Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structure and development of the subesophageal zone of the Drosophila brain. II. Sensory compartments

The subesophageal zone (SEZ) of the Drosophila brain processes mechanosensory and gustatory sensory input from sensilla located on the head, mouth cavity and trunk. Motor output from the SEZ directly controls the movements involved in feeding behavior. In an accompanying paper (Hartenstein et al., ), we analyzed the systems of fiber tracts and secondary lineages to establish reliable criteria for defining boundaries between the four neuromeres of the SEZ, as well as discrete longitudinal neuropil domains within each SEZ neuromere. Here we use this anatomical framework to systematically map the sensory projections entering the SEZ throughout development. Our findings show continuity between larval and adult sensory neuropils. Gustatory axons from internal and external taste sensilla of the larva and adult form two closely related sensory projections, (a) the anterior central sensory center located deep in the ventromedial neuropil of the tritocerebrum and mandibular neuromere, and (b) the anterior ventral sensory center (AVSC), occupying a superficial layer within the ventromedial tritocerebrum. Additional, presumed mechanosensory terminal axons entering via the labial nerve define the ventromedial sensory center (VMSC) in the maxilla and labium. Mechanosensory afferents of the massive array of chordotonal organs (Johnston's organ) of the adult antenna project into the centrolateral neuropil column of the anterior SEZ, creating the antenno‐mechanosensory and motor center (AMMC). Dendritic projections of dye back‐filled motor neurons extend throughout a ventral layer of the SEZ, overlapping widely with the AVSC and VMSC. Our findings elucidate fundamental structural aspects of the developing sensory systems in Drosophila.
Driving Simulation as a Performance-based Test of Visual Impairment in Glaucoma

The fundamental goal of glaucoma management is to prevent patients from developing visual impairments sufficient to produce disability in their daily lives and impair their quality of life. Ultimately, patients are interested in how their vision will impact their ability to perform daily activities, such as driving. Although technologic advancements such as automated perimetry and devices for optic nerve imaging have resulted in great improvement in our ability to quantify structural and functional damage in glaucoma, the impact on vision-related quality of life of some of the information acquired from these tests remain elusive. In contrast, performance-based measures may be better correlated to traditional measures of vision health and, more importantly, they provide a more direct measure of disability. Driving simulators can be used as a performance-based test for evaluation of functional impairment in glaucoma. Their use can potentially help in the evaluation of driving safety and performance of diseased subjects and provide insight into the different mechanisms involved in causing driving impairment in this disease. The ability to do this in an experimentally controlled and standardized setting enables testing of a much larger number of hypotheses compared with on-road evaluations. Besides evaluating driver fitness, simulators could also potentially be used as a sophisticated test to evaluate cognitive impairment in the context of an everyday task (driving) that has not been available through traditional neuropsychologic assessment.
Relative contributions and mapping of ventral tegmental area dopamine and GABA neurons by projection target in the rat

The ventral tegmental area (VTA) is a heterogeneous midbrain structure that contains dopamine (DA), GABA, and glutamate neurons that project to many different brain regions. Here, we combined retrograde tracing with immunocytochemistry against tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) or glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) to systematically compare the proportion of dopaminergic and GABAergic VTA projections to 10 target nuclei: anterior cingulate, prelimbic, and infralimbic cortex; nucleus accumbens core, medial shell, and lateral shell; anterior and posterior basolateral amygdala; ventral pallidum; and periaqueductal gray. Overall, the non‐dopaminergic component predominated VTA efferents, accounting for more than 50% of all projecting neurons to each region except the nucleus accumbens core. In addition, GABA neurons contributed no more than 20% to each projection, with the exception of the projection to the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray, where the GABAergic contribution approached 50%. Therefore, there is likely a significant glutamatergic component to many of the VTA's projections. We also found that VTA cell bodies retrogradely labeled from the various target brain regions had distinct distribution patterns within the VTA, including in the locations of DA and GABA neurons. Despite this patterned organization, VTA neurons comprising these different projections were intermingled and never limited to any one subregion. These anatomical results are consistent with the idea that VTA neurons participate in multiple distinct, parallel circuits that differentially contribute to motivation and reward. While attention has largely focused on VTA DA neurons, a better understanding of VTA subpopulations, especially the contribution of non‐DA neurons to projections, will be critical for future work.
Numerical simulation of red blood cell behavior in a stenosed arteriole using the immersed boundary–lattice Boltzmann method

Because of their deformability and tendency to form aggregates, red blood cells (RBCs) immensely affect the hydrodynamic properties of blood flow in microcirculation. In this paper, RBCs' two‐dimensional deformation and motion in Poiseuille flow and in a stenosed arteriole is numerically investigated by the immersed boundary–lattice Boltzmann method. The RBCs are modeled as suspended capsules of fluid in plasma flow. A neo‐Hookean elastic model with bending resistance is utilized for the RBC membrane. Also, the suspending plasma is modeled as an incompressible Newtonian fluid. To take the effects of aggregation and dissociation of RBCs into account, intercellular interaction is modeled by the Morse potential. The effects of essential parameters namely, mechanical resistance of the RBC membrane, plasma viscous forces, and cell membrane adhesion strength on RBC behavior are presented. Motions and deformations of RBCs in a stenosis and the effects of the stenosed zone on the behavior of cell aggregates were also simulated and analyzed in this study. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Treatment of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis: The Effects of Regular Exercise

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of supervised regular aerobic exercise on clinical, biochemical, and metabolic features in patients with NASH. Nine male patients diagnosed with NASH were randomly divided into an exercise group (E) and a non-exercise group (NE). Patients in the E group followed a 12-week supervised aerobic exercise program. All patients were reviewed at 6 and 12 weeks for symptomatology, anthropometry, liver panels, and lipid profiles. In addition, the fitness level of the patients was measured every 6 weeks during a graded exercise test to exhaustion on a cycleergometer. Patients in the E group who performed, on average, 45 min of moderate intensity exercise 4 times a week significantly increased their maximal work rate (p < .05), while no change was seen in the NE group. A trend towards decreased respiratory exchange ratios and lactate concentrations during exercise in the E group suggested a greater reliance on fat metabolism. After 12 weeks, body and fat mass and waist:hip ratio changed significantly in the E group, while no changes were seen in the NE group. Serum ALT activity decreased significantly after 12 weeks in the E group (88 ± 6 vs. 53 ± 10 U · L−1), while values remained the same in the NE group. The data of the present study suggest that regular exercise can be a valuable tool in the treatment of NASH.
Repeatability and Reproducibility of Goldmann Applanation, Dynamic Contour, and Ocular Response Analyzer Tonometry

PurposeTo evaluate the repeatability and interoperator reproducibility of the Pascal dynamic contour tonometry (DCT), ocular response analyzer (ORA), and Goldmann applanation tonometer (GAT) in a single population of normal individuals. MethodsThe study included 52 eyes from 26 normal individuals. One operator measured the intraocular pressure (IOP) with each tonometer 3 times while 2 additional operators each measured the IOP with each tonometer once. Repeatability and reproducibility were assessed by the coefficient of variation (CV) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Agreement among tonometers was also assessed using Bland-Altman plots. ResultsThe mean age of included participants was 31.5±8.8 years and 15 (58%) were female individuals. In general, both intraoperator repeatability and interoperator reproducibility were significantly higher for DCT compared with the other tonometers. Intraoperator DCT (CV=3.7, ICC=0.89), GAT (CV=9.7, ICC=0.79), IOPg (CV=7.0, ICC=0.79), and IOPcc (CV=9.8, ICC=0.57). Interoperator DCT (CV=6.1, ICC=0.73), GAT (CV=9.0, ICC=0.82), and IOPg (CV=10.8, ICC=0.63), IOPcc (CV=11.7, ICC=0.49). ConclusionOverall, DCT was significantly more repeatable and reproducible than GAT, IOPg and IOPcc. The better reproducibility of the DCT may result in more precise measurements for monitoring IOP changes over time compared to GAT and ORA.
Assistive Technologies for Visually Impaired Individuals in Turkey

ABSTRACT A phone survey was conducted with 80 visually impaired people in Turkey to understand what types of assistive products are used and to what extent. The perceived utility of selected products and reasons for nonuse were investigated. Descriptions of products that would be useful for the participants but may not be available on the market were also obtained. The three most used assistive products were found to be computer screen readers (46%), talking watches (26%), and screen readers for cellular phones (21%). Cellular phones with screen reading capability are the most desired assistive products among the visually impaired community, but their high cost is a major barrier. Most of the relevant technologies are available but some product development, such as adaptation to the Turkish language, is necessary. The three products most frequently requested are bus station/destination announcement systems, devices that warn the person about barriers, and devices that read printed documents and signs.
Opioids for the management of severe chronic nonmalignant pain in children: a retrospective 1-year practice survey in a children's hospital.

OBJECTIVE This study reviewed opioid prescription for chronic severe nonmalignant pain in a multidisciplinary pediatric pain clinic. We looked at benefits and side effects of therapy, and compared our process of opioid prescription with the practice guidelines defined in adult literature. DESIGN Descriptive retrospective practice survey. SETTING Multidisciplinary pain clinic in a tertiary pediatric hospital. PATIENTS During a 12-month period, 104 patients were seen in the clinic, of which 49 received an opioid as part of their pain management; 11 received an opioid chronically, defined as more than 3 months in this study, and 5 of these were still on opioid at the end of the study period although data on one patient are lacking as she had been transferred to an adult clinic. METHODS Information about patients was obtained from chart review. OUTCOME MEASURES Benefits and side effects of treatment, as well as the process of prescribing opioids and follow-up. RESULTS In the four patients studied, there seem to be better pain control and improved function in these patients while on opioid therapy, despite minor side effects. We identified some areas of improvement in our practice and made recommendations for the use of opioids in pediatric chronic severe nonmalignant pain. CONCLUSIONS The evolution of our four patients seems to be in favor of treatment with an opioid for severe chronic nonmalignant pain in certain pediatric patients, in the context of prescribing in a multidisciplinary pain clinic with a multisystem approach to pain management although more data are needed to know if such therapy is safe and beneficial on a longer-term basis.
Willingness to Use Mental Health Services Among Older Residents in Assisted Living

Examining the importance of mental health care in assisted living (AL) settings, the present study examines older AL residents’ willingness to use mental health services and its predictors. Data based on face-to-face interviews with 150 older residents from 17 AL settings in Florida are used in the analyses (Mage = 82.8, SD = 9.4). Multivariate logistic regression is used to estimate the likelihood of willingness to use mental health services in relation to predisposing (demographics and physical health), mental health needs (depressive symptoms), and enabling variables (social network, instrumental support, emotional support, informational support, satisfaction with support, and previous use of mental health services). Willingness to use mental health services is predicted by younger age, unmarried status, lower levels of emotional support, and higher levels of informational support. The relationship of informational support to higher willingness to use mental health services suggests that AL residents could benefit from educational interventions on late life depression.
The biomechanics of the human tongue

The human tongue is composed mainly of skeletal muscle tissue and has a complex architecture. Its anatomy is characterised by interweaving yet distinct muscle groups. It is a significant contributor to the phenomenon of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. A realistic model of the tongue and computational simulations are important in areas such as linguistics and speech therapy. The aim of this work is to report on the construction of a geometric and constitutive model of the human tongue and to demonstrate its use in computational simulations for obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome research. The geometry of the tongue and each muscle group of the tongue, including muscle fibre orientations, are captured from the Visible Human Project dataset. The fully linear muscle model is based on the Hill three‐element model that represents the constituent parts of muscle fibres. The mechanics of the model are limited to quasi‐static, small‐strain, linear‐elastic behaviour. The main focus of this work is on the material directionality and muscle activation. The transversely isotropic behaviour of the muscle tissue is accounted for, as well as the influence of muscle activation. The behaviour of the model is illustrated in a number of benchmark tests and for the case of a subject in the supine position. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A comparison of the efficacy of weight-shift vs. joystick control of a robotic mobility device by infants ages 5 to 10 months

ABSTRACT The onset of crawling in infants contributes to cognitive, perceptual, social, and emotional development. Conversely, infants with motor impairment that delays or prevents autonomous mobility often have associated developmental delays. Evidence suggests that providing mobility may have positive developmental outcomes, however powered wheelchairs may not be recommended for very young children, due to safety concerns and the child’s level of cognitive maturity. The WeeBot is a mobility device controlled by infant weight shifting while seated; infants as young as 5 months have learned to use it. This study compares the efficacy of using the WeeBot vs. using the traditional manual joystick to control a robotic mobility device. Participants were 20 typically developing infants between 5 and 10 months who had not yet achieved independent mobility. A quasi-experimental two-group design was used: The first 10 participants recruited used the WeeBot (weight-shift); the next 10 used the joystick. Results showed that infants learned to use weight-shift control more easily and more skilfully than did infants using the joystick. The ability of infants to use the WeeBot suggests that an intuitive alternative control might allow very early powered mobility for children with disabilities, which might have implications for various aspects of their development.
Modeling the dispersion in electromechanically coupled myocardium

We present an approach to model the dispersion of fiber and sheet orientations in the myocardium. By utilizing structure parameters, an existing orthotropic and invariant‐based constitutive model developed to describe the passive behavior of the myocardium is augmented. Two dispersion parameters are fitted to experimentally observed angular dispersion data of the myocardial tissue. Computations are performed on a unit myocardium tissue cube and on a slice of the left ventricle indicating that the dispersion parameter has an effect on the myocardial deformation and stress development. The use of fiber dispersions relating to a pathological myocardium had a rather big effect. The final example represents an ellipsoidal model of the left ventricle indicating the influence of fiber and sheet dispersions upon contraction over a cardiac cycle. Although only a minor shift in the pressure–volume (PV) loops between the cases with no dispersions and with fiber and sheet dispersions for a healthy myocardium was observed, a remarkably different behavior is obtained with a fiber dispersion relating to a diseased myocardium. In future simulations, this dispersion model for myocardial tissue may advantageously be used together with models of, for example, growth and remodeling of various cardiac diseases. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Acceptance and perceived usefulness of robots to assist with activities of daily living and healthcare tasks

ABSTRACT As the number of older adults living with chronic conditions continues to rise, they will require assistance with activities of daily living (ADL) and healthcare tasks to continue living independently in their homes. One proposed solution to assist with the care needs of an aging population and a shrinking healthcare workforce is robotic technology. Using a cross-sectional survey design, we purposively sampled adults (≥18 years old) to assess generational acceptance and perceived usefulness of robots to assist with ADLs, healthcare tasks, and evaluate acceptance of robotic healthcare assistance across different settings. A total of 499 adults (age range [years] 18–98, Mean = 38.7, SD = 22.7) responded to the survey. Significant differences were found among young, middle-aged, and older adults on perceived usefulness of robots for cleaning, escorting them around town, acting as companionship, delivering meals, assessing sadness and calling for help, providing medical advice, taking vital sign assessments, and assisting with personal care (p < 0.05). The majority of younger adults reported that they would like a robot to provide healthcare assistance in the hospital, compared to middle-aged and older adults (p < 0.001). Results of this study can guide the design of robots to assist adults of all ages with useful tasks.
Psychiatric disorders and risk of transition to chronicity in men with first onset low back pain.

OBJECTIVE To assess whether pre-existing psychiatric diagnoses increase the likelihood of transitioning from sub-acute to chronic back pain. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. METHODS Men (N = 140) experiencing a first onset of low back pain (LBP) were examined for lifetime psychiatric disorders approximately 8 weeks post pain-onset using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS-III-R), then re-evaluated at 6 months after pain onset to determine who did or did not progress to pain chronicity. OUTCOME MEASURE Transition to chronic pain and disability was based on 6-month self-report measures of pain intensity and perceived disability. RESULTS Men with a pre-pain lifetime diagnosis of major depressive disorder had 5 times greater risk of transitioning to chronic LBP (odds ratio [OR] = 4.99; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.49-16.76). Increased risk was also associated with a pre-pain lifetime diagnosis of generalized anxiety (OR = 2.45; 95% CI 1.06-5.68), post-traumatic stress (OR = 3.23; 95% CI 1.11-9.44), and with current nicotine dependence (OR = 2.49; 95% CI 1.15-5.40). There were no statistically significant effects for abuse or dependence of alcohol or other psychoactive substances. DISCUSSION Lifetime history of major depression or a major anxiety disorder may represent potential psychosocial "yellow flags" for the transition to chronicity in men with first-onset LBP. Screening for lifetime depressive or anxiety disorders may identify individuals at higher risk, who may benefit from referral for more intensive rehabilitation.
Depression cured by stroke.

We recently observed a patient who recovered from a chronic treatment-resistant depression following an infarction to a discreet area of the right frontal cortex. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case in which a mood disorder improved in such a manner. Mrs. A. is a 60-year-old divorced Hispanic female. She has had a long history of depression going back at least 14 years. She has been treated with tricyclic antidepressants and lithium augmentation with no success. She has also received phenelzine, fluoxetine, and escitalopram at various times without results. This individual has also been treated with high doses of bupropion as well as mirtazapine. Her treatment has been totally resistant to these conventional therapies at therapeutic levels. She has undergone a series of eight bilateral electroconvulsive treatments with only temporary response lasting approximately 10 days. Psychotherapy was of no use to her. At the age of 56, this patient suffered a cerebral infarction with the primary location of injury being in the right orbitofrontal cortex approximately 1.5 cm anterior to the interior cingulate gyrus. This lesion measured approximately 0.5 cm in size. She did not suffer any physical problems from this event, but it was noted that her mental status changed abruptly after the stroke. Instead of being depressed, the patient was cheerful. She was not disinhibited or confused. She was alert and oriented to person, place, and time. Mrs. A. could read and write normally. There was no evidence of psychosis. Subsequently, she continued to be free of depressive symptoms at all further visits. No neurological focal signs were detected and no seizures have occurred. The patient is now three years poststroke and continues to be happy and pleased with her life. She has not required any psychiatric medications since her stroke. It would appear that the ischemic episode, which occurred in the right frontal cortex, has had a profound effect on her mood, resulting in sustained neutral mood and appropriate affect. We believe this is the first description of a case in which an affective disorder actually improved after an infarction. Documentation of affective change following cerebral vascular events is known to the literature (1, 2). In at least one case, euphoria was related to increased perfusion of the left frontal area (2). Our patient presents with an elimination of dysphoria following decreased perfusion in the right frontal cortex. Robinson has reported an increase in serotonin receptor binding in cases of right hemispheric infarction (3). It appears that, generally speaking, a balance of activity in the frontal poles may be needed to produce affective stability. The history of treatment of psychiatric disorders by interruption of frontal lobe circuits is long and controversial (4, 5). Although we do not endorse radical intervention for psychiatric problems, we feel that it is important to mention this case in which an individual experienced remarkable improvement following the natural disruption of white matter pathways from this region.