Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transmit Aperture Processing for Nonlinear Contrast Agent Imaging

Nonlinear contrast agents, such as bubbles, are used in ultrasound to enhance backscatter from blood. To increase contrast between these agents and tissue, nonlinear imaging methods, such as harmonic imaging or difference frequency imaging, can be used. For these, power is transmitted at one frequency and received at a different frequency. Nonlinear imaging methods, however, suffer from reduced contrast because of signal transmitted by the array at the receive frequency that linearly reflects off tissue. In this paper, transmit aperture processing is proposed to improve contrast in nonlinear imaging by suppressing signal transmission at the desired receive frequency. A specific method, known as alternate phasing, is presented as an example of this approach. Simulation results show that alternate phasing greatly improves contrast between tissue and bubbles. Alternate phasing
Interpreting the Carbon Isotope Record of Mass Extinctions

Mass extinctions are global-scale environmental crises marked by the loss of numerous species from all habitats. They often coincide with rapid changes in the stable carbon isotope ratios (13C/12C) recorded in sedimentary carbonate and organic matter, ratios which can indicate substantial inputs to the surface carbon reservoirs and/or changes in the cycling of carbon. Models to explain these changes have provided much fuel for debate on the causes and consequences of mass extinctions. For example, the escape of methane from gas hydrate deposits or the emission of huge volumes of gaseous carbon from large-scale volcanic systems, known as large igneous provinces, may have been responsible for decreases of 13C/12C in sedimentary deposits. In this article, we discuss the challenges in distinguishing between these, and other, alternatives.
Expanding-Aperture Annular Array1

A dynamically-focused annular array system for contact Bscanning has been developed. The design is based on a constant F-number approach, whereby, at short focal lengths, the aperture is increased in proportion to the focal length. This approach allows the use of larger area array elements, thus increasing the sensitivity of the system. Other major advantages include a substantial reduction in the time delays and refocusing rates required for the lens synthesis with a corresponding reduction in the electronic complexity of the system. The initial design employs an array operating at 2.25 MHz, with four annuli active at the near focal length of 1.5 cm. As the focal length increases, the array expands to a maximum of twelve rings, with 4.0 cm outer diameter, for focal lengths greater than 12 cm. A single, tapped delay line with 1 ps total duration provides the time delays for focusing on receive. A variable point or line focus is provided on transmit. Experimental measurements of the focusing properties of the system include beam profiles showing mainlobe width and sidelobe levels and B-scans of a standard test object.
Potential of Fractal Analysis for Lesion Detection in Echographic Images

The application of fractal analysis to parametric imaging of B-mode echograms and to differentation of echographic speckle textures was investigated. Echograms were obtained from realistic simulations and from a clinical study on diffuse liver disease. The simulations comprised tissue models with randomly positioned scatterers in a 3-D volume in which the number density was varied over a range from 0.5 to 25 mm–3. The clinical echograms comprised both normals and patients with liver cirrhosis. Three methods of estimating the fractal dimension were investigated, two in the spatial image domain and one in the spatial frequency domain. The results of these methods are compared and the applicability and the limitations of texture differentiation using fractal analysis is discussed. The main conclusion is that fractal analysis offers no obvious advantage over statistical analysis of the texture of echographic images. Its use for parametric imaging is further limited by the need to use relatively large windows for local estimation of the fractal dimension.
Variable Density Linear Acoustic Inverse Problem

The linear acoustic inverse problem is solved simultaneously for density (ρ) and compressibility (κ) using the basic ideas of diffraction tomography (DT). The key to solving this problem is to utilize frequency diversity to obtain the required independent measurements. The receivers are assumed to be in the far field of the object, and plane wave incidence is also assumed. The Born approximation is used to arrive at a relationship between the measured pressure field and two terms related to the spatial Fourier transform of the two unknowns, ρ and κ. The term involving compressibility corresponds to monopole scattering and that for density to dipole scattering. Measurements at several frequencies are used and a least squares problem is solved to reconstruct ρ and κ at the same time. It is observed that the low spatial frequencies in the spectra of ρ and κ produce inaccuracies in the results. Hence, a regularization method is devised to remove this problem. Several results are shown. Low contrast objects for which the above analysis holds are used to show that good reconstructions are obtained for both density and compressibility after regularization is applied.
Cartilage culture

Defects in the articular cartilage can cause severe pain and may lead to marked disability with loss of both physical and social functioning. The majority of patients are young and in employment prior to their injury. Cartilage injury also occurs more frequently than one might expect, therefore it is important to find a method of treating these patients, who are clearly too young to consider arthroplasty. Advances in tissue engineering have allowed the development of new techniques, such as Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI), for dealing with articular cartilage defects. ACI is the treatment of an articular cartilage defect using cells taken from a healthy part of a joint, which are grown in a laboratory and reimplanted into the defect. It is a two-stage procedure involving an arthroscopic cell harvest and an arthrotomy as a second procedure three weeks later. In our series, 80% of patients with isolated femoral condylar defects report an improvement in their functional knee scores one year postoperatively. It is likely that further developments in tissue engineering will provide the ability to treat osteoarthritic defects in younger patients by methods very similar to ACI. Thus, in the future an even wider range of patients will benefit from cartilage transplantation
Pro-inflammatory cytokines related to the subclinical chorioamnionitis and the preterm labor

El parto pretérmino es uno de los principales problemas de la obstetricia contemporánea pues representa una complicación obstétrica frecuente del embarazo y constituye una importante causa de muerte perinatal y de secuela a largo plazo del sobreviviente. Se plantea que es multicausal, aunque las evidencias sostienen que la infección uterina es su causa más frecuente. Niveles elevados de interleuquinas 1, 6, 8 y factor de necrosis tumoral alfa han sido detectados en el líquido amniótico de gestantes con infección uterina y dinámica uterina de origen idiopático, lo que nos incitó a revisar la relación existente entre las citoquinas proinflamatorias y la corioamnionitis subclínica causante de parto pretérmino y analizar si estas pueden ser utilizadas con carácter diagnóstico en estas entidades. Para ello se llevó a cabo una revisión bibliográfica en bases de datos como Pubmed, Scielo, Lilacs e Hinari. Según la bibliografía consultada, las citoquinas proinflamatorias son las responsables del desencadenamiento tanto del parto a término como el pretérmino, considerablemente más aumentadas en este último por estar casi siempre asociado a infección subclínica, la interleuquina 6 en líquido amniótico es el mejor marcador de infección intra-amniótica, que tienen el parto pretérmino y la rotura prematura de membrana. Concluimos que la determinación de las citoquinas proinflamatorias en líquido amniótico y suero materno pudiera resultar de utilidad en el diagnóstico precoz de la corioamnionitis histológica y en la prevención del parto pretérmino.
Phase Aberration Correction Using Echo Signals from Moving Targets I: Description and Theory

Inhomogeneous acoustic velocity in human tissue introduces phase aberration in ultrasonic imaging systems and degrades image quality. A novel technique that employs echo signals from moving diffuse targets, such as flowing blood, as an image quality factor to compensate for phase aberration is described. Such signals can be obtained by subtracting the images of two consecutive target interrogations. The fundamental statistics of the quality factor and other related parameters are developed to provide a theoretical basis for the technique.
Treatment of Early Diabetic Foot Ulcers with Curaderm HP Cream

Between 5-10 percent of all diabetics will, at some time in their life have an ulceration of their lower extremities (33 – 35). In those who develop gangrene of the ulcerated lower extremity, the operative mortality can be as high as 25 percent with a significant number of the survivors dying within the first post-operative year (36 – 40). If there was only a 3 percent reduction in the number of amputations through successful medical therapy, approximately 300 lives could be saved. In addition, over 27 million dollars would be saved per 1,000 amputations not performed (33). The indirect health care cost saved would be at least 2 to 3 times this amount. Development of a simple, cost effective therapy that could be utilized by the patient at home could significantly impact on the incidence and progression of lower extremity ulcers in diabetics and, as a result, lower overall medical treatment costs. Previously, we had demonstrated that use of a specific skin cream (Curaderm hp, PhytaTek Laboratories, Inc.) resulted in a rapid resolution of pressure ulcers in a debilitated, elderly population (41). We postulated that a similar healing rate may be seen in a diabetic population with lower extremity ulcers. The healing of chronic, therapy resistant lower extremity diabetic ulcers was accelerated during a 30 day therapy interval. Greater than 50% of patients demonstrated complete resolution of their ulcers. The remaining patients demonstrated between 85 – 90% reduction in ulcer area.
American Psychiatric Nurses Association Position Statement on the Use of Seclusion and Restraint

130 APNA Web site: www.apna. org Vol. 7, No. 4 American Psychiatric Nurses Association Position Statement on the Use of Seclusion1 and Restraint2 Psychiatric-mental health nursing has a 100-year history of caring for patients3 in psychiatric facilities. Currently, nurses serve as front-line workers as well as unit-based and executive level administrators in virtually every organization providing necessity for continuing the practice of secluding and restraining patients persists. Fisher (1994) concludes from his review of the literature that not only is it “nearly impossible to operate a program for severely symptomatic individuals without some form of seclusion or physical or mechanical restraint” (p. 1584) but that these methods are effective in preventing injury and reducing agitation. However, the determination of the efficacy of the use of seclusion and restraint is not grounded in research that supports the therapeutic efficacy of this intervention but upon the observation that the intervention interrupts and controls the patient’s behavior (Walsh & Randell, 1995). Recent research has prompted psychiatric-mental health nurses to question the therapeutic benefit of secluding and restraining psychiatric patients. Some of these studies underscore the potential negative impact of this practice on patients. These studies bring to the fore the ethical dilemmas inherent in the use of seclusion and restraints (Binder & McCoy, 1983; Browne & Tooke, 1992; Johnson, 1998; Mohr, Mahon, & Noone, 1998; Norris & Kennedy, 1992). On the one hand, this practice has the potential for physically and/or psychologically harming patients (Brown & Tooke, 1992; Fisher, 1994; Martinez, Grimm, & Adamson, 1999) and for violating the patient’s right to autonomy and self-determination (Moss & La Puma, 1991; Stilling, 1992). On the other hand, studies of violence on 1 Seclusion: “Seclusion is the involuntary confinement of a person in a room or an area where the person is physically prevented from leaving. ” (Health Care Financing Administration, 1999 Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Hospital Conditions of Participation: Clients’ Rights; Interim Final Rule).
Virus-Specific Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes as Prophylaxis for Epstein-Barr Virus Lymphoproliferative Disease in Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Recipients

Epstein-Barr virus lymphoproliferative disease (EBV LPD) is a well-recognized, life-threatening complication of bone marrow transplantation (BMT). The incidence of EBV LPD is increasing as more transplants are performed from mismatched and unrelated donors. Significant strides have been made in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of EBV LPD in marrow transplant recipients. Immunovirological assays can provide early identification of patients at risk for developing EBV LPD. Prophylaxis and treatment by the adoptive transfer of EBV-specific T cells and the subsequent long-term restoration of immunity against EBV-associated lymphoproliferation have provided positive outcomes in the management of this uniformly fatal complication of BMT. The purpose of this article is to provide a review of EBV LPD and to present a newly developed strategy for EBV LPD prophylaxis in pediatric BMT recipients.
Annual Eradication Rates of Helicobacter pylori Infection over 9 Years in Incheon

The Korean Journal of Helicobacter and Upper Gastrointestinal Research is an Open-Access Journal. All articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ORIGINAL ARTICLE ISSN 1738-3331, http://dx.doi. org/10.7704/kjhugr.2015. 15.2. 103 The Korean Journal of Helicobacter and Upper Gastrointestinal Research, 2015;15(2):103-107
Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act

ion • Transfer of data in paper chart to structured data elements in the electronic chart Abstraction (keys to success)ion (keys to success) • Focus on high value data to make chart effective • Current medications and allergies • Problem list, medical ,and surgical history • Immunizations Abstraction (keys to success) • Coordinate the necessary resources • Physicians • Staff • Outside resources • Plan for which patient charts will be abstracted and when. Allergy (Structured Data) Medication List Best Practice Alert Generate lists of patients by condition to use for quality improvement Generate lists of patients by condition to use for quality improvement • Find Patients • Between 8/28/10 (M-3) and 11/28/10 (T) • Patient Base – My Patients • Problem List Diabetes type II, controlled (250.00) Diabetes type II, uncontrolled (250.02) EMR Generates Patient List Name DOB Gender BP HbA1c LDL Patient # 1 DOB Gender 130/80 6.2 105 Patient # 2 DOB Gender 138/86 7.1 78 Patient # 3 DOB Gender 160/92 9.2 142 Electronic Patient Portal (E-Health, Web 2.0) Features of Electronic Patient Portals • View key components of the record • Interact with Medical Staff • Test results • Proxy access to family member records • Access patient educational materials View Key Components of the Chart • Active problem list • Medical and surgical history • Medications • Allergies • Immunizations • Test results • NO ACCESS TO PHYSICIAN NOTES Interact with Medical Staff Online • Medical advice • Prescription refills • Appointment requests Electronic Patient Portal (E-Health, Web 2.0) Patient/physician online communication: many patients want it, would pay for it, and it would influence their choice of doctors and health plans. Health Care News 2002 Apr 10 [cited 2010, August 5th] at www.harris interactive.com • Harris Interactive Poll (2002) • Over 66% of US adults are online • 90% of these adults would like to communicate with their physicians online • >70% would like to Ask medical questions Fix appointments Receive test results • Harris Interactive 2010 • 8% have the ability to: Email to communicate with your doctor Schedule an appointment via the internet Receive test results online Harris Interactive, Health Day ‐ from June 8‐10 among 2,035 U.S. adults. Electronic Patient Portal (E-Health, Web 2.0) Stats on Message Volume and Content • Physicians received 2 – 12 messages per day • Average response time was 3.5 minutes • 63% required clinical assessment & decision Improved Quality at Kaiser Permanente through E‐Mail Between Physicians and Patients, Health Affairs July 2010 Summary • EMRs enable improvements in health care by storing data in a structured fashion • Physician, staff, and patient remain key to the successful deployment and usage of this powerful tool
20 Expression and Function of Stress Proteins in the Ischemic Heart

I. INTRODUCTION The goal of this chapter is to summarize current understanding of the regulation and function of heat shock proteins in the ischemic heart. The clinical context in which this subject is discussed is an important one. Despite recent therapeutic advances, ischemic heart disease remains the leading cause of death and disability in industrialized nations. Coronary thrombosis, occurring against a backdrop of chronic atherosclerosis, leads rapidly to cell death within the heart (Reimer and Jennings 1988). If a sufficient mass of myocardium is injured, the patient will succumb either to inadequate pump function of the heart or to lethal dysrhythmias that accompany this condition. The progression to cellular necrosis is not, however, instantaneous, as shown by the beneficial effects of thrombolytic therapy delivered within the first few hours (Braunwald and Sobel 1988). Therefore, efforts to understand the mechanisms by which cells are damaged during ischemia and to identify compensatory or adaptive responses that may augment cell survival are of paramount importance (Williams and Benjamin 1991). General and specific features of the molecular biology, genetics, and biochemistry of heat shock proteins are discussed in detail in other chapters in this volume and will not be reiterated here. Rather, our discussion focuses explicitly on the heart and on efforts to understand the role of heat shock proteins in the complex series of events triggered by ischemia within the myocardium. Since terms used by cardiovascular investigators may be unfamiliar to molecular biologists and other scientists interested in heat shock proteins, some definitions.
Identification of Host and Parasite Factors Mediating the Pathogenesis of Severe and Cerebral Malaria

Severe manifestations of malaria, including cerebral malaria (CM) and respiratory distress, result in approximately three million deaths annually worldwide. Currently, relatively little is known about severe disease pathogenesis. The development and outcome of severe malaria is determined by host-pathogen interactions, a complex interface of genetics and immune responses. Hypothetically, a spectrum of genetic susceptibility and resistance to severe disease exists within the host population, and malaria infection results in diverse host and parasite responses that impact disease outcome. The aim of this study was to identify differential host and parasite responses in a murine model of severe malaria, Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA), in CM-susceptible and CM-resistant mice; and to analyze host genetics in patients with severe disease due to Plasmodium falciparum. In vivo, expression microarray analysis showed that, in malaria target organs, differential responses were related to immune response – primarily interferon and complement pathways – and apoptosis. Histopathological examination of the brain confirmed an increased prevalence of apoptosis in CM-susceptible mice. Further examination of the role of complement in CMsusceptibility determined that early complement 5 (C5) activation conferred susceptibility to CM, and that C5 deficiency conferred resistance, which could be recapitulated by antibody iii blockade of activated C5 or its receptor in susceptible mice. Additionally, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) studies identified that complement receptor 1 SNPs were associated with disease severity in patients with P. falciparum malaria. PbA parasites displayed a unique transcriptional signature in each tissue examined (brain, liver, spleen and lung), showed differential gene expression between CM-resistant and susceptible hosts, and were most prominent in lung tissue. Closer examination of lung involvement in PbA infection revealed that PbA-infected C57BL/6 mice develop acute lung injury (ALI), defined by disruption of the alveolar-capillary membrane barrier. ALI susceptibility did not correlate with CM susceptibility, but was influenced by peripheral parasite burden and CD36-mediated parasite sequestration in the lung. PbA provides a clinically relevant experimental model for CM and ALI, through which important disease mechanisms can be identified and modulated. Ideally, the use of such models aids in the discovery of disease biomarkers and novel therapeutic strategies, which may be applied to human severe and cerebral malaria.
Anatomie biliaire et vasculaire du foie

Cet article est un rappel de l'anatomie des voies biliaires et de la vascularisation arterielle et portale hepatique. Cette anatomie comporte de nombreuses variations qui s'expliquent par l'embryologie du foie et de sa vascularisation. Sa parfaite connaissance est indispensable a l'interpretation des examens conventionnels par opacification directe mais egalement a celle des examens en coupes. Elle doit egalement etre bien comprise pour tout acte interventionnel portant sur les voies biliaires, sur l'artere hepatique ou sur la veine porte.
Comparison of the Effects of AcSDKP, Thymosin β4, Macrophage Inflammatory Protein 1α and Transforming Growth Factor β on Human Leukemic Cells

We have compared the effects of AcSDKP, Thymosin β4 (Tβ4), MIP1α and TGFβ on acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and B-lineage acute lymphoid leukemia (B-ALL) cells using liquid cultures in the presence of GM-CSF, IL-3 and SCF for AML cells and IL-3 and IL-7 for ALL cells. Each molecule was added daily and cell proliferation was evaluated on day 3 by thymidine incorporation. Whereas TGFβ was found inhibitory in all the AML and B-ALL cases studied, MlPla was inhibitory in 6/12 AML cases and had no effect on B-ALL cells. AcSDKP and Tβ4 showed an inhibitory effect in a few cases but only at high doses which were inactive on normal cells. Thus, our study not only confirms the effect of TGFβ, MIP1α and AcSDKP on AML cells but also provides new data concerning their effect on B-ALL and the possible inhibitory effect of AcSDKP at high doses. Furthermore, we show for the first time the effect of Tβ4 on leukemic cells. Altogether, our data indicate differences of sensitivity of leukemic cells to negative regulators, some.
Florence Nightingale

The purpose of this article is to cast new and refreshing light on Florence Nightingale's life and work by examining her personality type. Using the theory-based Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the author examines Nightingale's personality type and reveals that she was an introverted-intuitive-thinking-judging (INTJ) type. The merit of using the MBTI is that it allows us to more clearly understand three major areas of Nightingale's life that have been partially unacknowledged or misunderstood: her spiritual development as a practicing mystic, her management of her chronic illness to maintain her prodigious work output, and her chosen strategies to transform her visionary ideas into new health care and social realities.