Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Observation of the effect of targeted therapy of 64-slice spiral CT combined with cryoablation for liver cancer

AIM To observe the effect of targeted therapy with 64-slice spiral computed tomography (CT) combined with cryoablation for liver cancer. METHODS A total of 124 patients (142 tumors) were enrolled into this study. According to the use of dual-slice spiral CT or 64-slice spiral CT as a guide technology, patients were divided into two groups: dual-slice group (n = 56, 65 tumors) and 64-slice group (n = 8, 77 tumors). All patients were accepted and received targeted therapy by an argon-helium superconducting surgery system. The guided scan times of the two groups was recorded and compared. In the two groups, the lesion ice coverage in diameter of ≥ 3 cm and < 3 cm were recorded, and freezing effective rate was compared. Hepatic perfusion values [hepatic artery perfusion (HAP), portal vein perfusion (PVP), and the hepatic arterial perfusion index (HAPI)] of tumor tissues, adjacent tissues and normal liver tissues at preoperative and postoperative four weeks in the two groups were compared. Local tumor changes were recorded and efficiency was compared at four weeks post-operation. Adverse events were recorded and compared between the two groups, including fever, pain, frostbite, nausea, vomiting, pleural effusion and abdominal bleeding. RESULTS Guided scan times in the dual-slice group was longer than that in the 64-slice group (t = 11.445, P = 0.000). The freezing effective rate for tumors < 3 cm in diameter in the dual-slice group (81.58%) was lower than that in the 64-slice group (92.86%) (χ2 = 5.707, P = 0.017). The HAP and HAPI of tumor tissues were lower at four weeks post-treatment than at pre-treatment in both groups (all P < 0.05), and those in the 64-slice group were lower than that in the dual-slice group (all P < 0.05). HAP and PVP were lower and HAPI was higher in tumor adjacent tissues at post-treatment than at pre-treatment (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, the treatment effect and therapeutic efficacy in the dual-slice group were lower than the 64-slice group at four weeks post-treatment (all P < 0.05). Moreover, pleural effusion and intraperitoneal hemorrhage occurred in patients in the dual-slice group, while no complications occurred in the 64-slice group (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION 64-slice spiral CT applied with cryoablation in targeted therapy for liver cancer can achieve a safe and effective freezing treatment, so it is worth being used.
Anger Proneness and Prognostic Pessimism in Men With Prostate Cancer

Aim: Anger is a common reaction to cancer diagnosis which may impact patients’ perceptions of their prognosis and goals of care. This study tested the hypothesis that men with prostate cancer who are anger prone are pessimistic regarding their cancer prognosis. Methods: Two hundred and twelve men with a history of prostate cancer completed measures of personality traits, their prostate cancer prognosis, and their perception of their doctor’s assessment of their prognosis. Anger proneness was operationally defined by the presence of high levels (ie, above the medians) of neuroticism and disagreeableness. Results: One in 4 men with prostate cancer disagreed with their doctor about prognosis. Anger-prone participants endorsed more pessimistic perceptions of prognosis (P = .041). This significant association was maintained after accounting for potential confounders. Conclusion: Greater attention paid to patient anger regulation style and pessimistic perceptions will improve discussions about prognosis and goals of care among men with prostate cancer. Given recent calls for wider distress screening and earlier palliative care intervention in cancer settings, providers have an unprecedented opportunity to assess and respond to anger in the clinical setting. Communication could be improved through empathic statements that convey realistic optimism when appropriate, a commitment to the patient–provider relationship and a willingness to explore and address patient needs.
R-Curves in Al2O3 - Al2O3/ZrO2 Laminates

In order to better understand the fracture behavior of Al2O3-Al2O3/ZrO2 laminates, controlled crack growth experiments were carried out. The method proposed consists of a threepoint bending test of a sandwich beam in which a notched specimen is located in between two metallic bars. Under certain conditions that will be commented, stable crack growth can be obtained. The fracture pattern is related to the residual stresses present in the laminate. R-curves for the laminate were also calculated using the weight function method, including the influence of the free surface. Toughness values are presented in the R-curve after friction considerations.
Serum Non-High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Community Dwellers with Chronic Kidney Disease: the Hisayama Study

Aim: It is not clear whether elevated serum non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C) levels are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in subjects with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the general population. Methods: A total of 2,630 community-dwelling Japanese subjects (1,107 men and 1,523 women) without history of CVD and aged ≥ 40 years were prospectively followed up for an average of 19 years, and the association between serum non-HDL-C levels and the incidence of type-specific CVD was estimated using a Cox proportional hazards model. CKD was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 or proteinuria (≥ 1 + on dipstick). Results: At baseline, 357 subjects had CKD. During the follow up, 186 coronary heart disease (CHD) and 277 stroke events occurred. The age- and sex-adjusted incidence of CHD was significantly higher in subjects with higher non-HDL-C levels, both in those with and without CKD. In the CKD group, the risk of CHD was significantly higher in those with non-HDL-C levels of 150–189 mg/dL [adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 2.23; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04–4.77] and those with levels ≥ 190 mg/dL (adjusted HR, 3.20; 95% CI, 1.46–7.03) than in those with levels < 150 mg/dL. In the non-CKD group, the risk of CHD was significantly higher only in those with non-HDL-C levels ≥ 190 mg/dL (adjusted HR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.33 –3.38). However, no such association was observed for the risk of stroke. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that higher serum non-HDL-C levels are associated with greater risk of CHD in subjects with and without CKD and that this association is greater in subjects with CKD than in those without CKD.
Roles of Mitogen-Activating Protein Kinase Kinase Kinase Kinase-3 (MAP4K3) in Preterm Skeletal Muscle Satellite Cell Myogenesis and Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 (mTORC1) Activation Regulation

Background Preterm skeletal muscle genesis is a paradigm for myogenesis. The role of mitogen-activating protein kinase kinase kinase kinase-3 (MAP4K3) in preterm skeletal muscle satellite cells myogenesis or its relationship to mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) activity have not been previously elaborated. Material/Methods Small interfering RNA (siRNA) interference technology was used to inhibit MAP4K3 expression. Leucine stimulation experiments were performed following MAP4K3-siRNA interference. The differentiation of primary preterm skeletal muscle satellite cells was observed after siRNA-MAP4K3 interference. Western blot analysis was used to determine the expression of MAP4K3, MyHC, MyoD, myogenin, p-mTOR, and p-S6K1. The immunofluorescence fusion index of MyHC and myogenin were detected. MAP4K3 effects on preterm rat satellite cells differentiation and its relationship to mTORC1 activity are reported. Results MAP4K3 siRNA knockdown inhibited myotube formation and both MyoD and myogenin expression in primary preterm rat skeletal muscle satellite cells, but MAP4K3 siRNA had no effect on the activity of mTORC1. In primary preterm rat skeletal muscle satellite cells, MAP4K3 knockdown resulted in signiﬁcantly weaker, but not entirely blunted, leucine-induced mTORC1 signaling. Conclusions MAP4K3 positively regulates preterm skeletal muscle satellite cell myogenesis, but may not regulate mTORC1 activity. MAP4K3 may play a role in mTORC1 full activation in response to leucine.
Patient Needs, Required Level of Care, and Reasons Delaying Hospital Discharge for Nonacute Patients Occupying Acute Hospital Beds

Abstract: This study aims to determine the proportion of nonacute patients occupying acute care beds and to describe their needs, the appropriate level of alternative care, and reasons preventing discharge. Data from 952 patients hospitalized in an acute care unit for 30 days were obtained from their medical charts and by consulting with the medical team at two tertiary teaching hospitals. Among them, 333 (35%) were determined nonacute on day 30 of hospitalization. According to the Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (AEP), 55% had no medical, nursing, or patient needs. Among nonacute patients with AEP needs, 88% were related to nursing/life‐support services and 12% related to patient condition factors. Regarding alternative level of care, 186 (56%) were waiting for out‐of‐hospital resources, of which 36% were waiting for palliative care, 33% for long‐term care, 18% for rehabilitation, and 12% for home care. For the remaining 147 (44%) nonacute patients, the alternative resources remained undetermined although acute care was no longer required. Main reasons preventing discharge included unavailability of alternative resources, ongoing assessment to determine appropriate resources, ongoing process with community care, and family/patient education/counseling. Available subacute facilities and community‐based care would liberate acute care beds and facilitate their appropriate use.
An Assessment of the Biofouling Resistance And Copper Release Rate of 90-10 Copper-Nickel Alloy

copper-nickel is one of the few engineering alloys available which offer both high resistance to seawater corrosion and biofouling. The alloy is not immune to microfouling but colonization of macrofouling is much restricted. The mechanism is not fully understood and is thought to be at least partially linked to copper ion release from the complex protective surface film. There may also be an effect of the nature of the surface film itself. There are no suitable standards available to assess copper release from solid alloys but ASTM* D6442 1 , Standard Test Method for Copper Release Rates of Antifouling Coating Systems in Seawater was developed for coatings. Although coatings are designed to release copper in a totally different way to the behavior of solid metal, 90-10 copper-nickel has been evaluated using the method to assess whether it could be used or modified to provide data which has a relevance to service conditions and experience. This paper reviews existing knowledge about corrosion rate and biofouling resistance of 90-10 copper- nickel and then reports and evaluates test work carried out to ASTM D6442. It is apparent from the results that protective surface film build up on the metal in live sea water is compromised by the test technique and reproducibility is poor. The work does however provide indicators about how a more relevant method could be developed.
Effect of restoration of euthyroidism on peripheral blood cells and erythropoietin in women with subclinical hypothyroidism.

BACKGROUND In overt hypothyroidism (OH) anemia is common, while less frequently basophilia has been described. In subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH), however, data on the distribution of peripheral blood cells are lacking. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of L-T4 replacement therapy on peripheral blood elements in female patients with SCH before and after restoration of euthyroidism in a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study. PATIENTS AND METHODS Sixty-six women with SCH (TSH 12.9 +/- 8.2 mU/L) were randomly assigned to receive L-thyroxine or placebo for 48 weeks. 63 of the 66 women completed the study. Peripheral blood cells were measured at baseline and 48 weeks after L-thyroxine or placebo treatment, respectively. RESULTS The percentage of lymphocytes decreased (p<0.05), whereas percent of monocytes (p<0.05) and eosinophiles (p<0.05) increased significantly upon restoration of euthyroidism after 48 weeks. Hemoglobin and hematocrit remained unchanged throughout the study period. However, erythropoietin levels increased significantly (p<0.01) during L-T4 treatment. In the placebo group all parameters remained unchanged throughout the study. CONCLUSIONS Overall, we observed subtle alterations of the leuco-lympho-monocytic distribution of the peripheral blood cells upon restoration of euthyroidism in patients with SCH. Hemoglobin and Hematocrit remained unchanged; however, the increasing level of erythropoietin during L-T4 treatment suggests an already stimulated, yet compensated erythropoietic system in mild thyroid failure.
Vestibular (dys)function in children with sensorineural hearing loss: a systematic review

Abstract Objective: The objective of this study is to provide an overview of the prevalence of vestibular dysfunction in children with SNHL classified according to the applied test and its corresponding sensitivity and specificity. Design: Data were gathered using a systematic search query including reference screening. Study sample: Pubmed, Web of Science and Embase were searched. Strategy and reporting of this review was based on the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines. Methodological quality was assessed with the COnsensus‐based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist. Results: All studies, regardless the applied vestibular test, showed that vestibular function differs significantly between children with hearing loss and normal hearing (p < 0.05). Compared with caloric testing, the sensitivity of the Rotational Chair Test (RCT) varies between 61 and 80% and specificity between 21 and 80%, whereas this was, respectively, 71–100% and 30–100% for collic Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials (cVEMP). Compared with RCT, the sensitivity was 88–100% and the specificity was 69–100% for the Dynamic Visual Acuity test, respectively, 67–100% and 71–100% for the (video) Head Impulse Test and 83% and 86% for the ocular VEMP. Conclusions: Currently, due to methodological shortcoming, evidence on sensitivity and specificity of vestibular tests is unknown to moderate. Future research should focus on adequate sample sizes (subgroups >30).
The prevalence of hypoglycemia and its impact on the quality of life (QoL) of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients (The HYPO Study)

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the impact of hypoglycemia on the Quality of Life (QoL) and its prevalence in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Greece. DESIGN: A cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted in 6631 patients with T2DM. QoL was assessed with the patient self-administered ADDQoL-19. Reliability analysis of patients’ outcomes was performed to assess internal consistency of the ADDQoL-19. Patients were categorized according to hypoglycemia experience and diabetes control. Controlled patients were considered as having Hb1Ac <7% (53mmol/mol) and hypoglycemic episodes were defined as laboratory-confirmed clinical symptomatic events. RESULTS: In total, 59% of the sample had HbA1c >7% (53mmol/mol) and 20.4% of patients had a history of laboratory-confirmed hypoglycemia. The mean age was 60 years and the mean T2DM duration was 10 years. The mean QoL score was −3.09±1.9 for the total sample and the mean score of non-hypoglycemic patients was −3.05±2, while the respective score of hypoglycemic patients was −3.26 ±1.8, (p≤0.001). Similar results were observed in the group of controlled and uncontrolled patients, who scored −2.73±1.7 and −3.33±1.9, respectively (p≤0.001). Comparable results were identified in the majority of the ADDQoL-19 instrument dimensions. CONCLUSIONS: The QoL of T2DM patients is affected significantly by hypoglycemia and the level of disease control. In diabetes treatment, the ultimate goal should be optimal glycemic control without debilitating hypoglycemic episodes which compromise patients’ QoL.
Molecular Characteristics of Hb New York [β113(G15)Val→Glu, HBB: c.341T>A] in Thailand

Abstract Hb New York or Hb Kaohsiung [β113(G15)Val→Glu (GTG>GAG), HBB: c.341T>A] has been considered a rare β hemoglobin (Hb) variant found originally in an Iranian woman and later in diverse populations but its genetic origin has not been elucidated. Here we report molecular and hematological descriptions of this variant found in the Thai population. Among 5643 subjects referred for hemoglobinopathy investigation during January 2015 to September 2017, 183 (3.2%) were found to carry several Hb variants, including β chain variants (n = 135, 2.4%), α chain variants (n = 33, 0.6%), Hb Lepore-Hollandia (NG_000007.3: g.63290_70702del) and Hb Lepore-Boston-Washington (NG_000007.3: g.63632_71046del) (δβ hybrid Hb) (n = 12, 0.2%) and δ chain variants (n = 3, 0.05%). Of patients with β chain variants, six with normal high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) patterns, had an abnormal Hb in zone 11 of capillary electrophoresis (CE), the amounts of which ranged from 29.6-45.4% with normal levels of Hb A2 and Hb F. DNA analysis identified a heterozygous Hb New York mutation in all cases. Further screening of α-thalassemia (α-thal) identified coinheritance of α+- and α0-thal in two of them who had reduced levels of Hb New York. Haplotype analysis suggested that the Thai Hb New York was likely associated with a single β-globin haplotype [+ – – – – + +], indicating that it was of the same origin. Hematological findings and simple DNA assay based on allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for rapid detection of Hb New York are presented.
Attenuated neural response to emotional cues in cocaine-dependence: a preliminary analysis of gender differences

ABSTRACT Background: Cocaine users often report a loss of arousal for nondrug-related stimuli, which may contribute to their response to drug-related rewards. However, little is known about users’ neural reactivity to emotional nondrug-related stimuli and the potential influence of gender. Objectives: Test the hypotheses that cocaine-dependent individuals have an attenuated neural response to arousing stimuli relative to controls and that this difference is amplified in women. Methods: The brain response to typically arousing positive and negative images as well as neutral images from the International Affective Picture System was measured in 40 individuals (20 non-treatment seeking cocaine-dependent and 20 age- and gender-matched control participants; 50% of whom were women). Images were displayed for 4 s each in blocks of five across two 270-second runs. General linear models assessed within and between group activation differences for the emotional images. Results: Cocaine-dependent individuals had a significantly lower response to typically arousing positive and negative images than controls, with attenuated neural activity present in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Analyses by gender revealed less mPFC/ACC activation among female users, but not males, for both positive and negative images. Conclusion: The dampened neural response to typically arousing stimuli among cocaine-dependent polydrug users suggests decreased salience processing for nondrug stimuli, particularly among female users. This decreased responding is consistent with data from other substance using populations and suggests that this may be a general feature of addiction. Amplifying the neural response to naturally arousing nondrug-related reinforcers may present an opportunity for unique behavioral and brain stimulation therapies.
Implicit Language Model in LSTM for OCR

Neural networks have become the technique of choice for OCR, but many aspects of how and why they deliver superior performance are still unknown. One key difference between current neural network techniques using LSTMs and the previous state-of-the-art HMM systems is that HMM systems have a strong independence assumption. In comparison LSTMs have no explicit constraints on the amount of context that can be considered during decoding. In this paper we show that they learn an implicit LM and attempt to characterize the strength of the LM in terms of equivalent n-gram context. We show that this implicitly learned language model provides a 2.4% CER improvement on our synthetic test set when compared against a test set of random characters (i.e. not naturally occurring sequences), and that the LSTM learns to use up to 5 characters of context (which is roughly 88 frames in our configuration). We believe that this is the first ever attempt at characterizing the strength of the implicit LM in LSTM based OCR systems.
Nutritional and sensory challenges of gluten-free bakery products: a review

Abstract There is a growing need for gluten-free bakery products. Currently, gluten-free bakery products deliver lower protein, fibre and mineral content and elevated glycaemic index (GI) than gluten-containing foods. Only a mixture of rice and buckwheat flour or a low addition of either egg white or whey protein, has shown potential for the improvement of both nutrition and sensory qualities. To increase the fibre content, isolated cereal fibre and soluble fibre isolates have been incorporated into gluten-free formulations with some sensory success. Studies have shown that the GI of modern gluten-free products is no longer a major concern with the improvement of ingredient formulations and processing methods. The currently low mineral content can be increased with the use of mineral-rich ingredients such as amaranth, buckwheat or flaxseed flour. Nonetheless, consumers still show a preference to refined, low fibre breads over wholegrain fibre-rich bread.
Lexicographical-Based Order for Post-OCR Correction of Named Entities

We are in the era of information access in which a huge amount of text is extracted from scanned documents and made available digitally to be used in search processes. However, old or poorly scanned documents suffer from bad recognition, which leads to not only imperfect Optical Character Recognition (OCR), but to bad indexation and unattainable information, as well. To cope with the aforementioned issues, we introduce in this paper a lexicographical-based approach for Post-OCR correction applied to named entities. By combining lexicographically a contextual similarity and an edit distance, the approach builds a graph connecting similar named entities, in order to automatically correct the corresponding OCR processed text. We evaluated our approach on a generated dataset. The first results obtained showed that, despite the high level of degradation of the text, the approach succeeded in correcting more than a third of named entities without the need for any external knowledge.
Self-Awareness for Dynamic Knowledge Management in Self-Adaptive Volunteer Services

Engineering volunteer services calls for novel self-adaptive approaches for dynamically managing the process of selecting volunteer services. As these services tend to be published and withdrawn without restrictions, uncertainties, dynamisms and 'dilution of control' related to the decisions of selection and composition are complex problems. These services tend to exhibit periodic performance patterns, which are often repeated over a certain time period. Consequently, the awareness of such periodic patterns enables the prediction of the services performance leading to better adaptation. In this paper, we contribute to a self-adaptive approach, namely time-awareness, which combines self-aware principles with dynamic histograms to dynamically manage the periodic trends of services performance and their evolution trends. Such knowledge can inform the adaptation decisions, leading to increase in the precision of selecting and composing services. We evaluate the approach using a volunteer storage composition scenario. The evaluation results show the advantages of dynamic knowledge management in self-adaptive volunteer computing in selecting dependable services and satisfying higher number of requests.