Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diagnostic performance of thyroid ultrasound in Hürthle cell carcinomas

ABSTRACT Objective Hürthle cell carcinomas (HCCs) of the thyroid have been recently reclassified as a separate entity due to their distinct clinical and molecular profiles. Few studies have assessed the ability of preoperative characteristics in differentiating HCCs from Hürthle cell adenomas (HCAs) due to the low prevalence of both lesions. This study aimed to compare the preoperative features of HCCs and HCAs and evaluate the diagnostic performance of ultrasound in distinguishing between both. Subjetcs and methods Retrospective study including 101 patients (52 HCCs and 49 HCAs) who underwent thyroid surgery from 2000 to 2016. Clinical, ultrasonographic, and histological data were reviewed. Diagnostic performance of suspicious sonographic features was analyzed in 51 cases (24 HCCs and 27 HCAs). Results Hürthle cell neoplasms were predominant in females. Subjects ≥ 55 years represented 58% of the cases of HCCs and 53% of those of HCAs. Carcinomas were significantly larger (p < 0.001), and a tumor size ≥ 4 cm significantly increased the risk of malignancy (odds ratio 3.67). Other clinical, cytologic, and sonographic data were similar between HCCs and HCAs. Among the HCCs, the lesions were purely solid in 54.2%, hypoechoic in 37.5%, and had coarse calcifications in 12.5%, microcalcifications in 8.3%, irregular contours in 4.2%, and a taller-than-wide shape in 16.7%. Predominantly/exclusive intranodular vascularization was observed in 52.6%. Overall, 58% of the HCCs were classified as TI-RADS 4 or 5 compared with 48% of the HCAs. TI-RADS 4 or 5 had a specificity of only 51.8% and a positive likelihood ratio of 1.21. Conclusions Apart from the lesion size, no other preoperative feature adequately distinguished HCCs from HCAs. Sonographic characteristics raising suspicion for malignancy, which are mostly present in papillary carcinomas, were infrequent in HCCs. New tools must be developed to improve preoperative diagnosis and deferral of surgery in cases of adenomas.
Curcuminoids and sesquiterpenoids in turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) suppress an increase in blood glucose level in type 2 diabetic KK-Ay mice.

Turmeric, the rhizome of Curcuma longa L. , has a wide range of effects on human health. The chemistry includes curcuminoids and sesquiterpenoids as components, which are known to have antioxidative, anticarcinogenic, and antiinflammatory activities. In this study, we investigated the effects of three turmeric extracts on blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetic KK-A(y) mice (6 weeks old, n = 5/group). These turmeric extracts were obtained by ethanol extraction (E-ext) to yield both curcuminoids and sesquiterpenoids, hexane extraction (H-ext) to yield sesquiterpenoids, and ethanol extraction from hexane-extraction residue (HE-ext) to yield curcuminoids. The control group was fed a basal diet, while the other groups were fed a diet containing 0.1 or 0.5 g of H-ext or HE-ext/100 g of diet or 0.2 or 1.0 g of E-ext/100 g of diet for 4 weeks. Although blood glucose levels in the control group significantly increased (P < 0.01) after 4 weeks, feeding of 0.2 or 1.0 g of E-ext, 0.5 g of H-ext, and 0.5 g of HE-ext/100 g of diet suppressed the significant increase in blood glucose levels. Furthermore, E-ext stimulated human adipocyte differentiation, and these turmeric extracts had human peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) ligand-binding activity in a GAL4-PPAR-gamma chimera assay. Also, curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin, and ar-turmerone had PPAR-gamma ligand-binding activity. These results indicate that both curcuminoids and sesquiterpenoids in turmeric exhibit hypoglycemic effects via PPAR-gamma activation as one of the mechanisms, and suggest that E-ext including curcuminoids and sesquiterpenoids has the additive or synergistic effects of both components.
Living in the past? Time perspective and spirituality as predictors of successful rehabilitation in problem drinkers

Time perspective (TP) refers to an individual’s way of relating to the past, present and future. Although there is evidence that TP is a valid predictor of negative health–related behaviours, little is known about its role in rehabilitation. This study examined relationships between TP orientations and three indices of rehabilitation (length of abstinence, compulsive desire to drink alcohol, and anxiety) in a sample of 101 recovering alcoholics (52 per cent male) attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). The role of spirituality in predicting rehabilitation outcomes was also examined. Findings revealed that past negative, present hedonistic and present fatalistic oriented TPs were associated with poorer rehabilitation outcomes, whereas past positive TP was related to better outcomes. Spirituality related to specific TP dimensions and appeared to be a protective factor in the successful management of problem drinking. How the findings of this study might inform the development of interventions to aid rehabilitation in problem drinkers is discussed.
Récit de l’édification d’une équipe de recherche interdisciplinaire pour aborder la problématique de la situation de handicap au travail

Depuis l’annee 2000, une equipe quebecoise de chercheurs se sont allies afin d’approfondir et de mieux comprendre les differents facteurs, tant biomecaniques qu’organisationnels, qui permettraient de cerner de facon plus efficace la problematique de la prevention des situations de handicap au travail. La creation de cette equipe de chercheurs resulte en fait d’une transformation de la comprehension de l’objet de recherche passant d’un modele medical plutot monolithique a un modele personne-environnement ou les contributions des systemes exterieurs sont considerees. Bien que la litterature actuelle souligne la grandeur et les vertus du travail interdisciplinaire en recherche, peu d’auteurs se sont attardes aux processus, aux conditions et aux enjeux individuels de ce type de collaboration. Cet article veut dans un premier temps illustrer brievement les connaissances qui appuient le nouveau paradigme d’incapacite au travail puis degager quelques-uns des processus qui ont permis la construction de cette equipe interdisciplinaire pour finalement indiquer ce qui nous a semble representer les conditions gagnantes pour reussir cet arrimage.
A Retrospective Analysis of Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites among School Children in the Palajunoj Valley of Guatemala

This study retrospectively analyzed demographic factors that may affect the prevalence of intestinal parasites among Guatemalan school children. The findings of the study showed that young age, wet season, female gender, and severe malnutrition all correlated positively with increased rates of infection. Clinical visits were performed on 10,586 school children aged 5-15 years over a four-year period (2004-2007) in the Palajunoj Valley of Guatemala, during which 5,705 viable stool samples were screened for infection with the following parasites: Ascaris lumbricoides, Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica, Hymenolepis nana, and Blastocystis hominis. The average overall prevalences of infection for specific parasites were A. lumbricoides 17.7%, E. histolytica 16.1%, G. lamblia 10.9%, H. nana 5.4%, and B. hominis 2.8%. Statistical analysis showed significantly higher rates of infection among younger children with G. lamblia (odds ratio [OR]=0.905, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.871-0.941, p<0.0001) and E. histolytica (p=0.0006), greater prevalence of H. nana among females (OR=1.275, CI 1.010-1.609, p=0.0412), higher infection rates during the wet season for E. histolytica (p=0.0003) and H. nana (OR=0.734, CI 0.557-0.966, p=0.0275), and greater rates of infection with G. lamblia among malnourished children (for moderately malnourished children OR=1.498, CI 1.143-1.963, p<0.0001) and E. histolytica (for mildly malnourished children OR=1.243, CI 1.062-1.455, p=0.0313). The results suggest that the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites among young Guatemalan children is highly dependent on the specific species of the parasite.
Distribution of Arcanobacterium pluranimalium in animals examined in veterinary laboratories in the United Kingdom

Arcanobacterium pluranimalium was first reported in 2001 for 2 isolates, from a harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) and a fallow deer (Dama dama). The same organism was subsequently reported from ovine material. A review of material submitted to veterinary laboratories in the United Kingdom from a range of domestic and wild animals during the following years revealed that A. pluranimalium had been recovered from ovine specimens on 33 occasions. Twenty ovine isolates came from abortion material, 5 from semen samples, 3 from abscesses, 3 from viscera, and 1 case each of navel ill and peritonitis. The only other A. pluranimalium isolate recovered during the period was from a milk sample collected from a cow with mastitis. The findings of the current study suggest that sheep were the host most frequently affected by infection with A. pluranimalium with recovery most commonly made from abortion material.
A simple approach for biometrics: Finger-knuckle prints recognition based on a Sobel filter and similarity measures

The objective of this work is to propose a novel methodology for the finger knuckle print recognition, which is essentially a digital photo of the finger-knuckle region. We have employed very simple concepts of visual computing such as a filter based on the Sobel operator for finding edges and a simple noise reduction algorithm. These operations are exceptionally fast and produce binary images, which are very efficient to process and to store. Furthermore, alongside this preprocessing, some similarity measures were also regarded and evaluated for the task. After preprocessing an input finger it is compared to all the images of fingers in the dataset, one by one. We have obtained up to 17.02% of successful recognitions (true positive rate) with a large dataset.
Measuring patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical services.

Common conceptualizations of satisfaction are discussed, and different ways of measuring patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical services are suggested. Patient satisfaction is becoming increasingly popular as an indicator of the quality of health care services, including pharmaceutical services. Satisfaction can be conceptualized as a performance evaluation, disconfirmation of expectations, an affect-based assessment, or an equity-based assessment. A satisfaction measure should have a theoretical base on which the measure's validity can be assessed. The measure chosen must fit the context of an overall research process, and the researcher must have a clear idea of what is to be measured. A large pool of items, or questions, for potential inclusion in a patient-satisfaction questionnaire can then be generated. The researcher should develop a format for each item (e.g., Likert scale). The items should be reviewed by experts for relevance and completeness. Questions that will help validate other questions should be included. To assess reliability and validity, the questionnaire should be given to a representative sample of respondents before being refined into its final format. Finally, the researcher must ensure that the patient-satisfaction questionnaire is practical (e.g., in terms of length and complexity). No single standard measure of patient satisfaction is applicable to all pharmacy situations. Researchers should either use an existing measure with demonstrated reliability and validity or develop a new measure by using a systematic process.
Genome Analysis of Moraxella catarrhalis Strain RH4, a Human Respiratory Tract Pathogen

ABSTRACT Moraxella catarrhalis is an emerging human-restricted respiratory tract pathogen that is a common cause of childhood otitis media and exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults. Here, we report the first completely assembled and annotated genome sequence of an isolate of M. catarrhalis, strain RH4, which originally was isolated from blood of an infected patient. The RH4 genome consists of 1,863,286 nucleotides that form 1,886 protein-encoding genes. Comparison of the RH4 genome to the ATCC 43617 contigs demonstrated that the gene content of both strains is highly conserved. In silico phylogenetic analyses based on both 16S rRNA and multilocus sequence typing revealed that RH4 belongs to the seroresistant lineage. We were able to identify almost the entire repertoire of known M. catarrhalis virulence factors and mapped the members of the biosynthetic pathways for lipooligosaccharide, peptidoglycan, and type IV pili. Reconstruction of the central metabolic pathways suggested that RH4 relies on fatty acid and acetate metabolism, as the genes encoding the enzymes required for the glyoxylate pathway, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, the gluconeogenic pathway, the nonoxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway, the beta-oxidation pathway of fatty acids, and acetate metabolism were present. Moreover, pathways important for survival under challenging in vivo conditions, such as the iron-acquisition pathways, nitrogen metabolism, and oxidative stress responses, were identified. Finally, we showed by microarray expression profiling that ∼88% of the predicted coding sequences are transcribed under in vitro conditions. Overall, these results provide a foundation for future research into the mechanisms of M. catarrhalis pathogenesis and vaccine development.
Experimental Investigation of Arc Ignition Modes of Vacuum Arc Under Transverse Magnetic Field

The drawn vacuum arc transitions from the rupture of the molten metal bridge. The initial arc has a significant influence on the temperature and heat distribution on the contact surface, and it greatly affects the whole arcing process. In this paper, arc ignition modes of vacuum arc under transverse magnetic field (TMF) were investigated in a demountable vacuum chamber with spiral-type and wan-type TMF contacts. By using a high-speed camera, multiple-point arc ignition (MPAI) mode was observed, which was different from the common single-point arc ignition (SPAI) mode. The MPAI mode observed can be subdivided into three categories: 1) stable mode; 2) mode with varying number of initial arc columns; and 3) mode with initial columns close to each other. The relationship between the number of initial arc columns and some parameters, such as initial arc voltage, initial arc current, was investigated. Simulation was carried out to compare the difference of magnetic force between MPAI mode and SPAI mode. It was shown that, unlike SPAI mode, arcing with MPAI mode has a stage in which the multiple arc columns gradually combine into one and keep motionless for a long time. Additionally, in most cases the total diameters of arc columns in MPAI mode are larger than that in SPAI mode. The occurrence of MPAI mode and the influence on the subsequent motion of arc was also discussed.
Image restoration method for deep-sea tripod observation systems in the South China Sea

The deep-sea tripod systems designed and built at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) in Santa Cruz, California. They were recovered in late September 2014 after spending about half a year collecting data on the floor of the South China Sea. The Free-Ascending Tripod (FAT) was deployed at 2,100 meters water depth-roughly 10 times as deep as most tripods dedicated to measuring currents and sediment movement at the seafloor. Deployment at this unusual depth was made possible by the tripod's ability to rise by itself to the surface rather than being pulled up by a line. Instruments mounted on the tripod took bottom photographs and measured such variables as water temperature, current velocity, and suspended-sediment concentration. FAT is used to better understand how and where deep-seafloor sediment moves and accumulates. Besides of this, we also use them to study the deep-sea biology. The obtained the images from the camera, the biology animals are hardly to be distinguished. In this paper, we are concerned to use the image processing technology for recovering the deep-sea scene.
Effects of Synbiotics on Inflammatory Markers in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Introduction: With regard to the relationship between inflammation and insulin resistance and due to the lack of researches conducted about the effect of synbiotics on inflammatory markers in diabetes patients, this study was designed to investigate the effect of these markers. Methods: A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted among 44 type 2 diabetes patients. They were randomized to symbiotic or placebo group. Patients in the symbiotic group received one symbiotic tablet daily for 8 weeks whereas the placebo group received 1 placebo tablet. The hs-CRP concentration, TNF-α and IL-6 were measured by using ELISA kits. The dietary intakes of patients were assessed at the first and the end of the study and analyzed by Nutritionist IV. Data were analyzed by using SPSS 16.0 via paired and independent t- test. Results: Anthropometric and dietary data were not significantly different between the two groups at the first and the end of the study. The serum concentrations of hs-CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α decreased significantly in the symbiotic group at the end of week 8 compared to baseline (p<0.05). Also, no significant changes were seen in the placebo group (p>0.05). The reduction in inflammatory markers in the symbiotic group were significant in compared to the placebo group (P<0.05). Conclusions: Symbiotic supplementation can reduce serum hs-CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α concentrations, a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.
An Input Triggered Polymorphic ASIC for H.264 Decoding

This paper reports the design of an input--triggered polymorphic ASIC for H.264 baseline decoder.Hardware polymorphism is achieved by selectively reusing hardware resources at system and module level. Complete design is done using ESL design tools following a methodology that maintains consistency in testing and verification throughout the design flow. The proposed design can support frame sizes from QCIF to 1080p.
A Universal Algorithm to Secure Stolen Mobile Devices Using Wi-Fi in Indoors Environments

A novel paradigm to detect smartphone physical capture attacks is proposed. Using received signal strength indicator and general system problem solving framework, the paradigm recognizes indoors moving pattern of a phone user. Most existing approaches in detection of physical capture attacks focus on protecting the network not the device. This paradigm concentrates primarily on safeguarding the security and privacy of individual users. An extra security layer, which is similar to the protection offered by biometrics techniques, is added. With this augmented defense, the user can considerably enhance both confidentiality and integrity of her information on the mobile device. At minimum the permanent deletion should thwart illegal access. More effective protections can also be implemented as similar ease. Furthermore, easy to use algorithms have been created to simplify and streamline the pattern generation and selection procedures of traditional general system problem solving framework. Experiments on Android smartphone have proved effectiveness and efficiency of this paradigm.
Cadmium concentrations in the organs and tissues of cadavers from accidental deaths.

In this study cadmium concentrations in several organs of more than 100 cadavers were measured in order to estimate the total body burden of cadmium by age. Six hundred urine samples from inhabitants of Tokyo of various age groups were collected in order to measure cadmium concentrations to observe if urinary cadmium concentration reflects the total body burden. The average renal cadmium concentration in the age group 40-49 years reached about 200μg/g (20mg net weight in the kidneys). However, individual variation was very great. The total body burden of cadmium was calculated to be about 45mg in the age groups 30-59 years. In general, cadmium concentrations in the organs and the total body increased with age, leveling off at about 60 years of age. The average cadmium concentration in urine was 1. 7μg/l in all age groups, increasing by age and showing a pattern similar to that of cadmium concentrations in the total body according to age, and it was shown that on a group basis, cadmium in urine of the Japanese people reflected the total body burden of cadmium.
Effect of a pharmacy care program on medication adherence and persistence, blood pressure, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol: a randomized controlled trial.

CONTEXT Poor medication adherence diminishes the health benefits of pharmacotherapies. Elderly patients with coronary risk factors frequently require treatment with multiple medications, placing them at increased risk for nonadherence. OBJECTIVE To test the efficacy of a comprehensive pharmacy care program to improve medication adherence and its associated effects on blood pressure (BP) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS A multiphase, prospective study with an observational phase and a randomized controlled trial conducted at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center of 200 community-based patients aged 65 years or older taking at least 4 chronic medications. The study was conducted from June 2004 to August 2006. INTERVENTION After a 2-month run-in phase (measurement of baseline adherence, BP, and LDL-C), patients entered a 6-month intervention phase (standardized medication education, regular follow-up by pharmacists, and medications dispensed in time-specific packs). Following the intervention phase, patients were randomized to continued pharmacy care vs usual care for an additional 6 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Primary end point of the observation phase was change in the proportion of pills taken vs baseline; secondary end points were the associated changes in BP and LDL-C. Primary end point of the randomization phase was the between-group comparison of medication persistence. RESULTS A total of 200 elderly patients (77.1% men; mean [SD] age, 78 [8.3] years), taking a mean (SD) of 9 (3) chronic medications were enrolled. Coronary risk factors included drug-treated hypertension in 184 patients (91.5%) and drug-treated hyperlipidemia in 162 (80.6%). Mean (SD) baseline medication adherence was 61.2% (13.5%). After 6 months of intervention, medication adherence increased to 96.9% (5.2%; P<.001) and was associated with significant improvements in systolic BP (133.2 [14.9] to 129.9 [16.0] mm Hg; P = .02) and LDL-C (91.7 [26.1] to 86.8 [23.4] mg/dL; P = .001). Six months after randomization, the persistence of medication adherence decreased to 69.1% (16.4%) among those patients assigned to usual care, whereas it was sustained at 95.5% (7.7%) in pharmacy care (P<.001). This was associated with significant reductions in systolic BP in the pharmacy care group (-6.9 mm Hg; 95% CI, -10.7 to -3.1 mm Hg) vs the usual care group (-1.0 mm Hg; 95% CI, -5.9 to 3.9 mm Hg; P = .04), but no significant between-group differences in LDL-C levels or reductions. CONCLUSIONS A pharmacy care program led to increases in medication adherence, medication persistence, and clinically meaningful reductions in BP, whereas discontinuation of the program was associated with decreased medication adherence and persistence. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00393419