Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determinants of antithrombotic choice for patent foramen ovale in cryptogenic stroke

Objective: We examined the influence of clinical, radiologic, and echocardiographic characteristics on antithrombotic choice in patients with cryptogenic stroke (CS) and patent foramen ovale (PFO), hypothesizing that features suggestive of paradoxical embolism might lead to greater use of anticoagulation. Methods: The Risk of Paradoxical Embolism Study combined 12 databases to create the largest dataset of patients with CS and known PFO status. We used generalized linear mixed models with a random effect of component study to explore whether anticoagulation was preferentially selected based on the following: (1) younger age and absence of vascular risk factors, (2) “high-risk” echocardiographic features, and (3) neuroradiologic findings. Results: A total of 1,132 patients with CS and PFO treated with anticoagulation or antiplatelets were included. Overall, 438 participants (39%) were treated with anticoagulation with a range (by database) of 22% to 54%. Treatment choice was not influenced by age or vascular risk factors. However, neuroradiologic findings (superficial or multiple infarcts) and high-risk echocardiographic features (large shunts, shunt at rest, and septal hypermobility) were predictors of anticoagulation use. Conclusion: Both antithrombotic regimens are widely used for secondary stroke prevention in patients with CS and PFO. Radiologic and echocardiographic features were strongly associated with treatment choice, whereas conventional vascular risk factors were not. Prior observational studies are likely to be biased by confounding by indication.
Ventilation and indoor air quality in retail stores: A critical review (RP-1596)

Identifying air pollutants that pose potential adverse health exposures in retail stores will facilitate exposure mitigation. Assessing the role of ventilation in mitigating this exposure is important to understand the energy implications of maintaining acceptable indoor air quality. In this work, we summarize results from 28 papers that report ventilation rates and/or pollutant concentrations in retail stores. These results were compared to available standards as well as data collected in non-retail environments. The findings of this review are: (1) half of the stores tested met/exceeded ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2010 (ASHRAE 2010a; or California Code of Regulations Title 24-2010) for ventilation; (2) PM2.5, acrolein, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde exceeded their established, most conservative limits/reference exposures for a few of the stores tested in the United States, and outside the United States, researchers reported PM10, benzene, and trichloroethylene as additional pollutants found at concentrations that exceeded their limits; (3) alternative control methods would be more effective, and possibly more economical, than ventilation; (4) meeting or exceeding the ventilation requirements does not necessarily negate the presence of pollutants above their suggested limits; and (5) using disability-adjusted-life-year (DALY) as a metric of disease burden, two pollutants were identified as priority hazards in retail stores: PM2.5 and acrolein. Control strategies should focus on decreasing exposure of retail employees to these pollutants generated indoors or infiltrated from outdoors.
Toward predicting medical conditions using k-nearest neighbors

As the healthcare industry becomes more reliant upon electronic records, the amount of medical data available for analysis increases exponentially. While this information contains valuable statistics, the sheer volume makes it difficult to analyze without efficient algorithms. By using machine learning to classify medical data, diagnoses can become more efficient, accurate, and accessible for the public. After choosing k-Nearest Neighbors for its simplicity, we applied it to datasets compiled by the University of California, Irvine Machine Learning Repository to diagnose two conditions — chronic kidney failure and heart disease — with an accuracy of approximately 90%. In the future, similar methods can be used on a larger scale to bring ease of use to the field of medical diagnostics.
A . The Effect of Single Exposure of Limb-Bone Rudiments from 7-Day Chick Embryos to Papain or Vitamin A

When embryonic cartilage is grown in medium containing excess vitamin A, the most conspicuous effect of the vitamin is the disappearance of metachromatic material from the matrix (Fell and Mellanby, 1952). Autoradiographic studies, in which the explants were treated with labeled inorganic sulfate, $350,, showed that this loss of metachromasia is preceded by an inability of the cartilage to fix sulfate, and is accompanied by a loss of the sulfate already present (Fell, Mellanby, and Pelc, 1956). It was not known whether this effect on chondroitin sulfate was the fundamental action of the vitamin on embryonic skeletal tissue in culture, or whether it would account for all the changes observed, including the quick resorption of fetal mouse bone (Fell and Mellanby, 1952). Thomas (1956) found that crude papain injected into young rabbits caused a rapid loss of chondroitin sulfate from all the cartilage of the body. This was dramatically seen in the collapse of the ears which, 18 hours after injection, drooped like those of a spaniel. Histological examination of the affected cartilage showed that the intercellular partitions were much reduced and had lost their normal basophilia. The general picture was strikingly reminiscent of that seen in fetal mouse bones grown in medium containing excess vitamin A. Later it was found that this effect of the crude papain could be reproduced by the protease component (McCluskey and Thomas, 1958). Since both papain and vitamin A removed the chondroitin sulfate from living cartilage, it seemed desirable to compare the effects of these two agents on the same material under the same experimental conditions; if the structural changes produced by the vitamin were due primarily to the removal of chondroitin sulfate from the tissue, they should be almost identical with those
Fixed Angle Volar Plate Osteosynthesis for Unstable Distal Radius Fractures

Background: There is much debate regarding the optimal treatment of displaced, unstable distal radial fractures and there has been a trend toward open reduction and internal fixation of these fractures. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a fixed-angle locking plate applied through a single incision volar approach in maintaining the radiographic alignment and functional outcome of unstable distal radius fractures. Methods: This is a prospective study in which 30 patients with persistent displacement of distal radius fractures after an initial attempt at reduction, between the ages of twenty and seventy years who provided written informed consent to participate in the study were included, and were treated using the fixed-angle volar plate through a single incision volar approach from September 2012 to August 2014. Outcome measures included radiographic parameters, wrist range of motion, Disability Arm Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire and Modified Green and O'Brien scoring. Results: The mean DASH score changed from a pre-injury baseline of 2 points to 7 points at the end of 18 months. Based on Modified Green and O'Brien score, 27 patients (90%) had excellent to good outcome in the final result. Complications encountered were 1 case of transient regional pain syndrome, two cases of hypertrophic scar, one case of late carpel tunnel syndrome and one case of delayed union.
Bacterial motility is a colonization factor in experimental urinary tract infection

In an experimental urinary tract infection of the mouse, colonization of the urinary bladder by isogenic strains of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium was found to depend on the motility of the bacteria. Strains were obtained by genetic recombination between a highly motile O-6,7 and a poorly motile O-4,5,12 strain. The O antigen did not interfere with the colonization, whereas motility did; flagellated and motile O-6,7 and O-4,5,12 bacteria colonized the bladder equally well.
Reproducibility and Correlations of Multiplex Cytokine Levels in Asymptomatic Persons

Rationale: Cytokines are humoral regulatory molecules that act together in immunologic pathways underlying pathogenesis. Grossly elevated blood levels characterize certain diseases; variations within physiologic ranges could also have significance. We therefore evaluated the performance characteristics of a multiplex cytokine immunoassay. Methods: We used a fluorescent bead-based (Luminex) immunoassay kit to simultaneously measure interleukin (IL) 1β, IL2, IL4, IL5, IL6, IL7, IL8, IL10, IL12p70, IL13, IFNγ, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and tumor necrosis factor-α. We tested identical aliquots of serum from 38 asymptomatic individuals on three different days and matched sets of serum, heparinized plasma, and acid citrate dextrose plasma from an additional 38 healthy donors expected to have low cytokine concentrations. We applied multiple imputation to calculate unbiased reproducibility estimates for measurements below the limits of detection. Correlations among the cytokines were assessed by Spearman rank order coefficients and principal components analyses. Results: Of the 13 cytokines, 3 were undetectable (IL1β, IL2, IL5) in more than half of the serum samples. Coefficients of variation for replicate serum measurements ranged from 18% to 44%, with intraclass correlation coefficients ranging from 55% to 98%. Only IL4, IL6, and IL8 had statistically significant correlations (Spearman ρ, 0.42-0.94) between serum and acid citrate dextrose or heparin plasma levels. Conclusions: Interindividual differences outweigh substantial laboratory variation for these assays, yielding high intraclass correlation coefficients despite unimpressive coefficients of variation. Plasma measurements generally are not reflective of serum levels and hence are not interchangeable. With their small volume, low cost per test, and multiplex capacity, Luminex-based cytokine assays have potential utility for epidemiologic studies. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2008;17(12):3450–6)
On Rosenbrock and ESDIRK methods for unsteady compressible flows

In this article, the efficiency of time adaptive Rosenbrock and ESDIRK methods is compared for finite volume discretizations for compressible unsteady viscous flows. To make the comparison fair, first an efficient solver for both classes in the JFNK context is identified, where the tolerance TOL that steers time adaptivity is the main input parameter. To specify the tolerances in the sub solver, we suggest a simple strategy for the Rosenbrock methods of using TOL/100 that is a good compromise between stability and computational effort. It turns out that the Rosenbrock methods, in particular RODASP, outperform the ESDIRK methods.
Blocking structures for mixed-mode systems

This paper presents different dual-mode structures with the main characteristic of good suppression of one mode and tolerable influence of the other mode, so-called mode blockers. After presenting all known and novel differential- and commonmode blockers, the focus of this paper are blocking functions for multi-functional components. Transmission line blockers are mostly interesting components for microwave applications while transformer blockers are perfect blocking devices in simulation tools. For improvement of lumped mixed-mode circuits, resonance-blockers are a good choice, because these blockers can he inserted without influence of the circuits desired mode. A novel cross-blocker based on lumped elements is capable of featuring different important functions in one component. Finally, a branchline coupler with common-mode suppression can he seen as an application example.
Nonlinear Integration of Binocular Optic Flow by DNOVS2, A Descending Neuron of the Fly

For visual orientation and course stabilization, flies rely heavily on the optic flow perceived by the animal during flight. The processing of optic flow is performed in motion-sensitive tangential cells of the lobula plate, which are well described with respect to their visual response properties and the connectivity among them. However, little is known about the postsynaptic descending neurons, which convey motion information to the motor circuits in the thoracic ganglion. Here we investigate the physiology and connectivity of an identified premotor descending neuron, called DNOVS2 (for descending neuron of the ocellar and vertical system). We find that DNOVS2 is tuned in a supralinear way to rotation around the longitudinal body axis. Experiments involving stimulation of the ipsilateral and the contralateral eye indicate that ipsilateral computation of motion information is modified nonlinearly by motion information from the contralateral eye. Performing double recordings of DNOVS2 and lobula plate tangential cells, we find that DNOVS2 is connected ipsilaterally to a subset of vertical-sensitive cells. From the contralateral eye, DNOVS2 receives input most likely from V2, a heterolateral spiking neuron. This specific neural circuit is sufficient for the tuning of DNOVS2, making it probably an important element in optomotor roll movements of the head and body around the fly's longitudinal axis.
The role of high-fat diets and physical activity in the regulation of body weight

The prevalence of obesity is increasing in westernized societies. In the USA the age-adjusted prevalence of BMI ≫30 kg/m2 increased between 1960 and 1994 from 13 % to 23 % for people over 20 years of age. This increase in the prevalence of obesity has been attributed to an increased fat intake and a decreased physical activity. However, the role of the impact of the level of dietary fat intake on human obesity has been challenged. High-fat diets, due to their high energy density, stimulate voluntary energy intake. An increased fat intake does not stimulate its own oxidation but the fat is stored in the human body. When diet composition is isoenergetically switched from low to high fat, fat oxidation only slowly increases, resulting in positive fat balances on the short term. Together with a diminished fat oxidation capacity in pre-obese subjects, high-fat diets can therefore be considered to be fattening. Another environmental factor which could explain the increasing prevalence of obesity is a decrease in physical activity. The percentage of body fat is negatively associated with physical activity and exercise has pronounced effects on energy expenditure and substrate oxidation. High-intensity exercise, due to a lowering of glycogen stores, can lead to a rapid increase in fat oxidation, which could compensate for the consumption of high-fat diets in westernized societies. Although the consumption of high-fat diets and low physical activity will easily lead to the development of obesity, there is still considerable inter-individual variability in body composition in individuals on similar diets. This can be attributed to the genetic background, and some candidate genes have been discovered recently. Both leptin and uncoupling protein have been suggested to play a role in the prevention of diet-induced obesity. Indeed, leptin levels are increased on a high-fat diet but this effect can be attributed to the increased fat mass observed on the high-fat diet. No effect of a high-fat diet per se on leptin levels is observed. Uncoupling proteins are increased by high-fat diets in rats but no data are available in human subjects yet. In conclusion, the increased intake of dietary fat and a decreasing physical activity level are the most important environmental factors explaining the increased prevalence of obesity in westernized societies.
Effect of tamoxifen on ovarian reserve: A randomized controlled assessor-blind trial in a mouse model.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether tamoxifen (TMX) exposure causes a permanent decrease in ovarian reserve. MATERIAL AND METHODS A randomized controlled assessor-blind trial including 30 adult female inbred BALB/C mice. Fifteen mice in the TMX group were given a single 0.1-mg dose of TMX intraperitoneally. Fifteen mice in the control group were given a single dose of the vehicle at the same volume intraperitoneally. Two cycles later, blood samples were collected for determination of anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels, and the mice were sacrificed. After gonadectomy, ovarian size was measured, and follicles were counted under light microscopy. RESULTS Median serum AMH levels were 6.53 and 6.14 ng/ml in the control and TMX groups, respectively (p=0.03). Ovarian size was significantly decreased in the TMX group. While the number of primordial (9 vs 8), primary (6 vs 3), and secondary (4.5 vs 5) follicles were similar, there were significantly fewer preantral (11.5 vs 6, p<0.01) and antral (2 vs 1, p: 0.03) follicles, as well as corpora lutea (6 vs 3, p: 0.04), in the TMX group than in the control group. The number of atretic (2.5 vs 5, p: 0.048) follicles was increased in the TMX group. CONCLUSION Tamoxifen administration leads to arrested growth of gonadotropin-sensitive follicles, while insensitive follicles can remain unaffected. TMX is merely an endocrine disruptor, and it does not cause a decrease in primordial follicle pool.
Psychotherapeutic Agents in End‐Stage Renal Disease

Patients with end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) are often affected by many comorbid conditions, including mental health disorders. Psychiatric illness among patients with ESRD has been associated with increased risks for nonadherence, hospitalizations, suicide, and all‐cause mortality. We reviewed the pharmacokinetic data available with psychotherapeutic agents, focusing on physiologic data rather than specific dosing recommendations. Unfortunately data regarding the pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety of psychotherapeutic agents in ESRD remain rather limited. Of the agents available, it appears that the most data in this patient group were found with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and benzodiazepines. Given the small number of patients enrolled in many of the studies and the wide inter‐individual variability, it was difficult to interpret the significance of results in many instances. A number of agents, such as tricyclic antidepressants, were associated with adverse effects that would be imperative to avoid in patients with ESRD. Psychotherapeutic medications should be started at low doses and titrated carefully, while monitoring the efficacy and safety of each agent.
Genome‐wide DNA methylation analysis of neuroblastic tumors reveals clinically relevant epigenetic events and large‐scale epigenomic alterations localized to telomeric regions

The downregulation of specific genes through DNA hypermethylation is a major hallmark of cancer, although the extent and genomic distribution of hypermethylation occurring within cancer genomes is poorly understood. We report on the first genome‐wide analysis of DNA methylation alterations in different neuroblastic tumor subtypes and cell lines, revealing higher order organization and clinically relevant alterations of the epigenome. The methylation status of 33,485 discrete loci representing all annotated CpG islands and RefSeq gene promoters was assessed in primary neuroblastic tumors and cell lines. A comparison of genes that were hypermethylated exclusively in the clinically favorable ganglioneuroma/ganglioneuroblastoma tumors revealed that nine genes were associated with poor clinical outcome when overexpressed in the unfavorable neuroblastoma (NB) tumors. Moreover, an integrated DNA methylation and copy number analysis identified 80 genes that were recurrently concomitantly deleted and hypermethylated in NB, with 37 reactivated by 5‐aza‐deoxycytidine. Lower expression of four of these genes was correlated with poor clinical outcome, further implicating their inactivation in aggressive disease pathogenesis. Analysis of genome‐wide hypermethylation patterns revealed 70 recurrent large‐scale blocks of contiguously hypermethylated promoters/CpG islands, up to 590 kb in length, with a distribution bias toward telomeric regions. Genome‐wide hypermethylation events in neuroblastic tumors are extensive and frequently occur in large‐scale blocks with a significant bias toward telomeric regions, indicating that some methylation alterations have occurred in a coordinated manner. Our results indicate that methylation contributes toward the clinicopathological features of neuroblastic tumors, revealing numerous genes associated with poor patient survival in NB.
Kinetic interaction of biofilm cells of Staphylococcus aureus with cephalexin and tobramycin in a chemostat system

Planktonic and young biofilm cells were completely eradicated after exposure of these cells to drug levels representing one loading and two maintenance doses of tobramycin and cephalexin. A very different picture was observed when antibiotic exposure was initiated on day 21. Complete eradication of the old biofilm cells was not observed even when the antibiotic exposure was continued for an extra 6 days. Regrowth of the organism was observed when the antibiotic exposure was terminated.
Quantization for Robust Distributed Coding

A distributed source coding approach is proposed for robust data communications in sensor networks. When sensor measurements are quantized, possible correlations between the measurements can be exploited to reduce the overall rate of communication required to report these measurements. Robust distributed source coding (RDSC) approaches differentiate themselves from other works in that the reconstruction error of all sources will not exceed a given upper bound, even if only a subset of the multiple descriptions of the distributed source code are received. We deal with practical aspects of RDSC in the context of scalar quantization of two correlated sources. As a benchmark to evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme, we derive theoretically achievable distortion-rate performances of an RDSC for two jointly Gaussian sources by applying known results on the classical multiple description source coding.
A 6.0 MHz 0.15mm pitch phased array ultrasonic probe using PMN-PT single crystal

The performance of 64 channel 6.0 MHz phased array ultrasonic probe using 0.67Pb(Mg1/3 Nb2/3)O3- 0.33PbTiO3 single crystal was investigated. 2 way sensitivity of PMN-PT phased array is about 2 dB higher than that of PZT ceramic phased array. The -6dB bandwidth of PMN-PT phased array is about 100% and this is about 30% broader than that of PZT ceramic phased array. Especially this is very useful for harmonic imaging in Cardiac imaging. Sensitivity variation of PMN- PT phased array is similar and it is almost same with PZT ceramic phased array.