Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in the aortic wall at PET/CT: possible finding for active atherosclerosis.

PURPOSE To evaluate fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in the thoracic aortic wall at combined positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) and compare uptake with aortic wall calcification. MATERIALS AND METHODS Records of 85 consecutive cancer patients who underwent FDG PET/CT were evaluated retrospectively. One hour after FDG injection, CT followed by PET was performed from ear to middle of the thigh. CT, PET, and fused PET/CT images were generated. FDG uptake and calcification were evaluated visually and semiquantitatively. FDG uptake was graded according to intensity; calcification, according to thickness. Unpaired t test was used for comparison of patient age with and without FDG uptake and with and without calcification. The relationship between the score (sum of grades along all aortic segments) of positive FDG uptake and calcification and patient age was analyzed with Spearman rank correlation. Comparison of frequency of FDG uptake and calcification with age, sex, risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), or history of CVD was performed with chi2 analysis. RESULTS Fifty patients had at least one area of FDG uptake in thoracic aortic wall, 14 of whom showed focal FDG uptake. Intermediate to intense FDG uptake tended to be observed in the descending aorta. Forty-five patients had at least one measurable aortic calcification. Thick calcification was observed most often at the aortic arch. Twelve patients had 13 uptake areas at the calcification site. Patients with positive findings were on average older (P <.05 for both increased uptake and calcification); the older patient group had higher frequency of both aortic wall uptake (P <.005) and calcification (P <.001). The calcification score correlated with age (rho = 0.60, P <.001) but the FDG uptake score did not. Women, patients with hyperlipidemia, and patients with history of CVD tended to show increased FDG uptake (P =.073,.080, and.068, respectively), whereas patients with diabetes had significantly more calcifications (P <.05). CONCLUSION PET/CT depicted FDG uptake commonly in the thoracic aortic wall. The FDG uptake site was mostly distinct from the calcification site and may possibly be located in areas of metabolic activity of atherosclerotic changes.
Antagonist wear by polished zirconia crowns.

AIM The aim of this in vivo study was to measure antagonist wear caused by polished monolithic posterior zirconia crowns over a 24-month period using the intraoral digital impression (IDI) technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirteen zirconia crowns were placed in nine patients. The crowns and adjacent teeth were captured using an intraoral scanner (Lava C.O.S.). The corresponding antagonist teeth and the respective neighboring teeth were also scanned. Scanning was performed immediately after the restoration (baseline) as well as 12 and 24 months after crown placement. Geomagic Qualify software was used to superimpose the follow-up data sets onto the corresponding baseline data set, identify wear sites, and measure maximum vertical height loss in each individual wear site. Overall antagonist wear was then determined as the mean of wear rates measured in all of the individual antagonist units. In addition, wear rates in enamel and ceramic antagonists were analyzed as part of the scope of this study. RESULTS The maximum mean wear with standard deviation (SD) in the overall sample with a total of nine patients, 13 antagonist units, and 98 evaluable wear sites was 86 ± 23 µm at 12 months, and 103 ± 39 µm at 24 months. The maximum mean wear in the enamel antagonist subgroup was 87 ± 41 µm at 12 months, and 115 ± 71 µm at 24 months; and in the ceramic antagonist subgroup 107 ± 22 µm at 12 months, and 120 ± 27 µm at 24 months. CONCLUSIONS The wear rates determined in this study are comparable to those of existing studies. The IDI technique of wear analysis can be carried out in a practical manner and produces useful results.
The Role of Empathy in Anger Arousal in Violent Offenders and University Students

A lack of empathic responsiveness toward others has been consistently identified as an important antecedent to aggressive behavior and violent crime, with many rehabilitation programs for violent offenders incorporating treatment modules that are specifically designed to increase offender empathy. This study examined the extent to which cognitive (perspective taking) and affective (empathic concern, personal distress) empathy predicted anger in a clinical (male prisoners convicted of a violent offense) and a nonclinical (student) sample. Perspective taking emerged as the strongest predictor of self-reported anger in response to an interpersonal provocation, as well as being most consistently related to scores on measures of general trait anger and methods of anger control. While the relationship between perspective taking and anger was apparent for offenders as well as students, the results did not support the idea that an inability to perspective take is a particular characteristic of violent offenders.
Comparison of Induction and Recovery Characteristics of Sevoflurane, Halothane and Propofol in Pediatric Outpatients

Objective: This study was done to compare and select the suitable anesthetic agent with smooth rapid induction, smooth rapid recovery, early readiness for discharge and with few intraoperative and emergence complications in pediatric outpatients. Material & methods: We studied 60 children undergoing bone marrow or C.S. F. aspiration for the diagnosis or follow up of leukemia or Hodgkin’s disease. They were randomly allocated to receive either sevoflurane or halothane as inhalation anesthetics or propofol as an intravenous one, for both induction and maintenance of anesthesia. Induction times, recovery times and intraoperative and emergence complications were recorded and statistical analysis of data was done to compare the differences between the three agents. Results: The three agents were found to provide satisfactory anesthetic conditions with few perioperative complications. However the use of propofol mandates insertion of an intravenous cannula, that was very difficult in small children under treatment with chemotherapy and also had prolonged recovery times. While the use of halothane was limited by its potential liver damaging effect with repeated anesthetic exposures. Conclusion: Sevoflurane was found to be the most suitable agent in this study. It had a smooth rapid induction time, the shortest recovery time, rapid hospital discharge, with very few intraoperative and postoperative complications and with no risk of anesthesia repetition in short time interval.
Short Report. The study of early human embryos using interactive 3‐dimensional computer reconstructions

Tracings of serial histological sections from 4 human embryos at different Carnegie stages were used to create 3‐dimensional (3D) computer models of the developing heart. The models were constructed using commercially available software developed for graphic design and the production of computer generated virtual reality environments. They are available as interactive objects which can be downloaded via the World Wide Web. This simple method of 3D reconstruction offers significant advantages for understanding important events in morphological sciences.
Challenges of Electronic Payment Systems in Ghana: The Case of e-ZWICH

Introduced in Ghana in 2008, the e-ZWICH is Africa’s first biometric electronic payment system. Though it was introduced four years ago to promote a cashless society, the level of awareness and patronage seem to be low and some have even predicted its failure in the near future. It is against this background that the study has been conducted to unravel the challenges and prospects associated with the e-ZWICH. The main task of this paper is to examine the challenges associated with the use of e-ZWICH in retail payments. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to fifty (50) e-ZWICH card bearers and thirty (30) non e-ZWICH card bearers. The Kendall’s coefficient of concordance and the Kruskal Wallis test were employed to analyse data from respondents. The study revealed a number of challenges that are militating against the success of the e-ZWICH service. Among these are link failure, frequent breakdown of machines, slow process of service delivery, long queues and inaccessibility of the point of sale devices before and after banking hours. The findings show that despite these challenges, the prospects of the e-ZWICH payment system are great among both users and non-users. Based on the findings, it is recommended that sensitisation workshops should be organised by the Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement System to encourage Ghanaian companies and individuals and in particular the rural folks to patronise the service.
Research Note - A Model of Conflict, Leadership, and Performance in Virtual Teams

Organizations in many different industries employ virtual teams in a variety of contexts, including research and development, customer support, software development, and product design. Many virtual teams are geographically and culturally dispersed in order to facilitate around-the-clock work and to allow the most qualified individuals to be assigned to a project team. As such dispersion increases, virtual teams tend to experience greater and more diverse conflict compared to co-located teams. Since the dynamics of virtual team leadership are not yet well understood, research that examines how team leaders alleviate threats to team cohesion and provide strategies for conflict resolution makes significant contributions to the literature. Our study uses a survey-based methodology to examine the perceptions of 159 virtual team members employed by a large U.S. telecommunications corporation and five Korean firms involved in construction, finance, business consulting, sales, and distribution. The study integrates the dynamic model of conflict in distributed teams with the behavioral complexity in leadership theory to investigate the roles that virtual team leaders must effectively employ to reduce various forms of virtual team conflict. Our findings indicate that communication technologies are effective in reducing task conflict; however, the team leader may also mitigate task conflict by assuming the role of monitor. Likewise, process conflict may be abated in the virtual team as the leader performs coordinator activities. An effective virtual team leader exhibits specific roles to manage different types of conflict and the leader's response to conflict plays an important part in virtual team success.
Prevalence and clinical characteristics of insulin-treated, anti-GAD-positive, type 2 diabetic subjects in an outpatient clinical department of a Dutch teaching hospital.

BACKGROUND In clinical practice, type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients are sometimes difficult to distinguish. Type 1 diabetes has an immune-mediated pathogenesis, resulting in a loss of insulin-secreting beta-cells. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is characterised by a relative insulin insufficiency, without the presence of an autoimmune aetiology, initially due to insulin resistance and later also accompanied by defective insulin release. Latent autoimmune diabetes of the adult (LADA) is a subgroup of diabetes, somewhere on the borderland between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. LADA is characterised by a late-age onset and relatively mild progression, but with unmistakable signs of autoimmunity, such as the presence of the autoimmune antibodies anti-GAD65, anti-insulin antibodies, or anti-Ia-2ab. OBJECTIVE To establish the prevalence of anti-GAD ina diabetic outpatient clinic of a Dutch, non-university,teaching hospital and to describe these patients clinical and laboratory features, especially of the metabolic syndrome. METHODS We evaluated GAD65 antibodies and other parameters in 244 selected diabetic patients, who had been on oral therapy for at least three months before becoming insulin-dependent. RESULTS Twenty-six patients (11.6%) were positive for GAD65 antibodies. These patients had a significantly lower BMI (27.8 +/- 4.5 vs 31.1 +/- 4.9; p<0.01); less often cerebrovascular accidents (19.2 vs 34.9%; p<0.01) and a higher HDL cholesterol (1.73 +/- 0.53 vs 1.21 +/- 0.38; p<0.05). In contrast, anti-GAD patients had a significantly higher prevalence of hypothyroidism (23.0 vs 6.6%; p<0.05). CONCLUSION Anti-GAD-positive patients represent a sizable proportion of type 2 diabetes in a second-line outpatient clinic, and they are characterised by lower parameters of the metabolic syndrome, but higher prevalence of other autoimmune phenomena such as hypothyroidism.
Trait Mindfulness Predicts Attentional and Autonomic Regulation of Alcohol Cue-Reactivity.

BACKGROUND The trait of mindfulness varies among meditation-naïve individuals and is associated with attentional and autonomic regulation, two neurocognitive functions that become impaired in addiction. It was hypothesized that alcohol dependent inpatients with comparatively high levels of trait mindfulness would exhibit significant autonomic recovery from stress-primed alcohol cues mediated by greater attentional disengagement from such cues. METHODS 58 alcohol dependent inpatients participated in affect-modulated psychophysiological cue-reactivity protocol and a spatial cueing task designed to assess alcohol attentional bias (AB). Associations between trait mindfulness, alcohol AB, and an index of autonomic activity, high-frequency heart rate variability (HFHRV), were examined via multivariate path analysis. RESULTS Higher trait mindfulness was significantly associated with less difficulty resisting the urge to drink and greater HFHRV recovery from stress-primed alcohol cues. After statistically controlling for the correlation of mindfulness and perceived difficulty resisting drinking urges, the association between mindfulness and HFHRV recovery was partially mediated by attentional disengagement from alcohol cues (model R2 = .30). DISCUSSION Alcohol dependent inpatients higher in mindfulness are better able to disengage attention from alcohol cues, which in turn predicts the degree of HFHRV recovery from such cues. Trait mindfulness may index cognitive control over appetitive responses reflected in superior attentional and autonomic regulation of stress-primed alcohol cue-reactivity.
Sensori-Neural Hearing Loss Client’s Performance with Receiver-In-Canal (RIC) Hearing Aids

Background: Individuals fitted with hearing aids complain of the unnatural sound quality of their voice, other internally generated sounds such as chewing and swallowing sounds “hollow”, “muffled” sounds. Receiver-In-Canal hearing aids are favored due to small size, discrete appearance and ability to minimize occlusion. Aim: To compare the performance of Receiver-In-Canal (RIC) to traditional ear tip (ET), ear moulds (EM) fittings using Functional gain measures. Method: Ten subjects with flat moderately severe sensori neural hearing loss participated in the study. Subjective unaided and aided measures for digital BTE hearing aids with ear tip, ear mould or Receiver-In-Canal for pure tones of 250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 2000 Hz, 4000 Hz were obtained. Results and Discussion: Higher scores were obtained with Receiver-In-Canal fitting on Functional gain measures. No significant difference between all the three conditions was obtained at low frequencies especially at 500 Hz, as Receiver-In-Canal hearing aids attenuate low frequency sounds automatically when the ear is left open (up to 30 dB less amplification at 500 Hz) especially for hearing in noisy situations. Conclusion: The results suggest that Receiver-In-Canal fittings are an effective means of overcoming the major barriers to the acceptance of amplification and further suggest the clinical importance of subjective measures in measuring aided benefit of open-fit devices in the rehabilitation of person’s with moderately severe to severe SN hearing loss.
Applying Full Spectrum Analysis to a Raman Spectroscopic Assessment of Fracture Toughness of Human Cortical Bone

A decline in the inherent quality of bone tissue is a † Equal contributors contributor to the age-related increase in fracture risk. Although this is well-known, the important biochemical factors of bone quality have yet to be identified using Raman spectroscopy (RS), a nondestructive, inelastic light-scattering technique. To identify potential RS predictors of fracture risk, we applied principal component analysis (PCA) to 558 Raman spectra (370–1720 cm–1) of human cortical bone acquired from 62 female and male donors (nine spectra each) spanning adulthood (age range = 21–101 years). Spectra were analyzed prior to R-curve, nonlinear fracture mechanics that delineate crack initiation (Kinit) from crack growth toughness (Kgrow). The traditional ν1phosphate peak per amide I peak (mineral-to-matrix ratio) weakly correlated with Kinit (r = 0.341, p = 0.0067) and overall crack growth toughness (J-int: r = 0.331, p = 0.0086). Sub-peak ratios of the amide I band that are related to the secondary structure of type 1 collagen did not correlate with the fracture toughness properties. In the full spectrum analysis, one principal component (PC5) correlated with all of the mechanical properties (Kinit: r = − 0.467, Kgrow: r = − 0.375, and J-int: r = − 0.428; p < 0.0067). More importantly, when known predictors of fracture toughness, namely age and/or volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), were included in general linear models as covariates, several PCs helped explain 45.0% (PC5) to 48.5% (PC7), 31.4% (PC6), and 25.8% (PC7) of the variance in Kinit, Kgrow, and J-int, respectively. Deriving spectral features from full spectrum analysis may improve the ability of RS, a clinically viable technology, to assess fracture risk.
Increased serum monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1, macrophage inflammatory protein‐1β, and interleukin‐8 concentrations in hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is characterized by hypercytokinemia caused by macrophage and T cell activation. We analyzed the serum concentrations of monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)‐1, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)‐1β, and interleukin (IL)‐8 to investigate the roles of these chemokines in the pathophysiology of HLH.
Association of Knee Osteoarthritis with the Accumulation of Metabolic Risk Factors Such as Overweight, Hypertension, Dyslipidemia, and Impaired Glucose Tolerance in Japanese Men and Women: The ROAD Study

Objective. To clarify the association of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) with overweight (OW), hypertension (HTN), dyslipidemia (DL), and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), which are components of metabolic syndrome (MS), in a Japanese population. Methods. We enrolled 1690 participants (596 men, 1094 women) from the large-scale cohort study Research on Osteoarthritis Against Disability (ROAD), begun in 2005 to clarify epidemiologic features of OA in Japan. KOA was evaluated by the Kellgren-Lawrence grade, minimum joint space width (MJSW), minimum joint space area (JSA), and osteophyte area (OPA). OW, HTN, DL, and IGT were assessed using standard criteria. Results. The prevalence of KOA in the total population in the age groups ≤ 39, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69, 70–79, and ≥ 80 years was 2.2%, 10.7%, 28.2%, 50.8%, 69.0%, and 80.5%, respectively. Logistic regression analyses after adjustment for age, sex, regional difference, smoking habit, alcohol consumption, physical activities, regular exercise, and history of knee injuries revealed that the OR of KOA significantly increased according to the number of MS components present (1 component: OR 1.21, 95% CI 0.88–1.68, p = 0.237; 2 components: OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.33–2.70, p < 0.001; 3 or more components: OR 2.72, 95% CI 1.77–4.18; p < 0.001). The number of MS components was inversely related to medial MSJW (ß = −0.148, R2 = 0.21, p < 0.001), medial JSA (women only; ß = −0.096, R2 = 0.18, p = 0.001), and positively related to OPA (ß = 0.12, R2 = 0.11, p < 0.001). Conclusion. The accumulation of MS components is significantly related to presence of KOA. MS prevention may be useful to reduce cardiovascular disease and KOA risk.
Haptoglobin and the development of cerebral artery vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage

Background: Vasospasm is a prolonged constriction of a cerebral artery that is induced by hemoglobin after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The subarachnoid blood clot also contains the protein haptoglobin, which acts to neutralize hemoglobin. Because the haptoglobin α gene is dimorphic, a person can expresses only one of three types of haptoglobin (α1–α1, α1–α2, or α2–α2) depending on the α subunit genes he or she inherits. Each of these three haptoglobin types has different antihemoglobin activities; therefore, haptoglobin may influence the development of vasospasm differently in various patients with SAH. Objective: To determine whether SAH patients who have haptoglobin containing the α2 subunit would be more likely to develop vasospasm than would be SAH patients who have haptoglobin α1–α1. Methods and Results: A total of 32 patients with Fisher Grade 3 SAH were enrolled in this study. Haptoglobin type was determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The primary measure for vasospasm was increased blood flow velocities as detected by daily transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD). The authors found that only 2 of 9 patients with haptoglobin α1–α1 (22%) had development of “possible” vasospasm as measured by TCD, whereas 20 of 23 patients with the haptoglobin α2 subunit (either the α1–α2 or α2–α2 haptoglobin types) had development of “possible” vasospasm (87%). The secondary measure for vasospasm was cerebral angiography performed between 3 and 14 days after SAH. Similar results (17% vs 56%) were seen between these groups in those patients who underwent cerebral angiography, although its inconsistent use limited the strength of the statistical comparison. Conclusions: Haptoglobins containing the α2 subunit seem to be associated with a higher rate of vasospasm than is haptoglobin α1–α1.
Plasma ubiquinol‐10 as a marker for disease: Is the assay worthwhile?

Ubiquinol‐10 and ubiquinone‐10 were measured in plasma of patients with several pathologies known to be associated with increased oxidative stress. Plasma ubiquinol‐10, expressed as a percentage of total ubiquinol‐10 + ubiquinone‐10, was found to be significantly lower in hyperlipidaemic patients and in patients with liver diseases than in age‐matched control subjects. In contrast, no decrease in ubiquinol‐10 was detected in plasma of patients with coronary heart disease and Alzheimer's disease. Except for ubiquinol‐10, no other lipophilic antioxidant was found to be decreased in patients with liver diseases. These data suggest that the level of ubiquinol‐10 in human plasma may serve as a marker for liver dysfunction, reflecting its diminished reduction by the liver rather than increased consumption by oxidants.