Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparisons between conventional optical imaging and parametric indirect microscopic imaging on human skin detection

We report a new method, polarization parameters indirect microscopic imaging with a high transmission infrared light source, to detect the morphology and component of human skin. A conventional reflection microscopic system is used as the basic optical system, into which a polarization-modulation mechanics is inserted and a high transmission infrared light source is utilized. The near-field structural characteristics of human skin can be delivered by infrared waves and material coupling. According to coupling and conduction physics, changes of the optical wave parameters can be calculated and curves of the intensity of the image can be obtained. By analyzing the near-field polarization parameters in nanoscale, we can finally get the inversion images of human skin. Compared with the conventional direct optical microscope, this method can break diffraction limit and achieve a super resolution of sub-100nm. Besides, the method is more sensitive to the edges, wrinkles, boundaries and impurity particles.
The impact of adipose tissue-derived factors on the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis

Adipose tissue produces factors, including adipokines, cytokines and chemokines which, when released, systemically exert endocrine effects on multiple tissues thereby affecting their physiology. Adipokines also affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis both centrally, at the hypothalamic-pituitary level, and peripherally acting on the gonads themselves. Among the adipokines, leptin, adiponectin, resistin, chemerin and the peptide kisspeptin have pleiotropic actions on the HPG axis affecting male and female fertility. Furthermore, adipokines and adipose tissue-produced factors readily affect the immune system resulting in inflammation, which in turn impact the HPG axis, thus evidencing a link between metabolic inflammation and fertility. In this review we provide an overview of the existing extensive bibliography on the crosstalk between adipose tissue-derived factors and the HPG axis, with particular focus on the impact of obesity and the metabolic syndrome on gonadal function and fertility.
Laser‐assisted drug delivery: mode of action and use in daily clinical practice

Topical application of pharmaceutical agents is a basic principle of dermatological therapy. However, the effective barrier function of the skin significantly impairs the bioavailability of most topical drugs. Fractional ablative lasers represent an innovative strategy to overcome the epidermal barrier in a standardized, contact‐free manner. The bioavailability of topical agents can be significantly enhanced using laser‐assisted drug delivery (LADD). In recent years, the principle of LADD has become well established for various dermatological indications. Herein, we review the current literature on LADD and present potential future applications.
Targeted next generation sequencing of mucosal melanomas identifies frequent NF1 and RAS mutations

Purpose Mucosal melanoma represents ~1% of all melanomas, frequently having a poor prognosis due to diagnosis at a late stage of disease. Mucosal melanoma differs from cutaneous melanoma not only in terms of poorer clinical outcome but also on the molecular level having e.g. less BRAF and more frequent KIT mutations than cutaneous melanomas. For the majority of mucosal melanomas oncogenic driver mutations remain unknown. Experimental Design and Results In our study, 75 tumor tissues from patients diagnosed with mucosal melanoma were analyzed, applying a targeted next generation sequencing panel covering 29 known recurrently mutated genes in melanoma. NF1 and RAS mutations were identified as the most frequently mutated genes occurring in 18.3% and 16.9% of samples, respectively. Mutations in BRAF were identified in 8.4% and KIT in 7.0% of tumor samples. Conclusions Our study identifies NF1 as the most frequently occurring driver mutation in mucosal melanoma. RAS alterations, consisting of NRAS and KRAS mutations, were the second most frequent mutation type. BRAF and KIT mutations were rare with frequencies below 10% each. Our data indicate that in mucosal melanomas RAS/NF1 alterations are frequent, implying a significant pathogenetic role for MAPK and potentially PI3K pathway activation in these tumors.
An evaluation of combined narrative exposure therapy and physiotherapy for comorbid PTSD and chronic pain in torture survivors.

INTRODUCTION Torture is associated with adverse health consequences, with especially high rates of PTSD, depression and chronic pain. Despite increased awareness of the relationship between pain and posttraumaticsymptoms, and the accompanying need for effective treatment strategies, few studies have examined an integrated treatment of comorbid PTSD and pain. METHODS In this study, using an A-B case series design with three and six month follow-up, six refugee torture survivors with comorbid PTSD, depression and chronic pain received 20 sessions of Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) and 10 sessions of physiotherapy. Outcome variables included symptoms of PTSD and depression, pain intensity, physical functioning and quality of life. Symptoms of PTSD and pain were also rated after each treatment session. RESULTS Two patients achieved clinically significant reduction in symptoms of PTSD. Only one patient achieved clinically significant change in depressive symptoms, and two experienced clinically significant reduction in pain intensity. Clinical descriptions of the course of treatment for all patients are provided. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Despite its limitations, the study suggests that some torture survivors who suffer high symptom loads may benefit from a combined treatment of NET and physiotherapy. Appreciating individual differences and how they affect treatment can provide valuable insight and inform clinicians working with torture survivors. Directions for future researchregarding the improvement of rehabilitation strategies of torture survivors are discussed, and highlighted through descriptions from the six therapy cases.
Factors Associated With Maternal-Reported Actions to Prevent Type 1 Diabetes in the First Year of the TEDDY Study

OBJECTIVE Mothers of children at risk for type 1 diabetes report engaging in preventive behaviors. The purpose of this study is to further document these actions in an international, longitudinal sample and examine variables that predict whether mothers engage in these behaviors. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This study examined an international sample (from Finland, Germany, Sweden, and the U.S.) from the naturalistic, longitudinal The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study, which tracked children genetically at risk for type 1 diabetes from birth to age 15 years. Mothers of 7,613 infants aged 6 months and 6,503 infants aged 15 months completed questionnaires assessing psychosocial factors and actions intended to prevent diabetes. RESULTS Many mothers (29.9% at 6 months and 42.8% at 15 months) reported engaging in a behavior intended to prevent type 1 diabetes, with the largest percentages (20.9–29.2%) reporting making changes to their child’s diet (e.g., reducing the consumption of sweets and carbohydrates). Factors related to engaging in preventive behaviors include older maternal age; higher maternal education; minority status; having only one child; having a first-degree relative with type 1 diabetes; being from a country other than Sweden; having an accurate perception of the child’s increased risk for developing diabetes; having postpartum depression, maternal anxiety, and worry about the risk of diabetes; and believing that diabetes can be prevented. CONCLUSIONS The findings of this study suggest that many mothers engage in actions to prevent diabetes and highlight the importance of tracking these behaviors to ensure the validity of naturalistic observational studies.
Hand Pose Estimation Using Deep Stereovision and Markov-Chain Monte Carlo

Hand pose is emerging as an important interface for human-computer interaction. The problem of hand pose estimation from passive stereo inputs has received less attention in the literature compared to active depth sensors. This paper seeks to address this gap by presenting a data-driven method to estimate a hand pose from a stereoscopic camera input, by introducing a stochastic approach to propose potential depth solutions to the observed stereo capture and evaluate these proposals using two convolutional neural networks (CNNs). The first CNN, configured in a Siamese network architecture, evaluates how consistent the proposed depth solution is to the observed stereo capture. The second CNN estimates a hand pose given the proposed depth. Unlike sequential approaches that reconstruct pose from a known depth, our method jointly optimizes the hand pose and depth estimation through Markov-chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling. This way, pose estimation can correct for errors in depth estimation, and vice versa. Experimental results using an inexpensive stereo camera show that the proposed system more accurately measures pose better than competing methods.
Full superconducting dome of strong Ising protection in gated monolayer WS2

Significance Compared with 3D superconductors, atomically thin superconductors are expected to be easier to engineer for electronic applications. Here, we use field effect gating to induce superconductivity in a monolayer semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenide, WS2, grown by chemical vapor deposition. The remarkable doping range allows access to a cascade of electronic phases from a band insulator, a superconductor, to a reentrant insulator at high doping. The large spin-orbit coupling of ∼30 meV makes the Ising paring in WS2 arguably the most strongly protected superconducting state against external magnetic field. The wide tunability revealed by spanning over a complete superconducting dome paves the way for the integration of monolayer superconductors to functional electronic devices exploiting the field effect control of quantum phases. Many recent studies show that superconductivity not only exists in atomically thin monolayers but can exhibit enhanced properties such as a higher transition temperature and a stronger critical field. Nevertheless, besides being unstable in air, the weak tunability in these intrinsically metallic monolayers has limited the exploration of monolayer superconductivity, hindering their potential in electronic applications (e.g., superconductor–semiconductor hybrid devices). Here we show that using field effect gating, we can induce superconductivity in monolayer WS2 grown by chemical vapor deposition, a typical ambient-stable semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD), and we are able to access a complete set of competing electronic phases over an unprecedented doping range from band insulator, superconductor, to a reentrant insulator at high doping. Throughout the superconducting dome, the Cooper pair spin is pinned by a strong internal spin–orbit interaction, making this material arguably the most resilient superconductor in the external magnetic field. The reentrant insulating state at positive high gating voltages is attributed to localization induced by the characteristically weak screening of the monolayer, providing insight into many dome-like superconducting phases observed in field-induced quasi-2D superconductors.
Evidence of drug-response heterogeneity rapidly generated from a single cancer cell

One cancer cell line is believed to be composed of numerous clones with different drug sensitivity. We sought to investigate the difference of drug-response pattern in clones from a cell line or from a single cell. We showed that 22 clones derived from 4T1 cells were drastically different from each other with respect to drug-response pattern against 11 anticancer drugs and expression profile of 19 genes associated with drug resistance or sensitivity. Similar results were obtained using daughter clones derived from a single 4T1 cell. Each daughter clone showed distinct drug-response pattern and gene expression profile. Similar results were also obtained using Bcap37 cells. We conclude that a single cancer cell can rapidly produce a population of cells with high heterogeneity of drug response and the acquisition of drug-response heterogeneity is random.
A robust gene signature for the prediction of early relapse in stage I–III colon cancer

Colon cancer patients experiencing early relapse consistently exhibited poor survival. The aim of our study was to develop an mRNA signature that can help to detect early relapse cases in stage I–III colon cancer. Public microarray datasets of stage I–III colon cancer samples were extracted from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Propensity score matching analysis was performed between patients in the early relapse group and the long‐term survival group from GSE39582 discovery series (N = 386), and patients were 1 : 1 matched. Global mRNA expression changes were then analyzed between the paired groups to identify the differentially expressed genes. Lasso Cox regression modeling analysis was conducted for the selection of prognostic mRNA. Fifteen mRNA were finally identified to build an early relapse classifier. With specific risk score formula, patients were classified into a high‐risk group and a low‐risk group. Relapse‐free survival was significantly different between the two groups in every series, including discovery [hazard ratio (HR): 2.547, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.708–3.797, P < 0.001)], internal validation (HR: 5.146, 95% CI: 1.968–13.457, P < 0.001), and external validation (HR: 1.977, 95% CI: 1.295–3.021, P < 0.001) sets of patients. Time‐dependent receiver‐operating characteristic at 1 year suggested more prognostic accuracy of the classifier [area under curve (AUC = 0.703)] than the American Joint Commission on Cancer tumor–node–metastasis staging system (AUC = 0.659) in all 951 patients. In conclusion, we developed a robust mRNA signature that can effectively classify colon cancer patients into groups with low and high risks of early relapse. This mRNA signature may help select high‐risk colon cancer patients who require more aggressive therapeutic intervention.
Premature Ovarian Failure

T he current level of monitoring for patients on HRT within primary care is a source of concern to the HRT specialist professionals. Our study sought to identify the current level of monitoring undertaken and the parameters used in our area. The practice-based team providing health care for the patient in the community includes the general practitioner and the practice nurse. The patient-pharmacist contact has never been considered; this occurs when the patient presents a prescription for dispensing at the pharmacy. The questionnaires in our pilot research study were therefore targeted to 75 per cent of the GPs, practice nurses and community pharmacists within the study area. The questions posed to each were pertinent to the professional role they play in caring for the patient.
Four Decades of Research in Alzheimer's Disease (1975-2014): A Bibliometric and Scientometric Analysis.

BACKGROUND Bibliometric and scientometric methods can be applied to the study of a research field. OBJECTIVE We hypothesized that a bibliometric and scientometric analysis of the Alzheimer's disease (AD) research field could render trends that provide researchers and funding agencies valuable insight into the history of the field, current tendencies, and potential future directions. METHODS We performed searches in publicly available databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Alzheimer's Funding Analyzer for the period 1975-2014, and conducted a curve fitting analysis with non-linear regression. RESULTS While the rate and impact of publications continue to increase, the number of patents per year is currently declining after peaking in the late 2000s, and the funding budget has plateaued in the last 5-10 years analyzed. Genetics is the area growing at a fastest pace, whereas pathophysiology and therapy have not grown further in the last decade. Among the targets of pathophysiology research, amyloid-β continues to be the focus of greatest interest, with tau and apolipoprotein E stagnant after a surge in the 1990s. The role of inflammation, microglia, and the synapse are other research topics with growing interest. Regarding preventative strategies, education attainment, diet, and exercise are recently gaining some momentum, whereas NSAIDs and statins have lost the spotlight they once had. CONCLUSION Our bibliometric and scientometric analysis provides distinct trends in AD research in the last four decades, including publication and patent output, funding, impact, and topics. Our findings could inform the decision-making of research funding agencies in the near future.
Outcomes Following Single and Recurrent In-Hospital Cardiac Arrests in Children With Heart Disease: A Report From American Heart Association’s Get With the Guidelines Registry–Resuscitation

Objectives: Little is known regarding patient characteristics and outcomes associated with cardiac arrest in hospitalized children with underlying heart disease. We described clinical characteristics and in-hospital outcomes in cardiac patients with both single and recurrent cardiac arrests. Design: Retrospective analysis evaluating characteristics and outcomes in single versus recurrent arrest groups in unadjusted and adjusted analyses. Setting: American Heart Association’s Get with the Guidelines–Resuscitation registry (2000–2010). Patients: Children younger than 18 years, identified with medical or surgical cardiac disease and one or more in-hospital cardiac arrest. Interventions: None. Measurement and Main Results: One thousand eight hundred and eighty-nine patients with 2,387 cardiac arrests from 157 centers met inclusion criteria: 1,546 (82%) with a single arrest and 343 (18%) with a recurrent arrest. More than two thirds of recurrent cardiac arrests occurred in ICUs, and those with recurrent arrest had a higher prevalence of baseline comorbidities (e.g., more likely to be mechanically ventilated and receiving vasoactive infusions). Overall survival to hospital discharge was 51%, and was lower in the recurrent versus single arrest group (41% vs 53%; p < 0.001). In analysis adjusted for baseline comorbidities, there was no longer a statistically significant association between recurrent arrest and survival (odds ratio, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.33–1.63; p = 0.45). In stratified analysis, the relationship between recurrent arrest and lower survival was more prominent in the surgical-cardiac (odds ratio, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.14–1.11; p = 0.09) versus medical-cardiac (odds ratio, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.28–3.30; p = 0.95) group. Conclusions: In this large multicenter study, half of pediatric cardiac patients who suffered a cardiac arrest survived to hospital discharge. Lower survival in the group with recurrent arrest may be explained in part by the higher prevalence of baseline comorbidities in these patients, and surgical cardiac patients appeared to be at greatest risk. Further study is necessary to develop strategies to reduce subsequent mortality in these high-risk patients.
On the Statistical Limits of Convex Relaxations

Many high dimensional sparse learning problems are formulated as nonconvex optimization. A popular approach to solve these nonconvex optimization problems is through convex relaxations such as linear and semidefinite programming. In this paper, we study the statistical limits of convex relaxations. Particularly, we consider two problems: Mean estimation for sparse principal submatrix and edge probability estimation for stochastic block model. We exploit the sum-of-squares relaxation hierarchy to sharply characterize the limits of a broad class of convex relaxations. Our result shows statistical optimality needs to be compromised for achieving computational tractability using convex relaxations. Compared with existing results on computational lower bounds for statistical problems, which consider general polynomialtime algorithms and rely on computational hardness hypotheses on problems like planted clique detection, our theory focuses on a broad class of convex relaxations and does not rely on unproven hypotheses.
Pitfalls of diagnosing urinary tract infection in infants and young children

The aim of this study was to examine the sensitivity and specificity of pyuria‐based diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) in urine collected by transurethral catheterization, and the reliability of diagnosis of pyuria in urine collected in a perineal bag. The gold standard for UTI diagnosis is significant colony counts of a single organism in urine obtained in a sterile manner.
Gut–CNS-Axis as Possibility to Modulate Inflammatory Disease Activity—Implications for Multiple Sclerosis

In the last decade the role of environmental factors as modulators of disease activity and progression has received increasing attention. In contrast to classical environmental modulators such as exposure to sun-light or fine dust pollution, nutrition is an ideal tool for a personalized human intervention. Various studies demonstrate a key role of dietary factors in autoimmune diseases including Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory central nervous system (CNS) diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS). In this review we discuss the connection between diet and inflammatory processes via the gut–CNS-axis. This axis describes a bi-directional communication system and comprises neuronal signaling, neuroendocrine pathways and modulation of immune responses. Therefore, the gut–CNS-axis represents an emerging target to modify CNS inflammatory activity ultimately opening new avenues for complementary and adjunctive treatment of autoimmune diseases such as MS.
Comparison of the ATRIA, CHADS2, and CHA2DS2-VASc stroke risk scores in predicting ischaemic stroke in a large Swedish cohort of patients with atrial fibrillation.

AIMS Better stroke risk prediction is needed to optimize the anticoagulation decision in atrial fibrillation (AF). The ATRIA stroke risk score (ATRIA) was developed and validated in two large California community AF cohorts. We compared the performance of the ATRIA, CHADS2, and CHA2DS2-VASc scores in a national Swedish AF (SAF) cohort. METHODS AND RESULTS We examined all Swedish patients hospitalized, or visiting a hospital-based outpatient clinic, with a diagnosis of AF from July 2005 through December 2010. Variables were determined from comprehensive national databases. Risk scores were assessed via C-index (C) and net reclassification improvement (NRI). The cohort included 152 153 AF patients not receiving warfarin. Overall, 11 053 acute ischaemic strokes were observed with mean rate 3.2%/year, higher than the 2%/year in the California cohorts. Using entire point scores, ATRIA had a good C of 0.708 (0.704-0.713), significantly better than CHADS2 0.690 (0.685-0.695) or CHA2DS2-VASc 0.694 (0.690-0.700). Using published cut-points for low/moderate/high risk, C deteriorated but ATRIA remained superior. Net reclassification improvement favoured ATRIA 0.16 (0.14-0.17) vs. CHADS2 and 0.21 (0.20-0.23) vs. CHA2DS2-VASc. Net reclassification improvement decreased when cut-points were altered to better fit the cohort's stroke rates. CONCLUSION In this SAF cohort, the ATRIA score predicted ischaemic stroke risk better than CHADS2 or CHA2DS2-VASc. However, relative performance of the categorical scores varied by population stroke rates. Score cut-points may need to be optimized to better fit local population stroke rates.