Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical impact of early absolute lymphocyte count after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

6632 Background: The role of repopulating lymphocytes after allogeneic SCT (stem cell transplantation) can include the prevention of serious infections and attacking of residual tumor cells in the early post-transplant phase. Therefore, the current study analyzes the role of the absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) on day 21 after SCT in predicting transplant outcomes in terms of the risk of opportunistic infections and recurrence of original diseases. METHODS Eighty-four patients (41 AML, 17 CML, 9 AA, 5 ALL, 6 MDS, 2 NHL, 2 MM, and 2 others) receiving allogeneic SCT were enrolled. The median dose of CD34+, CD3+, and mononuclear cells infused was 6.89×106/kg, 2.38×108/kg, and 9.98×108/kg, respectively. Patients were stratified into two risk groups based on the ALC checked on day 21 (high ALC; ≥350/uL, low ALC; <350/uL). RESULTS The high ALC group was associated with the use of PBSCs, matched sibling donors, and higher cell doses of MNC, CD3+, and CD4+ cells. The incidence of severe acute GVHD was lower in the high ALC group than in the low ALC group, yet the overall incidence of acute GVHD or chronic GVHD was similar between the two groups. The high ALC group also exhibited a better overall survival (OS) (55.9% vs 17.7%, p=0.0010) and disease-free survival (DFS) (50.4% vs 15.9%, p=0.0012) after 3 years, and lower cumulative incidence of relapse (27.2% vs 77.9%, p=0.0089) and lower incidence of fungal infections (3.0% vs 19.5%, p=0.0132) after 1 year. Furthermore, the cumulative incidence of CMV antigenemia was lower in the high ALC group (50.0% vs 73.7%, p=0.0224). CONCLUSIONS Accordingly, identifying the ALC on day 21 would appear to be a useful and simple measurement that can predict patient groups with a high risk of opportunistic infections and high risk of relapse after allogeneic SCT. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
Pathogenesis of Malaria and Clinically Similar Conditions

SUMMARY There is now wide acceptance of the concept that the similarity between many acute infectious diseases, be they viral, bacterial, or parasitic in origin, is caused by the overproduction of inflammatory cytokines initiated when the organism interacts with the innate immune system. This is also true of certain noninfectious states, such as the tissue injury syndromes. This review discusses the historical origins of these ideas, which began with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and spread from their origins in malaria research to other fields. As well the more established proinflammatory mediators, such as TNF, interleukin-1, and lymphotoxin, the roles of nitric oxide and carbon monoxide, which are chiefly inhibitory, are discussed. The established and potential roles of two more recently recognized contributors, overactivity of the enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) and the escape of high-mobility-group box 1 (HMGB1) protein from its normal location into the circulation, are also put in context. The pathogenesis of the disease caused by falciparum malaria is then considered in the light of what has been learned about the roles of these mediators in these other diseases, as well as in malaria itself.
T‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: recent molecular biology findings

For many years, T‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T‐ALL) has been considered and treated as a single malignancy, but divergent outcomes in T‐ALL patients receiving uniform treatment protocols encouraged intensive research on the molecular biology of this disease. Recent findings in the field demonstrate that T‐ALL is much more heterogeneous than originally believed and extremely diverse outcomes of patients require refinement of T‐ALL classification, leading to subtype‐specific adjustment of treatment. Many different biological features of T‐ALL blast cells have recently been found to contribute to disease development and patient outcome and their analysis could potentially be introduced into improved diagnostics and classification of the disease. This review focuses on five key issues of T‐ALL biology: chromosome aberrations, gene expression profiles, gene mutations, DNA methylation patterns, and immunoglobulin/T cell receptor (Ig/TCR) gene rearrangements. Additionally, molecular monitoring of minimal residual disease, by far the most reliable independent prognostic factor in T‐ALL, has been highlighted in the context of Ig/TCR gene rearrangements. Translation of this biological information into better prognostic classification and more effective treatment should lead to improvement of outcome in T‐ALL patients.
Optimizing Spillway Capacity With an Estimated Distribution of Floods

A model of social cost minimizing spillway capacity for dams is constructed using (1) the estimated distribution of peak flows from historical data, (2) the estimated relationship between spillway capacity and cost, and (3) a characterization of downstream flood damage from dam failure. Net social cost is the sum of construction costs and expected flood damage. This model is applied to data for the Rio Grande River at Embudo, New Mexico. Minimum social cost is attained at a spillway capacity much smaller than that needed to handle a probably maximum flood.
A Blackboard System for Generating Poetry

We present a system to generate poems based on the information extracted from input text such as blog posts. Our design uses the blackboard architecture, in which independent specialized modules cooperate during the generation process by sharing a common workspace known as the blackboard. Each module is responsible for a particular task while generating poetry. Our implementation incorporates modules that retrieve information from the input text, generate new ideas, or select the best partial solutions. These distinct modules (experts) are implemented as diverse computational units that make use of lexical resources, grammar models, sentiment-analyzing tools, and languageprocessing algorithms. A control module is responsible for scheduling actions on the blackboard. We argue that the blackboard architecture is a promising way of simulating creative processes because of its flexibility and compliance with the Global Workspace Theory of mind. The main contribution of this work is the design and prototype implementation of an extensible platform for a poetry-generating system that may be further extended by incorporating new experts as well as some existing poetrygenerating systems as parts of the blackboard architecture. We claim that this design provides a powerful tool for combining many of the existing efforts in the domain of automatic poetry generation.
Agreement Among Cardiovascular Disease Risk Calculators

Background— Use of cardiovascular disease risk calculators is often recommended by guidelines, but research on consistency in risk assessment among calculators is limited. Method and Results— A search of PubMed and Google was performed. Five clinicians selected 25 calculators by independent review. Hypothetical patients were created with the use of 7 risk factors (age, sex, smoking, blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, and diabetes mellitus) dichotomized to high and low, generating 27 patients (128 total). These patients were assessed by each calculator by 2 clinicians. Risk estimates (and assigned risk categories) were compared among calculators. Selected calculators were from 8 countries, used 5- or 10-year predictions, and estimated either cardiovascular disease or coronary heart disease. With the use of 3 risk categories (low, medium, and high), the 25 calculators categorized each patient into a mean of 2.2 different categories, and 41% of unique patients were assigned across all 3 risk categories. Risk category agreement between pairs of calculators was 67%. This did not improve when analysis was limited to just the 10-year cardiovascular disease calculators. In nondiabetics, the highest calculated risk estimate from a calculator averaged 4.9 times higher (range, 1.9–13.3) than the lowest calculated risk estimate for the same patient. This did not change meaningfully for diabetics or when the analysis was limited to 10-year cardiovascular disease calculators. Conclusions— The decision as to which calculator to use for risk estimation has an important impact on both risk categorization and absolute risk estimates. This has broad implications for guidelines recommending therapies based on specific calculators.
Diagnostic Value of Ultrasound in Female Patients With Nipple Discharge.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to assess the contribution of ultrasound to the evaluation of patients with pathologic nipple discharge. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective review was conducted of the records of females who presented with nipple discharge between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2011. Pathologic nipple discharge was defined as discharge with one or more of the following features: unilateral, clear or bloody, and spontaneous. Patients underwent bilateral mammography followed by ultrasound directed at the subareolar portion of the affected breast. Radiologic findings and pathologic results were reviewed. RESULTS Over a 3-year period, 327 females (mean age, 48 years; range, 13-88 years) presented with nipple discharge. Among these patients, 273 (83%) underwent surgical excision or clinical or radiographic follow-up at least 2 years after presentation and composed the study population. Among the 273 patients, 262 (96%) underwent mammography and 246 (90%) underwent sonography. Among 252 patients who had at least one pathologic feature of nipple discharge and underwent surgical excision or at least 2 years of follow-up, a total of 20 (8%) cases of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or invasive adenocarcinoma were diagnosed. DCIS or invasive adenocarcinoma was diagnosed in eight patients with normal sonographic findings. For the detection of DCIS and invasive adenocarcinoma, the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound were 56% (10/18) and 75% (170/228); the sensitivity and specificity of mammography were 15% (3/20) and 98% (237/242). CONCLUSION For females presenting with pathologic nipple discharge, ultrasound is a useful diagnostic tool and may be worth including in the routine evaluation.
Perceived Visual Aesthetics of Text-Overlaid Images: Computational Models and Experimental Research for White-Space Fraction

Text-overlaid images abound in product design and human–computer interfaces (e.g., greeting cards and photo slideshows that overlay texts on large background images). This study proposes computational models of perceived aesthetics appeal of text-overlaid images as a function of their white-space fractions. Four models are proposed, including Character-based Page White-Space Fraction (WCP ), Character-based Background White-Space Fraction (WCB ), Bounding Box based Page White-Space Fraction (WBP ), and Bounding Box based Background White-Space Fraction (WBB ). Two experiments, using single-spaced and double-spaced texts, were conducted to investigate the relationships between the model predictions and the perceived aesthetic appeal of text-overlaid images. The results show that the Bounding Box based Background White-Space Fraction (WBB ), defined as the area ratio between the bounding rectangle of texts and the background region of image, is most valuable in modelling the subjective aesthetic appeal. The regression curves show that the optimal WBB is close to 0.8.
Sex Difference in Lactate Production by Adipocytes from Lean Humans

Lactate is an anaerobic metabolite produced in the absence of an adequate O2 supply. Although for a long time considered to be a waste product of glycolysis resulting from hypoxia, lactate is, in fact, an important source of glucose and also a gluconeogenic precursor, having a role in metabolic and endocrine signaling. Lactate is produced by adipocytes and muscle cells. Objectives: In this study, we investigated the sex differences in lactate production by adipocytes isolated from lean human visceral adipose tissue. Main Methods: The experiments described were done using adipocytes isolated from adipose tissue of lean men and women. Adipocytes were isolated following Rodbell procedure, with modifications, for posterior analysis of glycerol and lactate production. Results: Morphometric analysis revealed no significant differences in the size of adipocytes from men and women (diameter: men: 172 ± 24 μm vs. women: 160 ± 16 μm, n = 4 and 10, respectively). Basal glycerol production was significantly higher in adipocytes from men compared to women (0.34 ± 0.06 vs. 0.16 ± 0.01 μmol/106 cells/60 min; mean ± SEM, n = 7 and 4, respectively; p < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in basal lactate production (men: 0.1 ± 0.01 μmol/10 cells/60 min vs. women: 0.12 ± 0.02 μmol/10 cells/60 min). However, when stimulated by norepinephrine, adipocytes from women produced more lactate than adipocytes from men. Female adipocytes also produced as much lactate as glycerol, whereas male adipocytes produced three times more glycerol than lactate. The intracellular mechanisms responsible for this sex difference in lactate production during norepinephrine-stimulated lipolysis remain to be identified.
Micro-tensile bond strength of a self-etching primer bonding system to fluorosed enamel

Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate micro-tensile bond strength and the conditioning patterns of a self-etching primer bonding system to un-etched (with extended priming) and etched ground fluorosed enamel. Materials and Methods: Extracted premolars were classified according to severity of fluorosis using Thylstrup and Fejerskov index (TFI: 0, normal; 1-3, mild fluorosis; and 4-6, moderate fluorosis) into three groups, which were again divided into four sub groups to receive different enamel conditioning. The ground enamel surfaces of the teeth in first and second sub groups were primed with a self-etching primer (SE primer, Clearfil SE Bond) for 60 and 90 s respectively prior to application of the adhesive. The teeth in the remaining sub groups were etched with 37% phosphoric acid (H3PO4) for 60 or 90 s prior to application of the self-etching primer bonding system according to the manufacturer’s instructions. All the teeth were then restored with resin composite, stored for 24 hours in water and prepared for micro-tensile bond strengths. The data were analyzed with analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Fisher’s PLSD test (p<0.05). Results: Significantly higher micro-tensile bond strengths were observed when the self-etching primer bonding system was applied to etched ground fluorosed enamel (p<0.05) compared to un-etched enamel with extended priming. The bond strengths were significantly stronger in normal and mildly fluorosed enamel compared to moderately fluorosed enamel when etched for 60 s (p<0.05). Predominantly Type II etching pattern was observed in H3PO4 conditioned fluorosed enamel while relatively shallow etching pattern was seen in un-etched fluorosed enamel with extended priming. Conclusion: Severity of fluorosis, etching time and pattern influence the bond strength of the self-etching primer bonding system to fluorosed enamel. (Int Chin J Dent 2002; 2: 107-115.)
Educational Program for Nursing Home Physicians and Staff to Reduce Use of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Among Nursing Home Residents: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Content.The risk for serious gastrointestinal complications due to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is high in the elderly. Acetaminophen-based regimens are safer and may be as effective as NSAIDs for the treatment of osteoarthritis in many patients. Objective.To determine the effects of an educational program on NSAID use and clinical outcomes in nursing homes. Design and Setting. Randomized controlled study. Ten pairs of Tennessee nursing homes with ≥8% of residents receiving NSAIDs were randomized to intervention or control. Subjects.Nursing home residents (intervention n = 76 and control n = 71) aged 65 years and older taking NSAIDs regularly. Interventions.An educational program for physicians and nursing home staff that included the risks and benefits of NSAIDs in the elderly and an algorithm that substituted acetaminophen, topical agents, and nonpharmacologic measures for the treatment of noninflammatory musculoskeletal pain. Intervention and control subjects were assessed at baseline and 3 months later. Main Outcome Measures. Differences in NSAID and acetaminophen use, and pain, function, and disability scores in intervention and control nursing home subjects. Results.The intervention was effective resulting in markedly decreased NSAID use and increased acetaminophen use. Mean number of days of NSAID use in the 7 day periods before the baseline and 3 month assessments decreased from 7.0 to 1.9 days in intervention home subjects compared with a decrease from 7.0 to 6.2 days in control homes (P = 0.0001). Acetaminophen use in the 7 days immediately before the 3 month assessment increased by 3.1 days in intervention home subjects compared with 0.31 days in control homes (P = 0.0001). A similar proportion of subjects in control (32.5%) and intervention (35.4%) groups had worsening of their arthritis pain score (P = 0.81). Conclusions.An educational intervention effectively reduced NSAID use in nursing homes without worsening of arthritis pain.
Reliability of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Resident Observation and Competency Assessment Tool: A Multi-Institution Study

Musick DW, Bockenek WL, Massagli TL, Miknevich MA, Poduri KR, Sliwa JA, Steiner M: Reliability of the physical medicine and rehabilitation resident observation and competency assessment tool: A multi-institution study. Objectives:To assess the psychometric qualities of a method of resident physician evaluation by faculty. Design:Multicenter study by seven Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation training programs. Faculty physicians observed residents in brief patient encounters or teaching sessions, rated specific competencies, and provided residents with immediate feedback. The resident observation and competency assessment form included competencies in patient care, professionalism, interpersonal and communication skills, systems-based practice, and practice-based learning and improvement. Residents and faculty rated satisfaction with the process. Results:Three hundred sixty-two ratings were completed on 88 different residents. Each resident received an average of 3.8 ratings across two academic years. Overall internal consistency reliability was high (0.98); reliability of the individual competencies ranged from 0.74 to 0.76. Item means were correlated with year of training for two skill sets, with higher means for more experienced residents. The majority of participants gave high ratings of satisfaction; correlation between satisfaction ratings of attending and resident physicians was 0.63 (P < 0.01). Conclusions:The resident observation and competency assessment is a reliable method to assess resident skills in five of six general competencies. Construct validity of the tool is supported by the fact that faculty rated two skill sets higher for senior residents.
The ionization of the emission-line gas in young radio galaxies

This paper is the second in a series in which we present intermediate-resolution, wide-wavelength coverage spectra for a complete sample of 14 compact radio sources, taken with the aim of investigating the impact of the nuclear activity on the circumnuclear interstellar medium (ISM) in the early stages of radio source evolution. In the first paper (Holt, Tadhunter & Morganti), we presented the kinematic results from the nuclear emission-line modelling and reported fast outflows in the circumnuclear gas. In this paper, we use the line fluxes to investigate the physical conditions and dominant ionization mechanisms of the emission-line gas. We find evidence for large electron densities and high reddening in the nuclear regions, particularly in the broader, blueshifted components. These results are consistent with the idea that the young, recently triggered radio sources still reside in dense and dusty cocoons deposited by the recent activity triggering event (merger/interaction). In addition, we find that the quiescent nuclear and extended narrow components are consistent with active galactic nucleus (AGN) photoionization, split between simple-slab AGN photoionization and mixed-medium photoionization models. For the nuclear broader and shifted components, the results are less clear. Whilst there are suggestions that the broader components may be closer to shock plus precursor models on the diagnostic diagrams, and that the electron temperatures and densities are high, we are unable to unambiguously distinguish the dominant ionization mechanism using the optical emission-line ratios. This is surprising given the strong evidence for jet-cloud interactions (broad emission lines, large outflow velocities and strong radio-optical alignments), which favours the idea that the warm gas has been accelerated in shocks driven by the radio lobes expanding through a dense cocoon of gas deposited during the triggering event.
School outcomes of sexual minority youth in the United States: evidence from a national study.

Using data from the Add Health Study, the first nationally representative study of adolescents in the U.S. to include information on same-sex romantic attraction, we examine school outcomes (school troubles, attitudes, and performance) of same-sex attracted youth within the context of four relational domains: family, teacher, social, and peer. Results indicate that each domain plays a role in the negative attitudes about school held by these sexual minority youth. However, sexual minority youths' feelings about their teachers play an important role in explaining school troubles.
The Role of Women in Food Provision and Food Choice Decision-Making in Singapore: A Case Study

As countries develop economically and increasing numbers of women enter the workforce, children are partly being cared for by someone other than their mother. Little is known about the impact of this shift in child-care provider on children’s nutrition. This study presents findings from a case study of Singapore, a small country that has experienced phenomenal economic growth. Focus groups were conducted with 130 women of varying educational levels and ethnicities to learn about food decisions in their families. The findings showed that Singaporean working women cook infrequently, families eat out frequently, and children exert considerable influence on food choices. Implications for work–family policies and child health are discussed.
Thrombosis in Behçet's disease: a retrospective survey from a single UK centre.

OBJECTIVE To contribute to knowledge of vascular occlusion in Behçet's disease (BD), prevalence and relative risk for thrombosis were ascertained retrospectively in a cohort of Caucasian patients with the disease. PATIENTS The study included 73 BD patients (36 males, 37 females, mean age 45+/-11 yr) attending the Immunology/Rheumatology Department of Northwick Park Hospital. A group of 146 patients without BD, attending the same department, served as a control group. RESULTS Thrombosis was more frequent in BD patients than in controls (23/73, 32% vs 7/146, 5%, P<0.001). This was accounted for by a higher prevalence of venous thrombosis in BD patients (18/73, 25% vs 4/146, 3%, P<0.001). Gender-adjusted data revealed an 11-fold risk of developing any thrombosis and a 14-fold risk of developing venous thrombosis in BD. After adjusting for differences in age at first symptoms, male BD patients showed a 6-fold higher risk of vein thrombosis. Males reported more often thrombophlebitis (13/36, 36% vs 0/0, P<0.001), folliculitis (8/36, 22% vs 1/37, 3%, P<0.01) and retinal vasculitis (13/36, 36%, vs 4/37, 11%, P=0.01) than females, in whom arthralgia prevailed (23/37, 62%, vs 12/36, 33%, P=0.01). CONCLUSION In our population, BD confers a 14-fold risk of developing venous thrombosis. The risk is sixfold higher in male BD patients, who fare worse than females with regard to thrombophlebitis, folliculitis and retinal vasculitis.