord were located in rostral parts of the dorsolateral pontine tegmentum, medial and ventral to the mesencephalic trigeminal tract. This finding is consistent with previous neuronal tracing studies. All neurons increased their firing rates during contraction associated with micturition. In 19 examined neurons, the most caudal level of the descending axon distributed between the L7 and the S3 level. Stimulation of the axon at this most caudal level resulted in antidromic spike latencies ranging between 19.5 msec and 45.0 msec. These antidromic latencies were much smaller than previously reported orthodromic conduction times between neurons in Barrington's nucleus and sacral preganglionic neurons innervating the bladder. The mean conduction velocity of the descending axon from the cell body to the border between Th13 and the L1 ranged between 7.2 m/sec and 27.7 m/sec. The decrease of the mean conduction velocity was observed at the lumbar as well as at the sacral segments, suggesting that axons issue collaterals to the lumbar level as well as to the sacral level. J. Comp. Neurol. 449:355–363, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Brain imaging in cerebral palsy

parents and physicians separately, the reported impact on all of these outcomes was substantial. Perhaps most impressive and important for anyone caring for infants with epilepsy, the impact on treatment decisions (55% changed medications) and the resulting improvements in seizure control and development (69% and 34% improved respectively) was substantial from the parents’ perspective. When SCN1A testing was done soon after the onset of epilepsy (<2y) therefore providing an early correct diagnosis, these figures were even more impressive (75%, 96%, and 79% respectively). From the physicians’ perspective, finding an SCN1A mutation allowed them to avoid further diagnostic investigations in 67% and in 99% the results were in one or more ways helpful in managing the patient. The setting in which Brunklaus et al. performed this research is important. Most of the patients targeted for this study had Dravet syndrome and the diagnosis was likely to be suspected before the test was ordered. Dravet syndrome is a severe form of infantile-onset epilepsy. Multiple bouts of status epilepticus are common. Seizures are refractory to treatment although some medications are relatively effective in bringing seizure counts down while others exacerbate seizure occurrence. Moderate to severe intellectual disability is the typical long-term outlook. Increasing evidence suggests that uncontrolled seizures in the very young brain actually contribute to the degree of disability and that early effective intervention may actually help rescue development. Thus, in this particular scenario, finding an SCN1A mutation, especially early, could result in improved treatment selection leading to better seizure control and ultimately an amelioration of the typically devastating long-term developmental course of this disorder. Negative SCN1A findings may not, in and of themselves, have great beneficial impact. Dravet syndrome, however, is only one of many genetic encephalopathic conditions that arise in the first few years of life, and which are associated with refractory seizures and lifelong disability. Increasingly, specific treatments are being found for these individual conditions which, as in the case of Dravet syndrome, may potentially improve seizure control and developmental outcome. Large-scale screening for multiple genes is becoming more and more possible. One group recently reported on a next generation sequencing panel that tests 265 genes. There are difficulties, no doubt, with all the information being collected when we don’t exactly know what some of it means; we are still evolving in our use of these new technologies. The research by Brunklaus et al. is an example of precisely the type of information that will help inform us about the true value of genetic testing and guide us in its use.
Acute otitis media in young children: diagnosis and management

T here is little doubt that acute otitis media (AOM) is one of the most common inflammatory diseases in childhood. It is a major cause of morbidity in children and one of the most common reasons children are prescribed antibiotics. However, diagnosis of AOM can be difficult as symptoms and signs are not necessarily definitive and physical examination can be challenging in this age group. In addition, management of AOM has been widely debated, with numerous different treatment guidelines in the published literature.1-4 The use of these guidelines is further complicated by confusion between the categories of otitis media. Overdiagnosis of AOM is believed to be common, leading to the inappropriate use of antibiotics, which promotes antibiotic resistance and unnecessarily increases the risk of side effects. DEFINITIONS OF OTITIS MEDIA Otitis media is a collective of infective or inflammatory disorders of the middle ear. It has been described as a continuum, ranging from AOM and recurrent AOM through to otitis media with effusion and chronic suppurative otitis media, and can have a significant impact on hearing.5,6 The categories of otitis media are defined in Box 1.6
Do the motor manifestations of parkinson disease alter motor axon excitability?

Background: Axonal excitability is altered in common medical conditions such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injury. Given the motor neuron changes in the presence of rigidity and tremor in Parkinson disease, we examine whether there are also changes in motor axon excitability. Methods: Axonal excitability studies were performed in 15 Parkinson subjects and 12 age‐matched control subjects. Results: There was no significant difference in excitability indices between Parkinson subjects and control subjects. Conclusions: It is unlikely that the lack of change in the excitability indices reflects a balance between the effects of bradykinesia (“underactivity”) and the effects of rigidity and tremor (“overactivity”) on the motoneuron and its axon. It is more likely that plastic changes in motoneuron properties do not occur symmetrically with decreases and increases in activity, being more profound when activity levels are interrupted and less obvious when they are enhanced. Muscle Nerve 45: 43–47, 2012
Deep sinus aspergillosis in a liver transplant recipient successfully treated with a combination of caspofungin and voriconazole

Abstract: We describe the rare case of a diabetic patient who was successfully treated for cytomegalovirus viremia and leishmaniasis following liver transplantation for hepatitis C virus‐related cirrhosis, but also developed invasive sinus Aspergillus infection, while still on liposomal amphotericin B (AmBisome). The patient refused radical surgery including eye enucleation, and received a combination of intravenous caspofungin and voriconazole, along with repeated, conservative, local surgical debridement. At follow‐up, 15 months after the onset of sinusitis, the patient remains culture‐negative, fully active, and without evidence of local recurrence.