Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of chronic pain after traumatic brain injury: a systematic review.

CONTEXT The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that approximately 1.4 million US individuals sustain traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) per year. Previous reports suggest an association between TBI and chronic pain syndromes (eg, headache) thought to be more common in patients with mild TBI and in those who have sustained brain injury from violent rather than unintentional trauma. Comorbid psychiatric disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may also mediate chronic pain symptoms. OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence of chronic pain as an underdiagnosed consequence of TBI and to review the interaction between chronic pain and severity of TBI as well as the characteristics of pain after TBI among civilians and combatants. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION The Ovid/MEDLINE database was searched for articles published between 1951 and February 2008 using any combination of the terms brain injury, pain, headache, blast injury, and combat (combat disorders, war, military medicine, wounds and injuries, military personnel, veterans). The PubMed and MD Consult databases were searched in a similar fashion. The Cochrane Collaboration, National Institutes of Health Clinical Trials Database, Meta-Register of Current Controlled Trials, and CRISP databases were searched using the keyword brain injury. All articles in peer-reviewed journals reporting original data on pain syndromes in adult patients with TBI with regard to pain prevalence, pain category, risk factors, pathogenesis, and clinical course were selected, and manual searches were performed of their reference lists. The data were pooled and prevalence rates calculated. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS Twenty-three studies (15 cross-sectional, 5 prospective, and 3 retrospective) including 4206 patients were identified. Twelve studies assessed headache pain in 1670 patients. Of these, 966 complained of chronic headache, yielding a prevalence of 57.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 55.5%-60.2%). Among civilians, the prevalence of chronic pain was greater in patients with mild TBI (75.3% [95% CI, 72.7%-77.9%]) compared with moderate or severe TBI (32.1% [95% CI, 29.3%-34.9%]). Twenty studies including 3289 civilian patients with TBI yielded a chronic pain prevalence of 51.5% (95% CI, 49.8%-53.2%). Three studies assessed TBI among 917 veterans and yielded a pain prevalence of 43.1% (95% CI, 39.9%-46.3%). PTSD may mediate chronic pain, but brain injury appears to have an independent correlation with chronic pain. CONCLUSIONS Chronic pain is a common complication of TBI. It is independent of psychologic disorders such as PTSD and depression and is common even among patients with apparently minor injuries to the brain.
Ex Vivo Sentinel Node Mapping in Carcinoma of the Colon and Rectum

ObjectiveIncreasing evidence supports that the sentinel node (SN) is at greatest risk for harboring metastatic disease. This study describes a novel technique to identify the SN in colorectal carcinoma. MethodsWithin 30 minutes of resection, colorectal specimens were injected submucosally with isosulfan blue in four quadrants. Blue lymphatic channels were identified in the mesentery and followed to the blue-stained SN(s), which were then harvested. The specimen was fixed in formalin and subsequently analyzed in the usual fashion. Blue-stained nodes that were negative by hematoxylin and eosin staining were further analyzed by immunohistochemical staining. ResultsDuring a 6-month period, 26 patients with adenocarcinoma of the colon and/or rectum undergoing routine resection were studied. There were 18 men and 8 women ranging in age from 29 to 86 years (median 66). Blue-stained SNs were identified in 24 of 26 specimens. The mean number of SNs identified per patient was 2.8 ± 1.6. Seventy-three SNs were identified from a total of 479 lymph nodes harvested. The mean number of nodes identified per patient was 18.4 ± 7. A total of 67 lymph nodes in 12 patients were identified by hematoxylin and eosin staining to have evidence of metastatic disease. Fourteen (20%) of these nodes in six patients were stained blue. However, with immunohistochemical staining, only one blue node did not have evidence of metastatic tumor in a lymphatic basin with tumor present. Four patients (29%) whose lymphatic basins were negative by hematoxylin and eosin staining were upstaged by immunohistochemical staining of the SN. ConclusionsEx vivo mapping of the colon and rectum is technically feasible and may provide a useful approach to the ultrastaging of colorectal carcinoma.
Diffusion Maps for Signal Processing: A Deeper Look at Manifold-Learning Techniques Based on Kernels and Graphs

Signal processing methods have significantly changed over the last several decades. Traditional methods were usually based on parametric statistical inference and linear filters. These frameworks have helped to develop efficient algorithms that have often been suitable for implementation on digital signal processing (DSP) systems. Over the years, DSP systems have advanced rapidly, and their computational capabilities have been substantially increased. This development has enabled contemporary signal processing algorithms to incorporate more computations. Consequently, we have recently experienced a growing interaction between signal processing and machine-learning approaches, e.g., Bayesian networks, graphical models, and kernel-based methods, whose computational burden is usually high.
Core outcome measures for interventions to prevent or slow the progress of dementia for people living with mild to moderate dementia: Systematic review and consensus recommendations

BACKGROUND There are no disease-modifying treatments for dementia. There is also no consensus on disease modifying outcomes. We aimed to produce the first evidence-based consensus on core outcome measures for trials of disease modification in mild-to-moderate dementia. METHODS AND FINDINGS We defined disease-modification interventions as those aiming to change the underlying pathology. We systematically searched electronic databases and previous systematic reviews for published and ongoing trials of disease-modifying treatments in mild-to-moderate dementia. We included 149/22,918 of the references found; with 81 outcome measures from 125 trials. Trials involved participants with Alzheimer's disease (AD) alone (n = 111), or AD and mild cognitive impairment (n = 8) and three vascular dementia. We divided outcomes by the domain measured (cognition, activities of daily living, biological markers, neuropsychiatric symptoms, quality of life, global). We calculated the number of trials and of participants using each outcome. We detailed psychometric properties of each outcome. We sought the views of people living with dementia and family carers in three cities through Alzheimer's society focus groups. Attendees at a consensus conference (experts in dementia research, disease-modification and harmonisation measures) decided on the core set of outcomes using these results. Recommended core outcomes were cognition as the fundamental deficit in dementia and to indicate disease modification, serial structural MRIs. Cognition should be measured by Mini Mental State Examination or Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale. MRIs would be optional for patients. We also made recommendations for measuring important, but non-core domains which may not change despite disease modification. LIMITATIONS Most trials were about AD. Specific instruments may be superseded. We searched one database for psychometric properties. INTERPRETATION This is the first review to identify the 81 outcome measures the research community uses for disease-modifying trials in mild-to-moderate dementia. Our recommendations will facilitate designing, comparing and meta-analysing disease modification trials in mild-to-moderate dementia, increasing their value. TRIAL REGISTRATION PROSPERO no. CRD42015027346.
Fuzzy improved genetic k-means algorithm

Clustering is a significant technique in data mining. Many methods for increasing the ability of clustering large data have been presented, one appropriate technique is the k-means method which has been combined with Artificial intelligence methods like genetic algorithm and has created an optimal performance. In primary clustering algorithms the clustering result depends on the initial centers of the clusters. In the presentation of an optimized clustering technique, apart from considering the current issues of clustering, it has tried to find the optimized number of clusters in the clustering procedure. The proposed technique increases the performance and integration of the k-means genetic algorithm with the use of fuzzy methods.
How can one platelet injection after tendon injury lead to a stronger tendon after 4 weeks?: Interplay between early regeneration and mechanical stimulation

Background Mechanical stimulation improves the repair of ruptured tendons. Injection of a platelet concentrate (platelet-rich plasma, PRP) can also improve repair in several animal models. In a rat Achilles tendon transection model, 1 postoperative injection resulted in increased strength after 4 weeks. Considering the short half-lives of factors released by platelets, this very late effect calls for an explanation. Methods We studied the effects of platelets on Achilles tendon regenerates in rats 3, 5 and 14 days after transection. The tendons were either unloaded by Botulinum toxin A (Botox) injections into the calf muscles, or mechanically stimulated in activity cages. No Botox injections and ordinary cages, respectively, served as controls. Repair was evaluated by tensile testing. Results At 14 days, unloading (with Botox) abolished any effect of the platelets and reduced the mechanical properties of the repair tissue to less than half of normal. Thus, some mechanical stimulation is a prerequisite for the effect of platelets at 14 days. Without Botox, both activity and platelets increased repair independently of each other. However, at 3 and 5 days, platelets improved the mechanical properties in Botox-treated rats. Interpretation Platelets influence only the early phases of regeneration, but this allows mechanical stimulation to start driving neo-tendon development at an earlier time point, which kept it constantly ahead of the controls.
Viewpoint:: Today’s Professionalism: Engaging the Mind but Not the Heart

Professionalism is au courant in medicine today, but the movement to teach and evaluate professionalism presents a conundrum to medical educators. Its intent is laudable: to produce humanistic and virtuous physicians who will be better able to cope with and overcome the dehumanizing features of the health care system in the United States. However, its impact on medical education is likely to be small and misleading because current professionalism curricula focus on lists of rules and behaviors. While such curricula usually refer to virtues and personal qualities, these are peripheral because their impacts cannot be specifically assessed. The author argues that today’s culture of medicine is hostile to altruism, compassion, integrity, fidelity, self-effacement, and other traditional qualities. Hospital culture and the narratives that support it often embody a set of professional qualities that are diametrically opposed to virtues that are explicitly taught as constituting the “good” doctor. Young physicians experience internal conflict as they try to reconcile the explicit and covert curricula, and they often develop nonreflective professionalism. Additional courses on professionalism are unlikely to alter this process. Instead, the author proposes a more comprehensive approach to changing the culture of medical education to favor an approach he calls narrative-based professionalism and to address the tension between self-interest and altruism. This approach involves four specific catalysts: professionalism role-modeling, self-awareness, narrative competence, and community service.
Heavy chain of cytoplasmic dynein is a major component of the postsynaptic density fraction

A protein with an apparent molecular size of 490 kDa was found in the postsynaptic density (PSD) fraction isolated from porcine cerebral cortices and rat forebrains, and this 490 kDa protein accounted for ∼3% of the total protein of these samples. Matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization‐time of flight mass spectrometric and Western blotting analyses consistently indicated that this 490 kDa protein consisted primarily of the heavy chain of cytoplasmic dynein (cDHC). Immunocytochemical analyses showed that cDHC was found in 92% and 89% of the phalloidin‐positive protrusions that were themselves associated with discrete clusters of synaptophysin, a presynaptic terminal marker, and PSD‐95, a postsynaptic marker, on neuronal processes, respectively. Quantitative Western blotting analyses of various subcellular fractions isolated from porcine cerebral cortices and rat forebrains further showed that not only the heavy but also the intermediate chains of dynein are enriched in the PSD fraction. Cytoplasmic dynein is a microtubule‐associated motor protein complex that drives the movement of various cargos toward the minus ends of microtubules and plays many other diverse functions in the cell. Our results that cDHC is a major component of the PSD fraction, that both dynein heavy and intermediate chains are enriched in the PSD fraction and that cDHC is present in dendritic spines raise the possibilities that cytoplasmic dynein may play structural and functional roles in the postsynaptic terminal. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Sport Specialization, Part I

Context: There is increased growth in sports participation across the globe. Sports specialization patterns, which include year-round training, participation on multiple teams of the same sport, and focused participation in a single sport at a young age, are at high levels. The need for this type of early specialized training in young athletes is currently under debate. Evidence Acquisition: Nonsystematic review. Study Design: Clinical review. Level of Evidence: Level 4. Conclusion: Sports specialization is defined as year-round training (greater than 8 months per year), choosing a single main sport, and/or quitting all other sports to focus on 1 sport. Specialized training in young athletes has risks of injury and burnout, while the degree of specialization is positively correlated with increased serious overuse injury risk. Risk factors for injury in young athletes who specialize in a single sport include year-round single-sport training, participation in more competition, decreased age-appropriate play, and involvement in individual sports that require the early development of technical skills. Adults involved in instruction of youth sports may also put young athletes at risk for injury by encouraging increased intensity in organized practices and competition rather than self-directed unstructured free play. Strength-of-Recommendation Taxonomy (SORT): C.
Foreign accent recognition based on temporal information contained in lowpass-filtered speech

Can the foreign accent of a speaker be recognized based on suprasegmental temporal information? For a perception experiment we created stimuli based on German sentences read by six French and six English speakers. These foreign-accented sentences were manipulated by (1) applying a lowpass filter with a cutoff frequency of 300 Hz and (2) applying the same lowpass filter and monotonizing F0. In a between-subject 2AFC perception experiment we tested the accent recognition ability of 15 Swiss German listeners per signal manipulation condition. The results showed that speakers' native language could be recognized above chance in both conditions. However, listeners obtained significantly lower recognition scores in the monotonized condition. Furthermore, higher recognition scores were obtained for French-accented speech in the monotonized condition, a result that is discussed in light of research on speech rhythm. We further report an effect for speaker within each accent group. The results suggest that suprasegmental temporal information allows for foreign accent recognition to some degree.
Seroma Formation in Two Cohorts after Axillary Lymph Node Dissection in Breast Cancer Surgery: Does Timing of Drain Removal Matter?

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to compare short‐term versus long‐term axillary drainage in women treated for lymph node positive breast cancer. A comparative cohort study on differences between short‐term or long‐term axillary drainage was performed. Primary outcome measures were seroma formation demanding aspiration and wound related complications. Secondary outcome measures were type of operation (modified radical mastectomy (MRM) or wide local excision with axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) or completing ALND after positive sentinel node), length of hospital stay, and visits to the emergency department and outpatient clinic. The short‐term drainage group consisted of 37 patients, and the long‐term drainage group of 40 patients. Short‐term drainage was associated with a shorter hospital stay (1.7 versus 2.6 days, p = 0.01), but more visits to the emergency department (0.3 versus 0.1, p = 0.04) and outpatient clinic (3.6 versus 2.8, p = 0.03). Overall incidence of seroma formation was 40% and more frequently in the short‐term drainage group (p = 0.01). The highest incidence of seroma and largest aspirated volumes were found in patients with short‐term drainage and MRM. No difference in incidence of wound infection was found between both groups, and overall incidence of wound infection was 32%. Seroma formation itself was associated with a higher risk of wound infection (OR 4.39 95% CI 1.6–12.1). Short‐term axillary drainage does not lead to an increase in wound‐related problems, but is associated with a higher incidence of seroma. This seems especially the case in patients who underwent MRM. Therefore, we propose a differentiated policy: patients treated with MRM should be offered long‐term axillary drainage, whereas patients treated with breast conserving therapy and ALND or completing ALND after a positive sentinel node should be offered short‐term axillary drainage.
Weighted Action-coupled Semantic Network (wASN) for robot intelligence

Semantic knowledge especially for robots is often used as a form of knowledge representation which includes ontological knowledge to support description logics and rule language. However, it is difficult to design rules which provide some goal-associated context, object and space (COS)-action complexes to be used to infer alternative attempts for success of a goal, when current attempt is not satisfactory. To cope with such a difficulty, we propose a novel weighted action-coupled semantic network (wASN) which is used to recursively update and infer goal-associated COS-action complexes. To be specific, as in the semantic networks, wASN is a graph consisting of nodes and edges, respectively, to represent concepts-such as perception, object, space and context, and to represent semantic relation between the concepts. And, those concepts are designed to be all coupled with their associated actions. On the other hand, as in neural networks, our proposed wASN is designed to have weighted values of the connections among semantic nodes. And those weighted values are summed at each node, and are used to adopt a node by ldquowinner-takes-allrdquo activation strategy. It is shown that wASN is useful to recursively get COS-action complexes for a specific task to find objects which are partially occluded or unobservable.
FIR Linear Phase Fractional Order Digital Differentiator Design using Convex Optimization

In this paper, design of linear phase FIR digital differentiators is investigated using convex optimization. The problem of differentiator design is first described in terms of convex optimization with different optimization variables’ options, taken one at a time. The method is then used to design first order low pass differentiators and results are compared with Salesnick’s technique and Parks McClellan algorithm. The designed FIR low pass differentiator has improvement in transition width and flexibility to optimize different parameters. The concept of low pass differentiation is further generalized to fractional order differentiators. Fractional order differentiators are designed by using minmax technique on mean square error. Design examples demonstrate easy design procedure and flexibility in the process as well as improvement over existing fractional order differentiators in terms of mean square error in passband. Finally, fractional order differentiators are designed and used for texture enhancement of color images. Better texture enhancement than existing filtering approaches is established based on average gradient and entropy values. General Terms FIR Filter, Fractional order differentiator, Low pass differentiator, Full band differentiator, Image Enhancement.
Cloning and Functional Characterization of c-Jun NH2-Terminal Kinase from the Mediterranean Species of the Whitefly Bemisia tabaci Complex

c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling is a highly conserved pathway that controls gene transcription in response to a wide variety of biological and environmental stresses. In this study, a JNK from the invasive Mediterranean (MED) species of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci complex was cloned and characterized. The full-length JNK cDNA of MED consists of 1565 bp, with an 1176 bp open reading frame encoding 392 amino acids. Comparison of JNK amino acid sequences among different species showed that the sequences of JNKs are highly conserved. To reveal its biological function, the gene expression and functional activation of JNK were analyzed during various stress conditions. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that the relative expression level of JNK remained hardly unchanged when the insects were transferred from cotton (a suitable host plant) to tobacco (an unsuitable host plant), infected with bacteria and treated with high and low temperatures. However, the mRNA level of JNK significantly increased when treated with fungal pathogens. Furthermore, we found that the amount of phosphorylated JNK increased significantly after fungal infection, while there is no obvious change for phosphorylated p38 and ERK. Our results indicate that the whitefly JNK plays an important role in whitefly’s immune responses to fungal infection.