Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of 18F FDG PET and the short temporal response of Hodgkin's disease to RIT

Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) has been available for some time to treat patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but its use in Hodgkin's lymphoma has been less available, partly because of the need to find an appropriate antibody. A new radioiodinated chimeric antibody directed against the CD25 epitope (131I basiliximab) seems promising, but assessment of response has been difficult. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET) has become a standard method by which the response of Hodgkin's disease to chemotherapy is both predicted and assessed with well-understood criteria of response. The aim of this study is to determine18F-FDG-PET can be used to assess response to RIT. Pre- and post-treatment 18F-FDG-PET imaging was performed in a series of 13 patients with advanced Hodgkin's disease who had failed conventional therapy and had been enrolled on a compassionate use program for treatment with 131I basiliximab. The 131I basiliximab was given at an activity of 1200MBq/m2 with one patient receiving 2 cycles and the rest a single cycle. The 18F-FDG-PET studies were compared using the “Deauville” criteria and by comparing the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of target tumors before and 4 and 8 weeks after treatment. All patients survived long enough for their initial 18F-FDG-PET-computed tomography scan at 4 weeks after their 131I basiliximab therapy. One out of ten patients with “Deauville” Grade 4 or 5 response died during the 6-month follow-up period. Two out of three patients with a “Deauville” Grade 2 or 3 response died in the follow-up period. The mean SUVmax pretreatment was 11.9 (±4.7); at 4-week posttreatment, the mean SUVmax was significantly lower at 6.5 (±5.8) (P = 0.02). At 8 weeks, the mean SUVmax was 8.8 (±7.0), which was not significantly different from the pretreatment level. 18F-FDG-PET imaging is able to predict the short-term response to treatment of Hodgkin's disease by RIT, and an initial poor response appears to predict poor outcome. Early changes in 18F-FDG-PET uptake did not predict sustained response and by 8 weeks all but one patient had recurrent disease.
Exploring Self-Care Needs of Pregnant Women with Gingivitis: A Qualitative Study in Iran

Background: Oral self-care behaviors are not satisfactory among pregnant women; incidence of gingivitis is high in them and training programs have slightly improved their gingivitis. This study was aimed to explore self-care needs of pregnant women suffering from gingival inflammation. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out in Sanandaj, west of Iran, in 2017. Twenty pregnant women with gingivitis were included in the study. Data were collected via semi-structured individual and group interviews and note-taking, and were analyzed by conventional content analysis. To confirm the accuracy and strength of the data, credibility, confirmability, and transferability components were taken into account. Results: The results of data analysis yielded six major categories, including “organizational support,” “dentist's professional competence,” “increasing perceived threat,” “increasing self-efficacy,” “increasing perceived benefits,” and “culture-making. ” Increased self-efficacy was the most important concern of pregnant women. Conclusions: The findings showed that self-care behaviors to prevent gingivitis in pregnant women are influenced by various factors. It is essential to consider the cooperation of the media and organizations, support of society, and attention of families and authorities to oral health education and disease prevention among women.
Identification of essential surgical competencies to be imparted in urological residency: A survey-based study

Introduction: There are variations in surgical procedures included in urology residency curricula across various programs. We conducted a survey of practicing urologists to determine which procedures are considered essential to a core urology residency curriculum. Materials and Methods: A web-based survey was conducted between October 2016 and February 2017 using SurveyMonkey. The questionnaire, comprising a set of 5-questions, was sent to the members of the Urological Society of India. Respondents were requested to grade 37 of the most common urological procedures (competencies) into three groups. Group A, were those that the respondent believed were vital for the trainee to learn (must know). Group B, were those that the respondent thought were essential to acquire (good to know). Group C procedures were labeled as desirable to know by respondents. Results: A total of 485 (15.75%) responses were received out of 3018 members contacted. 67% respondents were working in the private-sector. Out of the 37 listed procedures, 20 procedures received a median weightage of 1 indicating vital clinical competency for urology curriculum, 15 were identified as “essential to know” while two procedures were identified as “desirable to know. ” Conclusions: Twenty surgical procedures were identified as 'must-know' for a urology trainee. The choice of procedures was not affected by the region of the responder or his practice type, suggesting a wide consensus.
The use of Deauville 5-point score could reduce the risk of false-positive fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography in the posttherapy evaluation of patients with primary bone lymphomas

Primary bone lymphoma (PBL) is a rare disease. Little is reported about response evaluation procedures in these patients. Our aim was to evaluate response to therapy according to fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) results, and in particular to test the Deauville 5-point scale as compared to the visual evaluation of FDG-PET scans in PBL. In this single-center study, we diagnosed 31 consecutive patients with PBL, of which 24 were evaluated with end-of-treatment FDG-PET. Patients' ages ranged from 19 to 82 years. Six patients were treated with chemotherapy, 24 with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and one patient with radiotherapy alone. Six patients were affected by a pathological fracture. Four patients died within the range of 3 to 36 months after diagnosis. The average follow-up of the remaining patients was 70 (24–173) months. Overall survival was 87% at 5 years. The only positive prognostic factor was complete remission after chemotherapy. According to visual criteria, end-of-treatment FDG-PET was evaluated in 24 patients and it was positive in 11 (46%) and negative in 13 patients. We organized a retrospective central-blinded revision of end-of-therapy FDG-PET scans using the 5-point Deauville Score (DS). We reviewed 17 out of 24 patients and obtained the following results: at the end of therapy, 12 patients with DS score 2, three patients with DS score 3, one patient with DS score 4, and none with DS score 5. Considering that all the 24 patients achieved complete remission after treatment, visual interpretation produced 11/24 false-positive results, and DS interpretation produced 1/17 false-positive results, thus significantly reducing the number of false positives. In PBL, the final evaluation at the end of therapy with FDG-PET should be evaluated using Deauville 5-point scale in order to significantly reduce the risk of false-positive scans.
Myeloid Dendritic Cells Induce HIV Latency in Proliferating CD4+ T Cells

HIV latency occurs predominantly in long-lived resting CD4+ T cells; however, latent infection also occurs in T cell subsets, including proliferating CD4+ T cells. We compared the establishment and maintenance of latent infection in nonproliferating and proliferating human CD4+ T cells cocultured with syngeneic myeloid dendritic cells (mDC). Resting CD4+ T cells were labeled with the proliferation dye eFluor 670 and cultured alone or with mDC, plasmacytoid dendritic cells, or monocytes in the presence of staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB). Cells were cultured for 24 h and infected with CCR5-tropic enhanced GFP (EGFP) reporter HIV. Five days postinfection, nonproductively infected EGFP− CD4+ T cells that were either nonproliferating (eFluor 670hi) or proliferating (eFluor 670lo) were sorted and cultured for an additional 7 d (day 12) with IL-7 and antiretrovirals. At day 5 postinfection, sorted, nonproductively infected T cells were stimulated with anti–CD3/CD28, and induced expression of EGFP was measured to determine the frequency of latent infection. Integrated HIV in these cells was confirmed using quantitative PCR. By these criteria, latent infection was detected at day 5 and 12 in proliferating T cells cocultured with mDC and monocytes but not plasmacytoid dendritic cells, where CD4+ T cells at day 12 were poor. At day 5 postinfection, nonproliferating T cells expressing SEB-specific TCR Vβ-17 were enriched in latent infection compared with non–SEB-specific TCR Vβ-8.1. Together, these data show that both nonproliferating and proliferating CD4+ T cells can harbor latent infection during SEB-stimulated T cell proliferation and that the establishment of HIV latency in nonproliferating T cells is linked to expression of specific TCR that respond to SEB.
Incident Atrial Fibrillation and the Risk of Stroke in Adults with Chronic Kidney Disease: The Stockholm CREAtinine Measurements (SCREAM) Project.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Patients with CKD have a high risk of atrial fibrillation. Both CKD and atrial fibrillation are associated with higher risk of stroke and death. However, the effect of incident atrial fibrillation on stroke risk among patients with CKD is unknown. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS Our study included adults with CKD (eGFR<60 ml/min per 1.73 m2) without previously documented atrial fibrillation who had been in contact with health care in Stockholm, Sweden during 2006-2011. Incident atrial fibrillation was identified by administrative diagnostic codes in outpatient or inpatient care and treated as a time-updated exposure in the analysis of stroke and death risk. Stroke events and deaths were ascertained from regional and national registers with complete coverage. Covariates included demographics, comorbidities, therapeutic procedures, and medications. Multivariable Cox regression analysis and competing risk analysis (accounting for death) were used to estimate the association between incident atrial fibrillation and stroke. RESULTS Among 116,184 adults with CKD, 13,412 (12%) developed clinically recognized atrial fibrillation during a mean follow-up of 3.9 years (interquartile range, 2.3-5.7 years). Incidence of atrial fibrillation increased across lower eGFR strata: from 29.4 to 46.3 atrial fibrillations per 1000 person-years in subjects with eGFR=45-60 and <30 ml/min per 1.73 m2, respectively; 1388 (53.8 per 1000 person-years) cases of stroke and 5592 (205.1 per 1000 person-years) deaths occurred after incident atrial fibrillation compared with 6850 (16.6 per 1000 person-years) cases of stroke and 28,613 (67.5 per 1000 person-years) deaths during periods without atrial fibrillation. After adjustment, incident atrial fibrillation was associated with higher risk of stroke (hazard ratio, 2.00; 95% confidence interval, 1.88 to 2.14) and death (hazard ratio, 1.76; 95% confidence interval, 1.71 to 1.82). This was attributed to both ischemic stroke (hazard ratio, 2.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.96 to 2.28) and intracranial bleeds (hazard ratio, 1.64; 95% confidence interval, 1.42 to 1.90). Stroke risk was similar across all eGFR strata. In competing risk analyses accounting for death, the association between incident atrial fibrillation and stroke was attenuated but remained higher (subhazard ratio, 1.49; 95% confidence interval, 1.39 to 1.60). CONCLUSIONS Patients with CKD who develop atrial fibrillation are at higher risk of stroke and death.
Event-Based Rendezvous Control for a Group of Robots With Asynchronous Periodic Detection and Communication Time Delays

In this paper, we propose an event-triggered rendezvous control method for multiple two-wheeled mobile robots (2WMRs) subject to time-varying communication delays. By checking the integral-type event-triggering conditions asynchronously and periodically, each 2WMR determines whether or not to sample and broadcast its states. When the information used in an agent’s controller is updated, the 2WMR calculates its <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${x}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> (or <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${y}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) control input, and then a <italic>Rotate&Compensate&Run Rendezvous Scheme</italic> is provided for 2WMRs to update their states. We present a sufficient condition for 2WMRs to asymptotically reach rendezvous, and the convergence analysis is conducted using the Lyapunov functional approach. Experiments are further presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed control method.
Association of Frailty and Long‐Term Survival in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Background Frailty is increasing in prevalence and poses a formidable challenge for clinicians. The cardiac surgery literature consists primarily of small single‐center studies with limited follow‐up, and the epidemiological features of frailty remain to be elucidated in long‐term follow‐up. Methods and Results We conducted a population‐based, retrospective, cohort study in Ontario, Canada, between 2008 and 2015. Frailty was defined using the Johns Hopkins Adjusted Clinical Groups frailty indicator (a multidimensional instrument validated for research using administrative data). The primary outcome was mortality. Mortality rates were calculated using the Kaplan‐Meier method. The hazard of death was assessed using a multivariable Cox proportional hazard model. Of 40 083 patients, 8803 (22%) were frail. At 4±2 years of follow‐up, age‐ and sex‐standardized mortality rate per 1000 person‐years was higher in frail (33; 95% confidence interval, 29–36) compared with nonfrail (22; 95% confidence interval, 19–24) patients. Frailty was associated with an increased risk of long‐term mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.20; 95% confidence interval, 1.12–1.28) and greater differences in the survival of patients between 40 and 74 years of age than in those who were ≥85 years old. Conclusions Frailty was present in a large proportion of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting and was independently associated with long‐term mortality. The adjusted risk of frailty‐related death was inversely proportional to age. Our findings highlight the need for more comprehensive preoperative risk stratification models to assist with optimal selection of operative candidates. In addition, we identified the <75 years age group as a potential target for comprehensive preoperative optimization programs, such as cardiac prehabilitation, nutritional augmentation, and psychosocial support.
Typical visual-field locations facilitate access to awareness for everyday objects

In real-world vision, humans are constantly confronted with complex environments that contain a multitude of objects. These environments are spatially structured, so that objects have different likelihoods of appearing in specific parts of the visual space. Our massive experience with such positional regularities prompts the hypothesis that the processing of individual objects varies in efficiency across the visual field: when objects are encountered in their typical locations (e.g., we are used to seeing lamps in the upper visual field and carpets in the lower visual field), they should be more efficiently perceived than when they are encountered in atypical locations (e.g., a lamp in the lower visual field and a carpet in the upper visual field). Here, we provide evidence for this hypothesis by showing that typical positioning facilitates an object’s access to awareness. In two continuous flash suppression experiments, objects more efficiently overcame inter-ocular suppression when they were presented in visual-field locations that matched their typical locations in the environment, as compared to non-typical locations. This finding suggests that through extensive experience the visual system has adapted to the statistics of the environment. This adaptation may be particularly useful for rapid object individuation in natural scenes.
Discrimination factors of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes from diet to hair in captive large Arctic carnivores of conservation concern.

RATIONALE Stable isotope analysis is widely used to reconstruct diet, delineate trophic interactions, and determine energy pathways. Such ecological inferences are based on the idea that animals are, isotopically, what they eat but with a predictable difference between the isotopic ratio of a consumer and that of its diet, coined as the discrimination factor. Providing correct estimates of diet-consumer isotopic discrimination in controlled conditions is key for a robust application of the stable isotopes technique in the wild. METHODS Using a Finnigan Mat Delta Plus isotope-ratio mass spectrometer, we investigated isotopic discrimination of carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ13 C and δ15 N values) in guard hairs of four Arctic predators; the wolf (n = 7), the wolverine (n = 2), the grizzly bear (n = 2), and the polar bear (n = 3). During a 3-month trial, carnivores were fed a mixed diet. The δ13 C and δ15 N values, and the mass (g) of diet items, were monitored weekly for each individual to determine their Total Diet Average ratios. RESULTS Diet-hair isotopic discrimination (Δx) varied according to species, ranging [1.88 ± 0.69‰: 3.2 ± 0.69‰] for δ13 C values, and [1.58 ± 0.17‰: 3.81 ± 0.22‰] for δ15 N values. Adult wolves Δ13 C average (2.03 ± 0.7‰) was lower than that of young wolves (2.60 ± 0.8‰) and any other species (combined average of 2.59 ± 0.28‰), except for the wolverine (2.12 ± 0.23‰). Wolves Δ15 N averages (juveniles: 3.51 ± 0.34‰, adults: 3.68 ± 0.28‰) were higher than those of any other species (combined average: 2.50 ± 0.58‰). CONCLUSIONS The discrimination factors for δ13 C and δ15 N values calculated in this study could be used in ecological studies dealing with free-ranging animals, with implications for non-invasive research approaches. As in other controlled discrimination studies, we recommend caution in applying our discrimination factors when the population structure is heterogeneous.
Suppressed Sensory Response to Predictable Object Stimuli throughout the Ventral Visual Stream

Prediction plays a crucial role in perception, as prominently suggested by predictive coding theories. However, the exact form and mechanism of predictive modulations of sensory processing remain unclear, with some studies reporting a downregulation of the sensory response for predictable input whereas others observed an enhanced response. In a similar vein, downregulation of the sensory response for predictable input has been linked to either sharpening or dampening of the sensory representation, which are opposite in nature. In the present study, we set out to investigate the neural consequences of perceptual expectation of object stimuli throughout the visual hierarchy, using fMRI in human volunteers. Participants of both sexes were exposed to pairs of sequentially presented object images in a statistical learning paradigm, in which the first object predicted the identity of the second object. Image transitions were not task relevant; thus, all learning of statistical regularities was incidental. We found strong suppression of neural responses to expected compared with unexpected stimuli throughout the ventral visual stream, including primary visual cortex, lateral occipital complex, and anterior ventral visual areas. Expectation suppression in lateral occipital complex scaled positively with image preference and voxel selectivity, lending support to the dampening account of expectation suppression in object perception. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT It has been suggested that the brain fundamentally relies on predictions and constructs models of the world to make sense of sensory information. Previous research on the neural basis of prediction has documented suppressed neural responses to expected compared with unexpected stimuli. In the present study, we demonstrate robust expectation suppression throughout the entire ventral visual stream, and underlying this suppression a dampening of the sensory representation in object-selective visual cortex, but not in primary visual cortex. Together, our results provide novel evidence in support of theories conceptualizing perception as an active inference process, which selectively dampens cortical representations of predictable objects. This dampening may support our ability to automatically filter out irrelevant, predictable objects.
The same video game in 2D, 3D or virtual reality – How does technology impact game evaluation and brand placements?

Video game technology is changing from 2D to 3D and virtual reality (VR) graphics. In this research, we analyze how an identical video game that is either played in a 2D, stereoscopic 3D or Head-Mounted-Display (HMD) VR version is experienced by the players, and how brands that are placed in the video game are affected. The game related variables, which are analyzed, are presence, attitude towards the video game and arousal while playing the video game. Brand placement related variables are attitude towards the placed brands and memory (recall and recognition) for the placed brands. 237 players took part in the main study and played a jump’n’run game consisting of three levels. Results indicate that presence was higher in the HMD VR than in the stereoscopic 3D than in the 2D video game, but neither arousal nor attitude towards the video game differed. Memory for the placed brands was lower in the HMD VR than in the stereoscopic 3D than in the 2D video game, whereas attitudes towards the brands were not affected. A post hoc study (n = 53) shows that cognitive load was highest in the VR game, and lowest in the 3D game. Subjects reported higher levels of dizziness and motion-sickness in the VR game than in the 3D and in the 2D game. Limitations are addressed and implications for researchers, marketers and video game developers are outlined.
When the weaker conquer: A contrast-dependent illusion of visual numerosity.

Humans and many nonhuman species have the capacity to perceive the approximate numerosity of a large set of elements. In the visual domain, various factors have been found to affect perceived numerosity, including, as studied here, the effect of luminance contrast. We report a new numerosity illusion in which low-contrast elements appear to be more numerous than high-contrast ones when intermixed in the same display, an effect we have called "the weak conquer the strong. " The illusion occurred for both positive and negative contrast disks of the same sign; for example, white disks appeared less numerous than light gray disks when presented on a dark gray field (all positive contrasts). The illusion grew in size as the contrast difference between the two sets of disks became smaller but did not hold for disks with opposite signs, such as white and dark gray disks on a light gray field. The illusion was also eliminated when the disks were segregated spatially, in which case the high-contrast (white) disks and low-contrast (gray) disks appeared equally numerous. The illusion is due to the loss of some high-contrast elements; e.g., the perceived numerosity of the white disks was decreased whereas that of gray ones was preserved as shown by matching to isolated sets of white or gray disks. We speculate that failure in segregation coupled with error in contrast normalization may account for the numerosity illusion.