Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Natural History of Pancreatic Cystic Lesions in Liver Transplant Recipients

Objectives The management of incidentally discovered pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs) with surveillance or resection often requires shared decision-making. Patients with cirrhosis are more likely to have PCLs discovered due to increased imaging, and those undergoing liver transplantations (LTs) may be at increased risk of carcinogenesis due to immunosuppressive medications. Our study aimed to characterize the outcomes and risk of malignant progression of PCLs in post-LT patients. Methods Multiple databases were searched for studies looking at PCLs in post-LT patients from inception until February 2022. Primary outcomes were the incidence of PCLs in LT recipients and progression to malignancy. Secondary outcomes included development of worrisome features, outcomes of surgical resection for progression, and change in size. Results A total of 12 studies with 17,862 patients with 1411 PCLs were included. The pooled proportion of new PCL development in post-LT patients was 68% (95% confidence interval [CI], 42–86; I2 = 94%) over the follow-up of 3.7 (standard deviation, 1.5) years. The pooled progression of malignancy and worrisome features was 1% (95% CI, 0–2; I2 = 0%) and 4% (95% CI, 1–11; I2 = 89%), respectively. Conclusions Compared with nontransplant patients, incidental PCLs do not carry a higher risk of malignancy.
Microwave radiometry of the mesosphere

Retrieval The spectra of both instruments are inverted using the Optimal Estimation Method (Rodgers, 2000). The altitude resolution is about 10 km FWHM (Full width at half maximum of a Gaussian resolution function). The different baseline level is due to different calibration algorithms. Fig. 2: An example of a spectrum and residuum taken by the MIRA-2 radiometer. 1 IUP, Universitat Bremen, 2 Universitat Karlsruhe, 3 Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, 4 Universidad de los Andes, Merida, 5 AWI Bremerhaven
PRDM16 deficiency in vascular smooth muscle cells aggravates abdominal aortic aneurysm

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is usually asymptomatic until life-threatening complications occur, predominantly involving aortic rupture. Currently, no drug-based treatments are available, primarily due to limited understanding of AAA pathogenesis. The transcriptional regulator PR domain–containing protein 16 (PRDM16) is highly expressed in the aorta, but its functions in the aorta are largely unknown. By RNA-seq analysis, we found that vascular smooth muscle cell–specific (VSMC-specific) Prdm16-knockout (Prdm16SMKO) mice already showed extensive changes in the expression of genes associated with extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and inflammation in the abdominal aorta under normal housing conditions without any pathological stimuli. Human AAA lesions displayed lower PRDM16 expression. Periadventitial elastase application to the suprarenal region of the abdominal aorta aggravated AAA formation in Prdm16SMKO mice. During AAA development, VSMCs undergo apoptosis because of both intrinsic and environmental changes, including inflammation and ECM remodeling. Prdm16 deficiency promoted inflammation and apoptosis in VSMCs. A disintegrin and metalloproteinase 12 (ADAM12) is a gelatinase that can degrade various ECMs. We found that ADAM12 is a target of transcriptional repression by PRDM16. Adam12 knockdown reversed VSMC apoptosis induced by Prdm16 deficiency. Our study demonstrated that PRDM16 deficiency in VSMCs promoted ADAM12 expression and aggravates AAA formation, which may provide potential targets for AAA treatment.
Methods for Imaging Inflammation and Transendothelial Migration in Vivo and ex Vivo

Inflammation is the body's response to injury and harmful stimuli and contributes to a range of infectious and noninfectious diseases. Inflammation occurs through a series of well‐defined leukocyte‐endothelial cell interactions, including rolling, activation, adhesion, transmigration, and subsequent migration through the extracellular matrix. Being able to visualize the stages of inflammation is important for a better understanding of its role in diseases processes. Detailed in this article are protocols for imaging immune cell infiltration and transendothelial migration in vascular tissue beds, including those in the mouse ear, cremaster muscle, brain, lung, and retina. Also described are protocols for inducing inflammation and quantifying leukocytes with FIJI imaging software. © 2023 The Authors. Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Trajectories of Disability and Related Factors in Korean Adults Aged ≥75 years

This study aimed to identify distinct trajectories of activities of daily living (ADL) disability in older adults aged ≥75 years over 6 years. A growth mixture model and the multinomial logistic regression analysis were used to identify different disability trajectories and to investigate each trajectory. Four distinct disability trajectories were identified: low, moderate, high, and progressive. Activity restriction due to fear of falling, being underweight, impaired vision, and impaired cognition were highly associated with the progressive groups, compared with the low disability group. Activity restriction due to fear of falling, depression, impaired cognition, and poor subjective health status were associated with moderate and high disability. These findings contribute to increasing the understanding of ADL disability among older adults.
Salidroside attenuates LPS-induced kidney injury through activation of SIRT1/Nrf2 pathway.

BACKGROUND Salidroside (SAL) is an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, neuroprotective, and renal protective active ingredient extracted from the Chinese herb. Rhodiola Rosea. However, the role of SAL in kidney injury has not yet been elucidated. The study investigates SAL's protective effect and mechanism in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced kidney injury. METHODS Male C57BL/6 wild-type mice (6-8 weeks old) were intraperitoneally injected with 10 mg/kg LPS for 24 h and SAL (50 mg/kg) 2 h before the LPS injection. Biochemical and TUNNEL staining assay analyses were carried out to assess kidney injury. The Elisa assay analyzed the mRNA expression of NGAL and KIM-1. RT-qPCR and Western blotting measured the mRNA and protein expression of HO-1, NQO1, Beclin1, P62, SIRT1, Nrf2, and PNCA, respectively. RESULTS Our study found that mice co-treated with SAL had significantly reduced blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Scr), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), and kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) levels in serum of LPS-induced mice. SAL cotreatment potentially decreased the apoptosis rate of kidney tissue and podocytes induced by LPS. SAL significantly reduced the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) in LPS-treated mice. Autophagy-related proteins Beclin-1 increased but decreased P62 protein expression by cotreatment of SAL in LPS-injected mice. SAL enhanced the Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) protein expression in LPS-induced kidney tissues. CONCLUSION Our results speculate that SAL protects against LPS-induced kidney injury through activation of the SIRT1/Nrf2 pathway.
A WELL-ORGANIZED ESTIMATION OF INDEFINITE LOCATION RELIANT QUERIES

Query imprecision may be frequently caused by the nature of many applications including location based services. The problem of capably computing range aggregates in a multidimensional space is examined in this paper when the query location is unsure. Specifically, for a query point P whose location is uncertain and a set X of points in a multi-dimensional space, we want to calculate the aggregate over the subset S of X such that for q each ∈ S, P has at least probability θ within the distance γ to q. Novel efficient techniques are proposed to solve the problem following the filtering-and-verification paradigm. Especially, to efficiently and proficiently remove data points from verification two novel filtering techniques are proposed
CBIR of Brain MR Images using Histogram of Oriented Gradients and Local Binary Patterns: A Comparative Study

— Retrieval of similar images from large dataset of brain images across patients would help the experts in the decision diagnosis process of diseases. Generally, visual features such as color, shape and texture are used for the retrieval of similar images in Content-Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) process. In this paper, Histogram of Orient Gradients (HOGs) based feature extraction method is used to retrieve similar brain images from large image database. HOG, a shape feature extraction method is proven to be an effective descriptor for object recognition in general. It has been compared with the texture descriptor called Local binary pattern (LBP) and the results show that method outperforms the texture descriptor. The accuracy of the method is tested under different noise levels and intensity non-uniformity.
Hepcidin expression in the trigeminal ganglion and the oral mucosa in an oral ulcerative mucositis rat model

Severe intraoral pain induces difficulty in eating and speaking, leading to a decline in the quality of life. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying intraoral pain remain unclear. Here, we investigated gene modulation in the trigeminal ganglion and intraoral pain-related behavior in a rat model of acetic acid-induced oral ulcerative mucositis. Oral ulceration was observed on day 2 after acetic acid treatment to the oral mucosa of male Wistar rats, causing spontaneous pain and mechanical allodynia. Deoxyribonucleic acid microarray analysis of trigeminal ganglion tissue indicated that Hamp (a hepcidin gene that regulates cellular iron transport) was the most upregulated gene. In the oral ulcerative mucositis model, the upregulation of Hamp was also induced in the ulcer region but not in the liver, with no increase in hepcidin levels in the plasma and saliva, indicating that hepcidin was produced locally in the ulcer region in the model. Systemic antibiotic pretreatment did not increase the mRNA levels of Hamp in the trigeminal ganglion and ulcer regions. Hepcidin injection into the oral mucosa enhanced neuronal excitability in response to noxious mechanical stimulation of the oral mucosa in trigeminal spinal subnucleus interpolaris/caudalis neurons. These results imply that oral ulcerative mucositis induces oral mucosal pain because of infectious inflammation of the ulcerative area and potentiates Hamp, which represents anti-bacterial and anti-peptidase gene expression in the ulcer region and trigeminal ganglion. The regulation of cellular iron transport by hepcidin is likely involved in oral ulcerative mucositis-induced pain.
The effects of inspiratory muscle training with pulmonary rehabilitation on NSCLC patients during radiation therapy: A pilot clinical study

The effects of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) with pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) on patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) receiving radiotherapy (RT) have not previously been reported. This pilot study aimed to determine the effectiveness of IMT with PR on respiratory muscles and exercise capacity of NSCLC patients receiving RT.
A modified BFGS method and its convergence

In this paper, a new modified BFGS method for unconstrained optimization problems is presented. The algorithm preserves the convergence properties of the famous BFGS algorithm. The relation between the new algorithm and a self-scaling quasi-Newton algorithm is revealed. If we assume the objective function is twice continuously differentiable and uniformly convex, we prove the iteration converge globally to the solution. And under some additional conditions, the superlinear convergence is given. Finally, the experimental results show that the proposed algorithm performs very well, which indicate that the numerical performance of the new algorithm is somewhat like the self-scaling quasi-Newton algorithm.
Modeling, Analysis, Design, and Control of Stochastic Systems

Readership: This book is meant to be used as a textbook in a junior or senior level undergraduate course in stochastic models. Students are expected to be undergraduate students in engineering, operations research, computer science, mathematics, statistics, business administration, public policy, or any other discipline with a mathematical core. Students are expected to be familiar with elementary matrix operations (additions, multiplications, solving systems of linear equations; but not eigenvalues, eigenvectors), first-year calculus (derivatives and integrals of simple functions; but not differential equations), and probability (which is reviewed in Chapters I to 4 of this book).
Sarcopenia in chronic kidney disease: from bench to bedside

Sarcopenia is a condition characterized by a loss of muscle mass and function. In chronic kidney disease (CKD), where a chronic catabolic state exists, sarcopenia commonly occurs through various mechanisms, resulting in muscle wasting and decreased muscle endurance. Sarcopenic patients with CKD have high morbidity and mortality rates. Indeed, the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia are mandatory. An imbalance between protein synthesis and degradation in muscle and increased oxidative stress and inflammation persist in CKD and induce muscle wasting. In addition, uremic toxins negatively affect muscle maintenance. A variety of potential therapeutic drugs targeting these muscle-wasting mechanisms in CKD have been investigated, but most of the trials focused on aged patients without CKD, and none of these drugs have been approved for the treatment of sarcopenia so far. Further studies on the molecular mechanisms of sarcopenia in CKD and targets for potential therapeutics are needed to improve the outcomes of sarcopenic patients with CKD.
New in vitro multiple cardiac ion channel screening system for preclinical Torsades de Pointes risk prediction under the Comprehensive in vitro Proarrhythmia Assay concepta

Cardiotoxicity, particularly drug-induced Torsades de Pointes (TdP), is a concern in drug safety assessment. The recent establishment of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (human iPSC-CMs) has become an attractive human-based platform for predicting cardiotoxicity. Moreover, electrophysiological assessment of multiple cardiac ion channel blocks is emerging as an important parameter to recapitulate proarrhythmic cardiotoxicity. Therefore, we aimed to establish a novel in vitro multiple cardiac ion channel screening-based method using human iPSC-CMs to predict the drug-induced arrhythmogenic risk. To explain the cellular mechanisms underlying the cardiotoxicity of three representative TdP high- (sotalol), intermediate- (chlorpromazine), and low-risk (mexiletine) drugs, and their effects on the cardiac action potential (AP) waveform and voltage-gated ion channels were explored using human iPSC-CMs. In a proof-of-principle experiment, we investigated the effects of cardioactive channel inhibitors on the electrophysiological profile of human iPSC-CMs before evaluating the cardiotoxicity of these drugs. In human iPSC-CMs, sotalol prolonged the AP duration and reduced the total amplitude (TA) via selective inhibition of IKr and INa currents, which are associated with an increased risk of ventricular tachycardia TdP. In contrast, chlorpromazine did not affect the TA; however, it slightly increased AP duration via balanced inhibition of IKr and ICa currents. Moreover, mexiletine did not affect the TA, yet slightly reduced the AP duration via dominant inhibition of ICa currents, which are associated with a decreased risk of ventricular tachycardia TdP. Based on these results, we suggest that human iPSC-CMs can be extended to other preclinical protocols and can supplement drug safety assessments.
A Wireless Localization Algorithm Based on Spectral Decomposition of the Graph Laplacian

Fingerprint localization based on supervised learning is a hot spot for high-accuracy indoor wireless localization.In order to reduce the training cost of supervised learning method,this paper presents a novel localization algorithm based on semi-supervised learning,which applies spectral decomposition of Laplacian matrix to labeling the unlabeled data through aligning the labeled data in the eigenvectors space.The experimental results show that this algorithm can label the unlabeled data with a high accuracy (about 80%) using only a small amount of labeled data (about 20%),which effectively reduces the data collection cost.
Lower Interobserver Reliability for Nondimensional Intracystic Features Among Abdominal Radiologists for Characterizing Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Objectives Current guidelines recommend magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) for risk stratification of intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs). We assessed the interobserver agreement among radiologists in evaluating and risk stratifying IPMNs. Methods This single-center study evaluated 30 patients with IPMNs who had undergone MRI/MRCP, endoscopic ultrasound, and/or surgical resection. Six abdominal radiologists evaluated the MRI/MRCPs to document multiple parameters. The analysis applied Landis and Koch κ interpretation for categorical variables and intraclass correlation coefficient (r) for continuous variables. Results Radiologists demonstrated almost perfect agreement for location (κ = 0.81, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.74–0.87), size (r = 0.95; 95% CI, 0.89–0.98), and main pancreatic duct diameter (r = 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96–0.99). Substantial agreement was observed for communication with the main pancreatic duct (κ = 0.66; 95% CI, 0.57–0.75) and classification of IPMN subtype (κ = 0.77; 95% CI, 0.67–0.86). Presence of intracystic nodules (κ = 0.31; 95% CI, 0.21–0.42) and wall thickening (κ = 0.09; 95% CI, −0.01 to 0.18) reached only fair and slight agreement, respectively. Conclusions Although MRI/MRCP is excellent in the evaluation of spatial aspects, there is lower reliability for nondimensional characteristics of IPMNs. These data support guideline-recommended complementary evaluation of IPMNs with MRI/MRCP and endoscopic ultrasound.
A Comparison of Radiographic Outcomes after Total Hip Arthroplasty between the Direct Lateral Approach and Posterior Lateral Approach with EOS 2D/3D X‐Ray Imaging System

The classical approaches for total hip arthroplasty (THA) are the direct lateral approach (DLA) and posterior lateral approach (PLA). There are few studies comparing implant orientation with these two approaches, and the impact of surgical approaches on implant orientation remains controversial. With the rise of the EOS imaging system, we aimed to use it to identify the differences between and factors associated with implant orientation after THA using DLA and PLA.
In vitro comparative study of multimodal imaging nano-assembled microspheres with two clinical drug-eluting beads loaded with doxorubicin

Abstract DC Beads and CalliSpheres are commonly used microspheres in clinical transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, but these microspheres cannot be visualized by themselves. Therefore, in our previous study, we developed multimodal imaging nano-assembled microspheres (NAMs), which are visualized under CT/MR and the location of embolic microspheres can be determined during postoperative review, facilitating the evaluation of embolic areas and guiding subsequent treatment. Moreover, the NAMs can be carried with positively and negatively charged drugs, increasing the choice of drugs. Systematic comparative analysis of the pharmacokinetics of NAMs with commercially available DC Bead and CalliSpheres microspheres is important for evaluating the clinical application of NAMs. In our study, we compared the similarities and differences between NAMs and two drug-eluting beads (DEBs) in respect to drug loading capacity, drug release profiles, diameter variation and morphological characteristics. The results indicate that NAMs had good drug delivery and release characteristics as well as DC Bead and CalliSpheres in vitro experimental stage. Therefore, NAMs have a good application prospect in transcatheter arterial chemoembolization treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.
The Whitnall Barrier: A Technique for the Management of Lacrimal Gland Prolapse

Background: The Whitnall barrier procedure, a modified Beer and Kompatscher surgical technique to reposition the lacrimal gland, is presented alongside a case series of patients demonstrating excellent aesthetic and functional outcomes. Methods: The Whitnall barrier procedure is illustrated procedurally and accompanied by a case series of 20 consecutive patients treated in a single institution by a single surgical team between December of 2016 and February of 2020. Lid contour and function were assessed postoperatively, as was patient satisfaction. Results: Thirty-seven eyes of 20 patients were included. All patients were women, with an average age of 50 years. Fourteen patients underwent surgery for cosmesis, four had inactive thyroid eye disease, and two had lacrimal gland enlargement secondary to dacryoadenitis. The degree of lacrimal gland prolapse was described as mild in two eyes and moderate in 35 eyes. All patients had one or more additional surgical procedures. Mean follow-up duration was 11 months, with complete resolution of lacrimal gland prolapse in 34 eyes. The patient who did not have complete resolution had dacryoadenitis and required ongoing immunosuppressive therapy. Two patients were discharged on topical lubricants: one with thyroid eye disease and one cosmetic patient who underwent upper and lower lid blepharoplasties at the same time. There were no intraoperative complications and no incidences of infection, dehiscence, or damage to the lacrimal gland ductules. Conclusions: The Whitnall barrier technique is a safe and effective surgical procedure to restore the anatomic location of the lacrimal gland. It provides excellent aesthetic and functional outcomes.