Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and safety of splenectomy in immune thrombocytopenic purpura: long-term results of 402 cases.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is an acquired autoimmune disease characterized by platelet destruction. Glucocorticoids are the first-choice treatment, resulting in a complete (CR) or partial (PR) response in 70-80% of cases. In most cases, however, response is transient or glucocorticoid-dependent. For these and for selected patients with acute refractory ITP, splenectomy may produce a good response (CR+PR) in about 60-80% of cases. We report here the long-term outcome of a large cohort of ITP splenectomized patients. DESIGN AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the data on 402 patients (137 males, 265 females) who underwent splenectomy for ITP between 1959 and 2002 in 22 different Hematology Centers. RESULTS Seventy-nine of the 345 (23%) responsive patients relapsed, in most cases (80%) within 48 months from splenectomy. Sixty-eight out of these 79 patients (86%) were then treated with a good response in 46/68 (68%) cases. Fifty-four of the 57 patients refractory to splenectomy and were treated, after the surgery, with a good response in 27/54 (50%) cases. Infection and thrombosis did not significantly weigh upon the outcome of the patients. Only three patients died of hemorrhage during follow-up. By multivariate analysis, the number of therapies before (p<0.01) and higher peak post-splenectomy platelet count (p<0.00001) were predictive of a favorable response to splenectomy, whereas only higher post-splenectomy peak platelet count (p<0.001) was predictive of relapse. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS This study shows that splenectomy is a safe procedure and effective in approximately two thirds of patients with chronic ITP. Further studies are required to establish whether surgery-sparing treatments of chronic ITP, such as high-dose dexamethasone, anti-D and anti-CD20 immunoglobulins, have similar or even superior efficacy, risk and cost ratios compared to splenectomy.
LED-Switchable High-Q Packaged THz Microbeam Resonators

This paper describes the design, fabrication, and experimental characterization of photonic crystal microbeam cavity resonators for the terahertz band implemented using suspended dielectric rectangular waveguide (DRW) in high-resistivity silicon. Electrical quality factors of up to 11 900, combined with small modal volumes of 0.28 and 0.077 mm3, are demonstrated for devices operating at 100 and 200 GHz, respectively. The devices are found to be extremely light-sensitive, opening up new opportunities for light-controlled switching devices at terahertz frequencies. It is shown that the quality factor of the resonator can be tuned and the resonance extinguished through photo-illumination with an infrared light-emitting diode (IR LED). Additionally, the questions of thermal tunability and thermal stability of the resonators are examined. The demonstrated resonators are inherently suited to integration with DRW and, by silicon bulk micromachining, represent an attractive approach for realizing microphotonic-integrated circuits for terahertz systems-on-a-substrate.
Relief influence on tree species richness in secondary forest fragments of Atlantic Forest, SE, Brazil

The aim of this work was to explore the relationship between tree species richness and morphological characteristics of relief at the Ibiuna Plateau (SE Brazil). We sampled 61 plots of 0.30 ha, systematically established in 20 fragments of secondary forest (2-274 ha) and in three areas within a continuous secondary forest site, Morro Grande Reserve (9,400 ha). At each plot, 100 trees with diameter at breast height > 5 cm were sampled by the point centered quarter method, and total richness and richness per dispersal and succession class were obtained. The relief was characterized by the mean and variance of slope, elevation, aspect and slope location. There was no significant relationship between relief heterogeneity and tree species richness. Relief parameters generally did not affect tree richness, but elevation was particularly important especially in the continuous forest. Despite the limited range of altitudinal variation (150 m), species richness increases with elevation. The highest areas were also those with the largest forest cover and the lowest disturbance degree, which should contribute to the greater richness of those sites. Our results suggest an indirect influence of relief, due to the fact that deforestation is less intense in higher regions, rather than a direct influence of abiotic factors related to the altitudinal gradient.
Ophthalmoplegia secondary to herpes zoster ophthalmicus

An 80-year-old Caucasian woman had been diagnosed with right herpes zoster ophthalmicus 2 ½ weeks before presentation to our department. Ten days after stopping oral aciclovir, she presented with periorbital pain, visual loss, ptosis and complete ophthalmoplegia. On examination, visual acuity in her right eye was hand movements, with a relative afferent pupillary defect and 2 mm proptosis. MRI demonstrated contrast enhancement within the orbit extending into the apex, suggestive of an inflammatory process. Oral treatment was started with oral aciclovir and corticosteroids for 2 months, when she had resolution of the optic neuropathy and ophthalmoplegia. Vision recovered to 6/9 and repeat neuroimaging revealed regression of the inflammatory process.
Individual and Contextual Predictors of Inhalant Use among 8th Graders: A Multilevel Analysis

Few studies of inhalant use have examined a large number of predictors at the individual level, including risk and protective factors and delinquent behavior, while also taking into account contextual variables (such as school size and poverty rates). This exploratory study uses 8th grade data from a large-scale survey of students in Kentucky to examine individual and contextual predictors of prevalence of inhalant use, and compares the predictors of inhalant use with factors predicting the use of marijuana and other drug use. Hierarchical Generalized Linear Modeling results using a logit link function suggest that the relationships between inhalant use and some of these factors are different than the relationships between the factors and both marijuana and other drug use. Implications for prevention of inhalant use are discussed.
Cholera in endemic districts in Uganda during El Niño rains: 2002-2003.

BACKGROUND El Niño phenomenon causing increased rainfall and flooding has been linked to flare ups and emergence of several disease outbreaks including cholera. The latter has been reported in many districts in Uganda in recent years. Therefore an understanding of factors influencing its pattern of occurrence is needed for effective control. OBJECTIVES To determine cholera disease status during six months of El Niño rains and assess serotypes and antibiotic sensitivity of isolates. METHODS A prospective study was conducted in five cholera "endemic districts" in Uganda. RESULTS Cholera outbreaks occurred in all the study districts coincident with the onset of the El Niño rains. There were 924 cholera suspect cases reported with 95 fatalities (case fatality rate 10.3%). A total of 388 clinical specimens were analyzed by culture and of these, 168 were positive for V. cholerae. Biochemical and serological analysis identified the isolates as V. cholerae O1, biotype EL Tor serotype Ogawa. Antibiotic sensitivity revealed that isolates were 100% sensitive to ciprofloxacin, tetracycline and erythromycin, whereas sensitivity was variable for other tested antibiotics. Unlike Kampala, where the disease was contained within three months, persistence occurred in other districts only dying out with end of El Niño rains, suggesting differences in disease control. CONCLUSION These results show that El Niño rains cause increase in the number of cholera cases in Uganda, calling for preparedness and a need to emulate Kampala response incase of outbreaks in other districts.
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF HAEMATOLOGICAL MALIGNANCIES

SUMMMARY Sixty nine patients with various types of haematological malignancies were studied. Chronic myeloid leukaemia (n =32) was the commonest diagnosis. The patients were assessed on Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, PGI-N2 Health Questionnaire and Presumptive Stressful Life Events Scale and those who had scores above the cut off points for Hamilton Rating Scale and/or PGI-N2 Health Questionnaire were assessed on Present State Examination. The patients were followed up at 3 and 6 months interval. At 3 months 51 patients were re-assessed whilst at 6 months only 26 could be re-evaluated. There were no significant changes in scores of Hamilton Rating scale and PGI-N2 Health Questionnaire at intake and subsequent follow-up assessments. No significant correlations between stressful life experience and severity of illness emerged. Twenty nine patients were interviewed on Present State Examination and of these 20 had diagnosable depressive neuroses- From consultation liaison psychiatric point of view, provision of psychiatric help to these patients is discussed.
An alternative to IDF: Effective scoring for accurate image retrieval with non-parametric density ratio estimation

In this paper, we propose a new scoring method for local feature-based image retrieval. The proposed score is based on the ratio of the probability density function of an object model to that of background model, which is efficiently calculated via nearest neighbor density estimation. The proposed method has the following desirable properties: (1) a sound theoretical basis, (2) effectiveness than IDF scoring, (3) applicability not only to quantized descriptors but also to raw descriptors, and (4) ease and efficiency of calculation and updating. We show the effectiveness of the proposed method empirically by applying it to a bag-of-visual words-based framework and a k-nearest neighbor voting framework.
Tyrosine Phosphatase SHP-1 CD22 and Its Association with the Protein CD45 Regulates Tyrosine Phosphorylation of

Susanna F. Greer and Louis B. Justementhttp://www.jimmunol.org/content/162/9/5278J Immunol€1999; 162:5278-5286; ;Referenceshttp://www.jimmunol.org/content/162/9/5278.full#ref-list-1This article cites 48 articles, 25 of which you can access for free at: Subscriptionshttp://jimmunol.org/subscriptionsInformation about subscribing to The Journal of Immunology is online at: Permissionshttp://www.aai. org/ji/copyright.htmlSubmit copyright permission requests at: Email Alertshttp://jimmunol.org/cgi/alerts/etocReceive free email-alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up at:
Tardive Meige's syndrome associated with olanzapine

Meige's syndrome is characterized by blepharospasm and oromandibular dystonia. It has been reported as a complication of typical antipsychotics. To the best of our knowledge, case of olanzapine-induced tardive Meige's syndrome has not been reported in the literature. We we are reporting report a case of Meige's syndrome developing after long term therapy with olanzapine.
Cell Walls of Group D Streptococci II. Chemical Studies on the Type 1 Antigen Purified from the Autolytic Digest of Cell Walls

Autolysis of group D, type I cell walls by an indigenous autolytic enzyme results in the solubilization of the type I antigen. The antigen was purified from the autolytic digest by diethylaminoethyl cellulose chromatography. Chemical analysis of the purified type 1 antigen revealed glucose, glucosamine, galactosamine, rhamnose, ribitol, phosphorus, and residual peptoglycan components. This analysis suggested that the type I antigen is a heteropolymer which may contain a ribitol teichoic acid. The antigen purified by the procedure outlined here is higher in phosphorus content, lower in peptidoglycan, and more reactive serologically than the antigen prepared by methods previously described.
Nitric oxide modulates peristaltic muscle activity associated with fluid circulation in the sea pansy Renilla koellikeri

SUMMARY Nitric oxide (NO) is a well-known regulator of vascular activities in vertebrates and it has also been implicated as a vasodilatatory agent in a cephalopod. In the sea pansy Renilla koellikeri, an octocorallian representative of the most basal animals with a nervous system, we investigated the role of NO in peristalsis, an activity that moves body fluids through the coelenteron (gastrovascular cavity) of the polyps across the colony. NO donors increased the amplitude of peristaltic contractions and increased tonic contractions in relaxed preparations, but caused a relaxation of basal tension in contracted preparations. The NO synthase (NOS) inhibitors L-NAME (N(ω)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester) and 7-nitroindazole reduced the amplitude of peristaltic contractions and lowered basal tension. In contrast, aminoguanidine, a specific inhibitor of inducible NOS, increased the amplitude but reduced the rate of peristalsis. Zaprinast, a cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor, decreased the amplitude of peristaltic contractions, a decrease that was amplified by dibutyryl cGMP. In contrast, the inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase ODQ (1H-(1,2,4)oxadiazolo(4,3-a)quinoxalin-1-one) enhanced peristalsis. Putative NOS-containing neurons, revealed by NADPH-diaphorase activity and citrulline immunohistochemistry, were observed in the basiectoderm at the base of the autozooid polyp tentacles and in a nerve-net around the oral disc. Their neurites ran up the tentacles and down to the polyp body wall, crossing from the ectoderm through the mesoglea and into the endoderm musculature where musculo-epithelial cells were also reactive. These data suggest that two distinct nitrergic pathways, one of which is mediated by cGMP, regulate peristalsis and muscle tone in the sea pansy and that these pathways may involve NOS-containing ectodermal neurons and musculo-epithelial cells.
Pulmonary Endarterectomy

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) results from recurrent or incomplete resolution of pulmonary embolism. CTEPH is much more common than generally appreciated. Although pulmonary embolism (PE) affects a large number of Americans, chronic pulmonary thromboembolic hypertension remains underdiagnosed. It is imperative that all patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) be screened for the presence of CTEPH since this form of PH is potentially curable with pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) surgery. The success of this procedure depends greatly on the collaboration of a multidisciplinary team approach that includes pulmonary medicine, cardiothoracic surgery, and cardiac anesthesiology. This review, based on the experience of more than 3000 pulmonary endarterectomy surgeries, is divided into 2 parts. Part I focuses on the clinical history and pathophysiology, diagnostic workup, and intraoperative echocardiography. Part II focuses on the surgical approach, anesthetic management, postoperative care, and complications.
All shapes and sizes: the first generation of national spatial data infrastructures

GIS technology has transformed spatial data handling capabilities and made it necessary for governments to re-examine their roles with respect to the supply and availability ofgeographicalinformation. This paper reviews the experiences of eleven national initiatives which together constitute the first generation of national spatial data infrastructures and it also considers what lessons might be learnt for the next generation that will come into being over the next ten years. The presentation is divided into three sections. The first of these consists of a short profile of each of the eleven strategies for Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, Portugal, Qatar, United Kingdom and United States. These are evaluated in the second section in relation to the driving forces behind them and their main features in terms of status, scope, access, approach to implementation and resources. The last section considers what lessons might be learnt from this experience and discusses the chan.
Renal Excretion of Water, Sodium and Chloride: Comparison of the Responses of Hypertensive Patients with those of Normal Subjects, Patients with Specific Adrenal or Pituitary Defects, and a Normal Subject Primed with Various Hormones

There has long been interest in the possibility that a relationship exists between essential hypertension and those endocrine aberrations that involve the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal cortex. This paper represents an attempt to study these relationships indirectly by an examination of the manner in which the kidneys of patients with these various diseases handle water, sodium, and chloride.
UWB Omnidirectional Square Monopole Antenna for Use in Circular Cylindrical Microwave Imaging Systems

In this letter, a novel ultrawideband (UWB) printed monopole antenna (PMA) for use in a circular cylindrical microwave imaging system is presented. The proposed antenna consists of a square radiating patch and a ground plane with a pair of E-shaped slots and a rectangular slot with a pair of horizontal T-shaped strips protruded inside the slot, which provides a wide usable fractional bandwidth of more than 120% (2.97-12.83 GHz). By cutting two modified E-shaped slots with variable dimensions on the ground plane corners and also by inserting two T-shaped strips inside the rectangular slot located in the ground plane center, additional resonances are excited, and hence much wider impedance bandwidth can be produced, especially at the higher band. The proposed antenna has an ordinary square radiating patch, therefore displays a good omnidirectional radiation pattern even at higher frequencies, and also its radiation efficiency is greater than 86% across the entire radiating band. The designed antenna has a small size of 12 ×18 mm2. Simulated and measured results are presented to validate the usefulness of the proposed antenna structure for circular cylindrical microwave imaging system.
Eye Movements and Anaphor Resolution: Effects of Antecedent Typicality and Distance

The coordination of the eye movement control system with comprehension processes was studied. Eye movements were monitored while subjects read paragraphs containing an anaphoric noun phrase. in Experiment 1, fixations on the anaphoric noun were shorter when its antecedent was close and typical of the noun category than when it was distant and/or atypical. Subjects took longer reading the words following the anaphoric noun when the antecedent was atypical than when it was typical. in Experiment 2, distance of antecedent affected anaphor fixation times for category name anaphors but not for general noun anaphors (e.g., “object”). The results suggest that the eyes do not wait for the completion of anaphor resolution processes. Rather, these processes are completed after the eyes have left the anaphoric noun. The different patterns of effects on the anaphors themselves and the post-anaphor region were interpreted to reflect two different stages in anaphor resolution.
The Ex Vivo Effect of Ligation Technique on the Static Frictional Resistance of Stainless Steel Brackets and Archwires

This ex vivo investigation compared the effect of various orthodontic ligation techniques on the static frictional resistance of stainless steel brackets and archwires under both dry and wet conditions. The techniques studied were: elastomeric modules tied conventionally and in a ‘figure of 8’ pattern, stainless steel ligatures, and Teflon-coated ligatures. The first part of the investigation involved the construction of calibration curves for each of the materials, so an estimate of the normal force exerted by the ligatures could be ascertained. Secondly, a pair of ligature locking pliers were modified so that ligatures could be placed with a standardized force. Finally, the four methods of ligation were directly compared on a specially constructed testing apparatus. Results revealed that elastomeric modules tied in a ‘figures of 8’ pattern produced significantly more friction than any other method tested, under both dry and wet conditions. NO significant differences in frictional resistance were found between conventionally tied elastomeric modules and stainless steel ligatures. Teflon-coated ligatures, however, were associated with the lowest frictional forces. The results of the calibration tests indicated that the normal forces exerted by all four methods of ligation may be higher than previously estimated.
A hybrid FLANN and adaptive differential evolution model for forecasting of stock market indices

This paper presents a computationally efficient functional link artificial neural network CEFLANN based adaptive model for financial time series prediction of leading Indian stock market indices. Financial time-series data are usually non-stationary and volatile in nature. The proposed adaptive CEFLANN based model employs the least mean square LMS algorithm with a new cost function to train the weights of the networks. The mean absolute percentage error MAPE with respect to actual stock prices is selected as the performance index to estimate the quality of prediction. The CEFLANN model inputs are chosen from the past stock prices of different market sectors along with technical indicators to determine best stock trend prediction one day ahead in time. Further to improve the performance of the CEFLANN model, weights are optimized using an adaptive differential evolution DE algorithm and its overall prediction performance is compared with the improved LMS algorithm showing the effectiveness of the DE in producing more accurate forecast. We have selected different combinations of important technical indicators to have a strong control on changes in stock indices.
Evaluation of Antibacterial Activity of Some Medicinal Plants Used in Sudanese Folk Medicine for Treatment of Gastrointestinal Tract Infections

Punica granatum, Citrullus colocynthes, Curcuma long, Albizia lebbeckandAzardirachta indicaare used in traditional medical practice in Sudan for the treatment of gastrointestinal tract infections. The methanol and aqueous extracts from different plant parts (Peel of fruits, rhizome, fruits, leaves, and Gum) respectively at a concentration of 100 mg/ml, were evaluated against 20 clinical isolates (2 were Salmonella typhi,5 Proteus mirabilis,4 Escherichia coli,5 Pseudomonas aeruginosa,3 Staphylococcus aureus, one was Salmonella para typhi B) and 5 standard bacterial strains (Staphylococcusaureus ATCC 25923), Bacillus subtilis (NCTC 8236), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Salmonella typhi (ATCC1319106) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 35657) were tested for their antibacterial properties using the Agar Diffusion Technique in vitro. Of all plants methanolic and aqueous extracts of Punica granatum were the most active with clinical isolates and standard bacterial strains showed relatively high antibacterial activity against most of the tested microorganisms with the diameter of inhibition zones ranging between 14 and 24 mm, whereas the methanolic extract of Curcuma long showed high antibacterial activity againstProteus mirabilis clinical isolate (1Z = 20 mm). Most susceptible Gram-negative clinical Isolates bacteria were Escherichia coli and Proteusmirabilis. Most susceptible Gram negative standard bacteria were Bacillus subtilis (NCTC 8236) and Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) and least susceptible Gram negative bacterium was Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 35657). In Gram positive standard bacteria, most susceptible was S.aureus (ATCC 25923). Antibiotics was used as standards drug for antibacterial assay. The results obtained appeared to confirm the antibacterial potential of the plants investigated, and their usefulness in the treatment of gastrointestinal tract infections.