Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Radioiodine Ablation of Thyroid Remnants in Patients with Graves’ Orbitopathy

Visual Abstract Our purpose was to assess response after ablation of thyroid remnants (ATR) with radioactive iodine therapy in patients with unstable Graves’ orbitopathy (GO) after subtotal thyroidectomy. Methods: Thirty patients with mild (n = 4, 13%), moderate-to-severe (n = 25, 83%), or very severe GO (n = 1, 3%) were analyzed in this retrospective study. The primary endpoint was the improvement of GO-related symptoms as assessed by clinical activity scores, NOSPECS, and soft-tissue inflammation scores at 3 and 12 mo after ATR. Ablation success was defined by a decrease in 99mTc uptake on thyroid scintigraphy, remnant volume, and thyrotropin receptor antibody levels at 3 mo after ATR. Results: Twelve months after ATR, clinical activity scores, NOSPECS, and soft-tissue inflammation scores showed a significant decrease from 3.4 to 1.3 (P < 0.0001), 5.9 to 4.9 (P = 0.007), and 4.7 to 2.1 (P = 0.0001), respectively. The GO was inactive in 27 of the 30 (90%) patients after 3 mo and in 29 (97%) after 12 mo. No new activation of GO occurred. Remnant volume (1.4 vs. 0.4 cm3, P = <0.0001), mean thyrotropin receptor antibody level titer (19.02 vs. 13.37 IU/L, P < 0.0001), and 99mTc uptake (0.5% vs. 0.1%; n = 12; P = 0.04) decreased significantly until 3 mo after ATR. Discussion: Radioactive iodine therapy after thyroidectomy can successfully ablate residual thyroid remnants, leading to an improvement in GO, a reduction in inflammatory activity, and stabilization of thyroid function. Thus, scintigraphy should be considered for patients with unstable GO after thyroidectomy to rule out thyroid remnants.
Effect of cigarette smoking on alveolar bone thickness and density in patients undergoing leveling and alignment of crowded lower anterior teeth: a controlled clinical trial

Objective To evaluate the effect of cigarette smoking on the alveolar bone thickness and density in patients undergoing leveling and alignment of crowded lower anterior teeth. Methods This controlled clinical trial involved 17 smokers and 17 nonsmokers with mild to moderate crowding of the anterior mandibular teeth. Two cone-beam computed tomography images of the mandible were taken before and after treatment. The length of each tooth root was calculated in each T0 image, and the root was divided into three equal regions. Three lines were drawn parallel to the line of the cementoenamel junction at these three regions of the root, and the previously drawn lines were used to measure bone thickness and bone density. Results The mean changes in cortical bone thickness and bone density were significantly smaller in smokers than nonsmokers. Cortical bone thickness and bone density were significantly lower after than before treatment in both smokers and nonsmokers. Conclusion In addition to all of its known dangers, cigarette smoking may also harm the alveolar bone by decreasing the bone thickness and density during orthodontic treatment in heavy smokers.
The curvature of semidirect product groups associated with two-component Hunter–Saxton systems

In this paper, we study two-component versions of the periodic Hunter–Saxton equation and its μ-variant. Considering both equations as a geodesic flow on the semidirect product of the circle diffeomorphism group with a space of scalar functions on we show that both equations are locally well posed. The main result of this paper is that the sectional curvature associated with the 2HS is constant and positive and that 2µHS allows for a large subspace of positive sectional curvature. The issues of this paper are related to some of the results for 2CH and 2DP presented in Escher et al (2011 J. Geom. Phys. 61 436–52).
Oxytocin receptors mediate oxytocin potentiation of methylphenidate‐induced stimulation of accumbens dopamine in rats

While the illicit use and misuse of stimulants like cocaine and methylphenidate (MP) has increased, there remains no FDA‐approved treatments for psychostimulant use disorders (PSUD). Oxytocin (OT) has shown promise as a potential pharmacotherapy for PSUD. Dopamine (DA) neurotransmission plays a significant role in PSUD. We have recently shown that OT blunts the reinforcing effects of MP but, surprisingly, enhanced MP‐induced stimulation of DA levels. Such effects have been suggested as a result of activation of OT receptors or, alternatively, could be mediated by direct actions of OT on MP blockade of the DA transporter. Here, we employed fast scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) to investigate the effects of systemic OT on MP‐induced changes in the dynamics of DA, phasic release and uptake, in the nucleus accumbens shell (NAS) of Sprague–Dawley rats. We also tested the systemic effects of an antagonist of OT receptors, atosiban, to counteract the OT enhancement of dopaminergic effects of MP under microdialysis procedures in the NAS in rats. Administration of OT alone (2 mg/kg; i.p.) did not significantly modify evoked NAS DA dynamics measured by FSCV, and when administered 10 min before MP (0.1, 0.3, 1.0 mg/kg; i.v.), OT did not potentiate MP‐induced increases in phasic DA release and did not alter DA clearance rate, suggesting no direct interactions of OT with the MP‐induced blockade of DA uptake. Also, OT alone did not elicit significant changes in tonic, extracellular NAS DA levels measured by microdialysis. However, consistent with previous studies, we observed that OT pretreatments (2 mg/kg; i.p.) potentiated MP‐induced (0.1, 0.3, 1.0 mg/kg; i.v.) efflux of extracellular NAS DA levels. This effect was abolished when rats were pretreated with atosiban (2 mg/kg; i.p.), suggesting that OT receptors mediate this OT action. Overall, our results suggest that OT receptors mediated OT potentiation of MP‐induced stimulation of extracellular NAS DA levels, likely driven by modulation of DA receptor signaling pathways, without affecting MP blockade of DAT.
Assessment and nonsurgical management of low back pain: a narrative review

Low back pain (LBP) is a common condition that affects people of all ages and income levels worldwide. The etiology of LBP may be mechanical, neuropathic, systemic, referred visceral, or secondary to other causes. Despite numerous studies, the diagnosis and management of LBP remain challenging due to the complex biomechanics of the spine and confounding factors, such as trivial degenerative imaging findings irrelevant to symptoms and psychological and emotional factors. However, it is imperative to identify the crucial signs (“red flags”) indicating a serious underlying condition. While many recent guidelines emphasize non-pharmacologic management approaches, such as education, reassurance, and physical and psychological care, as the first option, LBP patients in many countries, including South Korea, are prescribed medications. Multidisciplinary rehabilitation combined with prudent use of medications is required in patients unresponsive to first-line therapy. The development of practical guidelines apposite for South Korea is needed with multidisciplinary discussion.
To reflect and learn: the emotional labor strategies of victims of workplace ostracism and the role of anger

ABSTRACT Research on coping with workplace ostracism has mainly focused on victims’ behaviors. This study provides additional insights by focusing on victims’ cognitive processes and emotion regulation to determine how workplace ostracism leads them to reflect and act on their emotions. Drawing on emotion regulation theory and ego depletion theory, we proposed a moderated mediation model to examine the mediating role of reflective learning in the relationships between workplace ostracism and emotional labor and the moderating effect of anger on the process. We conducted an experimental vignette study with 199 working adults in China. When the participants reported low levels of anger in response to workplace ostracism, they engaged in more surface acting and deep acting through reflective learning. However, when the participants reported high levels of anger, they did not use reflective learning effectively. We discuss the implications of these results for both research and practice.
Investigating Perceptual Subgroups in Speakers With Ataxic Dysarthria: An Auditory Free Classification Approach.

PURPOSE Ataxic dysarthria has presented with considerable heterogeneity in the presentation of speech characteristics. Converging evidence supports the existence of subgroups, specifically related to the instability and inflexibility of motor patterns as a possible explanation of this variability. METHOD To further examine the alignment of the speech characteristics of ataxic dysarthria with the instability/inflexibility framework, 23 graduate student listeners participated in an auditory free classification task and a guided classification task. Listeners grouped 15 speakers with ataxic dysarthria based on their judgment of the most salient perceptual characteristics during two speaking tasks: alternating motion rates (AMRs) and connected speech (one to two sentences). Listener ratings were then compared with a priori determinations of speakers who fit the instability subgroup profile and the inflexibility subgroup profile. RESULTS Results of both the free classification and guided classification listening paradigms provided supportive evidence of subgroups, particularly for the AMR task, in the context of strong inter- and intrarater reliability. CONCLUSION This study adds to the growing evidence of the existence of instability and inflexibility subgroups in ataxic dysarthria and serves as a proof of concept for use of the auditory free classification paradigm in dysarthria subgroup research.
Operator product expansions as a consequence of phase space properties

The paper presents a model-independent, nonperturbative proof of operator product expansions in quantum field theory. As an input, a recently proposed phase space condition is used that allows a precise description of point field structures. Based on the product expansions, we also define and analyze normal products (in the sense of Zimmermann).
Mid‐Arm Point in PAEDiatrics (MAPPAED): An effective procedural aid for safe pleural decompression in trauma

Life‐threatening thoracic trauma requires emergency pleural decompression and thoracostomy and chest drain insertion are core trauma procedures. Reliably determining a safe site for pleural decompression in children can be challenging. We assessed whether the Mid‐Arm Point (MAP) technique, a procedural aid proposed for use with injured adults, would also identify a safe site for pleural decompression in children.
Cluster Alignment With Target Knowledge Mining for Unsupervised Domain Adaptation Semantic Segmentation

Unsupervised domain adaptation (UDA) carries out knowledge transfer from the labeled source domain to the unlabeled target domain. Existing feature alignment methods in UDA semantic segmentation achieve this goal by aligning the feature distribution between domains. However, these feature alignment methods ignore the domain-specific knowledge of the target domain. In consequence, 1) the correlation among pixels of the target domain is not explored; and 2) the classifier is not explicitly designed for the target domain distribution. To conquer these obstacles, we propose a novel cluster alignment framework, which mines the domain-specific knowledge when performing the alignment. Specifically, we design a multi-prototype clustering strategy to make the pixel features within the same class tightly distributed for the target domain. Subsequently, a contrastive strategy is developed to align the distributions between domains, with the clustered structure maintained. After that, a novel affinity-based normalized cut loss is devised to learn task-specific decision boundaries. Our method enhances the model’s adaptability in the target domain, and can be used as a pre-adaptation for self-training to boost its performance. Sufficient experiments prove the effectiveness of our method against existing state-of-the-art methods on representative UDA benchmarks.
Tumour catabolism independent of malnutrition and inflammation in upper GI cancer patients revealed by longitudinal metabolomics

The detrimental impact of malnutrition and cachexia in cancer patients subjected to surgical resection is well established. However, how systemic and local metabolic alterations in cancer patients impact the serum metabolite signature, thereby leading to cancer‐specific differences, is poorly defined. In order to implement metabolomics as a potential tool in clinical diagnostics and disease follow‐up, targeted metabolite profiling based on quantitative measurements is essential. We hypothesized that the quantitative metabolic profile assessed by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy can be used to identify cancer‐induced catabolism and potentially distinguish between specific tumour entities. Importantly, to prove tumour dependency and assess metabolic normalization, we additionally analysed the metabolome of patients' sera longitudinally post‐surgery in order to assess metabolic normalization.
Output-Feedback Adaptive Neural Network Control for Uncertain Nonsmooth Nonlinear Systems With Input Deadzone and Saturation

Nonsmooth nonlinear systems can model many practical processes with discontinuous property and are difficult to be stabilized by classical control methods like smooth nonlinear systems. This article considers the output-feedback adaptive neural network (NN) control problem for nonsmooth nonlinear systems with input deadzone and saturation. First, the nonsmooth input deadzone and saturation is converted to a smooth function of affine form with bounded estimation error by means of the mean-value theorem. Second, with the help of approximation theorem and Filippov’s differential inclusion theory, the given nonsmooth system is converted to an equivalent smooth system model. Then, by introducing a proper logarithmic barrier Lyapunov function (BLF), an output-feedback adaptive NN strategy is set up by constructing an appropriate observer and adopting the adaptive backstepping technique. A new stability criterion is established to guarantee that all the signals in the closed-loop system are semiglobally uniformly ultimately bounded (SGUUB). Finally, comparative simulations through Chua’s oscillator are offered to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control algorithm.
Estimates in homogenization of higher-order elliptic operators

A divergent-type elliptic operator of arbitrary even order 2m is studied. Coefficients of the operator are -periodic, is a small parameter. The resolvent equation is solvable in the Sobolev space of order m for any , provided the parameter is sufficiently large, , where the bound depends only on constants from ellipticity condition. The limit equation is of the same type but with constant coefficients, that is, . The limit operator can be considered here, for instance, in the sense of G-convergence. We prove that the resolvent approximates in operator -norm with the estimate , as . We find also the approximation of the resolvent in operator -norm. This is the sum , where is a correcting operator whose structure is given. We prove the estimate , as .
Sleep Loss Influences the Interconnected Brain-Body Regulation of Cardiovascular Function in Humans

ABSTRACT Objective Poor sleep is associated with hypertension, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, the mechanism(s) through which sleep loss affects cardiovascular health remains largely unknown, including the brain and body systems that regulate vascular function. Methods Sixty-six healthy adults participated in a repeated-measures, crossover, experimental study involving assessments of cardiovascular function and brain connectivity after a night of sleep and a night of sleep deprivation. Results First, sleep deprivation significantly increased blood pressure—both systolic and diastolic. Interestingly, this change was independent of any increase in heart rate, inferring a vasculature-specific rather than direct cardiac pathway. Second, sleep loss compromised functional brain connectivity within the vascular control network, specifically the insula, anterior cingulate, amygdala, and ventral and medial prefrontal cortices. Third, sleep loss–related changes in brain connectivity and vascular tone were not independent, but significantly interdependent, with changes within the vascular control brain network predicting the sleep-loss shift toward hypertension. Conclusions These findings establish an embodied framework in which sleep loss confers increased risk of cardiovascular disease through an impact upon central brain control of vascular tone, rather than a direct impact on accelerated heart rate itself.
The Near-Infrared Broad Emission Line Region of Active Galactic Nuclei. I. The Observations

We present high-quality (high signal-to-noise ratio and moderate spectral resolution) near-infrared (near-IR) spectroscopic observations of 23 well-known broad emission line active galactic nuclei (AGNs). In addition, we obtained simultaneous (within 2 months) optical spectroscopy of similar quality. The near-IR broad emission line spectrum of AGNs is dominated by permitted transitions of hydrogen, helium, oxygen, and calcium, and by the rich spectrum of singly ionized iron. In this paper we present the spectra, line identifications, and measurements, and we address briefly some of the important issues regarding the physics of AGN broad emission line regions. In particular, we investigate the excitation mechanism of neutral oxygen and confront for the first time theoretical predictions of the near-IR iron emission spectrum with observations.
Reprogramming Müller glia to regenerate ganglion-like cells in adult mouse retina with developmental transcription factors

Many neurodegenerative diseases cause degeneration of specific types of neurons. For example, glaucoma leads to death of retinal ganglion cells, leaving other neurons intact. Neurons are not regenerated in the adult mammalian central nervous system. However, in nonmammalian vertebrates, glial cells spontaneously reprogram into neural progenitors and replace neurons after injury. We have recently developed strategies to stimulate regeneration of functional neurons in the adult mouse retina by overexpressing the proneural factor Ascl1 in Müller glia. Here, we test additional transcription factors (TFs) for their ability to direct regeneration to particular types of retinal neurons. We engineered mice to express different combinations of TFs in Müller glia, including Ascl1, Pou4f2, Islet1, and Atoh1. Using immunohistochemistry, single-cell RNA sequencing, single-cell assay for transposase-accessible chromatin sequencing, and electrophysiology, we find that retinal ganglion–like cells can be regenerated in the damaged adult mouse retina in vivo with targeted overexpression of developmental retinal ganglion cell TFs.
A short course on $\infty$-categories

In this short survey we give a non-technical introduction to some main ideas of the theory of $\infty$-categories, hopefully facilitating the digestion of the foundational work of Joyal and Lurie. Besides the basic $\infty$-categorical notions leading to presentable $\infty$-categories, we mention the Joyal and Bergner model structures organizing two approaches to a theory of $(\infty,1)$-categories. We also discuss monoidal $\infty$-categories and algebra objects, as well as stable $\infty$-categories. These notions come together in Lurie's treatment of the smash product on spectra, yielding a convenient framework for the study of $\mathbb{A}_\infty$-ring spectra, $\mathbb{E}_\infty$-ring spectra, and Derived Algebraic Geometry.
Stability and moment bounds under utility-maximising service allocations, with applications to some infinite networks

We study networks of interacting queues governed by utility-maximising service-rate allocations in both discrete and continuous time. For {\em finite} networks we establish stability and some steady-state moment bounds under natural conditions and rather weak assumptions on utility functions. These results are obtained using direct applications of Lyapunov-Foster-type criteria, and apply to a wide class of systems, including those for which fluid limit-based approaches are not applicable. We then establish stability and some steady-state moment bounds for two classes of {\em infinite} networks, with single-hop and multi-hop message routes. These results are proved by considering the infinite systems as limits of their truncated finite versions. The uniform moment bounds for the finite networks play the key role in these limit transitions.
Biologic treatment of psoriasis in oncologic patients

ABSTRACT Introduction There is a complex interplay between psoriasis and cancer, with therapeutic implications. Patients with psoriasis have an increased risk of developing several types of cancer, and safety concerns have arisen regarding biologic therapies and cancer. On the other hand, biologics can provide adequate control of psoriasis that appears or worsens as an immune-related adverse event following immune enhancing checkpoint inhibitor therapy for cancer, thus allowing prosecution of oncologic treatment without impairing its efficacy. Patients and methods We performed a retrospective observational study of patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis under biological treatment and cancer who were treated at our Department between January 2009 and June 2022. Results We included 31 adult patients with psoriasis and cancer; in 16 the diagnosis of cancer preceded the inception of biological treatment, and 9 of those patients were in remission. Most malignancies arose in the genitourinary system, followed by breast, hematologic, colorectal, thyroid, and others. Anti-IL23p19 biologics were most frequently used (36%), followed by anti-TNF (32%), anti-IL-17 (16%) and anti-IL-12/23 (16%) agents. All patients showed improvement of psoriasis after biologic initiation. Conclusions Biologic treatment for moderate-severe psoriasis should be considered in oncologic patients since it is not formally contraindicated and is safe. Moreover, the efficacy and safety profile of IL-23 and IL-17 inhibitors may be advantageous for those patients.
Caregiving, volunteering, and loneliness in middle-aged and older adults: a systematic review

Abstract Objectives Older adults contribute vast amounts of care to society, yet it remains unclear how unpaid productive activities relate to loneliness. The objective of this systematic review is to synthesise the evidence for associations between midlife and older people’s unpaid productive activities (i.e., spousal and grandparental caregiving, volunteering) and loneliness. Methods Peer-reviewed observational articles that investigated the association between loneliness and caregiving or volunteering in later life (>50 years) were searched on electronic databases (Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, PsychInfo and Global Health) from inception until July 2021. Studies were analysed using narrative synthesis and assessed for methodological quality applying the Newcastle Ottawa Scale. Results A total of 28 articles from 21 countries with 191,652 participants were included (52.5% women). Results were separately discussed for the type of unpaid productive activity, namely, general caregiving (N = 10), spousal caregiving (N = 7), grandparental caregiving (N = 7), and volunteering (N = 6). Risk of bias assessments revealed a moderate to high quality of included studies. Loneliness was positively associated with spousal caregiving but negatively associated with caregiving to grandchildren and volunteering. Conclusions Grandparental caregiving and volunteering may be promising avenues for reducing loneliness in older age. Future studies will need to distinguish between different types of caregiving and volunteering and explore more complex longitudinal designs with diverse samples to investigate causal relationships with loneliness. KEY-POINTS Spousal caregiving is associated with more loneliness Grandparental caregiving and volunteering are associated with less loneliness There is a lack of longitudinal evidence from lower- and middle-income countries