Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A unique, histopathologic lesion in a subset of patients with spontaneous pneumothorax.

CONTEXT Spontaneous pneumothorax can be idiopathic (primary), or it can occur in association with an underlying predisposing condition (secondary). Spontaneous pneumothorax may be a harbinger of an undiagnosed clinical condition, which may be associated with serious systemic abnormalities, making early recognition and diagnosis important. The pulmonary pathology of some of these disorders has not been fully elucidated. OBJECTIVE To review cases of pneumothorax in the hope of identifying pathologic features that might correlate to specific clinical syndromes. DESIGN The pathology computer files at 3 hospitals were searched for all cases of spontaneous pneumothorax, primary and secondary, regardless of etiology during a 11-year period. Ninety-two cases were retrieved. Each of the cases was evaluated for reactive eosinophilic pleuritis, elastosis, pleural fibrosis, emphysema, intra-alveolar macrophages, cholesterol clefts, vasculopathy, and intraparenchymal or intrapleural cysts. Clinical information regarding asthma and smoking history, site of the pneumothorax, family history, radiographic findings, predisposing conditions, recurrence, age, and sex were extracted from the medical records. RESULTS In 11 patients (12% of all the patients with spontaneous pneumothorax), a distinctive pattern of pleural fibrosis with islands of fibroblastic foci within a myxoid stroma was noted at the pleural-parenchymal interface or leading edge. These lesions correlated with a select subset of patients, consisting predominantly of young men. CONCLUSIONS Our review identified a distinct pattern of pneumothorax-associated fibroblastic lesions in a subset of cases of spontaneous pneumothorax. Whether this is related to the pathogenesis of the pneumothorax remains to be elucidated.
A comparison of the induction of immortalized endothelial cell impermeability by astrocytes

The suitability of various commercially available endothelial cell lines in studies of astrocytic/endothelial cell interactions was assessed. The endothelial-like cell line ECV304 was compared with T24/83, Eahy929, and b.End5 and rat cerebral endothelial cells in their ability, when co-cultured with rat (C6) glioma cells, to form a transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER), an indicator of tight junction formation which is an important property of the blood–brain barrier. As reported previously, the basal TEER of ECV304 cell monolayers was significantly enhanced upon co-culture, an effect reproduced by human 1321N1 astrocytes and primary rat astrocytes. T24/83 cells formed a patchy, gapped monolayer, which produced a poor basal TEER with little in the way of an increase upon co-culture. Similarly, all the other cell monolayers analysed demonstrated poor TEERs that were only moderately increased upon co-culture. These data confirm that while no endothelial cell line with ideal features is available, ECV304 cells remain an appropriate choice especially for studies of astrocyte/endothelial cell interactions.
Kinetic and 3D Kinematic analysis of netball movements: with and without prophylactic knee bracing

Patellofemoral pain is one of the most common musculoskeletal pain conditions, with a multifactorial aetiology. It is reported that young females are at high risk of developing patellofemoral pain. During dynamic, fast-paced games athletes are exposed to high ground reaction forces, contributing to lower body injury occurrence during landing and high patellofemoral loads. Knee braces, such as knee sleeves, are commonly used for patellofemoral pain; however the underlying mechanisms on the patellofemoral joint remain unclear. An increase in understanding of joint mechanics during sporting and functional tasks could help our understanding of injury mechanisms and preventative interventions. The aim is to identify any changes in the kinetics and kinematics of the tibiofemoral joint and the patellofemoral loading experienced in healthy subjects during a range of functional movements with and without a prophylactic knee sleeve.
Reconstruction of Planar Objects using the Properties of Plane and Vanishing Points from a Single Panoramic Image

This paper presents the 3D reconstruction of planar objects using the normal vector of plane and vanishing points from a single panoramic image. We get the geometric information of plane or line with feature points which use the constraints of coplanarity, perpendicularity and parallelism of planes or lines. We describe the 3D reconstruction about any features using the properties of vanishing points and several constraints like a coplanarity, perpendicularity and parallelism in planes and lines even though it may not extract the intersection point. When the panoramic camera located on ground in perpendicular, all vertical lines are converged into center point in image. However, horizontal line with ground plane projected as the curve on the basis of each vanishing point in image; the parallel lines with ground are projected as the curve in panoramic image. In order to get 3D information of line, we find out the parallel plane in focal point of mirror using the already known the height of mirror from the ground. We call the plane as the plane at infinity. Plane at infinity is projected as the circle at infinity in image which has the vanishing points on his area. Using this proposed method, we analyze the results from corridor or indoor environments; we also apply the hyperboloidal mirror to get panoramic image and perform the 3D reconstruction.
TOCOLYTIC DRUGS FOR WOMEN IN PRETERM LABOUR

Preterm birth is the most important single determinant of adverse infant outcome, in terms of both survival and quality of life. Although preterm birth is defined as being before 37 completed weeks, most mortality and morbidity is experienced by babies born before 34 weeks. Prevention and treatment of preterm labour is important, not as an end in itself, but as a means of reducing adverse events for the child. For many women in preterm labour it may not be appropriate to consider attempting tocolysis. Labour may be too advanced, for example, or prolonging the pregnancy may be hazardous because of intrauterine infection or placental abruption. As it is the woman who receives the intervention, there is also a responsibility to ensure that she is not harmed.
Labor Force Mobility in the United States: Migration, Unemployment, and Remigration

This study examines the relationships between pre-and post-move unemployment and interstate migration of the United States labor force for the period 1965 to 1970. Multivariate analyses are conducted for several large occupation groups. The results indicate a strong link between unemployment and migration. Unemployment increases migration possibilities for each large occupation group considered. Substantial post-move unemployment exists, but there is a significant link between migration and such unemployment only for blue-collar workers who are repeat migrants.
Long-Term Results of Balloon Angioplasty for Native Coarctation of the Aorta in the Surgical Specialty Teaching Hospital/Cardiac Center/Hawler

Background: Coarctation of aorta is a common congenital cardiac malformation; controversy has surrounded the use of balloon angioplasty for native coarctation of aorta as the primary treatment for patients with various ages with coarctation. Aim: This study aimed to assess the long term outcome of balloon angioplasty especially concerning aneurysm formation. Patients and Methods: A case series (case follow-up) study was carried out on a total of 50 patients (31 male and 19 female) with native coarctation of aorta aged 1 - 21 years of age who were treated with balloon angioplasty for more than 1 year at the time of follow up evaluation in surgical specialty hospital/cardiac center in Erbil Iraq. They were recalled and subjected to detail clinical examination, body weight, height, blood pressure measurements. Radiographic, Echo Doppler data, CT angiography were obtained. CT angiography was done for 34 patients. Full echocardiographic evaluation was done in follow up visits. Results: There was a significant reduction in the peak instantaneous pressure gradient across the coarctated area by Doppler echocardiogram gradient before balloon angioplasty and at the follow up visit from 56.92 ± 14.6 mmHg to 30.68 ± 16.89, P = 0.00. Six cases of total 50 patients had evidence of diastolic runoff pattern by Doppler Echcardiogram. While the only 6 of total 34 cases had the report of CT angiography that documented aneurysm formation (12%). Conclusions: Balloon angioplasty of native aortic coarctation can be performed safely and effectively with good immediate outcome. Furthermore, it offers satisfactory long-term results with low incidence of persisting restenosis, hypertension and aneurysm formation.
Low secondary transmission of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) in households following an outbreak at a summer camp: relationship to timing of exposure

SUMMARY Following an outbreak of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) at a residential summer camp for boys aged 10–16 years, we assessed secondary household transmission of the novel virus after their return home. Of 212 study participants who attended camp, 49 had confirmed or probable influenza for a primary attack rate of 23%. Of 87 exposed household contacts who did not attend camp, only three instances of probable transmission were observed, for a household secondary attack rate of 3·5%. All secondary cases occurred in households where the ill camp attendee returned home 1 day after onset of illness, with an attack rate of 14·3% in household contacts in this category. Returning home after peak infectivity to others and advanced warning prior to reintegration of sick individuals into the household probably contributed to the overall low secondary attack rate observed.
Lysosome Inhibitors Enhance the Chemotherapeutic Activity of Doxorubicin in HepG2 Cells

The lysosome inhibitors bafilomycin A1 and chloroquine have both lysosomotropic properties and autophagy inhibition ability, and are promising clinical agents to be used in combination with anticancer drugs. In order to investigate this combination effect, HepG2 cells were treated with bafilomycin A1, chloroquine, or/and doxorubicin, and their proliferative ability, induction of apoptosis, and the changes of lysosomal membrane permeabilization and mitochondrial membrane potential were studied. The results demonstrate that treatment with bafilomycin A1 or chloroquine alone at a relatively low concentration promotes the inhibitory effect of doxorubicin on cell growth and apoptosis. Further studies reveal that bafilomycin A1 and chloroquine promote lysosomal membrane permeabilization and the reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential induced by doxorubicin. Our findings suggest that bafilomycin A1 and chloroquine potentiate the anticancer effect of doxorubicin in hepatic cancer cells and that supplementation of conventional chemotherapy with lysosome inhibitors may provide a more efficient anticancer therapy.
H∞ control of a class of 2-D continuous switched delayed systems via state-dependent switching

This paper addresses the problem of state feedback H∞ stabilisation of 2-D (two-dimensional) continuous switched state delayed systems represented by the Roesser model using the multiple Lyapunov functional approach. First, an asymptotical stability condition of 2-D continuous switched systems with state-dependent switching is derived. Second, a sufficient condition for H∞ performance of the underlying system is established. Third, a state feedback controller is proposed to ensure that the resulting closed-loop system has a prescribed H∞ performance level under a state-dependent switching signal. All the results are developed in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, three examples are provided to demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed method.
General evaluation method of safety for human-care robots

This paper proposes the world's first general evaluation method of safety for human-care and medical robots. The safety values chosen are impact force and impact stress. The danger index and safety index are defined to make quantitative evaluation of the effectiveness of each safety strategy. Moreover, this proposed method enables us to know the contribution of each safety strategy to the overall safety performance of human-care robots. As a result, design optimization of safe robots is discussed successfully.
Curcumin Induces Heme Oxygenase-1 in Hepatocytes and Is Protective in Simulated Cold Preservation and Warm Reperfusion Injury

Preconditioning treatments hold significant potential for improving outcomes in solid organ transplantation. Protective phenotypes can be induced using certain drugs. Curcumin is a biologically active component of turmeric and has been reported to induce stress proteins in certain cell lines, leading to cell protection. This study investigates in detail the effect of curcumin on the stress-response in human hepatocytes, in particular its effect on heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) and its cytoprotective effect. Pretreatment with curcumin protected hepatocytes in a model of oxidative injury and this protection was mediated through HO-1. In a model of cold preservation injury, curcumin pretreatment resulted in elevation of HO-1 throughout the cold storage and rewarming period, and was cytoprotective against oxidative injury. This is the first study to demonstrate that curcumin induces HO-1 in human hepatocytes, and that the protective effects of curcumin pretreatment may have clinical potential in hepatic transplantation.
Estimating a time‐dependent concordance index for survival prediction models with covariate dependent censoring

Given a predictive marker and a time‐to‐event response variable, the proportion of concordant pairs in a data set is called concordance index. A specifically useful marker is the risk predicted by a survival regression model. This article extends the existing methodology for applications where the length of the follow‐up period depends on the predictor variables. A class of inverse probability of censoring weighted estimators is discussed in which the estimates rely on a working model for the conditional censoring distribution. The estimators are consistent for a truncated concordance index if the working model is correctly specified and if the probability of being uncensored at the truncation time is positive. In this framework, all kinds of prediction models can be assessed, and time trends in the discrimination ability of a model can be captured by varying the truncation time point. For illustration, we re‐analyze a study on risk prediction for prostate cancer patients. The effects of misspecification of the censoring model are studied in simulated data. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Wrist Arthrodesis Following Ulnar Bar Excision in Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva

Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva is a rare disorder characterized by the progressive development of heterotopic bone in the connective tissues of skeletal muscle, ligaments and tendons. Surgical trauma is one of the most potent stimuli for ossification and surgical treatment is generally considered to be contraindicated in this condition. We report a good functional result in a patient with severe hand disability secondary to an ulna-carpal bar in fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva.
The multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) in the pig.

PURPOSE To establish a method allowing multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) recording with simultaneous fundus monitoring on anaesthetized pigs. In addition we characterize the peaks of the porcine mfERG trace, and compare the visual streak area with the optic nerve head, a known non-response area. Finally we illustrate the feasibility of the method by performing mfERG after an induced laser burn in the visual streak. METHODS Fifteen pigs underwent mfERG recordings at baseline, and after 1 and 6 weeks of observation. One pig was evaluated before and after retinal diode laser treatment in the visual streak. RESULTS The porcine mfERG trace appears similar to the human mfERG trace, and can be described by three peaks named N1, P1 and N2. Significantly faster implicit time was found in the visual streak regarding N1 (P < 0.001) than in areas outside the visual streak. Amplitudes of all three peaks were increased in the visual streak (P < 0.005). The laser-treated area was characterized by a response similar to what is found at the location of the optic nerve head. CONCLUSION Porcine mfERG is similar in appearance to the human response and can be described by the same three peaks. Significantly higher amplitudes of all three peaks are found in the visual streak when compared to the optic nerve head and inferior retina. We have detected the functional deficit caused by a laser burn at the size of 3 x 3 mm.
Parental reflective functioning: An introduction

Abstract Reflective functioning refers to the essential human capacity to understand behavior in light of underlying mental states and intentions. The construct, introduced by Fonagy, Steele, Steele, Moran, and Higgitt in 1991, and elaborated by Fonagy and his colleagues over the course of the next decade, has had an enormous impact on developmental theory and clinical practice. This paper introduces the construct of parental reflective functioning, which refers to the parent's capacity to hold the child's mental states in mind, and begins with a review of Fonagy and his colleagues' essential ideas regarding the reflective function. Next, the applicability of this construct to parental representations of the child and the parent – child relationship is considered. A system for coding parental reflective functioning, which will serve as the organizing framework for this special issue, is described. Finally, the three papers that make up this special section are introduced.
The anal dilator in the conservative management of acute anal fissures

Patients presenting with acute anal fissure were randomized into two treatment groups in a prospective clinical trial. Both groups received treatment for 3 weeks with a stool softener and lignocaine jelly. Those entered in group 1 (35 patients) were asked in addition to insert an anal dilator (no. 2) twice daily while those in group 2 (31 patients) applied the anaesthetic jelly without a dilator. At 6 weeks 11 (31·4 per cent) patients in group 1 and 12 (38·7 per cent) patients in group 2 had been referred for sphincterotomy owing to failure of the treatment. At 6 months this figure had risen to 14 (40 per cent) in group 1 and 15 (48·4 per cent) in group 2. This difference was not statistically significant, suggesting that the addition of a dilator to the conservative treatment regimen did not diminish the likelihood of surgery.
Influence of Lighting Schedule and Nutrient Density in Broiler Chickens: Effect on Growth Performance, Carcass Traits and Meat Quality

The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of lighting schedule and nutrient density on growth performance, carcass traits and meat quality of broiler chickens. A total of 576 day old Arbor Acre male chickens was used with a 4x2 factorial arrangement. The four lighting schedules were continuous (23 L:1 D, CL), 20 L:4 D (12 L:2 D:8 L:2 D), 16 L:8 D (12 L:3 D:2 L:3 D: 2 L:2 D) and 12 L:12 D (9 L:3 D:1 L:3 D:1 L:3 D:1 L:3 D) and provided by incandescent bulbs. The two nutrient densities were high (H, starter diet: 13.39 MJ/kg apparent metabolisable energy (AME), 23.00% crude protein (CP); finisher diet: 13.39 MJ AME/kg, 19.70% CP) and low energy and protein level (L, starter diet: 12.03 MJ AME/kg, 20.80% CP; finisher diet: 12.14 MJ AME/kg, 18.30% CP). Houses with dark curtains and solid sidewalls were used. Chickens were randomly allocated to the 8 treatments with each treatment comprising 6 replicates of 12 chickens. Feed and water were available ad libitum. Lighting schedules showed no difference (p>0.05) in growth performance at the end of the experiment. 12 L: 12 D significantly reduced (p<0.05) the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) compared to 23 L:1 D treatment. Intermittent lighting (IL) schedules produced higher protein content (p<0.001) in breast meat. Birds on high density diets had higher body weight (BW), feed intake (FI) (p<0.001), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) (p<0.001) throughout the experiment with the exception of 36 to 42 d. High nutrient density increased (p<0.05) abdominal fat, decreased (p<0.05) the moisture loss of meat, and reduced percentage of wings and legs. There was a significant lighting schedulexdiet interaction (p<0.001) on FCR for days 8 to 14 and 15 to 21. Results indicated that IL can give similar growth performance in comparison with CL, meanwhile with positive effects on meat quality by increasing protein content and decreasing the concentration of MDA. High nutrient density resulted in greater growth performance.
Concentration of Natriuretic Peptides in Patients Suffering from Idiopathic Arterial Hypertension and Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction Confirmed by Echocardiography

Concentration of natriuretic peptides (NPs) in arterial hypertension (AH) patients is higher than that in healthy people. One of the first symptoms of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD). The aim of this study was to examine whether determination of NPs in blood can be a useful indicator of LVDD detection in idiopathic AH patients. The study was conducted on three groups of patients: group Ia, 19 patients (average age 57 ± 3) with eccentric hypertrophy; group Ib, 13 patients (59 ± 4) with concentric hypertrophy; group II, 33 patients (58 ± 4) without AH or LVH. In all groups, mitral inflow profile was evaluated with Doppler test to detect LVDD, blood flow in upper right pulmonary vein, and concentration of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), N-terminal ANP (N-ANP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and N-terminal BNP (N-BNP). In group Ia, significant correlations were observed between the following pairs: ratio of maximum early to late mitral inflow and ANP; deceleration time of early mitral inflow speed and ANP; atrial contraction (AR) and ANP; atrial contraction (AR) and N-ANP; similarly, in group Ib, significant correlations were observed between the following: relative wall thickness and BNP; isovolumic relaxation time and BNP; AR and BNP; relative wall thickness and N-BNP; isovolumic relaxation time and N-BNP; AR and N-BNP.
The Mystical Experience: with an Emphasis on Wittgenstein and Zen

Mysticism and the mystical experience seemingly play little or no part in our Western tradition. Certainly there is no mystical tradition in the West such as Zen Buddhism, nor is there any great understanding of or influence from the writings of Heraclitus, Spinoza, or the mystical passages in the early work of Wittgenstein. Mysticism has been generally misunderstood in the West, and it has even evoked the attacks of philosophers and theologians.1 Mysticism to many conjures up images of monks meditating in caves; it is generally pictured as esoteric, otherworldly, irrational, and at best irrelevant to the daily lives of human beings. If what we say below is correct, it will be seen that mysticism is none of these but is rather a singular human experience that lies at the foundations of civilization.