Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
2006 update of recommendations for the use of white blood cell growth factors: an evidence-based clinical practice guideline.

PURPOSE To update the 2000 American Society of Clinical Oncology guideline on the use of hematopoietic colony-stimulating factors (CSF). UPDATE METHODOLOGY The Update Committee completed a review and analysis of pertinent data published from 1999 through September 2005. Guided by the 1996 ASCO clinical outcomes criteria, the Update Committee formulated recommendations based on improvements in survival, quality of life, toxicity reduction and cost-effectiveness. RECOMMENDATIONS The 2005 Update Committee agreed unanimously that reduction in febrile neutropenia (FN) is an important clinical outcome that justifies the use of CSFs, regardless of impact on other factors, when the risk of FN is approximately 20% and no other equally effective regimen that does not require CSFs is available. Primary prophylaxis is recommended for the prevention of FN in patients who are at high risk based on age, medical history, disease characteristics, and myelotoxicity of the chemotherapy regimen. CSF use allows a modest to moderate increase in dose-density and/or dose-intensity of chemotherapy regimens. Dose-dense regimens should only be used within an appropriately designed clinical trial or if supported by convincing efficacy data. Prophylactic CSF for patients with diffuse aggressive lymphoma aged 65 years and older treated with curative chemotherapy (CHOP or more aggressive regimens) should be given to reduce the incidence of FN and infections. Current recommendations for the management of patients exposed to lethal doses of total body radiotherapy, but not doses high enough to lead to certain death due to injury to other organs, includes the prompt administration of CSF or pegylated G-CSF.
Insulin stacking versus therapeutic accumulation: understanding the differences.

OBJECTIVE The build-up in insulin levels following repeated injection of prandial insulin at close intervals--referred to as insulin stacking--can increase the risk of hypoglycemia. With the development of basal insulins with a half-life > 24 hours and a duration of action > 40 hours, clinicians may be concerned about stacking when these long-acting formulations are administered once daily. The objective of this review is to clarify the difference between inappropriate insulin stacking when shorter-acting insulin formulations are repeatedly used to correct hyperglycemia and the appropriate accumulation of long-acting insulin formulations dosed to steady-state pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles. METHODS Relevant literature on insulin stacking, glucose-clamp studies, and clinical studies of insulin, in conjunction with the clinical experience of the authors, were used to present an overview of insulin PK properties and the effects of appropriate and inappropriate dosing intervals on steady-state conditions and likely clinical outcomes. RESULTS Clinical studies confirm theoretical PK principles showing that unwanted insulin stacking (excessive concentrations) for basal insulin can be avoided by following recommended dosing and titration algorithms. Long-acting basal insulins need more time to reach steady state than shorter-acting basal insulins but then show reduced peak-trough fluctuations, translating into more consistent biologic action over a 24-hour period. CONCLUSION The unwanted stacking and consequent hypoglycemia that can occur when correctional doses of rapid-acting insulin are administered at close intervals does not occur when long-acting basal insulins are dosed in appropriate amounts and adjusted at appropriate time intervals (e.g., insulin stacking, insulin administration, diabetes, ultralong duration of action, hypoglycemia every three or more days), allowing for pharmacologic steady-state accumulation.
Epstein – Barr virus infection is not the sole cause of high prevalence for Hodgkin's lymphoma in Saudi Arabia

The age-adjusted incidence of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) is markedly higher in Saudi Arabia than in the USA, and accounts for 10.5% of all neoplasias in children aged 15 years or older in Saudi Arabia. Epstein – Barr virus (EBV) infection has been suspected to cause high HL incidence in developing countries. To investigate the role of EBV for the high frequency of HL in Saudi Arabia, we analysed 169 HLs from Saudi Arabia and 30 HLs from Europe for EBV infection by in situ hybridization with fluoresence in-conjugated EBV on tissue microarray sections. All Saudi Arabian and European HLs were analysed in one experiment under identical conditions. Unexpectedly, our data show only minor, insignificant differences in EBV infection rates between Saudi Arabian (42 out of 147 informative cases 28.6%) and European HL (nine out of 30 informative cases; 30%; P = 0.8752). Within the Saudi Arabian population, EBV infection was most frequently seen in mixed cellularity HL (52.4%). This was significantly more frequent than in nodular sclerosing HL (26.1%; P = 0.0236). EBV positivity was unrelated to patient prognosis. In conclusion, our data strongly suggest that EBV is not the main cause for the high prevalence of HL in Saudi Arabia. This would be consistent with a major role of genetic susceptibility genes for HL in these populations. The Saudi Arabian population, with high consanguinity and large families, would prove ideal for identifying HL susceptibility genes.
Quantum Hall effect in graphene: Status and prospects

Graphene is the recently discovered two-dimensional (2D) one atom thick allotrope of carbon. Electrons in graphene, obeying a linear dispersion relation, behave like massless relativistic particles. It is a 2D nanomaterial with many peculiar properties. It is the thinnest material in the universe and the strongest ever measured. Its charge carriers exhibit intrinsic mobility and can travel micrometer-long distances without scattering at room temperature. Its unconventional Landau level spectrum of massless Dirac fermions leads to a new type of integer quantum Hall effect (IQHE) [known as half-integer quantum Hall effect or anomalous quantum Hall effect] which remains visible up to room temperature. Although, the conclusive evidence for collective behaviour of electrons in graphene is lacking so far, recently scientists have observed the fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE) in graphene experimentally. In this review article, we discuss the IQHE and the FQHE in graphene briefly.
Comparing the Delivery of Albuterol Metered-Dose Inhaler via an Adapter and Spacer Device in an in vitro Infant Ventilator Lung Model

OBJECTIVE: To compare the delivery of an albuterol metered-dose inhaler (MDI) (Ventolin) via an Aerochamber (Monaghan) with an inline adapter (Medicomp Straight Swivel) in an in vitro infant lung model. METHODS: An in vitro infant lung model was modified to compare the delivery of albuterol MDI 10 inhalations via an Aerochamber with an inline adapter. The adapter and Aerochamber were placed at the endotracheal tube. A 1000 mL intravenous bag filled with 500 mL deionized water was attached to a 3.5 mm endotracheal tube (10 cm length). An Infant Bear Cub ventilator was used at the following settings: positive inspiratory pressure 20 cm H2O, intermittent mandatory ventilation 40 breaths/min, positive end expiratory pressure 4 cm H2O, and inspiratory time 0.5 second. Each device was run at least 10 times and assayed in duplicate by HPLC. An unpaired Student's t-test was used to analyze the statistical significance of the data. RESULTS: There was significantly greater delivery of albuterol with the Aerochamber (19.49 ± 7.23 μg; 2.17% ± 0.8%) as compared with an inline adapter (1.0625 ± 1.36 μg; 0.12% ± 0.15%) (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The Aerochamber provides a greater delivery of albuterol metered-dose inhalations to the lung than the inline adapter in an in vitro infant lung model.
The Effect of Blurring on Intersecting-Line Illusions

It was observed by chance that illusions in patterns consisting of criss-crossing lines, such as the Orbison and Hering illusions, are markedly reduced when the patterns are blurred. In the first of two experiments the reduction with blurring was confirmed for four patterns but failed to occur in patterns lacking criss-crossing lines. In the second experiment the reduction was shown to be due mainly to the reduced luminance contrast in blurred patterns, thus confirming earlier findings on the effect of contrast on this group of illusions. Theoretical implications are discussed.
Local features for RGBD image matching under viewpoint changes. (Caractéristiques locales pour la mise en correspondance d'images RGBD sous changements de position de la camera)

In the last five-to-ten years, 3D acquisition has emerged in many practical areas thanks to new technologies that enable a massive generation of texture+depth (RGBD) visual content, including infrared sensors Microsoft Kinect, Asus Xtion, Intel RealSense, Google Tango, laser 3D scanners (LIDARs). The increasing availability of this enriched visual modality, combining both photometric and geometric information about the observed scene, opens up new horizons for different classic problems in vision, robotics and multimedia. In this thesis, we address the task of establishing local visual correspondences in images, which is a basic task that numerous higher-level problems are settled with. The local correspondences are commonly found through local visual features. While these have been exhaustively studied for traditional images, little work has been done so far for the case of RGBD content. This thesis begins with a study of the invariance of existing local feature extraction techniques to different visual deformations. It is known that the traditional photometric local features that do not rely on any kind of geometrical information may be robust to various in-plane transformations, but are highly sensible to perspective distortions caused by viewpoint changes and local 3D transformations of the surface. Yet, those visual deformations are widely present in real-world applications. Based on this insight, we attempt to eliminate this vulnerability in the case of texture+depth input, by properly embedding the complementary geometrical information into the first two stages of the feature extraction process: repeatable interesting point detection and distinctive local descriptor computation. With this objective, we contribute with several new approaches of keypoint detection and descriptor extraction, that preserve the conventional degree of keypoint covariance and descriptor invariance to in-plane visual deformations, but aim at improved stability to out-of-plane (3D) transformations in comparison to existing texture-only and texture+depth local features. In order to assess the performance of the proposed approaches, we revisit a classic feature repeatability and discriminability evaluation procedure, taking into account the extended modality of the input. Along with this, we conduct experiments using application-level scenarios on RGBD datasets acquired with Kinect sensors. The results show the advantages of the new proposed RGBD local features in terms of stability under viewpoint changes.
The effects of acute nitric oxide synthase inhibition on systemic circulation and organ blood flow

Nitric oxide (NO) is known as an important mediator in vasorelaxation and blood pressure regulation. NO is produced from nitric oxide synthase (NOS) by converting amino acid L-arginine to amino acid L-citruine and NO. The reduction of NO synthesis by inhibiting NOS activities causes vasoconstriction and hypertension and affects on microvascular blood perfusion. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of NOS activity on organ blood flow distribution by an acute blocking in a hamster dorsal skin fold window chamber model. The inhibition of NOS activities was performed by an intravenous infusion of N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). The organ blood flow distribution was assessed with different color fluorescent microspheres over three hours of study. The preliminary results showed that L-NAME significantly increased systemic mean arterial pressure but it decreased heart rate. Venular diameters significantly increased over observation time when treated with L-NAME. Blood flow relative to mean flow increased in vital organs such as heart and brain after L-NAME infusion but not kidneys. In conclusion, the impairment of nitric oxide production on cardiovascular system in this model evidently demonstrated that NO is an important mediator and potentially affects on organ blood flow distribution by reducing blood flow.
Management of coincident cataract and uveitis

Cataract surgery in a patient with uveitis is more complex than senile cataract extraction, because it involves multiple considerations related to the cause of uveitis, prospects of visual rehabilitation, appropriate surgical timing and technique, and the type and material of the intraocular lens used. Establishing the diagnosis, thorough eye examination, careful patient selection and meticulous control of perioperative inflammation are key elements to a successful visual outcome. Our aims in this article are to review the literature on this subject over the past year and highlight the behavior of intraocular lenses of various biomaterials in the uveitic eye. In addition, we also reemphasize the idea of a model of zero tolerance to intraocular inflammation to minimize the incidence of irreversible damage to ocular structures essential to good vision.
Cognitive impairment in COPD: should cognitive evaluation be part of respiratory assessment?

Cognitive impairment is highly prevalent in patients with COPD and demonstrates multiple detrimental effects on many aspects of patient state and therapeutic outcomes. It is attributed to several overlapping pathophysiological factors, with the most common being the low level of oxygen saturation due to respiratory insufficiency. Despite the impact of cognitive impairment on clinical outcomes, the screening for coexisting cognitive deficits which may interfere with the successful progress of respiratory treatment is yet neglected. There is a special consideration that cognitive deficits should be taken into account when developing respiratory therapy plans. Cognitively impaired patients are likely to require more support and have need of an individualised respiratory care plan which can also be beneficial for their cognitive deficits. Pulmonary rehabilitation as a multidisciplinary approach could be prioritised for COPD patients with cognitive impairment. Educational aims To illustrate the common signs of cognitive impairment and define potential associations between lung and cognitive dysfunction. To illustrate the potential influence of cognitive deficits on the optimal progress of respiratory therapy. To illustrate the importance of cognitive evaluation as part of a comprehensive clinical assessment for patients suspected of suffering cognitive impairment. Cognitive impairment in COPD may affect respiratory treatment and should be considered in therapeutic strategy http://ow.ly/aK3s309RiS9
INFLUENCE OF SYSTEMIC STEROIDS ON SUBRETINAL FLUID AFTER SCLERAL BUCKLE SURGERY FOR MACULA-OFF RETINAL DETACHMENT

Purpose: To investigate the effect of postoperative systemic steroid therapy on the incidence and duration of the subretinal fluid (SRF) and its correlation with the visual outcome after scleral buckle surgery for macula-off rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Methods: Prospective interventional study of sixty patients with macula-off rhegmatogenous retinal detachment who undertook scleral buckle surgery. Those patients who had recurrent retinal detachment, proliferative preretinal membrane, or primary surgical failure were excluded. Patients were assigned to Group 1 (with prescription of oral prednisolone for 3 days postoperatively) and Group 2 (with no such prescription). Furthermore, patients in Group 1 were subdivided into Group 1A (0.5 mg prednisolone/kg) and Group 1B (1 mg prednisolone/kg) according to the dosage of prednisolone. Patients were followed-up initially 1 week and 2 weeks after surgery and then on a monthly basis for at least 1 year. After the operation, all patients had corrected visual acuity and also received examinations of indirect ophthalmoscopy and optical coherence tomography. We compared the incidence, duration of SRF, and the correlation with the visual outcome between the groups. Results: Lower incidence of SRF was noted in Group 1 than in Group 2 (56.7% vs. 80%; P = 0.052), and the duration of SRF was significantly shorter in Group 1 than in Group 2 (218 days vs. 286 days; P = 0.039). There was no significant difference in the final BCVA between the two groups. However, patients in Group 1 had greater improvements of BCVA 1 year after operation (13 lines vs. 7 lines in Groups 1 and 2, respectively; P = 0.026). Statistically, there were no difference between Groups 1A and 1B, in terms of the incidence of SRF, duration of SRF, final BCVA, and improvement of BCVA. Conclusion: Postoperative systemic steroid treatment may decrease the incidence of SRF and facilitate the absorption of SRF. Patients treated with steroids had greater improvement of BCVA.
Weapon Possession Among College Students

Weapon possession on college campuses causes great concern, but there remains a lack of research examining the determinants of this phenomenon. Previous studies addressing weapon possession have primarily focused on either K-12 or the general adult population. Unlike previous studies, this study examined the weapon possession among college students using data collected from a mid-sized university in Missouri, and 451 students participated. Weapon possession and other theoretical factors were measured through the self-administered survey. Logistical regression analysis revealed that weapon socialization was the most significant factor in predicting student weapon carrying. Also, gender and age were significant factors in explaining campus-based weapon possession. This research has a limitation with generalizability because the data were collected from only a single university with convenient sampling. Future studies need to cover a wider range of college students from a variety of different universities with random sampling.
Comparison of hematological parameters of venous and capillary blood in athletes

Objectives. Capillary blood sampling is less invasive than venous blood sampling; it is also often used in diagnosis of athletes. The hematological parameters are useful for general health assessment and adaptation of the athlete’s body to physical activity. Methods. The study was carried out on 40 healthy athletes (21 females and 19 males). Resting venous and capillary blood were obtained by fingerstick and collected to adequate tubes containing K2-EDTA as an anticoagulant. Blood analysis was performed using an 18-parametric hematology analyzer. The obtained measurement results were then compared. Blood cell count and hemoglobin concentration measurements involved the hematocrit correction formula which takes into consideration differences of plasma volumes in tested tubes. Results. The obtained results show that differences between hematological indicators were not statistically significant except for the mean corpuscular volume (MCV; p < 0.05), which was lower, and the mean platelet volume (MPV; p < 0.001), which was higher in the capillary blood, respectively. The involvement of hematocrit correction formula showed a lower granulocytes count (p < 0.05) and platelet count (p < 0.01) in the capillary blood. Differences between the indices ranged from 0.04 to 3.79 percent. Conclusions. The obtained hematological parameters of venous and capillary blood show comparable values. Assessment of athletes’ health can be based on an analysis of hematological parameters using a less invasive method of capillary blood sampling
EMC ’ 09 / Kyoto Method of evaluating electromagnetic-interference characteristics of MIMO wireless LANs

We evaluated the electromagnetic-interference characteristics of MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output ) WLAN (Wireless Local Aria Network) by using an opened PW (Parallel Wired) cell that was placed in a radio anechoic chamber. We used two types of the interference wave such as the narrowband AM (Amplitude Modulation) wave specified by the IEC 61000-4-3 standards and the broadband communication signal of a WLAN specified by the IEEE802.11b standards. When impressing the AM wave as the narrowband interference, it was clear that the throughput characteristic of MIMO WLAN for all channels from Ch.1 to ch.4 was the same order and only about 5dB better than that for the conventional WLAN. On the other hand, when the communication wave of WLAN IEEE802.11b was impressed to Ch.1 and Ch.2 included in the occupied bandwidth of MIMO WLAN as the broadband interference, it was revealed that the throughput characteristic of MIMO WLAN deteriorated remarkably and the power ratio D (Desired wave) /U (Undesired wave) given the same throughput increased about 60dB.
A coordination-based CPG structure for 3D walking control

SUMMARY In most of our daily motion tasks, the coordination between limbs is very crucial for successful execution of the tasks. In this paper, coordination among oscillators controlling in Cartesian space is studied to control bipedal walking. In our method, phase adjustment among oscillators is considered as one of the key issues to achieve coordination. A new phase adjustment method is proposed. With this method, an oscillator is able to coordinate other oscillators and maintain a desired phase relationship. This property is important for the walking control especially when external perturbations are given. To simplify the relationship between oscillators in a central pattern generator (CPG), a hierarchical CPG structure is adopted, where a main oscillator will be used to adjust other oscillators. In the simulation, the walking motion controlled by the CPG controller converges to a stable pattern even with external perturbations. We have implemented the controller in both the simulation model and real hardware robot.
Chlorophyll fluorescence imaging of cadmium-treated white cabbage plants

The chlorophyll fluorescence imaging technique is a valuable tool to study the impact of heavy metal stress in plants. The aim of this paper was to investigate the influence of Cd on photosynthetic apparatus of white cabbage ( Brassica oleracea subsp. capitata f. alba) plants. Two cabbage cultivars ‘Ditmarska Najwcześniejsza’ (‘DN’; early) and ‘Amager Polana’ (‘AP’; late) were used. Cd was applied before planting seedlings (10 mg Cd kg −1 DM of soil). Measurements were performed at the 3rd leaf after 2 weeks of planting. The level of Cd-induced stress to plants was estimated by chlorophyll (Chl) content (photometrically) and analyses of images and numeric values of the major fluorescence parameters of Chl (Chl fluorescence imaging system FluorCam). Cd negatively affected the chlorophyll content and Fv/Fm, Fv’/Fm’, Φ PSII and qP in leaves of early cultivar of white cabbage. However, in the case of late cv. we did not observe such distinct changes. It suggests that late cultivars. are more resistant to Cd than the early ones. Considering methodological aspect of the study, Chl fluorescence imaging can better reveal some alterations within the leaf, because numeric values of specific parameters, which are the averaged data collected from the whole leaf, cannot reflect the tissue specificity.Abbreviations: HM – heavy metal, Cd – cadmium, Chl – chlorophyll, Fv/Fm – photochemical efficiency of PSII in the dark-adapted state, F‘v’/F‘m’ – PSII maximum efficiency, Φ PSII – quantum efficiency of PSII electron transport, NPQ – nonphotochemical quenching of maximal Chl fluorescence, qP – photochemical quenching coefficient.