Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Consensus criteria for the diagnosis of multifocal motor neuropathy

At this time, there are no widely accepted criteria for the diagnosis of multifocal motor neuropathy. Furthermore, there is insufficient empirical data to define clinical and laboratory features that may reliably separate certain lower motor neuron syndromes with overlapping features as distinct. The AAEM therefore developed five criteria through a formal consensus process that are described in this document to act as a guide for diagnosing multifocal motor neuropathy with a high level of confidence (definite multifocal motor neuropathy) or with a moderate level of confidence (probable motor neuropathy). In brief, the diagnosis requires clinical weakness without objective sensory loss or upper motor neuron signs in the distribution of two or more named nerves that is due to conduction block in two or more motor nerves outside of common entrapment sites. Furthermore, normal results are required for sensory nerve conduction studies. Muscle Nerve 27:117–121, 2003
Controlled Fine Needle Biopsy of the Uterine Cervix During Pregnancy

Objective: Cervical sampling could furnish tissue-based information regarding premature cervical ripening and effacement. This report assesses the effect of cervical fine needle biopsy (FNB) in the evaluation of cervical shortening. Methods: Retrospective cohort study evaluating adverse events during the first week following FNB in women with short cervix. Patients with a cervical length(CL) ≤25 mm had a cervical FNB between 16 and 24 weeks. The risk of FNB was compared to a control group that was similarly evaluated but did not undergo FNB. Results: One hundred and thirty-two FNBs were performed in 94 participants. The mean gestational age and CL at enrollment were 20.4 ± 2.3 weeks and 15.7 ± 0.6 mm. Within 7 days of FNB, there were 3 adverse events (2.3%) in the study group compared to 5 in the control group (2.1%). Conclusions: FNB of the cervix in high risk gravidae is feasible in clinical situations. It did not increase the risk of adverse events compared to women studied under a similar protocol without FNB.
Prevalence of dental and occlusal anomalies in Swedish conscripts.

The number of teeth, the frequency of dentitional, space and occlusal anomalies and the need of orthodontic treatment was studied in 301 Swedish men from the west and south of Sweden with a mean age of 18 years 8 months. Dentitional anomalies (abnormal number and morphology of the teeth and positional anomalies of front teeth) as well as crowding, spacing of the teeth and occlusal anomalies were noted. The objective need of treatment was judged according to a 5-grade scale. The number of missing teeth (exclusive of third molars) was, on the average, 0.8 per individual. Dentitional anomalies were recorded in about 35 % of the individuals and space anomalies in 52 %, while the frequency of occlusal anomalies was about 65 %. About 60 % of the individuals were judged as beeing in need of some form of orthodontic treatment. The need of treatment was small in about 30 %, while about 20 % had a more substantial need and almost 10 % severe need.
Effect of appetizer administration on plasma leptin level in human volunteers

The present study aimed at evaluating the effect of appetizer administration on plasma leptin levels of human volunteers. The ginger-based appetizers, namely ginger munch, fruit munch, jeera munch and appetizer drink, developed in the Defence Food Research Laboratory were used for 45 volunteers. Leptin was analyzed using the BioSource enzyme-amplified sensitivity immunoassay kit. The fasting plasma leptin level for men and women ranged between 0.5 and 19.5 ng/ml and between 2 and 36 ng/ml, respectively. The decreased (6–16%) plasma leptin levels after consumption of appetizers indicated their appetizing effect.
Epidemiology of soft tissue sarcomas in Jos, North Central Nigeria.

BACKGROUND Soft tissue sarcomas are a complex heterogeneous group of tumours that often cause a diagnostic problem. Special stains are often employed for further differentiation of these tumours. As a group, soft tissue sarcomas are not uncommon as previously believed. OBJECTIVE To undertake a ten year retrospective study of soft tissue sarcomas in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital and to also discuss the pathology of the disease. METHODS The study consisted of all records of histologically confirmed cases of soft tissue sarcomas from 1994 2003, seen at JUTH. The slides were retrieved and read separately by two pathologists. Special stain such as Reticulin, PTAH, Oilred O, were used to demonstrate basement membrane, muscle striation and lipids respectively. These aided confirmation of the diagnosis. Information extracted from patients' records included age, site of lesion and sex. RESULTS A total number of 266 cases of soft tissue sarcomas were recorded out of 2353 histologically confirmed cancers. These accounted for 11.3% of all cancers. One hundred and eighty three occurred in males and 83 in females, with male, female ratio of 2:1. Kaposi sarcoma (KS), Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), Malignant Fibrous Histiocytoma (MFH), and Fibrosarcoma (FS) were the commonest histological subtypes accounting for 69 (25.9%), 63 (23.7%), 56 (21.1%) and 49 (18.4%) respectively; with Rhabdomyosarcoma occurring more in paediatric and adolescent age groups, while the rest subtypes were more prevalent in adults. The commonest sites affected were leg/foot 71 (26.7%), head/neck 68 (25.6%) and thigh 50 (19%). CONCLUSION Soft tissue sarcomas constituted a significant proportion of cancers in our centre and are not uncommon as previously reported in the literature.
A CENSUS OF ROTATION AND VARIABILITY IN L1495: A UNIFORM ANALYSIS OF TRANS-ATLANTIC EXOPLANET SURVEY LIGHT CURVES FOR PRE-MAIN-SEQUENCE STARS IN TAURUS

We analyze light curves obtained by the Trans-atlantic Exoplanet Survey (TrES) for a field centered on the L1495 dark cloud in Taurus. The Spitzer Taurus Legacy Survey catalog identifies 179 bona fide Taurus members within the TrES field; 48 of the known Taurus members are detected by TrES, as well as 26 candidate members identified by the Spitzer Legacy team. We quantify the variability of each star in our sample using the ratio of the standard deviation of the original light curve (σorig.) to the standard deviation of a light curve that has been smoothed by 9 or 1001 epochs (σ9 and σ1001, respectively). Known Taurus members typically demonstrate (σorig./σ9) < 2.0, and (σorig./σ1001) < 5, while field stars reveal (σorig./σ9) ∼ 3.0 and (σorig./σ1001) ∼ 10, as expected for light curves dominated by unstructured white noise. Of the 74 Taurus members/candidates with TrES light curves, we detect significant variability in 49 sources. Adapting a quantitative metric originally developed to assess the reliability of transit detections, we measure the amount of red and white noise in each light curve and identify 18 known or candidate Taurus members with highly significant period measurements. These appear to be the first periods measured for four of these sources (HD 282276, CX Tau, FP Tau, TrES J042423+265008), and in two other cases, the first non-aliased periods (LkCa 21 and DK Tau AB). For the remainder, the TrES measurements typically agree very well (δP < 1%) with previously reported values. Including periods measured at lower confidence for 15 additional sources, we report periods for 11 objects where no previous periods were found, including 8 confirmed Taurus members. We also identify 10 of the 26 candidate Taurus members that demonstrate variability levels consistent with being bona fide T Tauri stars. A Kolomgorov–Smirnov (K-S) test confirms that these new periods confirm the distinction between the rotation period distributions of stars with and without circumstellar disks, with only a 10% probability of the two populations sharing the same parent period distribution. K-S tests do suggest, however, that the updated Taurus period distribution now more closely resembles those measured in other young star-forming clusters (i.e., NGC 2264, NGC 6530, and the ONC). This improved agreement may reflect the exclusion of long rotation periods which are detected in Taurus at lower significance, and which may be beyond the limits of detectability in more distant star-forming regions.
Potential implications of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in assessment and treatment of coronary artery disease

Background: Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, a member of the MMP superfamily is consistently implicated in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and plaque rupture, the most common mechanism responsible for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Aim: To summarize the role of MMP-9 in atherosclerosis and its potential implications in assessment and treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: We reviewed the PubMed database for relevant data regarding the role of MMP-9 in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. In the light of these data, we postulate potential implications of MMP-9 in the management and treatment of CAD. Results and conclusions: Existing data strongly support the role of MMP-9 in plaque destabilization and rupture. Based on the current knowledge, MMP-9 can potentially serve as a diagnostic biomarker in ACS and a prognostic biomarker in ACS and chronic CAD patients. MMP-9 is reduced by therapies that are associated with favourable outcome in atherosclerosis and thus may serve as a surrogate biomarker of treatment efficacy. However, large morbidity and mortality trials are still required to confirm that MMP-9 reduction is associated with improved outcome independent of the traditional risk factors (i.e. low-density lipoprotein cholesterol). Given its role in plaque rupture, inhibition of MMP-9 may promote plaque stabilization and consequently reduce cardiovascular events. Yet, the efficacy and safety of MMPs inhibitors should be first studied in preclinical models of atherosclerosis.
Fiber intake of normal weight, moderately obese and severely obese subjects.

The lack of dietary fiber may be a contributing factor in obesity. This study examined the fiber intake of three weight groups: normal (20.0 < or = BMI < or = 27.0), moderately obese (27.1 < or = BMI < or = 39.9) and severely obese (BMI > or = 40.0). Each group contained 50 subjects. Detailed 3-day food records were used to gather the nutritional data. Fiber intake in the normal weight group was 18.8 +/- 9.3 grams, the moderately obese consumed 13.3 +/- 5.8 grams of fiber and the severely obese 13.7 +/- 5.7 grams. Total fiber intake in grams was found to be significantly higher in the lean group (p < 0.05) and was positively associated with sex and education level with men and more highly educated individuals consuming more fiber. Using regression analysis total fiber in grams and fiber in g/1000 kcalories was inversely associated with BMI after adjusting for sex, age, education level and income (p < 0.01). A high fiber diet may help to promote a negative energy balance by causing early satiety secondary to gastric distention. Dietitians and physicians need to emphasize the importance of a high fiber diet to their obese patients.
Evaluation of molecular parameters for routine assessment of viremia in patients with chronic hepatitis C who are undergoing antiviral therapy.

OBJECTIVE To define the usefulness of molecular parameters in patients with chronic hepatitis C who are undergoing antiviral therapy. Anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment was monitored by determination of serum HCV load and by presence of HCV RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). STUDY DESIGN/METHODS Fifty-one patients with chronic hepatitis C undergoing antiviral therapy with interferon-alpha plus ribavirin were studied. Serum HCV RNA load was tested with a quantitative assay (Amplicor HCV Monitor Test) before, during, and up to 12 months after end of treatment. If HCV RNA was not detectable, serum samples were subsequently tested with a qualitative assay (Cobas Amplicor HCV Test) and corresponding ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)-treated blood was checked for presence of HCV RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Sustained virologic response was defined by loss of HCV RNA 12 months after the end of treatment. RESULTS Four patients (7.8%) were found to be sustained virologic responders, 17 (33.3%) were transient virologic responders, and 30 (58.8%) were virologic nonresponders. No significant difference was found in the median pretreatment serum HCV RNA load between sustained virologic responders, transient virologic responders, and virologic nonresponders. At 1 month after start of therapy, HCV RNA was not detectable with both the serum and the PBMC assay in 12 (23.5%) of 51 patients. Four remained HCV RNA-negative until 12 months after the end of treatment. In 14 of 17 transient virologic responders, reappearance of HCV RNA was detected earlier in PBMCs than in serum. CONCLUSIONS Based on these results in 51 patients, quantitation of baseline serum HCV RNA does not appear to be a decisive factor to the management of the individual patient. Early assessment of serum HCV RNA level after start of anti-viral treatment seems to be of major importance to identify virologic nonresponders. Reappearance of HCV RNA may be demonstrated earlier in PBMCs than in serum.
Retrograde Trans-Posterior Communicating Artery Snare-Assisted Rescue of Lost Access to a Foreshortened Pipeline Embolization Device: Complication Management

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: The Pipeline embolization device (PED; Covidien Vascular Therapies, Mansfield, Massachusetts) is a promising, yet experimental, vascular reconstruction device for the treatment of complex intracranial aneurysms. We present a PED-related complication and describe a salvage strategy. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 64-year-old woman underwent PED-assisted parent vessel reconstruction for her giant cavernous internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysm. During placement of the first PED, the proximal part of the PED foreshortened and was displaced into the aneurysm sac. Multiple subsequent attempts to recatheterize the PED failed, and, ultimately, distal access through and beyond the PED was lost. Therefore, completion of the Pipeline construct by stacking PEDs for definitive treatment was prevented. Retrograde access of the PED was gained from the distal ICA through a microwire that was advanced from the basilar artery through the posterior communicating artery. The microwire from the distal ICA was grasped with a snare from the proximal ICA and pulled down to the cervical ICA. The opened snare around the microwire was used as a lasso to advance a microcatheter from the cervical ICA through the PED to regain distal access. Five more PEDs were used to achieve complete parent vessel reconstruction and aneurysm obliteration. CONCLUSION: Maintaining distal access is critical until the entire parent vessel is reconstructed, especially when multiple PEDs are required. The salvage technique described may help regain distal access if it is lost during the procedure.
Efficiency of Nitrogen Assimilation by N(2)-Fixing and Nitrate-Grown Soybean Plants (Glycine max [L.] Merr.).

Nodulated and non-nodulated (not inoculated) soybeans (Glycine max [L.] Merr. cv Wells) were grown in controlled environments with N(2) or nonlimiting levels of NO(3) (-), respectively, serving as sole source of nitrogen. The efficiency of the N(2)-fixing plants was compared with that of the nitrate-supplied plants on the basis of both plant age and plant size. Efficiency evaluations of the plants were expressed as the ratio of moles of carbon respired by the whole plant to the moles of nitrogen incorporated into plant material.Continuous 24-hour CO(2) exchange measurements on shoot and root systems made at the beginning of flowering (28 days after planting) indicated that N(2)-fixing plants respired 8.28 moles of carbon per mole of N, fixed from dinitrogen, while nitrate-supplied plants respired only 4.99 moles of carbon per mole of nitrate reduced. Twenty-one-day-old nitrate-supplied plants were even more efficient, respiring only 3.18 moles of carbon per mole of nitrate reduced. The decreased efficiency of the N(2)-fixing plants was not due to plant size since, on a dry weight basis, the 28-day-old N(2)-fixing plants were intermediate between the 28- and 21-day-old nitrate-supplied plants.The calculated efficiencies were predominantly a reflection of root-system respiration. N(2)-fixing plants lost 25% of their daily net photosynthetic input of carbon through root-system respiration, compared with 16% for 28-day-old nitrate-supplied plants and 12% for 21-day-old nitrate-supplied plants. Shoot dark respiration was similar for all three plant groups, varying between 7.9% and 9.0% of the apparent photosynthate.The increased respiratory loss by the roots of the N(2)-fixing plants was not compensated for by increased net photosynthetic effectiveness. Canopy photosynthesis expressed on a leaf area basis was similar for 28-day-old N(2)-fixing plants (15.5 milligrams CO(2) square decimeter per hour) and 21-day-old nitrate-supplied plants (14.5 milligrams CO(2) square decimeter per hour). Both were similar in total canopy leaf area. The larger nitrate-supplied plants (28-day-old) had lower photosynthetic rates (12.5 milligrams CO(2) square decimeter per hour), presumably due to self-shading of the leaves.These data indicate that, during the early stages of plant development, dependence solely on N(2)-fixation is an expensive process compared to nitrate reduction in nitrate-supplied plants, since the N(2)-fixing plants retained 8% to 12% less of their photosynthate as dry matter.
Bone mineral disorders in pediatric and adolescent renal transplant recipients

Derakhshan A, Behbahan AG, Lotfi M, Omrani G‐H, Fallahzadeh M‐H, Basiratnia M, Al‐Hashemi GH. Bone mineral disorders in pediatric and adolescent renal transplant recipients. Pediatr Transplantation 2011: 15: 367–375. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
Syndrome‐causing mutations of the BLM gene in persons in the Bloom's Syndrome Registry

Bloom syndrome (BS) is caused by homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in the RecQ DNA helicase gene BLM. Since the molecular isolation of BLM, characterization of BS‐causing mutations has been carried out systematically using samples stored in the Bloom's Syndrome Registry. In a survey of 134 persons with BS from the Registry, 64 different mutations were identified in 125 of them, 54 that cause premature protein‐translation termination and 10 missense mutations. In 102 of the 125 persons in whom at least one BLM mutation was identified, the mutation was recurrent, that is, it was shared by two or more persons with BS; 19 of the 64 different mutations were recurrent. Ethnic affiliations of the persons who carry recurrent mutations indicate that the majority of such persons inherit their BLM mutation identical‐by‐descent from a recent common ancestor, a founder. The presence of widespread founder mutations in persons with BS points to population genetic processes that repeatedly and pervasively generate mutations that recur in unrelated persons. Hum Mutat 28(8), 743–753, 2007. Published 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Weekend Matters

Organizational factors and access to health care resources are of considerable importance in everyday medical practice and may influence the outcome of therapy. One manifestation of these issues is the socalled weekend effect, which was suggested to increase mortality rates of children and adults in some settings while showing no significant effects in others. We suspected that the weekend effect may not only manifest itself in most severely ill patients but also in the general population of hospitalized children, and we aimed to establish its impact on duration of hospital stay of children with diabetes. To investigate the potential of the weekend effect in a pediatric specialist hospital, we analyzed data on hospital admissions to a department specializing in treating patients with oncohematologic, diabetic, and nephrologic ailments.
Learn - Filter - Apply - Forget. Mixed Approaches to Named Entity Recognition

We have explored and implemented different approaches to named entity recognition in German, a difficult task in this language since both regular nouns and proper names are capitalized. Our goal is to identify and recognise person names, geographical names and company names in a computer magazine corpus. Our geographical name classifier works with precompiled lists but our company name classifier learns the names from the corpus. For the recognition of person names we work with a precompiled list of first names and the program learns the last names. For this classifier we suggest setting an activation value for the last name and subsequently depriming the value until OforgettingO the name. Our evaluation results show that our mixed approaches are as good as the recall and precision values reported for English. It is shown that a carefully tuned cascade of name classifiers can even distinguish between different interpretations of a name token within the same document.
Human brain‐structure resolved T2 relaxation times of proton metabolites at 3 tesla

The transverse relaxation times, T2, of N‐acetylaspartate (NAA), total choline (Cho), and creatine (Cr) obtained at 3T in several human brain regions of eight healthy volunteers are reported. They were obtained simultaneously in 320 voxels with three‐dimensional (3D) proton MR spectroscopy (1H‐MRS) at 1 cm3 spatial resolution. A two‐point protocol, optimized for the least error per given time by adjusting both the echo delay (TEi) and number of averages, Ni, at each point, was used. Eight healthy subjects (four males and four females, age = 26 ± 2 years) underwent the hour‐long procedure of four 15‐min, 3D acquisitions (TE1 = 35 ms, N1 = 1; and TE2 = 285 ms, N2 = 3). The results reveal that across all subjects the NAA and Cr T2s in gray matter (GM) structures (226 ± 17 and 137 ± 12 ms, respectively) were 13–17% shorter than the corresponding T2s in white matter (WM; 264 ± 10 and 155 ± 7 ms, respectively). The T2s of Cho did not differ between GM and WM (207 ± 17 and 202 ± 8, respectively). For the purpose of metabolic quantification, these values justify to within ±10% the previous use of one T2 per metabolite for 1) the entire brain and 2) all subjects. These T2 values (which to our knowledge were obtained for the first time at this field, spatial resolution, coverage, and precision) are essential for reliable absolute metabolic quantification. Magn Reson Med 57:983–989, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.