Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of oxygen uptake kinetics and oxygen kinetics of peripheral skeletal muscle during recovery from exercise in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

The biochemical features of skeletal muscle and its contribution to exercise intolerance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is under active investigation. Near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) can non‐invasively provide information on the oxidative capacity of muscle. To clarify whether oxygenation of peripheral muscle is one determinant of exercise tolerance, we simultaneously examined the oxygen uptake () kinetics and oxygen kinetics of peripheral skeletal muscle evaluated by NIRS during recovery from exercise in COPD patients. Fifteen patients with COPD and five normal control subjects performed a symptom‐limited incremental exercise test. On the following day, all patients performed a constant work rate exercise test while being monitored using NIRS continuously for changes in concentration of oxygenated haemoglobin (HbO2) and during expired gas analysis. We found that the time constant of during recovery from constant work rate exercise () and the time constant of HbO2 during recovery (τHbO2off) were significantly longer in COPD patients than in normal control subjects. was inversely correlated with absolute values of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1·0) and FEV1·0 (% predicted). However, no significant correlation was found between and FVC (forced vital capacity), FEV1·0/FVC, or diffusing capacity of the lung for CO (DLCO). Moreover, was inversely correlated with maximal and maximal work rate. In contrast, exhibited a significant positive correlation with τHbO2off. These results indicate that kinetics during recovery is related to re‐oxygenation of peripheral skeletal muscle evaluated by NIRS in patients with COPD. Therefore, NIRS may be a useful tool to estimate the impairment of cardiopulmonary responses and re‐oxygenation of peripheral skeletal muscle during the immediate recovery phase after exercise in COPD patients.
Kelp Diagrams: Point Set Membership Visualization

We present Kelp Diagrams, a novel method to depict set relations over points, i.e., elements with predefined positions. Our method creates schematic drawings and has been designed to take aesthetic quality, efficiency, and effectiveness into account. This is achieved by a routing algorithm, which links elements that are part of the same set by constructing minimum cost paths over a tangent visibility graph. There are two styles of Kelp Diagrams to depict overlapping sets, a nested and a striped style, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. We compare Kelp Diagrams with two existing methods and show that our approach provides a more consistent and clear depiction of both element locations and their set relations.
Genetic epidemiology of cancer: A multidisciplinary approach

For many years, human geneticists have focused mostly on the study of the genetic components of disease, with less consideration of the effect of environment on the phenotype. On the other hand, epidemiologists have paid primary attention to the association of environmental factors with illness, often neglecting the role of genetic determinants. By definition, genetic epidemiology focuses on the study of the interactions between these two categories of factors in the distribution and determinants of disease in human populations. However, in the past the approach has constantly been hampered by insufficient conceptual and methodological integration. During the last decade, revolutionary advances in molecular biology and their application to human genetics have provided new ways to analyze the human genome and to look at the relationship between genotype and phenotype. Investigators in genetic epidemiology can now utilize these approaches in the design of their studies and rely on a refined human linkage map. In addition, statistical methods capable of dealing with the interaction of genetic and environmental factors in the etiology of disease are being developed. In cancer research, as genes are identified, mapped, and cloned, it becomes feasible to describe the distribution of cancer-related genes in the general population, as well as the way in which environmental factors and these genes interact. Future research on the role of genetic and environmental factors in cancer etiology within the framework of epidemiological studies will require the development of integrated
Feasibility of mitral valve surgery using minimal extracorporeal circulation

Aim: Using minimal extracorporeal circulation (MECC) in isolated coronary artery bypass grafting or aortic valve replacement has been proven to be safe, feasible and superior compared to standard cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in terms of postoperative complications, total hospital stay and blood product transfusions. This feasibility study evaluates the clinical outcomes of mitral valve surgery performed with MECC. Methods: From March 2006 to January 2011, seventy-five patients who underwent mitral valve surgery performed with MECC (n=75) in our institution were retrospectively evaluated. Demographic characteristics, operative data and clinical outcomes were collected in a prospectively designed database. Results: The mean age was 68.8 ± 10.2 years with a EuroSCORE of 7.0 ± 2.3. Thirty-seven patients had a moderate left ventricular function (with a range of 30-40%). All patients except two had severe mitral valve incompetence (MI). Surgery was successful in all procedures. The mean duration of surgery was 210 ± 44 min (range 118-356 min). The mean CPB time was 128 ± 30 (range 67-249) min. The cross-clamp time was 99 ± 26 (range 48-205) min. There were no intraoperative perfusion problems or airlocks reported. The mean intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay was two days. Subsequent analysis showed a first postoperative haemoglobin value of 9.4 g/dL ± 1.7. There were no peroperative neurological complications. One patient developed an ischaemic cerebrovascular accident (CVA) on the forth postoperative day due to inadequate anticoagulation. Other postoperative complications included eight patients with pneumonia, one superficial wound infection, temporary renal insufficiency in two patients and four patients needed re-exploration for excessive postoperative leakage. Overall in-hospital mortality was four percent. Conclusion: Our results show, for the first time, that isolated or combined mitral valve surgery using MECC is feasible and safe.
Children of War

This paper provides causal evidence on the long-term consequences of large-scale physical destruction on educational attainment, health status, and labor market outcomes of children. I exploit the plausibly exogenous region-by-cohort variation in the intensity of World War Two (WWII) destruction as a unique quasi-experiment. I find that exposure to destruction had long-lasting detrimental effects on the human capital formation, health, and labor market outcomes of Germans who were at school-age during WWII. An important channel for the effect of destruction on educational attainment is the destruction of schools whereas malnutrition is partly behind the estimated impact on health.
The enhancing effect of bone marrow cells on the immune response of irradiated mice reconstituted with spleen cells from normal and immunized donors.

The injection of 5 million normal bone marrow cells into cobalt-60 irradiated mice produced a striking effect on the size of the spleen and greatly enhanced the number of antibody-forming cells found in the spleen 6 days after the injection of sheep RBC and small numbers of spleen cells from normal or preimmunized mice. The experiments are interpreted as indicating a nonspecific effect of bone marrow cells on the localization or proliferation of antibody-forming cells. They negate previous claims that bone marrow enhancement can be considered evidence for a multipotential antibody-forming cell precursor. Note Added in Proof: In the Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., 59: 296, 1968, G. F. Mitchell and J. F. A. P. Miller reported experiments indicating that in the thymus-bone marrow interaction the antibody was made in a cell derived from the bone marrow. That is indeed a remarkable nonspecific effect. If it can be shown that in the interaction between normal bone marrow and immune spleen cell the antibody is made in the bone marrow cell, then this would raise the question of how the memory was transferred.
Block Markov Superposition Transmission of Repetition and Single-Parity-Check Codes

This letter presents a method to construct a family of codes with rate K/N(K = 1,2,.,N - 1) for any given integer N > 1. This family of codes, referred to as RSPC codes for short, consist of the repetition (R) code, the single-parity-check (SPC) code and the codes obtained by time-sharing between the R code and the SPC code. The RSPC codes have extremely simple encoding and soft-input soft-output (SISO) decoding algorithms, hence can be integrated into the recently proposed block Markov superposition transmission (BMST) system. The BMST introduces memory across short codes by spatially coupling the generator matrices of the short codes. A distinguished feature of the BMST system is the simple relation between the asymptotic coding gain and the spatially coupling depth (encoding memory). Furthermore, the BMST-RSPC codes can share a pair of easily reconfigurable encoder and decoder. Simulation results show that the BMST-RSPC codes perform well (within one dB away from the corresponding Shannon limits) in a wide range of code rates.
The rationale for tilt-adjusted acetabular cup navigation.

BACKGROUND When performing total hip arthroplasty without computer navigation, surgeons align the acetabular component with landmarks such as the plane of the operating table and the presumed position of the pelvis. In contrast, first-generation computer navigation systems rely on the pelvic anterior plane, defined by the anterior superior iliac spines and the pubic tubercle. We sought to study the effect of patient positioning on the tilt of the pelvis as measured in the pelvic anterior plane and its effect on cup alignment angle values. METHODS In forty patients, the supine pelvic anterior plane tilt angle was measured with use of computed tomographic scans made before and after total hip arthroplasty (Group A). In thirty other patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty, preoperative supine pelvic anterior plane tilt angle was measured with a computed tomographic scan and the preoperative standing pelvic anterior plane tilt angle was measured on a lateral radiograph (Group B). From these data, we used hip navigation planning software to develop a nomogram providing tilt-adjusted cup angles that would align the cup in a target range of 40 degrees +/- 10 degrees of abduction and 15 degrees +/- 10 degrees of anteversion. A third group of ninety-eight patients (Group C) then underwent total hip arthroplasty with computer navigation with use of our nomogram to provide tilt-adjusted values for cup alignment. Postoperative computed tomography scans were made to evaluate cup alignment, and the patients were followed for at least one year. RESULTS In Group A, the mean preoperative supine pelvic tilt angle (and standard deviation) was -8.9 degrees +/- 6.8 degrees (forward rotation of the pelvis) and the mean postoperative angle was -10.9 degrees +/- 7.6 degrees (p < 0.05). In Group B, the mean preoperative supine pelvic tilt angle was -10.4 degrees +/- 7.4 degrees and the mean preoperative standing pelvic tilt angle was -5.0 degrees +/- 9.4 degrees (p < 0.001). In the group of ninety-eight patients who underwent navigated total hip arthroplasty (Group C), there were no dislocations at one year of follow-up. Seventy-two patients underwent postoperative computed tomography scans; 99% of cup anteversion values and 97% of cup abduction values were in the target range. CONCLUSIONS For navigation systems that rely on the pelvic anterior plane, cup alignment values can be converted to familiar target values with our nomogram with good accuracy and reproducibility. The next generation of navigation systems should be able to measure the pelvic tilt for each individual patient and automatically adjust alignment values.
Rationalizing the coefficients of popular biorthogonal wavelet filters

Many wavelet filters found in the literature have irrational coefficients and thus require infinite precision implementation. One of the most popular filter pairs is the '9/7' biorthogonal pair of Cohen, Daubechies and Feauveau which is adopted in the FBI finger-print compression standard. We present here a technique to rationalize the coefficients of wavelet filters that will preserve biorthogonality and perfect reconstruction. Furthermore, most of the zeros at z=-1 will also be preserved. These zeros are important for achieving regularity. The rationalized coefficients filters have characteristics that are close to the original irrational coefficients filters. Three popular pairs of filters, which includes the '9/7' pair, will be considered.
FTY720 modulates human oligodendrocyte progenitor process extension and survival

FTY720, a sphingosine‐1‐phosphate (S1P) receptor agonist that crosses the blood–brain barrier, is a potential immuno‐therapy for multiple sclerosis. Our objective was to assess the effect of FTY720 on process extension, differentiation, and survival of human oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), and link the functional effects with S1P receptor expression and signaling.
Advances in ante-mortem diagnosis of tuberculosis in cattle

Abstract The tuberculin skin test is effective in the early detection of pre-clinical cases of Mycobacterium bovis infection in cattle. This allows the rapid removal of infected animals, thus limiting transmission of the disease, and has resulted in the eradication of bovine tuberculosis (Tb) from many countries. This test is very likely to remain the primary screening test for M. bovis infection in cattle as it is a simple, robust and inexpensive test. However, a number of ancillary tests are being used, or are currently being validated. These ancillary tests are likely to provide a more accurate diagnosis following skin-testing. The blood-based BOVIGAM interferon-γ (IFN-γ) test is a cellular immune assay which can detect early infection, and has become the main ancillary test in New Zealand. It can be used for re-testing skin test-positive animals, to improve specificity and minimise wastage from slaughtering animals with false-positive tests. Alternatively, it can be used in locations of increased risk of infection in parallel with skin-testing, for examining skin test-negative animals for pre-movement testing or in problem herds to identify M. bovis-infected animals that do not respond to the skin test. Several modifications of the test are now being used to improve specificity by altering the cut-off or using specific antigens present in virulent mycobacteria such as the 6 kDa early secreted antigenic target (ESAT 6) and 10 kDa culture filtrate protein (CFP-10). While antibody based tests generally lack sensitivity, as high levels of antibodies tend to occur late in the disease process, they may have unique desirable properties such as the ability to be used as a cow-side test. The use of these new ancillary tests in association with skin-testing will improve the detection of M. bovis-infected cattle and reduce the unnecessary slaughter of false-positive reactors.
Recognition of Vitamin B Precursors and Byproducts by Mucosal Associated Invariant T Cells*

Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) is essential for metabolic functions and is synthesized by many bacteria, yeast, and plants, but not by mammals and other animals, which must acquire it from the diet. In mammals, modified pyrimidine intermediates from the microbial biosynthesis of riboflavin are recognized as signature biomarkers of microbial infection. This recognition occurs by specialized lymphocytes known as mucosal associated invariant T (MAIT) cells. The major histocompatibility class I-like antigen-presenting molecule, MR1, captures these pyrimidine intermediates, but only after their condensation with small molecules derived from glycolysis and other metabolic pathways to form short-lived antigens. The resulting MR1-Ag complexes are recognized by MAIT cell antigen receptors (αβ T cell receptors (TCRs)), and the subsequent MAIT cell immune responses are thought to protect the host from pathogens at mucosal surfaces. Here, we review our understanding of how these novel antigens are generated and discuss their interactions with MR1 and MAIT TCRs.
What is the difference in concussion management in children as compared with adults? A systematic review

Aim To evaluate the evidence regarding the management of sport-related concussion (SRC) in children and adolescents. The eight subquestions included the effects of age on symptoms and outcome, normal and prolonged duration, the role of computerised neuropsychological tests (CNTs), the role of rest, and strategies for return to school and return to sport (RTSp). Design Systematic review. Data sources MEDLINE (OVID), Embase (OVID) and PsycInfo (OVID). Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Studies were included if they were original research on SRC in children aged 5 years to 18 years, and excluded if they were review articles, or did not focus on childhood SRC. Results A total of 5853 articles were identified, and 134 articles met the inclusion criteria. Some articles were common to multiple subquestions. Very few studies examined SRC in young children, aged 5–12 years. Summary/conclusions This systematic review recommends that in children: child and adolescent age-specific paradigms should be applied; child-validated symptom rating scales should be used; the widespread routine use of baseline CNT is not recommended; the expected duration of symptoms associated with SRC is less than 4 weeks; prolonged recovery be defined as symptomatic for greater than 4 weeks; a brief period of cognitive and physical rest should be followed with gradual symptom-limited physical and cognitive activity; all schools be encouraged to have a concussion policy and should offer appropriate academic accommodations and support to students recovering from SRC; and children and adolescents should not RTSp until they have successfully returned to school, however early introduction of symptom-limited physical activity is appropriate. Systematic review registration PROSPERO 2016:CRD42016039184
A Peritoneal Dialysis Regimen Low in Glucose and Glucose Degradation Products Results in Increased Cancer Antigen 125 and Peritoneal Activation

♦ Background: Glucose and glucose degradation products (GDPs) in peritoneal dialysis fluids (PDFs) are both thought to mediate progressive peritoneal worsening. ♦ Methods: In a multicenter, prospective, randomized crossover study, incident continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients were treated either with conventional lactate-buffered PDF (sPD regimen) or with a regimen low in glucose and GDPs: Nutrineal×1, Extraneal×1, and Physioneal×2 (NEPP regimen; all solutions: Baxter Healthcare, Utrecht, Netherlands). After 6 months, patients were switched to the alternative regimen for another 6 months. After 6 weeks of run-in, before the switch, and at the end of the study, 4-hour peritoneal equilibration tests were performed, and overnight effluents were analyzed for cells and biomarkers. Differences between the regimens were assessed by multivariate analysis corrected for time and regimen sequence. ♦ Results: The 45 patients who completed the study were equally distributed over both groups. During NEPP treatment, D4/D0 glucose was lower (p < 0.01) and D/P creatinine was higher (p = 0.04). In NEPP overnight effluent, mesothelial cells (p < 0.0001), cancer antigen 125 (p < 0.0001), hyaluronan (p < 0.0001), leukocytes (p < 0.001), interleukins 6 (p = 0.001) and 8 (p = 0.0001), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF, p < 0.0001) were increased by a factor of 2 – 3 compared with levels in sPD effluent. The NEPP regimen was associated with higher transport parameters, but that association disappeared after the addition of VEGF to the model. The association between NEPP and higher effluent levels of VEGF could not be attributed to glucose and GDP loads. ♦ Conclusions: Study results indicate preservation of the mesothelium and increased peritoneal activation during NEPP treatment. Whether the increase in VEGF reflects an increase in mesothelial cell mass or whether it points to another, undesirable mechanism cannot be determined from the present study. Longitudinal studies are needed to finally evaluate the usefulness of the NEPP regimen for further clinical use.
Lesson of the month: rowing-induced laryngeal obstruction: a novel cause of exertional dyspnoea: characterised by direct laryngoscopy

Exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction (EILO) is a key differential diagnosis for unexplained dyspnoea in athletes. The gold standard means for diagnosis of EILO is direct laryngoscopy, performed continuously, while an athlete undertakes the specific sport that precipitates their symptoms. This report provides the first descriptions of rowing-associated EILO in two competitive rowers presenting with unexplained dyspnoea and cough. The report describes the methodology and safety of the use of continuous laryngoscopy in the context of maximal rowing ergometry and the use of this technique as a therapeutic tool to provide biofeedback.
Expanded HIV Testing and Linkage to Care: Conventional vs. Point-of-Care Testing and Assignment of Patient Notification and Linkage to Care to an HIV Care Program

Objective. The University of Chicago Medicine (UCM) led the Expanded Testing and Linkage to Care (X-TLC) program for disproportionately affected populations on the South Side of Chicago. The X-TLC program aimed to expand routine HIV testing to high-prevalence communities with disproportionately affected populations (i.e., minority men and women, men who have sex with men, and intravenous drug users) according to CDC guidelines at multiple clinical sites. Methods. The X-TLC program used standard blood-based laboratory testing vs. point-of-care rapid testing or rapid laboratory testing with point-of-care results notification. Site coordinators and the linkage-to-care coordinator at UCM oversaw testing, test notification, and linkage to care. Results. From February 1, 2011, through December 31, 2013, the X-TLC program completed 75,345 HIV tests on 67,153 unique patients. Of the total tests, 48,044 (63.8%) were performed on patients who self-identified as African American and 6,606 (8.8%) were performed on patients who self-identified as Hispanic. Of the 67,153 patients tested, 395 (0.6%) tested positive and 176 (0.3%) were previously unaware of their HIV-positive status. Seroprevalence was even higher for EDs, where 127 of 12,957 patients tested positive for HIV (1.0% seroprevalence), than for other patient care sites, including for new diagnoses, where 50 of 12,957 patients tested positive for HIV (0.4% seroprevalence). Of the 176 newly diagnosed patients, 166 of 173 (96.0%) patients who were still alive when testing was complete received their test results, and 148 of the 166 patients who were eligible for care (89.0%) were linked to care. Patients linked to X-TLC physicians did well with respect to the continuum of care: 77 of 123 (62.6%) patients achieved HIV viral load of <200 copies/milliliter. Conclusion. Lead organizations such as UCM were able to assist and oversee HIV screening and linkage to care for HIV patients diagnosed at community sites. HIV screening and linkage to care can be accomplished by incorporating standard testing for HIV into routine medical care.