Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Treatment of the inner ear through the middle ear: what have we learnt from the gentamicin approach?

We investigated the number of articles listed in MEDLINE every five years from 1976 regarding gentamicin therapy and endolymphatic sac surgery for the treatment of Menière's disease. Gentamicin therapy is now the most used therapeutic modality for the treatment of Menière's disease although the actual number of patients treated is unknown. It should be possible to optimize methods to deliver gentamicin for each patient, including drug amount, administration frequency, and the use of special devices such as microcatheters. Because commercially available gentamicin contains three major components, C1, C2 and C1a, the differences in vestibular and cochlear toxicity among the three components should be investigated to search for more selective vestibulotoxicity.
Etiología y sensibilidad a los antimicrobianos de los uropatógenos causantes de la infección urinaria baja adquirida en la comunidad. Estudio nacional multicéntrico

Introduccion El conocimiento de los patrones de sensibilidad a los antimicrobianos es fundamental para orientar el tratamiento empirico y elaborar guias de tratamiento. Se exponen los resultados de un estudio multicentrico que evalua la etiologia y sensibilidad de los principales uropatogenos adquiridos en la comunidad. Metodos Estudio prospectivo realizado entre marzo y julio de 2002, en 15 laboratorios de microbiologia localizados en nueve comunidades autonomas. El urocultivo, las identificaciones bacterianas y las pruebas de sensibilidad se efectuaron en cada laboratorio utilizando la metodologia convencional. Resultados Se obtuvieron 2.724 uropatogenos. El aislado con mayor frecuencia fue Escherichia coli (73%), seguido de Proteus spp. (7,4%), Klebsiella spp. (6,6%) y Enterococcus spp. (4,8%). La sensibilidad de E. coli fue del 97,9% para fosfomicina, del 95,8% para cefixima, del 94,3% para nitrofurantoina, del 90,8% para amoxicilina-acido clavulanico, y del 77,2% para ciprofloxacino. Las resistencias de E. coli a fluoroquinolonas fueron significativamente superiores en varones (28,9% frente a 19% en mujeres; p 32% en Andalucia, Aragon y Castilla y Leon frente a 9,2% en Galicia). Conclusiones E. coli fue el principal agente etiologico. Practicamente todos los aislados de E. coli fueron sensibles a fosfomicina, cefixima y nitrofurantoina. El porcentaje global de resistencia a fluoroquinolonas fue del 23%, aunque vario de manera significativa en funcion de ciertas variables. En Espana, antes de recomendar o instaurar un tratamiento empirico es necesario considerar esta informacion.
Environmental tobacco smoke and the risk of pancreatic cancer among non-smokers: a meta-analysis

Background Experimental studies have linked exposure to tobacco-specific nitrosamines with pancreatic carcinogenesis. A number of epidemiological studies have examined the association between environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and risk of pancreatic cancer but they have not yet been jointly summarised. Objectives To investigate the association between exposure to ETS and risk of pancreatic cancer by systematically reviewing and synthesising the available evidence. Methods We conducted a comprehensive literature search using MEDLINE and EMBASE and manual searching of the reference lists of the relevant research reports and review articles to identify full texts and abstracts published through October 2011. We used the random-effects model to pool summary relative risks (RR) comparing the highest category of exposure to ETS to people who had never been exposed. Results Exposure to ETS during childhood was not associated with risk of pancreatic cancer (three prospective and two retrospective studies; summary RR 1.12; 95% CI 0.89 to 1.43). In addition, no association was found with exposure to ETS during adulthood at home (five prospective and three retrospective studies; summary RR 1.23; 95% CI 0.86 to 1.77) or at work (one prospective and two retrospective studies; summary RR 0.94; 95% CI 0.67 to 1.33). Conclusions This meta-analysis does not provide evidence for an association between exposure to ETS and risk of pancreatic cancer.
Nightshift work and risk of ovarian cancer

Objectives Animal evidence suggests that circadian disruption may be associated with ovarian cancer, though very little epidemiological work has been done to assess this potential association. We evaluated the association between self-reported nightshift work, a known circadian disruptor, and ovarian cancer in a population-based case-control study. Methods The study included 1101 women with invasive epithelial ovarian cancer, 389 women with borderline epithelial ovarian tumours and 1832 controls and was conducted in western Washington state. Shift work data were collected as part of inperson interviews. Results Working the nightshift was associated with an increased risk of invasive (OR=1.24, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.49) and borderline (OR=1.48, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.90) tumours; however, we observed little evidence that risks increased with increasing cumulative duration of nightshift work, and risks were not elevated in the highest duration category (>7 nightshift work-years). Increased risks were restricted to women who were 50 years of age and older and to serous and mucinous histologies of invasive and borderline tumours. There was suggestive evidence of a decreased risk of ovarian cancer among women reporting a preference for activity during evenings rather than mornings. Conclusions We found evidence suggesting an association between shift work and ovarian cancer. This observation should be followed up in future studies incorporating detailed assessments of diurnal preference (ie, chronotype) in addition to detailed data on shift schedules.
Healthy worker survivor bias: implications of truncating follow-up at employment termination

Objectives The healthy worker survivor effect is a bias that occurs in occupational studies when less healthy workers are more likely to reduce their workplace exposures. When variables on the pathway from health status to exposure are measured, g-methods can avoid this bias. However, studies in which follow-up ends at employment termination have additional potential for selection bias. This paper examines the structure of the healthy worker survivor effect, compares results with and without censoring at employment termination, and addresses how to prevent bias when such censoring occurs. Methods G-estimation of structural accelerated failure time models was applied in the United Autoworkers—General Motors cohort study to examine relationships between metalworking fluid exposure and cause-specific mortality. Subjects were followed from hire through 1994, regardless of employment status. To answer the central question, g-estimation analysis was repeated after truncating at employment termination and censoring outcomes that occurred thereafter, with adjustment for censoring by inverse probability weighting. Results Using full follow-up time, HRs were estimated for all-cause mortality (1.09), ischaemic heart disease death (1.19), and death from any cancer (1.09), comparing 5 years of metalworking fluid exposure to no exposure. For all three outcomes, the HR estimates based on data censored at termination of employment were below 1 (respectively, 0.92, 0.97, 0.79). Conclusions In this application, g-estimation together with weighting did not prevent selection bias due to employment termination. However, the bias might be avoided in studies with measured health-related variables on the pathway from health status to employment termination.
Blockchain-Based Dynamic Key Management for Heterogeneous Intelligent Transportation Systems

As modern vehicle and communication technologies advanced apace, people begin to believe that the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) would be achievable in one decade. ITS introduces information technology to the transportation infrastructures and aims to improve road safety and traffic efficiency. However, security is still a main concern in vehicular communication systems (VCSs). This can be addressed through secured group broadcast. Therefore, secure key management schemes are considered as a critical technique for network security. In this paper, we propose a framework for providing secure key management within the heterogeneous network. The security managers (SMs) play a key role in the framework by capturing the vehicle departure information, encapsulating block to transport keys and then executing rekeying to vehicles within the same security domain. The first part of this framework is a novel network topology based on a decentralized blockchain structure. The blockchain concept is proposed to simplify the distributed key management in heterogeneous VCS domains. The second part of the framework uses the dynamic transaction collection period to further reduce the key transfer time during vehicles handover. Extensive simulations and analysis show the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed framework, in which the blockchain structure performs better in term of key transfer time than the structure with a central manager, while the dynamic scheme allows SMs to flexibly fit various traffic levels.
Tumor metabolism and blood flow changes by positron emission tomography: relation to survival in patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer.

PURPOSE Patients with locally advanced breast carcinoma (LABC) receive preoperative chemotherapy to provide early systemic treatment and assess in vivo tumor response. Serial positron emission tomography (PET) has been shown to predict pathologic response in this setting. We evaluated serial quantitative PET tumor blood flow (BF) and metabolism as in vivo measurements to predict patient outcome. PATIENTS AND METHODS Fifty-three women with primary LABC underwent dynamic [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and [(15)O]water PET scans before and at midpoint of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The FDG metabolic rate (MRFDG) and transport (FDG K(1)) parameters were calculated; BF was estimated from the [(15)O]water study. Associations between BF, MRFDG, FDG K(1), and standardized uptake value and disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated using the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS Patients with persistent or elevated BF and FDG K(1) from baseline to midtherapy had higher recurrence and mortality risks than patients with reductions. In multivariable analyses, BF and FDG K(1) changes remained independent prognosticators of DFS and OS. For example, in the association between BF and mortality, a patient with a 5% increase in tumor BF had a 67% higher mortality risk compared with a patient with a 5% decrease in tumor BF (hazard ratio = 1.67; 95% CI, 1.24 to 2.24; P < .001). CONCLUSION LABC patients with limited or no decline in BF and FDG K(1) experienced higher recurrence and mortality risks that were greater than the effects of clinical tumor characteristics. Tumor perfusion changes over the course of neoadjuvant chemotherapy measured directly by [(15)O]water or indirectly by dynamic FDG predict DFS and OS.
Copyright 2009 by Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Inc. All rights reserved. 10.1518/107118109X12524442635383

A survey was conducted to determine Americans’ and Koreans’ preferences in both general and specific aspects of smart home interface design. 210 Americans and 282 Koreans participated. The respondents preferred to interact with a smart home using a physical device (a computer, cell phone, or remote control) rather than through communication modalities such as speech or gesture. Though different, the layout organization preferences of the American and Korean respondents conflicted with those expected on the basis of an often cited distinction between Americans’ and Koreans’ preferences for functional vs. thematic structures, respectively. Based on the survey, the conclusion was reached that smart home interfaces should be adapted to the particular culture. General and culture-specific guidelines for smart home interface design are proposed.
Gene panel model predictive of outcome in men at high-risk of systemic progression and death from prostate cancer after radical retropubic prostatectomy.

PURPOSE In men who are at high-risk of prostate cancer, progression and death from cancer after radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP), limited prognostic information is provided by established prognostic features. The objective of this study was to develop a model predictive of outcome in this group of patients. METHODS Candidate genes were identified from microarray expression data from 102 laser capture microdissected prostate tissue samples. Candidates were overexpressed in tumor compared with normal prostate and more frequently in Gleason patterns 4 and 5 than in 3. A case control study of 157 high-risk patients, matched on Gleason score and stage with systemic progression or death of prostate cancer as the end point, was used to evaluate the expression of candidate genes and build a multivariate model. Tumor was collected from the highest Gleason score in paraffin-embedded blocks and the gene expression was quantified by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Validation of the final model was performed on a separate case-control study of 57 high-risk patients who underwent RRP. RESULTS A model incorporating gene expression of topoisomerase-2a, cadherin-10, the fusion status based on ERG, ETV1, and ETV4 expression, and the aneuploidy status resulted in a 0.81 area under the curve (AUC) in receiver operating characteristic statistical analysis for the identification of men with systemic progression and death from high grade prostate cancer. The AUC was 0.79 in the independent validation study. CONCLUSION The model can identify men with high-risk prostate cancer who may benefit from more intensive postoperative follow-up and adjuvant therapies.
An overview of human interactive robots for psychological enrichment

The market for industrial robots grew rapidly during the 1970s and 1980s, with a peak demand in 1991. However, due to the subsequent recession in the world economy, the market for industrial robots has been slow or stagnant over the last decade. The value of industrial robots has decreased in that term, even though they have undergone considerable technical advances. On the other hand, human interactive robots for psychological enrichment are a type of service robots that provide a service by interacting with humans while stimulating their minds. As opposed to industrial robots, accuracy or speed is not always of prime importance. Their function or purpose is not simply entertainment, but also to render assistance, to guide, to provide therapy, to educate, to enable communication, and so on. The market for human interactive robots designed for psychological enrichment is expected to grow rapidly and to become more widespread. This overview explains human-robot interactions in terms of the relationship between humans and robots, in terms of the duration of these interactions and in terms of design issues affecting human interactive robots for psychological enrichment. Then examples of cross-cultural differences in the subjective evaluation of human interactive robots are described.
Relationship of circulating tumor cells to tumor response, progression-free survival, and overall survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

PURPOSE As treatment options expand for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), a blood marker with a prognostic and predictive role could guide treatment. We tested the hypothesis that circulating tumor cells (CTCs) could predict clinical outcome in patients with mCRC. PATIENTS AND METHODS In a prospective multicenter study, CTCs were enumerated in the peripheral blood of 430 patients with mCRC at baseline and after starting first-, second-, or third-line therapy. CTCs were measured using an immunomagnetic separation technique. RESULTS Patients were stratified into unfavorable and favorable prognostic groups based on CTC levels of three or more or less than three CTCs/7.5 mL, respectively. Patients with unfavorable compared with favorable baseline CTCs had shorter median progression-free survival (PFS; 4.5 v 7.9 months; P = .0002) and overall survival (OS; 9.4 v 18.5 months; P < .0001). Differences persisted at 1 to 2, 3 to 5, 6 to 12, and 13 to 20 weeks after therapy. Conversion of baseline unfavorable CTCs to favorable at 3 to 5 weeks was associated with significantly longer PFS and OS compared with patients with unfavorable CTCs at both time points (PFS, 6.2 v 1.6 months; P = .02; OS, 11.0 v 3.7 months; P = .0002). Among nonprogressing patients, favorable compared with unfavorable CTCs within 1 month of imaging was associated with longer survival (18.8 v 7.1 months; P < .0001). Baseline and follow-up CTC levels remained strong predictors of PFS and OS after adjustment for clinically significant factors. CONCLUSION The number of CTCs before and during treatment is an independent predictor of PFS and OS in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. CTCs provide prognostic information in addition to that of imaging studies.
Mesoamerican nephropathy: geographical distribution and time trends of chronic kidney disease mortality between 1970 and 2012 in Costa Rica

Objectives Mesoamerican nephropathy is an epidemic of chronic kidney disease (CKD) unrelated to traditional causes, mostly observed in sugarcane workers. We analysed CKD mortality in Costa Rica to explore when and where the epidemic emerged, sex and age patterns, and relationship with altitude, climate and sugarcane production. Methods SMRs for CKD deaths (1970–2012) among population aged ≥20 were computed for 7 provinces and 81 counties over 4 time periods. Time trends were assessed with age-standardised mortality rates. We qualitatively examined relations between mortality and data on altitude, climate and sugarcane production. Results During 1970–2012, age-adjusted mortality rates in the Guanacaste province increased among men from 4.4 to 38.5 per 100 000 vs 3.6–8.4 in the rest of Costa Rica, and among women from 2.3 to 10.7 per 100 000 vs 2.6–5.0 in the rest of Costa Rica. A significant moderate excess mortality was observed among men in Guanacaste already in the mid-1970s, steeply increasing thereafter; a similar female excess mortality appeared a decade later, remaining stable. Male age-specific rates were high in Guanacaste for age categories ≥30, and since the late 1990s also for age range 20–29. The male spatiotemporal patterns roughly followed sugarcane expansion in hot, dry lowlands with manual harvesting. Conclusions Excess CKD mortality occurs primarily in Guanacaste lowlands and was already present 4 decades ago. The increasing rates among Guanacaste men in hot, dry lowland counties with sugarcane are consistent with an occupational component. Stable moderate increases among women, and among men in counties without sugarcane, suggest coexisting environmental risk factors.
An Overview of Power Analysis Attacks Against Field Programmable Gate Arrays

Since their introduction by Kocher in 1998, power analysis attacks have attracted significant attention within the cryptographic community. While early works in the field mainly threatened the security of smart cards and simple processors, several recent publications have shown the vulnerability of hardware implementations as well. In particular, field programmable gate arrays are attractive options for hardware implementation of encryption algorithms,but their security against power analysis is a serious concern, as we discuss in this paper. For this purpose, we present recent results of attacks attempted against standard encryption algorithms, provide a theoretical estimation of these attacks based on simple statistical parameters and evaluate the cost and security of different possible countermeasures.
Heart-type fatty acid-binding protein is a novel prognostic marker in patients with essential hypertension

Purpose: Heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP), a sensitive marker of myocardial damage, is a useful diagnostic and prognositic marker in patients with cardiovascular disease, not only acute coronary syndrome but also chronic heart failure. We investigated whether H-FABP is a useful prognostic marker in patients with hypertension (HT), a major risk factor of acute coronary syndrome and heart failure. Methods: We measured serum levels of H-FABP in 192 patients with essential HT without prior cerebro-cardiovascular disease (CCVD) and renal failure (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] < 30ml/min/1.73m2), and compared the prognostic value of H-FABP with clinical parameters including coronary risk factors, neurohumoral factors (plasma renin activity, plasma aldosterone, norepinephrine and B-type natriuretic peptide [BNP] concentrations) and echocardiographic findings. Results: Over a mean follow-up period of 55 months, 37 patients developed CCVD (15 heart failure, 3 acute coronary syndrome, 4 aortic dissection, 11 cerebral infarction, 2 cerebral hemorrhage, 1 transient ischemic attack and 1 arteriosclerosis obliterans). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the freedom from CCVD rate was significantly lower in patients with H-FABP > 3.6 ng/ml (median value) than in those with H-FABP ≤ 3.6ng/ml (hazard ratio p=0.001). On a Cox multivariate analysis including 6 variables (male gender, eGFR median value) that were significant predictors of CCVD by univariate analyses, H-FABP > 3.6 ng/ml (hazard ratio 2.37, p=0.03) and eGFR < 60ml/min/1.73m2 (hazard ratio 2.21, p=0.03) were independent predictors of future CCVD. Conclusion: H-FABP is a novel and useful marker for the prediction of future CCVD beyond conventional risk factors in patients with essential HT.
Pilot Study of an Educational Programme for Caregivers of People Ageing with Multiple Sclerosis

The purpose of this study was to examine the outcomes and participant-reported benefits of a multiple sclerosis (MS) caregiver education programme called ‘Meeting the Challenges of MS’. Nineteen caregivers were recruited to this community-based pilot study; 12 completed all sessions. Occupational therapists facilitated five 2-hour weekly sessions, addressing strategies to problem solve the physical and emotional challenges of caregiving. Questionnaires were administered before and after the programme to determine if changes were achieved in caregivers' self-efficacy, abilities to prepare for and manage caregiving challenges, and abilities to monitor and implement personal health-promoting strategies. Focus groups obtained participants' feedback on the programme. All study procedures were approved by the university ethics committee. The participants reported that they were more prepared for their caregiving role (p = 0.02), were able to reframe their experiences positively (p = 0.01) and sought more practical assistance (p = 0.02). Some tests performed poorly and need to be re-examined to determine their potential for use in future studies. Feedback from the participants emphasised the value of interacting with and learning from other caregivers to develop effective problem-solving strategies and obtain peer support. The research team concluded that efforts are needed to address recruitment challenges and improve outcome measures to move this work forward. The participant feedback suggests that these efforts are worth pursuing.