Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Survival and neonatal morbidity among extremely preterm born infants in relation to gestational age based on the last menstrual period or ultrasonographic examination

Abstract Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the potential impact of gestational age (GA) estimation on the basis of the last menstrual period (LMP) in comparison with GA based on ultrasound examination on rates of survival and neonatal morbidity among extremely preterm infants. Methods: The Swedish national registry of infants born extremely preterm (Extremely Preterm Infants in Sweden Study), including infants born before 27 weeks of gestation, was used to identify 645 infants with available information. Incidences of stillbirth, survival, small for GA (SGA), and major neonatal morbidity were calculated in relationship to the GA estimated by each of the approaches. Results: Pregnancies, in general, appeared to be longer when GA was estimated by LMP than by ultrasound (17.2% of the pregnancies were longer than 27 weeks). The incidences of stillbirth, neonatal death, and major neonatal morbidity in relationship to GA were similar for both groups. The risks for SGA were elevated when GA according to ultrasound examination was at least 7 days shorter than GA based on the LMP. Conclusions: In our cohort of infants born extremely preterm, estimation of GA on the basis of LMP indicated a longer pregnancy than estimated by ultrasound but did not influence the incidences of neonatal survival and morbidity.
Atrophic gastric changes in both Helicobacter felis and Helicobacter pylori infected mice are host dependent and separate from antral gastritis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The role of host factors has been neglected in studies of the pathogenesis of Helicobacter associated disease. The aim of this study was to assess the response of different mouse strains to infection with a single strain of Helicobacter felis. METHOD: Six strains of inbred mice were infected with the identical H felis culture and were killed at one month, two months, and six months after infection to assess histopathological changes. In addition, two strains of mice were infected with a mouse adapted strain of H pylori and examined at six months after infection. RESULTS: In SJL, C3H/He, DBA/2, and C57BL/6 infected mice, severe to moderate chronic active gastritis was observed only in the body of the stomach, which increased in severity over time with specialised cells in the body glands being replaced. As the severity of this damage in the body increased and atrophic changes were seen, the level of bacterial colonisation of the antrum decreased. In contrast, in BALB/c and CBA mice, there was only mild gastritis in the antrum, no remarkable changes were detected in their body mucosa, and no atrophy was seen over time. In both these strains of mice, heavy bacterial colonisation was seen, which tended to increase over the period of the experiment. Of particular importance in this experiment was that bacterial colonisation was mainly restricted to the antrum yet the atrophy, when present, was only observed in the body of the stomach. H pylori infected C3H/He mice showed moderate colonisation of the antrum, which persisted up to six months with little development of atrophy. In contrast, H pylori in C57BL/6 mice showed excellent colonisation of the antrum at two months but six months after infection there was moderate to severe body atrophy, which was associated with a loss of bacteria from the antrum. CONCLUSIONS: These findings challenge current concepts of the development of Helicobacter induced atrophy in that active chronic gastritis of antrum or the body mucosa, or both, is not a prerequisite. They also suggest an autoimmune basis for the pathology although no autoantibody or antibody to the H+/K+ ATPase was detected. Loss of infecting helicobacters from the stomach together with development of an atrophic gastritis in the body of the stomach is similar to the pattern found in certain H pylori infected human subjects.
Sciatic Nerve Ligation-Induced Proliferation of Spinal Cord Astrocytes Is Mediated by κ Opioid Activation of p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase

Partial sciatic nerve ligation (pSNL) markedly increased glial fibrillary acidic protein immunoreactivity (GFAP-IR) 1 week after lesion in the L4–L5 spinal dorsal horn of wild-type, but not in dynorphin knock-out, mice lacking κ opioid receptors (KOR−/−) or in wild-type mice pretreated with the KOR antagonist nor-binaltorphimine (norBNI). A direct effect of KOR on glial cell proliferation was suggested by the findings that primary cultures of type II GFAP-immunoreactive astrocytes isolated from mouse spinal cord express KOR. Sustained treatment with the κ agonist U50,488 (trans-3,4-dichloro-N-methyl-N-[2-(1-pyrolytinil)-cyclohexyl]-benzeneacetamide methane sulfonate) significantly increased the proliferation rate of GFAP-immunoreactive astrocytes isolated from wild-type mice, and this effect was blocked by norBNI pretreatment. Proliferation of cultured type II astrocytes may have been stimulated by mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation by KOR because (1) U50,488 treatment increased phospho-p38 MAPK-immunoreactivity 247 ± 44% over untreated cells, (2) the increase in phospho-p38 induced by U50,488 was blocked by norBNI and not evident in KOR−/− cultures, and (3) GFAP-immunoreactive astrocyte proliferation induced by U50,488 was blocked by the p38 MAPK inhibitor SB 203580 [4-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-(4-methylsulfinylphenyl)-5-(4-pyridyl)-1H-imidazole]. Similar mechanisms of astrocyte activation may also be responsible in vivo because intrathecal injection of SB 203580 blocked the increased GFAP-IR in lumbar spinal cord induced by pSNL. Although the relationship between κ-stimulated astrocyte proliferation and neuropathic pain mechanisms was not directly established in these studies, the results support the hypothesis that KOR activation induces spinal astrocyte proliferation, which may contribute to cellular reorganization after sciatic nerve damage.
Force Control in Locomotion of Legged Vehicles over Rigid and Soft Surfaces

The control system of the hexapod walking vehicle, designed at the Institute for Mechanics at Moscow State University and at the Institute for Problems of Information Transmis sion at the USSR Academy of Sciences, is extended to effect the control of foot-contact forces and locomotion in soft soil. The previously developed positional control system enables the computation of commanded motion of the vehicle legs and positional feedback to track this commanded motion. Force feedback is added to the control system, in addition to computation of commanded forces and leg position correc tions for leg sinkage during soft soil locomotion. Such an elaborate control system has made it possible to solve the problems of controlling the distribution of vertical foot force components in locomotion over a rigid surface and of foot-force vectors in locomotion between planes forming a dihedral angle. A number of algorithms are proposed to control vertical force components (loads on legs) and leg sink age in locomotion in elastic and consolidating soils. In the latter case, which corresponds to most natural soils, the bear ing properties of the surface are considered a priori unknown. The results of the experimental implementation of the algorithms are presented.
Designing an acupuncture study: the nationwide, randomized, controlled, German acupuncture trials on migraine and tension-type headache.

BACKGROUND In the nationwide German Acupuncture Trials (GERAC) verum acupuncture, based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), was to be tested against sham acupuncture for the entities classified in the West as "migraine" (MIG) and "tension-type headache" (TTH). However, there were no generally accepted guidelines on how to perform a consistent verum or sham treatment. OBJECTIVE To design broadly consensual verum and sham acupuncture treatment protocols for MIG and TTH for the GERAC. METHODOLOGY Extensive literature study and consultation with acupuncture experts. Personal interviews, both free and structured, e-mail discussions, and phone conferences were used. RESULTS Broadly consensual acupuncture protocols for MIG and TTH for verum and sham acupuncture were developed. They included semi-standardized point combinations with clearly described point selection rules based on TCM acupuncture diagnoses. A procedure was developed to help ensure homogenous treatment quality in a large multicenter trial. CONCLUSIONS The GERAC study design allowed acupuncture to be tested in a naturalistic environment. The rigorous study design and the large number of physician investigators guaranteed a high external validity for the results. The results will help determine the significance of Chinese acupuncture in the context of Western medicine for the treatment of MIG and TTH.
A COMPARISON WITH CLASSICAL TECHNIQUES OF 3 D CONFORMAL RADIOTHERAPY

This study was performed in order to compare dosimetric parameters of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) with those of three dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) for oropharingeal cancer patients. We included in this study 15 patients with advanced tumours of oropharinx who had been treated in Amethyst Radiotherapy Clinic. Treatment plans were performed on a Pinnacle 3 system, version 9.4 (Philips Medical Systems, Markham, Ontario) using beam data, 6 MeV, generated by Elekta Synergy linear accelerator. The doses for planning target volume (PTV) and organs at risk (OAR) calculated both by VMAT and 3D-CRT plans were compared. The evaluation of dosimetric parameters showed a significant difference between the two techniques, especially for OAR where the received doses are higher in the case of 3D-CRT in comparison with the VMAT. Also, VMAT increases the conformity index and the minimum dose to target volumes as compared with 3D-CRT in patients with oropharinx cancer. The study confirms that VMAT is superior to 3D-CRT in the treatment of oropharyngeal cancer.
Assessing the level of I.T. security culture improvement: Results from three Australian SMEs

Transitioning towards an improved I.T. security culture that fosters desired I.T. security behaviour and attitudes in individuals is pertinent to any organizational I.T. security strategy. To improve the current I.T. security culture of an organization and its members, an initial assessment covering four core questions was necessary to determine how much of an improvement was needed. The assessments and data collection techniques and corresponding results and findings are presented and discussed. The implications of this research will be of great benefit to both practitioners wanting to improve I.T. security culture and awareness in their organization, and will help to fill the lack empirical research within the academic field of I.T. security.
Prenatal detection of unbalanced chromosomal rearrangements by array CGH

Background: Karyotype analysis has been the standard method for prenatal cytogenetic diagnosis since the 1970s. Although highly reliable, the major limitation remains the requirement for cell culture, resulting in a delay of as much as 14 days to obtaining test results. Fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) and quantitative fluorescent PCR (QF-PCR) rapidly detect common chromosomal abnormalities but do not provide a genome wide screen for unexpected imbalances. Array comparative genomic hybridisation (CGH) has the potential to combine the speed of DNA analysis with a large capacity to scan for genomic abnormalities. We have developed a genomic microarray of approximately 600 large insert clones designed to detect aneuploidy, known microdeletion syndromes, and large unbalanced chromosomal rearrangements. Methods: This array was tested alongside an array with an approximate resolution of 1 Mb in a blind study of 30 cultured prenatal and postnatal samples with microscopically confirmed unbalanced rearrangements. Results: At 1 Mb resolution, 22/30 rearrangements were identified, whereas 29/30 aberrations were detected using the custom designed array, owing to the inclusion of specifically chosen clones to give increased resolution at genomic loci clinically implicated in known microdeletion syndromes. Both arrays failed to identify a triploid karyotype. Thirty normal control samples produced no false positive results. Conclusions: Analysis of 30 uncultured prenatal samples showed that array CGH is capable of detecting aneuploidy in DNA isolated from as little as 1 ml of uncultured amniotic fluid; 29/30 samples were correctly diagnosed, the exception being another case of triploidy. These studies demonstrate the potential for array CGH to replace conventional cytogenetics in the great majority of prenatal diagnosis cases.
Schedule of passive ethanol exposure affects subsequent intragastric ethanol self-infusion.

BACKGROUND Many studies have shown that chronic ethanol exposure can enhance later self-administration of ethanol, but only a few studies have identified critical parameters for such exposure. The present studies examined temporal and other parameters of chronic ethanol exposure on subsequent intragastric (IG) self-infusion of ethanol. METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats implanted with IG catheters were passively infused with ethanol for 5 to 6 days and then allowed to self-infuse ethanol or water using a procedure in which infusions were contingent upon licking fruit-flavored solutions. Experiment 1 examined the time interval between consecutive periods of passive infusion (Massed Group: 12 hours vs. Spaced Group: 36 hours). Experiment 2 studied the interval between the final passive infusion and onset of self-infusion (12 vs. 36 hours). Finally, Experiment 3 tested the effect of inserting self-infusion days within the passive infusion phase. RESULTS Passive ethanol exposure on consecutive days induced relatively large amounts of ethanol self-infusion (4.1 to 7.9 g/kg/d). Increasing the duration of the ethanol-free interval between periods of passive exposure to 36 hours significantly reduced ethanol self-infusion (2.2 g/kg/d; Exp. 1). The time delay between the last passive ethanol exposure and onset of self-infusion had no effect on self-infusion (Exp. 2). Moreover, inserting no-choice self-infusion days between the last few passive exposure days did not increase self-infusion (Exp. 3). CONCLUSIONS Measurement of withdrawal signs indicated that Massed passive exposure produced stronger dependence than Spaced passive exposure, suggesting that enhanced ethanol self-infusion in Massed Groups might be explained by the opportunity for greater negative reinforcement by ethanol. Although enhanced negative reinforcement might also explain why the Massed Group showed a weaker aversion for the ethanol-paired flavor than the Spaced Group, this observation could also be explained by the development of greater tolerance to ethanol's aversive pharmacological effects in the Massed Group.
Increased Cardiac Output as a Contributory Factor in Experimental Renal Hypertension in Dogs

It has been suggested, but not established, that renal hypertension is initiated by increase incardiac output. Recent refinements in electromagnetic flowmeter technology allowed a critical reevaluation of this possibility. Flowmeters were implanted around dogs' ascending aortas and arterial catheters inserted; measurements were made daily before and after production of hypertension by the cellophane perinephritis method. Eight to 15 days after wrapping one kidney in cellophane, with the opposite kidney untouched, group averages for both stroke volume and cardiac output rose significantly (P < 0.005) though there was no change in arterial pressure. Both heart rate and peripheral resistance decreased slightly. Following these measurements, the contralateral normal kidney was removed and measurements were recommenced 24 hours later. After 4 to 7 days, mean arterial pressure rose progressively in all dogs, reaching a plateau 77 ± 8 (SE) mm Hg above control after 14 to 25 days. Hypertension was associated initially with further rise in both stroke volume and cardiac output, and peripheral resistance now became elevated. Four weeks after nephrectomy, peripheral resistance progressively became the predominant cause of elevated pressure while cardiac output returned toward control values. Absence of change in plasma volume and increase in mean circulatory pressure measured in a separate series of 7 dogs suggest that the initial increase in cardiac output preceding rise in pressure was due to enhanced venous return consequent to constriction of capacitance vessels. We conclude that increased cardiac output probably has a contributory role in the development of renal hypertension.
ANÁLISIS DEL PERFIL DE PERSONALIDAD UTILIZANDO EL TEST NEO-FFI Y REDES NEURONALES ARTIFICIALES

El turismo se ha convertido en un recurso importante para la economia de los paises. Sin embargo, el sector turistico requiere de una gran promocion para detonar esa economia. Ofrecer destinos turisticos mediante los servicios de Internet, y en particular, redes sociales como Facebook ayudaria a detonarla. En este trabajo se presentan tres aspectos tecnologicos enfocados en ofrecer recomendaciones turisticas a los internautas de redes sociales: 1) Analisis de Sentimientos, donde se reconoce una emocion expresada a traves de un comentario en una red social 2) Perfilado de Autores aplicando la prueba NEO-FFI, utilizada como medida rapida y general de cinco factores de personalidad, para ofrecer un resultado automatico de la prueba se presenta la caracterizacion de una Red Neuronal que procesara los datos con el fin de identificar los dos rasgos distintivos de la personalidad del internauta, y 3) la elaboracion de una base de datos que contiene la informacion relevante de los lugares turisticos a recomendar dentro de una region. La prueba NEO-FFI ha sido aplicada a personas en un rango de edad de 18 a 32 anos de edad, identificando como resultado que las personas en su mayoria presentan principalmente rasgos de amabilidad y responsabilidad.
Marine natural products

This review covers the literature published in 2013 for marine natural products (MNPs), with 982 citations (644 for the period January to December 2013) referring to compounds isolated from marine microorganisms and phytoplankton, green, brown and red algae, sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans, molluscs, tunicates, echinoderms, mangroves and other intertidal plants and microorganisms. The emphasis is on new compounds (1163 for 2013), together with the relevant biological activities, source organisms and country of origin. Reviews, biosynthetic studies, first syntheses, and syntheses that lead to the revision of structures or stereochemistries, have been included.
Cáncer de colon ¿una sola entidad? Consideraciones sobre lateralidad en una institución oncológica colombiana 2001-2016

Introducción: ha sido sugerido que los cánceres del lado derecho e izquierdo del colon se presentan como entidades diferentes y como tal deberían ser abordados para su estudio, tratamiento y seguimiento. El propósito de esta investigación es hacer un análisis de pacientes con cáncer de colon según la lateralidad. Materiales y métodos: cohorte retrospectiva de 442 pacientes remitidos a Oncólogos del Occidente desde enero de 2001 a diciembre de 2016 con diagnóstico de cáncer de colon. Resultados: el 54 % de los casos fueron en colon izquierdo; sexo femenino 52 %; media de edad: 60,5 años en izquierdo y 62,5 en derecho; histología mucinosa (40 % vs 60 %), células en anillo de sello (40 % vs 60 %) y mal diferenciado (40 % vs 60 %); media de antígeno carcino-embrionario 51,7 vs 63,9 ngr/mL; ganglios resecados mayores o igual a 13 (41 % vs 59 %); presencia de obstrucción (22 % vs 18 %), compromiso de serosa (16 % vs 18 %) y ulceración (21 % vs 17 %). Se presentó recaída en 58 % vs 42 % y de ellos a hígado (33 % vs 23 %), pulmón (18 % vs 15 %) y carcinomatosis (15 % vs 14 %). La media de seguimiento global fue de 40,1 ± 39 con 38,3 meses para el lado izquierdo y 42,2 meses para el derecho y sobrevida a cinco años de 61 % vs 64 % para colon izquierdo y derecho, respectivamente. Conclusión: el patrón de ocurrencia del cáncer de colon según su lateralidad se presenta en el lado derecho en menor número, mayor edad, histología más agresiva, mayor nivel ganglionar, mayor compromiso de serosa, mayor seguimiento y similar sobrevida. Lo anterior, sumado al estado mutacional, podría ayudar a definir el manejo terapéutico inicial. Quedan aún muchas dudas para entender la diferencia en resultados no explicada solo basado en la lateralidad
Nonlinear and extra-classical receptive field properties and the statistics of natural scenes

The neural mechanisms of early vision can be explained in terms of an information-theoretic optimization of the neural processing with respect to the statistical properties of the natural environment. Recent applications of this approach have been successful in the prediction of the linear filtering properties of ganglion cells and simple cells, but the relations between the environmental statistics and cortical nonlinearities, like those of end-stopped or complex cells, are not yet fully understood. Here we present extensions of our previous investigations of the exploitation of higher-order statistics by nonlinear neurons. We use multivariate wavelet statistics to demonstrate that a strictly linear processing would inevitably leave substantial statistical dependencies between the outputs of the units. We then consider how the basic nonlinearities of cortical neurons - gain control and ON/OFF half-wave rectification - can exploit these higher-order statistical dependencies. We first show that gain control provides an adaptation to the polar separability of the multivariate probability density function (PDF), and, together with an output nonlinearity, enables an overcomplete sparse coding. We then consider how the remaining higher-order dependencies between different units can be exploited by a combination of basic ON/OFF point nonlinearities and subsequent weighted linear combinations. We consider two statistical optimization schemes for the computation of the optimal weights: principal component analysis (PCA) and independent component analysis (ICA). Since the intermediate nonlinearities transform some of the higher-order dependencies into second-order dependencies even the basic PCA approach is able to exploit part of the redundancies. ICA ignores this second-order structure, but can exploit higher-order dependencies. Both schemes yield a variety of nonlinear units which comprise the typical nonlinear processing properties, such as end-stopping, side-stopping, complex-cell properties and extra-classical receptive field properties, but the `ideal' complex cells seem only to occur with PCA. Thus, a combination of ON/OFF nonlinearities with an integrated PCA-ICA strategy seems necessary to exploit the statistical properties of natural images.
Comparison of Surgical Risk Score, POSSUM and p‐POSSUM in higher‐risk surgical patients

Much current interest is focused on the use of the Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the enUmeration of Mortality and morbidity (POSSUM) and the Portsmouth predictor equation (p‐POSSUM) for risk‐adjusted surgical audit. The Surgical Risk Score (SRS) has been shown to offer an equivalent accuracy, but was validated using a cohort that contained a high proportion of low‐risk patients. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of mortality prediction using SRS with that of POSSUM and p‐POSSUM in a cohort of higher‐risk patients.