Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of a Novel Elastic Respiratory Motion Correction Algorithm on Quantification and Image Quality in Abdominothoracic PET/CT

Our aim was to evaluate in phantom and patient studies a recently developed elastic motion deblurring (EMDB) technique that makes use of all the acquired PET data and compare its performance with other conventional techniques such as phase-based gating (PBG) and HD⋅Chest (HDC), both of which use fractions of the acquired data. Comparisons were made with respect to static whole-body (SWB) images with no motion correction. Methods: A phantom simulating respiratory motion of the thorax with lung lesions (5 spheres with internal diameters of 10–28 mm) was scanned with 0, 1, 2, and 3 cm of motion. Four reconstructions were performed: SWB, PBG, HDC, and EMDB. For PBG, the average (PBGave) and maximum bin (PBGmax) were used. To compare the reconstructions, the ratios of SUVmax, SUVpeak, and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were calculated with respect to SWB. Additionally, 46 patients with lung or liver tumors less than 3 cm in diameter were studied. Measurements of SUVmax, SUVpeak, and CNR were made for 46 lung and 19 liver lesions. To evaluate image noise, the SUV SD was measured in healthy lung and liver tissue and in the phantom background. Finally, the subjective image quality of patient examinations was scored on a 5-point scale by 4 radiologists. Results: In the phantom, EMDB increased SUVmax and SUVpeak over SWB but to a lesser extent than the other reconstruction methodologies. The ratio of CNR with respect to SWB for EMDB, however, was higher than all other reconstructions (0.68 with EMDB > 0.54 with HDC > 0.41 with PBGmax > 0.31 with PBGave). Similar results were seen in patient studies. SUVmax and SUVpeak were higher by, respectively, 19.3% and 11.1% with EMDB, 21.6% and 13.9% with HDC, 22.8% and 12.8% with PBGave, and 45.6% and 26.8% with PBGmax, compared with SWB. Lung and liver noise increased with EMDB by, respectively, 3% and 15%, with HDC by 35% and 56%, with PBGave by 100% and 170%, and with PBGmax by 146% and 219%. CNR increased in lung and liver tumors only with EMDB (18% and 13%, respectively) and decreased with HDC (−14% and −23%), PBGave (−39% and −63%), and PBGmax (−18% and −46%). The average radiologist scores of image quality were 4.0 ± 0.8 with SWB, 3.7 ± 1.0 with EMDB, 3.1 ± 1.0 with HDC, and 1.5 ± 0.7 with PBG. Conclusion: The EMDB algorithm had the least increase in image noise, improved lesion CNR, and had the highest overall image quality score.
Ivabradine Versus Beta-Blockers in Mitral Stenosis in Sinus Rhythm: An Updated Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background Symptoms of mitral stenosis (MS) are worsened during tachycardia and exercise. Beta-blockers are used in controlling heart rate (HR) in MS, resulting in symptom improvement, but coming with significant side effects. Ivabradine has a selective action on the sinus node devoid of the usual side effects of beta-blockers. Small studies have recently investigated the role of ivabradine in MS in sinus rhythm. Our aim was to determine the efficacy of ivabradine, compared to beta-blockers, in terms of exercise duration, maximum HR achieved, resting HR, mean gradient, and working capacity among patients with MS in sinus rhythm. Methods We conducted a systematic search of studies using MEDLINE, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Clinical Key, Cochrane, and clinicaltrials.gov databases in all languages and examined reference lists of studies. We included studies if they are: 1) randomized controlled trials comparing ivabradine and beta-blockers; 2) of adults ≥ 19 years old with MS in sinus rhythm; and 3) reported data on exercise duration, maximum HR achieved, resting HR, mean gradient, and working capacity. Studies identified were assessed for risk of bias using the Cochrane Collaboration Tool for Assessing Risk of Bias. We used inverse variance analysis of fixed effects to compute for mean difference, carried out using Review Manager (RevMan) 5.3. Results Pooled analysis from five identified trials showed that among patients with MS in sinus rhythm, ivabradine was better compared to beta-blockers in total exercise duration (mean difference: 32.73 s (95% CI: 12.19, 53.27; P = 0.002; I2 = 0%)), maximum HR achieved after exercise (mean difference: -3.87 beats per minute (95% CI: -5.88, -1.860; P = 0.0002; I2 = 23%)), and work capacity (mean difference: 0.56 METS (95% CI: 0.33, 0.80; P < 0.00001; I2 = 0%)); inferior to beta-blockers in resting HR achieved (mean difference: 1.83 s (95% CI: 0.39, 3.28; P = 0.01; I2 = 91%)); and comparable to beta-blockers in terms of mean gradient (mean difference: -0.52 mm Hg (95% CI: -1.20, 0.16; P = 0.13; I2 = 6%)). Conclusions Ivabradine is better or comparable to beta-blockers in terms of the outcomes measured, and may be considered as an alternative for patients with MS in sinus rhythm who are intolerant to beta-blockers.
Robust Pareto Suboptimal Strategy for Uncertain Markov Jump Linear Stochastic Systems with Multiple Decision Makers

In this study, a robust Pareto suboptimal strategy for uncertain Markov jump linear stochastic systems (UMJLSSs) with multiple decision makers is investigated. A guaranteed cost control principle is employed to obtain the conditions given using a stochastic algebraic Riccati inequality (SARI), such that the closed-loop stochastic system is exponentially mean square stable (EMSS), having a cost bound. The minimization problem of the cost bound is formulated, and the necessary conditions, which are obtained via the set of cross-coupled stochastic Riccati equations (CCSAREs), are derived with the help of the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) conditions. Finally, a numerical example is solved to demonstrate the effectiveness and usefulness of the proposed strategy.
Occurrence and Distribution of Tetracycline Antibiotics and Resistance Genes in Longshore Sediments of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China

The widespread use of antibiotics and the induced antibiotic resistance genes have attracted much attention in recent years. The longshore sediments in the water-level-fluctuating zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir were selected to investigate the spatial-temporal distribution of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes in two different operation stages (low-water level in summer and high-water level in winter). Three kinds of tetracycline antibiotics (tetracycline, oxytetracycline, and chlortetracycline) and three kinds of tetracycline resistance genes [tet(A), tet(C), and tet(M)] were analyzed and quantified. The results showed that the distribution of tetracyclines and resistance genes in riverine, transition and lacustrine zones showed a certain regularity, and the tetracycline antibiotics concentration and the total abundance of the tetracycline resistance genes were highest in the transition zone, and then the riverine zone. Meanwhile, there were significant seasonal variations of tetracycline and the resistance genes. The concentrations of the tetracycline and resistance genes were higher in summer than those in winter, while the relative abundance of resistance genes was higher in winter. It was suggested that the different seasonal distribution of antibiotics and resistance genes may be correlated with the reservoir operation in the Three Gorges Reservoir and the higher use of antibiotics in winter. In addition, Pearson correlation analysis showed that the concentrations of the tetracycline, class 1 integron and 16S rRNA were positively correlated with the abundance of the tetracycline resistance genes.
The role of lexical variables in the visual recognition of two-character Chinese compound words: A megastudy analysis

To examine the effect of lexical variables on two-character Chinese compound word processing, we performed item-level hierarchical regression analyses on lexical decision megastudy data of 18,983 two-character Chinese compound words. The first analysis determined the unique item-level variance explained by orthographic (frequency and stroke count), phonological (consistency, homophonic density), and semantic (transparency) variables. Both character and word variables were considered. Results showed that orthographic and semantic variables, respectively, accounted for more collective variance than phonological variables, suggesting that Chinese skilled readers rely more on orthographic and semantic information than phonological information when processing visually presented words. The second analysis tested interactive effects of lexical variables and showed significant semantic transparency × cumulative character frequency and word frequency × cumulative character frequency interactions. The effect of cumulative character frequency was stronger for transparent words than for opaque words and was stronger for low-frequency words than for high-frequency words. However, there was no semantic transparency × word frequency interaction in reaction time. Implications of the current findings on models of Chinese compound word processing are discussed.
Using Stress Ultrasonography to Understand the Risk of UCL Injury Among Professional Baseball Pitchers Based on Ligament Morphology and Dynamic Abnormalities

Background: Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injury of the elbow is a common and debilitating problem seen frequently among elite baseball pitchers. Ultrasound is a useful diagnostic tool in evaluating UCL injuries. Hypothesis: Evaluation with stress ultrasound of the elbow to measure the morphology of the UCL and the ulnohumeral joint space gapping is indicative of higher risk of UCL injury among professional baseball pitchers. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: Ultrasound imaging was used to assess the medial joint laxity of the elbow of 70 asymptomatic professional baseball pitchers during spring training. Medial joint laxity and UCL morphology were assessed with OsiriX imaging software under 2 conditions—gravity valgus load and 5.5 lb of valgus load per a handheld dynamometer—with the shoulder in the maximal cocking position and the elbow in 90° of flexion. Two trials of resting position, elbow gapping, and UCL thickness were collected, measured, and averaged for data analysis. Intra- and interrater reliabilities were established and maintained, with intraclass correlation coefficients in the acceptable range for all measures (0.84-0.99). One-way analysis of variance was used to compare dominant variables between those pitchers who sustained a subsequent UCL injury and those who did not. A receiver operating curve was used to identify pitchers who, based on elbow gapping measures (by cut score), were at high risk versus low risk for UCL injury. Results: Players who went on to injure the UCL (n = 7) displayed a significantly wider opening under 5.5 lb of applied stress (6.5 ± 1.2 vs 5.3 ± 1.2 mm, P = .01) when compared with pitchers without UCL injury history (n = 63); they also presented a trend toward wider dominant arm resting joint opening (4.9 ± 1.2 vs 4.0 ± 1.1 mm, P = .07). Professional pitchers with valgus stress ulnohumeral joint gapping ≥5.6 mm (area underneath the curve, 0.77; P = .02) of the dominant arm were at a 6-times greater risk of sustaining a UCL tear requiring reconstruction within a season. Conclusion: Our data suggest that ultrasound evaluation of UCL morphology may be indicative of pitchers who are at risk of sustaining UCL injury and that it may improve player assessment.
PTSD post-childbirth: a systematic review of women’s and midwives’ subjective experiences of care provider interaction

ABSTRACT Objective: Review primary research regarding PTSD Post-Childbirth (PTSD-PC) that focussed on Quality of Provider Interaction (QPI) from the perspective of women who developed PTSD-PC, or midwives. Background: Up to 45% of women find childbirth traumatic. PTSD-PC develops in 4% of women (18% in high-risk groups). Women’s subjective experiences of childbirth are the most important risk factor in the development of PTSD-PC, with perceived QPI being key. Methods: A systematic search was performed for PTSD-PC literature. Reviewed papers focussed on either women’s subjective childbirth experiences, particularly QPI, or midwives’ perspectives on QPI. Study quality was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tools, and a narrative synthesis of findings produced. Results: Fourteen studies were included. Three features of QPI contribute towards developing PTSD-PC: interpersonal factors; midwifery care factors; and lack of support. Conclusion: QPI is a significant factor in the development of PTSD-PC and the identified key features of QPI have potential to be modified by midwives. The development of guidelines for midwives should be grounded on evidence highlighted in this review, along with further high-quality qualitative research exploring QPI from the perspective of women with PTSD-PC, but also midwives’ knowledge and needs regarding their role within QPI.
Pain pathogenesis in rheumatoid arthritis—what have we learned from animal models?

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by joint inflammation and joint pain. Much of RA treatment is focused on suppressing inflammation, with the idea being that if inflammation is controlled other symptoms, such as pain, will disappear. However, pain is the most common complaint of RA patients, is often still present following the resolution of inflammation, and can develop prior to the onset of inflammation. Thus, further research is needed to better understand RA-associated pain mechanisms. A number of preclinical rodent models commonly used in rheumatology research have been developed based on bedside-to-bench and reverse translational approaches. These models include collagen-induced arthritis, antigen-induced arthritis, streptococcal cell wall-induced arthritis, collagen antibody-induced arthritis, serum transfer from K/BxN transgenic mice and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-transgene mice. They have led to increased understanding of RA pathogenesis and have aided the development of successful RA treatments. More recently, these models have been used to elucidate the complexities of RA associated pain. Several potentially modifiable mechanisms, other than inflammation, have been investigated in these models and may in turn lead to more effective treatments. Furthermore, preclinical research can indicate when specific treatment strategies may benefit specific patient subgroups or at which disease stage they are best used. This review not only highlights RA-associated pain mechanisms, but also suggests the usefulness of preclinical animal research based on a bedside-to-bench approach.
Progressive Massive Fibrosis Resurgence Identified in U.S. Coal Miners Filing for Black Lung Benefits, 1970‐2016

Rationale: There has been a resurgence of progressive massive fibrosis (PMF) in the United States, particularly among central Appalachian miners. Objectives: We characterized the proportion of PMF among former U.S. coal miners applying for Federal Black Lung Program benefits, 1970‐2016. Methods: Data from the U.S. Department of Labor were used to characterize trends in proportion of PMF cases, defined as an approved black lung claim with a determination of PMF, among all miners who filed for federal benefits between January 1, 1970, and December 31, 2016. Joinpoint, logistic, and linear regression models were used to identify changes in the proportion of claimants with PMF over time. Results: There were 4,679 unique PMF cases among claimants for federal black lung benefits between 1970 and 2016, with 2,474 miners determined to have PMF since 1996. The number of PMF cases among Federal Black Lung Program claimants fell from 404 (0.5% of claimants) in 1978 to a low of 18 cases (0.6%) in 1988, and then increased to 353 cases (8.3%) in 2014. The proportion of federal black lung benefits claimants with PMF has been increasing since 1978 (0.06% annual percent change [APC]; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.05‐0.07%; P < 0.0001), and began increasing at a significantly increased rate after 1996 (0.26% APC; 95% CI, 0.25‐0.28%; P < 0.0001). Most miners with PMF (84%) last mined in West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, or Virginia. Since 1970, the proportion of claimants with PMF has increased significantly among miners who last worked in Kentucky (16.6% APC; 95% CI, 16.5‐16.7%), Pennsylvania (4.7% APC; 95% CI, 4.6‐4.8%), Tennessee (16.1% APC; 95% CI, 15.7‐16.4%), West Virginia (16.8% APC; 95% CI, 16.6‐16.9%), and most sharply among miners last working in Virginia (31.5% APC; 95% CI, 31.2‐31.7%), where in 2009, more than 17% of claimants received a PMF determination. The proportion of PMF determinations for the rest of the United States has not exceeded 4%. Conclusions: There has been a resurgence of PMF, particularly in central Appalachian miners. The resurgence of this preventable disease points to the need for improved primary and secondary prevention of dust‐related lung disease in U.S. coal miners.
Early life predictors of midlife allostatic load: A prospective cohort study

Background Allostatic load has been suggested as a pathway through which experiences become biologically embedded to influence health. Research on childhood predictors of allostatic load has focused on socioeconomic and psychosocial exposures, while few studies include prospective measures of biomedical exposures. Further, findings on sex differences in the association of childhood predictors with various health outcomes related to allostatic load are ambiguous. Aims To examine the influence of early life biomedical and social factors in the first year of life on midlife allostatic load, assessing potential sex differences. Methods This prospective cohort study includes early life information collected at birth and a one year examination for 1,648 members of the Copenhagen Perinatal Cohort who also participated in the Copenhagen Aging and Midlife Biobank study (aged 49–52 years, 56% women). Allostatic load based on 14 biomarkers was selected as a measure of midlife health status. Early life factors were categorized as predominantly biomedical or social, and their associations with midlife allostatic load were examined in domain-specific and combined sex-stratified multiple regression models. Results The biomedical factors model explained 6.6% of the variance in midlife allostatic load in men and 6.7% in women, while the social model explained 4.1% of the variance in men and 7.3% in women. For both sexes, parental socioeconomic position at one year and maternal BMI significantly predicted midlife allostatic load in a model containing all early life factors. For women, additional significant predictors were complications at birth, birth weight and not living with parents at one year. Conclusion The results confirm an association of lower childhood socioeconomic position with higher adult allostatic load while demonstrating the importance of other prenatal and early life exposures and highlighting potential sex differences.
A Morphogenetic Cellular Automaton

How are cell proliferation and cell migration controlled to generate an embryo (and, subsequently, a fetus) with organized tissues and organs? Growth factors are crucial signaling molecules that can diffuse over a long distance to target cells and induce cell proliferation, differentiation and migration. However, the mechanisms used to regulate growth factors and morphogenic events are not well known. In this paper, we develop a mathematical model based on biological evidence of correlations between neural cell proliferation and the distribution of extracellular matrix (ECM) structures called fractones. It is hypothesized that fractone distribution may coordinate the timing and location of neural cell proliferation, thereby guiding morphogenesis, at several stages of early brain development. We propose to develop a controlled cellular automaton for simulating the complex behavior of growth factors diffusing in a perturbed manner due to the presence of fractones. This automaton will then interact with an automaton that defines rules for mitosis and exploited the interaction to control cell proliferation.
Quantum Channel Simulation and the Channel's Smooth Max-Information

We study the general framework of quantum channel simulation, that is, the ability of a quantum channel to simulate another one using different classes of codes. Our main results are as follows. First, we show that the minimum error of simulation under non-signalling assisted codes is efficiently computable via semidefinite programming. The cost of simulating a channel via noiseless quantum channels under non-signalling assisted codes can also be characterized as a semidefinite program. Second, we introduce the channel's smooth max-information, which can be seen as a one-shot generalization of the channel's mutual information. We show that the one-shot quantum simulation cost under non-signalling assisted codes is exactly equal to the channel's smooth max-information. Due to the quantum reverse Shannon theorem, the channel's smooth max-information converges to the channel's mutual information in the independent and identically distributed asymptotic limit. Together with earlier findings on the (activated) non-signalling assisted one-shot capacity of channels [Wang et al., arXiv:1709.05258], this suggest that the operational min- and max-type one-shot analogues of the channel's mutual information are the channel's hypothesis testing relative entropy and the channel's smooth max-information, respectively.
From fever to immunity: A new role for IGFBP‐6?

Fever is a fundamental response to infection and a hallmark of inflammatory disease, which has been conserved and shaped through millions of years of natural selection. Although fever is able to stimulate both innate and adaptive immune responses, the very nature of all the molecular thermosensors, the timing and the detailed mechanisms translating a physical trigger into a fundamental biological response are incompletely understood. Here we discuss the consequence of hyperthermic stress in dendritic cells (DCs), and how the sole physical input is sensed as an alert stimulus triggering a complex transition in a very narrow temporal window. Importantly, we review recent findings demonstrating the significant and specific changes discovered in gene expression and in the metabolic phenotype associated with hyperthermia in DCs. Furthermore, we discuss the results that support a model based on a thermally induced autocrine signalling, which rewires and sets a metabolism checkpoint linked to immune activation of dendritic cells. Importantly, in this context, we highlight the novel regulatory functions discovered for IGFBP‐6 protein: induction of chemotaxis; capacity to increase oxidative burst and degranulation of neutrophils, ability to induce metabolic changes in DCs. Finally, we discuss the role of IGFBP‐6 in autoimmune disease and how novel mechanistic insights could lead to exploit thermal stress‐related mechanisms in the context of cancer therapy.
Tighter Generalization Bounds for Matrix Completion Via Factorization Into Constrained Matrices

SUMMARY We prove generalization error bounds of classes of low-rank matrices with some norm constraints for collaborative ﬁltering tasks. Our bounds are tighter, compared to known bounds using rank or the re-lated quantity only, by taking the additional L 1 and L 1 constraints into account. Also, we show that our bounds on the Rademacher complexity of the classes are optimal.