Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automatic Localization and Discrete Volume Measurements of Hippocampi From MRI Data Using a Convolutional Neural Network

Automatic hippocampal volume measurement from brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a crucial task and an important research area, especially in the study of neurodegenerative diseases; hippocampal volume atrophy is known to be connected with Alzheimer’s disease. In this research work, we propose a deep learning-based method to automatically measure the discrete hippocampal volume without prior segmentation of the volumetric MRI scans. We constructed a 2-D convolutional neural network (CNN) model that uses 3-channel 2-D patches to predict the number of voxels attributed to the hippocampus; the number of estimated hippocampal voxels is multiplied by the voxel volume to measure the discrete volume of the hippocampus. In addition, we demonstrate a preprocessing scheme to prepare the data using a relatively small number of MRI scans. The average errors in the measured volumes of the proposed approach and the compared atlas-based system were 4.3173 ± 3.5436 (avg. error% ± STD) and 4.1562 ± 3.5262 (avg. error % ± STD) for the left and right hippocampi, respectively. The correlation coefficients of the proposed approach with atlas-based volume measurement were statistically significant (p-value < 0.01, $R^{2}=0.834$ (left hippocampus), and $R^{2}=0.848$ (right hippocampus) based on 0.05 significance level), which suggests that the proposed approach can be used as a proxy method for the atlas-based system. Furthermore, the proposed approach is computationally efficient and requires less than 2 seconds to calculate the number of voxels for an MRI scan. Moreover, our method outperforms the state-of-the-art deep learning approach, such as 2-D U-Net and SegNet in the context of voxel/volume estimation errors% for the left and right hippocampi.
Loneliness and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic

Loneliness and social isolation are associated with adverse physical and psychological consequences which are particularly prevalent in older persons. During this unprecedented time of the COVID-19 pandemic, we must follow social distancing guidelines to protect ourselves and to reduce the spread of coronavirus. At the same time, it is crucial to maintain social connections with each other, especially with older persons, to help cope and reduce the negative consequences of loneliness and social isolation. It is important to develop new strategies (e.g. virtual health care and new government policy) to address loneliness and social isolation among older adults for the post-pandemic era.
Temporal variations in the diet of the exotic rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in an Andean-Patagonian canopied stream

Se estudio la variacion estacional y diaria en la composicion y biomasa de las especies presa en la dieta de la exotica trucha arco iris Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum, 1972) en la seccion superior de un arroyo boscoso de bajo orden en los Andes patagonicos. Se analizo la importancia de los grupos funcionales alimentarios de invertebrados acuaticos y la contribucion relativa de las presas de origen terrestre y acuatico para evaluar las vias troficas que conectan los ecosistemas acuatico y terrestre circundantes. Las truchas consumieron aproximadamente unas 40 especies de invertebrados y los raspadores fueron consistentemente seleccionados, sugiriendo una alta vulnerabilidad a la depredacion. Sin embargo en terminos de biomasa, la dieta de la trucha arco iris fue mayormente compuesta de fragmentadores, enfatizando asi el papel del detrito vegetal aloctono dentro de las tramas troficas de pequenos arroyos boscosos. Los ejemplares de trucha capturados se alimentaron con mayor intensidad en primavera y verano y durante las horas del dia. Los itemes terrestres constituyeron una porcion minoritaria en la dieta sugiriendo que este componente no representa un subsidio significativo para esta poblacion de peces. Como consecuencia, los efectos del control "desde arriba" ("top-down") en la comunidad acuatica no parecen ser amortiguados ya que las truchas no consumen intensamente presas de origen terrestre.
Convolutional Neural Network Based on Complex Networks for Brain Tumor Image Classification With a Modified Activation Function

The diagnosis of brain tumor types generally depends on the clinical experience of doctors, and computer-assisted diagnosis improves the accuracy of diagnosing tumor types. Therefore, a convolutional neural network based on complex networks (CNNBCN) with a modified activation function for the magnetic resonance imaging classification of brain tumors is presented. The network structure is not manually designed and optimized, but is generated by randomly generated graph algorithms. These randomly generated graphs are mapped into a computable neural network by a network generator. The accuracy of the modified CNNBCN model for brain tumor classification reaches 95.49%, which is higher than several models presented by other works. In addition, the test loss of brain tumor classification of the modified CNNBCN model is lower than those of the ResNet, DenseNet and MobileNet models in the experiments. The modified CNNBCN model not only achieves satisfactory results in brain tumor image classification, but also enriches the methodology of neural network design.
Designing a Mixed Multilayer Wavelet Neural Network for Solving ERI Inversion Problem With Massive Amounts of Data: A Hybrid STGWO-GD Learning Approach

This study aims to develop a novel wavelet neural-network (WNN) model for solving electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) inversion with massive amounts of measured data in control and measurement fields. In the proposed method, we design a mixed multilayer WNN (MMWNN) which uses Morlet and Mexican wavelons as different activation functions in a cascaded hidden layer structure. Meanwhile, a hybrid STGWO-GD learning approach is used to improve the learning ability of the MMWNN, which is a combination of the self-tuning grey wolf optimizer (STGWO) and the gradient descent (GD) algorithm adopting the advantages of each other. Moreover, updating formulas of the GD algorithm are derived, and a Gaussian updating operator with weighted hierarchical hunting, a chaotic oscillation equation, and a nonlinear modulation coefficient are introduced to improve the hierarchical hunting and the control parameter adjustment of the modified STGWO. Five examples are used with the aim of assessing the availability and feasibility of the proposed inversion method. The inversion results are promising and show that the introduced method is superior to other competitors in terms of inversion accuracy and computational efficiency. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated over a classical benchmark successfully.
Are Individual Differences in Response to Intervention Influenced by the Methods and Measures Used to Define Response? Implications for Identifying Children With Learning Disabilities

Response to intervention (RTI) has been promoted for nearly 20 years as a valid supplement to or alternative method of learning disability (LD) identification. Nevertheless, important unresolved questions remain about its role in disability identification. We had two purposes when conducting this study of 229 economically and racially diverse poor readers in Grades 4 and 5 in 28 public elementary and middle schools in Nashville. First, we examined predictors of the children’s response to a reading comprehension tutoring program. Second, we explored the utility of different methods (growth vs final status) and measures (near- and mid-transfer vs far-transfer) in operationalizing “response,” and whether these contrasting methods and measures identified similar children. Findings indicated students with higher pretreatment scores on expressive vocabulary, nonverbal IQ, teacher ratings of attention, and reading comprehension measures were more likely classified as responsive with final status methods. Students with lower pretreatment comprehension scores were more likely identified as responsive with growth methods. These and other findings suggest “response” is strongly context dependent, raising questions about the validity of RTI as a means of disability identification.
Selonsertib Inhibits Liver Fibrosis via Downregulation of ASK1/MAPK Pathway of Hepatic Stellate Cells

Liver fibrosis constitutes a significant health problem worldwide due to its rapidly increasing prevalence and the absence of specific and effective treatments. Growing evidence suggests that apoptosis-signal regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) is activated in oxidative stress, which causes hepatic inflammation and apoptosis, leading to liver fibrogenesis through a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) downstream signals. In this study, we investigated whether selonsertib, a selective inhibitor of ASK1, shows therapeutic efficacy for liver fibrosis, and elucidated its mechanism of action in vivo and in vitro. As a result, selonsertib strongly suppressed the growth and proliferation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and induced apoptosis by increasing Annexin V and TUNEL-positive cells. We also observed that selonsertib inhibited the ASK1/MAPK pathway, including p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in HSCs. Interestingly, dimethylnitrosamine (DMN)-induced liver fibrosis was significantly alleviated by selonsertib treatment in rats. Furthermore, selonsertib reduced collagen deposition and the expression of extracellular components such as α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), fibronectin, and collagen type I in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, selonsertib suppressed fibrotic response such as HSC proliferation and extracellular matrix components by blocking the ASK1/MAPK pathway. Therefore, we suggest that selonsertib may be an effective therapeutic drug for ameliorating liver fibrosis.
Physical activity and subjective well-being in healthy individuals: a meta-analytic review

ABSTRACT Longstanding research suggests a positive relation between physical activity and health. However, when investigating this relation most studies focused on the absence of disease or infirmity as health indicators. The relation between physical activity and positive health-related constructs such as subjective well-being (SWB) remains oftentimes unexplored. The present meta-analysis offers a rigorous test of the relation between physical activity and SWB in healthy individuals, by including all different kinds of physical activity and SWB facets from childhood to old age. Random-effects meta-analysis using robust variance estimation revealed a positive relation (d = 0.360, 95% CI [0.301, 0.420]). Our results demonstrate a small beneficial main effect of physical activity on SWB, independent of the prior fitness level of the participants and various characteristics of the physical activity intervention. This effect was found in experimental studies as well as in correlational and quasi-experimental studies. Physical activity was more strongly related to positive affect compared to cognitive well-being and was unrelated to negative affect. Our results provide evidence for the importance of physical activity in the context of well-being. Further, we also systematically review and discuss the large heterogeneity of studies published on this relation and warrant further research regarding underlying mechanisms.
Amniotic MSCs reduce pulmonary fibrosis by hampering lung B‐cell recruitment, retention, and maturation

Abstract Growing evidence suggests a mechanistic link between inflammation and the development and progression of fibrotic processes. Mesenchymal stromal cells derived from the human amniotic membrane (hAMSCs), which display marked immunomodulatory properties, have been shown to reduce bleomycin‐induced lung fibrosis in mice, possibly by creating a microenvironment able to limit the evolution of chronic inflammation to fibrosis. However, the ability of hAMSCs to modulate immune cells involved in bleomycin‐induced pulmonary inflammation has yet to be elucidated. Herein, we conducted a longitudinal study of the effects of hAMSCs on alveolar and lung immune cell populations upon bleomycin challenge. Immune cells collected through bronchoalveolar lavage were examined by flow cytometry, and lung tissues were used to study gene expression of markers associated with different immune cell types. We observed that hAMSCs increased lung expression of T regulatory cell marker Foxp3, increased macrophage polarization toward an anti‐inflammatory phenotype (M2), and reduced the antigen‐presentation potential of macrophages and dendritic cells. For the first time, we demonstrate that hAMSCs markedly reduce pulmonary B‐cell recruitment, retention, and maturation, and counteract the formation and expansion of intrapulmonary lymphoid aggregates. Thus, hAMSCs may hamper the self‐maintaining inflammatory condition promoted by B cells that continuously act as antigen presenting cells for proximal T lymphocytes in injured lungs. By modulating B‐cell response, hAMSCs may contribute to blunting of the chronicization of lung inflammatory processes with a consequent reduction of the progression of the fibrotic lesion.
Effect of Doxycycline on Aneurysm Growth Among Patients With Small Infrarenal Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance Abdominal aortic aneurysms affect more than 3% of US older adults. Objective To test whether doxycycline reduces the growth of abdominal aortic aneurysm over 2 years as measured by maximum transverse diameter. Design, Setting, and Participants Parallel, 2-group, randomized clinical trial that was conducted at 22 US clinical centers between May 2013 and January 2017, and enrolled patients 50 years or older with small (3.5-5.0 cm for men, 3.5-4.5 cm for women) infrarenal aneurysms. The final date of follow-up was July 31, 2018. Interventions Patients were randomized to receive twice daily for 2 years doxycycline 100 mg orally (as capsules) (n = 133) or placebo (n = 128). Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was change in abdominal aortic aneurysm maximum transverse diameter measured from CT images at baseline and follow-up at 2 years. Patients were assigned ranks based on the maximum transverse diameter (measured or imputed) of the aorta and also if they underwent aneurysm repair or died. The ranks were converted to scores having a normal distribution to facilitate the primary analysis ("normal scores"). Results Of 261 patients randomized, no follow-up CT scans were obtained on 7 (3%), leaving a final analysis set of 129 patients assigned to doxycycline and 125 to placebo (mean [SD] age, 71.0 years [7.4 years], 35 women [14%]). The outcome normal scores used in the primary analysis were based on maximum transverse diameter (measured or imputed) in 113 patients (88%) in the doxycycline group and 112 patients (90%) in the placebo group; aneurysm repair in 13 (10%) and 9 (7%), and death in 3 (2%) and 4 (3%), respectively. The primary outcome, normal scores reflecting change in aortic diameter, did not differ significantly between the 2 groups, mean change in normal scores, 0.0262 vs -0.0258 (1-sided P = .71). Mean (SD) baseline maximum transverse diameter was 4.3 cm (0.4 cm) for doxycycline and 4.3 cm (0.4 cm) for placebo. At the 2-year follow-up, the change in measured maximum transverse diameter was 0.36 cm (95% CI, 0.31 to 0.40 cm) for 96 patients in the doxycycline group vs 0.36 cm (95% CI, 0.30 to 0.41 cm) for 101 patients in the placebo group (difference, 0.0; 95% CI, -0.07 to 0.07 cm; 2-sided P = .93). No patients were withdrawn from the study because of adverse effects. Joint pain occurred in 84 of 129 patients (65%) with doxycycline and 79 of 125 (63%) with placebo. Conclusions and Relevance Among patients with small infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms, doxycycline compared with placebo did not significantly reduce aneurysm growth at 2 years. These findings do not support the use of doxycycline for reducing the growth of small abdominal aortic aneurysms. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01756833.
Estimands and missing data in clinical trials of chronic pain treatments: advances in design and analysis.

In clinical trials of treatments for chronic pain, the percentage of participants who withdraw early can be as high as 50%. Major reasons for early withdrawal in these studies include perceived lack of efficacy and adverse events. Commonly employed strategies for accommodating missing data include last observation carried forward, baseline observation carried forward, and more principled methods such as mixed model repeated measures and multiple imputation. All of these methods require strong and untestable assumptions concerning the conditional distribution of outcomes after dropout given the observed data. We review recent developments in statistical methods for handling missing data in clinical trials, including implications of the increased emphasis being placed on precise formulation of the study objectives and the estimand (treatment effect to be estimated) of interest. A flexible method that appears to be well-suited for the analysis of chronic pain clinical trials is control-based imputation, which allows a variety of assumptions to be made concerning the conditional distribution of post-dropout outcomes that can be tailored to the estimand of interest. These assumptions can depend, for example, on the stated reasons for dropout. We illustrate these methods using data from four clinical trials of pregabalin for the treatment of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy and postherpetic neuralgia. When planning chronic pain clinical trials, careful consideration of the trial objectives should determine the definition of the trial estimand, which in turn should inform methods used to accommodate missing data in the statistical analysis.
Cardiogenic shock: role of invasive cardiology.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Early revascularization significantly improved the outcome of patients with cardiogenic shock following acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Nevertheless, the mortality remains substantial, ranging between 40 and 50% after 30 days. The present review summarizes the current evidence regarding revascularization strategies, vascular access site and concomitant antiplatelet and antithrombotic treatment in infarct-related cardiogenic shock. RECENT FINDINGS On the basis of the SHOCK trial, early revascularization is the most relevant procedure to improve the outcome of patients with infarct-related cardiogenic shock. The majority of these patients present with multivessel coronary disease. The randomized CULPRIT-SHOCK trial showed that in the emergency setting, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) should be confined to the culprit lesion. Regarding vascular access site, no data derived from randomized controlled trials in cardiogenic shock are available. Emergency coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is nowadays rarely performed in cardiogenic shock with rates less than 5% but is still a treatment option if coronary anatomy is not amenable to PCI. Regarding antiplatelet treatment, a randomized trial testing the intravenous P2Y12 inhibitor cangrelor versus an oral P2Y12 inhibitor in infarct-related cardiogenic shock is currently being performed. SUMMARY Early revascularization is the cornerstone of treatment of infarct-related cardiogenic shock and should be confined to the culprit lesion in the emergency setting.
Protective Effects of MTEC, a Formulated Herbal Drug on Glycemic Indices and Testicular Dysfunctions in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rat

ABSTRACT Testicular dysfunctions in streptozotocin-treated diabetic rat were noted by an evaluation of sex organ relative weights, serum insulin and testosterone levels, sperm count and viability, androgenic enzyme activity, antioxidant enzymes, conjugated diene and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance levels in testis and germ cells counts at stage VII of the seminiferous epithelial cycle. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic state has been proved here by recording the levels of fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, hepatic glycogen along with the activities of hepatic hexokinase. Co-treatment of hydro-methanolic (40:60) extract of root of Musa paradisiaca, seed of Tamarindus indica, seed of Eugenia jambolana or leaf of Coccinia indica in separate manner to streptozotocin-treated diabetic rat resulted in a significant correction in the levels of all of the above-mentioned parameters towards the control values. Degree of recovery in diabetes-induced glycemic disorders and testicular dysfunctions was more prominent when co-treatment was performed with a herbal-formulated drug (MTEC) that consists of hydro-methanolic extracts of M. paradisiaca, T. indica, E. jambolana and C. indica to diabetic rat (P < 0.05). This herbal-formulated drug has no general toxic effect. The results support the validity of this herbal drug for the management of diabetes as well as diabetes-induced testicular disorders.
Genetic Association of Co‐Trimoxazole‐Induced Severe Cutaneous Adverse Reactions Is Phenotype‐Specific: HLA Class I Genotypes and Haplotypes

Co‐trimoxazole (CTX) causes various forms of severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs). This case‐control study was conducted to investigate the involvement between genetic variants of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and CYP2C9 in CTX‐induced SCARs, including Stevens‐Johnson syndrome (SJS)/toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) and drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) in Thai patients. Thirty cases of CTX‐induced SCARs were enrolled and compared with 91 CTX‐tolerant controls and 150 people from the general Thai population. Cases comprised 18 SJS/TEN and 12 DRESS patients. This study demonstrated that genetic association of CTX‐induced SCARs was phenotype‐specific. HLA‐B*15:02 and HLA‐C*08:01 alleles were significantly associated with CTX‐induced SJS/TEN, whereas the HLA‐B*13:01 allele was significantly associated with CTX‐induced DRESS. In addition, a significant higher frequency of HLA‐A*11:01‐B*15:02 and HLA‐B*13:01‐C*03:04 haplotypes were detected in the group of CTX‐induced Stevens‐Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN) and DRESS cases, respectively. Genetic association of CTX‐induced SCARs is phenotype‐specific. Interestingly, these association was observed only in HIV‐infected patients but not in non‐HIV‐infected patients.
Mining Correlated High Utility Itemsets in One Phase

High-utility itemset mining (HUIM) in transaction databases has been extensively studied to discover interesting itemsets from users’ purchase behaviors. With this, business managers can adjust their sale strategies appropriately to increase profit. HUIM approaches usually focus on the utility values of itemsets, but rarely evaluate the correlation of items in itemsets. Many high-utility itemsets are weakly correlated and have no real meaning. To address this issue, we suggest an algorithm, called CoHUI-Miner, to efficiently find correlated high-utility itemsets. In the proposed algorithm, we use the database projection mechanism to reduce the database size and present a new concept, called the prefix utility of projected transactions, to eliminate itemsets which do not satisfy the minimum threshold in the mining process. Experimental evaluation on two types of datasets from sparse to dense ones shows that CoHUI-Miner can efficiently mine correlated high-utility itemsets with regard to both execution time and memory usage.