Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analgesic and Neurotoxic Effects of Intrathecal Corticosteroids in Rats

BackgroundDespite the widespread use of epidurally administered corticosteroids in the treatment of sciatica and the failure of animal studies to demonstrate neurotoxicity from epidermally administered corticosteroids, controversy remains regarding the mechanism of action as well as the safety of this treatment. The goal of this study was to determine whether spinally administered corticosteroids have any analgesic effects, and whether repeated intrathecal administration causes any neuronal damage to the spinal cord. MethodsChronic lumbar intrathecal catheters were implanted in rats. Formalin testing was carried out 1 h after the Intrathecal administration of 400 μg methylprednisolone sodium succinate, 48 h after intrathecal administration of triamcinolone diacetate 250 μg, or 24 h after the last of a series of four Injections of triamcinolone diacetate 250 μg given at 5-day intervals. Histologic sections of multiple levels of spinal cord from the animals receiving repeat intrathecal steroid injections were compared to those from animals that received intrathecal saline at the same Intervals. ResultsThe animals receiving repeated intrathecal triamcinolone diacetate demonstrated mild, statistically significant reduction of pain behavior (hindlimb flinching) during the second but not the first phase of the formalin test when compared to controls. No analgesic effects were demonstrated after methylprednisolone sodium succinate or a single Injection of triamcinolone diacetate. Animals that received methylprednisolone sodium succinate demonstrated transient segmental allodynia. No behavioral or neurologic abnormalities were seen in any other group. Some histologic evidence neuronal damage (the presence of argyrophilic neurons was seen in the chronically implanted animals in areas of the cord adjacent to the spinal catheters, but there was no difference in incidence of these changes between the steroid and control groups. ConclusionsIntrathecal steroid injections have no analgesic effect and do not suppress spinal sensitization when administered acutely. After chronic administration, there is a mild effect on nociceptor-driven spinal sensitization (phase 2 of the formalin test), but no analgesic effect on an acute noxious stimulus (phase 1 of the formalin test). Repeated intrathecal administration of triamcinolone diacetate (0.8 mg/kg) is not associated with spinal neurotoxic effects during the time period studied.
Minimizing Hot Spot Temperature in Asymmetric Gradient Coil Design

Heating caused by gradient coils is a considerable concern in the operation of MRI scanners. Hot spots can occur in regions where the gradient coil windings are closely spaced. These problem areas are particularly common in the design of gradient coils with asymmetrically located target regions. In this paper, an extension of an existing coil design method is described, to enable the design of asymmetric gradient coils with reduced hot spot temperatures. An improved model is presented for predicting steady-state spatial temperature distributions for gradient coils. A great amount of flexibility is afforded by this model to consider a wide range of geometries and system material properties. A feature of the temperature distribution related to the temperature gradient is used in a relaxed fixed point iteration routine for successively altering coil windings to have a lower hot spot temperature. Results show that significant reductions in peak temperature are possible at little or no cost to coil performance when compared to minimum power coils of equivalent field error.
Plasma leptin concentrations are associated with bone mineral density and the presence of vertebral fractures in postmenopausal women

OBJECTIVE Although total fat body mass (FM) is considered to be one of the major determinants of bone mass, the mechanism by which FM and bone mass are positively correlated remains unclear. Leptin, the product of the obese (ob) gene, is secreted from adipocytes and its plasma levels are known to be positively correlated with %fat (FM divided by total body weight). There is recent evidence suggesting that leptin directly stimulates osteoblastic differentiation. Thus it is possible that the anabolic action of this hormone on bone may participate in the positive correlation between FM and bone mass. In this study, we analysed the relationships between either plasma leptin levels or %fat vs. bone mineral density (BMD) values as well as the presence of vertebral compression fractures, and evaluated whether or not plasma leptin levels were associated with BMD or bone fragility in a manner independent of FM.
Medical personnel's knowledge of and ability to use inhaling devices. Metered-dose inhalers, spacing chambers, and breath-actuated dry powder inhalers.

BACKGROUND Current treatment strategies for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) emphasize the inhalation route, yet patients often misuse metered-dose inhalers (MDI). To address this problem, patient education by medical personnel has been recommended and a variety of alternate inhaler devices have been developed. METHODS We surveyed medical personnel to assess their knowledge of and ability to use three widely used inhaler devices; MDI, MDI with a spacing chamber (Aerochamber, Trudell Medical, Canada), and a breath-actuated multidose dry powder inhaler (Turbuhaler, Astra Pharmacy, Inc., Conada). Thirty respiratory therapists (RT), 30 registered nurses (RN), and 30 medical house staff physicians (MD) were asked to demonstrate the use of each device using placebo inhalers and to answer 11 clinically relevant questions related to the use and maintenance of the tested devices. RESULTS The RT's percent mean knowledge score (67 +/- 5 percent) was significantly higher than those achieved by either the RNs (39 +/- 7 percent) or the MDs (48 +/- 7 percent) (for all p < 0.0001). Similarly, percent mean demonstration scores for each device were significantly higher for RTs than either RN or MD groups; for MDI, 97 +/- 3 percent versus 82 +/- 13 percent and 69 +/- 24 percent, respectively (p < 0.0001); for the Aerochamber, 98 +/- 2 percent versus 78 +/- 20 percent and 57 +/- 31 percent (p < 0.0001); and for the Turbuhaler, 60 +/- 30 percent versus 12 +/- 23 percent and 21 +/- 30 percent (p < 0.0001). Knowledge of and practical skills with the devices were roughly proportional to the length of time the device had been in clinical use, Turbuhaler demonstration scores being lower than either MDI or Aerochamber scores (p = 0.05 and p = 0.09, respectively). More RTs (77 percent) had received formal instruction on the use of devices at school than either RNs (30 percent) or MDS (43 percent) (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION We conclude that (1) many medical personnel responsible for monitoring and instructing patients in optimal inhaler use lack rudimentary skills with these devices, (2) nurses and physicians seldom receive formal training in the use of inhaling devices, and (3) newer inhaling devices designed to obviate problems of technique are at present less likely to be used well by medical personnel soon after their introduction.
EEG-based Intention Recognition from Spatio-Temporal Representations via Cascade and Parallel Convolutional Recurrent Neural Networks

Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) is a system empowering humans to communicate with or control the outside world with exclusively brain intentions. Electroencephalography (EEG) based BCIs are promising solutions due to their convenient and portable instruments. Motor imagery EEG (MI-EEG) is a kind of most widely focused EEG signals, which reveals a subjects movement intentions without actual actions. Despite the extensive research of MI-EEG in recent years, it is still challenging to interpret EEG signals effectively due to the massive noises in EEG signals (e.g., low signal noise ratio and incomplete EEG signals), and difficulties in capturing the inconspicuous relationships between EEG signals and certain brain activities. Most existing works either only consider EEG as chain-like sequences neglecting complex dependencies between adjacent signals or performing simple temporal averaging over EEG sequences. In this paper, we introduce both cascade and parallel convolutional recurrent neural network models for precisely identifying human intended movements by effectively learning compositional spatio-temporal representations of raw EEG streams. The proposed models grasp the spatial correlations between physically neighboring EEG signals by converting the chain like EEG sequences into a 2D mesh like hierarchy. An LSTM based recurrent network is able to extract the subtle temporal dependencies of EEG data streams. Extensive experiments on a large-scale MI-EEG dataset (108 subjects, 3,145,160 EEG records) have demonstrated that both models achieve high accuracy near 98.3% and outperform a set of baseline methods and most recent deep learning based EEG recognition models, yielding a significant accuracy increase of 18% in the cross-subject validation scenario.
Time-causal material modeling in the simulation of guided waves in circular viscoelastic waveguides

For the description of linear viscoelasticity, the fractional Zener model may be used. Based on the spectral decomposition of the elasticity matrix as proposed by Theocaris, we generalize the one-dimensional analysis of the material model into three dimensions and discuss appropriate simplifications to reduce the amount of unknowns for the material description. Then, a decomposition approach that considers the real valued frequency dependence of the viscoelastic moduli and the real valued frequency dependence of their attenuation separately is proposed. The Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method is used for the efficient computation of the phase velocity dispersion and the modal wave fields given a frequency dependent but real valued viscoelasticity matrix. Utilizing the modal expansion approach, the transmitting and receiving transducer are taken into account to compute the modal amplitudes. Combining these modal amplitudes, the phase velocity dispersion and re-introducing the viscoelastic attenuation results in a transfer function of the viscoelastic waveguide including excitation and receiving conditions. The performance of the proposed simulation model is shown by comparison to measurements taken on a polypropylene sample.
Inhibiting Fatty Acid Synthase for Chemoprevention of Chemically Induced Lung Tumors

Purpose: Fatty acid synthase (FAS) is overexpressed in lung cancer, and we have investigated the potential use of FAS inhibitors for chemoprevention of lung cancer. Experimental Design: Expression of FAS was evaluated in preinvasive human lung lesions (bronchial squamous dysplasia and atypical adenomatous hyperplasia) and in murine models of lung tumorigenesis [4-(methylnitrosamino)-I-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone–induced and urethane-induced lung tumors in A/J mice]. Then, the ability of pharmacologic inhibitors of FAS to prevent development of the murine tumors was investigated. Finally, the effect of the FAS inhibitor treatment of levels of phosphorylated Akt in the murine tumors was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Results: Immunohistochemical studies show that human bronchial dysplasia and atypical adenomatous hyperplasia express high levels of FAS compared with normal lung tissues, suggesting that FAS might be a target for intervention in lung carcinogenesis. FAS is also expressed at high levels in chemically induced murine lung tumors, and the numbers and sizes of those murine tumors are significantly reduced by treating carcinogen-exposed mice with pharmacologic inhibitors of FAS, C75 and C93. C93 treatment is associated with reduced levels of phosphorylated Akt in tumor tissues, suggesting that inhibition of this signal transduction pathway might be involved in the chemopreventative activity of this compound. Conclusions: We conclude that increased levels of FAS are common in human preinvasive neoplasia of the lung. Based on studies in mouse models, it seems that inhibiting FAS is an effective strategy in preventing and retarding growth of lung tumors that have high expression of this enzyme.
Epidemiology, public health burden, and treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain: a review.

OBJECTIVE The literature examining the epidemiology, quality of life burden, cost, and treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy pain (DPNP) in U.S. adults was reviewed. DESIGN A comprehensive computerized literature review of DPNP was conducted using MEDLINE and other databases, which were searched from 1995 through August 2004 using the Medical Subject Headings diabetic neuropathies and pain combined with relevant terms. A supplementary MEDLINE search of clinical trials of pharmacological treatments for DPNP was conducted through July 2005. RESULTS The search resulted in 321 articles. Several epidemiological studies assessed diabetic peripheral neuropathy among patients with diabetes and reported prevalence rates of 26-47%. No estimates of DPNP prevalence were reported, although one study (N = 2,405) reported that 26.8% of participants with diabetes experienced either pain or tingling. Randomized clinical trials have been conducted of several medications and classes of medication in patients with DPNP, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved two drugs for DPNP. Several published studies reported that DPNP impairs quality of life. Estimates of the costs of DPNP in the United States were limited. One study estimated average annual pain medication costs of $1,004 per DPNP patient. CONCLUSIONS This review of DPNP identifies gaps in the literature and highlights the need for further study. The establishment of a consistent definition and diagnostic code for DPNP would improve ability to collect data and understand the impact of DPNP on patients and the health care system. Well-designed, prospective studies are needed to better define the epidemiology and public health burden of DPNP.
Biochemical and developmental characterization of multiple forms of catalase in tobacco leaves.

Leaf extracts of both Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana sylvestris contain multiple forms of catalase (H(2)O(2):H(2)O(2) oxidoreductase, EC 1.11. 1.6) which are separable at different pH values by chromatofocusing columns. Marked changes in distribution of these catalases occur during seedling development and leaf maturation. The form of catalase eluting first (peak 1) was predominant during early seedling growth and present at all stages of development. Two more acidic forms (peaks 2 and 3) appeared later and comprised 29% of the total activity by 11 days postgermination. Mature leaves of N. tabacum contained peak 1 catalase, but peaks 2 and 3 represented 62% of the total activity. No interconversion of peaks 1, 2, and 3 was detected. The three forms of catalase differed in thermal stability with peak 1 > peak 2 >> peak 3. For N. sylvestris, t((1/2)) at 55 degrees C was 31.5 and 3.0 min for peaks 1 and 3, respectively, and for N. tabacum, t((1/2)) was 41.5 and 3.2 min, respectively. All forms of catalase in tobacco show peroxidatic (measured as ethanol to acetaldehyde conversion) as well as catalatic activities. However, for both Nicotiana species the ratio peroxidatic/catalatic activity is at least 30-fold higher in peak 3 than in peaks 1 and 2. Chromatofocusing of extracts from spinach leaves separated at least four peaks of catalase activity, one of which had a 10-fold higher ratio of peroxidatic/catalatic activity than the others. Short-term growth (5 days) of tobacco seedlings under atmospheric conditions suppressing photorespiration (1% CO(2)/21% O(2)) reduced total catalase activity and caused a decline in peak 1 catalase and a substantial increase in the activity of peaks 2 and 3 relative to air-grown seedlings at the same stage.
Testing ultrasonic pulsed Doppler instruments with a physiologic string phantom.

The spatial, temporal, and frequency resolution of conventional ultrasonic Doppler instruments and the time/space distortions in two‐dimensional color Doppler imaging systems can be measured using a pulsatile moving string target. The diameter of the string is small compared with the Doppler sample volume, the velocity (speed and direction), acceleration and timing of the string motions are precisely known with reference to the R wave timing mark, and the spatial location of the string is known. A loop of surgical thread or monofilament fishline running between pulleys is driven by a motor that provides constant string speeds from 0.05 to 150 cm/s and variable string speeds programmed to mimic arterial velocity waveforms from the carotid, aortic, and femoral arteries. Constant string speeds are used to evaluate the Doppler sensitivity, frequency processing, and sample volume size; pulsatile movement of the string provides a physiologic model to evaluate the temporal performance of conventional Doppler systems and the temporal and spatial performance of two‐dimensional color Doppler imaging scanners.
Rapid microwave growth of ZnO nanowires for low cost photovoltaics cells using reclaimed silicon substrates

Rapid, microwave-assisted, solution-based growth of ZnO nanowires has been applied for low cost anti-reflective coatings (ARCs) for Photovoltaics (PV) cells. The PV cells are fabricated using reclaimed silicon substrates. The ZnO nanowires were grown on textured silicon substrates, with 800 W microwave power for 2 minutes. A silicon nitride ARC layer was subsequently deposited on top of the ZnO nanowires layer. The rapid grown ZnO nanowires successfully enhanced the solar light capture properties by 1.72%, resulting in an increase of solar cell conversion efficiency of 1.76%.
The HLA-G cycle provides for both NK tolerance and immunity at the maternal–fetal interface

Significance Decidual natural killer cells (dNK), the largest population of leukocytes at the maternal–fetal interface, have low cytotoxicity. They are believed to play a role in facilitating invasion of fetal HLA-G+ extravillous trophoblasts (EVT) into maternal tissues, a process essential for establishment of healthy pregnancies. dNK are low-cytotoxic while nonetheless containing cytotoxic granules and functioning in immunity to viral infections, illustrated here with human cytomegalo virus (HCMV). Interaction of dNK with EVT leads to acquisition of HLA-G by dNK (trogocytosis), followed by a cycle of internalization, degradation, and reacquisition of HLA-G. Cytokine activation facilitates HLA-G degradation and coincides with increased cytotoxicity by dNK. Thus, the cycle provides both for NK tolerance and antiviral immune function of dNK. The interaction of noncytotoxic decidual natural killer cells (dNK) and extravillous trophoblasts (EVT) at the maternal–fetal interface was studied. Confocal microscopy revealed that many dNK interact with a single large EVT. Filamentous projections from EVT enriched in HLA-G were shown to contact dNK, and may represent the initial stage of synapse formation. As isolated, 2.5% of dNK contained surface HLA-G. However, surface HLA-G–negative dNK contained internalized HLA-G. Activation of dNK resulted in the disappearance of internalized HLA-G in parallel with restoration of cytotoxicity. Surface HLA-G was reacquired by incubation with EVT. This HLA-G cycle of trogocytosis, endocytosis, degradation, and finally reacquisition provides a transient and localized acquisition of new functional properties by dNK upon interaction with EVT. Interruption of the cycle by activation of dNK by cytokines and/or viral products serves to ensure the NK control of virus infection at the interface, and is illustrated here by the response of dNK to human cytomegalo virus (HCMV)-infected decidual stromal cells. Thus, the HLA-G cycle in dNK can provide both for NK tolerance and antiviral immunity.
How Checkpoint Inhibitors Are Changing the Treatment Paradigm in Solid Tumors: What Advanced Practitioners in Oncology Need to Know

The immune system plays an active role in controlling and eradicating cancer. T cells, an essential component of the adaptive immune system, have a number of surface receptors (called "checkpoints") that can help either to sustain activation or suppress T-cell function. Many malignancies have developed ways to exploit these receptors to suppress T-cell function, enabling them to continue to grow. Anticancer immunotherapy in general, and checkpoint inhibitor therapy specifically, is a unique approach to cancer treatment that strives to harness the body’s own immune system to generate an adequate response against cancer cells. Several checkpoint inhibitors are approved for the treatment of metastatic melanoma, non–small cell lung cancer, and renal cell carcinoma. These and other agents in this class are being investigated for their safety and efficacy in a variety of solid and hematologic malignancies. Advanced practitioners (APs) play a critical role in caring for patients treated with checkpoint inhibitors. It is essential for APs to be aware of the mechanism of action of these agents, patterns of response seen with this type of therapy, and presentation of immune-related adverse events related to these agents to ensure timely and successful treatment. Rapid evaluation/diagnostics and treatment are essential for optimal management and prevention of end-organ disease, and treatment of immune-related adverse effects requires a multidisciplinary approach.
Use of food quotients to predict respiratory quotients for the doubly-labelled water method of measuring energy expenditure.

A method is proposed for estimating the respiratory quotients (RQ) required in the calculation of free-living energy expenditure measured by the doubly-labelled water technique in man. Worked examples show that, in most normal subjects, measured or predicted food quotients (FQ) can be used in place of RQs since energy balance is usually maintained over the 10-20-d periods of double-isotope measurements. Examples of observed FQs in the UK are: omnivorous adults, 0.845 +/- 0.013 (s.d.); vegetarians, vegans and Asian immigrants, 0.860-0.880; breast-fed infants, 0.835 rising to 0.870 as weaning progresses; bottle-fed infants, 0.840-0.880. Alcohol intakes in excess of 2-3 per cent of total energy lower the FQ value. In most communities in the developing world FQs are substantially higher (0.900-0.955) due to the low contribution of fat to overall energy intakes; but FQs decrease progressively as the diet becomes more westernized. In the UK the between- and within-subject coefficients of variation based on 4-d weighed intakes are only 1.5 and 0.7 per cent respectively. A single 4-d measurement of dietary composition can therefore be used to predict a subject's FQ. In subjects in energy imbalance (eg, during growth, illness or when dieting) errors in calculated energy expenditure will rarely exceed 3-5 per cent even if the imbalance is ignored; in practice anabolism or catabolism can be accounted for and the FQ adjusted when converting FQ to RQ. The error incurred due to the substitution of adjusted FQ for RQ in the doubly-labelled water method will usually be negligible and should never exceed +/- 2 per cent.