Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new modified neuroendoscope technology to remove severe intraventricular haematoma

ABSTRACT Background: Minimally invasive endoscopic haematoma evacuation is widely used in the treatment of intraventricular haemorrhage. However, its technique still has room for improvement. A new modified neuroendoscope technology (MNT) was used in this study and we explored its safety and efficacy in the treatment of severe acute intraventricular haemorrhage by comparing it with extraventricular drainage plus urokinase thrombolytic (EVD + UT) therapy. Methods: The following parameters were compared between the MNT group and the control group: incision design, operation time, ICU monitoring time, ventricular drainage tube (VDT) placement time, post-operative drainage tube obstruction (PDTO) rate, post-operative complications rate, 6-month mortality and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). Results: A total of 85 patients were enrolled. The ICU monitoring times, VDT placement times, PDTO rate were shorter in the MNT group. Multivariable logistic regression identified that good medium-term outcome (GOS scores 4–5) was significantly associated with MNT applied (OR 1.017, 95% CI 1.005–1.029, p = 0.008), age under 65 years (OR 4.223, 95% CI, 1.322–17.109, p = 0.034) and pre-operation GCS scores more than 10 (OR 3.427, 95% CI 1.048–11.205, p = 0.040). Conclusion: MNT surgery for severe intraventricular haematoma evacuation is a safe and efficient new surgical option. This technique is minimally invasive and may be helpful to provide good outcomes for selected patients.
Local BDNF Delivery to the Injured Cervical Spinal Cord using an Engineered Hydrogel Enhances Diaphragmatic Respiratory Function

We developed an innovative biomaterial-based approach to repair the critical neural circuitry that controls diaphragm activation by locally delivering brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to injured cervical spinal cord. BDNF can be used to restore respiratory function via a number of potential repair mechanisms; however, widespread BDNF biodistribution resulting from delivery methods such as systemic injection or lumbar puncture can lead to inefficient drug delivery and adverse side effects. As a viable alternative, we developed a novel hydrogel-based system loaded with polysaccharide-BDNF particles self-assembled by electrostatic interactions that can be safely implanted in the intrathecal space for achieving local BDNF delivery with controlled dosing and duration. Implantation of BDNF hydrogel after C4/C5 contusion-type spinal cord injury (SCI) in female rats robustly preserved diaphragm function, as assessed by in vivo recordings of compound muscle action potential and electromyography amplitudes. However, BDNF hydrogel did not decrease lesion size or degeneration of cervical motor neuron soma, suggesting that its therapeutic mechanism of action was not neuroprotection within spinal cord. Interestingly, BDNF hydrogel significantly preserved diaphragm innervation by phrenic motor neurons (PhMNs), as assessed by detailed neuromuscular junction morphological analysis and retrograde PhMN labeling from diaphragm using cholera toxin B. Furthermore, BDNF hydrogel enhanced the serotonergic axon innervation of PhMNs that plays an important role in modulating PhMN excitability. Our findings demonstrate that local BDNF hydrogel delivery is a robustly effective and safe strategy to restore diaphragm function after SCI. In addition, we demonstrate novel therapeutic mechanisms by which BDNF can repair respiratory neural circuitry. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Respiratory compromise is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality following traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). We used an innovative biomaterial-based drug delivery system in the form of a hydrogel that can be safely injected into the intrathecal space for achieving local delivery of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) with controlled dosing and duration, while avoiding side effects associated with other delivery methods. In a clinically relevant rat model of cervical contusion-type SCI, BDNF hydrogel robustly and persistently improved diaphragmatic respiratory function by enhancing phrenic motor neuron (PhMN) innervation of the diaphragm neuromuscular junction and by increasing serotonergic innervation of PhMNs in ventral horn of the cervical spinal cord. These exciting findings demonstrate that local BDNF hydrogel delivery is a safe and robustly effective strategy to maintain respiratory function after cervical SCI.
Severe-to-profound hearing impairment: demographic data, gender differences and benefits of audiological rehabilitation

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify and report demographic data of patients with severe-to-profound hearing loss, assess participation in audiological rehabilitation and analyze the benefits of various rehabilitation methods. Materials and methods: Data on 4286 patients with severe-to-profound hearing impairments registered in the Swedish Quality Register of Otorhinolaryngology over a period from 2006–2015 were studied. Demographic data, gender differences, audiological rehabilitation and benefits of the rehabilitation were analyzed. Results: Group rehabilitation and visits to a hearing rehabilitation educator provided the most benefits in audiological rehabilitation. Only 40.5% of the patients received extended audiological rehabilitation, of which 54.5% were women. A total of 9.5% of patients participated in group rehabilitation, with 59.5% being women. Women also visited technicians, welfare officers, hearing rehabilitation educators, psychologists and physicians and received communication rehabilitation in a group and fit with cochlea implants significantly more often than did men. Conclusions: The study emphasizes the importance of being given the opportunity to participate in group rehabilitation and meet a hearing rehabilitation educator to experience the benefits of hearing rehabilitation. There is a need to offer extended audiological rehabilitation, especially in terms of gender differences, to provide the same impact for women and men. Implications for Rehabilitation Significantly more women than men with severe-to-profound hearing impairment receive audiological rehabilitation. Hearing impairment appears to have a significantly more negative impact on women’s quality of life than men’s. It is important to offer extended audiological rehabilitation to all patients with severe-to-profound hearing loss to obtain an equal hearing health care regardless of gender.
An Analysis of the Incidence and Outcomes of Major vs. Minor Neurological Decline after Complex Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery: A Sub-analysis of Scoli-RISK-1 Study.

STUDY DESIGN A sub-analysis from a prospective, multicenter, international cohort study in 15 sites (Scoli-RISK-1). OBJECTIVE To report detailed information regarding the severity of neurological decline related to complex adult spine deformity (ASD) surgery and to examine outcomes based on severity. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA The basis of post-operative neurological decline after ASD surgeries can occur due to nerve root(s) or spinal cord dysfunction. The impact of decline and the pattern of recovery may be related to the anatomic location and the severity of the injury. METHODS An investigation of 272 prospectively enrolled complex ASD surgical patients with neurological status measured by American Spinal Injury Association Lower Extremity Motor Scores (LEMS) was undertaken. Post-operative neurological decline was categorized into "major" (≥5 points loss) vs. "minor" (<5 points loss) deficits. Timing and extent of recovery in LEMS were investigated for each group. RESULTS Among the 265 patients with LEMS available at discharge, 61 patients (23%) had neurological decline, with 20 (33%) experiencing major decline. Of note, 90% of the patients with major decline had deficits in 3 or more myotomes. Full recovery was seen in 24% at 6 weeks and increased to 65% at 6 months. However, 34% continued to experience some neurological decline at 24 months, with 6% demonstrating no improvement. Of 41 patients (67%) with minor decline, 73% had deficits in 1 or 2 myotomes. Full recovery was seen in 49% at 6 weeks and increased to 70% at 6 months. Of note, 26% had persistence of some neurological deficit at 24 months, with 18% demonstrating no recovery. CONCLUSION In patients undergoing complex ASD correction, a rate of post-operative neurological decline of 23% was noted with 33% of these being "major". While most patients showed substantial recovery by 6 months, approximately one-third continued to experience neurological dysfunction. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 2.
Characterization of Heterozygous HTRA1 Mutations in Taiwanese Patients With Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

Background and Purpose— Homozygous and compound heterozygous mutations in the high temperature requirement serine peptidase A1 gene (HTRA1) cause cerebral autosomal recessive arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy. However, heterozygous HTRA1 mutations were recently identified to be associated with autosomal dominant cerebral small vessel disease (SVD). The present study aims at investigating the clinical features, frequency, and spectrum of HTRA1 mutations in a Taiwanese cohort with SVD. Methods— Mutational analyses of HTRA1 were performed by Sanger sequencing in 222 subjects, selected from a cohort of 337 unrelated patients with SVD after excluding those harboring a NOTCH3 mutation. The influence of these mutations on HTRA1 protease activities was characterized. Results— Seven novel heterozygous mutations in HTRA1 were identified, including p.Gly120Asp, p.Ile179Asn, p.Ala182Profs*33, p.Ile256Thr, p.Gly276Ala, p.Gln289Ter, and p.Asn324Thr, and each was identified in 1 single index patient. All mutations significantly compromise the HTRA1 protease activities. For the 7 index cases and another 2 affected siblings carrying a heterozygous HTRA1 mutation, the common clinical presentations include lacunar infarction, intracerebral hemorrhage, cognitive decline, and spondylosis at the fifth to sixth decade of life. Among the 9 patients, 4 have psychiatric symptoms as delusion, depression, and compulsive behavior, 3 have leukoencephalopathy in anterior temporal poles, and 2 patients have alopecia. Conclusions— Heterozygous HTRA1 mutations account for 2.08% (7 of 337) of SVD in Taiwan. The clinical and neuroradiological features of HTRA1-related SVD and sporadic SVD are similar. These findings broaden the mutational spectrum of HTRA1 and highlight the pathogenic role of heterozygous HTRA1 mutations in SVD.
Impact of interleukin 6 promoter polymorphisms (−174 G > C, −572 G > C and −597 G > A) on plasma IL-6 levels and their influence on the development of DVT: a study from India

ABSTRACT Objectives: To evaluate the association of interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and to assess the impact of IL-6 promoter polymorphisms (−174G > C, −572G > C and −597G > A) on its plasma levels and their influence in the development of DVT in India. Methods: One hundred DVT patients and 100 age and sex-matched healthy controls were study subjects. IL-6 polymorphisms were identified by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. IL-6 levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Significantly raised IL-6 levels were observed in patients as compared to controls. (Patients: 13.73 ± 6.30 pg/ml, Controls: 11.83 ± 4.47 pg/ml, p = 0.014). The prevalence of C allele of −572G > C polymorphism was significantly higher in patients than controls (Patients: 39.5%, Controls: 27.5%, p = 0.011, χ2=6.463). Subjects with GC and CC genotype had significantly higher IL-6 levels than GG genotype (p=<0.001). Patients with GC and CC genotype increased the DVT risk by 1.39 fold (ORa: 1.39, CI: 0.74–2.62) and 2.69 fold (ORa: 2.42, CI: 1.08–6.70), respectively. IL-6 −174G > C and −597G > A polymorphisms were not associated with raised IL-6 levels and nor with thrombotic risk (−174G > C: p = 0.823 χ2=0.369; −597G > A: p = 0.678 χ2=1.08). Conclusion: Our study emphasizes the importance of −572G > C polymorphism in increasing IL-6 levels, thereby showing its significant role in DVT in India. IL-6 −174G > C and −597G > A were neither associated with raised plasma IL-6 levels nor with thrombotic risk. Thus −572G > C polymorphism detection may be one of the connecting links between IL-6 and thrombotic risk in Indian DVT patients.
Intravitreal Bevacizumab with or without Triamcinolone for Wet Age-related Macular Degeneration: Twelve-month Results of a Prospective, Randomized Investigation

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to compare the long-term outcomes of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) with a combination therapy including IVB/intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVB/IVTA) in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective, randomized clinical trial was conducted on 136 eyes of 136 patients with neovascular AMD. Eyes were randomly assigned to receive IVB alone (71 eyes) or in combination with IVTA (65 eyes). In the IVB group, three consecutive injections of 1.25 mg/0.05 ml of bevacizumab were administered 1 month apart, whereas in the IVB/IVTA group, 4 mg/0.05 mL of triamcinolone acetonide was added to bevacizumab in the first injection. Additional IVB injections were administered in eyes demonstrating active choroidal neovascularization. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography were performed at baseline as well as at all follow-up visits. RESULTS: No differences were seen between the patients receiving IVB and those receiving IVB/IVTA in terms of baseline BCVA (P = 0.97) and baseline central macular thickness (CMT) (P = 0.77). BCVA improved, and CMT reduced significantly in both study arms at almost all follow-up intervals. IVB/IVTA intervention, compared with IVB, was statistically more effective in improving BCVA (P = 0.01) and in reducing CMT (P = 0.02) after 12 months. The average number of reinjections was 1.25 ± 0.92 in the IVB group and 1.06 ± 1.01 in the IVB/IVTA group (P = 0.44). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the synergistic effect of intravitreal triamcinolone and IVB for treatment of neovascular AMD shows itself most apparently after 8 months of follow-up.
In‐depth molecular analysis of a small cohort of human and Aedes mosquito (adults and larvae) samples from Kolkata revealed absence of Zika but high prevalence of dengue virus

Purpose. Zika virus infections have recently been reported in many dengue‐endemic areas globally. Both dengue (DENV) and Zika (ZIKV) virus are transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, raising the possibility of mixed infections in both vector and host. We evaluated DENV and ZIKV prevalence in human and vector samples in Kolkata, a DENV‐endemic city. Methodology. Blood samples were collected from 70 patients presenting dengue‐like fever symptoms at a hospital in Kolkata during 2015–16. Serum was obtained and tested for DENV infection by DENV NS1‐based ELISA. Adult (n=8) and larval stages (n=12) of Aedes were also collected. A RT‐PCR‐based screening of both viruses supplemented by amplicon sequencing was performed. Results. Of the 70 samples, 20 DENV NS1‐positive serum samples were used for detailed molecular study for DENV infection. Eighteen of these (90 %) were positive by hemi‐nested serotype‐specific RT‐PCR for DENV1/2/3, with four samples showing evidence of DENV2–3 or DENV1–3 mixed infection. None were ZIKV‐positive using NS5 or ENV‐based PCR, though weak amplification of a DENV1 NS5 sequence was detected in three serum samples indicating cross‐reactivity of the primers. All mosquito samples were ZIKV‐negative, whereas 5/8 (63 %) of adult mosquitoes and 11/12 (92 %) of larvae were DENV3‐positive. Conclusion. Both host and vector samples showed absence of ZIKV but high prevalence of DENV. The high rate of infection of larvae with DENV is suggestive of trans‐ovarial transmission that could contribute to the surge of human infections during each post‐monsoon season. It would be important to guard against false positives using the available Zika‐reporting primer sets.
The Impact of Innovative Behavior, Commitment, Organizational Culture, and Ethical Leadership On Performance

Indonesia,  abror094@gmail.com Abstract This paper examines the effect of innovative behavior, commitment, organizational culture, and ethical leadership on performance. The sampling technique was by using the proportional random sampling method. Questioners were distributed to 137 teachers in Padang Pariaman regency. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression and processed with SPSS 24. The results showed that innovative behavior and leadership had a positive and significant effect on performance. Furthermore, commitment and organizational culture do not have significant
Tapetal-Delayed Programmed Cell Death (PCD) and Oxidative Stress-Induced Male Sterility of Aegilops uniaristata Cytoplasm in Wheat

Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) plays a crucial role in the utilization of hybrid vigor. Pollen development is often accompanied by oxidative metabolism responses and tapetal programmed cell death (PCD), and deficiency in these processes could lead to male sterility. Aegilops uniaristata cytoplasmic male sterility (Mu-CMS) wheat is a novel male-sterile line in wheat, which possess important potential in hybrid wheat breeding. However, its CMS mechanisms remain poorly understood. In our study, U87B1-706A, with the Aegilops uniaristata cytoplasm, and the maintainer line 706B were used to explore the abortive reason. Compared with 706B, histological analysis and PCD detection of the anther demonstrated that U87B1-706A appeared as delayed tapetal PCD as well as a disorganized organelle phenotype in the early uninucleate stage. Subsequently, a shrunken microspore and disordered exine structure were exhibited in the late uninucleate stage. While the activities of antioxidase increased markedly, the nonenzymatic antioxidant contents declined obviously following overacummulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during pollen development in U87B1-706A. Real-time quantitative PCR testified that the transcript levels of the superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) genes, encoding pivotal antioxidant enzymes, were up-regulated in early pollen development. Therefore, we deduce excess ROS as a signal may be related to the increased expression levels of enzyme genes, thereby breaking the antioxidative system balance, resulting in delayed tapetal PCD initiation, which finally led to pollen abortion and male sterility in U87B1-706A. These results provide evidence to further explore the mechanisms of abortive pollen in CMS wheat.
Separating Dynamic and Thermodynamic Impacts of Climate Change on Daytime Convective Development over Land

Climate change affects the dynamics and thermodynamics of moist convection. Changes in the dynamics concern, for instance, an increase of convection strength due to increases of convective available potential energy (CAPE). Thermodynamics involve increases in water vapor that the warmer atmosphere can hold and convection can work with. Small-scale simulations are conducted to separate these two components for daytime development of unorganized convection over land. The simulations apply a novel modeling technique referred to as the piggybacking (or master–slave) approach and consider the global climate model (GCM)-predicted change of atmospheric temperature and moisture profiles in the Amazon region at the end of the century under a business-as-usual scenario. The simulations show that the dynamic impact dominates because changes in cloudiness and rainfall come from cloud dynamics considerations, such as the change in CAPE and convective inhibition (CIN) combined with the impact of environmental relative humidity (RH) on deep convection. The small RH reduction between the current and future climate significantly affects the mean surface rain accumulation as it changes from a small reduction to a small increase when the RH decrease is eliminated. The thermodynamic impact on cloudiness and precipitation is generally small, with the extreme rainfall intensifying much less than expected from an atmospheric moisture increase. These results are discussed in the context of previous studies concerning climate change–induced modifications of moist convection. Future research directions applying the piggybacking method are discussed.
On the Number of Convex Lattice Polytopes

A convex polytope P C R d is a lattice polytope if all of its vertices come from the lattice of integers, Z d. Write :P or ~Pd for the set of all convex lattice polytopes with positive volume. Two convex lattice polytopes are said to be equivalent if there is a lattice preserving affine transformation R d ~-, R d carrying one to the other. This is clearly an equivalence relation and equivalent polytopes have the same volume. Write Nd(A) for the number of different (i.e., non-equivalent) convex lattice polytopes of volume A in R d. Arnold [Ar] proved that
Role of Four Gravitational Constants in Nuclear Structure

This paper attempts to understand the role of the four gravitational constants in the nuclear structure whichhelps in understanding the nuclear elementary charge, the strong coupling constant, nuclear charge radii,nucleon magnetic moments, nuclear stability, nuclear binding energy and Neutron life time. The three assumed atomic gravitational constants help in understanding neutron-proton stability. Electromagnetic and nuclear gravitational constants play a role in understanding proton-electron mass ratio, Bohr radius and characteristic atomic radius. With reference to the weak gravitational constant, it is possible to predict the existence of a weakly interacting fermion of rest energy 585 GeV, called Higg’s fermion. Cosmological ‘dark matter’ research and observations can be carried out in this direction also.