Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CT imaging in adults with neurofibromatosis‐1

Objective The authors examined the incidence and radiologic characteristics of plexiform neurofibro-mas in neurofibromatosis-1 (NF-1) to define a cohort at greatest risk for malignant nerve-sheath tumors. Background Plexiform neurofibromas are a frequent complication of NF-1. They can impair function, produce disfigurement, and be the site for the development of malignant nerve-sheath tumors. The incidence and natural history of plexiform neurofibromas is unknown. Methods CT imaging of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis was performed in 91 of 125 consecutive adults (age, 216 years) with NF-1. Results Twenty percent of patients had plexiform neurofibromas of the chest in the paraspinal, mediastinal, or supraclavicular area. Approximately 40% of patients had abnormal abdominal/pelvic scans. The paraspinal, sacral plexus, sciatic notch, and perirectal regions were the most common sites. Most plexiform neurofibromas were asymptomatic. Imaging also revealed a number of tumors, including malignant nerve-sheath tumors, adrenal tumors, carcinoids, and schwannomas. Conclusions The frequency of plexiform lesions and other tumors in NF-1 indicates that clinicians should monitor young adults carefully; however, imaging characteristics alone cannot reliably distinguish benign from malignant lesions.
Organizational Citizenship Levels of Physicians in Public Hospitals

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to define organizational citizenship levels of physicians working in public hospitals. The population of the study consists of the physicians employed in the hospitals run by the Ministry of Health in Istanbul. The Organizational Citizenship Level Scale was used for the collection of data. It was found that the participants’ organizational citizenship levels were the highest in the “conscience” subsection and the lowest in the “praising the organization” subsection. Findings of this study provide clear information for the decision-makers and hospital managers in developing working conditions of physicians in public hospitals.
Inhibition of VEGF Expression by Targeting HIF-1α with Small Interference RNA in Human RPE Cells

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is upregulated by hypoxia and is a major stimulatory factor for choroidal neovascularization. The upregulation of VEGF expression in response to hypoxia occurs through hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1), which is a transcription factor that regulates genes involved in the response to hypoxia. HIF-1α is the inducible subunit of the HIF-1. Aims: To further define HIF-1 function in angiogenesis and to explore novel approaches to modulate choroidal neovascularization in age-related macular degeneration. Methods: In this study, we examined the response of human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells to hypoxia and employed the small interference RNA technique to knock down gene expression of HIF-1α in RPE cells. Results: We found that both the mRNA and protein levels of HIF-1α in the RPE cells increased in response to hypoxia, followed by increasing expression of VEGF. Both the mRNA and protein levels of HIF-1α and VEGF in the RPE cells were decreased dramatically after transfection with a HIF-1α-specific small interference RNA vector. Conclusion: Our results suggest that HIF-1 may be involved in angiogenesis by controlling the expression of VEGF in vivo and provide a possible strategy for the treatment of angiogenesis by targeting the HIF-1α in ischemic retinopathies.
The impact of hypertension and nicotine on the size of ruptured intracranial aneurysms

Background The goal of the study was to analyse retrospectively the impact of risk factors for subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) on the size of ruptured intracranial aneurysms in order to identify variables that might influence the discrepancy between average sizes of ruptured and unruptured aneurysms. Methods The records and angiographies of 373 patients treated at our centre due to aneurysmal SAH between 2004 and December 2008 were retrospectively analysed. Modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for SAH were correlated with exact measurement of aneurysm size using three-dimensional rotational digital subtraction angiographies (3D-DSA). Results Average maximum aneurysm diameter in patients with combined history of hypertension and cigarette smoking was 5.47±3.22 mm (95% CI 4.71 to 6.24); thus, significantly smaller (p<0.001) than in patients with hypertension only (6.27±3.28 mm, 95% CI 5.75 to 6.78), with cigarette smoking only (7.61±4.29 mm, 95% CI 6.43 to 8.79) and patients with no history for risk factors (8.08±4.73 mm, 95% CI 6.96 to 9.21). Odds ratio (OR) for aneurysm size less than 7 mm in patients with combined hypertension and cigarette smoking was 3.63 (95% CI 1.78 to 7.42), 3.09 (95% CI 1.95 to 4.92) in patients with hypertension only and 1.02 (95% CI 0.64 to 1.62) in patients with cigarette smoking only. Conclusions The present analysis demonstrates a distinct correlation between hypertension, smoking and the size of ruptured aneurysms in SAH patients. Arterial hypertension and cigarette smoking appear to destabilise cerebral aneurysms' growth. Our data strongly suggest that these factors should also be considered when treatment indications for small unruptured aneurysms are discussed.
Safe Treatment Interruptions in Patients With Nadir CD4 Counts of More Than 350 Cells/&mgr;L: A Randomized Trial

Objective: To evaluate clinical, immunologic, and virologic performance of patients with nadir CD4 counts of >350cells/&mgr;L upon treatment interruption. Design: Randomized, open-label clinical trial of 48 weeks' duration. Methods: Patients on effective highly active antiretroviral therapy, with nadir CD4 counts of >350 cells/&mgr;L and peak viral loads of <50,000 copies/mL were randomized to continue therapy or to interrupt antiretroviral medication. End points for patients with treatment interruption were CD4 counts of <350 cells/&mgr;L, viral loads of >1 log above the pretherapy values, or clinical symptoms attributable to HIV, at which point treatment was restarted. In the continuation group, the end points were virologic failure, opportunistic infections, and treatment discontinuation due to toxicities. Results: Twenty patients were randomized to stop therapy and 16 patients to continue. Median CD4 counts at baseline were 643 cells/&mgr;L for the interruption group and 633 cells/&mgr;L for the continuation group. No end points were reached in the interruption group. By week 8, viral load returned to values comparable to those of pretherapy in all patients in the interruption group and remained stable until week 48. CD4 counts dropped in the interruption group (median loss of 156 cells/&mgr;L) at week 48. Significant decreases in venous lactate were observed in the interruption group. Conclusions: Treatment interruptions in patients with nadir CD4 counts of >350 cells/&mgr;L seem safe for at least 48 weeks. Pretherapy viral load appears as a valuable tool to predict its level at week 48.
DDMRS-GARCH model and empirical research on Shanghai stock market

Is this paper a second-order Markov regime switching vola tility model—DDMRS-GARCH model is provided. DDMRS-GARCH model incorporates a second-order Markov chain that allows volatility state transition probabilities to depend on both volatility states and duration of the volatility states . DDMRS-GARCH model is also applied to stock returns time series in Shanghai stock market.
Fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose assessment of glucose metabolism in bone tumors.

UNLABELLED In our study, we investigate the glucose metabolism of various types of bone lesions with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET. METHODS Twenty-six patients showing clinical and radiographic symptoms of a malignant bone tumor were included. Histological examination after the PET study revealed 19 malignant and 7 benign tumors. PET images were corrected for attenuation. Arterial blood samples were taken to establish the input function. The metabolic rate of glucose consumption (MRglc) was calculated for the whole tumor, for the 10 pixels with maximum activity and for contralateral normal muscle tissue. RESULTS All lesions were clearly visualized with 18F-FDG PET except for a small infarction of the humerus. All the other lesions had increased glucose metabolism compared to surrounding and contralateral muscle tissue. Both maximum and average MRglc for benign, as well as malignant, lesions were significantly higher than for contralateral normal tissue. The maximum and average MRglc were not higher for malignant as opposed to benign lesions. There was a large overlap between the MRglc of benign and malignant lesions. CONCLUSION Fluorine-18-FDG PET appears suitable to visualize bone tumors. With the quantification of glucose metabolism, it is not possible to differentiate between benign and malignant bone tumors. There does not seem to be a clear correlation between the MRglc and the biologic aggressiveness of the neoplasms.
Myeloperoxidase Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Positive Interstitial Pneumonia Associated with Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis Diagnosed by Surgical Lung Biopsy

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a rare systemic vasculitis that often involves the lung. However, interstitial pneumonia (IP) is rarely seen in GPA patients. We herein report 3 cases of IP associated with GPA diagnosed by surgical lung biopsy. High-resolution CT showed uniform subpleural reticular opacity with traction bronchiectasis. Biopsies from all 3 patients revealed neutrophilic capillaritis, microabscesses with giant cells, and coexisting histological findings of usual IP pattern or fibrosing nonspecific IP pattern. All 3 patients had elevated levels of serum myeloperoxidase anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA), but not proteinase 3-ANCA. We diagnosed GPA and treated with corticosteroid and cyclophosphamide. Follow-up CT showed improvement of the lesions in all patients. Surgical lung biopsy specimens which revealed GPA enabled us to conduct the most suitable therapy. This report indicates the importance of surgical lung biopsy for differentiating idiopathic IPs from GPA-associated IP and suggests a relationship between MPO-ANCA and IP in GPA.
Sequence-specific DNA Binding and Transcription Factor Phosphorylation by Ku Autoantigen/DNA-dependent Protein Kinase

NRE1 is a DNA sequence element through which Ku antigen/DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) catalytic subunit represses the induction of mouse mammary tumor virus transcription by glucocorticoids. Although Ku is an avid binder of DNA ends and has the ability to translocate along DNA, we report that direct sequence-specific Ku binding occurs with higher affinity (Kd = 0.84 ± 0.24 nM) than DNA end binding. Comparison of Ku binding to several sequences over which Ku can accumulate revealed two classes of sequence. Sequences with similarity to NRE1 competed efficiently for NRE1 binding. Conversely, sequences lacking similarity to NRE1 competed poorly for Ku and were not recognized in the absence of DNA ends. Phosphorylation of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) fusion proteins by DNA-PK reflected Ku DNA-binding preferences and demonstrated that co-localization of GR with DNA-PK on DNA in cis was critical for efficient phosphorylation. Phosphorylation of the GR fusion protein by DNA-PK mapped to a single site, Ser-527. This site occurs adjacent the GR nuclear localization sequence between the DNA and ligand binding domains of GR, and thus its phosphorylation, if confirmed, has the potential to affect receptor function in vivo.
Neural Representation of Transposed Melody in Infants at 6 Months of Age

We examined adults’ and 6‐month‐old infants’ event‐related potentials in response to occasional changes (deviants) in a 4‐note melody presented at different pitch levels from trial to trial. In both groups, responses to standard and deviant stimuli differed significantly; however, adults produced a typical mismatch negativity (MMN), whereas 6‐month‐old infants exhibited a slow positive wave. We conclude that 6‐month‐old infants, like adults, encode melodic information in terms of relative pitch distances, but that the underlying cortical activity differs significantly from that of adults.
Peripheral Blood Fibrocytes: Enhancement of Wound Healing by Cell Proliferation, Re-Epithelialization, Contraction, and Angiogenesis

Objective:To identify the in vitro characteristics and functional properties of fibrocytes and investigate the in vivo mechanism of action of fibrocytes injection in accelerating the cutaneous healing process in diabetic mice. Background:Fibrocytes are hematopoietic derived stem cells that may have a role in tissue repair, perhaps as the precursors of fibroblast- or myofibroblast-like cells. Methods:In vitro, the time-dependent phenotypic expression of peripheral blood (PB) fibrocytes was stained with anti-CD11b, anti-CD45, anti-Col-I, and anti-&agr;-SMA antibodies. The functional properties of fibrocytes and dermal fibroblasts were tested by using reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. In vivo, full thickness wounds in diabetic mice were treated either with fibrocytes, dermal fibroblasts, or phosphate buffered saline (PBS) through tail vein injection. Wound healing kinetics, including wound contraction, re-epithelialization, and microscopic metrics such as cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and granulation growth were investigated. Expression of proinflammatory factors, profibrotic factors, growth factors, and extracellular matrix components were measured in wound tissues. Results:Fibrocytes gradually lose their hematopoietic cell markers and increase mesenchymal cell markers during differentiation in vitro. Fibrocytes stimulate wound healing by dermal cell proliferation, keratinocyte proliferation with re-epithelialization, and angiogenesis compared with dermal fibroblast and PBS treated wounds. Expression of angiogenesis markers (VEGF and b-FGF), growth factors (TGF-&bgr;, PDGF-A, and FGF-7), chemokines (MCP-1 and MIP-1&agr;), and extracellular matrix (collagen-I and &agr;-SMA) were upregulated in fibrocyte-treated wounds. Conclusion:Peripheral blood fibrocytes can accelerate wound healing by stimulating cell proliferation, re-epithelialization, and angiogenesis in a diabetic mice experimental model. The application of fibrocytes may represent a potential clinical solution for the treatment of chronic wounds across all fields of surgery.
Nasal Eosinophils Display the Best Correlation with Symptoms, Pulmonary Function and Inflammation in Allergic Rhinitis

Background: The pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis and its link with asthma are well known. Nevertheless, a complete cross-sectional evaluation of the usually available clinical, functional and immunological parameters has never been made. We assessed nasal symptoms and flow, cytology, cytokines, pulmonary function and methacholine positivity in a large number of patients with pure pollinosis. Methods: Young men presenting at a military hospital for routine follow-up were recruited for the study. They had to suffer from rhinitis alone (without asthma) for at least 2 years and had to have a positive skin prick test to pollens only. During the pollen season, they underwent symptom evaluation, measurement of nasal flow, nasal scraping and lavage (cell count and assay for IL-4, IL-5, IL-8 and IFNγ), pulmonary function tests and methacholine challenge. Results: Fifty subjects (23.7 ± 4.9 years old) were enrolled. All patients had high clinical scores (9.5 ± 1.6) and inflammatory cells (eosinophils: 10.5 ± 4 and neutrophils 21.3 ± 6) and low nasal flow (482 ± 111 ml/s). We found that the number of eosinophils in nasal scrapings highly correlated with all the above-mentioned parameters, including nasal flow, cytokines and spirometric values. A significant positive correlation was found between all inflammatory cells and all cytokines. IL-8, IL-4 and neutrophils displayed only a partial correlation with pulmonary parameters (FEV1, FVC and FEF25–75%), at variance wit IL-5 and eosinophils. Methacholine test positivity significantly correlated with the number of eosinophils in the nasal smear. Conclusion: Eosinophils in the nasal smear display the best correlation with all the clinical and immunological parameters in allergic rhinitis and also correlate well with methacholine response.
Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Is Present in Dendritic Spines of Neurons in Primary Cultures

Nitric oxide exerts important regulatory functions in various brain processes. Its synthesis in neurons has been most commonly ascribed to the neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) isoform. However, the endothelial isoform (eNOS), which is significantly associated with caveolae in different cell types, has been implicated in synaptic plasticity and is enriched in the dendrites of CA1 hippocampal neurons. Using high resolution microscopy and co-distribution analysis of eNOS with synaptic and raft proteins, we now show for the first time in primary cortical and hippocampal neuronal cultures, virtually devoid of endothelial cells, that eNOS is present in neurons and is localized in dendritic spines. Moreover, eNOS is present in a postsynaptic density-enriched biochemical fraction isolated from these neuronal cultures. In addition, qPCR analysis reveals that both the nNOS as well as the eNOS transcripts are present in neuronal cultures. Moreover, eNOS inhibition in cortical cells has a negative impact on cell survival after excitotoxic stimulation with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA). Consistent with previous results that indicated nitric oxide production in response to the neurotrophin BDNF, we could detect eNOS in immunoprecipitates of the BDNF receptor TrkB while nNOS could not be detected. Taken together, our results show that eNOS is located at excitatory synapses where it could represent a source for NO production and thus, the contribution of eNOS-derived nitric oxide to the regulation of neuronal survival and function deserves further investigations.
Direct and indirect healthcare resource utilization and costs associated with ulcerative colitis in a privately-insured employed population in the US

Abstract Objective: To assess direct and indirect healthcare resource utilization and costs of privately insured US employees with ulcerative colitis (UC) from a societal perspective. Research design and methods: Employees aged 18–64 with ≥2 UC diagnoses and no more than one diagnosis of Crohn’s disease (CD) were identified from a large, de-identified, private insurance US claims database from January 1, 2005 through March 31, 2013. Patients with UC were matched 1:1 to non-IBD controls based on demographics and index date (a randomly selected UC diagnosis). All patients were required to have continuous eligibility for ≥1 year before (baseline period) and after (study period) the index date. Descriptive analyses compared baseline characteristics and study period outcomes. Multivariate cost analysis adjusted for baseline comorbidities. Sub-group analyses compared patients with moderate-to-severe UC with matched controls. Main outcome measures: Costs (2013 US dollars) were measured from a societal perspective, which included direct (patient and payer costs) and indirect (lost wages because of time away from work) costs. Results: Patients with UC (n = 4314; mean age = 45.1 years, 63.6% male) had significantly higher baseline comorbidity rates compared with controls. In the study period, significantly more patients with UC (p < 0.0001) had higher hospitalization rates (16.9% vs 6.2%), emergency department visits (31.1% vs 22.0%), prescription drug use (95.3% vs 72.0%), and work loss (100% vs 81.4%). Patients with UC also had significantly higher adjusted total direct ($15,548 vs $4812) and indirect costs ($4125 vs $1961). Patients with moderate-to-severe UC (n = 1728) had significantly (p < 0.0001) higher hospitalization rates (26.5% vs 6.2%) and adjusted total direct ($23,085 vs $4932) and indirect costs ($5666 vs $1960). Conclusions: Patients with UC had higher resource utilization and direct and indirect costs compared with matched controls. The excess burden was greatest in patients with moderate-to-severe UC.
Use of nursing diagnoses and interventions in public health nursing practice.

PURPOSE To determine the frequency of use of NANDA diagnoses and the Nursing Interventions Classification in care plans written by public health nurses (PHNs) in Orange County, CA. METHODS Retrospective chart review. FINDINGS The frequency pattern of nursing diagnoses and nursing interventions used in care plans is consistent with the scope of practice of the PHN, whose emphasis is on health promotion and disease prevention. CONCLUSIONS The most commonly used diagnoses and interventions provide evidence of a core set of interventions useful for PHN practice. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Linking diagnoses and interventions allow PHNs to build a body of knowledge based on patient care and improve clinical decision-making process.
Reoccurrence of botulinum neurotoxin subtype A3 inducing food-borne botulism, Slovakia, 2015

A case of food-borne botulism occurred in Slovakia in 2015. Clostridium botulinum type A was isolated from three nearly empty commercial hummus tubes. The product, which was sold in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, was withdrawn from the market and a warning was issued immediately through the European Commission’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). Further investigation revealed the presence of botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) subtype BoNT/A3, a very rare subtype implicated in only one previous outbreak (Loch Maree in Scotland, 1922). It is the most divergent subtype of BoNT/A with 15.4% difference at the amino acid level compared with the prototype BoNT/A1. This makes it more prone to evading immunological and PCR-based detection. It is recommended that testing laboratories are advised that this subtype has been associated with food-borne botulism for the second time since the first outbreak almost 100 years ago, and to validate their immunological or PCR-based methods against this divergent subtype.
The case of the Italian National Research Council (CNR)

Age effects in scientific production are a consolidated stylised fact in the literature. At the level of scientist productivity declines with age following a predictable pattern. The problem of the impact of age structure on scientific productivity at the level of institutes is much less explored. The paper examines evidence from the Italian National Research Council. The path of hiring of junior researchers along the history of the institution is reconstructed. We find that age structure has a depressing effect on productivity and derive policy implications. The dynamics of growth of research institutes is introduced as a promising research field.
Opposite effects of perceptual and working memory load on perceptual filling-in of an artificial scotoma

A target presented on a background of dynamic noise disappears from awareness after a few seconds of maintained peripheral viewing. Whereas the effects of bottom-up factors in such filling-in are well documented, the roles of different top-down functions remain relatively unexplored. Here, we investigated the roles of attention and working memory (WM) by manipulating load in concurrent tasks while participants reported filling-in of a peripheral target. In Experiment 1, increasing perceptual load reduced the probability of filling-in and increased the latency of its occurrence. In Experiment 2, increasing WM load shortened the time before filling-in occurred––the opposite effect to increasing perceptual load. These results demonstrate that different top-down functions may have dissociable effects on filling-in.