Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Localised prostate cancer: clinical and cost-effectiveness of new and emerging technologies

In contrast to pharmacological interventions that undergo rigorous clinical testing, recent technological advances in the treatment of prostate cancer (PCa) have particularly been introduced and driven by economic incentives rather than high-quality clinical evidence. In this review we summarise the clinical and cost-effectiveness of new and emerging technologies for localised PCa. We emphasise particularly on robotic prostatectomy, new developments in radiotherapy, novel technologies in focal therapy such as cryosurgery and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). Robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALRP) has similar oncologic outcomes to open radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP); however, patients who undergo RALRP are more likely to have improved short-term potency rates. Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and proton-beam therapy (PBT) have similar oncologic outcomes to external-beam radiotherapy (EBRT). IMRT has exhibited an improved gastrointestinal side effect profile compared to EBRT. PBT is not cost-effective compared to other radiotherapy modalities. Early studies of focal therapies in localised PCa have yielded positive results. Treatment decisions should be driven by cancer risk and patient preference rather than by financial incentives or availability of technology.
Coexpression patterns of IDO-1, PD-L1 and EGFR in non-small cell lung cancer.

e14279 Background: Indoleamine-2, 3-dioxygenase (IDO), a well-established immune suppressor, may offset efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) such as programmed death receptor ligand-1(PD-L1) by inducing unfavorable tumor microenvironment. The unpredictability of one ICI response may partially due to the concomitant presence of other ICIs. Therefore, increasing interest has been focus on the dual ICIs or the combination of ICIs with conventional treatment modalities such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy as well as target therapy. This study aimed to study the coexpression patterns and significance of IDO-1, PD-L1 and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed NSCLC enrolled in three prospective surgery clinical trials were included in this study. The expressions of IDO-1, PD-L1 and EGFR were evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC). For positive cases, the percentile score and H-score were generated respectively from two independent pathologists. The descriptive analysis of Crosstab was used to compare the distributions of these biomarkers expression by pathological types. Results: A total of 117 patients (adenocarcinoma -54%, squamous cell carcinoma -32% and others -14%) with pretreatment tissue specimen available for IHC analysis were studied. Of these, 105 (90%) were from lung primary and 12 (10%) from distant metastasis sites. The expressions of IDO-1 (≥ 1%), PD-L1 ((≥ 1%) and EGFR (≥ 90% or intensity = 3) were identified in 43%, 40% and 52% of NSCLC patients. For IDO-1 and PD-L1, coexpression rates were 21% for co-positive and 37% for co-negative. However, there were still 42% patients showed isolated PD-L1 (20%) or IDO-1 expression (22%). The coexpression rates for EGFR and IDO-1 were 21% for co-positive and 26% for co-negative. The coexpression rates for EGFR and PD-L1 were 20% for co-positive and 25% for co-negative. 38% patients had a positive EGFR with either IDO-1 or PD-L1 positive. The expression patterns were not significant associated with clinical factors including pathological types and differentiation grades. Conclusions: IDO-1 and PD-L1 expression patterns may be useful in the selection of NSCLC patients for dual ICIs immunotherapy. The combinations of EGFR target therapy with immunotherapy may benefit some of NSCLC patients. However, testing expression status of EGFR and immune checkpoints becomes essential since majority of NSCLC patients exhibits EGFR positive with IDO-1 or PD-L1 negative patterns.
Multiple stable isotopes identify sediment organic matter as the primary nutritional source to American brook lamprey larvae along a stream gradient

Multiple stable isotope ratios (δ2H, δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S) of American brook lamprey (Lethenteron appendix) ammocoetes and their potential sources were measured along a stream gradient. Isotopic ratios were successful at differentiating three potential sources: terrestrial organic matter (TOM; upland plants), sediment organic matter (SOM; benthic organic material), and algae. Bayesian mixing models (MixSIAR) utilizing δ13C, δ15N, and δ34S estimated ammocoetes were highly reliant on SOM at all sites (>95%), but inclusion of δ2H increased the importance of both algae and model uncertainty. Ammocoete δ2H was more depleted than anticipated even after lipid extraction and after accounting for trophic water contributions, suggesting δ2H in consumer tissues (especially for long-lived animals) is still incompletely understood. Model sensitivity testing with trophic fractionation values did not substantially change the results. Regardless of the mixing model investigated, none indicated more algae in ammocoete diets in downstream rather than upstream sites, in contrast with expectations about river productivity. Stable isotopes suggest SOM, and not algae, is nutritionally most important to ammocoetes, even in downstream reaches of rivers.
Model Evaluation and Measurement Optimization for the Reproduction of Artist Paint Surfaces through Computer Graphics Renderings

Light reflection models for computer graphics have been developed over the past several decades. For real paint surfaces, it is possible to model their bidirectional reflectance distribution function with simple models. A framework was established to evaluate two simple reflection models, Phong and Torrance-Sparrow, which were used to render artistpaint surfaces under different illumination angles. An image acquisition system was devised to capture the images under selected illuminated angles. The parameters of the specular and the diffuse components were estimatedwith these image sequences. At the evaluation stage, both physicallybased metrics and psychophysical techniques were used to evaluate the estimation accuracy of each model. For both methods, the comparison of the estimations of the two models showed that better estimations were obtained from the Torrance-Sparrow model for glossy samples. The estimation accuracies of the two models were almost the same for matte samples. In addition, based on the analyses of the specular peak width and the histogram of the peak values, the optimized location andminimal number ofmeasurements were determinedforfour kinds ofpaint samples.
Comparison of type Ia and type Ib external skeletal fixation for tibial fracture repair in dogs

The study was conducted in 12 clinical cases of tibial diaphyseal fracture in dogs. The animals were randomly divided into two groups of six each (Groups A and B). In dogs of group A, the tibial diaphyseal fracture was repaired using Type Ia external skeletal fixator. In dogs of group B, tibial diaphyseal fracture was repaired using Type Ib external skeletal fixator. Based on fixator stability, pain evaluation, weight bearing, patient tolerance and radiographic assessment of fracture healing, it was found that Type Ia external skeletal fixator promoted early and better healing of fracture than Type Ib external skeletal fixator.
AB0271 Rs12218 polymorphism in saa1 gene in the russian population of ra patients is associated with secondary amyloidosis. a pilot study

Background Secondary amyloidosis (SA) is a serious complication of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which is often fatal. Identification of associated risk factors, including genetic ones, is an important task. Objectives To assess the role of SAA1 gene polymorphism, encoding serum amyloid-A, as a risk factor predisposing to SA in the sample of Russian RA patients. Methods The study included 60 patients with RA, fulfiled the American College of rheumatology criteria (ACR) 1987. Of these 35 (mean age 49.5±10.8 y, mean disease duration 18.5±8,9) developed SA manifestations, confirmed histologically: group SA (+). 25 patients (mean age 56,7±11,7 y, mean disease duration 16.3±7,5 y) did not have either clinical or histological SA signs: group SA(-). The control group (C) consisted of 65 healthy employees. SAA1 gene polymorphism rs12218 (−13 T/C), mapped in the 5’ flanking region of the gene, was studied in 125 subjects by polymerase chain reaction in real time (RT-PCR) with subsequent melting curves analysis. Results Statistically significant differences in the rates of TT, TC and CC genotypes of rs12218 polymorphism were established between SA(+) group and the controls (17.1%, 64.0%, 48.6% and 38.5%, 46.1%, 15.4%, respectively, p=0.029). High rate (58.6%) of the mutant C allele in SA(+) group compared to the control group (38.5%) predetermines high risk of susceptibility to SA in RA patients [(OR 2.26, 95% CI(1.20–4.28), p=0.010]. Significant differences in rs12218 polymorphism rates were found between SA(+) and SA(-) groups [p<0.001]. The frequency of TC +CC genotype was significantly higher in the SA (+) group compared to SA(-) group [82.9% vs 36.0%, p<0.001]. The risk of predisposition to SA development among RA patients was increased when C allele frequencies in the group with SA (58.6%) were compared with the group without SA (22.0%) [OR 5.01, 95% CI (2.07–12.58), p<0.001]. No significant differences were found in the frequencies of genotypes and rs12218 alleles between SA(-) pts and the controls (p>0.05). Conclusions Our data confirm that genetic polymorphism rs12218 in SAA1 gene, is associated with the development of secondary amyloidosis in RA patients and mutation in this gene is an important risk factor predisposing to the development of this severe complication in the Russian population. Disclosure of Interest None declared
Local adaptation does not lead to genome‐wide differentiation in lava flow lizards

Abstract Adaptation can occur with or without genome‐wide differentiation. If adaptive loci are linked to traits involved in reproductive isolation, genome‐wide divergence is likely, and speciation is possible. However, adaptation can also lead to phenotypic differentiation without genome‐wide divergence if levels of ongoing gene flow are high. Here, we use the replicated occurrence of melanism in lava flow lizards to assess the relationship between local adaptation and genome‐wide differentiation. We compare patterns of phenotypic and genomic divergence among lava flow and nonlava populations for three lizard species and three lava flows in the Chihuahuan Desert. We find that local phenotypic adaptation (melanism) is not typically accompanied by genome‐wide differentiation. Specifically, lava populations do not generally exhibit greater divergence from nonlava populations than expected by geography alone, regardless of whether the lava formation is 5,000 or 760,000 years old. We also infer that gene flow between lava and nonlava populations is ongoing in all lava populations surveyed. Recent work in the isolation by environment and ecological speciation literature suggests that environmentally driven genome‐wide differentiation is common in nature. However, local adaptation may often simply be local adaptation rather than an early stage of ecological speciation.
ST2 in patients with severe aortic stenosis and heart failure

Background ST2 is a circulating biomarker that is well established for predicting outcome in heart failure (HF). This is the first study to look at ST2 concentrations in optimally treated patients with stable but significant left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) compared to patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). Methods Two cohorts were retrospectively studied: 94 patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation for severe AS (63 with normal ejection fraction [EF] and 31 with reduced EF), and 50 patients with severe LVSD from non-valvular causes. ST2 pre-procedural samples were taken, and repeated again at 3 and 6 months. Patients were followed-up for 2 years. Data was analyzed using SPSS software. Results Baseline concentrations of soluble ST2 did not differ significantly between the HF group and AS group with normal EF (EF ≥ 50%). However, in the AS group with a low EF (EF < 50%) ST2 concentrations were significantly higher that the HF group (p = 0.009). New York Heart Association class IV HF, baseline N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and gender were all independent predictors of soluble ST2 (sST2) baseline concentrations. Conclusions Raised ST2 concentrations in the context of severe AS may be a marker for subclinical or clinical left ventricular dysfunction. More research is required to assess its use for assessment of prognosis and response to treatment.
Male involvement in reproductive health [editorial]

Reproductive health in its broader sense should be a concern for all not just that of women and reproductive health matters need the attention of the entire family and the society at large. In patriarchal society where decisions are largely made by men the need to include men in all matters that require joint spousal decisions is crucial in achieving key reproductive health goals though that is not a simple task that can be achieved in a short-run; it requires a sustained engagement and commitment by all stakeholders. A study among married men about their contraceptive use and fertility preference by Tuloro et. al. reported interesting findings concerning male involvement in family planning decisions. The report revealed that over two third of the men involved in the study claimed that they have discussed using family planning method with their spouse and over half reported joint decision making process. The report also revealed that majority of the men have supportive attitude towards contraception use and recommended to strengthen efforts to convert the positive attitudes to positive behaviors to achieve greater success in family planning programs. The study by Haile and Enqueselassie indicated couples openly discussing about family planning are more likely to be current users. (excerpt)
Construction and assessment of risk models in medicine

This thesis investigates the application of classical and contemporary statistical methods in medical research attempting to bridge the gap between statistics and clinical medicine. The importance of using simple and advanced statistical methods in constructing and assessing risk models in medicine will be demonstrated by empirical studies related to vascular complications: namely abdominal aortic aneurysm and diabetic retinopathy. First, data preprocessing and preliminary statistical analysis are examined and their application is investigated using data on abdominal aortic aneurysm. We illustrate that when dealing with missing data, the co-operation between statisticians and clinicians is necessary. Also, we show advantages and disadvantages of exploratory analysis. Second, we describe and compare classification models for AAA selective screening. Tow logistic regression models are proposed. We also show that it is important to assess the performance of classifiers by cross-validation and bootstrapping. We also examine models that include other definitions of abnormality, weighted classification and multiple class models. Third, we consider the application of graphical models. We look at different types of graphical models that can be used for classification and for identifying the underlying data structure. The use of Naive Bayes classifier (NBC) is shown and subsequently we illustrate the Occam’s window model selection in a statistical package for Mixed Interactions Modelling (MIM). The EM-algorithm and multiple imputation method are used to deal with inconsistent entries in the dataset. Finally, modelling mixture of Normal components is investigated by graphical modelling and compared with an alternative minimisation procedure. Finally, we examine risk factors of diabetic sight threating retinopathy (STR). We show the complexity of data preparation and preliminary analysis as well as the importance of using the clinicians’ opinion on selecting appropriate variables. Blood pressure measurements have been examined as predictors of STR. The fundamental role of imputation and its influence on the conclusions of the study are demonstrated. From this study, we conclude that the application of statistics in medicine is an optimisation procedure where both the statistical and the clinical validity need to be taken into account. Also, the combination of simple and advanced methods should be used as it provides additional information. Data, software and time limitations should be considered before and during statistical analysis and appropriate modifications might be implemented to avoid compromising the quality of the study. Finally, medical research should be regarded for statisticians and clinicians as part of a learning process.
Bibliometric studies of research collaboration: A review

Scientific research is becoming an increasingly collaborative endeavour. The nature and magnitude of collaboration vary from one discipline to another, and depend upon such factors as the nature of the research problem, the research environ ment, and demographic factors. Earlier studies have shown a high degree of correlation between collaboration and research productivity, and between collaboration and financial support for research. The extent of collaboration cannot be easily determined by traditional methods of survey and observation. Bibliometric methods offer a convenient and non-reactive tool for studying collaboration in research. In this paper, several types of collaboration have been identified, and earlier research on collaboration has been reviewed. Further research is needed to refine the methods of defining and assessing collaboration and its impact on the organization of research and communica tion in science.
Audiology: Science To Practice

PART I FUNDAMENTALS OF HEARING SCIENCE 1 Anatomy of the Auditory and Vestibular Systems 2 Properties of Sound 3 Functions of the Auditory and Vestibular Systems PART II CLINICAL AUDIOLOGY 4 Pure-Tone Audiometry: The Audiometer Transducers 5 Audiogram Interpretation 6 Clinical Masking 7 Speech Audiometry 8 Physiological Measures 9 Selected Disorders of the Auditory System 10 Screening for Hearing Loss 11 Hearing Aids PART III PERSPECTIVES ON THE PROFESSION OF AUDIOLOGY 12 Audiology as a Career 13 A Brief History of Audiology in the United States
Granulocyte–Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor after Initial Chemotherapy for Elderly Patients with Primary Acute Myelogenous Leukemia

Background Elderly patients with primary acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) are less likely to enter remission than younger adults, in part because of a higher mortality rate related to severe myelosuppression. Granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) has been shown to shorten the duration of neutropenia and decrease infectious complications when administered after chemotherapy to patients with lymphomas and solid tumors. Methods We randomly assigned 388 patients 60 years of age or older who had newly diagnosed primary AML to receive placebo or GM-CSF (5 μg per kilogram of body weight per day intravenously) in a double-blind manner, beginning the day after the completion of three days of daunorubicin and seven days of cytarabine. If leukemic cells persisted in the marrow three weeks after the initiation of chemotherapy, further daunorubicin (two days) and cytarabine (five days) were administered. GM-CSF or placebo was given daily until the neutrophil count was at least 1000 per cubic millim.
OBJECTS EXTRACTION FOR LICENSE PLATE DETECTION

In this paper we are presenting an intelligent system to extract objects in an image. We have to specify the shapes that need to be detected as well as its dimensions. Examples are given in the radar application in order to detect license plate in a radar image. A comparative study is done in order to show the most effective contour detection method for this application. The masks used for this comparison are: Sobel, Canny, Prewitt, Roberts, Log and Zerocorss. The study shows that Sobel is the most effective for such type of applications. Then three methods were used for the object extraction. Two known methods were used: Hough Transform and Watershed. The third method is a new Hybrid Segmentation algorithm. Results show that the proposed algorithm is the fastest with a time of execution of 0.8 seconds for images of size 658x486 pixels.
Comparison of chemical composition of eggs from laying hens housed in different production facilities: a market study

Eggs as a part of human diet dates to the prehistoric period. After the domestication of Gallus species, Gallus gallus domesticus and their eggs spread across the globe. Eggs proved to be one of the best and affordable sources of nutritionally important components in human diet, such as proteins, vitamins, lipids and some dietary significant elements. Progress in egg production methods, in European union, is recently mostly focused on the improvements in the field of welfare of laying hens, which is part of the plan set by European union council directive 1999/74/EC. Nowadays there are 4 main egg production systems divided by the way of keeping laying hens – Enriched cage, Free range, Barn and Organic. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of different hens housing systems on elemental (Ca, K, Mg, Na, P, Ca, K, Zn), total protein and lipid composition of whole eggs, yolk and albumen. Elemental analysis was performed by ICP-OES, total lipid content by Kjehldahl method and total lipids by Soxhlet extraction. Differences in whole egg were found in 8 from 9 tested parameters – K, Mg, Ba, Fe, P, Zn, total lipids and proteins. Assessment of the differences were done by ANOVA and Tukey`s test. Production systems were also successfully differentiated by principal component analysis. It was found that eggs from alternative production systems did not exhibit higher nutritional value than eggs from conventional cage facilities. In the case of total protein, conventional eggs contained highest average amount. It was also evident, that impact on chemical composition is difficult to assign to production system in general, which was confirmed by alternative studies from this field, which in many cases considerably differs.
Arabic WordNet. Current State and Future Extensions

We report on the current status of the Arabic WordNet project and in particular on the contents of the database, the lexicographer and user interfaces, the Arabic WordNet browser, linking to the SUMO ontology, the Arabic word spotter, and techniques for semi­automatically extending Arabic WordNet. The central focus of the presentation is on the semi­automatic extension of Arabic WordNet using lexical and morphological rules.