Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hepatitis B and C viral infections among blood donors at Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

Background: Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus are the major public health problem world wide that affects billions of people. In the study area, there is lack of available information on this issue. Aims: the aim of the study was to assess seroprevalence of HBV and HCV among blood donors. Method: A cross sectional study was conducted among blood donors attending Bahir Dar Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital. Five milliliters of blood samples were collected and screened with ELISA tests for detecting hepatitis B surface antigen and anti hepatitis C virus antibody. Chi-squared and fisher exact tests were used for the analytical assessment. Results: Out of 2384 blood donors examined, 108(4.5%) were seropositive for at least one of the two Hepatitis diseases markers of which five were co-infected. The prevalence of HBs Ag and anti-HVC was 4.11% and 0.63%, respectively. High seropositivity of HBV (8.3%) was noticed among >45 years old and HBV positivity were significantly higher among males (4.4%) than females (1.45%) (P =0.04). HCV prevalence was significantly higher in >45 years old (2.5%, p=0.01). Conclusion: The prevalence of HBV and HCV were high and the diseases were still major health problem in elderly people in the study area, which alerts public health intervention as soon as possible.
Surgical management of chronic total occlusion of the abdominal aorta

Background:­ In this study, we evaluated patients who underwent surgery for chronic total occlusion of the abdominal aorta in our clinic retrospectively. Methods: Twenty consecutive male patients (mean age 61.8±8.0 years; range 44 to 76 years) who underwent surgery in our clinic for chronic total occlusion of the abdominal aorta between March 2001 and December 2009 were included in this study. All patients were operated on electively. Four patients (20%) had undergone previous coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. The occlusion of the abdominal aorta was documented with angiography in all patients. Juxtarenal aorta occlusion occurred in six patients (30%), occlusion of the suprarenal aorta in three patients (15%), and occlusion of the infrarenal abdominal aorta in 11 patients (55%). An aortobifemoral bypass and abdominal aortic thromboendarterectomy were performed in all patients. The left kidney was revascularized with a saphenous vein graft in one patient (5%). Results:­ There was complete immediate success with no mortality. No complications occurred during or after the operation. The average duration of hospital stay was 7.1±1.4 (range 5 to 11 days) and an average intensive care unit stay was 2.4±0.6 (range 1 to 3) days. Neither revision nor reintervention was required during hospitalization. Conclusion:­ Considering our experience, aortic reconstructive surgery is a successful option for the management of chronic suprarenal, juxtarenal, and, infrarenal abdominal aortic occlusions.
Sonographic surveillance for the detection of contralateral metachronous breast cancer in an Asian population.

OBJECTIVE This study was designed to assess the diagnostic indexes of sonographic surveillance with mammography for the detection of metachronous contralateral breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS Between January 2003 and December 2003, 1,706 breast sonographic examinations were performed by three radiologists in 1,256 Asian women with a history of surgery for breast cancer in one breast as an adjunct screening test to mammography in an academic medical center. We evaluated the biopsy recommendation rate, a diagnostic index, of the combination of whole-breast sonography and mammography for the detection of contralateral metachronous breast cancers and the positive predictive value (PPV) of this biopsy recommendation rate. RESULTS Based on 1,706 examinations in 1,256 women, the biopsy recommendation rate was 3.5% per patient and 2.6% per examination. The PPV of the biopsy recommendation rate was 41.0% with 18 breast cancers diagnosed (cancer detection rate, 1.4% per patient and 1.1% per examination). Among these cancers, two were detected on sonography alone. One false-negative cancer was found on the next sonographic examination but could not be seen on the next mammographic examination. CONCLUSION With a false-negative rate of only 0.06% and a PPV of 41.0% for the biopsy recommendation rate, our results suggest that annual sonography could be a useful adjunctive tool to mammography for the detection of metachronous contralateral cancers.
Distinct Pattern Of Age-Specific Incidence Of Guillain-Barre Syndrome In Harbin, China

We describe the age- and sex-specific incidence of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) in Harbin, China, based on the information from a prospective survey among a well-defined large population during one year. A network of physicians reported incident patients with a GBS diagnosis from a general population of 5.4 million inhabitants in Harbin, China, during the period from 1 October 1997 to 30 September 1998. Each reported patient was examined by senior neurologists and the GBS diagnosis was validated according to standard diagnostic criteria. All GBS patients were followed-up for six months after onset. Admission registers at all hospitals in Harbin were also checked afterwards for screening patients with a GBS diagnosis who might have been missed. During the study period, 79 patients with a GBS diagnosis were reported. After validation, the GBS diagnosis was confirmed in 70 patients. Another GBS patient was found through the screening of admission registers at hospitals. Among them, 36 GBS patients were residents in Harbin and the other 35 patients were from geographical areas out of Harbin. The GBS incidence, age-adjusted to the European standard population, was 0.66 (95 % CI 0.46–0.91) per 100,000 person-years, with a male to female ratio of 1.4. The highest GBS incidence was found in the youngest age-group and the incidence among the elderly was remarkably lower than those reported from other populations in Western countries. Possible explanations for the distinct pattern of age-specific incidence of GBS are discussed. Further studies are needed.
Ac ce pt ed m an us cr ip t A state of the art in structured light patterns for surface profilometry

Shape reconstruction using coded structured light is considered one of the most reliable techniques to recover object surfaces. Having a calibrated projector-camera pair, a light pattern is projected onto the scene and imaged by the camera. Correspondences between projected and recovered patterns are found and used to extract 3D surface information. This paper presents an up-to-date review and a new classification of the existing techniques. Some of these techniques have been implemented and compared, obtaining both qualitative and quantitative results. The advantages and drawbacks of the different patterns and their potentials
Diagnostic accuracy of CT fluoroscopy-guided needle aspiration biopsy of ground-glass opacity pulmonary lesions.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of CT fluoroscopy-guided percutaneous needle aspiration biopsy of ground-glass opacity (GGO) pulmonary lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-eight patients with GGO lesions who underwent CT fluoroscopy-guided needle aspiration biopsy were enrolled in this study. GGO lesions were divided into three groups according to their size: group 1, lesions < or = 10 mm (n = 10); group 2, lesions 11-20 mm (n = 10); and group 3, lesions > 20 mm (n = 8). Sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy were calculated on the basis of 28 needle aspiration biopsy results and were compared among the three groups using Fisher's exact test. Diagnostic accuracy was also compared according to length of needle path (< 5 cm vs 5-9 cm vs > 9 cm) and GGO component (50-90% vs > 90%). Each case was reviewed for complications, which included pneumothorax, thoracostomy tube insertion, and hemoptysis. RESULTS There were 17 (61%) malignant and 11 (39%) benign lesions. Three (10%) biopsy results were nondiagnostic, all of which were confirmed as benign. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of CT fluoroscopy-guided needle aspiration biopsy for diagnosing GGO were 67%, 100%, and 80% in group 1; 71%, 100%, and 80% in group 2; and 75%, 100%, and 88% in group 3. The diagnostic accuracy of CT fluoroscopy-guided needle aspiration biopsy for diagnosing GGO was not significantly different among the three groups (p > 0.05). The diagnostic accuracy was not significantly different according to the length of the needle path (p > 0.05). However, diagnostic accuracy was significantly more accurate in mixed GGO lesions than in pure GGO lesions (p = 0.046). Five patients (18%) developed a pneumothorax, two of whom (7%) required placement of a thoracostomy tube. Mild hemoptysis occurred in three patients (11%). CONCLUSION CT fluoroscopy-guided needle aspiration biopsy is a useful diagnostic technique for GGO pulmonary lesions and has an acceptable complication rate, even for small and deeply located lesions. The diagnostic accuracy is influenced by the GGO component.
Peripheral bolus-chase MR angiography: analysis of risk factors for nondiagnostic image quality of the calf vessels--a combined retrospective and prospective study.

OBJECTIVE The objective of our study was to evaluate the influence of endogenous and exogenous risk factors on the rate of nondiagnostic examinations of the calves in peripheral bolus-chase MR angiography (MRA). SUBJECTS AND METHODS Peripheral bolus-chase MRA runoff studies in 177 patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) were retrospectively assessed with regard to the rate of nondiagnostic image quality due to substantial venous overlay in the calf arteries requiring repeated MRA examinations. Logistic regression was used to analyze the rate of nondiagnostic MRA examinations as a function of several endogenous and exogenous risk factors and of the stage of PAOD. To probe the retrospective data, 22 consecutive patients were prospectively included and underwent a standard peripheral MRA examination if the probability of a nondiagnostic examination was less than 50% based on the results of logistic regression; otherwise, a hybrid MRA examination was ordered. RESULTS Nondiagnostic image quality of the calf arteries was found in 53 patients (30%). The incidence increased with each stage of PAOD up to 39% for stage IV. For each increase in the stage of PAOD, the probability of nondiagnostic image quality increased by a factor of 1.5561 (p = 0.0024). With an increasing number of risk factors, a significantly (p = 0.0074) higher rate of nondiagnostic images was found. CONCLUSION Based on the retrospective statistical analysis of PAOD stages and risk factors, selected patients can be triaged to undergo a specific hybrid MRA technique and thus circumvent the occurrence of nondiagnostic images and the need for repeated MRA examinations.
The Reactions of the Bennett—Goodspeed Group of Antibodies Tested with the AutoAnalyzer

THE ANTIGEN variously known as Goodspeed, Bennett, Sturgeon and Donna was first identified in 1954 (Chown, Lewis and Kaite, 1963 ; Buchanan and Afaganis, 1963) but because of the lack of reproducibility and the doubful results obtained in family studies in the inheritance of the ‘Bennett-Goodspeed gene’, it has not been accepted as a blood group system. In many cases the antibody is found as a contaminant of immune sera used for blood grouping, and though more frequent in sera from transfused persons, it is also found as a naturally occurring antibody. The reactions are usually shown best by the indirect Coombs’ test with fresh ‘Bennett-Goodspeed positive’ cells; and the sera and cells may need a ‘fresh serum factor’ to give reproducible results (Chown et al., 1963). Two other antibodies Ho (van der Hart, Moes, van der Veer and van Logham, 1961) and Ot (Dorfmeier, van der Hart, Nijenhuis and van Loghem, 1961), are related to this group; their main reactions have been summarized by Race and Sanger (1962) whose conclusion was that further investigations would have to await better tests for the antigen. In 1962 a strong example of the anti-Bennett-Goodspeed antibody, which was identified by Dr. Cleghorn, was found in the serum of a patient (St) in this hospital who required 24 transfusions during the last 2 years of her life. Her serum contained a strong white cell agglutinin (titre 32) and also the antibody which with the indirect Coombs’ test reacted strongly with the red cells of 5 per cent of the laboratory staff and weakly and inconsistently with a further 4 per cent. There was marked variation among the positive reactions and the strongest gave a titre of 32. With these cells six further examples of the antibody were soon encountered but no further investigations were made until it was found, on testing one of the known anti-Bennett-Goodspeed sera with the AutoAnalyzer, that positive reactions were given by about a third of the cell samples. Allen, Rosenfield and Adebahr (1963) showed that with the AutoAnalyzer and a combination of enzyme and P.V. P. there was an increased sensitivity in comparison with manual methods for some antibody systems and this applies also to the Bennett-Goodspeed group of antibodies, whose reactions with the AutoAnalyzer are here reported.
Dramatic Response of Resistant Obsessive Compulsive Disorder to Repeated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Right Supplementary Motor Area

The response rate to the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is 21.6% to 61.3%, which shows a relative resistance to current treatments and a need for novel therapeutic approaches. Here we report a case of resistant OCD with fast and dramatic response to a relatively new method of repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation. In this method a pulse magnetic field emits from a coil over the surface of the scalp to induce a localized electrical current in the cortex below. Cortical activity can then be either inhibited or stimulated. The patient was a 40-year-old woman with severe OCD who admitted to our psychiatric hospital. She was treated with 10 sessions of rTMS (110% intensity, 1 Hz frequency and duration of 30 minutes per day / a total of 1200 pulses per day) on right supplementary motor area. Her improvement evaluated serially with Yale Brown Scale. By the end of the 2nd day she reported a major improvement of symptoms. Dramatic improvement was observed in her obsessive and compulsive behaviors, and avoidance recovered completely. She also reported significant improvement in ability to control obsessive thoughts and impulses, and anxiety symptoms. Since repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation is a low risk method with almost no interaction with the common medications, as well as the faster response obtained by using this method, it can be used as an add-on treatment in resistant cases of OCD and even in the initial stages of this disorder. Iran J Med Sci 2009; 34(4): 295-298.
Palliative treatment of inoperable malignant tracheobronchial obstruction: temporary stenting combined with radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of our study was to evaluate the clinical results of temporary stenting followed by radiation and/or chemotherapy in patients with inoperable malignant tracheobronchial strictures. CONCLUSION Temporary stenting combined with radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy may be clinically effective in the palliative treatment of patients with malignant tracheobronchial strictures. Stent placement may serve as an effective bridge to radiation and/or chemotherapy, allowing the latter to consolidate durable relief of obstructing symptoms by reducing tumor burden. Furthermore, our treatment strategy may increase patients' quality of life by reducing stent-related complications.
Hoffa's Fat Pad: Evaluation on Unenhanced MR Images as a Measure of Patellofemoral Synovitis in Osteoarthritis.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to compare synovitis-like signal changes in Hoffa's fat pad on unenhanced proton density-weighted fat-suppressed sequences with signal alterations in Hoffa's fat pad and peripatellar synovial thickening on T1-weighted fat-suppressed contrast-enhanced sequences in patients with osteoarthritis. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Fifty patients with osteoarthritis of the knee participated in the study. MRI was performed with triplanar proton density-weighted fat-suppressed sequences and a sagittal T1-weighted fat-suppressed contrast-enhanced sequence. Signal intensity alterations in Hoffa's fat pad were scored semiquantitatively on unenhanced and contrast-enhanced images by two radiologists in consensus. Peripatellar synovial thickness was measured on the T1-weighted fat-suppressed contrast-enhanced images in six locations. Agreement between scoring of signal changes on unenhanced and contrast-enhanced sequences was assessed with kappa statistics. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of scoring of signal-intensity changes on unenhanced images were calculated with T1-weighted contrast-enhanced MRI as the reference standard. In addition, we also examined the relation between signal changes and summed synovial thickness using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. RESULTS Agreement between unenhanced and contrast-enhanced MRI was fair to moderate (weighted kappa = 0.35 and 0.45). The sensitivity of signal intensity changes in Hoffa's fat pad on proton density-weighted fat-suppressed images was high, but specificity was low. Correlations of signal intensity changes in Hoffa's fat pad with synovial thickness were lower for unenhanced scans but all were statistically significant. CONCLUSION Signal intensity alterations in Hoffa's fat pad on unenhanced images do not always represent synovitis but are a nonspecific albeit sensitive finding. Semiquantitative scoring of synovitis of the patellofemoral region in osteoarthritis ideally should be performed with T1-weighted contrast-enhanced sequences and should include scoring of synovial thickness.
Noninvasive Imaging and Monitoring of Retinal Pigment Epithelium Patterns Using Fundus Autofluorescence - Review

Non-invasive imaging of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) using autofluorescence became recently available with the introduction of confocal laser scanning ophthalmoscopes. Fundus autofluorescence is usually excited at a wavelength of 488nm and the emitted light is detected above 500nm. This intrinsic autofluorescence was shown to derive from the lipofuscin accumulating within the RPE either with age or also due to different hereditary or degenerative diseases of the macula as e.g. age-related macular degeneration. Since a variety of macular diseases correlate with distinct RPE changes, specific patterns of autofluoresce nce could be evaluated within the recent years for diagnostic and prognostic reasons in those RPE-related diseases. Moreover autofluorescence can also be regarded as a monitoring tool after therapeutic applications as macular surgery or laser treatment. Other new applications try to determine macular pigment density using autofluorescence or use it to evaluate oxygen-dependent cell metabolism. This review summarizes the recent findings of autofluoresce nt patterns in specific diseases and therapeutic approaches and emphasizes on the tremendous potential of this novel imaging method.
Identification of compounds that may be repurposed for the treatment of triple negative breast cancer

Triple negative breast cancers (TNBC), lack the estrogen and progesterone receptors as well as the HER2 receptor. Currently, there is no selective therapy for the treatment of TNBC and current treatment regimens rely on a cytotoxic chemotherapeutic approach. In addition, many TNBC’s display markers of clinically relevant drug resistance, which contribute to the difficulty of treating the disease. Thus, there is a need for the development of new drugs. Current drug discovery is a labourious, costly and time-consuming process with a high attrition rate. Repurposing is an attractive alternative, as many clinically approved compounds have activities unrelated to their current application, that can be harnessed for the treatment of an alternative clinical indication. Here, the Johns Hopkins Clinical Compound Library (JHCCL), consisting of ~1,500 clinically approved and off-patent drugs, was screened against the multi-drug resistant (MDR)-TNBC cell line MDA16. The aim was to identify compounds that caused collateral sensitivity or compounds that displayed novel and/or effective activities against the TNBC cell lines. Three related antimetabolite drugs cytarabine, gemcitabine and cladribine were identified to cause collateral sensitivity. However, collateral sensitivity has been well documented with this class of drug and because of this lack of novelty, their activities were not further characterised. The antibiotic anisomycin (ANS) was identified as the most effective compound from the secondary screen. ANS was found to be highly effective against a subset of TNBC cell lines and against some prostate cancer cell lines in vitro. In the MDA-MB-468 TNBC cell line, ANS was shown to induce ribotoxic stress, as evidenced by JNK activation, with induction of caspase-3 like activity and caspase-3 processing as reported in the literature. However, induction of ribotoxic stress and caspase activity is not required for cell death as blocking ribotoxic stress signalling and caspase activity failed to protect cells from ANS induced cell death. These results are contrary to the published literature relating to the mode of cell death in response to ANS treatment. Thus, these findings are novel and increase the repurposing potential of ANS for the treatment of TNBC.
Oral health trends among adult public dental patients

This publication presents findings on edentulism (complete tooth loss), dental caries (decay) and periodontal (gum) disease among public dental patients between 1995-96 and 2001-02. Adults eligible for public dental care are primarily persons on low incomes who hold government entitlement cards such as aged pensioners and the unemployed.
Characterization of atypical cystic renal masses with MDCT: comparison of 5-mm axial images and thin multiplanar reconstructed images.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate whether cystic renal masses are better characterized on thin axial and multiplanar reconstructed MDCT images than on 5-mm images. MATERIALS AND METHODS The records of 70 complex cystic renal masses in 59 patients (45 men, 14 women; mean age, 68 +/- 13 years) who underwent 64-MDCT at two medical centers were studied. Twenty-three of the masses were confirmed on the basis of the histologic findings and 47 in 2-4 years of follow-up. Images were reviewed in two sessions by two radiologists with 12 and 2 years of experience. In the first session, 5-mm axial images were analyzed, and in the second, thin axial images and multiplanar reconstructions. To assess intraobserver variability, analysis was repeated after 1 month. Statistical analysis was performed with Wilcoxon's signed rank test, receiver operating characteristic analysis, and weighted kappa statistics. RESULTS Radiologists 1 and 2 detected thicker cystic walls (p < 0.001, p < 0.005) and septa (p < 0.03, p < 0.05) and fewer septa (p < 0.005, p < 0.002) on 5-mm axial images and assigned significantly different Bosniak categories than they did in analysis of the volume data (p < 0.04, p < 0.05). Variability was reduced in thin axial and multiplanar views. No significant differences were found in characterization of lesions as benign or malignant in review of 5-mm axial images and volume data sets. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were 0.89 for 5-mm images and 0.96 for volume data sets for radiologist 1 and 0.87 and 0.90 for radiologist 2. CONCLUSION Analysis of volume data sets is associated with less intraobserver and interobserver variability than review of 5-mm axial images. Wall thickness and the number and thickness of septa may differ, resulting in assignment of different Bosniak categories. Diagnostic performance in characterizing lesions as benign or malignant, however, is not statistically different for the thick and thin images.