Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
68Ga-PSMA-PET/CT Has a Role in Detecting Prostate Cancer Lesions in Patients with Recurrent Disease.

BACKGROUND/AIM Early detection of recurrent πrostate cancer (PCa) lesions is paramount to allow patients to avail of localised salvage therapy options. The most significant reason for failure of salvage therapy is undetected metastatic disease. This demonstrates the need for a more accurate monitoring tool. The prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is increasingly investigated as a novel tracer for gallium 68 PET/CT to detect PCa lesions in patients with recurrent disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS The Embase, Pubmed and the Cochrane databases were searched to identify studies investigating the accuracy of 68Ga-PSMA-PET/CT in detecting PCa lesions. Studies were analysed with regards to image analysis, sensitivity, specificity and detection rates; compared to conventional methods and with the effects of contributing characteristics. RESULTS 24 studies were analysed. 68Ga-PSMA-PET/CT was associated with sensitivity and specificity values of 33-93%, and >99% respectively. The tracer produced excellent contrast 1 h post injection. Probability of detection increases with increasing prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and at low PSA levels, is greater than that of current choline tracers. Early detection of lesions by the tracer allows alterations in follow up treatment. However, detectability may be affected by tracer trapping, androgen deprivation therapy and levels of PSMA expression. CONCLUSION 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT shows promise as a tool for the detection of PCa lesions in patients with suspected recurrence. However further studies with more reports on sensitivity and specificity with longer follow-up times are needed.
Should tetracycline treatment be used more extensively for rheumatoid arthritis? Metaanalysis demonstrates clinical benefit with reduction in disease activity.

OBJECTIVE To compare the effectiveness of tetracycline antibiotics versus control (placebo or conventional treatment) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for the reduction of disease activity as defined by American College of Rheumatology criteria. METHODS We searched Medline (1966-February 2002), Embase (1980-February 2002), and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (Issue 1, 2002 Cochrane Library). Reference lists of published trials were searched by hand for further identification of published reports and presentations at scientific meetings. Randomized controlled trials comparing tetracyclines to control (placebo or conventional disease modifying antirheumatic therapy) were selected for inclusion if at least one of the following outcomes was reported: tender joint count (TJC), swollen joint count, patient pain score by visual analog scale, patient global assessment of disease activity, physician global assessment of disease activity, eosinophil sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP), joint space narrowing and erosions, adverse events, and quality of life as measured by the Health Assessment Questionnaire. Subjects were required to have RA as defined by the 1987 ARA criteria. RESULTS Ten randomized controlled trials including 535 individuals were reviewed. Only 3 trials were considered high quality; elements of bias could not be excluded in the remainder. Tetracyclines, when administered for > or = 3 months, were associated with a significant reduction in disease activity in RA as follows: for TJC, standardized mean difference (SMD) = -0.39, 95% CI -0.74, -0.05; and for acute phase reactants, ESR, SMD = -8.96, 95% CI -14.51, -3.42. The treatment effect was more marked in the subgroup of patients with disease duration < 1 year who were seropositive. There was no absolute increased risk of adverse events associated with tetracyclines: absolute risk difference = 0.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.01, 0.21. No beneficial effect was seen on radiological progression of disease: for erosions, SMD = 0.17, 95% CI -0.29, 0.64. In addition, subgroup analysis excluding trials with doxycycline showed that minocycline alone had a greater effect on reduction of disease activity: for TJC, SMD = -0.69, 95% CI -0.89, -0.49; and for ESR, SMD = -10.14, 95% CI -14.72, -5.57. CONCLUSION Tetracyclines, in particular minocycline, were associated with a clinically significant improvement in disease activity in RA with no absolute increased risk of side effects. Unfortunately, the information available was inadequate to allow a detailed analysis of individual side effects in the studies. Further research is warranted to compare these agents to newer disease modifying drugs for comparable safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness.
Perspectives of Solid State Fermentation for Production of Food Enzymes

Food industry represents one of the economic sectors where microbial metabolites have found a wide variety of applications. This is the case of some enzymes, such as amylases, cellulases, pectinases and proteases which have played a very important role as food additives. Most of these enzymes have been produced by submerged cultures at industrial level. Many works in the literature present detailed aspects involved with those enzymes and their importance in the food industry. However, the production and application studies of those enzymes produced by solid state fermentations are scarce in comparison with submerged fermentation. This review involves production aspects of the seven enzymes: tannases, pectinases, caffeinases, mannanases, phytases, xylanases and proteases, which can be produced by solid state fermentation showing attractive advantages. Additionally, process characteristics of solid state fermentation are considered.
A Review of Relationships Between Possibility and Probability Representations of Uncertainty in Measurement

The main advances regarding the deep connections between probability and possibility measurement uncertainty representation (but not the propagation) over the last decade are reviewed. They concern the following: the definition of a possibility distribution equivalent to a probability of one from its whole set of dispersion intervals about one point for all of the probability levels, the bridges with the conventional dispersion parameters, the representation of a partial probability knowledge owing to a maximum specificity principle better than the maximum entropy principle, and also probability inequalities. The use of a possibility representation for common measurement situations such as the description of measurement results, measurand estimation, and expression of a priori uncertainty information is illustrated and then discussed in view of their use in further processing (propagation and fuzzy inference systems). The conclusion highlights the interests of the possibility approach and points out some remaining issues.
Active Warming During Emergency Transport Relieves Acute Low Back Pain

Study Design. Prospective randomized blinded trial in a prehospital emergency system. Objectives. To evaluate the effects of external active warming on acute back pain during rescue transport to hospital. Background Data. Acute low back pain is one of the complaints that most often entails a visit to the physician or use of the emergency system. Superficial (e.g., hydrocolloid packs) and deep heating (e.g., ultrasound) can relieve acute low back pain in a clinical setting. Recent data showed significant benefit for patients in pain from minor trauma treated by active warming during emergency transport. Accordingly, we tested the hypothesis that active warming would reduce pain and anxiety in patients with acute low back pain being transported to a hospital. Methods. A total of 100 patients were included in our study. We selected only those suffering from acute pain > 60 mm on a visual analog scale in the lower back. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups: active warming with a carbon-fiber electric heating blanket (Group 1) versus passive warming with a woolen blanket (Group 2) during transfer to hospital. Results. Pain scores on arrival at the hospital differed significantly between Group 1 and Group 2 (P < 0.01). In Group 1, pain reduction from 74.2 ± 8.5 mm VAS to 41.9 ± 18.9 mm VAS (P < 0.01) was noted between departure from the emergency site and arrival at the hospital. Pain scores remained practically unchanged in Group 2 (73.3 ± 11.9 mm VAS and 74.1 ± 12.0 mm VAS). Conclusions. Active warming reduces acute low back pain during rescue transport.
Development of Acute Opioid Tolerance During Infusion of Remifentanil for Pediatric Scoliosis Surgery

We tested the hypothesis that continuous intraoperative infusion of remifentanil is associated with the development of clinically relevant acute opioid tolerance in adolescents undergoing scoliosis surgery. Thirty adolescents were randomly assigned to receive an intraoperative analgesic regimen consisting of continuous remifentanil infusion or intermittent morphine alone. Postoperative analgesic consumption was assessed with a patient-controlled analgesia device that was used to self-administer morphine. Cumulative postoperative morphine consumption, pain scores, and sedation scores were recorded by a blinded investigator every hour for the first 4 h postoperatively and then every 4 h for a total of 24 h. Cumulative morphine consumption in the remifentanil group was significantly more than that in the morphine group at each time point in the initial 24 h after surgery (P < 0.0001). At 24 h after surgery, cumulative morphine consumption was 30% greater in the remifentanil group (1.65 ± 0.41 mg/kg) than in the morphine group (1.27 ± 0.32 mg/kg) (95% confidence interval for the difference, 0.11 to 0.65 mg/kg). Differences in pain and sedation scores were not statistically significant. These data suggest that intraoperative infusion of remifentanil is associated with the development of clinically relevant acute opioid tolerance in adolescents undergoing scoliosis surgery.
Direct and maternal genetic and environmental effects for fertility and hatchability in laying hens.

The main goals of layer breeding are a result of eeonomie eonditions. GOWE et al. (1993) reported that in egg stock seleetion programs the key traits are egg produetion rate, age at sexual maturity, viability at all ages, egg size, egg shell strength, feed effieieney as weil as fertility and hatehability. However, in praetiee, laying intensity is usually the main seleetion eriterion (WJ,;:ZYK, 1978; SEWALEM, 1998). On the other hand, the seleetion intensity (one of the faetors determining the genetie gain) depends on egg number as weil as fertility and hatehability. The reproduetive traits are known to be lowly heritable (FOERSTER, 1993; VAN KREY, 1993). It was indieated that environmental influenees (such as, pre-ineubation storage of hatehing eggs, maintenanee system) largely modi fies poultry fertility and hatehability (FAfRFULL and GOWE, 1987). Fertility is generally eonsidered a eommon trait of both parents (CRlTTENDEN et al., 1957), being a eonsequenee of the interaction of a male and a female gamete to produee a viable zygote. Hatehability is also determined by embryooie development andthus modified by "additional" matern al effeets (GowE et al., 1993; HARTMANN et al., 1997). These maternal effeets may be defined as any influenee on a progeny phenotype attributable (both in genetie and environmental terms) to the dam, other than the nucJear gene. Thus, these indireet (maternal) genotype effeets are divided into additive, dominance, additive by additive ete. The eonfounding of the two eontributions from the dam is eombined with the possibility of a eOITelation between the respeetive direet and matemal effeets. In Polish pedigree layer floeks, five traits (initial egg produetion, rate of initial egg production, body weight, egg weight and age at sexual maturity) are incJuded in the cJassieal seleetion index. This breeding strategy, whieh was deseribed by WJ,;:ZYK (1978) cJearly shows that the pedigree strains are only seleeted for produetive traits. In this ease, time genetie ehanges of the reproduetive traits (fertility and hatehability) ean be interpreted as a eOITelated response. The objeetives of this study were: i) to estimate the direet and matern al (indireet) additive genetie varianees as
A 6–18 GHz 5-bit active phase shifter

This paper presents a 6–18 GHz active 5-bit phase shifter in 0.18-µm SiGe BiCMOS technology based on a phase interpolation technique. An L-C resonance-based quadrature all-pass filter generates the I/Q reference signal with high I/Q accuracy over a wide bandwidth, and integrated current-mode DACs control the I/Q amplitudes to achieve 5-bit phase resolution. The phase shifter shows 19.5 dB of power gain with < 1.1 dB of RMS gain variation for all 5-bit phase states at 12 GHz, and the 3-dB gain bandwidth is 7.5–15.2 GHz. The measured RMS phase error is < 3o at 6.4–10.2 GHz and < 5.6° at 6–18 GHz achieving greater than 5-bit accuracy. Within the 3-dB gain bandwidth, the NF ranges from 4 to 5.7 dB and the NF variation is ±0.12 dB for all phase states. The total current consumption is 18.7 mA (phase shifter core: ∼ 3 mA) from a 3.3 V supply voltage and overall chip size is 1.2×0.75 mm2 (phase shifter core: 0.45×0.35 mm2).
Maternal risk profiles and the primary cesarean rate in the United States, 1991-2002.

OBJECTIVES We examined factors contributing to shifts in primary cesarean rates in the United States between 1991 and 2002. METHODS US national birth certificate data were used to assess changes in primary cesarean rates stratified according to maternal age, parity, and race/ethnicity. Trends in the occurrence of medical risk factors or complications of labor or delivery listed on birth certificates and the corresponding primary cesarean rates for such conditions were examined. RESULTS More than half (53%) of the recent increase in overall cesarean rates resulted from rising primary cesarean rates. There was a steady decrease in the primary cesarean rate from 1991 to 1996, followed by a rapid increase from 1996 to 2002. In 2002, more than one fourth of first-time mothers delivered their infants via cesarean. Changing primary cesarean rates were not related to general shifts in mothers' medical risk profiles. However, rates for virtually every condition listed on birth certificates shifted in the same pattern as with the overall rates. CONCLUSIONS Our results showed that shifts in primary cesarean rates during the study period were not related to shifts in maternal risk profiles.
Recurrent ovarian undifferentiated carcinoma resembling hepatoid morphology treated with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin and bevacizumab

Hepatoid carcinomas are undifferentiated epithelial carcinomas that are pathologically similar to hepatocellular carcinoma, but occur in a variety of organs. Hepatoid carcinomas, as strictly defined, typically produce α‐fetoprotein. In addition, a standard effective chemotherapy regimen for hepatoid carcinoma has yet to be established. We present a case of advanced primary ovarian cancer that was pathologically similar to hepatoid carcinoma without staining for α‐fetoprotein or hepatocyte paraffin 1. The primary ovarian, metastatic, and recurrent tumors shared similar pathological characteristics. Fourth‐line chemotherapy with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin and bevacizumab was effective in treating the recurrent tumor, even though this disease had recurred three times.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Unraveling the genetics of spermatogenic failure

Background Because of the common use of ICSI and the potential genetic aetiology of spermatogenic failure, concern has been raised about transmitting genetic disorders to ICSI-offspring. However, to date in only ~15% of all cases of spermatogenic failure an underlying genetic cause can be identified. We have previously established an association between spermatogenic failure and chromosomal region 11p15. In the current study we set out to explore whether NALP14, a gene recently mapped to 11p15, has a function in spermatogenesis and whether mutations in NALP14 can cause spermatogenic failure. Methods We applied two different Multiple Tissue Northern blots to determine tissue specificity of NALP14 and performed immunohistochemistry on human testis with anti-NALP14 antiserum. To determine imprinting status of NALP14, we tested two SNPs for expression of both alleles in human testis. Finally, we performed a mutation screen of the NALP14 gene in 157 men with azoospermia or severe oligozoospermia by direct sequencing; one-hundred fifty-eight normospermic men served as controls. Results NALP14 was, as are the three other genes in 11p15, exclusively expressed in testis. Within the testis, the NALP14 protein was mainly expressed in A dark spermatogonia, mid and late spermatocytes and spermatids. The mutation screen revealed five mutations that occurred only in the patient group. one of these unique mutations introduced an early stopcodon in the NALP14 sequence, predicted to result in a severely truncated protein. Conclusions our data suggest that NALP14 has a function in spermatogenesis and that mutations in this gene might cause spermatogenic failure. opmaak westerveld.indd 28 15-10-2008 10:19:20
Beneficial cooperation ratio in multi-hop wireless ad hoc networks

In this paper, we study the differences of applying cooperation to fully-connected and multi-hop wireless networks, and find out that both the enlarged interference area and link density play a pivotal role in making the beneficial cooperation decision in a multi-hop network. Through characterizing effects of the enlarged interference area and link density on the overall network performance, a beneficial cooperation opportunity can be identified. By employing a randomized scheduling scheme and deriving the interference-free probability of any two links, the expected numbers of concurrent direct and cooperative transmissions can be obtained, where the ratio of these two numbers is defined as the beneficial cooperation ratio. Such a ratio translates the reduced spatial reuse to a requirement of the cooperation gain and provides a guideline for enabling beneficial cooperation on a single-link basis. Finally, the analytical and simulation results demonstrate that the beneficial cooperation criterion for a multi-hop network derived in this paper is more accurate than that in [1].
Molecular surface generation using a variable‐radius solvent probe

Protein–ligand binding occurs through interactions at the molecular surface. Hence, a proper description of this surface is essential to our understanding of the process of molecular recognition. Recent studies have noted the inadequacy of using a fixed 1.4 Å solvent probe radius to generate the molecular surface. This assumes that water molecules approach all surface atoms at an equal distance irrespective of polarity, which is not the case. To adequately model the protein–water boundary requires that the solvent probe radius change according to the polarity of its contacting atoms, smaller near polar atoms and larger near apolar atoms. To our knowledge, no method currently exists to generate the molecular surface of a protein in this manner. Using a modification of the marching tetrahedra algorithm, we present a method to generate molecular surfaces using a variable radius solvent probe. The resulting surface lacks many of the unrealistic small crevices in nonpolar regions that are found when utilizing an invariant 1.4 Å solvent probe, while maintaining the fine detail of the surface at polar regions. On application of the method on a test set of 20 protein structures taken from the Protein Data Bank (PDB), we also find far fewer empty unsolvated cavities that are present when using only a 1.4 Å solvent probe, while the majority of solvated and polar cavities is retained. This suggests that the majority of empty cavities previously observed in protein structures might simply be artifacts of the surfacing method. We also find that the variable probe surface can have significant effects on electrostatic calculations by generating a better tuned description of the protein–water boundary. We also examined the binding interfaces of a diverse set of 55 protein–protein complexes. We find that using a variable probe results in an increase in perceived shape complementarity at these sites compared to using a 1.4 Å solvent probe. The molecular volume and surface area are geometric values that determine various important properties for macromolecules, and the altered description afforded by a variable solvent probe molecular surface can have significant implications in protein recognition, energetics, folding, and stability calculations. Proteins 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Designing Compact and Maximally Permissive Deadlock Avoidance Policies for Complex Resource Allocation Systems Through Classification Theory: The Linear Case

Most of the past research on the problem of deadlock avoidance for complex resource allocation systems (RAS) has acknowledged the fact that the computation of the maximally permissive deadlock avoidance policy (DAP) possesses super-polynomial complexity for most RAS classes, and therefore, it has resorted to solutions that trade off maximal permissiveness for computational tractability. In this paper, we distinguish between the off-line and the on-line computation that is required for the effective implementation of the maximally permissive DAP, and we seek to develop representations of this policy that will require minimal on-line computation. The particular representation that we adopt is that of a compact classifier that will effect the underlying dichotomy of the reachable state space into safe and unsafe subspaces. Furthermore, in this first study of the aforementioned problem, we restrict our attention to a particular RAS class that is motivated by an ongoing project of ours called Gadara, and accepts separation of the safe and unsafe subspaces of its instantiations through a set of linear inequalities. Through a series of reductions of the derived classification problem, we are also able to attain extensive reductions in the computational complexity of the off-line task of the construction of the sought classifier. We formally establish completeness and optimality properties for the proposed design procedures. We also offer heuristics that, if necessary, can alleviate the computational effort that is necessary for the construction of the sought classifier. Finally, we demonstrate the efficacy of the developed approaches through a series of computational experiments. To the best of our knowledge, these experiments also establish the ability of the proposed methodology to effectively compute tractable implementations of the maximally permissive DAP for problem instances significantly beyond the capacity of any other approach currently available in the literature.