Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ASSOCIATION OF OBESITY WITH RS1421085 AND RS9939609 POLYMORPHISMS OF FTO GENE WITH T2DM IN EGYPTIAN FEMALES

Objective: Obesity has been described as a worldwide increasing health problem and risk factor of various disorders including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). So, our study aim to determine of common variants of fat mass and obesity associated gene polymorphisms rs1421085 and rs 9939609; confers risk of obesity and type 2 diabetic mellitus in Egyptian females.Methods: In this population rs1421085 and rs9939609 polymorphisms of fat mass and obesity (FTO) gene were genotyped in 105 obese patients and 100 healthy controls with ages 14-60 y were collected from Medicine Specialized Hospital, Mansoura University, Egypt during the period between Jul.-Oct. 2016, genotyping of SNPs was performed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay, fasting blood glucose, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA IR), body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) lipid profile was determined.Results: There was the significantly higher frequency of the AA compared to controls p=0.0001) of genotypers9939609. Also, cases have shown a significantly higher frequency of the C allele, p<0.00001) of rs1421085 genotype polymorphisms increased the risks of obesity. On the other hand, there were no significant correlations between genotypes and obesity-related (anthropometric body composition) parameters. Only the fasting blood glucose was significantly higher in the TA p=0.004). Conclusion: The FTO rs9939609 and rs1421085 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was associated with increased risk of obesity in type 2 diabetic populations on Egyptian females.
Signal processing techniques for cardiovascular monitoring applications using conventional and video-based photoplethysmography

Photoplethysmography (PPG)-based monitoring devices will probably play a decisive role in healthcare environment of the future, which will be preventive, predictive, personalized and participatory. Indeed, this optical technology presents several practical advantages over gold standard methods based on electrocardiography, because PPG wearable devices can be comfortably used for long-term continuous monitoring during daily life activities. Contactless video-based PPG technique, also known as imaging photoplethysmography (iPPG), has also attracted much attention recently. In that case, the cardiac pulse is remotely measured from the subtle skin color changes resulting from the blood circulation, using a simple video camera. PPG/iPPG have a lot of potential for a wide range of cardiovascular applications. Hence, there is a substantial need for signal processing techniques to explore these applications and to improve the reliability of the PPG/iPPG-based parameters. A part of the thesis is dedicated to the development of robust processing schemes to estimate heart rate from the PPG/iPPG signals. The proposed approaches were built on adaptive frequency tracking algorithms that were previously developed in our group. These tools, based on adaptive band-pass filters, provide instantaneous frequency estimates of the input signal(s) with a very low time delay, making them suitable for real-time applications. In case of conventional PPG, a prior adaptive noise cancellation step involving the use of accelerometer signals was also necessary to reconstruct clean PPG signals during the regions corrupted by motion artifacts. Regarding iPPG, after comparing different regions of interest on the subject face, we hypothesized that the simultaneous use of different iPPG signal derivation methods (i.e. methods to derive the iPPG time series from the pixel values of the consecutive frames) could be advantageous. Methods to assess signal quality online and to incorporate it into instantaneous frequency estimation were also examined and successfully applied to improve system reliability. This thesis also explored different innovative applications involving PPG/iPPG signals. The detection of atrial fibrillation was studied. Novel features derived directly from the PPG waveforms, designed to reflect the morphological changes observed during arrhythmic episodes, were proposed and proven to be successful for atrial fibrillation detection. Arrhythmia detection and robust heart rate estimation approaches were combined in another study aimed at reducing the number of false arrhythmia alarms in the intensive care unit by exploiting signals from independent sources, including PPG. Evaluation on a hidden dataset demonstrated that the number of false alarms was drastically reduced while almost no true alarm was suppressed. Finally, other aspects of the iPPG technology were examined, such as the measurement of pulse rate variability indexes from the iPPG signals and the estimation of respiratory rate from the iPPG interbeat intervals.
Management of pulmonary embolism at a large academic hospital

Abstract The initial management of patients presenting with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is individualized based on hemodynamic status and other prognostic factors. Patients at low risk of adverse outcomes are treated conservatively with anticoagulation, whereas high-risk and selected intermediate-risk patients should be considered for advanced interventions. Seeking to better understand local practice patterns, we retrospectively reviewed 196 cases of acute PE diagnosed in the emergency department of Baylor University Medical Center over a 12-month period. Given the available data, we classified 86 cases as low risk, 101 as intermediate risk, and 9 as high risk for early mortality. Four patients with high-risk PE and 11 patients with intermediate-risk PE were treated with thrombolytic therapy. Central embolus location, right ventricular dilation on computed tomography, and right ventricular strain on electrocardiogram were associated with the use of thrombolytic therapy in the intermediate-risk group. In total, 9 patients died and 11 suffered major bleeding. Patients with acute PE are a remarkably heterogeneous group with wide variations in workup, treatment, and outcomes.
Machine Learning and Deep Neural Networks in Thoracic and Cardiovascular Imaging

Advances in technology have always had the potential and opportunity to shape the practice of medicine, and in no medical specialty has technology been more rapidly embraced and adopted than radiology. Machine learning and deep neural networks promise to transform the practice of medicine, and, in particular, the practice of diagnostic radiology. These technologies are evolving at a rapid pace due to innovations in computational hardware and novel neural network architectures. Several cutting-edge postprocessing analysis applications are actively being developed in the fields of thoracic and cardiovascular imaging, including applications for lesion detection and characterization, lung parenchymal characterization, coronary artery assessment, cardiac volumetry and function, and anatomic localization. Cardiothoracic and cardiovascular imaging lies at the technological forefront of radiology due to a confluence of technical advances. Enhanced equipment has enabled computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scanners that can safely capture images that freeze the motion of the heart to exquisitely delineate fine anatomic structures. Computing hardware developments have enabled an explosion in computational capabilities and in data storage. Progress in software and fluid mechanical models is enabling complex 3D and 4D reconstructions to not only visualize and assess the dynamic motion of the heart, but also quantify its blood flow and hemodynamics. And now, innovations in machine learning, particularly in the form of deep neural networks, are enabling us to leverage the increasingly massive data repositories that are prevalent in the field. Here, we discuss developments in machine learning techniques and deep neural networks to highlight their likely role in future radiologic practice, both in and outside of image interpretation and analysis. We discuss the concepts of validation, generalizability, and clinical utility, as they pertain to this and other new technologies, and we reflect upon the opportunities and challenges of bringing these into daily use.
A comparison between microsurgery and standard coronary bypasstechnique of long term patency rates of Saphenous vein grafts

Introduction: To improve patency rates in coronary bypass grafting we borrowed from microsurgery the use of the operating microscope allowing a suturing technique that minimizes anastomosis restriction. When compared to the standard technique, microsurgery afforded considerably greater long term vein grafts patency rates. Method: Approximately 50% of venous bypass grafts are occluded within 10 years and recent investigations have shown 30% and 40% occlusion rates respectively 12 and 18 months after the operation. Among the factors accounting for coronary bypass dysfunction and occlusion, defective sutures causing stenosis of the distal anastomosis have been shown to play a relevant role. Based on this consideration, since the early nineties we applied a microsurgical technique to all patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery. In order to evaluate the results obtained with this approach, we compared long term patency rates in two groups of patients who had been previously submitted to coronary bypass grafting by either microsurgery or by the traditional technique. Results: From January 2000 to December 2008, 388 patients who had been submitted to coronary bypass surgery in our or other institutions underwent repeat coronary angiography at the Policlinico di Monza (Italy). In 239 patients (62%) Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) had been performed in other hospitals by the “standard” technique while in the 149 patients operated at the Policlinico di Monza (38%) revascularization had been completed by the microsurgical approach. Respectively 346 (52%) of the 666 grafts performed with the “standard” technique and 297 of the 354 (83%) grafts performed by microsurgery were patent. Regardless of the conduit used, patency rates were invariably greater when microsurgery was employed. However, due to the relatively limited size of the study population, the difference between the techniques reached statistical significance only when vein grafts were compared. In fact, in the two groups vein grafts patency rates were 38% and 81% respectively (p<0.005). Conclusion: Especially for vein grafts, microsurgery results in significantly greater long term patency rates. Our findings suggest that surgical stenosis induced by inaccurate suturing technique may account for a significant proportion of graft occlusions. This observation bears important clinical implications and suggests that, especially when applied on smaller recipient vessels, distal anastomoses should be performed using microsurgical techniques.
Evaluation of Vitamin E and Selenium Levels in Breast Cancer Patients in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Nigeria

Breast cancer has become the most common cancer diagnosed in women and reason for most death arising from cancer, especially in developing countries. Serum and urine selenium levels serum vitamin E levels in 100 breast mean values for and urine selenium (μg/l) and serum vitamin E (μg/ml) the subjects 0.89 ± 1.0; 0.19 11.44 ± 6.1 compared with control subjects with values of 4.92 3.2; 4.46 and 17.68 ± 16.0 for serum and urine selenium and serum vitamin E samples respectively. The significantly (p<0.05) lowered values in the cancer patients could be indicating that reduced levels of selenium and /or vitamin E are the possible risk of breast cancer.
The Clinical Utility of Molecular Typing of Multiply-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Children with Cystic Fibrosis

THE CLINICAL UTILITY OF MOLECULAR TYPING OF MULTIPLY-RESISTANT PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA IN CHILDREN WITH CYSTIC FIBROSIS Ruth Ann Luna, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2010 Major Director: William Korzun, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences Chronic infection with P. aeruginosa is expected in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), but the ability to delay, prevent, or better manage infection with multiply-resistant P. aeruginosa (MRPA) can potentially increase quality of life and extend survival. The Texas Children’s Hospital CF Care Center has identified an endemic MRPA strain (dominant clone), and this study aimed to identify risk factors for acquisition of the clone as well as determine differences in patient outcome associated with subsequent infection with the clone. The study included 71 patients with CF with documented MRPA infection. Designation of patients as members of the dominant clone or a non-dominant clone group was based on molecular typing by rep-PCR of MRPA isolates from respiratory cultures. Patient data was collected from Port CF, the national patient registry of the CF Foundation. Patient demographic information and clinical parameters prior to MRPA infection were analyzed by logistic regression as potential risk factors. Differences in patient outcome including change in BMI, change in FEV1, and hospitalization rate were evaluated by MANOVA. Recent hospitalization (< 90 days) was a statistically significant (p = 0.035) risk factor for acquisition of the dominant clone. Patients hospitalized < 90 days prior to MRPA diagnosis were four times more likely to be infected with the dominant clone, and patients hospitalized 91-180 days prior were almost three times more likely. Increased hospitalization rates were seen in the dominant clone group both pre(11 more days/year) and post-infection (14 more days/year) as compared to the non-dominant clone group. Patients infected with the endemic strain exhibited poorer outcomes in terms of nutritional status (3.73% decrease/year in BMI %ile) and lung function (3.7% decrease/year in FEV1 %ile). Significant overlap in hospitalization episodes of patients known to be infected with the dominant clone and patients subsequently infected with the dominant clone was observed. Recent hospitalization was a significant risk factor for infection with the dominant MRPA clone, and following infection, patients infected with the endemic strain exhibited declines in nutritional status and lung function and increased hospitalization rates. The results suggest potentially increased virulence and transmissibility of the endemic MRPA
Introduction: cancer in cats and dogs

Cancer is a major health concern in cats and dogs. It is estimated that one in four cats and dogs will die from cancer-related disease. This chapter looks at what is cancer? ; what causes these genetic changes? ; prevalence of cancer; comparative aspects; breed predilections; treatment of cancer; future directions.
On Generating Solved Instances of Computational Problems ( Extended Abstract )

We consider the e cient generation of solved instances of computational problems. In particular, we consider invulnerable generators. Let S be a subset of f0; 1g and M be a Turing Machine that accepts S; an accepting computation w of M on input x is called a \witness" that x 2 S. Informally, a program is an -invulnerable generator if, on input 1 n , it produces instancewitness pairs hx; wi, with jxj = n, according to a distribution under which any polynomial-time adversary who is given x fails to nd a witness that x 2 S, with probability at least , for in nitely many lengths n. The question of which sets have invulnerable generators is intrinsically appealing theoretically, and the results can be applied to the generation of test data for heuristic algorithms and to the theory of zero-knowledge proof systems. The existence of invulnerable generators is closely related to the existence of cryptographically secure one-way functions. We prove three theorems about invulnerability. The rst addresses the question of which sets in NP have invulnerable generators, if indeed any NP sets do. The second addresses the question of how invulnerable these generators are. Theorem (Completeness): If any set in NP has an -invulnerable generator, then SAT has one. Theorem (Ampli cation): If S 2 NP has a -invulnerable generator, for some constant 2 (0; 1), then S has an -invulnerable generator, for every constant 2 (0; 1). Our third theorem on invulnerability shows that one cannot, using techniques that relativize, resolve the question of whether the assumption that P 6= NP alone su ces to prove the existence of invulnerable generators. Clearly there are relativized worlds in which invulnerable generators exist; in all of these worlds, P 6= NP. The more subtle question, which we resolve in our third theorem, is whether there are also relativized worlds in which P 6= NP and invulnerable generators do not exist. Theorem (Relativization): There is an oracle relative to which P 6= NP but there are no invulnerable generators. More generally, we ask which sets can be generated according to which distributions. In particular, the simplest requirement that can be imposed on a generator is that it produce some x 2 S of length n, if at least one such x exists; we call such a generator an exempli er. It seems at rst that the sets in P or even NP that one encounters \naturally" are all exempli able. Nevertheless, we show: Theorem: There are sets in P that are not exempli able, unless E = NE. More generally, there are sets in P i that are not exempli able, unless E = E i+1 . DEC Systems Research Center, Palo Alto, CA 94301. y Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08903. z AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ 07974. x Columbia University, New York, NY 10027.
Improvement of Endothelial Function by Chronic Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibition in Heart Failure

Background—Chronic heart failure (CHF) impairs the endothelium-dependent, flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of small arteries. However, whether chronic angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition affects the impairment of FMD in CHF is unknown. We investigated the effects of long-term ACE inhibition on the FMD of peripheral arteries in rats with CHF and the mechanism(s) involved. Methods and Results—FMD was assessed in isolated, perfused gracilis muscle arteries from sham-operated, and untreated or ACE inhibitor-treated (perindopril 2 mg · kg−1 · day−1 for 10 weeks) rats with CHF (coronary artery ligation). The role of nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandins, and free radicals was assessed by pretreating the vessels with the NO synthase inhibitor NW-nitro-l-arginine, the cyclooxygenase inhibitor diclofenac, or the free radical scavenger N-2-mercaptopropionyl-glycine (MPG). Endothelial NO synthase mRNA expression was determined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. In animals with hemodynamic and ech.
The Association between Residence in a Food Desert Census Tract and Adherence to Dietary Patterns in the REGARDS Cohort

Increased interest in determining areas in need of improved food access led the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) to define food desert census tracts; however, no nationwide studies have compared dietary patterns in food desert tracts to other tracts. Our objective was to examine dietary patterns in residents of food desert and non-food desert census tracts. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 19,179 participants in the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study enrolled January 2003-October 2007. We used participants’ geocoded address with USDA Food Desert Locator to identify food deserts and multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) to calculate adherence to Southern, Plant-based, and Mediterranean dietary patterns. Odds of adherence to the Southern dietary pattern were higher among white high school graduates (OR=1.41; 95% CI: 1.20–1.67), white college graduates (OR=1.91; 95% CI: 1.55–2.35) and black college graduates (OR=1.38; 95% CI: 1.14–1.68) who reside in a food desert versus non-food desert. Odds of adherence to the Plant-based dietary pattern were 15% lower among non-southeastern residents (OR=0.85; 95% CI: 0.72–0.99), who reside in food desert versus non-food desert. No statistically significant differences were observed for the Mediterranean dietary pattern. Residents living in food deserts had lower adherence to healthy dietary pattern than residents not living in food deserts; the association may vary by race, education, and region.
Effect of preventive and simultaneous inoculations of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (Fukumoto) strains on conidial germination of Botrytis cinerea Pers.:Fr.

Botrytis cinerea es un patógeno fúngico necrotrófico de varias plantas distribuido en todo el mundo. En el presente estudio se analizó el efecto de nueve aislados bacterianos sobre la germinación de conidios de B. cinerea. Los aislados se identificaron como Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. Para evaluar la eficacia de los aislados, se realizaron confrontaciones duales tanto preventivas como simultáneas con los conidios de B. cinerea. Los resultados mostraron que cinco aislados fueron más eficaces cuando se co-inocularon simultáneamente con el patógeno. Cuatro aislados fueron más eficaces cuando se inocularon previamente cuatro horas antes el patógeno. La cepa denominada B24, mostró una inhibición de (84.04%) en concentraciones muy bajas (3x103 UFC/ml) y la cepa RA9 fue la cepa menos eficaz. Botrytis cinerea is a necrotrophic fungal plant pathogen distributed worldwide. In the current study, the effect of nine bacterial isolates, on germination of B. cinerea conidia were studied. The nine isolates were identified as Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. The efficacy of isolates was tested, at different concentrations, in preventive and simultaneous inoculations with B. cinerea conidia. Results showed that five Bacillus isolates were more effective when co-inoculated simultaneously with the pathogen. Four isolates showed more efficacies when inoculated previously four hours before the pathogen. The isolate denominated B24 was the only that showed an important percent inhibition (84.04 %) at the lower concentration tested (3x103 CFU/ml) and the isolate RA9 was the less effective strain.
Dysfunction of mitochondria as the basis of Parkinson’s disease

Abstract Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, affecting about 0,15-0,3% of the world's population. Its characteristic feature is a loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. PD leads to dopamine deficiency and formation of intracellular inclusions called Lewy bodies, whose main ingredient is α-synuclein. Other types of nervous system cells are also affected by changes associated with that disease. The underlying molecular pathogenesis involves multiple pathways and mechanisms: mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, genetic factors, α-synuclein proteostasis, mitochondrial dynamic impairment, and disorders of the mitophagy process. This review summarizes the factors affecting the functioning of the mitochondria and their connection to the development of Parkinson's disease.
Status Epilepticus : An Intractable Case with a Successful Outcome

In SE patients, 30-43% will show a refractory type of status epilepticus (RSE). RSE is associated with an increased hospital stay and a poor neurological outcome but without increased mortality. The incidence of RSE is associated with different risk factors such as encephalitis. In addition, it was noted that patient with non-convulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) tend to be more resistant to medications (refractory status epilepticus) than patients with convulsive SE4,5.