Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Standardization of Spirometry 2019 Update. An Official American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society Technical Statement

Background: Spirometry is the most common pulmonary function test. It is widely used in the assessment of lung function to provide objective information used in the diagnosis of lung diseases and monitoring lung health. In 2005, the American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society jointly adopted technical standards for conducting spirometry. Improvements in instrumentation and computational capabilities, together with new research studies and enhanced quality assurance approaches, have led to the need to update the 2005 technical standards for spirometry to take full advantage of current technical capabilities. Methods: This spirometry technical standards document was developed by an international joint task force, appointed by the American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society, with expertise in conducting and analyzing pulmonary function tests, laboratory quality assurance, and developing international standards. A comprehensive review of published evidence was performed. A patient survey was developed to capture patients’ experiences. Results: Revisions to the 2005 technical standards for spirometry were made, including the addition of factors that were not previously considered. Evidence to support the revisions was cited when applicable. The experience and expertise of task force members were used to develop recommended best practices. Conclusions: Standards and consensus recommendations are presented for manufacturers, clinicians, operators, and researchers with the aims of increasing the accuracy, precision, and quality of spirometric measurements and improving the patient experience. A comprehensive guide to aid in the implementation of these standards was developed as an online supplement.
A mathematical optimization model for spatial adjustments of dose distributions in high dose-rate brachytherapy

High dose-rate brachytherapy is a modality of radiation therapy used for cancer treatment, in which the radiation source is placed within the body. The treatment goal is to give a high enough dose to the tumour while sparing nearby healthy tissue and organs (organs-at-risk). The most common criteria for evaluating dose distributions are dosimetric indices. For the tumour, such an index is the portion of the volume that receives at least a specified dose level (e.g. the prescription dose), while for organs-at-risk it is instead the portion of the volume that receives at most a specified dose level. Dosimetric indices are aggregate criteria and do not consider spatial properties of the dose distribution. Further, there are neither any established evaluation criteria for characterizing spatial properties, nor have such properties been studied in the context of mathematical optimization of brachytherapy. Spatial properties are however of clinical relevance and therefore dose plans are sometimes adjusted manually to improve them. We propose an optimization model for reducing the prevalence of contiguous volumes with a too high dose (hot spots) or a too low dose (cold spots) in a tentative dose plan. This model is independent of the process of constructing the tentative plan. We conduct computational experiments with tentative plans obtained both from optimization models and from clinical practice. The objective function considers pairs of dose points and each pair is given a distance-based penalty if the dose is either too high or too low at both dose points. Constraints are included to retain dosimetric indices at acceptable levels. Our model is designed to automate the manual adjustment step in the planning process. In the automatic adjustment step large-scale optimization models are solved. We show reductions of the volumes of the largest hot and cold spots, and the computing times are feasible in clinical practice.
Comparing the Pharmacokinetics of 2 Novel Intravenous Tramadol Dosing Regimens to Oral Tramadol: A Randomized 3‐Arm Crossover Study

Tramadol is a dual‐mechanism (opiate and monoamine reuptake inhibition) analgesic. Intravenous (IV) tramadol has been widely prescribed outside the United States. However, there have not been studies comparing the pharmacokinetics (PK) of IV dosing regimens to that of oral tramadol. In this phase 1, open‐label, single investigational center, 3‐treatment, 3‐period, multidose crossover study, we compared 2 novel IV dosing regimens (IV tramadol 75 mg and IV tramadol 50 mg) to oral tramadol 100 mg given every 6 hours (the highest approved oral dosage in the United States) Compared to the oral regimen, IV tramadol 50 mg administered at hours 0, 2, and 4 and every 4 hours thereafter reached initial tramadol peak serum concentration (Cmax) more rapidly, while resulting in similar overall steady‐state Cmax and area under the plasma concentration–time curve. IV tramadol 75 mg administered at hours 0, 3, and 6 and every 6 hours thereafter had higher Cmax and greater fluctuation in peak to trough tramadol concentration. The primary metabolite M1 (a potent μ agonist) had lower area under the plasma concentration–time curve and Cmax for both IV regimens than for the oral regimen. IV tramadol at both doses was well tolerated, with adverse event profiles consistent with the known pharmacological effects of tramadol. IV tramadol 50 mg is now in phase 3 development in patients with postsurgical pain.
Scene Representations Conveyed by Cortical Feedback to Early Visual Cortex Can Be Described by Line Drawings

Human behavior is dependent on the ability of neuronal circuits to predict the outside world. Neuronal circuits in early visual areas make these predictions based on internal models that are delivered via non-feedforward connections. Despite our extensive knowledge of the feedforward sensory features that drive cortical neurons, we have a limited grasp on the structure of the brain's internal models. Progress in neuroscience therefore depends on our ability to replicate the models that the brain creates internally. Here we record human fMRI data while presenting partially occluded visual scenes. Visual occlusion allows us to experimentally control sensory input to subregions of visual cortex while internal models continue to influence activity in these regions. Because the observed activity is dependent on internal models, but not on sensory input, we have the opportunity to map visual features conveyed by the brain's internal models. Our results show that activity related to internal models in early visual cortex are more related to scene-specific features than to categorical or depth features. We further demonstrate that behavioral line drawings provide a good description of internal model structure representing scene-specific features. These findings extend our understanding of internal models, showing that line drawings provide a window into our brains' internal models of vision. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We find that fMRI activity patterns corresponding to occluded visual information in early visual cortex fill in scene-specific features. Line drawings of the missing scene information correlate with our recorded activity patterns, and thus to internal models. Despite our extensive knowledge of the sensory features that drive cortical neurons, we have a limited grasp on the structure of our brains' internal models. These results therefore constitute an advance to the field of neuroscience by extending our knowledge about the models that our brains construct to efficiently represent and predict the world. Moreover, they link a behavioral measure to these internal models, which play an active role in many components of human behavior, including visual predictions, action planning, and decision making.
Targeting Bortezomib to Bone Increases Its Bone Anabolic Activity and Reduces Systemic Adverse Effects in Mice

Bortezomib (Btz) is a proteasome inhibitor approved by the FDA to treat multiple myeloma. It also increases bone volume by promoting osteoblast differentiation and inhibiting osteoclastogenesis in mice. However, Btz has severe systemic adverse effects, which would limit its use as a bone anabolic agent. Here, we designed and synthesized a bone‐targeted form of Btz by conjugating it to a bisphosphonate (BP) with no antiresorptive activity. We report that BP‐Btz inhibited osteoclast formation and bone resorption and stimulated osteoblast differentiation in vitro similar to Btz. In vivo, BP‐Btz increased bone volume more effectively than Btz in three mouse models: untreated wild‐type mice, mice with ovariectomy, and aged mice with tibial factures. Importantly, BP‐Btz had significantly less systemic side effects than Btz, including less thymic cell death, sympathetic nerve damage, and thrombocytopenia, and it improved survival rates in aged mice. Thus, BP‐Btz represents a novel anabolic agent to treat conditions, such as postmenopausal and age‐related bone loss. Bone targeting is an attractive approach to repurpose approved drugs to treat skeletal diseases. © 2019 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. © 2019 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Physical fitness in basketball players: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION Physical fitness is a performance factor that is characterized by its ability to be assessed using closed tests. Among the existing tests today, there are no data on which are the most optimal ones for the sport for which they are applied. Tests of a generic nature are widely used regardless of the sample of players or the sport to which is being referred as they allow to compare the performance among athletes. In spite of this, it is necessary to identify and develop specific tests of physical fitness for each sport. Thus, the main purpose of this review on physical fitness in basketball players was to identify and group the different tests described in the literature up until November 2018. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION A literature search was conducted in the different data base to systematically ascertain the most commonly used tests for assessing physical fitness in basketball players. A total of 40 articles were selected, after passing the selection and exclusion criteria. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS Finally, they were classified according to the tests assessed in each document. The capacities more frequently studied in literature are jump (N.=21) aerobic capacity (N.=17) and anaerobic capacity (N.=16). On the contrary, the least common evaluated capacities are speed and agility (N.=14). CONCLUSIONS The results and discussion showed that few specific tests are used to assess this quality in athletes. The analyzed bibliography reveals the lack of design and use of specific tests to highlight the qualities involved in the targeted sport.
Fusobacterium nucleatum facilitates ulcerative colitis through activating IL‐17F signaling to NF‐κB via the upregulation of CARD3 expression

Accumulating evidence links Fusobacterium nucleatum with ulcerative colitis (UC). The mechanism by which F. nucleatum promotes intestinal inflammation in UC remains poorly defined. Here, we first examined the abundance and impact of F. nucleatum on disease activity in UC tissues. Next, we isolated a strain of F. nucleatum from UC tissues and explored whether F. nucleatum aggravates the intestinal inflammatory response in vitro and in vivo. We also examined whether F. nucleatum infection involves the NF‐κB or IL‐17F signaling pathways. Our data showed that F. nucleatum was enriched in 51.78% of UC tissues and was correlated with the clinical course, clinical activity and refractory behavior of UC (p < 0.05). Furthermore, we demonstrated that F. nucleatum promoted intestinal epithelial damage and the expression of the inflammatory cytokines IL‐1β, Il‐6, IL‐17F and TNF‐α. Mechanistically, F. nucleatum targeted caspase activation and recruitment domain 3 (CARD3) through NOD2 to activate the IL‐17F/NF‐κB pathway in vivo and in vitro. Thus, F. nucleatum orchestrates a molecular network involving CARD3 and IL‐17F to control the UC process. Measuring and targeting F. nucleatum and its associated pathways will yield valuable insight into the prevention and treatment of UC. © 2019 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Theoretical and Experimental Reevaluation of Short-Circuited Rotor Windings in Induction Machines

Squirrel-cage induction machines (IMs) have been widely used in industrial motor drives, automotive and aerospace applications. This paper presents the theoretical and experimental studies of short-circuited rotor windings in squirrel-cage IMs from the new perspective of air-gap magnetic field modulation. The modulation behavior of the short-circuited rotor winding, i.e., the squirrel-cage winding, has been analyzed analytically. It is revealed that the closed cage winding is equivalent to a set of equally-spaced isolated loops with the bar resistance and leakage inductance scaled. The rotor resistance plays an important role in the operation of IMs in contrast to its close relative-brushless doubly-fed IMs. The space-time relations in squirrel-cage IMs are also derived from the modulated stator MMF, which can be used to minimize the overall simulation time of transient electromagnetic finite element analysis (FEA) of IMs for high-fidelity reduced-order model extraction and noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) analysis. An experimental setup has been developed for testings and validations.
Out with the old: New target templates impair the guidance of visual search by preexisting task goals.

Representations of known target features (attentional templates) guide attention toward target objects during visual search. Recent research has shown that templates for different target-defining attributes can be maintained simultaneously, but interactions between multiple templates have not yet been studied systematically. Here, we investigated the competition between long-term (sustained) and short-term (transient) search goals in tasks where participants searched for targets defined by 1 of 2 possible colors. One target color remained constant across blocks or runs of trials, while the other changed on every trial. Both colors were indicated at the start of each trial by cue displays. To assess the efficiency of target selection processes guided by sustained and transient color templates, RTs and N2pc components were measured in Experiment 1 for search displays that contained a target in the constant or variable color. Results revealed robust sustained-template costs. RTs were slower and N2pc components emerged later and were smaller for sustained-color as compared to transient-color target objects. Experiments 2 and 3 demonstrated that this cost emerged rapidly, within 2 trials after a new constant color template had been established. These findings suggest that the activation of a new top-down search goal impairs the ability of a preexisting template in working memory to guide attention toward target objects, reflecting a new type of retroactive interference in the control of visual search. These findings also have implications for our understanding of interactions between short-term task goals and longer-term attentional biases associated with the affective or motivational valence of objects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
PREOVULATORY CHANGES AND OVULATION IN CATTLE UNDERGOING SPONTANEOUS OR CLOPROSTENOL-INDUCED LUTEOLYSIS

The follicular population, diameter of the ovulatory and subordinate follicles, corpus luteum (CL) size, concentration of progesterone and estradiol-17p were studied following spontaneous or cloprostenol-induced luteolysis. A total of 14 heifers received cloprostenol treatment on Day 9-11 of the cycle to synchronize their estrus. Subsequently, they were divided into two groups, one group which was allowed to undergo spontaneous luteolysis and the other group in which estrus was induced from days 9 to 12. In the induced-group, transrectal ultrasonography were performed daily started two days prior to injection until the onset of estrus. In the spontaneous-group, ultrasonography was done daily from day 15 until the onset of estrus. In both groups scanning were performed every 4 h from the onset of estrus until ovulation was ascertained. Small (SF, 2-4 mm), medium (MF.5-9 mm ) and large (LF,>9mm) size follicles were recorded. The diameter of largest and subordinate follicles were measured and blood were drawn from jugular vein at approximately around scanning and the plasma were used for measurement of progesterone (P4) and estradiol-17p (E2) concentration. There was no different in term of number of SF, MF and LF (P>0.05) between the two groups. Similarly, no effect of side (left vs. right ovary) and CL position (ipsi- vs contralateral to the ovary) was found (P>0.05). However, it was demonstrated that mean number of ovulatory follicles was higher (PO.01) in the spontaneously ovulating group while the regressing-CL size was larger in the cloprostenol induced animals (P Key words : follicular development, ovulation, cloprostenol,cattle reproduction
The effect of food anticipation on cognitive function: An eye tracking study

By randomizing the order in which participants perform a cognitive test and a food choice task in a controlled experiment, we investigate whether cognitive capacity can be enhanced by the simple act of anticipating food intake. Our findings show that overweight and obese participants exhibit an anticipatory food reward effect, which helped enhance their mental resources and improve their performance in a cognitive test. However, we find no anticipation effect among normal weight participants. Furthermore, eye tracking data reveal that food temptation, in the form of visual attention and emotional arousal is higher for overweight and obese individuals when they are cognitively impaired.
Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Studies of Teaching Methods in Nursing Education, 1972–2017

Supplemental digital content is available in the text. Abstract Review of 145 experimental and quasi-experimental studies of teaching strategies in nursing education revealed that 52 percent were published outside the United States, 80 percent with undergraduate students. Seventy-seven percent assessed learning outcomes, and 80 percent had statistically significant findings. A surge in studies since 2010 showed no increase in methodological rigor. Two thirds had sample sizes less than 100, 77 percent were quasi-experimental, and 23 percent were one-group designs. Few authors published more than one experimental study of teaching methods. Findings underscore the need for more sophisticated methods and more funding for nursing education research.
Analysis of anesthesia-controlled operating room time after propofol-based total intravenous anesthesia compared with desflurane anesthesia in gynecologic laparoscopic surgery: A retrospective study

Background: Anesthesia technique may contribute to the improvement of operation room (OR) efficiency by reducing anesthesia-controlled time (ACT). We compared the difference between propofol-based total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) and desflurane (DES) anesthesia for gynecologic laparoscopic surgery undergoing general anesthesia. Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective study using data collected in our hospital to compare the ACT of gynecologic laparoscopic surgery using either TIVA via target-controlled infusion (TCI) with propofol/fentanyl or DES/fentanyl-based anesthesia between January 2010 and December 2011. The various time intervals (waiting for anesthesia, operation time, anesthesia time, emergence time, exit from OR after extubation, total OR time and postanesthesia care unit stay time) and the incidence of prolonged extubation (≥15 min) were compared between the two anesthetic techniques. Results: We included data from 926 patients, with 377 patients receiving TIVA and 549 patients receiving DES. The only significant difference is emergence time, TIVA was faster than the DES group (7.3 ± 3.3 min vs. 8.3 ± 3.1 min; P < 0.001). The factors of prolonged extubation are DES anesthesia, body mass index, surgical time, and anesthesia time. Conclusion: In our hospital, propofol-based TIVA by TCI provide faster emergence compared with DES anesthesia in gynecologic laparoscopic surgery.
Position Effects Influence Transvection in Drosophila melanogaster

Transvection is a form of gene regulation the depends on interactions between regulatory elements on separate chromosomes. In one form of transvection that is prevalent in Drosophila, an enhancer can act. Transvection is an epigenetic phenomenon wherein regulatory elements communicate between different chromosomes in trans, and is thereby dependent upon the three-dimensional organization of the genome. Transvection is best understood in Drosophila, where homologous chromosomes are closely paired in most somatic nuclei, although similar phenomena have been observed in other species. Previous data have supported that the Drosophila genome is generally permissive to enhancer action in trans, a form of transvection where an enhancer on one homolog activates gene expression from a promoter on a paired homolog. However, the capacity of different genomic positions to influence the quantitative output of transvection has yet to be addressed. To investigate this question, we employed a transgenic system that assesses and compares enhancer action in cis and in trans at defined chromosomal locations. Using the strong synthetic eye-specific enhancer GMR, we show that loci supporting strong cis-expression tend to support robust enhancer action in trans, whereas locations with weaker cis-expression show reduced transvection in a fluorescent reporter assay. Our subsequent analysis is consistent with a model wherein the chromatin state of the transgenic insertion site is a primary determinant of the degree to which enhancer action in trans will be supported, whereas other factors such as locus-specific variation in somatic homolog pairing are of less importance in influencing position effects on transvection.