Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diagnosing glaucoma in pediatric aphakia.

BACKGROUND Cataracts pose a serious threat to the visual system in infants and children, requiring prompt surgical intervention and rehabilitation to optimize visual development. Glaucoma is a serious complication following cataract surgery in infants and can lead to loss of vision. Early diagnosis of glaucoma, however, can be quite challenging in these patients. CASE REPORTS Three cases are presented in which comeal edema was the initial presenting sign that led to the diagnosis of glaucoma during routine contact lens follow-up examinations for pediatric aphakia. CONCLUSION The contact lens practitioner, during the course of management of aphakic infants and children, should always be suspicious of glaucoma as a complication of cataract surgery, and the presenting sign may be corneal edema.
Blackberry Extracts Inhibit Activating Protein 1 Activation and Cell Transformation by Perturbing the Mitogenic Signaling Pathway

Abstract: Blackberries are natural rich sources of bioflavonoids and phenolic compounds that are commonly known as potential chemopreventive agents. Here, we investigated the effects of fresh blackberry extracts on proliferation of cancer cells and neoplastic transformation induced by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), as well as the underlying mechanisms of signal transduction pathways. Using electron spin resonance, we found that blackberry extract is an effective scavenger of free radicals, including hydroxyl and superoxide radicals. Blackberry extract inhibited the proliferation of a human lung cancer cell line, A549. Pretreatment of A549 cells with blackberry extract resulted in an inhibition of 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) formation induced by ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation. Blackberry extract decreased TPA-induced neoplastic transformation of JB6 P+ cells. Pretreatment of JB6 cells with blackberry extract resulted in the inhibition of both UVB- and TPA-induced AP-1 transactivation. Furthermore, blackberry extract also blocked UVB- or TPA-induced phosphorylation of ERKs and JNKs, but not p38 kinase. Overall, these results indicated that an extract from fresh blackberry may inhibit tumor promoter-induced carcinogenesis and associated cell signaling, and suggest that the chemopreventive effects of fresh blackberry may be through its antioxidant properties by blocking reactive oxygen species-mediated AP-1 and mitogen-activated protein kinase activation.
Writing to and reading from a nano-scale crossbar memory based on memristors

We present a design study for a nano-scale crossbar memory system that uses memristors with symmetrical but highly nonlinear current–voltage characteristics as memory elements. The memory is non-volatile since the memristors retain their state when un-powered. In order to address the nano-wires that make up this nano-scale crossbar, we use two coded demultiplexers implemented using mixed-scale crossbars (in which CMOS-wires cross nano-wires and in which the crosspoint junctions have one-time configurable memristors). This memory system does not utilize the kind of devices (diodes or transistors) that are normally used to isolate the memory cell being written to and read from in conventional memories. Instead, special techniques are introduced to perform the writing and the reading operation reliably by taking advantage of the nonlinearity of the type of memristors used. After discussing both writing and reading strategies for our memory system in general, we focus on a 64 × 64 memory array and present simulation results that show the feasibility of these writing and reading procedures. Besides simulating the case where all device parameters assume exactly their nominal value, we also simulate the much more realistic case where the device parameters stray around their nominal value: we observe a degradation in margins, but writing and reading is still feasible. These simulation results are based on a device model for memristors derived from measurements of fabricated devices in nano-scale crossbars using Pt and Ti nano-wires and using oxygen-depleted TiO2 as the switching material.
Survival of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck in relation to human papillomavirus infection: Review and meta‐analysis

Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been associated with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), especially of the oropharynx, with highest distribution in the tonsils. HPV infection has been associated with improved outcome, although not all the studies show consistent results. The reason for this is not clear. We reviewed all published articles and conducted a meta‐analysis on the overall relationship between HPV infection and overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS) in HNSCC. Patients with HPV‐positive HNSCC had a lower risk of dying (meta HR: 0.85, 95% CI: 0.7–1.0), and a lower risk of recurrence (meta HR: 0.62, 95%CI: 0.5–0.8) than HPV‐negative HNSCC patients. Site‐specific analyses show that patients with HPV‐positive oropharyngeal tumours had a 28% reduced risk of death (meta HR: 0.72, 95%CI: 0.5–1.0) in comparison to patients with HPV‐negative oropharyngeal tumours. Similar observations were made for DFS (meta HR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.4–0.7). There was no difference in OS between HPV‐positive and negative non‐oropharyngeal patients. The observed improved OS and DFS for HPV‐positive HNSCC patients is specific to the oropharynx; these tumours may have a distinct etiology from those tumours in non‐oropharyngeal sites. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Midtarsal Joint Locking Mechanism

Background: The midtarsal joint, consisting of the talonavicular and the calcaneocuboid joints, is presumed to be responsible for the foot being both flexible and rigid during different parts of the stance phase of gait. However, this mechanism has never been well quantified. This study explores the midtarsal joint locking mechanism by comparing the effect of hindfoot inversion and eversion on midfoot and forefoot mobility. Methods: Motion of the tibia, talus, calcaneus, navicular, cuboid and the first, second, and fifth metatarsals were measured in nine cadaver feet using Polhemus Fastrak® electromagnetic sensors (EST GmbH & Co. KG, Kaiserslautern, Germany). The talus was fixed to the tibia, and then the forefoot was maximally dorsiflexed, plantarflexed, inverted, and everted, with the hindfoot in maximal eversion and inversion, for a total of eight test positions. The range of motion of the individual bones between maximal forefoot dorsiflexion and plantarflexion and between maximal forefoot inversion and eversion was calculated for the hindfoot in maximal eversion and inversion. Results: For the range of motion from maximal dorsiflexion to maximal plantarflexion there was significantly increased movement of the first, second, and fifth metatarsals in the sagittal plane (p-value = 0.003, 0.007, and 0.002, respectively) when the calcaneus was maximally everted compared to when the calcaneus was maximally inverted. No significant differences were detected for the range of motion from forefoot inversion to eversion for the two hindfoot positions. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that motion in the forefoot is influenced by hindfoot position through the midtarsal joint. Specifically, the sagittal plane range of motion of the metatarsals is increased when the hindfoot is in valgus.
Intraperitoneal administration of coumarin causes tissue-selective depletion of cytochromes P450 and cytotoxicity in the olfactory mucosa.

Coumarin is a naturally occurring fragrant compound widely used in consumer products and also as a therapeutic agent. The effects of intraperitoneal (ip) and oral administration of coumarin on cytochrome P450 (P450) expression in olfactory mucosa were examined. A single ip injection of coumarin at 50 mg/kg resulted in a significant reduction of levels of CYP2A and CYP2G in the olfactory mucosa of Wistar rats and C57BL/6 mice at 48 hr following injection. Dose-response analysis of coumarin effects indicated that Wistar rats were more sensitive than C57BL/6 mice. A significant suppression of nasal CYP2A levels was observed at 25 mg/kg in rats, but not in mice. Depletion of P450 content was not observed in liver of either rats or mice at 50 mg/kg, indicating tissue-selective effects. Decreased P450 levels were observed at 24 hr, 48 hr, and 7 days following treatment, with minimal levels seen at 48 hr. The decrease in P450 levels was accompanied by necrosis, cell loss, and basal cell metaplasia in the olfactory mucosa. Intraperitoneal injection of 7-hydroxycoumarin or 3,4-dihydrocoumarin at 50 mg/kg did not result in depletion of nasal P450, indicating that the toxicity is not mediated by P450-catalyzed coumarin 7-hydroxylation and supporting the hypothesis that the formation of coumarin 3,4-epoxide may be responsible for the toxicity. Oral treatment with coumarin in drinking water led to a small, yet significant induction of CYP2A protein and coumarin hydroxylase activity in the nasal mucosa of mice, but not rats. Thus, ip administration of coumarin causes tissue-selective depletion of P450 and cytotoxicity in the olfactory mucosa of Wistar rats and C57BL/6 mice. It remains to be determined whether similar toxicity occurs following coumarin administration by other routes.
Oncogenic Potential of Hepatitis C Virus Proteins

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major risk factor for liver disease progression, and may lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The HCV genome contains a single-stranded positive sense RNA with a cytoplasmic lifecycle. HCV proteins interact with many host-cell factors and are involved in a wide range of activities, including cell cycle regulation, transcriptional regulation, cell proliferation, apoptosis, lipid metabolism, and cell growth promotion. Increasing experimental evidences suggest that HCV contributes to HCC by modulating pathways that may promote malignant transformation of hepatocytes. At least four of the 10 HCV gene products, namely core, NS3, NS5A and NS5B play roles in several potentially oncogenic pathways. Induction of both endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and oxidative stress by HCV proteins may also contribute to hepatocyte growth promotion. The current review identifies important functions of the viral proteins connecting HCV infections and potential for development of HCC. However, most of the putative transforming potentials of the HCV proteins have been defined in artificial cellular systems, and need to be established relevant to infection and disease models. The new insight into the mechanisms for HCV mediated disease progression may offer novel therapeutic targets for one of the most devastating human malignancies in the world today.
Alterations of the outer retina in non‐arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy detected using spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography

A characteristic disease pattern may be reflected by retinal layer thickness changes in non‐arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy measured using spectraldomain optical coherence tomography. Retinal layer segmentation is enabled by advanced software. In this study, retinal layer thicknesses in acute and chronic non‐arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy were compared.
Organization Development: Public Sector Theory and Practice

• Edward J. Giblin is a specialist in human resource development in Arthur Young & -Company's New York office. Giblin has published numerous articles in maior business and professional ;ournals and has directed a number of research and evaluation studies on manpower policy programs. He holds a B.S. degree from the University of Rhode Island and M.B.A. and Ph.D. degrees from New York University, where he concentrated in organizational behavior and economics. The author's philosophy concerning organization development (OD) is similar to Bowers', and thus is broader than that which is generally recognized in the field. ' Since the purpose of OD is to enlarge the capacity of the human organization to do its work, improvements in task performance are meaningful indicators of the success of an OD project. In this article, therefore, organizational development refers specifically to increasing the ability of the organization to do more effectively what it is mandated to do-perform its work.
A simple and robust edge detection scheme based on coupled oscillatory diffusion system

Edge is the most used and important segmentation feature in most of the object based image processing applications. Primary challenging issues with all the edge detectors are their adaptability for different scenes, noise immunity and most importantly complexity of implementation which can hinder real time performance for high resolution images. In this paper, we have proposed a novel, efficient and simple edge detection scheme which can be implemented on pixel level parallel architecture providing very high throughput. The detector is based on coupled oscillators applied over diffused image. Simultaneous solution of two time evolving linear difference equations produces edges on diffused intensity profile. The proposed system is inspired from FitzHugh Nagumo oscillator based edge detector but comparatively much simpler and produces better output on the standard precision-recall benchmark. The proposed detector is less dependent on control parameter (threshold) variation and thus suitable for real time edge detection of live video.
Combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy compared with radiotherapy alone in patients with cancer of the esophagus.

BACKGROUND The efficacy of conventional treatment with surgery and radiation for cancer of the esophagus is limited. The median survival is less than 10 months, and less than 10 percent of patients survive for 5 years. Recent studies have suggested that combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy may result in improved survival. METHODS This phase III prospective, randomized, and stratified trial was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of four courses of combined fluorouracil (1000 mg per square meter of body-surface area daily for four days) and cisplatin (75 mg per square meter on the first day) plus 5000 cGy of radiation therapy, as compared with 6400 cGy of radiation therapy alone, in patients with squamous-cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma of the thoracic esophagus. The trial was stopped after the accumulated results in 121 patients demonstrated a significant advantage for survival in the patients who received chemotherapy and radiation therapy. RESULTS The median survival was 8.9 months in the radiation-treated patients, as compared with 12.5 months in the patients treated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In the former group, the survival rates at 12 and 24 months were 33 percent and 10 percent, respectively, whereas they were 50 percent and 38 percent in the patients receiving combined therapy (P less than 0.001). Seven patients in the radiotherapy group and 25 in the combined-therapy group were alive at the time of the analysis. The patients who received combined treatment had fewer local (P less than 0.02) and fewer distant (P less than 0.01) recurrences. Severe and life-threatening side effects occurred in 44 percent and 20 percent, respectively, of the patients who received combined therapy, as compared with 25 percent and 3 percent of those treated with radiation alone. CONCLUSIONS Concurrent therapy with cisplatin and fluorouracil and radiation is superior to radiation therapy alone in patients with localized carcinoma of the esophagus, as measured by control of local tumors, distant metastases, and survival, but at the cost of increased side effects.
Genetic Adaptive Control for Drum Level of a Power Plant Boiler

Adaptive control strategy is proposed to regulate the drum-level of a power plant boiler. Based on the three-element feedwater control system, recursive least squares method is used to identify the plant parameters and then genetic algorithm (GA) is applied to adjust the parameters of the controller. MATLAB simulation investigation indicates that, compared to the parameter-fixed PID system, GA-self-tuned system is able to reject endogenous and exogenous disturbances more effectively and rapidly, thus has better self-adaptation capability and robustness.
Domestic or Foreign Banks? Who Wields more Market Power?

The study distinguishes the market power between domestic and foreign banks in Zimbabwe using the Lerner Index. The study established that the banking sector is operating under monopolistic competition conditions. The result shows banks price their products above the marginal cost of production. Domestic banks have more market power as compared to foreign firms. The foreign banks serves the high end consumers whose risky profile is low while the other end of the market is served by the domestic banks who are very risky. This then translates to higher prices for the clients served by the domestic banks. Bank regulators should promote competition to improve the efficiency of domestic banks to reduce their market power. Keywords : Market Power, Lerner Index, Marginal Cost JEL Classifications: D4, G21, L1
Osteoblast Menin Regulates Bone Mass in Vivo*

Background: Constitutive homozygous Men1−/− mice at mid-gestation are small with craniofacial defects. Results: Conditional osteoblast Men1 knock-out mice have reduced bone mass, and transgenic osteoblast menin-overexpressing mice have increased bone mass. Conclusion: Knock-out mice menin-deficient primary osteoblasts have impaired mineralization and reduced responsiveness to TGF-β and BMP-2. Significance: Menin is a potential target for gain of function therapeutics in low bone mass disorders. Menin, the product of the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (Men1) tumor suppressor gene, mediates the cell proliferation and differentiation actions of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) ligand family members. In vitro, menin modulates osteoblastogenesis and osteoblast differentiation promoted and sustained by bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and TGF-β, respectively. To examine the in vivo function of menin in bone, we conditionally inactivated Men1 in mature osteoblasts by crossing osteocalcin (OC)-Cre mice with floxed Men1 (Men1f/f) mice to generate mice lacking menin in differentiating osteoblasts (OC-Cre;Men1f/f mice). These mice displayed significant reduction in bone mineral density, trabecular bone volume, and cortical bone thickness compared with control littermates. Osteoblast and osteoclast number as well as mineral apposition rate were significantly reduced, whereas osteocyte number was increased. Primary calvarial osteoblasts proliferated more quickly but had deficient mineral apposition and alkaline phosphatase activity. Although the mRNA expression of osteoblast marker and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor genes were all reduced, that of cyclin-dependent kinase, osteocyte marker, and pro-apoptotic genes were increased in isolated Men1 knock-out osteoblasts compared with controls. In contrast to the knock-out mice, transgenic mice overexpressing a human menin cDNA in osteoblasts driven by the 2.3-kb Col1a1 promoter, showed a gain of bone mass relative to control littermates. Osteoblast number and mineral apposition rate were significantly increased in the Col1a1-Menin-Tg mice. Therefore, osteoblast menin plays a key role in bone development, remodeling, and maintenance.
Temperature and Meal Size Effects on the Postprandial Metabolism and Energetics in a Boid Snake

We investigated the combined effect of meal size and temperature on the aerobic metabolism and energetics of digestion in Boa constrictor amarali. Oxygen uptake rates (V̇o2) and the duration of the digestion were determined in snakes fed with meals equaling to 5%, 10%, 20%, and 40% of the snake’s body mass at 25° and 30°C. The maximum V̇o2 values attained during digestion were greater at 30°C than at 25°C. Both maximal V̇o2 values and the duration of the specific dynamic action (SDA) were attained sooner at 30°C than at 25°C. Therefore, the temperature effect on digestion in Boa is characterized by the shortening of the SDA duration at the expense of increased V̇o2. Energy allocated to SDA was not affected by meal size but was greater at 25°C compared to 30°C. This indicates that a postprandial thermophilic response can be advantageous not only by decreasing the duration of digestion but also by improving digestive efficiency. Maximal V̇o2 and SDA duration increased with meal size at both temperatures.
CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain--United States, 2016.

IMPORTANCE Primary care clinicians find managing chronic pain challenging. Evidence of long-term efficacy of opioids for chronic pain is limited. Opioid use is associated with serious risks, including opioid use disorder and overdose. OBJECTIVE To provide recommendations about opioid prescribing for primary care clinicians treating adult patients with chronic pain outside of active cancer treatment, palliative care, and end-of-life care. PROCESS The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated a 2014 systematic review on effectiveness and risks of opioids and conducted a supplemental review on benefits and harms, values and preferences, and costs. CDC used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) framework to assess evidence type and determine the recommendation category. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS Evidence consisted of observational studies or randomized clinical trials with notable limitations, characterized as low quality using GRADE methodology. Meta-analysis was not attempted due to the limited number of studies, variability in study designs and clinical heterogeneity, and methodological shortcomings of studies. No study evaluated long-term (≥1 year) benefit of opioids for chronic pain. Opioids were associated with increased risks, including opioid use disorder, overdose, and death, with dose-dependent effects. RECOMMENDATIONS There are 12 recommendations. Of primary importance, nonopioid therapy is preferred for treatment of chronic pain. Opioids should be used only when benefits for pain and function are expected to outweigh risks. Before starting opioids, clinicians should establish treatment goals with patients and consider how opioids will be discontinued if benefits do not outweigh risks. When opioids are used, clinicians should prescribe the lowest effective dosage, carefully reassess benefits and risks when considering increasing dosage to 50 morphine milligram equivalents or more per day, and avoid concurrent opioids and benzodiazepines whenever possible. Clinicians should evaluate benefits and harms of continued opioid therapy with patients every 3 months or more frequently and review prescription drug monitoring program data, when available, for high-risk combinations or dosages. For patients with opioid use disorder, clinicians should offer or arrange evidence-based treatment, such as medication-assisted treatment with buprenorphine or methadone. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE The guideline is intended to improve communication about benefits and risks of opioids for chronic pain, improve safety and effectiveness of pain treatment, and reduce risks associated with long-term opioid therapy.