Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prospective Outcome Evaluation of Spinal Cord Stimulation in Patients With Intractable Leg Pain

Study Design. The results of spinal cord stimulation were prospectively evaluated using both subjective patient self‐report measures and objective physical functional testing. Objectives. The purpose of this study was to evaluate prospectively the effects of spinal cord stimulation implantation, performed with the patient awake and providing feedback, in patients with primary reports of intractable leg pain. Summary of Background Data. Spinal cord stimulation has been used for treating chronic pain of many types. However, even among those with intractable lower extremity pain, the outcome results have shown great variability. Methods. The surgical procedure was performed with the patient awake and providing feedback to ensure optimal pain relief from the lead placement. The study group comprised 40 patients, ranging in age from 28 to 86 years. The average symptom duration was 65.4 months, and the average number of prior lumbar spine surgeries was 2.3 (range, 1 to 8). The primary data collection periods were preoperative, 6 weeks after, and 12 and 24 months after surgery. Results. Statistically significant improvement in isometric lower extremity function was demonstrated 6 weeks after the spinal cord stimulation implantation. In the more painful leg, the performance increased from 457.5 ft‐1b·sec to 629.8 ft‐1b·sec (P < 0.01). The performance remained significantly improved at the 12‐ and 24‐month follow‐ups. Significant improvement was demonstrated on the physical scale of the Sickness Impact Profile at 6 weeks. At 24 months, all three scales (physical, psychological, and other) as well as the total score were significantly improved. Statistically significant decreases in pain, assessed by changes in visual analog scale scores, were noted in the legs, when walking, and in overall lifestyle. The use of narcotic medication decreased at all follow‐up periods. At least 66% of the patients who were taking narcotics before spinal cord stimulation were taking reduced amounts or no narcotics 2 years later. At the time of the 24‐month follow‐up, at least 70% of patients reported that the procedure helped them, and would recommend it to someone with similar symptoms. Conclusions. Spinal cord stimulation implantation can result in improved physical function and decreased pain in patients who are carefully screened and in whom the implantation is performed with the patient awake to help ensure optimal pain‐relieving lead placement.
Online Interference Mitigation via Learning in Dynamic IoT Environments

A key challenge for ensuring self-organization capabilities in the Internet of things (IoT) is that wireless devices must be able to adapt to the network's unpredictable dynamics. In the lower layers of network design, this means the deployment of highly adaptive protocols capable of supporting large numbers of wireless ``things'' via intelligent interference mitigation and online power control. In view of this, we propose an exponential learning policy for throughput maximization in time-varying, dynamic IoT environments where interference must be kept at very low levels. The proposed policy is provably capable of adapting quickly and efficiently to changes in the network and relies only on locally available and strictly causal information.Specifically, if the transmission horizon T of a device is known ahead of time, the algorithm under study matches the performance of the best possible fixed policy in hindsight within an error margin of O(T^{-1/2});otherwise, if the horizon is not known in advance, the algorithm still achieves a O(T^{-1/2} \log T) worst-case margin. &#8233;In practice, our numerical results show that the interference induced by the connected devices can be mitigated effectively and - more importantly - in a highly adaptive, distributed way.
Model predictive control of deep brain stimulation for Parkinsonian tremor

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an established therapy for a variety of neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, and dystonia. Recent DBS research has pursued methods for closed-loop control to provide more effective management of symptoms, side effects, and device power consumption. Most closed-loop DBS (CLDBS) studies to date use simple threshold-based controllers to trigger DBS and, as a result, any optimization of symptoms and device power consumption is only incident. In this paper, we demonstrate the utility of an approach based on identifying patient-specific models of symptom response to DBS and using these models to formulate a model predictive control strategy for CLDBS, which explicitly solves an optimization problem. We simulate the model predictive controller for various parameters and find that this approach yields a range of performances for the competing objectives of minimizing patient symptoms and device power consumption. We examine this fundamental tradeoff using the concept of Pareto optimality and conclude with a discussion about incorporating patient, clinician, and other stakeholder preferences in the design of CLDBS systems.
PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF PAEONIFLORIN ON IMMUNOLOGICAL LIVER INJURY INDUCED BY BACILLUS CALMETTE‐GUERIN PLUS LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE: MODULATION OF TUMOUR NECROSIS FACTOR‐α AND INTERLEUKIN‐6 mRNA

1. Paeoniflorin is one of the main effective components of the total glucosides of paeony (TGP) extracted from the root of Paeonia lactiflora which has been used for gynaecological problems and for cramp, pain and giddiness for over 1 500 years in Chinese medicine. Anti‐inflammatory, antioxidative, antihepatic injury and immunoregulatory activities of TGP have been extensively proved in our laboratory for many years. Our present study investigates the effects and mechanisms of paeoniflorin on immunological liver injury in mice. 2 A model of immunological liver injury was induced by tail vein injection of bacillus Calmette‐Guérin (BCG) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mice. Activities of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were measured by biochemical methods. Hepatic tissue sections were stained with haematoxylin and eosin and examined under a light microscope. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐a, interleukin (IL)‐6, lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) and CD14 mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) expression in mouse liver were determined by semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) analysis. 3 Immunological liver injury induced by BCG plus LPS was successfully duplicated. Serum ALT activities were significantly decreased by paeoniflorin. (25, 50, 100 mg/kg). Histological examination demonstrated that paeoniflorin could attenuate the area and extent of necrosis and reduce the immigration of inflammatory cells. The increase in TNF‐a, LBP and CD14 mRNA expression in mouse liver after BCG and LPS injection was significantly decreased by paeoniflorin (100 mg/kg) and was changed by paeoniflorin (25, 50 mg/kg) at different time‐point. The augmentation of IL‐6 mRNA in mouse liver was markedly increased by paeoniflorin at 1 h and 3 h after LPS injection. 4 Paeoniflorin could significantly protect against immunological liver injury in mice. TNF‐a, IL‐6, LBP and CD14 mRNA expression in mouse liver may be involved in BCG plus LPS induced liver injury. The protective mechanism of paeoniflorin might be partially related to modulation of TNF‐a, IL‐6, LBP and CD14 mRNA expressions in mouse liver.
Multiple Pattern Matching for Network Security Applications: Acceleration through Vectorization

Pattern matching is a key building block of Intrusion Detection Systems and firewalls, which are deployed nowadays on commodity systems from laptops to massive web servers in the cloud. In fact, pattern matching is one of their most computationally intensive parts and a bottleneck to their performance. In Network Intrusion Detection, for example, pattern matching algorithms handle thousands of patterns and contribute to more than 70% of the total running time of the system.In this paper, we introduce efficient algorithmic designs for multiple pattern matching which (a) ensure cache locality and (b) utilize modern SIMD instructions. We first identify properties of pattern matching that make it fit for vectorization and show how to use them in the algorithmic design. Second, we build on an earlier, cache-aware algorithmic design and we show how cache-locality combined with SIMD gather instructions, introduced in 2013 to Intel's family of processors, can be applied to pattern matching. We evaluate our algorithmic design with open data sets of real-world network traffic:Our results on two different platforms, Haswell and Xeon-Phi, show a speedup of 1.8x and 3.6x, respectively, over Direct Filter Classification (DFC), a recently proposed algorithm by Choi et al. for pattern matching exploiting cache locality, and a speedup of more than 2.3x over Aho-Corasick, a widely used algorithm in today's Intrusion Detection Systems.
Pre‐ and in‐hospital intersection of stroke care

Acute ischemic stroke is a time‐critical emergency for which thrombolytic therapy is the only medical treatment. Many patients who would benefit from this treatment are deprived of it due to delays. Failure to call for help rapidly is the main obstacle, but even when the call is made in time, the prehospital evaluation, transportation, and emergency department (ED) diagnostics often take too long to treat the patient with thrombolysis. Interventions to reduce pre‐ and in‐hospital delays have been described; although no single intervention is likely to make a major difference, a whole set of interventions needs to be implemented. The intersection of the pre‐ and in‐hospital care is of special importance. With successful protocols and good communication between the emergency medical service and ED, delays can be significantly reduced. On the basis of our experience, 94% of patients can be treated within 60 min of arrival, based largely on using the prehospital time effectively.
The Impact of Contact Angle on the Biocompatibility of Biomaterials

Biomaterials may be defined as artificial materials that can mimic, store, or come into close contact with living biological cells or fluids and are becoming increasingly popular in the medical, biomedical, optometric, dental, and pharmaceutical industries. Within the ophthalmic industry, the best example of a biomaterial is a contact lens, which is worn by ∼125 million people worldwide. For biomaterials to be biocompatible, they cannot illicit any type of unfavorable response when exposed to the tissue they contact. A characteristic that significantly influences this response is that related to surface wettability, which is often determined by measuring the contact angle of the material. This article reviews the impact of contact angle on the biocompatibility of tissue engineering substrates, blood-contacting devices, dental implants, intraocular lenses, and contact lens materials.
Satisfactory cross cultural equivalence of the Dutch WOMAC in patients with hip osteoarthritis waiting for arthroplasty

Background: Cross cultural validity is of vital importance for international comparisons. Objective: To investigate the validity of international Dutch-English comparisons when using the Dutch translation of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC). Patients and Methods: The dimensionality, reliability, construct validity, and cross cultural equivalence of the Dutch WOMAC in Dutch and Canadian patients waiting for primary total hip arthroplasty was investigated. Unidimensionality and cross cultural equivalence was quantified by principal component and Rasch analysis. Intratest reliability was quantified with Cronbach’s α, and test-retest reliability with the intraclass correlation coefficient. Construct validity was quantified by correlating sum scores of the Dutch WOMAC, Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales (Dutch AIMS2), Health Assessment Questionnaire (Dutch HAQ), and Harris Hip Score (Dutch HHS). Results: The WOMAC was completed by 180 Dutch and 244 English speaking Canadian patients. Unidimensionality of the Dutch WOMAC was confirmed by principal component and Rasch analysis (good fit for 20/22 items). The intratest reliability of the Dutch WOMAC for pain and physical functioning was 0.88 and 0.96, whereas the test-retest reliability was 0.77 and 0.92, respectively. Dutch WOMAC pain sum score correlated 0.69 with Dutch HAQ pain, and 0.39 with Dutch HHS pain. Dutch WOMAC physical functioning sum score correlated 0.46 with Dutch AIMS2 mobility, 0.62 with Dutch AIMS2 walking and bending, 0.67 with Dutch HAQ disability, and 0.49 with Dutch HHS function. Differential item functioning (DIF) was shown for 6/22 Dutch items. Conclusions: The Dutch WOMAC permits valid international Dutch-English comparisons after correction for DIF.
Three-dimensional finite element analysis of glass fiber and cast metal posts with different alloys for reconstruction of teeth without ferrule

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate different materials for restoration of teeth without ferrule by three-dimensional (3D) finite element analysis (FEA). Five models simulating the maxillary central incisor and surrounding bone were simulated according to the type of post: glass fibre post (GFP) or cast metal post (CMP) with different alloys such as gold (Au), silver–palladium (AgPd), copper–aluminum (CuAl) and nickel–chromium (NiCr). Models were designed using Invesalius and Rhinoceros. FEAs were made using FEMAP and NeiNastran, with an applied axial force of 100 N and oblique occlusal load at 45°. Stress distribution among groups was analysed by two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by post-hoc Tukey’s test. The GFP showed the best stress distribution in the post, followed by CMP with Au, AgPd, CuAl and NiCr alloys, respectively (p < .001). No statistically significant difference in the stress distribution in teeth was found under application of axial load (p > .05). Under oblique load, the GFP generated the highest values of tension among the models, followed by the CMP with NiCr alloy than other models (p < .001). The use of GFP resulted in a lower stress concentration in the post, but increased stress in the tooth without ferrule. The CMP with NiCr alloy exhibited the highest stress distribution among other CMP. To avoid higher stress in teeth, alloys of Au, AgPd and CuAl, respectively, are recommended.
Subjective and psychophysiological indexes of listening effort in a competing-talker task.

BACKGROUND The effects of noise and other competing backgrounds on speech recognition performance are well documented. There is less information, however, on listening effort and stress experienced by listeners during a speech-recognition task that requires inhibition of competing sounds. PURPOSE The purpose was (a) to determine if psychophysiological indexes of listening effort were more sensitive than performance measures (percentage correct) obtained near ceiling level during a competing speech task, (b) to determine the relative sensitivity of four psychophysiological measures to changes in task demand, and (c) to determine the relationships between changes in psychophysiological measures and changes in subjective ratings of stress and workload. RESEARCH DESIGN A repeated-measures experimental design was used to examine changes in performance, psychophysiological measures, and subjective ratings in response to increasing task demand. STUDY SAMPLE Fifteen adults with normal hearing participated in the study. The mean age of the participants was 27 (range: 24-54). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Psychophysiological recordings of heart rate, skin conductance, skin temperature, and electromyographic (EMG) activity were obtained during listening tasks of varying demand. Materials from the Dichotic Digits Test were used to modulate task demand. The three levels of task demand were single digits presented to one ear (low-demand reference condition), single digits presented simultaneously to both ears (medium demand), and a series of two digits presented simultaneously to both ears (high demand). Participants were asked to repeat all the digits they heard, while psychophysiological activity was recorded simultaneously. Subjective ratings of task load were obtained after each condition using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index questionnaire. Repeated-measures analyses of variance were completed for each measure using task demand and session as factors. RESULTS Mean performance was higher than 96% for all listening tasks. There was no significant change in performance across listening conditions for any listener. There was, however, a significant increase in mean skin conductance and EMG activity as task demand increased. Heart rate and skin temperature did not change significantly. There was no strong association between subjective and psychophysiological measures, but all participants with mean normalized effort ratings of greater than 4.5 (i.e., effort increased by a factor of at least 4.5) showed significant changes in skin conductance. CONCLUSIONS Even in the absence of substantial performance changes, listeners may experience changes in subjective and psychophysiological responses consistent with the activation of a stress response. Skin conductance appears to be the most promising measure for evaluating individual changes in psychophysiological responses during listening tasks.
Interaction between phage G13 and its oligosaccharide receptor studied by equilibrium dialysis

The reversible binding of phage G13, a ϕX174‐like single‐strand DNA phage, to a 3H‐labeled nonasaccharide from the lipopolysaccharide of its natural host Esacherichia coli C was studied with equilibrium dialysis. The binding constant (Ka) was determined to 1.3 × 107 M−1 in Scatchard and Lineweaver–Burk plots. Approximately one saccharide bound per G13 phage particle which suggests that only one of the 12 spikes in each G13 virion was engaged in the phage/receptor saccharide interaction. Equilibrium dialysis inhibition experiments with saccharides from lipopolysaccharides of an isogenic series of Salmonella typhimurium mutants showed that hepta‐ and pentasaccharides from two G13‐sensitive bacteria, i.e., with efficiencies of plating of 0.1–1.0 compared to E. coli C, were efficient inhibitors with Ka‐values ≥ 1.2 × 107 M−1. The octa‐ and hexasaccharides from two G13 resistant strains, with efficiency of plating ⩽ × 10−4, were either > 1000‐fold of > 15‐fold less efficient as inhibitors with Ka‐values ⩽8.8 − 105 M−1. The results show that phage G13 binds in a specific and reversible way to penta‐, hepta‐, and nonasaccharides from G13 sensitive bacteria with the specificity residing in the hexose and heptose region of the core lipopolysaccharide.
Cranial manipulation can alter sleep latency and sympathetic nerve activity in humans: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE To determine if cranial manipulation is associated with altered sleep latency. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of cranial manipulation on muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) as a potential mechanism for altered sleep latency. DESIGN Randomized block design with repeated measures. SETTING The Integrative Physiology and Manipulative Medicine Departments, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX. SUBJECTS Twenty (20) healthy volunteers (12 male, 8 female; age range, 22-35 years) participated in this investigation. INTERVENTIONS Subjects were exposed to 3 randomly ordered treatments: compression of the fourth ventricle (CV4), CV4 sham (simple touch), and control (no treatment). OUTCOME MEASURES Sleep latency was assessed during each of the treatments in 11 subjects, using the standard Multiple Sleep Latency Test protocol. Conversely, directly recorded efferent MSNA was measured during each of the treatments in the remaining 9 subjects, using standard microneurographic technique. RESULTS Sleep latency during the CV4 trial was decreased when compared to both the CV4 sham or control trials (p < 0.05). MSNA during the CV4-induced temporary halt of the cranial rhythmic impulse (stillpoint) was decreased when compared to prestillpoint MSNA (p < 0.01). During the CV4 sham and control trials MSNA was not different between CV4 time-matched measurements (p > 0.05). Moreover, the change in MSNA prestillpoint to stillpoint during the CV4 trial was different compared to the CV4 sham and control trials (p < 0.05). However, this change in MSNA was similar between the CV4 sham and control trials (p > 0.80). CONCLUSIONS The current study is the first to demonstrate that cranial manipulation, specifically the CV4 technique, can alter sleep latency and directly measured MSNA in healthy humans. These findings provide important insight into the possible physiologic effects of cranial manipulation. However, the mechanisms behind these changes remain unclear.
Ozonated autohemotherapy modulates the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines in gouty patients

Objectives Ozonated autohemotherapy (O3-AHT) has been used to effectively treat gout, but the underlying therapeutic mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, as an initial effort to understand the therapeutic mechanisms of O3-AHT, we aim to examine the effect of O3-AHT on serum inflammatory cytokine levels in gouty patients. Patients and methods Three groups of patients and healthy subjects were recruited, including the gouty (n=10), hyperuricemia (n=10), and healthy control (n=11) groups. Cytometric bead array was applied to examine 12 cytokines before (T0), during (T1), and after (T2) therapies. Results Three cytokines, IL-8, IL-12, and MCP-1, were detectable in all participants. Before O3-AHT, the average serum levels of IL-8 and MCP-1 were higher in the gout group than in the hyperuricemia and healthy control groups, confirming the inflammation status in gouty patients. After the 5th course of O3-AHT (T1), IL-8 level was significantly increased compared to that at T0. IL-12 level was also raised at T1, although the difference did not reach statistical significance. After completing the therapy, both IL-8 and IL-12 levels decreased to levels lower than those at T0. MCP-1 level remained essentially unchanged during and after treatment. Conclusion Our results indicate that O3-AHT induces a significant change in serum cytokine levels, suggesting that modulating the inflammatory process is one of the therapeutic mechanisms underlying O3-AHT. In addition, the sensitive response of serum IL-8 and IL-12 levels to O3-AHT suggests that these cytokines may be developed as biomarkers to evaluate the therapeutic effect of O3-AHT in gouty patients.
Late clonal selection and expansion of the TEPC-15 germ-line specificity

The maturation of the antibody response to phosphorylcholine (PC) in neonatal BALB/c mice was studied. A T cell-independent class 1 1 PC- antigen, 3-(p-azophenyl phosphorylcholine)-N-acetyl-L- tyrosylglycylglycine lipopolysaccharide, was synthesized and used to immunize neonatal mice of different ages. The earliest anti-PC hemolytic plaque-forming response could be induced in 1-d-old neonates. Idiotype analysis on these early anti-PC antibodies showed that the response was not TEPC-15 dominant although TEPC-15-positive plaque- forming cells were detected. However, idiotype analysis of the anti-PC- LPS response in 7 d or older animals indicated that clonal dominance had been established. Similar results were obtained in splenic fragment culture with cells from neonatal livers and spleens. PC-specific precursors were detected in the liver of 1-d-old neonates, whereas the spleen of those animals contained no precursors for PC. Precursors for PC residing in the neonatal liver are not TEPC-15 dominant, whereas the splenic PC precursors of 5- to 6-day-old animals express the TEPC-15 idiotype dominatly. These findings demonstrate that during ontogeny PC- specific B cells appear before the TEPC-15 clone becomes dominant. Thus clonal dominance in the adult anti-PC response and late acquisition of the TEPC-15 specificity during ontogeny do not signify a particularly unique or direct relationship to the expression of genes encoded in the germline.