Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of Commercial Virtual Reality Technology to Assess Verticality Perception in Static and Dynamic Visual Backgrounds

Objectives: The Subjective Visual Vertical (SVV) test and the closely related Rod and Disk Test (RDT) are measures of perceived verticality measured in static and dynamic visual backgrounds. However, the equipment used for these tests is variable across clinics and is often too expensive or too primitive to be appropriate for widespread use. Commercial virtual reality technology, which is now widely available, may provide a more suitable alternative for collecting these measures in clinical populations. This study was designed to investigate verticality perception in symptomatic patients using a modified RDT paradigm administered through a head-mounted display (HMD). Design: A group of adult patients referred by a physician for vestibular testing based on the presence of dizziness symptoms and a group of healthy adults without dizziness symptoms were included. We investigated degree of visual dependence in both groups by measuring SVV as a function of kinematic changes to the visual background. Results: When a dynamic background was introduced into the HMD to simulate the RDT, significantly greater shifts in SVV were found for the patient population than for the control population. In patients referred for vestibular testing, the SVV measured with the HMD was significantly correlated with traditional measures of SVV collected in a rotary chair when accounting for head tilt. Conclusions: This study provides initial proof of concept evidence that reliable SVV measures in static and dynamic visual backgrounds can be obtained using a low-cost commercial HMD system. This initial evidence also suggests that this tool can distinguish individuals with dizziness symptomatology based on SVV performance in dynamic visual backgrounds.
Laparoscopic repeat hepatectomy with indocyanine green fluorescence navigation: A case report.

The indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence method is reportedly useful for intraoperative visualization of hepatocellular carcinoma and metastatic liver cancer. Herein, we report the case of a 73-year-old man who underwent laparoscopic hepatectomy using an ICG fluorescence navigation system. The patient had a surgical history of two laparotomies for hepatocellular carcinoma resection. During follow-up at our hospital, abdominal computed tomography revealed recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma in the lateral area of the liver, and so the patient was hospitalized for surgery. Because of his surgical history, adhesions within the abdominal cavity were predicted. We scheduled laparoscopic repeat hepatectomy (LRH) using an ICG fluorescence method in which the ICG was injected intravenously 2 days before surgery. The ICG fluorescence was easily detected intraoperatively. The advantages of the present approach were: 1) inducing pneumoperitoneum and using laparoscopic magnification enabled good visualization of the surgical field for LRH; 2) use of the ICG fluorescence technique enabled clear intraoperative identification of the tumor, thus facilitating LRH. Laparoscopic partial resection of the liver (S3) was successfully performed, with an operation time of 197 minutes and a bleeding volume of 30 mL. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course and was discharged on postoperative day 10.
Fermentation in the Human Large Intestine: Its Physiologic Consequences and the Potential Contribution of Prebiotics

The human large intestine harbors a complex microbiota containing many hundreds of different bacterial species. Although structure/function relationships between different components of the microbiota are unclear, this complex multicellular entity plays an important role in maintaining homeostasis in the body. Many of the physiologic properties of the microbiota can be attributed to fermentation and the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), particularly acetate, propionate, and butyrate. In healthy people, fermentation processes are largely controlled by the amounts and different types of substrate, particularly complex carbohydrates that are accessible to bacteria in the colonic ecosystem. However, other factors impact on bacterial metabolism in the large gut, including large bowel transit time, the availability of inorganic terminal electron acceptors, such as nitrate and sulfate, and gut pH. They all affect the types and levels of SCFA that can be formed by the microbiota. This is important because to a large extent, acetate, propionate, and butyrate have varying physiologic effects in different body tissues. Prebiotics such as galactooligosaccharides together with inulins and their fructooligosaccharide derivatives have been shown to modify the species composition of the colonic microbiota, and in various degrees, to manifest several health-promoting properties related to enhanced mineral absorption, laxation, potential anticancer properties, lipid metabolism, and anti-inflammatory and other immune effects, including atopic disease. Many of these phenomena can be linked to their digestion and SCFA production by bacteria in the large gut.
Episodic future thinking in children compared to adolescents

Episodic thinking involves the ability to re-create past and to construct future personal events, which contain event-specific (episodic) and general (semantic) details. The richness of episodic thought for past events improves as children move into adolescence. The current study aims to examine changes in episodic future thinking and to establish the cognitive underpinning of these changes. Typically developing children (n = 14) and adolescents (n = 15) were tested using an adapted version of the Child Autobiographical Interview (CAI) that required generation of past and future personally relevant events. Relational memory and executive skills were also examined. Significant developmental gains were found in richness of events recall across temporal directions (past and future) and across different types of details (episodic and semantic). Developmental gains in richness of past events were also shown to correspond to developmental gains in generation of future events. Moreover, developmental changes in relational memory and (to a lesser extent) executive functions were found to relate to increases in the amount of episodic (but not semantic) details provided. Our study highlighted the similarities between past and future episodic thinking in typically developing children and adolescents. It also raises a possibility that children with developmental and neurological disorders with impaired relational memory and/or executive skills may be at risk of difficulties with episodic thinking.
Increased ratio of ICOS+/PD‐1+ follicular helper T cells positively correlates with the development of human idiopathic membranous nephropathy

To identify the frequencies of different subsets of peripheral blood follicular helper T (Tfh) cells in human idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN), 39 patients with new onset IMN and 18 age‐ and gender‐matched healthy controls (HC) were enrolled for this study. The frequency of Tfh cells in venous blood were measured by flow cytometry, while concentration of serum IL‐21 was detected by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Correlation between the clinical features of IMN and Tfh cells was assessed by Spearman's rank correlation test. Overall, the frequencies of total, ICOS+, and PD‐1+ Tfh cells were increased in IMN patients, while the ratio of ICOS+/PD‐1+ Tfh cells positively correlated with IMN progression. However, the elevated serum IL‐21 level in three subgroups of IMN patients, stratified based on 24‐h urine protein levels, was not statistically significant compared to HC. Nonetheless, intracellular IL‐21 in Tfh cells was generally increased in all IMN patients, and closely correlated with IMN development. Finally, the frequency of IL‐21+ Tfh cells and the ratio of ICOS+/PD‐1+ Tfh cells were positively correlated with the estimated 24‐h urine protein of IMN patients. The data indicated that Tfh cells contribute to the pathogenicity of IMN. The ratio of ICOS+/PD‐1+ Tfh cells and the frequency of IL‐21+ Tfh cells may be indicators for evaluating the IMN development.
Intrathrombus polymer coating deposition: a pilot study of 91 patients undergoing endovascular therapy for acute large vessel stroke. Part I: Histologic frequency

Background Polymer coating embolism due to vascular medical device use is an increasingly recognized iatrogenic complication. This phenomenon has been linked with various adverse effects including neuroinflammation, acute ischemic stroke, cerebral hemorrhage, and death. Notably, procedure- and device-specific risks of this complication are poorly investigated. In this study, we evaluate the detectable frequency of intra-arterial polymer coating delamination among patients who underwent endovascular thrombectomy for treatment of acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion. Methods Ninety-two cerebral thrombectomy specimens were retrospectively analyzed for the presence of polymer coating particulates. Histologic findings were correlated with demographic and procedural details and patient outcomes. Results Evidence of polymer coating deposition was found in 30 of 92 extracted thrombi (33%). No correlation between intrathrombus polymer deposition and use of a specific thrombectomy device such as a stent retriever, aspiration catheter, or guide catheter was found. However, heterogeneous patterns of device use suggest a number of culprit devices. A trend toward longer procedure times and multiple thrombectomy passes was noted in positive cases. Intrathrombus polymer deposition was not associated with adverse clinical outcomes as measured by the 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS); however, small sample size and follow-up intervals limit interpretation. Ninety-day outcomes based on mRS may not fully capture the clinical effects of acute and/or delayed intracerebral polymer complications. Conclusion In light of documented adverse neurologic effects, the frequency of intrathrombus polymer particulates indicates the need for consensus testing methods and large-scale long-term prospective clinical device trials, with inclusion of relevant endpoints to better assess biomaterial and device risks to patients.
Once a Poacher Always a Poacher? Mate Poaching History and its Association with Relationship Quality

Successful mate poaching is a form of infidelity that occurs when one partner knowingly attracts the mate of another with the intention of starting a sexual and/or romantic relationship with this individual. Relationships formed from poaching tend to be of lower quality than their non-poached counterparts. A history of poaching might reflect a sociosexuality that propels seeking new partnerships without regard for exclusivity. It is unknown whether serial poaching for relationship formation is linked to more permissive sociosexual orientation. Adults (N = 653; aged 25–40; 57% women) in a romantic relationship completed online surveys assessing mate poaching, poaching history, sociosexuality, and relationship quality (commitment, satisfaction, trust, jealousy). Those in a poached relationship at the time of the study had a more extensive history of poached relationships and a more permissive sociosexuality. Participants who reported a more extensive history of mate poaching reported poorer quality relationships. The link between poaching history and relationship quality was partially accounted for by sociosexuality. This research adds to our understanding of difficulties that may be associated with the relationships of individuals who use poaching as a relationship initiation strategy, and the challenges that permissive sociosexuality may present for maintaining long-term relationships.
PackHelix: A tool for helix‐sheet packing during protein structure prediction

The three‐dimensional structure of a protein is organized around the packing of its secondary structure elements. Predicting the topology and constructing the geometry of structural motifs involving α‐helices and/or β‐strands are therefore key steps for accurate prediction of protein structure. While many efforts have focused on how to pack helices and on how to sample exhaustively the topologies and geometries of multiple strands forming a β‐sheet in a protein, there has been little progress on generating native‐like packings of helices on sheets. We describe a method that can generate the packing of multiple helices on a given β‐sheet for αβα sandwich type protein folds. This method mines the results of a statistical analysis of the conformations of αβ2 motifs in protein structures to provide input values for the geometric attributes of the packing of a helix on a sheet. It then proceeds with a geometric builder that generates multiple arrangements of the helices on the sheet of interest by sampling through these values and performing consistency checks that guarantee proper loop geometry between the helices and the strands, minimal number of collisions between the helices, and proper formation of a hydrophobic core. The method is implemented as a module of ProteinShop. Our results show that it produces structures that are within 4–6 Å RMSD of the native one, regardless of the number of helices that need to be packed, though this number may increase if the protein has several helices between two consecutive strands in the sequence that pack on the sheet formed by these two strands. Proteins 2011; Published 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Prevalence of Isoelectric Electroencephalography Events in Infants and Young Children Undergoing General Anesthesia

BACKGROUND: In infants and young children, anesthetic dosing is based on population pharmacokinetics and patient hemodynamics not on patient-specific brain activity. Electroencephalography (EEG) provides insight into brain activity during anesthesia. The primary goal of this prospective observational pilot study was to assess the prevalence of isoelectric EEG events—a sign of deep anesthesia—in infants and young children undergoing general anesthesia using sevoflurane or propofol infusion for maintenance. METHODS: Children 0–37 months of age requiring general anesthesia for surgery excluding cardiac, intracranial, and emergency cases were enrolled by age: 0–3, 4–6, 7–12, 13–18, and 19–37 months. Anesthesia was maintained with sevoflurane or propofol infusion. EEG was recorded from induction to extubation. Isoelectric EEG events (amplitude <20 µV, lasting ≥2 seconds) were characterized by occurrence, number, duration, and percent of isoelectric EEG time over anesthetic time. Associations with patient demographics, anesthetic, and surgical factors were determined. RESULTS: Isoelectric events were observed in 63% (32/51) (95% confidence interval [CI], 49–76) of patients. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) number of isoelectric events per patient was 3 (0–31), cumulative isoelectric time per patient was 12 seconds (0–142 seconds), isoelectric time per event was 3 seconds (0–4 seconds), and percent of total isoelectric over anesthetic time was 0.1% (0%–2.2%). The greatest proportion of isoelectric events occurred between induction and incision. Isoelectric events were associated with higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status, propofol bolus, endotracheal tube use, and lower arterial pressure during surgical phase. CONCLUSIONS: Isoelectric EEG events were common in infants and young children undergoing sevoflurane or propofol anesthesia. Although the clinical significance of these events remains uncertain, they suggest that dosing based on population pharmacokinetics and patient hemodynamics is often associated with unnecessary deep anesthesia during surgical procedures.
What Is the Heritability of Periodontitis? A Systematic Review

The aim of this study was to systematically appraise the existing literature on the yet-unclear heritability of gingivitis and periodontitis. This review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. A search was conducted through the electronic databases Medline, Embase, LILACS, Cochrane Library, Open Grey, Google Scholar, and Research Gate, as complemented by a hand search, for human studies reporting measures of heritability of gingivitis and periodontitis. A total of 9,037 papers were initially identified from combined databases and 10,810 on Google Scholar. After full-text reading, 28 articles met the inclusion criteria and were carried forward to data abstraction. The reviewed data included information from >50,000 human subjects. Meta-analyses were performed by grouping studies based on design and outcome. Heritability (H2) of periodontitis was estimated at 0.38 (95% CI, 0.34 to 0.43; I2 = 12.9%) in twin studies, 0.15 (95% CI, 0.06 to 0.24; I2 = 0%) in other family studies, and 0.29 (95% CI, 0.21 to 0.38; I2 = 61.2%) when twin and other family studies were combined. Genome-wide association studies detected a lower heritability estimate of 0.07 (95% CI, −0.02 to 0.15) for combined definitions of periodontitis, increasing with disease severity and when the interaction with smoking was included. Furthermore, heritability tended to be lower among older age groups. Heritability for the self-reported gingivitis trait was estimated at 0.29 (95% CI, 0.22 to 0.36; I2 = 37.6%), while it was not statistically significant for clinically measured gingivitis. This systematic review brings forward summary evidence to confirm that up to a third of the periodontitis variance in the population is due to genetic factors. This seems consistent across the different studied populations and increases with disease severity. In summary, up to a third of the variance of periodontitis in the population is due to genetic factors, with higher heritability for more severe disease.
Between affiliation and autonomy: navigating pathways of women's empowerment and gender justice in rural Bangladesh.

Inasmuch as women's subordinate status is a product of the patriarchal structures of constraint that prevail in specific contexts, pathways of women's empowerment are likely to be "path dependent. " They will be shaped by women's struggles to act on the constraints that prevail in their societies, as much by what they seek to defend as by what they seek to change. The universal value that many feminists claim for individual autonomy may not therefore have the same purchase in all contexts. This article examines processes of empowerment as they play out in the lives of women associated with social mobilization organizations in the specific context of rural Bangladesh. It draws on their narratives to explore the collective strategies through which these organizations sought to empower the women and how they in turn drew on their newly established "communities of practice" to navigate their own pathways to wider social change. It concludes that while the value attached to social affiliations by the women in the study is clearly a product of the societies in which they have grown up, it may be no more context-specific than the apparently universal value attached to individual autonomy by many feminists.
Link-Level Analysis of a Multiservice Indoor Distributed Antenna System [Wireless Corner]

In this article, the link-level performance of a multiservice indoor distributed antenna system (MS-IDAS) in an indoor-hotspot scenario is studied. A low-profile broadband antenna is proposed as the access point (AP) antenna, and then it is used as an identical array element for constructing two-and three-port multipleinput, and multiple-output (MIMO) antennas. The proposed MS-IDAS antenna covers various IEEE 802.11 standards within 2-6 GHz, and its link-level simulations are performed at 5 GHz for the 802.11n protocol. The error-rate performances of the three-element MIMO antenna is analyzed in WINNER indoor scenarios by using simulated-channelimpulse response (CIR). In a typical indoor-hotspot room with dimensions of 20 m x 20 m x 10 m, the wallmounted MS-IDAS antenna shows better coverage than the ceilingmounted case. In addition, the proposed MIMO antenna outperforms a uniform linear-dipole array with the same interelement distance in terms of error-rate performance.
[Expression and significance of Shh and Wnt5a genes in Cornelia de Lange syndrome].

OBJECTIVE To study the expression of Shh and Wnt5a genes in the limb buds of NIPBL+/- fetal rats and the association of these two genes with Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS). METHODS A total of 72 NIPBL+/- fetal rats were divided into an experimental group and a control group, with 36 rats in each group. The limb buds were collected from 12 fetal rats each on embryonic days 10, 11 and 12 (E10, E11 and E12) respectively. Real-time PCR and Western blot were used to measure the mRNA and protein expression of Shh and Wnt5a. RESULTS The mRNA and protein expression of Shh and Wnt5a was detected in the limb buds on E10, E11 and E12, and the experimental group had significantly lower expression than the control group (P<0.01). The mRNA and protein expression of Shh and Wnt5a in limb buds was at a low level on E10, followed by an increase on E11 and a reduction on E12, and the expression on E12 was still lower than that on E10 (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS The mRNA and protein expression of Shh and Wnt5a are consistent. The pathogenesis of CdLS may be associated with the low mRNA and protein expression of Shh and Wnt5a inhibited by the low expression of NIPBL gene.
Antibacterial activity of hinokitiol against both antibiotic‐resistant and ‐susceptible pathogenic bacteria that predominate in the oral cavity and upper airways

Hinokitiol, a component of the essential oil isolated from Cupressaceae, possesses antibacterial and antifungal activities and has been used in oral care products. In this study, the antibacterial activities of hinokitiol toward various oral, nasal and nasopharyngeal pathogenic bacteria, including Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus sobrinus, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Prevotella intermedia, Fusobacterium nucleatum, methicillin‐resistant and ‐susceptible Staphylococcus aureus, antibiotic‐resistant and ‐susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Streptococcus pyogenes were examined. Growth of all these bacterial strains was significantly inhibited by hinokitiol, minimal inhibitory concentrations of hinokitiol against S. mutans, S. sobrinus, P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, A. actinomycetemcomitans, F. nucleatum, methicillin‐resistant S. aureus, methicillin‐susceptible S. aureus, antibiotic‐resistant S. pneumoniae isolates, antibiotic‐susceptible S. pneumoniae, and S. pyogenes being 0.3, 1.0, 1.0, 30, 0.5, 50, 50, 30, 0.3–1.0, 0.5, and 0.3 μg/mL, respectively. Additionally, with the exception of P. gingivalis, hinokitiol exerted bactericidal effects against all bacterial strains 1 hr after exposure. Hinokitiol did not display any significant cytotoxicity toward the human gingival epithelial cell line Ca9‐22, pharyngeal epithelial cell line Detroit 562, human umbilical vein endothelial cells, or human gingival fibroblasts, with the exception of treatment with 500 μg/mL hinokitiol, which decreased numbers of viable Ca9‐22 cells and gingival fibroblasts by 13% and 12%, respectively. These results suggest that hinokitiol exhibits antibacterial activity against a broad spectrum of pathogenic bacteria and has low cytotoxicity towards human epithelial cells.