Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morfología y morfometría del ángulo camerular y de la malla trabecular: estudio mediante tomografía de coherencia óptica de segmento anterior Fourier Domain

INTRODUCCION. El angulo iridocorneal ha sido clasicamente estudiado mediante la gonioscopia. Con la aparicion de la tomografia de coherencia optica (OCT) de alta resolucion Fourier Domain, podemos conocer el angulo mediante un nuevo enfoque, identificando las diferentes estructuras que lo componen y realizando una medicion exacta de las mismas.OBJETIVOS. Identificar las estructuras que componen el angulo camerular, y especialmente la malla trabecular, cuantificando su frecuencia de aparicion y realizando diferentes medidas de ambas estructuras, estableciendo la reproducibilidad de las mismas. Analizar ademas la existencia de correlacion entre estas medidas y diferentes variables del individuo y del globo ocular, y proponer nuevas medidas originales. Y estudiar la concordancia en la medida del angulo entre la OCT y el Pentacam.MATERIAL Y METODOS. Estudio transversal de 2.012 ojos de 1.006 pacientes consecutivos sanos. Ademas de una exploracion oftalmologica general, se midieron diferentes variables de los individuos, de la camara anterior y del globo ocular mediante Pentacam, IOL Master y OCT. RESULTADOS. Se observo una excelente reproducibilidad en las medidas realizadas mediante OCT del angulo camerular y la malla trabecular. El angulo pudo ser medido en el 98,3 por ciento de los ojos, con una media de 35,80 grados (rango 1,4 - 78,7). La malla trabecular se pudo medir en el 91 por ciento de los ojos, con un area media de 0,067 mm2 (rango 0,020 - 0,126) y una longitud media de 504,9 micras (rango 263 904). Se observo que existia correlacion entre la abertura angular y la profundidad de la camara anterior, la longitud axial, el sexo, la edad y el defecto refractivo (P menor que 0,001), no observandose correlacion con la presion intraocular. La malla trabecular no se correlaciono con ninguno de los parametros estudiados. Existio una concordancia baja en la medida de la abertura angular entre la OCT y el Pentacam.CONCLUSIONES. La OCT Fourier Domain es una tecnica eficaz y reproducible en el analisis y medicion del angulo camerular y de la malla trabecular.
A Portable Clock Multiplier Generator using Digital CMOS Standard Cells

This paper presents a circuit fabricated to test a new method of clock frequency multiplication. This new approach uses a digital CMOS process in order to implement the delay locked loop. This multiplier does not require external components. Moreover it is generated by a parameterized generator written in C which relies on a portable digital standard cell library, for automatic place and route. In 1¿m CMOS process a 170Mhz clock signal has been obtained from a 8.5Mhz external clock with a measured jitter lower than 300ps.
Awareness and knowledge about human papillomavirus among Latina immigrants.

OBJECTIVE Few studies have examined associations with the public's awareness and knowledge of the human papillomavirus (HPV) among Latina immigrants. The primary purpose of this study was to assess HPV awareness and knowledge, while examining demographic and healthcare utilization associations. METHODS From 2007-2009 as part of a larger randomized control trial, 543 Latina immigrants living in Birmingham, Alabama completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire. RESULTS Only 47% of the participants were aware of HPV. Women aged 40-50 years were more likely to be aware of HPV than women 19 to 29 (odds ratio [OR] 2.54; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.34, 4.78). Having a Pap smear in the past year was associated with awareness (OR 1.82; 95% CI 1.14, 2.90). Among those aware of HPV, the mean knowledge score was 7.5 out of 11. Deficiencies in knowledge were noted for vaccinations, genital warts, and the clearing of HPV without treatment. Multivariable analysis found a Pap smear in the past year (OR 4.10; 95% CI 1.93, 8.69), and number of HPV information sources (OR 1.38; 95% CI 1.09, 1.75) significantly associated with higher knowledge. Also, women aged 30 to 39 years and 40 to 50 were more likely to have higher HPV knowledge than those 19 to 29 (OR 2.64; 95% CI 1.35, 5.17 and OR 4.46; 95% CI 1.53, 12.98, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Less than half of the participants were aware of HPV. However, among those aware, knowledge scores were high. Age and having a Pap smear within the last year were associated with HPV awareness and knowledge.
Hemodynamic changes during hemodialysis: role of nitric oxide and endothelin.

BACKGROUND Etiology of dialysis induced hypotension and hypertension remains speculative. There is mounting evidence that nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin (ET-1) may play a vital role in these hemodynamic changes. We examined the intradialytic dynamic changes in NO and ET-1 levels and their role in the pathogenesis of hypotension and rebound hypertension during hemodialysis (HD). METHODS The serum nitrate + nitrite (NT), fractional exhaled NO concentration (FENO), L-arginine (L-Arg), NGNG-dimethyl-L-arginine (ADMA) and endothelin (ET-1) profiles were studied in 27 end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on HD and 6 matched controls. The ESRD patients were grouped according to their hemodynamic profile; Group I patients had stable BP throughout HD, Group II had dialysis-induced hypotension, and Group III had intradialytic rebound hypertension. RESULTS Pre-dialysis FENO was significantly lower in the dialysis patients compared to controls (19.3 +/- 6.3 vs. 28.6 +/- 3.4 ppb, P < 0.002). Between the experimental groups, pre-dialysis FENO was significantly higher in Group II (24.1 +/- 6.7 ppb) compared to Group I (17.8 +/- 5.6 ppb) and Group III (16.1 +/- 4.2 ppb; P < 0.05). Post-dialysis, FENO increased significantly from the pre-dialysis values (19.3 +/- 6.3 vs. 22.6 +/- 7.9 ppb; P=0.001). Pre-dialysis NT (34.4 +/- 28.2 micromol/L/L) level was not significantly different from that of controls (30.2 +/- 12.3 micromol/L/L). Serum NT decreased from 34.4 +/- 28.2 micromol/L/L at initiation of dialysis to 10.0 +/- 7.4 micormol/L/L at end of dialysis (P < 0.001). NT concentration was comparable in all the three groups at all time points. Pre-dialysis L-Arg (105.3 +/- 25.2 vs. 93.7 +/- 6.0 micromol/L/L; P < 0.05) and ADMA levels were significantly higher in ESRD patients (4.0 +/- 1.8 vs. 0.9 +/- 0.2 micromol/L/L; P < 0.001) compared to controls. Dialysis resulted in significant reduction in L-Arg (105.3 +/- 25.2 vs. 86.8 +/- 19.8 micromol/L/L; P < 0.005) and ADMA (4.0 +/- 1.8 vs. 1.6 +/- 0.7 micromol/L/L; P < 0.001) concentrations. Pre-dialysis ET-1 levels were significantly higher in ESRD patients compared to the controls (8.0 +/- 1.9 vs. 12.7 +/- 4.1 pg/mL; P < 0.002), but were comparable in the three study groups. Post-dialysis ET-1 levels did not change significantly in Group I compared to pre-dialysis values (14.3 +/- 4.3 vs.15.0 +/- 2.4 pg/mL, P=NS). However, while the ET-1 concentration decreased significantly in Group II (12.0 +/- 4.0 vs. 8.7 +/- 1.8 pg/mL, P < 0.05), it increased in Group III from pre-dialysis levels (12.8 +/- 3.8 vs. 16.7 +/- 4.5 pg/mL, P=0.06). CONCLUSION Pre-dialysis FENO is elevated in patients with dialysis-induced hypotension and may be a more reliable than NT as a marker for endogenous NO activity in dialysis patients. Altered NO/ET-1 balance may be involved in the pathogenesis of rebound hypertension and hypotension during dialysis.
Vitamin D status and its adequacy in healthy Danish perimenopausal women: relationships to dietary intake, sun exposure and serum parathyroid hormone

We conducted this study to assess the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in a population of normal perimenopausal women, to examine the influence of sun exposure and vitamin D intake on the concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) and to examine the association between parathyroid hormone (PTH) and 25OHD. A total of 2016 healthy women aged 45-58, who had recently undergone a natural menopause, were enrolled over a 2.5-year period in the Danish Osteoporosis Prevention Study. A marked seasonal fluctuation of 25OHD was seen, with an abrupt rise in June and high values until October. The fluctuation could be related to number of hours of sunshine per month with a two months time lag. Dietary vitamin D intake, vitamin supplementation, sunlight exposure, and use of sun-bed were all significantly related to 25OHD concentrations. Sun exposure seemed to contribute the most. The overall prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (defined as serum ) was 7 %. However, in the subgroup avoiding direct sunshine and abstaining from vitamin D supplementation 32.8 % were vitamin D deficient in the winter-spring period. Although mean PTH was increased in the group with low serum 25OHD, PTH was not a sensitive marker of hypovitaminosis D in the individual, as only 16 % of those with vitamin D deficiency had PTH levels above normal range. Thus, we have shown, that healthy middle-aged Danish women are prone to vitamin D insufficiency in the winter-spring period, if they avoid sun exposure in the summer period and abstain from vitamin D supplementation.
Temporal Expectation Improves the Quality of Sensory Information

It is increasingly clear that we extract patterns of temporal regularity between events to optimize information processing. Whereas some of the mechanisms for facilitating action preparation and execution have been well documented, much less is understood about whether and how temporal expectations influence visual perception. We used a psychophysical paradigm and computational modeling to investigate the mechanisms by which temporal expectation can modulate visual perception. Visual targets appeared in a stream of noise-patches separated by a fixed (400 ms regular condition) or jittered (200/300/400/500/600 ms irregular condition) intervals. Targets were visual gratings tilted 45° clockwise or counter-clockwise, presented at one of seven contrast levels. Human observers were required to perform an orientation discrimination (i.e., left or right). Psychometric functions for contrast sensitivity fitted for the regular and irregular conditions indicated that temporal expectation modulates perceptual processing by enhancing the contrast sensitivity of visual targets. This increase in the signal strength was accompanied by a reduction in reaction times. A diffusion model indicated that rhythmic temporal expectation enhanced the signal-to-noise gain of the sensory evidence upon which decisions were made. These effects support the idea that temporal structure of external events can entrain the attentional focus and psychophysical data, optimizing the processing of relevant sensory information.
Functional Testing in the Anterior Cruciate Ligament‐Deficient Knee

Functional testing of patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficient knees and normal subjects during stressful activities such as running to a cut and running to a stop and during activities common to daily life, such as walking, stair climbing, and jogging, is presented. Analysis focused on the application of these tests to treatment planning and clinical evaluation. Functional testing during stressful activities indicates that some patients with ACL-deficient knees have higher than normal net hamstring moments during the early phase of these activities. These results suggest dynamic muscular substitution using the hamstrings in patients with chronic ACL-deficient knees. Patients tested during less stressful activities, such as walking and stair climbing, also demonstrated substantial differences from ACL-intact subjects. The majority of patients tended to reduce the net quadriceps moment when the knee was near full extension. Approximately 75% of the patients who were ACL-deficient developed this type of adaptation, which appears to be a subconscious method of avoiding the net anterior pull of the quadriceps mechanism when the knee is near full extension. Functional testing of the ACL-deficient knee provides meaningful information that cannot be obtained by simpler clinical tests. This information can be extremely useful in the selection and evaluation of patients with certain treatment modalities, since it seems to be directly related to some patients' ability to functionally adapt to the loss of the ACL.
Physiological and functional failure in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure and cancer: a debilitating intersection of sarcopenia, cachexia and breathlessness

Purpose of reviewLoss of skeletal muscle mass and cachexia are important manifestations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and have been associated with breathlessness, functional limitation and poor prognosis. A number of other life-limiting illnesses, including cancer and chronic heart failure as well as acute conditions seen in ICU such as sepsis, are characteristically associated with cachexia and sarcopenia. These conditions may have respiratory muscle atrophy of sufficient magnitude to contribute to the development of breathlessness and associated functional limitation. The purpose of this review is to summarize findings related to a direct role for severe respiratory muscle wasting in the etiology of breathlessness in advanced, life limiting illness. Recent findingsLocalized wasting of respiratory muscles appears to be part of systemic wasting of skeletal muscles, driven by deconditioning, nutritional insufficiencies and inflammation, and because of disease-specific factors (tumor factors and exacerbations), anabolic insufficiency, autonomic dysfunction, drugs (such as corticosteroids and chemotherapy agents), mechanical ventilation and comorbidities. Marked morphological and biochemical abnormalities have been noted in diaphragm muscle biopsies. SummaryOlder patients with multiple comorbidities associated with muscle loss and cachexia are likely to be at elevated risk of respiratory muscle atrophy and functional loss, because of the presence of multiple, interacting etiologic factors.
Aging in the rat olfactory system: Correlation of changes in the olfactory epithelium and olfactory bulb

Two regions closely linked synaptically (olfactory epithelium and olfactory bulb) have been compared in an agegraded series of rats. Previous findings of growth and atrophy of constituent elements in Sprague‐Dawley Wisconsin (SD) rats have now been confirmed in Charles River (Crl) rats. In the olfactory bulbs of Charles River (Crl) rats, the volume of layers, the number of olfactory axodendritic synapses in the glomeruli, the total volume of glomerular dendrites, and the size of mitral cell bodies all approximately double between 3 and 24–27 months, and then all decrease by 36 months. Unlike SD rats, however, no loss in the number of mitral cells occurs in Crl rats, and the increase in volume of the olfactory bulbs from 3 to 24 months is approximately double that of SD rats. In the olfactory epithelium the total number of septal olfactory receptors more than doubles between 3 and 18–24 months and then declines markedly, as does the volume of olfactory axons in olfactory bulb glomeruli. Comparison of the regression lines for changes in number of septal receptors with that of the size of mitral cell bodies discloses that the decline in number of receptors begins several months earlier than the decline in mitral cell size. This suggests that the atrophic changes in the olfactory bulb may in part be secondary to changes in the receptors of the olfactory epithelium. Numbers of synapses in the glomeruli appear to decline less markedly with age than the number of receptors, and a significant increase in number of synapses per receptor occurs in the oldest group studied (33 months), suggesting a compensatory increase in the relative number of synapses per receptor in the surviving receptors.
Positive and negative symptom response to clozapine in schizophrenic patients with and without the deficit syndrome.

OBJECTIVE In a preliminary report, the authors observed that clozapine was superior to haloperidol in the treatment of positive and negative symptoms in stable outpatients with schizophrenia. In this final report, they examine the effects of clozapine on positive and negative symptoms in patients with and without the deficit syndrome to determine which patients receive the positive symptom advantage of clozapine and the extent of clozapine's therapeutic effects on negative symptoms. In addition, they examine the long-term effects of clozapine on positive, negative, and affective symptoms, social and occupational functioning, and quality of life. METHOD Seventy-five outpatients with schizophrenia, who met retrospective and prospective criteria for residual positive or negative symptoms, were entered into a 10-week double-blind, parallel-groups comparison of clozapine and haloperidol. Patients who completed the double-blind study were then entered into a 1-year open-label clozapine study. RESULTS For patients who completed the 10-week double-blind study, clozapine was superior to haloperidol in treating positive symptoms. This effect was not observed in the intent-to-treat analyses. There was no evidence of any superior efficacy or long-term effect of clozapine on primary or secondary negative symptoms. Long-term clozapine treatment was associated with significant improvements in social and occupational functioning but not in overall quality of life. CONCLUSIONS For schizophrenic patients who are able to tolerate clozapine therapy, clozapine has superior efficacy for positive symptoms but not negative symptoms and is associated with long-term improvements in social and occupational functioning for patients with and without the deficit syndrome.
The effects of chloride substitution on intracellular pH in crab muscle.

1. Intracellular pH (pHi) was measured in crab muscle fibres using pH‐sensitive micro‐electrodes. The mean stable pHi was 7.19 +/‐ 00.2 (S.E. of mean) and the corresponding mean membrane potential was ‐64.6 +/‐ 0.4 mV (S.E. of mean) at an external pH of 7.5. 2. The effects on pHi of replacing 20% (100 mM) of the external NaCl by the Na salts of various anions were examined. The anions of weak acid (pK'a greater than 4.5) caused large internal acidifications. The anions of strong acids (pK'a less than 2.6) caused little or no change in pHi. The anions of acids with an intermediate pK'a had varied effects on pHi. In particular salicylate (pK'a = 2.97) was found to cause a large fall in pHi. 3. Increasing the external pH reduced the effects of the anions of weak acids on pHi. It is argued that these effects are the result of the entry and subsequent dissociation of undissociated acid molecules. 4. The results with propionate were quantified by comparing them with the effects of 5% CO2 and were found to be smaller than expected. It is suggested that this is the result of substantial membrane permeability to the propionate anion.
A Kinematic Model to Assess Spinal Motion During Walking

Study Design and Objectives. A 3-dimensional multi-segment kinematic spine model was developed for noninvasive analysis of spinal motion during walking. Preliminary data from able-bodied ambulators were collected and analyzed using the model. Summary of Background Data. Neither the spine’s role during walking nor the effect of surgical spinal stabilization on gait is fully understood. Typically, gait analysis models disregard the spine entirely or regard it as a single rigid structure. Data on regional spinal movements, in conjunction with lower limb data, associated with walking are scarce. Methods. KinTrak software (Motion Analysis Corp., Santa Rosa, CA) was used to create a biomechanical model for analysis of 3-dimensional regional spinal movements. Measuring known angles from a mechanical model and comparing them to the calculated angles validated the kinematic model. Spine motion data were collected from 10 able-bodied adults walking at 5 self-selected speeds. These results were compared to data reported in the literature. Results. The uniaxial angles measured on the mechanical model were within 5° of the calculated kinematic model angles, and the coupled angles were within 2°. Regional spine kinematics from able-bodied subjects calculated with this model compared well to data reported by other authors. Conclusions. A multi-segment kinematic spine model has been developed and validated for analysis of spinal motion during walking. By understanding the spine’s role during ambulation and the cause-and-effect relationship between spine motion and lower limb motion, preoperative planning may be augmented to restore normal alignment and balance with minimal negative effects on walking.
The signal pathways in azoxymethane-induced colon cancer and preventive implications

Colon cancer is the third most common cancer and third most common cause of cancer-related death in the USA according to 2008 American Cancer Society statistics. The carcinogenesis of colon cancer has been associated with both genetics and environmental factors. It has been found that several signal pathways, including K-ras, Src/PI3K/Akt, β-catenin, TGFβ and p53 play critical roles in its pathogenesis. The 5 year survival rate of metastatic colon cancer is below 10%. Thus, it is necessary to further understand its biology and search for effective therapy. Azoxymethane (AOM) is a common model for colon cancer. It can specifically induce colon cancer similar to the pathogenesis of human sporadic colon cancer. Thus, it has been extensively used in the study of the molecular biology, prevention and treatment of colon cancer. After administration, AOM is metabolised into methylazoxymethanol by CYP2E1, which causes DNA mutations. Mutation of K-ras activates this pathway and its downstream PI3K/Akt pathway and MAPK pathway. Mutation of β-catenin also prevents it from being degraded by GSK-3 and accumulation of β-catenin leads to cell proliferation. TGFβ, a pro-apoptotic protein, is inhibited. All of these changes form the basis of AOM carcinogenesis. This model has been used in the study of the genetic deficiencies of colon cancer and in the prevention and treatment of the disease. For example, TGF-βR2 and adiponectin knockout mice are more susceptible to AOM, while high amylose cornstarch, green tea and artemisia have protective effects.
Joint Modeling, Covariate Adjustment, and Interaction: Contrasting Notions in Risk Prediction Models and Risk Prediction Performance

Epidemiologic methods are well established for investigating the association of a predictor of interest and disease status in the presence of covariates also associated with disease. There is less consensus on how to handle covariates when the goal is to evaluate the increment in prediction performance gained by a new marker when a set of predictors already exists. We distinguish between adjusting for covariates and joint modeling of disease risk in this context. We show that adjustment and joint modeling are distinct concepts, and we describe the specific conditions where they are the same. We also discuss the concept of interaction among variables and describe a notion of interaction that is relevant to prediction performance. We conclude with a discussion of the most appropriate methods for evaluating new biomarkers in the presence of existing predictors.