Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mixing Performance of a Cost-effective Split-and-Recombine 3D Micromixer Fabricated by Xurographic Method

This paper presents experimental and numerical investigations of a novel passive micromixer based on the lamination of fluid layers. Lamination-based mixers benefit from increasing the contact surface between two fluid phases by enhancing molecular diffusion to achieve a faster mixing. Novel three-dimensional split and recombine (SAR) structures are proposed to generate fluid laminations. Numerical simulations were conducted to model the mixer performance. Furthermore, experiments were conducted using dyes to observe fluid laminations and evaluate the proposed mixer’s characteristics. Mixing quality was experimentally obtained by means of image-based mixing index (MI) measurement. The multi-layer device was fabricated utilizing the Xurography method, which is a simple and low-cost method to fabricate 3D microfluidic devices. Mixing indexes of 96% and 90% were obtained at Reynolds numbers of 0.1 and 1, respectively. Moreover, the device had an MI value of 67% at a Reynolds number of 10 (flow rate of 116 µL/min for each inlet). The proposed micromixer, with its novel design and fabrication method, is expected to benefit a wide range of lab-on-a-chip applications, due to its high efficiency, low cost, high throughput and ease of fabrication.
RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF DENTAL MEASUREMENTS MADE ON DIGITAL AND STONE ORTHODONTIC MODELS

Introduction: A study model is a precise three dimensional replica of patient's dentition and plays an important role in treatment planning. Many digital multi-media applications have become available to the clinician and his or her staff to facilitate standard procedures in practice and management. The aim of this study is to evaluate reliability and validity of dental measurement made on digital and stone orthodontic models.
Prevalence and Clinical Aspects of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson's Disease: A Meta‐Analysis

Mild cognitive impairment associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) is a risk factor for the development of dementia. Despite the importance of early identification of mild cognitive impairment in PD, its prevalence and clinical correlates are still debated. The present meta‐analysis provides a robust estimate of prevalence rate of mild cognitive impairment in PD according to the Movement Disorder Society clinical criteria and to explore the differences between PD patients with and without mild cognitive impairment in demographic, clinical, and neuropsychiatric features. A systematic literature search was performed up to April 2019 using PsycInfo (PROQUEST), PubMed, and Scopus. From 4706 titles and abstracts, 41 studies were selected (n = 7053 patients). Pooled mild cognitive impairment prevalence was 40% on a total sample of 7053 PD patients (95% confidence interval = 36–44; Q = 490.14, P < 0.0001; I2 = 91.84%) with a higher frequency for the multiple domain subtype (31%; 95% confidence interval = 23–41, Q = 93.24; P < 0.0001; I2 = 92.49%). Meta‐regression analysis revealed that stage of PD moderate prevalence estimates of mild cognitive impairment (β = 2.80; P = 0.008). Mild cognitive impairment in PD was associated with older age, lower education, longer disease duration, higher levodopa equivalent daily dose, more severe motor symptoms, and postural instability/gait difficulty motor subtype, poorer quality of life, higher levels of apathy, and depression. The present meta‐analysis indicated that mild cognitive impairment in PD is a frequent cognitive status deserving to be early detected by means of standardized cognitive assessments in clinical practice. © 2019 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Corticosteroids as Adjunctive Therapy in the Treatment of Influenza: An Updated Cochrane Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES Corticosteroids may be beneficial in sepsis, but uncertainty remains over their effects in severe influenza. This systematic review updates the current evidence regarding corticosteroids in the treatment of influenza and examines the effect of dose on outcome. DATA SOURCES Electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, LILACS, CENTRAL, and Web of Science) and trial registries were searched to October 2018 for randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, and observational cohort studies reporting corticosteroid versus no corticosteroid treatment in individuals with influenza. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION Two researchers independently assessed studies for inclusion. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool (randomized controlled trials) or Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (observational studies). Where appropriate, we estimated the effect of corticosteroids by random-effects meta-analyses using the generic inverse variance method. Meta-regression analysis was used to assess the association of corticosteroid dose and mortality. DATA SYNTHESIS We identified 30 eligible studies, all observational apart from one randomized controlled trial. Twenty-one observational studies were included in the meta-analysis of mortality, which suggested an adverse association with corticosteroid therapy (odds ratio, 3.90; 95% CI, 2.31-6.60; 15 studies; adjusted hazard ratio, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.09-2.02; six studies). Risk of bias assessment was consistent with potential confounding by indication. Pooled analysis of seven studies showed increased odds of hospital-acquired infection in people treated with corticosteroids (unadjusted odds ratio, 2.74; 95% CI, 1.51-4.95). Meta-regression of the effect of dose on mortality did not reveal an association, but reported doses of corticosteroids in included studies were high (mostly > 40 mg methylprednisolone [or equivalent] per day). CONCLUSIONS Corticosteroid treatment in influenza is associated with increased mortality and hospital-acquired infection, but the evidence relates mainly to high corticosteroid doses and is of low quality with potential confounding by indication a major concern.
RHEMITT Score: Predicting the Risk of Rebleeding for Patients with Mid-Gastrointestinal Bleeding Submitted to Small Bowel Capsule Endoscopy

Introduction: Small bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE) is the gold standard for mid-gastrointestinal bleeding (MGIB). No score has been developed to predict the risk of small bowel rebleeding after SBCE. Objective: Creating a predictive small bowel rebleeding risk score for MGIB, after initial SBCE. Methods: Retrospective, single center study, including SBCEs for MGIB, from June 2006 to October 2016. The minimum follow-up was 12 months. Univariate analysis and a multivariable Cox regression model tested the association with rebleeding. Statistically significant variables were used to compute the score. The score’s accuracy was tested through a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. A classification tree identified risk groups. For internal validation, we performed a 5-fold cross validation. Results: We assessed 357 SBCEs for MGIB, of which 88 (24.6%) presented rebleeding during follow-up. Seven variables were used to compute a risk-predicting score – the RHEMITT score – namely, renal disease; heart failure; endoscopic capsule P1/P2 lesions; major bleeding; incomplete capsule; tobacco consumption; and endoscopic treatment. The score presented good accuracy toward the outcome (area under the curve ROC 0.842, 95% CI 0.757–0.927). We established 3 rebleeding risk groups: low (0–3 points); intermediate (4–10 points); and high (+11 points). Conclusion: A new MGIB score, named RHEMITT, accurately anticipates the individual risk of small bowel rebleeding after initial SBCE.
In Reply to the editor: Replacement of dropouts may bias result: comment on “The effect of green tea ointment on episiotomy pain and wound healing in primiparous women: A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled clinical trial”

We would like to express our gratitude to Golzarri‐Arroyo et al. (Golzarri‐Arroyo, Dickinson, & Allison, 2019) for their attention, accuracy and valuable suggestion about our published article (Shahrahmani, Kariman, Jannesari, et al., 2017). Although random allocation is used for the unbiased selection and grouping of subjects in experimental research, randomization does not necessarily cause a match between the intervention group and control group in terms of demographic characteristics (Altman & Dore, 1990). Given that group matching is no simple task, the random allocation of subjects to groups enhances the validity of the findings (Zhao & Berger, 2018). According to Table 1 in the published article (Shahrahmani et al., 2017), efforts were made to present the matched basic details of the participants, i.e. demographic and obstetric information, to reduce the concerns of the readers about the discrepancy between the groups. Furthermore, Table 2 suggests that the three groups are matched and insignificantly different in terms of the pre‐intervention pain and healing scores (REEDA scores). The sentence “it was raised to 33 per group in order to take account of a 20% potential attrition” appears to have caused ambiguity. The authors of the present study stipulate that, in the first step, the sample size was estimated at 27 in each group by considering α = 0.05, d = 0.64 and a test power of 0.9. Sampling began by increasing the sample size by 6 in each group considering a dropout rate of 20% compared to the number of participants in the published article. In other words, from the very beginning, random allocation was performed for groups of 33 to prevent the sample size from dropping to below the initial sample of 27 per group in case of a dropout. Moreover, the replacements were randomly selected using the Excel function RAND(). Failing to clarify this issue might have also confused the readers. In response to the letter of Golzarri‐Arroyo et al. (Golzarri‐Arroyo et al., 2019), and to allay the concerns of the readers about the presented results and complete them, the effect sizes of pain and healing were calculated on the fifth and tenth days in the three groups and presented in the table below. It is worth mentioning that the effect size actually refers to a statistical estimate of the effectiveness of the differences among the groups in terms of treatment factors (Sullivan & Feinn, 2012), which provides the therapist with useful information about the treatment effects (Cohen, 1988). As
Automaticity of Postural Control while Dual-tasking Revealed in Young and Older Adults

ABSTRACT Background: Postural control improvements in external focus and cognitive task conditions are thought to occur because directing attention away from postural control allows greater automaticity. We aimed to support this theory by using three dynamic measures of postural control that may reveal changes in the structure or composition of sway: the discrete wavelet transform, sample entropy, and rambling trembling analyses. Methods: We analyzed the center of pressure data from twenty-two healthy young adults (20.8 ± 2.82 years) and twenty healthy older adults (69.02 ± 3.47 years). Participants stood with feet together in five conditions: baseline standing, internal focus, external focus, easy cognitive task, and difficult cognitive task. Analyses of variance were used to examine the effect of condition and age on the three dynamic measures. Results: The wavelet transform revealed a shift toward greater contributions from higher frequency bands in cognitive task conditions, suggesting greater automaticity. Sample entropy was higher in cognitive task conditions, suggesting more complex sway and automatic control. The external focus and difficult cognitive tasks increased trembling in young adults, suggesting increased contributions from spinal reflex components. Conclusion: Results support the theory that stability improvements in cognitive task conditions were due to automaticity in young and older adults. They also suggest that tasks that are more difficult are better at promoting automaticity than tasks requiring less cognitive involvement.
Renal denervation: bleak past, brighter future.

Heradien et al . present a timely review of the history and future directions of renal denervation (RD) for the control of hypertension and the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) page 290. 1 In their review they outline the importance of sympathetic overactivity (or autonomic imbalance) in the pathogenesis of hypertension and in CVD in particular; the role of renal sympathetic overactivity; methods of interrupting renal sympathetic fibres; advances in catheters and techniques; results of initial and recent trials; prevention of cardiac arrhythmias; and future directions. This editorial will provide a perspective on the clinical role of RD. and ambulatory SBP of 140–170 mmHg with no concomitant antihypertensive therapy. In the first interim analysis at three months of 80 patients treated, a significant reduction in office systolic BP of –7.7 mmHg ( p = 0.0155) and diastolic BP of –4.9 mmHg ( p = 0.0077), ambulatory systolic BP of –5.0 mmHg ( p = 0.04) and 24-hour diastolic BP of –4.4 mmHg ( p = 0.0024) was documented, compared with sham treatment. RADIANCE HTN-SOLO was a similar study except that a balloon-based catheter (Paradise, Recor, CA, USA) ablated renal sympathetic nerves circumferentially using ultrasound energy. A similar magnitude of BP reduction to SPYRAL HTN-OFF was achieved compared to sham treatment. The SPYRAL HTN-ON, a prospective, randomised, double-blind, sham-controlled study, used the same BP criteria as for the SPYRAL-OFF study, but included moderate, uncontrolled
PRESSOR RESPONSES AND INTRAOCULAR PRESSURE CHANGES FOLLOWING INSERTION OF LARYNGEAL MASK AIRWAY: COMPARISON WITH TRACHEAL TUBE INSERTION.

SUMMARY In a prospective randomized study pressor responses and intraocular pressure changes following insertion of laryngeal mask airway and endotracheal tube were compared in two groups of twenty five patients each undergoing elective non-ophthalmic surgical procedures. In group I, laryngeal mask airway was used whereas in group II endotracheal tube was inserted. Baseline and pre-insertion values of heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and intraocular pressure were recorded and repeated at one, two and three minutes after insertion of laryngeal mask airway or endotracheal tube. Our results showed a significant increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressure as well as in intraocular pressure in endotracheal tube group as compared to laryngeal mask airway group (p<0.01). Heart rate showed an increase in both the groups but the difference was statistically insignificant. It was concluded from the study that the use of laryngeal mask airway might offer some advantages in patients where minimal changes in hemodynamics and intraocular pressure are desirable.
Utilisation of appropriately treated wastewater for some further beneficial purposes: a review of the disinfection method of treated wastewater using UV radiation technology

Abstract Due to world population growth, global climate change and the deteriorated quality of water, water supply struggles to keep up the clean water demand to meet human needs. Ultraviolet (UV) technology holds a great potential in advancing water and wastewater treatment to improve the efficiency of safe treatment. Over the last 20 years, the UV light disinfection industry has shown a tremendous growth. Therefore, reuse of wastewater contributes significantly to an efficient and sustainable water usage. Disinfection is a requirement for wastewater reuse due to the presence of a swarm of pathogens (e.g. bacteria, viruses, worms and protozoa) in secondary effluents. UV technology is widely favoured due to its environmentally friendly, chemical-free ability to provide high-log reductions of all known microorganisms, including chlorine-resistant strains such as Cryptosporidium. The UV disinfection process does not create disinfection by-products and unlike the chlorine UV disinfection process, it is not reliant on water temperature and pH. UV disinfection can eliminate the need to generate, handle, transport or store toxic/hazardous or corrosive chemicals and requires less space than other methods. As UV does not leave any residual effect that can be harmful to humans or aquatic life, it is safer for plant operators.
Self-expanding segmental radioactive metal stents for palliation of malignant esophageal strictures

Background Traditional metal stents are not always suitable for patients with circuitous malignant esophageal stricture. Purpose We aimed to report the safety and effectiveness of stent insertion using self-expanding segmental radioactive metal stent in the palliation of malignant esophageal stricture. Material and Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of 22 consecutive patients who underwent insertion of segmental radioactive metal stents from November 2016 to March 2019. Technical success, dysphagia score, and complications were analyzed. Kaplan–Meier analysis was used to analyze the survival time. Results The stenting procedure was successful in all 22 patients with no procedure-related deaths. Twenty-four segmental radioactive metal stents were successfully implanted. A total of 6 (27.3%) complications were found, mainly 5 (22.7%) stent migrations. The median follow-up period was 3.3 months. Stent removal was required in 4 (12.5%) patients due to complete stent migration. The mean dysphagia score decreased significantly after stent insertion (P<0.0001). During follow up, 13 patients survived with no obvious clinical symptom and nine patients died. The mean survival was 9.9 months. Conclusion The stenting procedure using self-expanding segmental radioactive metal stents is safe and effective in dysphagia palliation of malignant esophageal stricture.
Asymmetries in Global Perception Are Represented in Near- versus Far-Preferring Clusters in Human Visual Cortex

Human perception is more “global” when stimuli are viewed within the lower (rather than the upper) visual field. This phenomenon is typically considered as a 2-D phenomenon, likely due to differential neural processing within dorsal versus ventral cortical areas that represent lower versus upper visual fields, respectively. Here we test a novel hypothesis that this vertical asymmetry in global processing is a 3-D phenomenon associated with (1) higher ecological relevance of low-spatial frequency (SF) components in encoding near (compared with far) visual objects and (2) the fact that near objects are more frequently found in lower rather than upper visual fields. Using high-resolution fMRI, collected within an ultra-high-field (7 T) scanner, we found that the extent of vertical asymmetry in global visual processing in human subjects (n = 10) was correlated with the fMRI response evoked by disparity-varying stimuli in human cortical area V3A. We also found that near-preferring clusters in V3A, located within stereoselective cortical columns, responded more selectively than far-preferring clusters, to low-SF features. These findings support the hypothesis that vertical asymmetry in global processing is a 3-D (not a 2-D) phenomenon, associated with the function of the stereoselective columns within visual cortex, especially those located within visual area V3A. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Here we test and confirm a new hypothesis: fine-scale neural mechanisms underlying the vertical asymmetry in global visual processing. According to this hypothesis, the asymmetry in global visual processing is a 3-D (rather than a 2-D) phenomenon, reflected in the function of fine-scale cortical structures (clusters and columns) underlying depth perception. Our findings highlight the importance of considering these structures, as regions of interest, in clarifying the neural mechanisms underlying visual perception. The results also highlight the importance of statistics of natural scenes in shaping human visual perception.
The Importance of the Temporal Bone 3T MR Imaging in the Diagnosis of Menière's Disease.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to evaluate endolymphatic hydrops using the 3T temporal bone magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), performed according to the chosen protocol, and determine whether it could be applied as an objective diagnostic tool for Menière's disease. METHODS 105 participants diagnosed with probable (n = 50) and definite (n = 55) Menière's disease were included in this prospective study at Vilnius University Hospital, Santaros Clinics. Audiometry, vestibular function tests, videonystagmography, and computer posturography were performed before MRI. The 3T MRI with gadolinium contrast was performed to evaluate the endolymphatic hydrops. Imaging protocol consisted of 3D-FLAIR and 3D T2DRIVE sequences. Vestibular endolymphatic sac was interpreted as enlarged if occupied more than 50% of the vestibular area. RESULTS 78.1% of subjects had abnormal MRI findings other than hydrops, and it was more than 90% (50/55) of patients in the definite MD group (p < 0.001). Changes in caloric test were observed in 63.8% of subjects in general, and in 76.4% of patients with a definite Menière's disease. The side of the endolymphatic hydrops observed on MR imaging corresponded to the clinical diagnosis of the Menière's disease based on the results of audiometry (p < 0.001) and unilateral weakness (p < 0.001). Endolymphatic hydrops on MRI and directional preponderance in caloric test were two independent predictors of the definite Menière's disease. CONCLUSIONS Temporal bone 3T MRI with gadolinium contrast is clinically superior to confirm the diagnosis of Menière's disease. Grade II endolymphatic hydrops on MRI, directional preponderance, and unilateral weakness on caloric test were independent predictors for the definite Menière's disease.
DoseCal: a virtual calculator for dosage conversion between human and different animal species

Abstract Context The scientists as well as pharmacologists frequently convert the dose of drugs or extracts between human and different animal species. According to the literature, the extrapolation of the dose by simple conversion based only on body weight is not an accurate method. The miscalculation of dosage conversion may result in adverse effects due to overdose or reduced potency due to underdose. Aim To develop a conversion calculator with factual factor like K m factor. Method The virtual calculator was developed as a web-based application using hypertext pre-processor programming language. My SQL software was used to store the data related to DoseCal. Results Based on the K m factor, dose conversion calculator called DoseCal was developed. The DoseCal would provide the dosage for both per kg and actual weight of the animal taken for the experiment. Conclusion The DoseCal would assist scientists in the dosage conversion easily and accurately between species.