Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Multiple Sleep-Related Parameters in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Different Age Ranges

Purpose: No age-based comparative studies have investigated clinical and polysomnographic manifestations of adults with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Methods: Retrospective record review of 570 patients with OSA at Naval Medical Center San Diego. Patients were divided into one of four age cohorts: (1) ages 18-29 (n=209); (2) ages 30-39 (n=106); (3) ages 40-49 (n=102); and (4) ages > 50 (n=153). Group comparisons of demographics, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Patient Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ), and polysomnography were analyzed. Results: Patients, ages 18-29 reported more witnessed apneas, Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS), and had higher respiratory related arousal indexes (p=0.018) compared to patients over 30 years old. Patients 50 years and older reported more nocturia (p=0.001), less snoring, and had higher Rapid Eye Movement (REM)-related apneas (p=0.008), and more severe oximetry desaturations than patients less than 50 years old (p=0.001 - 0.004). Age groups were similar with respect to Body Mass Index (BMI), self-reported sleep-related driving impairment, Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI), non-REM (NREM) AHI, and total obstructive and central apneas. Conclusions: Snoring, EDS, nocturia, arousal index, and lowest oxygen saturation most significantly differentiated OSA across different age groups of patients with OSA.
Primary Tumor 18F-FDG Avidity Affects the Performance of 18F-FDG PET/CT for Detecting Gastric Cancer Recurrence

The usefulness of 18F-FDG PET in gastric cancer recurrence is limited by low sensitivity. Given that detectability by PET is dependent on the tumor’s metabolic characteristics, we tested whether the performance of PET for gastric cancer recurrence is enhanced in patients with 18F-FDG–avid primary tumors. Methods: Three hundred sixty-eight patients with advanced gastric cancer underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT for initial staging and for recurrence surveillance after curative surgery. On initial PET/CT, primary tumors were 18F-FDG–avid if they displayed focal uptake with an SUVmax 4 or more. Follow-up 18F-FDG PET/CT was evaluated for recurrent disease. Results: On initial PET/CT, the primary tumor was 18F-FDG–avid in 236 of 368 (64.1%) and nonavid in 132 patients (35.9%). During follow-up for 18.9 ± 13.3 mo, 72 patients (19.6%) had recurrence. Of the 63 PET scans with recurrence, 42 (66.7%) and 21 (33.3%) were scans of patients with 18F-FDG–avid and nonavid primary tumors, respectively. PET sensitivity was higher in scans of patients with 18F-FDG–avid than nonavid tumors for all recurrences (81.0% vs. 52.4%; P = 0.018) and nonanastomosis site recurrences (82.1% vs. 47.4%; P = 0.006). The sensitivity for detecting peritoneal recurrence was also higher for the avid tumor group. PET specificity was similarly high (97.1% and 97.5%) for both groups. Adding cell type and Lauren classification to tumor 18F-FDG avidity further enhanced PET sensitivity. Conclusion: Surveillance 18F-FDG PET/CT after resection of gastric cancer has significantly higher sensitivity in patients with 18F-FDG–avid primary tumors and may have greater value in this group.
Load balancing in MapReduce on homogeneous and heterogeneous clusters: an in-depth review

Numbers of various programming models have been proposed to process big data in recent years. However, MapReduce is the most famous programming model amongst cloud computing environments and includes many advantages, yet there are several challenges to deal with. Load balancing is considered as one of the most significant downsides of MapReduce which causes the increase in applications' runtime and accordingly results in less-efficiency, where there is no appropriate proposed mechanism. Although, data locality and data skew are known as two main key factors for determination of load balancing, yet it is remarkable that load balance highly depends on whether the computational clusters are homogeneous or heterogeneous. This paper examines the effectiveness of two main key factors. These are data locality and data skew on homogeneous and heterogeneous clusters. Besides, a review is conducted on a number of recent literature in the same context of load balancing improvements in Hadoop MapReduce. Finally, all investigated researches are compared with the purpose of highlighting the differences of various load balancing methods, the optimisation phase, type of clusters and the main challenges.
Violence Against Immigrant Women

Intimate partner violence against immigrant women is at epidemic proportions, but research has only recently begun to address the concern. A review of the legal, medical, and social science research literature reveals little data, but that which exist demonstrate that immigrant women's cultures, contexts, and legal status (a) increase vulnerability for abuse, (b) are used by batterers to control and abuse immigrant women, and (c) create barriers to women seeking and receiving help. Data also reveal that immigrant culture and context offer resiliency factors through which programs and policy can be used to better serve these populations.
Estudo EVAPE (Exploring Vascular Protective Effects)

Objectivos: Avaliar retrospectiva e comparativamente o efeito de tres classes terapeuticas na mortalidade de causa vascular, em utentes dos cuidados de saude primarios sujeitos aos padroes habituais de prescricao medica; avaliar o contributo relativo dos factores de risco para a morte de causa vascular. Tipo de estudo: Estudo de casos e controlos. Local: Centro de Saude dos Olivais Populacao: Utentes dos cuidados de saude primarios: casos (149): obitos por causa vascular; controlos (253): seleccionados aleatoriamente de entre os utentes que frequentaram regularmente as consultas dos respectivos medicos de 2002 a 2005. Metodos: A metodologia consistiu, na pratica, em recuar no tempo e avaliar numa dada populacao, que diferencas se registavam, face a um grupo de controlo, em termos terapeuticos e de factores de risco, que possam estar associados ao desfecho (morte de causa vascular). Testes Estatisticos: Qui-quadrado para testar homogeneidade das amostras nas variaveis, sexo, idade, factores de risco e terapeutica; calculo do Odds Ratio (OR), como estimativa do risco de morte de causa vascular por classe terapeutica. Regressao logistica (OR ajustado aos factores de risco); calculo do OR no estudo de determinadas associacoes terapeuticas. Intervalo de confianca de 95%. Resultados: O grupo terapeutico das estatinas esteve associado a uma reducao estimada do risco de morte de causa vascular (65% a 81%). Esta associacao manteve-se independentemente dos factores de risco (OR ajustado para os mesmos na regressao logistica); Conclusoes: O grupo terapeutico das estatinas revelou associacao significativa com a reducao do risco de morte de causa vascular, independentemente de estar associada ou nao a outras terapeuticas. De entre os factores de risco que mais contribuiram para a mortalidade cv destacaram-se o tabagismo e os eventos cv previos.
Comparing the Diagnostic Potential of 68Ga-Alfatide II and 18F-FDG in Differentiating Between Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer and Tuberculosis

The objectives of this study were to compare the diagnostic potential of 68Ga-Alfatide II with18F-FDG in differentiating between non–small cell lung cancer patients (NSCLC) and lung tuberculosis (TB) patients. Methods: Twenty-one NSCLC patients and 13 TB patients were recruited. PET/CT images using either 68Ga-Alfatide II or 18F-FDG were acquired in 2 consecutive days. SUV quantitative comparison, receiver-operating curve analysis, and comprehensive visual analysis were performed. The expression of the angiogenesis marker αvβ3 in NSCLC and TB primary lesions was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Results: The 68Ga-Alfatide II SUVmax and SUVmean were significantly different in NSCLC and TB (P = 0.0001 and 0.0007, respectively). The area under the receiver-operating curve value of 68Ga-Alfatide II SUVmax was significantly higher than that of 18F-FDG (P = 0.038). The visual differentiation diagnostic specificity of 68Ga-Alfatide II was 1.57-fold (84.62% vs. 53.85%) higher than that of 18F-FDG. In the detection of NSCLC lymph nodes, 68Ga-Alfatide II was superior in specificity (100% vs. 66.7%), whereas the sensitivity was greater with 18F-FDG (87.5% vs. 75%). In TB lymph node detection, the false-positive rate of 68Ga-Alfatide II was one-third (15.4%/46.2%) the value of 18F-FDG. Additionally, 68Ga-Alfatide II detected more metastases in the brain but less in the liver and the bone. The αvβ3 biomarker was specifically expressed in the cells and the neovasculature of NSCLC lesions. Conclusion: 68Ga-Alfatide II is qualified for detecting NSCLC primary lesions and is superior to 18F-FDG in distinguishing NSCLC from TB in primary lesions and suggestive lymph nodes. 68Ga-Alfatide II is more likely to be capable of detecting brain metastasis, and 18F-FDG is more likely to be capable of detecting liver and early-stage bone metastases.
Fluorescence-Based Molecular Imaging of Porcine Urinary Bladder Sentinel Lymph Nodes

The primary objective was to test the ability of a laparoscopic camera system to detect the fluorescent signal emanating from sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) approximately 2 d after injection and imaging of a positron-emitting molecular imaging agent into the submucosa of the porcine urinary bladder. Methods: Three female pigs underwent a submucosal injection of the bladder with fluorescent-tagged tilmanocept, radiolabeled with both 68Ga and 99mTc. One hour after injection, a pelvic PET/CT scan was acquired for preoperative SLN mapping. Approximately 36 h later, robotic SLN mapping was performed using a fluorescence-capable camera system. After identification of the fluorescent lymph nodes, a pelvic lymph node dissection was completed with robotic assistance. All excised nodal packets (n = 36) were assayed for 99mTc activity, which established a lymph node as an SLN. 99mTc activity was also used to calculate the amount of dye within each lymph node. Results: All of the SLNs defined by the ex vivo γ-well assay of 99mTc activity were detected by fluorescence mode imaging. The time between injection and robotic SLN mapping ranged from 32 to 38 h. A total of 5 fluorescent lymph nodes were detected; 2 pigs had 2 fluorescent lymph nodes and 1 pig exhibited a single lymph node. Four of the 5 SLNs exhibited increased SUVs of 12.4–139.0 obtained from PET/CT. The dye content of the injection sites ranged from 371 to 1,441 pmol, which represented 16.5%–64.1% of the injected dose; the amount of dye within the SLNs ranged from 8.5 to 88 pmol, which was equivalent to 0.38%–3.91% of the administered dose. Conclusion: Fluorescent-labeled 68Ga-tilmanocept allows for PET imaging and real-time intraoperative detection of SLNs during robotic surgery.
Frequency-based re-sequencing tool for short reads on graphics processing units

After the reference genomes of many organisms are sequenced in the post-genetic era, an important issue is to do the re-sequencing of individual genomes with high-throughput reads. Many next-generation sequencing machines have been proposed in the last few years and a series of re-sequencing tools have been developed for mapping short reads to the reference genome. FRESCO is a frequency-based re-sequencing tool without using hash look-up table algorithm and Burrows-Wheeler transformation. FRESCO offers more flexibility in the mapping and then obtains satisfactory mapping results. However, FRESCO is a computation-intensive tool. Therefore, in this paper, a tool, CUDA-FRESCO v1.0, was proposed to reduce the computation time of FRESCO by using the graphics processing units with CUDA. By comparing to FRESCO, CUDA-FRESCO v1.0 achieved 63× speedups for the mapping kernel and 20× speedups for the overall computation time.
An additional and easy algorithm based on morphological analysis of unipolar electrogram: misclassification in implantable cardioverter-defibrillators

A classification method based on electrogram (EGM) morphology is proposed in order to distinguish among Ventricular Tachycardias (VT), Supraventricular Tachycardias (SVT) and Ventricular Fibrillations (VF), which are the most difficult to separate using only rate. The authors' algorithm starts to work only when rate criterion is fulfilled. The authors have broached a classification of isolated beats and afterwards, applying very simple rules, the full episode is classified. The study has been carried out using a wide database composed of unipolar EGMs (fs=200 Hz) from ICDs, recorded during clinical episodes, where rate criterion had been fulfilled. For every beat of an episode a number of morphological parameters, normalized using sinus rhythm morphology and morphology during the arrhythmia, is calculated and powerful statistic tools such as logistic regression are used to achieve a good diagnosis. Logistic regression produces functions, which can discriminate effectively among different morphological complexes. They are simple and have a low computational complexity, which means that they can be used without delay and almost without an additional cost. The algorithm shows a really good level of performance at both levels of classification (isolated complex and episode) with diagnosis sensitivity and specificity above 90%.
Libraries and Seasons of Cancer Survivorship

Cancer survivorship—from the time of diagnosis to the rest of one's life—is gaining attention in health care management. Knowledge of the ongoing medical and psychosocial needs of cancer survivors has led to the conceptualization of four predictable stages or seasons of survivorship. Librarians should understand cancer survivorship and expand library programs to benefit patients and their families. Critical issues are (1) collection development; (2) networking; (3) online resources; and (4) professional opportunities. Survivorship resources and services offered by the Patient Resource Library (PRL) at the Middlesex Hospital Cancer Center in Connecticut, are featured.
Arterial CO2 as a Potent Coronary Vasodilator: A Preclinical PET/MR Validation Study with Implications for Cardiac Stress Testing

Myocardial blood flow (MBF) is the critical determinant of cardiac function. However, its response to increases in partial pressure of arterial CO2 (PaCO2), particularly with respect to adenosine, is not well characterized because of challenges in blood gas control and limited availability of validated approaches to ascertain MBF in vivo. Methods: By prospectively and independently controlling PaCO2 and combining it with 13N-ammonia PET measurements, we investigated whether a physiologically tolerable hypercapnic stimulus (∼25 mm Hg increase in PaCO2) can increase MBF to that observed with adenosine in 3 groups of canines: without coronary stenosis, subjected to non–flow-limiting coronary stenosis, and after preadministration of caffeine. The extent of effect on MBF due to hypercapnia was compared with adenosine. Results: In the absence of stenosis, mean MBF under hypercapnia was 2.1 ± 0.9 mL/min/g and adenosine was 2.2 ± 1.1 mL/min/g; these were significantly higher than at rest (0.9 ± 0.5 mL/min/g, P < 0.05) and were not different from each other (P = 0.30). Under left-anterior descending coronary stenosis, MBF increased in response to hypercapnia and adenosine (P < 0.05, all territories), but the effect was significantly lower than in the left-anterior descending coronary territory (with hypercapnia and adenosine; both P < 0.05). Mean perfusion defect volumes measured with adenosine and hypercapnia were significantly correlated (R = 0.85) and were not different (P = 0.12). After preadministration of caffeine, a known inhibitor of adenosine, resting MBF decreased; and hypercapnia increased MBF but not adenosine (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Arterial blood CO2 tension when increased by 25 mm Hg can induce MBF to the same level as a standard dose of adenosine. Prospectively targeted arterial CO2 has the capability to evolve as an alternative to current pharmacologic vasodilators used for cardiac stress testing.
Functional Imaging Signature of Patients Presenting with Polycythemia/Paraganglioma Syndromes

Pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma (PPGL) syndromes associated with polycythemia have previously been described in association with mutations in the von Hippel–Lindau gene. Recently, mutations in the prolyl hydroxylase gene (PHD) 1 and 2 and in the hypoxia-inducible factor 2 α (HIF2A) were also found to be associated with multiple and recurrent PPGL. Such patients also presented with PPGL and polycythemia, and later on, some presented with duodenal somatostatinoma. In additional patients presenting with PPGL and polycythemia, no further mutations have been discovered. Because the functional imaging signature of patients with PPGL–polycythemia syndromes is still unknown, and because these tumors (in most patients) are multiple, recurrent, and metastatic, the goal of our study was to assess the optimal imaging approach using 4 different PET radiopharmaceuticals and CT/MRI in these patients. Methods: Fourteen patients (10 women, 4 men) with confirmed PPGL and polycythemia prospectively underwent 68Ga-DOTATATE (13 patients), 18F-FDG (13 patients), 18F-fluorodihydroxyphenylalanine (18F-FDOPA) (14 patients), 18F-fluorodopamine (18F-FDA) (11 patients), and CT/MRI (14 patients). Detection rates of PPGL lesions were compared between all imaging studies and stratified between the underlying mutations. Results: 18F-FDOPA and 18F-FDA PET/CT showed similar combined lesion-based detection rates of 98.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 92.7%–99.8%) and 98.3% (95% CI, 90.9%–99.7%), respectively. The detection rates for 68Ga-DOTATATE (35.3%; 95% CI, 25.0%–47.2%), 18F-FDG (42.3; 95% CI, 29.9%–55.8%), and CT/MRI (60.3%; 95% CI, 48.8%–70.7%) were significantly lower (P < 0.01), irrespective of the mutation status. Conclusion: 18F-FDOPA and 18F-FDA are superior to 18F-FDG, 68Ga-DOTATATE, and CT/MRI and should be the radiopharmaceuticals of choice in this rare group of patients.
Urinary excretion of εdA is not predictive of cancer development: A prospective nested case–control study

Human biomonitoring of the lipid peroxidation DNA modification 1,N6-ethenodeoxyadenosine (εdA) excreted into urine is thought to be a potential marker for oxidative stress-related DNA damage and human cancer. We have tested this hypothesis in a prospective, nested case–control study. During the years 1984–1989, 24-h urines were collected from 1956 men in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease (KIHD) Risk Factor Study. εdA concentrations were measured by LC-MS/MS in 24-h urine samples from 47 men with cancer diagnosed at follow up until 2001 and from 31 cancer free smoking-matched control subjects. Odds ratio for having higher than control median εdA excretion rate and cancer, estimated by binary logistic regression, was 0.73 (95% CI 0.29–1.80, p=0.49). In this study, the urinary excretion of εdA provides no additional prediction of cancer development in males after controlling for smoking.
68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT in Newly Diagnosed Carcinoma of the Prostate: Correlation of Intraprostatic PSMA Uptake with Several Clinical Parameters

68Ga-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET/CT is a promising diagnostic tool for patients with prostate cancer. Our study evaluates SUVs in benign prostate tissue and malignant, intraprostatic tumor lesions and correlates results with several clinical parameters. Methods: One hundred four men with newly diagnosed prostate carcinoma and no previous therapy were included in this study. SUVmax was measured and correlated with biopsy findings and MRI. Afterward, data were compared with current prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values, Gleason score (GS), and d’Amico risk classification. Results: In this investigation a mean SUVmax of 1.88 ± 0.44 in healthy prostate tissue compared with 10.77 ± 8.45 in malignant prostate lesions (P < 0.001) was observed. Patients with higher PSA, higher GS, and higher d’Amico risk score had statistically significant higher PSMA uptake on PET/CT (P < 0.001 each). Conclusion: PSMA PET/CT is well suited for detecting the intraprostatic malignant lesion in patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer. Our findings indicate a significant correlation of PSMA uptake with PSA, GS, and risk classification according to the d’Amico scale.
Noradrenergic Deficits in Parkinson Disease Imaged with 11C-MeNER

Degeneration of noradrenergic neurons may underlie the disabling nonmotor symptoms in patients with Parkinson disease (PD). Quantification of the loss of noradrenergic neurons by means of neuroimaging has been limited by the lack of radioligands that are selective for noradrenergic neurotransmission. The radioligand (S,S)-11C-2-(α-(2-methoxyphenoxy)benzyl)morpholine (11C-MeNER) is a highly selective inhibitor of noradrenaline transporters, and PET studies suggest that this radioligand is suitable for quantitative neuroimaging of noradrenergic deficits in human brain in vivo. In the present investigation, we used PET with 11C-MeNER to map the density of noradrenaline transporters in groups of patients with PD and age-matched healthy controls. Methods: After administration of 11C-MeNER, 15 nondemented patients with PD and 10 healthy subjects underwent 90-min dynamic PET. We determined 11C-MeNER binding potential relative to nondisplaceable binding potential (BPND) by multilinear analysis, simplified reference tissue model 2, and multilinear reference tissue model 2. Results: Metabolism of 11C-MeNER did not differ between groups. The simplified reference tissue model 2 and the multilinear reference tissue model 2 were used to determine 11C-MeNER BPND. 11C-MeNER BPND was reduced in the PD group compared with the control subjects, with regionally significant declines in the thalamus and nucleus ruber. Tremor was associated with higher tracer binding in the PD group on multivariate regression analysis. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this was the first specific quantification of noradrenergic denervation in PD patients in vivo. In agreement with predictions from determinations in vitro, we discovered a decline of noradrenergic projections in vivo in brain of PD patients.
Functional Optical Imaging of Primary Human Tumor Organoids: Development of a Personalized Drug Screen

Primary tumor organoids are a robust model of individual human cancers and present a unique platform for patient-specific drug testing. Optical imaging is uniquely suited to assess organoid function and behavior because of its subcellular resolution, penetration depth through the entire organoid, and functional endpoints. Specifically, optical metabolic imaging (OMI) is highly sensitive to drug response in organoids, and OMI in tumor organoids correlates with primary tumor drug response. Therefore, an OMI organoid drug screen could enable accurate testing of drug response for individualized cancer treatment. The objective of this perspective is to introduce OMI and tumor organoids to a general audience in order to foster the adoption of these techniques in diverse clinical and laboratory settings.