Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metabolic acidosis-induced retinopathy in the neonatal rat.

PURPOSE Carbon dioxide (CO2)-induced retinopathy (CDIR) in the neonatal rat, analogous to human retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), was previously described by our group. In this model, it is possible that CO2-associated acidosis provides a biochemical mechanism for CDIR. Therefore, the effect of pure metabolic acidosis on the developing retinal vasculature of the neonatal rat was investigated. METHODS A preliminary study of arterial blood pH was performed to confirm acidosis in our model. In neonatal rats with preplaced left carotid artery catheters, acute blood gas samples were taken 1 to 24 hours after gavage with either NH4Cl 1 millimole/100 g body weight or saline. In the subsequent formal retinopathy study, 150 newborn Sprague-Dawley rats were raised in litters of 25 and randomly assigned to be gavaged twice daily with either NH4Cl 1 millimole/100 g body weight (n = 75) or saline (n = 75) from day 2 to day 7. After 5 days of recovery, rats were killed, and retinal vasculature was assessed using fluorescein perfusion and ADPase staining techniques. RESULTS In the preliminary pH study, the minimum pH after NH4Cl gavage was 7.10+/-0.10 at 3 hours (versus 7.37+/-0.03 in controls, mean +/- SD, P < 0.01). In the formal retinopathy study, preretinal neovascularization occurred in 36% of acidotic rats versus 5% of controls (P < 0.001). Acidotic rats showed growth retardation (final weight 16.5+/-3.0 g versus 20.2+/-2.6 g, P < 0.001). The ratio of vascularized to total retinal area was smaller in acidotic rats (94%+/-4% versus 96%+/-2%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Metabolic acidosis alone induces neovascularization similar to ROP in the neonatal rat. This suggests a possible biochemical mechanism by which high levels of CO2 induce neovascularization and supports the suggestion that acidosis may be an independent risk factor for ROP.
Complications of Radiofrequency Ablation in the Treatment of Sleep-Disordered Breathing

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate complications of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in the treatment of sleep-disordered breathing and to outline complication avoidance strategies. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective review of 51 consecutive RFA treatment sessions for SDB to the soft palate and tongue base by a single surgeon at a tertiary medical center. RESULTS: Over 2 years, 51 treatments comprising 26 palatal and 25 tongue base RFA treatments were performed for sleep-disordered breathing on 30 patients. Complications included palatal mucosal breakdown (11 cases), temporary tongue base neuralgias (4 cases), uvular sloughing (2 cases), tongue base abscesses (2 cases), and floor of mouth edema with airway compromise (2 cases). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This is the first paper focusing on complications of RFA. While complications from soft palate RFA present rapidly and are self-limiting, complications from tongue base RFA may be delayed and life threatening. A detailed strategy is provided to avoid and treat these complications.
Brachyspira Species and Gastroenteritis in Humans

ABSTRACT Brachyspira species have been implicated as a potential cause of gastroenteritis in humans; this is, however, controversial. In 733 gastroenteritis cases and 464 controls, we found 29 samples positive for Brachyspira species (2.3% of cases and 2.6% of controls; P = 0.77). Brachyspira species were not associated with gastroenteritis in humans.
Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Methyl B12 for Children with Autism.

OBJECTIVE Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been reported to have reduced ability to methylate DNA and elevated markers of oxidative stress. We sought to determine if methyl B12, a key metabolic cofactor for cellular methylation reactions and antioxidant defense, could improve symptoms of ASD. METHODS A total of 57 children with ASD were randomly assigned to 8 weeks of treatment with methyl B12 (75 μg/kg) or saline placebo every 3 days in a subcutaneous injection. The primary outcome measure was overall improvement in symptoms of ASD as measured by the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement (CGI-I) score. Secondary outcome measures included changes in the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Laboratory measures of methionine methylation and antioxidant glutathione metabolism were assessed at baseline and 8 weeks. RESULTS A total of 50 children (mean age 5.3 years, 79% male) completed the study. The primary outcome measure - the clinician rated CGI-I score - was statistically significantly better (lower) in the methyl B12 group (2.4) than in the placebo group (3.1) (0.7 greater improvement in the methyl B12 group, 95% CI 1.2-0.2, p = 0.005). Clinical improvement among children treated with methyl B12 was positively correlated with increases in plasma methionine (p = 0.05), decreases in S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine (SAH) (p = 0.007) and improvements in the ratio of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) to SAH (p = 0.007), indicating an improvement in cellular methylation capacity. No improvements were observed in the parent-rated ABC or SRS. CONCLUSIONS Methyl B12 treatment improved clinician-rated symptoms of ASD that were correlated with improvements in measures of methionine metabolism and cellular methylation capacity. Clinical Trial Registry: Efficacy Study of Subcutaneous Methyl B12 in Children with Autism: NCT01039792 ( clinicaltrials.gov1 ).
High‐grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia shares cytogenetic alterations with invasive prostate cancer

High‐grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) is the most likely precursor of prostate adenocarcinoma. However, the relationship between this lesion and prostate cancer has not yet been established. The detection of cytogenetic changes in the lesions prior to prostate adenocarcinoma would be useful in demonstrating such a pathogenic relationship.
Understanding regeneration through proteomics

Regeneration is a complex cellular process that, rather than simply forming a scar following injury, the animal forms a new functional tissue. Regeneration is a widespread process among metazoa, although not uniformly. Planaria, starfish, and some worms can regenerate most of their body, whereas many other species can only regenerate parts of specific tissues or fail to accomplish a functional regrowth, as is the case of mammals CNS. Research in regenerative medicine will possibly culminate in the regeneration of organs/tissues originally not prone to this process. Despite the complexity of the interactions and regulatory systems involved, the variety of tissues and organs these cells differentiate into has so far impaired the success of direct transplantation to restore damaged tissues. For this reason, a study, at the molecular level of the regeneration mechanisms developed by different animal models is likely to provide answers to why these processes are not readily activated in mammals. Proteomic‐based approaches are being recognized as extremely useful to study of regeneration events, also because there is a relevant contribution of posttranscriptional processes that involve frequently the occurrence of a broad range of PTMs. The present review focuses on the significant knowledge brought up by proteomics in diverse aspects of regeneration research on different animal models, tissues, and organs.
Programas Educativos Universitarios Para Mayores: Evaluación de su Impacto en la Autopercepción del Apoyo Social y la Salud Mental

Algunos estudios indican que los programas universitarios para mayores pueden tener un impacto positivo en la autopercepcion del apoyo social y la salud de los participantes. Sin embargo, dichos estudios no evaluan estas variables con instrumentos de medida estandarizados y grupos de control dentro y fuera del programa. En el presente trabajo se utilizo un grupo experimental y dos grupos control que fueron evaluados en dos momentos con instrumentos estandarizados. Los resultados no confirmaron los efectos beneficiosos esperados de los programas. Es necesario seguir profundizando en esta linea de actuacion y explorar el efecto de variables socioafectivas en estudios longitudinales.
Bite force and state of dentition.

The maximal bite force and the strength of the finger-thumb grip of 125 Skolt Lapps, aged 15 to 65, was measured with a specially devised apparatus. The bite force was measured with the biting fork placed between the first molars and between the incisors, respectively. The finger-thumb grip was measured by letting the subject press the prongs of the fork between the thumb and forefinger of each hand as hard as possible. The range of inter-individual variation of the maximal bite force and finger-thumb grip was great. The mean values were higher for the males than for the females. In the males the maximal bite force thus measured in the molar region was 39 kg (382 N) and 18 kg (176 N) in the incisor region. The corresponding values for the females were 22 kg (216 N) and 11 kg (108 N). The finger-thumb grip strength for males was, on the average, 10 kg (98 N); that of the females, 7 KG (69 N). The average difference in bite force between the men and the women was larger in the group with natural teeth than in the one with complete dentures. The values found for the bite force decreased with increasing age, especially for the females. Most of this reduction with increasing age was probably due to the age-dependent deterioration of the dentition. In both sexes the bite force was notably smaller among the denture wearers than among the dentate persons. The number of natural teeth varied closely with the bite force, i.e. the greater number of natural teeth the greater the bite force.
Partial NSD1 deletions cause 5% of Sotos syndrome and are readily identifiable by multiplex ligation dependent probe amplification

Background: Most cases of Sotos syndrome are caused by intragenic NSD1 mutations or 5q35 microdeletions. It is uncertain whether allelic or genetic heterogeneity underlies the residual cases and it has been proposed that other mechanisms, such as 11p15 defects, might be responsible for Sotos cases without NSD1 mutations or 5q35 microdeletions. Objective: To develop a multiplex ligation dependent probe amplification (MLPA) assay to screen NSD1 for exonic deletions/duplications. Methods: Analysis was undertaken of 18 classic Sotos syndrome cases in which NSD1 mutations and 5q35 microdeletions were excluded. Long range polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to characterise the mechanism of generation of the partial NSD1 deletions. Results: Eight unique partial NSD1 deletions were identified: exons 1–2 (n = 4), exons 3–5, exons 9–13, exons 19–21, and exon 22. Using long range PCR six of the deletions were confirmed and the precise breakpoints in five cases characterised. This showed that three had arisen through Alu-Alu recombination and two from non-homologous end joining. Conclusions: MLPA is a robust, inexpensive, simple technique that reliably detects both 5q35 microdeletions and partial NSD1 deletions that together account for ∼15% of Sotos syndrome.
ACCESS: acute cerebrovascular care in emergency stroke systems.

OBJECTIVES Our primary objective was to determine the proportion of the population able to achieve acute cerebrovascular care in emergency stroke systems (ACCESS) in the United States. In addition, we examined how policy changes, including allowing ground ambulances to cross state lines and allowing air ambulances to transport patients from the prehospital setting to primary stroke centers (PSCs), would affect population access to stroke care. DESIGN Data were obtained via the US Census Bureau, The Joint Commission, and the Atlas and Database of Air Medical Services. Driving distances, ambulance driving speeds, and prehospital times were estimated using validated models and adjusted for population density. Access was determined by summing the population that could reach a PSC within the specified time intervals. SETTING/ PARTICIPANTS US population. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Thirty-, 45-, and 60-minute access by ground and air ambulance to PSCs. RESULTS Fewer than 1 in 4 Americans (22.3%) have access to a PSC within 30 minutes, less than half (43.2%) have access within 45 minutes, and just over half (55.4%) have access within 60 minutes. The use of air ambulances to deliver patients to PSCs would increase access from 22.3% to 26.0% for 30 minutes, 43.2% to 65.5% for 45 minutes, and from 55.4% to 79.3% for 60 minutes. The combination of prehospital regionalization and air ambulance transport of patients with acute stroke would reduce the 135.7 million Americans without 60-minute access to a PSC by half, to 62.9 million. CONCLUSIONS About half of the US population has timely access to a PSC. The use of air ambulances to triage patients with ischemic stroke to a PSC would increase the percentage of the US population with prompt access to stroke care. These data have implications for the ongoing design of the US stroke system.
Open-source software platform for medical image segmentation applications

Segmenting 2D and 3D images is a crucial and challenging problem in medical image analysis. Although several image segmentation algorithms have been proposed for different applications, no universal method currently exists. Moreover, their use is usually limited when detection of complex and multiple adjacent objects of interest is needed. In addition, the continually increasing volumes of medical imaging scans require more efficient segmentation software design and highly usable applications. In this context, we present an extension of our previous segmentation framework which allows the combination of existing explicit deformable models in an efficient and transparent way, handling simultaneously different segmentation strategies and interacting with a graphic user interface (GUI). We present the object-oriented design and the general architecture which consist of two layers: the GUI at the top layer, and the processing core filters at the bottom layer. We apply the framework for segmenting different real-case medical image scenarios on public available datasets including bladder and prostate segmentation from 2D MRI, and heart segmentation in 3D CT. Our experiments on these concrete problems show that this framework facilitates complex and multi-object segmentation goals while providing a fast prototyping open-source segmentation tool.
Radiological features of glandular odontogenic cyst.

OBJECTIVES To present five new cases of glandular odontogenic cyst (GOC) and to review the radiological features at presentation as reported in the English literature. METHODS From 1993 to 2002, five patients in our department were diagnosed with GOC based on histopathological findings and supported by radiography and CT. The radiographic features of the new GOC cases were analysed in addition to 51 literature cases. RESULTS There were 31 male and 25 female patients, aged 14-90 years (mean 50 years). The mandible was involved in 80% and the maxilla in 20%; most of the lesions were located in the anterior jaw. Radiographically, 52% of the lesions were unilocular and 48% were multilocular; 94.5% showed well defined borders, which were sclerotic in 7.7% and scalloped in 13%. Information on cortical plate integrity was available in only 24 cases: 50% showed perforation, 8.3% erosion of the cortical plates and 8.3% thinning of the cortical plates. Root resorption was reported in 22% of patients and tooth displacement in 24.4%. CONCLUSIONS Data collected indicate that GOC has potentially aggressive behaviour, with expansion and perforation in a significant number of cases. We recommend the use of multiple plane radiographs, with CT reserved for large lesions, especially those that are multilocular or involve extragnathic structures.
Endoscopic ultrasound elastography for evaluation of lymph nodes and pancreatic masses: a multicenter study.

AIM To evaluate the ability of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) elastography to distinguish benign from malignant pancreatic masses and lymph nodes. METHODS A multicenter study was conducted and included 222 patients who underwent EUS examination with assessment of a pancreatic mass (n = 121) or lymph node (n = 101). The classification as benign or malignant, based on the real time elastography pattern, was compared with the classification based on the B-mode EUS images and with the final diagnosis obtained by EUS-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) and/or by surgical pathology. An interobserver study was performed. RESULTS The sensitivity and specificity of EUS elastography to differentiate benign from malignant pancreatic lesions are 92.3% and 80.0%, respectively, compared to 92.3% and 68.9%, respectively, for the conventional B-mode images. The sensitivity and specificity of EUS elastography to differentiate benign from malignant lymph nodes was 91.8% and 82.5%, respectively, compared to 78.6% and 50.0%, respectively, for the B-mode images. The kappa coefficient was 0.785 for the pancreatic masses and 0.657 for the lymph nodes. CONCLUSION EUS elastography is superior compared to conventional B-mode imaging and appears to be able to distinguish benign from malignant pancreatic masses and lymph nodes with a high sensitivity, specificity and accuracy. It might be reserved as a second line examination to help characterise pancreatic masses after negative EUS-FNA and might increase the yield of EUS-FNA for lymph nodes.
Title Solving combinatorial optimization problems usingaugmented lagrange chaotic simulated annealing

Chaotic simulated annealing (CSA) proposed by Chen and Aihara has been successfully used to solve a variety of combinatorial optimization problems. CSA uses a penalty term to enforce solution validity as in the original Hopfield-Tank approach. There exists a conflict between solution quality and solution validity in the penalty approach. It is often difficult to adjust the relative magnitude of the penalty term, so as to achieve a high quality solution which is at the same time valid. To overcome this, we incorporate augmented Lagrange multipliers into CSA, obtaining a method that we call augmented Lagrange chaotic simulated annealing (AL-CSA). Simulation results on two constrained optimization benchmarks derived from the Hopfield-Tank formulation of the traveling salesman problem show that AL-CSA can maintain CSA’s good solution quality while avoiding the potential difficulties associated with penalty terms. Furthermore, AL-CSA’s convergence time is shorter and choice of system parameters is easier compared to CSA.
The Conserved Mynd Domain of BS69 Binds Cellular and Oncoviral Proteins through a Common PXLXP Motif*

BS69 is a transcriptional co-repressor protein and a potential tumor suppressor that binds to the adenoviral oncoprotein E1A. We show that the C-terminal Mynd domain of BS69 (amino acids 516–561) or the closely related Mynd domains of theCaenorhabditis elegans proteins Bra-1 and Bra-2 bind not only to E1A but also to the Epstein-Barr virus EBNA2 oncoprotein and the Myc-related cellular protein MGA. Interaction depends on intact PXLXP motifs present in all three proteins. Moreover, viral proteins compete for binding of BS69 to MGA in a PXLXP-dependent fashion. Because deletions in E1A or EBNA2 that cover the PXLXP motifs are non-transforming, our observations suggest a role for BS69 in cell growth control that is reminiscent of abrogation of the Rb function by various oncoproteins.
Familial breast cancer: summary of updated NICE guidance

Familial breast cancer occurs in people with one or more family members affected by breast, ovarian, or a related cancer such as primary peritoneal cancer. About 5% of all breast cancers can be attributed to inherited mutations in specific high risk genes such as BRCA1, BRCA2, and TP53. This article summarises the most recent recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on the classification and care of people at risk of familial breast cancer.1 The guideline updates previous NICE guidance on familial breast cancer, published in 2004 and 2006.2 3 It also provides new guidance on men and women with a newly or previously diagnosed breast cancer who have a family history of breast and ovarian cancer, as they were excluded from previous guidance.4 NICE recommendations are based on systematic reviews of the best available evidence and explicit consideration of cost effectiveness. When minimal evidence is available, recommendations are based on the Guideline Development Group’s experience and opinion of what constitutes good practice. Evidence levels for the recommendations are given in italic in square brackets. ### Information and support for patients ### Initial assessment in primary care for people without a personal history of breast cancer
Evidence on the Demographic Transition

This paper finds that fertility responds to productivity differently depending on the economy's stage of development. At low levels of development, productivity increases will increase fertility, while at the more advanced stages of development, productivity increases lower fertility. During the process, there may be important interaction effects between productivity and education demand. Increases in secondary education demand generate fertility declines regardless of the stage of development.
Survival after early and normal retirement.

This paper describes an epidemiological study of the patterns and correlates of survival after early (age 62 to 64) and normal retirement (age 65) among 3,971 U.S. rubber tire workers. For the two companies, death rates were significantly elevated during the first, fourth, and fifth years after early retirement. Among normal retirees, elevations in death rates occurred during the third or fourth years after retirement in Company B and Company A, respectively. When the experiences of both companies were combined, no significant mortality excesses were observed. Comparisons of deaths (cases) within 5 years of retirement with survivors (controls) showed that pre-retirement health status was the only significant predictor of survival after early retirement. Among normal retirees, lower status workers were more likely to die within 3 years of retirement than higher status workers, who were more prominent among deaths 4 to 5 years after retirement. Risks of dying were greater among normal retirees with a history of repeated medical and nonmedical absences.
The use of cholecystokinin in schizophrenia: a review

Synopsis Cholecystokinin (CCK) is a peptide originally isolated from the gut. It has been investigated as a candidate treatment for schizophrenia on the assumption that the illness is associated with an imbalance between CCK and dopamine in the mesolimbic dopamine system. Many of the studies to assess the efficacy of CCK used open designs and are prone to observer bias and over-optimistic reporting. Most of the studies used CCK as an adjunct to standard neuroleptic treatment and are too small to be able to demonstrate extra efficacy above that of the active compound. Only three out of ten studies using CCK or placebo as an adjunct to neuroleptics reported limited efficacy. Of the 14 placebo-controlled reports only three were in drug-free patients. These were unfortunately too small, or too brief, to draw valid conclusions of efficacy. A summary of these data suggests that although 500 patients have received CCK, its efficacy in the treatment of schizophrenia has not been properly tested.