Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spectrum of thyroid disorders: A retrospective study at a medical college hospital

Background: The spectrum of thyroid disease varies from underactive thyroidism (hypo) to overactive (hyper) thyroidism. It is a common endocrine disease reported worldwide and leads to major consequences of the human body, if left untreated. Aim: The aim is to exhibit the spectrum of thyroid disorders based on age and sex during the period of study in the hospital. Settings and Design: This study was conducted in a teaching and medical college hospital in Kerala State during a time period of five years from April 2005 to March 2010. Materials and Methods: The medical records department follow the guidelines of World Health Organization-International Classification of Diseases (WHO-ICD)-10 for classification of diseases and collected data were analysed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software (SPSS) package. Statistical Analysis: ′Z′ test applied for finding out the comparison of proportions. Results: Out of 1088 thyroid cases, 152 (14%) were males and 936 (86%) were females. In males and females, the highest proportion of cases was reported in 40-60 years, which accounted for 58 cases (38.2%) and 386 cases (41.2%), respectively. The age group <20 years only shows significant difference between male and female (P = 0.02). The most commonly observed type of thyroid disorder is non-toxic multinodular goiter (E04.2), which is 528 (48.5%). In females, the most common type of thyroid disorder is non-toxic multi nodular goitre (E04.2) and in males it is hypothyroidism, unspecified (E03.9) is 45 29.6%. Conclusion: Public awareness regarding the thyroid disorder is important especially among the females and untreated thyroid disease can produce serious consequences to the health.
SLT-LoG: A vesicle segmentation method with automatic scale selection and local thresholding applied to TIRF microscopy

Accurately detecting cellular structures in fluorescence microscopy is of primary interest for further quantitative analysis such as counting, tracking or classification. We aim at segmenting vesicles in TIRF images. The optimal segmentation scale is automatically selected, relying on a multiscale feature detection stage, and the segmentation consists in thresholding the Laplacian of Gaussian of the intensity image. In contrast to other methods, the threshold is locally adapted, resulting in better detection rates for complex images. Our method is mostly on par with machine learning-based techniques, while offering lower computation time and requiring no prior training. It is very competitive with existing unsupervised detection algorithms.
Platelet secretion is crucial to prevent bleeding in the ischemic brain but not in the inflamed skin or lung in mice.

Platelets maintain hemostasis after injury, but also during inflammation. Recent studies have shown that platelets prevent inflammatory bleeding through (hem) immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif-dependent mechanisms irrespective of aggregation during skin and lung inflammation. Although the exact mechanisms underlying this process remain unknown, it was speculated that mediators released from platelet granules might be involved. Maintaining cerebral hemostasis during stroke treatment is of high clinical relevance because hemorrhage may aggravate the disease state and increase mortality. Although it was shown that platelets help maintain hemostasis in the ischemic brain, their exact contribution remains ill defined. Here we show that Unc13d-/- /Nbeal2-/- mice, which lack platelet α- and dense-granule secretion, show no signs of hemorrhage in models of skin or lung inflammation. In stark contrast, lack of platelet granule release resulted in impaired hemostasis in the ischemic brain after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion leading to increased intracranial hemorrhage and mortality. Our results reveal for the first time that platelet granule constituents are essential for maintenance of hemostasis during thrombo-inflammatory brain infarction but not experimental inflammation of the skin or lung, thereby uncovering vascular bed-specific differences in the prevention of inflammatory bleeding.
Robust rigid registration for non invasive Computer Assisted Orthopedic Surgery. Preliminary results

In order to automatically guide orthopedists during the interventions, computers need to localize and track bones to be operated. Localization may be done thanks to a calibrated ultrasound (US) probe for non invasive Computer Assisted Orthopedic Surgery (CAOS) instead of implanting trackers in the bone. In this approach, rigid registration is required for the transfer and update of the plan. In this paper, a new approach inspired by Robust Point Matching (RPM) [1] is proposed for rigid registration. It is able to handle outliers encountered when one dataset is a partial view of the other one or when the datasets locally overlap. The algorithm is tested on data acquired in the proximal part of femur phantoms by means of computed tomography (CT) and 3D US probe. The obtained results show that the proposed registration is robust to outliers and initial misalignment.
State of the Art Reviews: Relationship Between Diet/ Physical Activity and Health

Obesity and 4 of the leading causes of death—heart disease, cancer, stroke, and type 2 diabetes mellitus—are related to lifestyle. The combination of a healthy weight, prudent diet, and daily physical activity clearly plays a role in primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of these and other chronic diseases. Because nearly 65% of the adult population is overweight or obese, weight loss and maintenance are central to this review article. Improved lipid profiles, blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, and euglycemia are associated with weight loss or a normal body weight; thus, maintaining a healthy weight is a universal recommendation for health. The methods for improving lifestyle described in the section on obesity include assessing nutritional status and stages of change of the client, setting realistic goals, eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables with low-fat sources of dairy and protein, and achieving appropriate physical activity levels. The importance of physicians discussing weight with clients and vice versa is stressed. The common features of lifestyle-related diseases make them amenable to similar lifestyle interventions.
Loss of GM-CSF signalling in non-haematopoietic cells increases NSAID ileal injury

Background Administration of granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) relieves symptoms in Crohn's disease (CD). It has been reported that reduced GM-CSF bioactivity is associated with more aggressive ileal behaviour and that GM-CSF-null mice exhibit ileal barrier dysfunction and develop a transmural ileitis following exposure to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). STAT5 signalling is central to GM-CSF action. It was therefore hypothesised that GM-CSF signalling in non-haematopoietic cells is required for ileal homeostasis. Methods Bone marrow (BM) chimeras were generated by reconstituting irradiated GM-CSF receptor (gm-csfr) β chain or GM-CSF (gm-csf) deficient mice with wild type BM (WTBM→GMRKO and WTBM→GMKO). Intestinal barrier function and the response to NSAID-induced ileal injury were examined. Expression of gm-csf, gm-csfr or stat5 in Caco-2 and HT-29 intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) lines was knocked down and the effect of GM-CSF signalling on IEC survival and proliferation was determined. Results Elevated levels of GM-CSF autoantibodies in ileal CD were found to be associated with dysregulation of IEC survival and proliferation. GM-CSF receptor-deficient mice and WTBM→GMRKO chimeras exhibited ileal hyperpermeability. NSAID exposure induced a transmural ileitis in GM-CSF receptor-deficient mice and WTBM→GMRKO chimeras. Transplantation of wild type BM into GM-CSF-deficient mice prevented NSAID ileal injury and restored ileal barrier function. Ileal crypt IEC proliferation was reduced in WTBM→GMRKO chimeras, while STAT5 activation in ileal IEC following NSAID exposure was abrogated in WTBM→GMRKO chimeras. Following knock down of gm-csf, gm-csfr α or β chain or stat5a/b expression in Caco-2 cells, basal proliferation was suppressed. GM-CSF normalised proliferation of Caco-2 cells exposed to NSAID, which was blocked by stat5a/b RNA interference. Conclusions Loss of GM-CSF signalling in non-haematopoietic cells increases NSAID ileal injury; furthermore, GM-CSF signalling in non-haematopoietic cells regulates ileal epithelial homeostasis via the STAT5 pathway. The therapeutic use of GM-CSF may therefore be beneficial in chronic ileitis associated with CD.
Tissue Plasminogen Activator (t-PA) Is Not Present in Human Platelets

lution of the fibrin dot. t-PA is present in plasma and iindc~th~lia~l ce~~~, where it is synthesized (1). t-PA is rel~as~~l into the blood after stimuli such as deamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin (DDAVP) and adrenalin infusion, exercise, stress, and venous occlusion (2). Most of these are also able to induce the simultaneous release of von Willebrand factor (vWf). Patients with severe von Willebrand’s disease (vWd) (type III) do not show a rise c~f vWf and t-P~: aft~r DDAVP infusion nor do they exhibit an increase in f~rinolytic activity (3). This seems to suggest that synthesis and release of t-PA and vWf is strictly associated in endothelial cells. Furthermore, it was also demonstrated that the degree of t-PA ~. nd vWf r~;lease aft~r I~I3AVP infusion is strictly related tn glat~let v’t~Vf content (4). Therefore, we investigated the relation between t-PA and vWf by measuring platelet content.
The Effects of Contra-Lateral Leg Position on EMG Activities of Homonymous Muscle Groups During Unilateral Isokinetic Knee Flexion and Extension Exercise

The purpose of this study was to compare the position of the unexercised lower extremity and determine its effect on motor unit potentiation recorded by integrated electromyography (iEMG) of the quadriceps and hamstring muscle groups during contra-lateral isokinetic knee flexion and extension exercises. For Group 1 (n = 18) a significant difference in iEMG values from the quadriceps was found during knee extension exercise with the unexercised leg in 0 degrees of knee flexion (t = 4.311; df = 17; p < 0.0001). For Group 2 (n = 14) the iEMG values from the hamstring resulted in a significant difference during knee flexion exercise with more activity when the unexercised leg was positioned at 90 degrees of knee flexion (t = 3.193; df = 13; p < 0.007). The results were due to various neuromuscular factors and lend credence to the utilization of unilateral activity in rehabilitation settings.
Genetic analysis of cortical sulci in 1,009 adults

Specific genetic loci related to differences in brain anatomy have recently been discovered through efforts of the ENIGMA consortium and others. Yet different neuroanatomical traits may have different genetic determinants, and their discovery may offer a deeper understanding of genetic factors that shape the human brain. To investigate the degree of genetic contributions to variability in sulcal measures - the fissures within the brain's surface - 1009 healthy young adult Australian twins and siblings were imaged with high-resolution 4-tesla MRI. Length, mean depth, surface area and fold openings for 60 sulci were measured for both hemispheres. We calculated the heritability for each sulcal measure (average h2~0.3-0.4); genetic correlations determined if there was an overlapping genetic profile across hemispheres for the same trait, or if lateralized genetic influences were statistically distinguishable. In cases with no hemisphere-specific genetic influences, the heritability of the bilateral average was computed for greater stability.
Significance of Chin-Brow Vertical Angle in Correction of Kyphotic Deformity of Ankylosing Spondylitis Patients

Study Design. A prospective study. Objectives. To assess the significance of chin-brow vertical angle in planning and evaluating the correction of kyphotic deformity with ankylosis of the cervical spine in ankylosing spondylitis patients. Summary of Background Data. Accurate assessment and measurement of spinal kyphotic deformity is required when planning treatment and assessing its results. Methods. Thirty-four ankylosing spondylitis patients with cervical ankylosis who had undergone pedicle subtraction extension osteotomy for correction of kyphotic deformity were studied. Radiographic assessment for sagittal balance was performed by measuring thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, the distance between the vertical line on the anterosuperior point of T1 and that of S1, and sacral inclination. Chin-brow vertical angle was measured on the clinical photos of the patients. Clinical outcomes were assessed by a questionnaire. Results. The preoperative and postoperative chin-brow vertical angles were 35.5° and 1.8°, respectively. Final follow-up radiographs showed an increase in lumbar lordosis from 5.5° to 43.2° (an increase of 37.7°), and thoracic kyphosis remained stable from 50.4° to 50.2°. Sagittal imbalance significantly improved from 101.5 mm to 12.7 mm. The decreased chin-brow vertical angle correlated negatively with the correction angle. The patients with a chin-brow vertical angle of less than −10° had significantly low scores on horizontal gaze. Conclusions. Chin-brow vertical angle was an objective index for evaluating horizontal gaze. Based on the results of this study, measurement of chin-brow vertical angle is recommended for planning correction of kyphosis and accurate evaluation of treatment outcome.
A novel framework for groupwise registration of fMRI images based on common functional networks

Accurate registration plays a critical role in group-wise functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) image analysis, as spatial correspondence among different brain images is a prerequisite for inferring meaningful patterns. However, the problem is challenging and remains open, and more effort should be made to advance the state-of-the-art image registration methods for fMRI images. Inspired by the observation that common functional networks can be reconstructed from fMRI image across individuals, we propose a novel computational framework for simultaneous groupwise fMRI image registration by utilizing those common functional networks as references for spatial alignments. In this framework, firstly, individualized functional networks in each subject are inferred using Independent Component Analysis (ICA); secondly, congealing groupwise registration that takes entropy of stacked independent components (ICs) from all the subjects as objective function is applied to register individual functional maps for maximal matching. The proposed framework is evaluated by and applied to an Alzheimer's Disease (AD) fMRI dataset and shows reasonably good results.
Predictive model for survival in patients with AML/MDS receiving haploidentical stem cell transplantation.

To the editor: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is an effective consolidative strategy to decrease relapse for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and can cure ∼30% to 50% of patients with AML. [1][1],[2][2] It has been recognized that survival can vary widely after
The microbiota–gut–brain axis: learning from intestinal bacteria?

The intestinal microbiota is a diverse and dynamic ecosystem,1 which has developed a mutualistic relationship with its host and plays a crucial role in the development of the host's innate and adaptive immune responses.2 This ecosystem serves the host by protecting against pathogens, harvesting otherwise inaccessible nutrients, aiding in neutralisation of drugs and carcinogens, and affecting the metabolism of lipids.3 Gut bacteria modulate intestinal motility, barrier function and visceral perception.4 An interaction between the intestinal microbiota and the central nervous system (CNS) may seem difficult to conceive at first sight, but clinicians are well aware of the benefit of oral antibiotics and laxatives in the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy.5 Data accumulated from animal studies indicate that there is central sensing of gastrointestinal infections. For example, acute infection with Campylobacter jejuni results in anxiety-like behaviour and rapid activation of vagal pathways prior to onset of immune responses,6 while chronic Helicobacter pylori infection in mice leads to abnormal feeding behaviour and upregulation of tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) in the median eminence of the hypothalamus.7 Rapid and sustained gut–brain communication may confer a significant advantage to the host, as central activation in response to changes in commensals or pathogens would allow better control of gut function and immunity. How does the intestinal microbiota …
Older Veterans — Possible Forerunners of Migration: Migration Patterns of the Elderly Veteran Population Versus the General Elderly Population, 1960-1980

We provide a descriptive comparison of the interstate migration patterns between the general elderly population and the elderly veteran subpopulation for the migration periods 1955-60, 1965-70, and 1975-80. National surveys have shown that, in general, veterans have higher income levels than the general population. Given that high socioeconomic status is associated with long-distance migration, we hypothesize that veterans, as a group, are more mobile and move longer distances when compared with the general elderly population. Additionally, new destination sites are usually discovered by those who have relatively higher socioeconomic status. Thus, it may be that elderly veterans are the forerunners to new destinations.
Upper Extremity Exercise Training in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Many patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) report greater limitation for activities involving the upper extremities than the lower extremities. Exercise training has generally emphasized lower-extremity exercise. We designed and evaluated two simple, practical, and widely applicable upper-extremity training programs in 45 patients with COPD participating concurrently in a comprehensive, multidisciplinary pulmonary rehabilitation program. Patients were randomly assigned to one of the following three groups: (1) gravity-resistance (GR) upper-extremity training; (2) modified proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) upper-extremity training; or (3) no upper-extremity training (control). Patients were evaluated before and after at least six weeks of uninterrupted training. Twenty-eight patients completed the study. Compared to controls, both GR and PNF patients demonstrated improved performance on tests specific to the training performed (upper-extremity performance test, maximal level and endurance on isokinetic arm cycle). There were no significant changes on isotonic arm cycle, ventilatory muscle endurance, or simulated activities of daily-living tests. Ratings of perceived breathlessness and fatigue decreased significantly in all groups for several tests. We conclude that specific upper-extremity training may be beneficial in the rehabilitation of patients with COPD and warrants further investigation.
Anti-inflammatory capacity of selected lactobacilli in experimental colitis is driven by NOD2-mediated recognition of a specific peptidoglycan-derived muropeptide

Background and aims Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been linked to a loss of tolerance towards the resident microflora. Therapeutic use of probiotics is known to be strain specific, but precise mechanisms remain unclear. The role of NOD2 signalling and the protective effect of Lactobacillus peptidoglycan (PGN) and derived muropeptides in experimental colitis were evaluated. Methods The anti-inflammatory capacity of lactobacilli and derived bacterial compounds was evaluated using the 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) colitis model. The role of NOD2, MyD88 and interleukin 10 (IL-10) in this protection was studied using Nod2−/−, MyD88−/− and Il10-deficient mice, while induction of regulatory dendritic cells (DCs) was monitored through the expansion of CD103+ DCs in mesenteric lymph nodes or after adoptive transfer of bone marrow-derived DCs. The development of regulatory T cells was investigated by following the expansion of CD4+FoxP3+ cells. High-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry were used to analyse the PGN structural differences. Results The protective capacity of strain Lactobacillus salivarius Ls33 was correlated with a local IL-10 production and was abolished in Nod2-deficient mice. PGN purified from Ls33 rescued mice from colitis in an IL-10-dependent manner and favoured the development of CD103+ DCs and CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells. In vitro Ls33 PGN induced IL-10-producing DCs able to achieve in vivo protection after adoptive transfer in a NOD2-dependent way. This protection was also correlated with an upregulation of the indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase immunosuppressive pathway. The protective capacity was not obtained with PGN purified from a non-anti-inflammatory strain. Structural analysis of PGNs highlighted in Ls33 the presence of an additional muropeptide, M-tri-Lys. The synthesised ligand protected mice from colitis in a NOD2-dependent but MyD88-independent manner. Conclusions The results indicated that PGN and derived muropeptides are active compounds in probiotic functionality and might represent a useful therapeutic strategy in IBD.
Intra-genomic variation in G + C content and its implications for DNA stable isotope probing.

Combining deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA-based) stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) with high-throughput sequencing provides a powerful culture-independent means to link microbial metabolic function to genomic information and taxonomic identity. DNA buoyant density (BD) in isopycnic gradients is dependent on both isotope incorporation and G + C content. G + C content varies across a genome but is constrained at rrn operons; hence, the ability to resolve isotopically labelled DNA from unlabelled DNA in SIP may vary between small subunit-ribosomal nucleic acid (SSU rRNA) amplicon and shotgun-read sequencing applications. We tested this hypothesis by evaluating the G + C content of genomic DNA fragments that encompassed either an SSU rRNA template ('amplicon-fragments') or a shotgun read template ('shotgun-fragments'). We find that, contrary to expectations, the BD distribution of amplicon-fragments is non-normal and can be highly skewed. Furthermore, the BD distribution of amplicon-fragments can differ substantially from that of shotgun-fragments from the same genome. Our findings demonstrate the impact of G + C content on the downstream applications of DNA-SIP, which will aid in proper experimental design and the development of statistical tests to accurately identify sequences derived from isotopically labelled DNA.