Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accelerating quantitative susceptibility imaging acquisition using compressed sensing

To evaluate the feasibility of compressed sensing (CS) for accelerating quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) acquisition in MR histology, control, demyelination, and remyelination mice were scanned using a modified 3D gradient echo (GRE) pulse sequence (allowing undersampling the k-space in two phase dimensions) at 9.4 T. Fully sampled and CS data at various acceleration factors (AF) (4.0–16.0) were acquired with high spatial resolution of 22.5 µm3 isotropic. For prospective scans, the local phase was reconstructed slice-by-slice using a nonlinear reconstruction algorithm with phase cycling, and the QSM was calculated using the iLSQR method. Susceptibility values of major white matter tracts at various CS AF were compared with the fully sampled data as ground truth. The reconstructed QSM preserved major information with negligible artifacts, even at CS AF of 8.0 and 16.0. The maximum variation of susceptibility value of control mice was 5.8% in the fimbria (FI) area with the acceleration factor of 16.0, compared to the ground truth. The maximum variation was 9.5% in corpus callosum (CC) area of the demyelination mouse brain with the acceleration factor of 8.0. The maximum variation was 8.2% in AC area of remyelination mouse brain with 16.0 acceleration factor. This preliminary study shows that CS can reduce the acquisition time of GRE MRI in MR histology without losing significant accuracy in quantitative susceptibility values.
Nonheparin anticoagulants for heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.

To the Editor: Kelton et al. (Feb. 21 issue)1 recommend fondaparinux for the management of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in patients with normal renal function because of its ease of use and familiarity, but it has another advantage as well: cost. At our institution, 10 days of treatment with fondaparinux at a dose of 7.5 mg per day costs $400. A 10-day infusion of argatroban costs approximately $7,440, plus an estimated $800 in laboratory costs and the indirect cost of pharmacist supervision, which in sum costs at least $7,840 more than fondaparinux. The costs of different treatment options are particularly relevant when data on comparative outcomes are limited. Ian Jenkins, M.D. Doug Humber, Pharm.D.
Is preoperative chronic kidney disease status associated with oncologic outcomes in upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma? A multicenter propensity score-matched analysis

Purpose The aim of this study was to determine the effect of preoperative chronic kidney disease (CKD) on the prognosis of patients with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) who had undergone radical nephroureterectomy (RNU). Results The median follow-up period was 31.1 months (interquartile range: 16.2-55.7 months). Among the study patients, 224 patients in the non-CKD group were selected via propensity score matching. The median recurrence-free, cancer-specific, and overall survival were significantly shorter for patients with preoperative CKD than for non-CKD patients (p = 0.001, p = 0.001, and p = 0.001, respectively). According to multivariable Cox regression analysis, preoperative CKD was related to worse recurrence-free (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.81, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.15-2.86, p = 0.011), cancer-specific (HR: 2.44, 95% CI: 1.44-4.14, p = 0.001), and overall survival (HR: 1.66, 95% CI: 1.15-2.40, p = 0.007). Methods A total of 566 patients who underwent RNU at 6 institutions from 2004 to 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Of these patients, 342 had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥ 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 (non-CKD group) and 224 patients had an eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m2 (CKD group). To adjust for potential baseline confounders, 224 patients in the non-CKD group were selected by propensity matching. Clinicopathological variables and survival rates were compared between the 2 groups. Conclusions Preoperative CKD appears to be an important independent prognostic factor for oncologic outcomes in patients with UTUC.
Toughening Nanoparticle Films via Polymer Infiltration and Confinement.

Disordered nanoparticle films have significant technological applications as coatings and membranes. Unfortunately, their use to date has been limited by poor mechanical properties, notably low fracture toughness, which often results in brittle failure and cracking. We demonstrate that the fracture toughness of TiO2 nanoparticle films can be increased by nearly an order of magnitude through infiltration of polystyrene into the film. The fracture properties of films with various polymer volume fractions were characterized via nanoindentation pillar-splitting tests. Significant toughening is observed even at low volume fractions of polymer, which allows the nanoparticle packing to be toughened while retaining porosity. Moreover, higher-molecular-weight polymers lead to greater toughening at low polymer volume fractions. The toughness enhancement observed in polymer-infiltrated nanoparticle films may be attributed to multiple factors, including an increase in the area and strength of interparticle contacts, deflection and blunting of cracks during failure, and confinement-induced polymer bridging of nanoparticles. Our findings demonstrate that polymer infiltration is a highly effective route for reinforcing nanoparticle packings while retaining porosity.
Challenges of differential placebo effects in contemporary medicine: The example of brain stimulation

'Differential placebo effects' is the concept that different types of placebos (e.g. inert pill versus sham device) may yield different magnitudes of placebo effects. This issue has been pushed into the spotlight by recent clinical trials of new technologies reporting unexpectedly large placebo effects from sham devices/procedures needed to maintain blinding integrity. In this Neurology Grand Rounds, we use transcranial magnetic stimulation as a model to explore the principles and implications of differential placebo effects. We highlight emerging research on the neurobiology of placebo effects and analyze fundamental questions of measuring efficacy in contemporary medicine. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Human rabies : evaluation of post-exposure prophylaxis prevalence in Ceará , Brazil , 2007-2015

Objective: to analyze the prevalence of inadequate human anti-rabies post-exposure prophylaxis in patients attacked by animals in the state of Ceará, Brazil, 2007-2015. Methods: this was a study of the prevalence of inadequate prophylaxis procedures, using data on reported cases of accidents involving animals potentially capable of transmitting rabies registered on the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN) from January 2007 to December 2015. Results: of the 231,694 reported cases, 95.8% were found to have inadequate procedures, especially in young people aged under 19 (37.6%), with no difference between the sexes (p=0.04); higher prevalence rate of inadequate procedures occurred with regard to exposure to bites (PR=1.03 – 95%CI 1.02;1.03), multiple injuries (PR=1.07 – 95%CI 1.06;1.07), accidents involving dead/missing animals (RP=1.05 – 95%CI 1.05;1.06), and vaccine treatments (RP=1.03 – 95%CI 1.02;1.03). Conclusion: high prevalence of inadequate procedures indicates the need for a better epidemiological evaluation of cases and compliance with the Human Rabies Prophylaxis Technical Standards, in order to ensure adequate anti-rabies prophylaxis procedures.
Hypertension and prolonged vasoconstrictor signaling in RGS2-deficient mice.

Signaling by hormones and neurotransmitters that activate G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) maintains blood pressure within the normal range despite large changes in cardiac output that can occur within seconds. This implies that blood pressure regulation requires precise kinetic control of GPCR signaling. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed mice deficient in RGS2, a GTPase-activating protein that greatly accelerates the deactivation rate of heterotrimeric G proteins in vitro. Both rgs2+/– and rgs2–/– mice exhibited a strong hypertensive phenotype, renovascular abnormalities, persistent constriction of the resistance vasculature, and prolonged response of the vasculature to vasoconstrictors in vivo. Analysis of P2Y receptor–mediated Ca2+ signaling in vascular smooth muscle cells in vitro indicated that loss of RGS2 increased agonist potency and efficacy and slowed the kinetics of signal termination. These results establish that abnormally prolonged signaling by G protein–coupled vasoconstrictor receptors can contribute to the onset of hypertension, and they suggest that genetic defects affecting the function or expression of RGS2 may be novel risk factors for development of hypertension in humans. Article Cardiology
Development and Validation of an Awareness Assessment Instrument of Safe Work for Laboratory Staff

Industrial developments made human to be exposed to chemical substances. Nowadays, use of chemical substances in our daily life is inevitable. Undoubtedly, use of chemical substances in many fields of life and economy has led to remarkable benefits, revolutionized the quality of life, caused individuals have been exposed to various chemical substances, especially in their workplaces [1]. The evidence and epidemiological studies show unsafe use of chemical substances has caused chemical accidents in the workplace and environmental catastrophes [2].
Dynamic Balance Measurement and Quantitative Assessment Using Wearable Plantar-Pressure Insoles in a Pose-Sensed Virtual Environment

The center of plantar pressure (COP) reflects the dynamic balance of subjects to a certain extent. In this study, wearable pressure insoles are designed, body pose measure is detected by the Kinect sensor, and a balance evaluation system is formulated. With the designed games for the interactive actions, the Kinect sensor reads the skeletal poses to judge whether the desired action is performed, and the pressure insoles simultaneously collect the plantar pressure data. The COP displacement and its speed are calculated to determine the body sway and the ability of balance control. Significant differences in the dispersion of the COP distribution of the 12 subjects have been obtained, indicating different balancing abilities of the examined subjects. A novel assessment process is also proposed in the paper, in which a correlation analysis is made between the de facto sit-to-stand (STS) test and the proposed method; the Pearson and Spearman correlations are also conducted, which reveal a significant positive correlation. Finally, four undergraduate volunteers with a right leg sports injury participate in the experiments. The experimental results show that the normal side and abnormal side have significantly different characters, suggesting that our method is effective and robust for balance measurements.
Comparing Vasoactive-Inotropic Score Reporting Strategies in the PICU Relative to Mortality Risk*

Objectives: High Vasoactive-Inotropic Scores have demonstrated association with poor outcomes in pediatric cardiac ICUs and are being calculated more frequently in studies of critically ill noncardiac patients. Available studies differ in their approach to assigning Vasoactive-Inotropic Scores, making direct comparisons difficult. The goal of this investigation is to compare multiple approaches to Vasoactive-Inotropic Score assignment to determine their strength of association with mortality in a general pediatric intensive care population. In doing so, we aim to help validate the use of the Vasoactive-Inotropic Score in noncardiac patients and to help inform future studies of the relative strength of available approaches in assigning this score. Design: Retrospective chart review. Setting: PICU at an academic freestanding children’s hospital. Patients: Two-thousand seven-hundred fifty-two consecutive patients admitted over a 17-month time period were screened for receiving inotrope or vasopressor therapies regardless of disease process. Four-hundred seventy-four patients met inclusion criteria. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: For each patient treated with continuous infusions of vasoactive medications, a Vasoactive-Inotropic Score was calculated (and then recalculated) every time they had a documented dose change. Multiple strategies were evaluated to generate receiver operating characteristic curves in relation to mortality. Area under the curve was greatest when evaluating the maximum Vasoactive-Inotropic Score (Max Any) during the initial treatment course (0.788) with an increasing relative risk as the score increased. The Vasoactive-Inotropic Score at 48 hours after treatment initiation had next highest area under the curve (0.736). Primary diagnosis categories were also analyzed, and area under the curve was greatest for the cardiovascular group (0.879). Conclusions: Increasing Vasoactive-Inotropic Scores for patients in the PICU are associated with mortality risk. The scoring strategy used can influence the strength of the association, as can the primary diagnosis category.
Diet and prey selection by snow leopards in the Nepalese Himalayas

Visual attractiveness and rarity often results in large carnivores being adopted as flagship species for stimulating conservation awareness. Their hunting behaviour and prey selection can affect the population dynamics of their prey, which in turn affects the population dynamics of these large carnivores. Therefore, our understanding of their trophic ecology and foraging strategies is important for predicting their population dynamics and consequently for developing effective conservation programs. Here we concentrate on an endangered species of carnivores, the snow leopard, in the Himalayas. Most previous studies on snow leopard diet lack information on prey availability and/or did not genetically check, whether the identification of snow leopard scats is correct, as their scats are similar to those of other carnivores. We studied the prey of snow leopard in three Himalayan regions in Nepal (Sagarmatha National Park (SNP), Lower Mustang (LM) and Upper Manang (UM) in the Annapurna Conservation Area, during winter and summer in 2014–2016. We collected 268 scats along 139.3 km linear transects, of which 122 were genetically confirmed to belong to snow leopard. Their diet was identified by comparing hairs in scats with our reference collection of the hairs of potential prey. We determined prey availability using 32–48 camera-traps and 4,567 trap nights. In the SNP, the most frequent prey in snow leopard faeces was the Himalayan tahr in both winter and summer. In LM and UM, its main prey was blue sheep in winter, but yak and goat in summer. In terms of relative biomass consumed, yak was the main prey everywhere in both seasons. Snow leopard preferred large prey and avoided small prey in summer but not in winter, with regional differences. It preferred domestic to wild prey only in winter, and in SNP. Unlike most other studies carried out in the same area, our study uses genetic methods for identifying the source of the scat. Studies solely based on visual identification of samples may be strongly biased. Diet studies based on frequency of occurrence of prey tend to overestimate the importance of small prey, which may be consumed more often, but contribute less energy than large prey. However, even assessments based on prey biomass are unlikely to be accurate as we do not know whether the actual size of the prey consumed corresponds to the average size used to calculate the biomass eaten. For example, large adults may be too difficult to catch and therefore mostly young animals are consumed, whose weight is much lower. We show that snow leopard consumes a diverse range of prey, which varies both regionally and seasonally. We conclude that in order to conserve snow leopards it is also necessary to conserve its main wild species of prey, which will reduce the incidence of losses of livestock.
Aggressiveness, violence, homicidality, homicide, and Lyme disease

Background No study has previously analyzed aggressiveness, homicide, and Lyme disease (LD). Materials and methods Retrospective LD chart reviews analyzed aggressiveness, compared 50 homicidal with 50 non-homicidal patients, and analyzed homicides. Results Most aggression with LD was impulsive, sometimes provoked by intrusive symptoms, sensory stimulation or frustration and was invariably bizarre and senseless. About 9.6% of LD patients were homicidal with the average diagnosis delay of 9 years. Postinfection findings associated with homicidality that separated from the non-homicidal group within the 95% confidence interval included suicidality, sudden abrupt mood swings, explosive anger, paranoia, anhedonia, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle, disinhibition, nightmares, depersonalization, intrusive aggressive images, dissociative episodes, derealization, intrusive sexual images, marital/family problems, legal problems, substance abuse, depression, panic disorder, memory impairments, neuropathy, cranial nerve symptoms, and decreased libido. Seven LD homicides included predatory aggression, poor impulse control, and psychosis. Some patients have selective hyperacusis to mouth sounds, which I propose may be the result of brain dysfunction causing a disinhibition of a primitive fear of oral predation. Conclusion LD and the immune, biochemical, neurotransmitter, and the neural circuit reactions to it can cause impairments associated with violence. Many LD patients have no aggressiveness tendencies or only mild degrees of low frustration tolerance and irritability and pose no danger; however, a lesser number experience explosive anger, a lesser number experience homicidal thoughts and impulses, and much lesser number commit homicides. Since such large numbers are affected by LD, this small percent can be highly significant. Much of the violence associated with LD can be avoided with better prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of LD.
Neural responses to natural and model-matched stimuli reveal distinct computations in primary and nonprimary auditory cortex

A central goal of sensory neuroscience is to construct models that can explain neural responses to complex, natural stimuli. As a consequence, sensory models are often tested by comparing neural responses to natural stimuli with model responses to those stimuli. One challenge is that distinct model features are often correlated across natural stimuli, and thus model features can predict neural responses even if they do not in fact drive them. Here we propose a simple alternative for testing a sensory model: we synthesize stimuli that yield the same model response as a natural stimulus, and test whether the natural and “model-matched” stimulus elicit the same neural response. We used this approach to test whether a common model of auditory cortex – in which spectrogram-like peripheral input is processed by linear spectrotemporal filters – can explain fMRI responses in humans to natural sounds. Prior studies have that shown that this model has good predictive power throughout auditory cortex, but this finding could reflect stimulus-driven correlations. We observed that fMRI voxel responses to natural and model-matched stimuli were nearly equivalent in primary auditory cortex, but that non-primary regions showed highly divergent responses to the two sound sets, suggesting that neurons in non-primary regions extract higher-order properties not made explicit by traditional models. This dissociation between primary and non-primary regions was not clear from model predictions due to the influence of stimulus-driven response correlations. Our methodology enables stronger tests of sensory models and could be broadly applied in other domains. Author Summary Modeling neural responses to natural stimuli is a core goal of sensory neuroscience. Here we propose a new approach for testing sensory models: we synthesize a “model-matched” stimulus that yields the same model response as a natural stimulus, and test whether it produces the same neural response. We used model-matching to test whether a standard model of auditory cortex can explain human cortical responses measured with fMRI. Model-matched stimuli produced nearly equivalent voxel responses in primary auditory cortex, but highly divergent responses in non-primary regions. This dissociation was not evident using more standard approaches for model testing, and suggests that non-primary regions compute higher-order stimulus properties not captured by traditional models. The methodology could be broadly applied in other domains.
Ravulizumab (ALXN1210) vs eculizumab in adult patients with PNH naive to complement inhibitors: the 301 study.

Ravulizumab (ALXN1210), a new complement C5 inhibitor, provides immediate, complete, and sustained C5 inhibition. This phase 3, open-label study assessed the noninferiority of ravulizumab to eculizumab in complement inhibitor-naive adults with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). Patients with lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) ≥1.5 times the upper limit of normal and at least 1 PNH symptom were randomized 1:1 to receive ravulizumab or eculizumab for 183 days (N = 246). Coprimary efficacy end points were proportion of patients remaining transfusion-free and LDH normalization. Secondary end points were percent change from baseline in LDH, change from baseline in Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT)-Fatigue score, proportion of patients with breakthrough hemolysis, stabilized hemoglobin, and change in serum free C5. Ravulizumab was noninferior to eculizumab for both coprimary and all key secondary end points (Pinf < .0001): transfusion avoidance (73.6% vs 66.1%; difference of 6.8% [95% confidence interval (CI), -4.66, 18.14]), LDH normalization (53.6% vs 49.4%; odds ratio, 1.19 [0.80, 1.77]), percent reduction in LDH (-76.8% vs -76.0%; difference [95% CI], -0.83% [-5.21, 3.56]), change in FACIT-Fatigue score (7.07 vs 6.40; difference [95% CI], 0.67 [-1.21, 2.55]), breakthrough hemolysis (4.0% vs 10.7%; difference [95% CI], -6.7% [-14.21, 0.18]), and stabilized hemoglobin (68.0% vs 64.5%; difference [95% CI], 2.9 [-8.80, 14.64]). The safety and tolerability of ravulizumab and eculizumab were similar; no meningococcal infections occurred. In conclusion, ravulizumab given every 8 weeks achieved noninferiority compared with eculizumab given every 2 weeks for all efficacy end points, with a similar safety profile. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials. gov as #NCT02946463.
Robust adaptive unscented Kalman filter and its application in initial alignment for body frame velocity aided strapdown inertial navigation system.

In the in-motion alignment of a strapdown inertial navigation system (SINS), the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) is usually used to solve non-linear problems. The measurement noise covariance R has a direct influence on the filtering results of the alignment of the SINS. The measurement noise is assumed to follow Gaussian distribution with a constant covariance R . However, these assumptions are often not realistic, neither the Gaussianity nor the constant covariance. This will degrade the performance of the UKF. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a novel adaptive robust UKF (NARUKF). In the NARUKF, a sliding window is used in estimating the covariance R in real-time. The NARUKF is divided into three main steps, the first step is to use the Mahalanobis distance algorithm to robustify the UKF. The second step is to use the projection statistics algorithm to reweight the abnormal stored innovations. Finally, the covariance R is adaptively estimated. The simulation and experimental results for the problem of the body frame velocity aided SINS in-motion alignment under heavier-tail distribution and/or outlier conditions demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method over the traditional ones.