Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vismodegib Exerts Targeted Efficacy Against Recurrent Sonic Hedgehog-Subgroup Medulloblastoma: Results From Phase II Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium Studies PBTC-025B and PBTC-032.

PURPOSE Two phase II studies assessed the efficacy of vismodegib, a sonic hedgehog (SHH) pathway inhibitor that binds smoothened (SMO), in pediatric and adult recurrent medulloblastoma (MB). PATIENTS AND METHODS Adult patients enrolled onto PBTC-025B and pediatric patients enrolled onto PBTC-032 were treated with vismodegib (150 to 300 mg/d). Protocol-defined response, which had to be sustained for 8 weeks, was confirmed by central neuroimaging review. Molecular tests to identify patterns of response and insensitivity were performed when tissue was available. RESULTS A total of 31 patients were enrolled onto PBTC-025B, and 12 were enrolled onto PBTC-032. Three patients in PBTC-025B and one in PBTC-032, all with SHH-subgroup MB (SHH-MB), exhibited protocol-defined responses. Progression-free survival (PFS) was longer in those with SHH-MB than in those with non-SHH-MB, and prolonged disease stabilization occurred in 41% of patient cases of SHH-MB. Among those with SHH-MB, loss of heterozygosity of PTCH1 was associated with prolonged PFS, and diffuse staining of P53 was associated with reduced PFS. Whole-exome sequencing identified mutations in SHH genes downstream from SMO in four of four tissue samples from nonresponders and upstream of SMO in two of four patients with favorable responses. CONCLUSION Vismodegib exhibits activity against adult recurrent SHH-MB but not against recurrent non-SHH-MB. Inadequate accrual of pediatric patients precluded conclusions in this population. Molecular analyses support the hypothesis that SMO inhibitor activity depends on the genomic aberrations within the tumor. Such inhibitors should be advanced in SHH-MB studies; however, molecular and genomic work remains imperative to identify target populations that will truly benefit.
Intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas: evaluation with 3-T four-dimensional MR angiography using arterial spin labeling.

PURPOSE To evaluate whether 3-T four-dimensional (4D) arterial spin-labeling (ASL)-based magnetic resonance (MR) angiography is useful for the evaluation of shunt lesions in patients with intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs). MATERIALS AND METHODS Institutional review board approval and prior written informed consent from all patients were obtained. Nine patients with intracranial dural AVF (seven men, two women; age range, 52-77 years; mean age, 63 years) underwent 4D ASL MR angiography at 3 T and digital subtraction angiography (DSA). Spin tagging was with flow-sensitive alternating inversion recovery with Look-Locker sampling. At 300-millisecond intervals, seven dynamic images with a spatial resolution of 0.5 × 0.5 × 0.6 mm(3) were obtained. The 4D ASL MR angiographic and DSA images were read by two sets of two independent readers each. Interobserver and intermodality agreement was assessed with the κ statistic. RESULTS On all 4D ASL MR angiographic images, the major intracranial arteries were demonstrated at a temporal resolution of 300 milliseconds. Interobserver agreement was excellent for the fistula site (κ = 1.00; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.00, 1.00), moderate for the main arterial feeders (κ = 0.53; 95% CI: 0.08, 0.98), and good for venous drainage (κ = 0.77; 95% CI: 0.35, 1.00). Intermodality agreement was excellent for the fistula site and venous drainage (κ = 1.00; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.00) and good for the main arterial feeders (κ = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.58, 1.00). CONCLUSION The good-to-excellent agreement between 3-T 4D ASL MR angiographic and DSA findings suggests that 3-T 4D ASL MR angiography is a useful tool for the evaluation of intracranial dural AVFs.
A ≥1 log rise in RQ-PCR transcript levels defines molecular relapse in core binding factor acute myeloid leukemia and predicts subsequent morphologic relapse

Core binding factor acute myeloid leukemia (CBF AML), with t(8;21)(q22;q22), inv(16)(p13q22) or t(16;16)(p13;q22) and the associated fusion gene transcripts AML1/ETO or CBFβ/MYH11, has a favourable clinical prognosis although significant numbers of patients still suffer relapse. We examined the prognostic utility of serial bone marrow minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring by RQ-PCR in a cohort of patients with CBF AML with long term clinical follow-up. Twenty-nine patients were evaluated with a median follow of 34 months. Twelve relapses occurred at a median of 11 months (range 4 – 17) from diagnosis. RQ-PCR levels at diagnosis, post-induction chemotherapy and post-consolidation were not predictive of outcome. However, a ≥1 log10 rise at any stage in transcript level relative to the level from a remission bone marrow sample correlated with inferior leukemia free survival (LFS) and imminent morphologic relapse (hazard ratio 8.6). Relapses occurred a median of 60 days (range 45 – 272) after a log10 rise. A ≥1 log10 rise in transcript levels strongly predicts subsequent morphologic relapse in CBF AML and therefore defines molecular relapse. Our data support a simple RQ-PCR model for prediction of impending relapse which has the potential for widespread clinical applicability. Prospective identification of high risk patients will enable clinical trials to assess the efficacy of treatment initiated at molecular relapse.
Influence of plasma-treated nanoparticles on space charge accumulation in epoxy resin insulation

Polymeric nanocomposites have drawn tremendous interest in the field of high voltage engineering as they demonstrate promising electrical insulation performance. It has been reported that atmospheric-pressure plasma-treatment on the nanoparticles is able to improve the electrical insulation properties of the fabricated nanocomposites. In the present paper, we study the level of space charges in epoxy resin/silica nanocomposites synthesized with plasma-treated nanoparticles. Specifically, a custom-made pulsed electro-acoustic (PEA) detection system measured the distribution of space charges in nanocomposite samples. Nanocomposites with as-received or plasma-treated nanoparticles at loading rates of 1, 2, and 3 wt % were fabricated. Measurements were taken at 15 and 45 minutes during which the samples were being polarized with a direct current (DC) electric field of 24 kV/mm. The level of space charges in different samples were compared and analyzed by using the original experimental data. The result suggests that the space charge distribution in the nanocomposites decreases at higher loading rates. The space charge accumulation in the plasma-treated nanocomposites behaves in a different manner as compared to non-treated nanocomposites at different loading rates. An optimal loading rate corresponding to the minimum level of space charges was also suggested for the nanocomposite with plasma-treated silica.
Reference values for cardiopulmonary exercise testing for sedentary and active men and women.

BACKGROUND The reference values for cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) available in Brazil were derived from a cycle ergometer in a sedentary and relatively small population. OBJECTIVE Provide reference values for CPET in Brazilians of both sexes, either sedentary or active. METHODS From 2006 to 2008, 3,992 CEPT of healthy individuals were selected from our laboratory. Athletes, smokers, patients with any known pathology, users of continuous medication and obese patients were excluded. Peak VO(2) was considered max VO(2). We also analyzed the anaerobic threshold VO(2), maximum ventilation and oxygen pulse according to sex, age, sedentary and active patients. Age groups were divided as follows: G1 (15-24), G2 (25-34), G3 (35-44), G4 (45-54), G5 (55-64) and G6 (65-74). RESULTS According to age groups, the mean values of VO(2) in ml/kg/min with their standard deviations were: Active man: G1-50.6 ± 7.3, G2-47, 4 ± 7.4, G3-45, 4 ± 6.8, G4-40.5 ± 6.5; G5-35.3 ± 6.2; G6-30.0 ± 6.1. Active woman: G1-38.9 ± 5.7; G2-38.1 ± 6.6; G3-34.9 ± 5.9; G4-31.1 ± 5.4; G5-28.6 ± 6.1; G6-25.1 ± 4.4. Sedentary man: G1-47.4 ± 7.9; G2-41.9 ± 7.2; G3-39.0 ± 6.8; G4-35.6 ± 7.7; G5-30.0 ± 6.3; G6-23.1 ± 6.3. Sedentary woman: G1-35.6 ± 5.7; G2-34.0 ± 4.8; G3-30.0 ± 5.4; G4-27.2 ± 5.0; G5-23.9 ± 4.2; G6-21.2 ± 3.4. CONCLUSION This article provides reference values of max VO(2), among other parameters, in the Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing performed on the treadmill in individuals of both sexes, either active and sedentary.
Fractional flow reserve in 2017: current data and everyday practice

ABSTRACT Introduction: Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is an objective physiological index utilized in coronary angiography. It expresses the blood flow in the presence of a coronary artery stenosis as a fraction of the normal blood flow and gives information regarding the functional significance of the lesion. FFR guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been shown to be superior to angiography guided PCI in several trials and registries. In addition, it appears that the use of FFR may also be preferable from an economic perspective. Areas covered: This article will cover the physiological principles underpinning FFR, the landmark clinical trials that have established its diagnostic utility and the current recommendations for the use of the procedure in daily practice. We will also examine potential future directions for the technology and try to predict how its use will evolve in the next five years. Expert commentary: We see FFR as an essential diagnostic tool in the modern catheterization laboratory, enabling physicians to make optimal decisions regarding percutaneous coronary intervention for an individual patient. It must be stated however that FFR is an adjunctive invasive functional tool that must be used in conjunction with sensible clinical history and exam findings pertaining to the individual patient. We expect that the results of FAME3 will further establish the role of FFR in risk stratifying patients with 3 vessel disease by utilizing a functional SYNTAX score.
Innovative Theory on Multiband NGD Topology Based on Feedback-Loop Power Combiner

The signal delay is one of the main issues encountered during the design and fabrication of the RF/microwave electronic circuits and systems. Therefore, the correction process is constantly needed for the signal delay cancelation. This brief introduces an innovative theory of a microwave circuit topology delay suppressor. The original circuit was originally built with a passive power combiner (PWC) in feedback with an interconnect transmission line (TL) without the use of lossy lumped elements. The theoretical formulation proves that the distributed passive circuit is capable of generating the negative group delay (NGD) phenomenon. The synthesis relations enabling us to determine the circuit parameters in function of the desired NGD value are established. The innovative NGD circuit properties are elaborated. The NGD concept validation was verified with the design of fully distributed passive NGD cell built with a Wilkinson PWC in feedback with a lossy transmission line. The influence of the feedback line attenuation on the NGD function and S-parameters is discussed. A multiband NGD of about -0.7 ns was exhibited over the frequency band of about 0.12 GHz. This distributed NGD topology can be integrated and is useful for the microwave signal delay improvements.
Mechanical resonance suppression and disturbance rejection of 2-inertia system with observer-based feedback control

Mechanical resonance suppression and disturbance rejection are important research contents of steel rolling mill, machine tools and other transmission mechanism. At present, there are many researches on mechanical resonance suppression or disturbance rejection, but most of them are in the single side. Few papers study the resonance suppression and disturbance rejection simultaneously, not to mention the analysis of the contradiction of the two parts. Just for the contradiction of mechanical resonance suppression and disturbance rejection in the 2-inertia transmission system, a method of solving the problem is proposed in this paper based on the dual observer feedback control. In which fractional order disturbance observer(FO-DOB) is used to suppress the mechanical resonance, on the basis of this, the state observer is used to feedback the load torque and the speed difference of load and driving side, which can further improve the anti-disturbance ability of the system. Simulation verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Lower Heart Rate Variability Associated With Military Sexual Trauma Rape and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Low heart rate variability (HRV) can occur with psychological disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this study was to examine the association between PTSD by trauma type and decreased HRV measures in female veterans with cardiac symptoms. This secondary analysis utilized data from a previous study of female veterans (n = 125) examined for cardiac symptoms by Holter and electrocardiogram recordings at a Veterans Affairs medical center. The mean HRV measure from three 10-s data segments with spontaneous respirations was obtained for each subject. PTSD diagnosis and type of trauma exposure were collected from mental health consult notes. Chi-square was used for frequency of subject characteristics; independent t tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) compared means of HRV measures between trauma types. Statistical significance was set at p < . 05 a priori. By ANOVA, significantly lower log-transformed standard deviation of all normal sinus rhythm R-R intervals (SDNN) and log-transformed square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of differences between adjacent normal sinus rhythm R-R intervals (RMSSD) were found in the PTSD group with documented rape military sexual trauma (MST) compared to other groups including no PTSD, PTSD following MST with rape not specified, combat exposure, and nonmilitary-related trauma; lower HRV measures were not found with other PTSD types of trauma. This study suggests rape MST with concomitant PTSD may be a risk factor for decreased HRV in female veterans examined for cardiac symptoms.
B‐cell epitope KT‐12 of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7: a novel peptide vaccine candidate

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 is associated with hemorrhagic colitis, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, and hemolytic‐uremic syndrome in humans. B‐cell epitopes of intimin γ from EHEC O157:H7 were predicted and synthesized for evaluating their immunogenicity and protective effect and for screening a novel synthetic peptide vaccine. In the present study, five B‐cell epitopes of IntC300 were predicted by Hopp‐Woods, Chou‐Fasman, Karplus‐Schulz, Emini, Jameson‐Wolf and Kolaskar‐Tongaonakar analysis. One of them, KT‐12 (KASITEIKADKT) was coupled with keyhole limpet hemocyanin, and used to immunize BALB/c mice three times by subcutaneous and intranasal injection. Mouse serum titers of IgG and IgA were assessed by indirect ELISA. Oral inoculation of EHEC O157:H7 resulted in infection and death of the mice. It was found that B‐cell epitopes are located within or near the peptide segments 658–669, 711–723, 824–833, 897–914, 919–931. Both subcutaneous and intranasal immunization induced higher concentrations of IgG antibodies, as detected by indirect ELISA, and nasal‐mucosal immunization induced the production of high concentrations of IgA antibodies. After infection with a lethal dose of EHEC O157:H7, the survival rate of mice that had received subcutaneous immunization was not significantly different from that of the control group (P > 0.05). On the other hand, mice that received intranasal immunization showed a better survival rate than the group that received subcutaneous immunization (P < 0.05). The synthesized antigenic peptide KT‐12 induced mice to produce higher concentrations of IgG and IgA after immunization, but only intranasal immunization of KT‐12 succeeded in protecting most mice from infection with EHEC O157:H7. This study suggests that the synthesized antigenic peptide KT‐12 is be a potential vaccine candidate against EHEC O157:H7.
A New Method to Account for Missing Data in Case-Parent Triad Studies

Background/Aims: The case-parent triad design is commonly used in genetic association studies. Generally, samples are drawn from an affected offspring, manifesting a phenotype of interest, as well as from the parents. The trio genotypes may be analyzed using a variety of available methods, but we focus on log-linear models because they test for genetic association and additionally estimate the relative risks of transmission. The models need to be modified to adjust for missing genotypes. Furthermore, instability in the parameter estimates can arise when certain kinds of genotype combinations do not appear in the dataset. Methods: In this paper, we kill two birds with one stone. We propose a new method to simultaneously account for missing genotype data and genotype combinations with zero counts. This method solves a zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) regression likelihood. The maximum likelihood estimates yield relative risks and the information matrix gives appropriate variance estimates for inference. A likelihood ratio test determines the significance of genetic association. Results: We compared the ZIP regression to previously proposed methods in both simulation studies and in a dataset that investigates the risk of orofacial clefts. The ZIP likelihood estimates regression coefficients with less bias than other methods when the minor allele frequency is small.
Team-based assessment of medical students in a clinical clerkship is feasible and acceptable

Background: This study describes the development, implementation and evaluation of a team-based, multi-source method of assessment in which students on a clinical clerkship were provided with feedback on their performance as observed by physicians, residents, nurses, peers, patients and administrators. Methods: The instrument was developed by reviewing existing assessment items and by obtaining input from assessors and students. Numerical data and written comments provided to students were collected, internal consistency was estimated and interviews and focus groups were used to determine acceptability to assessors and students. Results: A total of 1068 assessors completed 3501 forms for 127 students. Internal consistency estimates for each assessment form were acceptable (Cronbach's alpha 0.856–0.948). Each student received an average of 188 words of written feedback divided into an average of 26 ‘Areas of Excellence’ and 5 ‘Areas for Improvement’. Interviews revealed that the majority of students and assessors interviewed found the method acceptable. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that a team-based model of assessment based on the principles of multi-source feedback is a feasible and acceptable form of assessment for medical students learning in a clinical clerkship, and has some advantages over traditional preceptor-based assessment. Further studies will focus on the strengths and weaknesses of this novel assessment technique.
Role of reactive oxygen species and antioxidants in atopic dermatitis.

BACKGROUND In humans, oxidative stress is involved in many diseases such as atherosclerosis, Parkinson's disease, heart failure, myocardial infarction, Alzheimer's disease, Fragile X syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome. Atopic dermatitis (AD), also known as atopic eczema, is a non-contagious, relapsing inflammatory skin disease which is characterized by eczema and pruritus. The skin reacts abnormally to irritants, food and environmental allergens and it becomes very itchy, which leads to scratching, redness and flaky skin. Very little study has been done to find out the relationship between oxidative stress and Atopic dermatitis. AIM The aim of our work was to evaluate the status of oxidative stress in patients of Atopic dermatitis in comparison with healthy control subjects. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twenty five patients of known Atopic dermatitis and 25 normal healthy controls of same age group were included in the study. Estimations of oxidants like Malondialdehyde (MDA), enzymatic antioxidants like Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase, Glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and non-enzymatic antioxidants like reduced Glutathione (GSH), Vitamin A, Vitamin E and Vitamin C were done to assess the oxidative stress. RESULTS Atopic dermatitis patients were more prone to damage caused by Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) or Oxidants, than controls, which was evident from an increase of Malondialdehyde and a decrease of enzymatic and non enzymatic Antioxidants. CONCLUSION Antioxidants may possibly be beneficial in the treatment of Atopic dermatitis, which must be substantiated by further studies.
Nuevos registros de Charinus acosta (Quintero, 1983) en Cuba (Amblypygi: Charinidae)

Resumen: En la presente contribucion se registra la presencia del amblipigio Charinus acosta (Quintero, 1983) en varias localidades adicionales que incluyen las primeras citas para la occidental provincia de Artemisa (San Antonio de los Banos) y el oriental municipio de Moa (provincia Holguin). Los nuevos hallazgos de esta especie mejoran notablemente el conocimiento sobre su distribucion geografica, la cual puede ser abordada ahora desde un nuevo enfoque. Palabras clave: Amblypygi, Charinidae, Charinus, distribucion geografica, Cuba. New records of Charinus acosta (Quintero, 1983) in Cuba (Amblypygi: Charinidae)
Endoluminal negative-pressure therapy for preventing rectal anastomotic leaks: a pilot study in a pig model.

BACKGROUND Anastomotic leak after rectal resection carries substantial morbidity and mortality. A diverting ileostomy is beneficial for high-risk anastomoses, but its creation and reversal carry a surgical risk in addition to that of resection itself. We sought an alternative method for managing complications of rectal anastomosis. METHODS We developed an endoluminal negative-pressure technology with a diverting proximal sump, and hypothesized that it would close anastomotic disruptions in pigs. We performed rectal resections on pigs, with primary anastomoses and the creation of an anastomotic defect. In animals in the treatment group we inserted an endoluminal negative-pressure device and kept it at a low level of continuous suction for 5 d. No device was inserted in a control group of animals. After the 5-d period of treatment we evaluated the anastomoses in both the treatment and control groups of animals for leakage, using contrast enemas. Specimens of anastomosed rectum were evaluated histologically for mucosal integrity and for the location and density of inflammatory responses. RESULTS Fourteen pigs were assigned to either the treatment (n=10) or control (n=4) group. Of the pigs in the treatment group, 90% had complete closure of their rectal defect, as compared with 25% of the animals in the control group (χ(2) test, p=0.04). The animals in the treatment group had only minimal mucosal and serosal inflammation, whereas those in the control group had extensive mucosal damage with associated serositis. CONCLUSIONS Endoluminal negative-pressure therapy was well-tolerated and led to successful closure of 90% of the anastomic rectal defects in the treatment group of animals in the present study. Additional evaluation of this therapy is warranted.