Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multi-Modal Registration for Image-Guided Ther -

Motivation: The development and refinement of medical imaging modalities, which aid in non-invasively studying the internal structures of the human body, is essential for complementing the human visual system. The future of minimally invasive therapy is highly dependent on our ability to precisely target and deliver therapy. To succeed, such therapy must have target-relative information. Conventionally, image-guided procedures undergo two separate steps a pre-operative imaging step in which the target site is identified, and an intra-operative step in which realtime or nearrealtime imaging is used to guide the procedure [1]. Pre-operative imaging is sufficient for image guided procedures in which organs are relatively immobile. However, a realtime, intra-operative imaging technique is necessary for image guidance in which organs shift with respect to time such as the pulsating heart and abdominal organs, which are constantly in motion due to respiration.
Increased Rab25 Expression is not Correlated With Peritoneal Metastasis of Ovarian Cancers

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death in gynecological cancer. Studies suggested Rab25 is involved in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancers. We here investigated the expression of Rab25 is in all ovarian cancers and whether the expression of Rab25 is associated with peritoneal metastasis. Fifty-nine ovarian cancer patients were included and the levels of Rab25 measured by immunohistochemistry. Our data showed Rab25 was highly expressed in all subtypes of epithelial ovarian cancers, and two subtypes of germ cell tumors, but not in sex cord stromal tumors. Furthermore, the Rab25 expression was not correlated with peritoneal metastasis of ovarian cancer.
Characterization of the impact of catheter-tissue contact force in lesion formation during cavo-tricuspid isthmus ablation in an experimental swine model.

AIMS Catheter-tissue contact is critical for effective lesion creation. The objective of this study was to determine in an experimental swine model the pathological effects of cavo-tricuspid isthmus ablation using two systems that provide reliable measures of the pressure at the catheter tip during radiofrequency ablation procedures. METHODS AND RESULTS We performed the procedure in eight pigs in our experimental electrophysiology laboratory after right femoral vein dissection and insertion of a 12 Fr. introducer during general anaesthesia and endotracheal intubation. The target contact force during the applications was <10 grs. (axial or lateral), 10-20, 20-30, and >30 grs. in two pigs each. The power was set at 40 W and maximum target temperature at 45°C. We performed a radiofrequency line dragging from the tricuspid valve to the inferior vena cava in the eight pigs. Euthanasia of the animals was carried out a week after the procedure and a pathological examination of the lesions was performed. In the endocardial macroscopic analysis the extent of lesions, presence of thrombus, transmurality, and endothelial rupture was assessed. External surface was examined searching for transmural lesions. The mean contact force applied was 18.7 ± 8.4 grs. and the mean depth of the lesions was 3.6 ± 2 mm. Lesions were never transmural with average forces <10 grs. , and the mean depth was very low (0.75 mm). To achieve transmural lesions contact forces of at least 20 grs. were required. We found a positive correlation (r = 0.85, P < 0.05) between the average force during the applications and depth of the lesions. CONCLUSION When ablating the cavo-tricuspid isthmus in a swine model, contact forces of at least 20 grs. are required to achieve transmural lesions. Catheter-tissue contact is critical for effective lesion creation. This information is important for improving ablation efficacy.
Antisense inhibition of cyclin D1 in human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE To study the role of cyclin D1 in regulating the biological behavior of head and neck cancer. DESIGN Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) cells were stably transfected with an antisense cyclin D1 using lipofectin-mediated transfection. In vitro growth assays, cell cycle analyses, cytotoxicity assays, and in vivo tumorigenicity assays were performed. MATERIALS Human SCCHN cell lines TU138, TU167, TU177, TU182, MDA183, and MDA1386 and athymic nude mice were used for this study. RESULTS The antisense cyclin D1 transfected cells revealed decreased growth rates in vitro and decreased tumorigenicity in athymic nude mice. Furthermore, antisense cyclin D1 transfection enhanced the chemosensitivity against cisplatin. CONCLUSIONS These studies provided evidence that overexpression of cyclin D1 may play an important role in growth rates and biological behavior of human head and neck cancer. Additionally, expression of cyclin D1 may make human head and neck cancer cells resistant to platinum-based chemotherapeutic approaches. The ability to suppress the malignant phenotype by down-regulating cyclin D1 expression may provide a new gene therapy approach for patients with head and neck cancer.
ReviewMethods of quantitative analysis of the nitric oxide metabolites nitrite and nitrate in human biological fluids

In human organism, the gaseous radical molecule nitric oxide (NO) is produced in various cells from l-arginine by the catalytic action of NO synthases (NOS). The metabolic fate of NO includes oxidation to nitrate by oxyhaemoglobin in red blood cells and autoxidation in haemoglobin-free media to nitrite. Nitrate and nitrite circulate in blood and are excreted in urine. The concentration of these NO metabolites in the circulation and in the urine can be used to measure NO synthesis in vivo under standardized low-nitrate diet. Circulating nitrite reflects consitutive endothelial NOS activity, whereas excretory nitrate indicates systemic NO production. Today, nitrite and nitrate can be measured in plasma, serum and urine of humans by various analytical methods based on different analytical principles, such as colorimetry, spectrophotometry, fluorescence, chemiluminescence, gas and liquid chromatography, electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. The aim of the present article is to give an overview of the most significant currently used quantitative methods of analysis of nitrite and nitrate in human biological fluids, namely plasma and urine. With minor exception, measurement of nitrite and nitrate by these methods requires method-dependent chemical conversion of these anions. Therefore, the underlying mechanisms and principles of these methods are also discussed. Despite the chemical simplicity of nitrite and nitrate, accurate and interference-free quantification of nitrite and nitrate in biological fluids as indicators of NO synthesis may be difficult. Thus, problems associated with dietary and laboratory ubiquity of these anions and other preanalytical and analytical factors are addressed. Eventually, the important issue of quality control, the use of commercially available assay kits, and the value of the mass spectrometry methodology in this area are outlined.
Accuracy of VO2(max) prediction equations in older adults.

PURPOSE We explored the accuracy and bias of prediction equations (ACSM and Foster) in older, deconditioned men and women. We also examined the predictors of VO2(max) to further understand which variables affect respiratory fitness in the elderly. METHODS One hundred seventy-one community dwelling, men (72.6 +/- 4.8 yr) and women (71.0 +/- 5.1 yr) screened in a clinical trial were retrospectively examined. VO2(max) was measured using a standardized protocol with gas exchange measured. Measured VO2 (max) values were compared with prediction equations via mean difference analyses, and bias was explored using Bland-Altman analyses. Regression analysis determined significant predictors of measured VO2 (max). Alpha was P<or= 0.05. RESULTS In men and women, Foster, 21.6 +/- 5.7 and 17.9 +/- 5.1 mL.kg (-1). min (-1), respectively, was not significantly different from measured VO2 (max), 21.7 +/- 4.8 and 17.3 +/- 4.0, respectively. ACSM overestimated VO2 (max) in men and women, 26.3 +/- 8.2 and 20.9 +/- 7.3, respectively. By using Bland-Altman plots, ACSM showed significant overestimation bias in more fit women (r = 0.29), whereas Foster showed no estimation bias in either gender. Significant predictors of VO2 (max) were gender, BMI, age, treadmill grade, and speed, with an equation R(2) of 0.70. A measure of current activity levels did not make it into the final model ( P= 0.0505) but is worthy of future consideration using more sensitive measures than ours. CONCLUSION ACSM is not appropriate for use when treadmill testing older adults. We believe the Foster equation's VO2 (max) prediction accuracy is acceptable, showing no bias along a continuum of aerobic capacity.
Morphometric, quantitative, and three‐dimensional analysis of the heart muscle fibers of old rats: Transmission electron microscopy and high‐resolution scanning electron microscopy methods

This research investigated the morphological, morphometric, and ultrastructural cardiomyocyte characteristics of male Wistar rats at 18 months of age. The animals were euthanized using an overdose of anesthesia (ketamine and xylazine, 150/10 mg/kg) and perfused transcardially, after which samples were collected for light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and high‐resolution scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that cardiomyocyte arrangement was disposed parallel between the mitochondria and the A‐, I‐, and H‐bands and their M‐ and Z‐lines from the sarcomere. The sarcomere junction areas had intercalated disks, a specific structure of heart muscle. The ultrastructural analysis revealed several mitochondria of various sizes and shapes intermingled between the blood capillaries and their endothelial cells; some red cells inside vessels are noted. The muscle cell sarcolemma could be observed associated with the described structures. The cardiomyocytes of old rats presented an average sarcomere length of 2.071 ± 0.09 μm, a mitochondrial volume density (Vv) of 0.3383, a mitochondrial average area of 0.537 ± 0.278 μm2, a mitochondrial average length of 1.024 ± 0.352 μm, an average mitochondrial cristae thickness of 0.038 ± 0.09 μm and a ratio of mitochondrial greater length/lesser length of 1.929 ± 0.965. Of the observed mitochondrial shapes, 23.4% were rounded, 45.3% were elongated, and 31.1% had irregular profiles. In this study, we analyzed the morphology and morphometry of cardiomyocytes in old rats, focusing on mitochondria. These data are important for researchers who focus the changes in cardiac tissue, especially changes owing to pathologies and drug administration that may or may not be correlated with aging. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Survival and Resuscitation of Ten Strains of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli under Acid Conditions

ABSTRACT The culturability of 10 strains of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli was studied after the bacteria were exposed to acid conditions for various periods of time. Campylobacter cells could not survive 2 h under acid conditions (formic acid at pH 4). The 10 Campylobacter strains could not be recovered, even when enrichment media were used. Viable cells, however, could be detected by a double-staining (5-cyano-2,3-ditolyl tetrazolium chloride [CTC]-4′,6′-diamidino-2-phenylindole [DAPI]) technique, demonstrating that the treated bacteria changed into a viable but nonculturable (VBNC) form; the number of VBNC forms decreased over time. Moreover, some VBNC forms of Campylobacter could be successfully resuscitated in specific-free-pathogen fertilized eggs via two routes, amniotic and yolk sac injecting.
Multi-Resource Scheduling with Consideration of Differential Services in Multi-Tenant Sharing

Current schedulers in the cloud computing platform are facing the performance requirement. However, due to lack of the theoretical and practical guidance on multi-resource scheduling, algorithms in the schedulers are neglecting the difference between resource demand vectors and resource demand flow, resulting into the large resource waste caused by fragmentation, with all tasks struggling with the same bottleneck resource. We refer the resource demand flow as the relationship between resource demand and time to build a more accurate task model from the perspective of resource consumption. Also, we present the offline sat scheduler, the reduction algorithm based on the sat solver, to give advice on the optimisation on scheduling order of the tasks with various resource demand flow. To make up for the time limit of the sat solver, we provide the price scheduler to optimise the resource utilisation, while promising a certain degree of fairness. The simulation shows that the performance of the sat scheduler beats YARN default scheduler by cutting 30% of the make span, profiting from SAT powerful calculating technique, and the price scheduler gets a shorter make span and higher utilization.
Physicochemical and Antioxidant Properties of Honeys from the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest of Bangladesh

This study evaluated the physicochemical, nutritional, antioxidant, and phenolic properties of ten honey samples from the Sundarbans mangrove forest, Bangladesh. The average pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solid, ash, moisture, hydroxymethyl furfural, titrable acidity, and absorbance were 4.3, 0.38 mS/cm, 187.5 ppm, 0.14%, 17.88%, 4.4 mg/kg, 37.7 meq/kg, and 483 mAU, respectively. In the honeys, the average contents of Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, and Na were 95.5, 0.19, 6.4, 302, 39.9, 3.4, and 597 ppm, respectively, whereas Cd, Cr, Pb, and Ni were not found. The average contents of total sugar, protein, lipid, vitamin C, polyphenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins in the honeys were 69.3%, 0.8%, 0.29%, 107.3 mg/kg, 757.2 mg gallic acid equivalent/kg, 43.1 mg chatechin equivalent/kg, and 5.4 mg/kg, respectively. The honeys had strong 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity, reducing power and total antioxidant capacity. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis of the honey fractions revealed the quantification of six polyphenols namely, (+)-catechin, (−)-epicatechin, p-caumeric acid, syringic acid, trans-cinnamic acid, and vanillic acid at 194.98, 330.34, 74.64, 218.97, 49.55, and 118.84 mg/kg, respectively. Therefore, the honeys in the Sundarbans are of excellent quality and a prospective source of polyphenols, and antioxidants.
Semiparametric inference in observational duration-response studies, with duration possibly right-censored

Once treatment is found to be effective in clinical studies, attention often focuses on optimum or efficacious treatment delivery. In treatment duration-response studies, the optimum treatment delivery refers to the treatment length that optimises the mean response. In many studies, the treatment length is often left to the discretion of an attending investigator or physician but may be abruptly terminated because of treatment-terminating events. Thus, a recommended treatment length often delineates a 'treatment duration policy' which prescribes that treatment be given for a specified length of time or until a treatment-terminating event occurs, whichever comes first. Estimating a functional relationship between the response and a treatment duration policy, continuously in time, is the focus of this paper. Copyright 2005, Oxford University Press.
Localized high abundance of Marine Group II archaea in the subtropical Pearl River Estuary: implications for their niche adaptation

Marine Group II archaea are widely distributed in global oceans and dominate the total archaeal community within the upper euphotic zone of temperate waters. However, factors controlling the distribution of MGII are poorly delineated and the physiology and ecological functions of these still-uncultured organisms remain elusive. In this study, we investigated the planktonic MGII associated with particles and in free-living forms in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) over a 10-month period. We detected high abundance of particle-associated MGII in PRE (up to ∼108 16S rRNA gene copies/l), which was around 10-fold higher than the free-living MGII in the same region, and an order of magnitude higher than previously reported in other marine environments. 10‰ salinity appeared to be a threshold value for these MGII because MGII abundance decreased sharply below it. Above 10‰ salinity, the abundance of MGII on the particles was positively correlated with phototrophs and MGII in the surface water was negatively correlated with irradiance. However, the abundances of those free-living MGII showed positive correlations with salinity and temperature, suggesting the different physiological characteristics between particle-attached and free-living MGIIs. A nearly completely assembled metagenome, MGIIa_P, was recovered using metagenome binning methods. Compared with the other two MGII genomes from surface ocean, MGIIa_P contained higher proportions of glycoside hydrolases, indicating the ability of MGIIa_P to hydrolyse glycosidic bonds in complex sugars in PRE. MGIIa_P is the first assembled MGII metagenome containing a catalase gene, which might be involved in scavenging reactive oxygen species generated by the abundant phototrophs in the eutrophic PRE. Our study presented the widespread and high abundance of MGII in the water columns of PRE, and characterized the determinant abiotic factors affecting their distribution. Their association with heterotrophs, preference for particles and resourceful metabolic traits indicate MGII might play a significant role in metabolising organic matters in the PRE and other temperate estuarine systems.
The benefits of hardware removal in patients with pain or discomfort after fracture healing of the ankle: a systematic review protocol

Introduction For any orthopaedic surgeon working with trauma; ankle fractures are one of the most common injuries treated. The treatment of ankle fractures can be conservative, using external fixation, but more commonly the fractures are treated with open reduction and internal fixation. Residual pain and discomfort are common in patients after surgical treatment of fractures of the ankle. Sometimes it is difficult to determine whether the pain or discomfort is due to the implants left in situ or the primary injury itself. In many cases, the decision is made to remove the implants. Extraction of internal fixation material from the ankle is a common procedure in many orthopaedic clinics. There are no evidence-based guidelines or consensus regarding the effect of hardware removal from the ankle. The aim of this protocol is to describe the method that will be used to collect, describe and analyse the current evidence regarding hardware removal after fracture healing of the ankle. Methods and analysis We will conduct a systematic review of studies that were published after 1967 regarding the benefits of hardware removal in patients with pain or discomfort after fracture healing of the ankle. Study selection will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. We will make a predefined search strategy and use it in several databases. We will include both randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCT studies. We will use descriptive statistics to summarise the studies collected. If more than one RCT is collected then a meta-analysis will be conducted. The quality of evidence will be assessed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation guidelines. Ethics and dissemination No ethics approval is required as no primary data will be collected. Once complete, the results will be made available by peer-reviewed publication. Trial registration number PROSPERO registration number CRD42016039186
Death Anxiety in Persons with HIV/AIDS: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

One of the most commonly cited psychological sequelae of HIV/AIDS is anxiety regarding death due to the illness (i.e., death anxiety; DA). However, extant research is inconclusive on several empirical issues, such as DA's relation to HIV/AIDS diagnostic status, the impact of illness-related symptoms on DA, and factors that may protect against DA. We conducted a systematic review of the empirical literature and meta-analysis to answer specific questions concerning correlates of DA in persons with HIV/AIDS and important factors that may help explain variability in effect size estimates. The meta-analysis included 18 studies (N = 1,757) examining DA in adults with HIV/AIDS. Meta-analytic findings indicated a small-to-medium effect of HIV/AIDS diagnostic status on DA, which was moderated by duration since diagnosis and by relation to the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy. Results also indicated a small effect of illness-related symptoms on DA, which was moderated by participant age. Social support and intrinsic religiosity were modest protective factors, but results indicated that extrinsic religiosity may exacerbate or be exacerbated by DA. Finally, results indicated a medium-to-large relation between psychological symptoms and DA. The implications of these results and other study findings are discussed.
Advances in the detection of prion protein in peripheral tissues of variant Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease patients using paraffin‐embedded tissue blotting

The accumulation of PrPSc, an abnormal and disease‐associated form of the normal prion protein (PrPc), within the central nervous system (CNS) is a key pathological feature of Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease (CJD). Following limited proteolytic digestion of PrPSc, the detection of PrPres within lymphoid tissues is a unique characteristic of variant CJD in comparison with other human prion diseases, raising fears of an increased risk of iatrogenic spread. Because levels of PrPres in lymphoid tissues are lower than those found in CNS tissue, there is concern that other peripheral tissues may harbour infectivity at levels that current detection systems cannot demonstrate PrPres. We have modified the paraffin‐embedded tissue blot (PET blot), a technique combining immunohistochemistry (IHC), histoblot and Western blotting, for the detection of PrPres in paraffin sections in peripheral tissues in variant CJD. Five cases of variant CJD were examined, using a panel of anti‐PrP antibodies. In each of these five cases, spleen, tonsil, lymph nodes and dorsal root ganglia showed an increase in the sensitivity and specificity of labelling using the PET blot when compared with optimized PrPres IHC methods. Control cases showed no evidence of PrP accumulation in either peripheral or CNS tissues. Autopsy and biopsy brain material from sporadic CJD cases also showed an increased sensitivity of PrPres detection with the PET blot, confirming its value as an important diagnostic and research tool in human prion diseases.