Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of effective dose and lifetime risk of cancer incidence of CT attenuation correction acquisitions and radiopharmaceutical administration for myocardial perfusion imaging.

OBJECTIVE To measure the organ dose and calculate effective dose from CT attenuation correction (CTAC) acquisitions from four commonly used gamma camera single photon emission CT/CT systems. METHODS CTAC dosimetry data was collected using thermoluminescent dosemeters on GE Healthcare's Infinia™ Hawkeye™ (GE Healthcare, Buckinghamshire, UK) four- and single-slice systems, Siemens Symbia™ T6 (Siemens Healthcare, Erlangen, Germany) and the Philips Precedence (Philips Healthcare, Amsterdam, Netherlands). Organ and effective dose from the administration of (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin and (99m)Tc-sestamibi were calculated using International Commission of Radiological Protection reports 80 and 106. Using these data, the lifetime biological risk was calculated. RESULTS The Siemens Symbia gave the lowest CTAC dose (1.8 mSv) followed by the GE Infinia Hawkeye single-slice (1.9 mSv), GE Infinia Hawkeye four-slice (2.5 mSv) and Philips Precedence v. 3.0. Doses were significantly lower than the calculated doses from radiopharmaceutical administration (11 and 14 mSv for (99m)Tc-tetrofosmin and (99m)Tc-sestamibi, respectively). Overall lifetime biological risks were lower, which suggests that using CTAC data posed minimal risk to the patient. Comparison of data for breast tissue demonstrated a higher risk than that from the radiopharmaceutical administration. CONCLUSION CTAC doses were confirmed to be much lower than those from radiopharmaceutical administration. The localized nature of the CTAC exposure compared to the radiopharmaceutical biological distribution indicated dose and risk to the breast to be higher. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE This research proved that CTAC is a comparatively low-dose acquisition. However, it has been shown that there is increased risk for breast tissue especially in the younger patients. As per legislation, justification is required and CTAC should only be used in situations that demonstrate sufficient net benefit.
NetKAT: semantic foundations for networks

Recent years have seen growing interest in high-level languages for programming networks. But the design of these languages has been largely ad hoc, driven more by the needs of applications and the capabilities of network hardware than by foundational principles. The lack of a semantic foundation has left language designers with little guidance in determining how to incorporate new features, and programmers without a means to reason precisely about their code. This paper presents NetKAT, a new network programming language that is based on a solid mathematical foundation and comes equipped with a sound and complete equational theory. We describe the design of NetKAT, including primitives for filtering, modifying, and transmitting packets; union and sequential composition operators; and a Kleene star operator that iterates programs. We show that NetKAT is an instance of a canonical and well-studied mathematical structure called a Kleene algebra with tests (KAT) and prove that its equational theory is sound and complete with respect to its denotational semantics. Finally, we present practical applications of the equational theory including syntactic techniques for checking reachability, proving non-interference properties that ensure isolation between programs, and establishing the correctness of compilation algorithms.
Effects of α-Thalassemia on Pharmacokinetics of the Antimalarial Agent Artesunate

ABSTRACT Thalassemia is common in Southeast Asia, where artemisinin derivatives are frequently used in the treatment of malaria. It has been previously reported that artemisinin derivatives can be concentrated by uninfected thalassemic erythrocytes in vitro but not by normal erythrocytes. As a follow-up to this report, we studied the antimalarial kinetics of intravascular artesunate (2.4 mg/kg of body weight) in 10 persons with normal hemoglobins and in 10 patients with thalassemia (2 with α-thalassemia type 1–hemoglobin Constant Spring and 8 with α-thalassemia type 1–α-thalassemia type 2). Concentrations of artesunate and its active metabolites in plasma were measured by bioassay and expressed relative to those of dihydroartemisinin, the major biologically active metabolite. Concentrations of intravascular artesunate in plasma peaked in both the normal individuals and the thalassemic individuals 15 min after injection (the first time point). Plasma drug concentrations at all time intervals, except that at 1 h, were significantly higher in thalassemic subjects than in normal subjects (P < 0.05). The area under the concentration-time curve was 9-fold higher (P < 0.001) and the volume of distribution at steady state was 15-fold lower (P < 0.001) in thalassemic than in normal subjects. In light of the potential neurotoxicity of artemisinin derivatives, these results suggest that thalassemic subjects may need a drug administration regimen different from that of normal patients.
The behaviour of Lipoprotein(a) in patients with various diseases

The plasma Lp(a) concentrations were evaluated in several groups of patients. Groups with liver cirrhosis (n = 20), type-1 diabetes mellitus (n = 148), type-2 diabetes mellitus (n = 65), hypertension (n = 51), lung cancer (n = 48) and deep venous thrombosis (n = 31) were compared with a group of healthy volunteers (n = 69). Significantly higher median values were found in the hypertension (142 mgP1 vs. 43mgr', p < 0.001) and lung cancer groups (241 mgl−1 vs. 43 mgl−1; p < 0.0001). Significantly lower values were recorded in the group with liver cirrhosis (11 mgl−1 vs. 43mgl−1; p = 0.02). But in this last group there were significant differences between patients in the Child-Turcotte severity stages A to C.
Strength enhancement with limited range closed kinetic chain isokinetic exercise of the upper extremity

BACKGROUND: Specificity plays an important role in the design of strength training protocols. One of the paramount factors is the range of motion (ROM). OBJECTIVE: To explore limited range of motion (ROM) strength training using a closed chain upper extremity push pull motion. Range specific effects and transferability (strength gains outside the trained ROM) were investigated. METHOD: 45 healthy women (18–50 ± 4.2) randomly assigned to one of three groups: Full ROM group, Limited ROM group, Control group. Training and testing were conducted using a closed chain attachment of an isokinetic dynamometer, at a constant linear velocity of 12.22 cm/s (corresponding to the dynamometer angular velocity of 60◦/sec) and a second condition of 36.67 cm/s (corresponding to the dynamometer angular velocity of 180◦/sec). Training lasted 6 weeks X 2 days per week, through either full or limited ROM, representing a middle segment of the linear displacement of the handle through the full ROM. Peak force and work data were evaluated. RESULTS: Significant gains in peak force and work values at full ROM and all sub ranges were noted for both training groups. Transferability of strength was demonstrated for limited ROM training, whereas specificity could be demonstrated only under the condition of range X velocity interaction. CONCLUSION: Our findings support the use of limited ROM training in the upper extremity and are in agreement with previous data regarding the knee extensors. Limited ROM training may be used early on in upper extremity rehabilitation. Particularly, the suggested protocol may be safely applied to scapular rehabilitation.
Defining the COX inhibitor selectivity of NSAIDs: implications for understanding toxicity

The hypothesis that the anti-inflammatory activity of NSAIDs derives from COX inhibition is well established. It also underpins the accepted mechanism of the gastrointestinal and renal toxicity of NSAIDs. However, in terms of NSAID-induced cardiovascular toxicity, is COX inhibition then guilty by association? Multiple experimental models of COX-1/COX-2 inhibition have enabled ranking of the relative inhibitory activity of NSAIDs. Inhibition is expressed as an IC50 value and the index of COX selectivity as the ratio of the IC50 value for COX-2 and COX-1. These data informed the ‘imbalance hypothesis’ that the cardiovascular risk of NSAIDs results from an imbalance in the detrimental actions of COX-1-derived thromboxane A2 and the beneficial actions of COX-2-derived prostacyclin (PGI2). Data derived from in vitro models used to generate NSAID IC50 values are discussed in the context of the difficulties in defining COX selectivity and hence understanding the toxicity of NSAIDs in current clinical use.
Strain wave elastography for evaluation of renal parenchyma in chronic kidney disease.

OBJECTIVE Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an important and costly health problem in developed countries and has a tendency to progress to end-stage renal disease regardless of the aetiology. This progress ends in interstitial fibrosis, which decreases the elasticity of tissue. Elastography is a developing technique to assess tissue elasticity. The aim of this study was to determine the difference of strain index (SI) value of renal parenchyma between patients with CKD and healthy individuals. In addition, SI differences of inter-stages were studied. METHODS Toshiba (Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation, Otawara, Japan) Aplio™ 500 ultrasound device and 3.5- to 5.0-MHz convex probe were used for the elastography examinations. RESULTS A total of 58 patients with CKD from nephrology and endocrinology clinics (30 males and 28 females; mean age, 56.14 ± 11.60 years) and 40 normal healthy individuals (19 males and 21 females; mean age, 51.70 ± 11.71 years) were included in this prospective study. The mean SI of normal healthy individuals and patients with CKD (regardless of stages) was 0.42 ± 0.30 and 1.81 ± 0.88, respectively (p < 0.001). SI values were not statistically significant among the CKD stages (except CKD Stages 1 and 3). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.956 for SI. The optimal cut-off value for the prediction of CKD was 0.935 (sensitivity, 88% and specificity, 95%). CONCLUSION SI value of sonoelastography can be used to differentiate patients with CKD and healthy individuals. Sonoelastography is an acceptable technique to approach patients with CKD, but we have not shown that it can reliably differentiate different stages. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE Determining a cut-off SI value between normal and diseased renal parenchyma can help in the diagnosis of CKD.
Enabling low-cost particulate matter measurement for participatory sensing scenarios

This paper presents a mobile, low-cost particulate matter sensing approach for the use in Participatory Sensing scenarios. It shows that cheap commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) dust sensors can be used in distributed or mobile personal measurement devices at a cost one to two orders of magnitude lower than that of current hand-held solutions, while reaching meaningful accuracy. We conducted a series of experiments to juxtapose the performance of a gauged high-accuracy measurement device and a cheap COTS sensor that we fitted on a Bluetooth-enabled sensor module that can be interconnected with a mobile phone. Calibration and processing procedures using multi-sensor data fusion are presented, that perform very well in lab situations and show practically relevant results in a realistic setting. An on-the-fly calibration correction step is proposed to address remaining issues by taking advantage of co-located measurements in Participatory Sensing scenarios. By sharing few measurement across devices, a high measurement accuracy can be achieved in mobile urban sensing applications, where devices join in an ad-hoc fashion. A performance evaluation was conducted by co-locating measurement devices with a municipal measurement station that monitors particulate matter in a European city, and simulations to evaluate the on-the-fly cross-device data processing have been done.
Estudo quantitativo da lágrima pelo teste de fenol vermelho na população brasileira

OBJETIVO: Determinar parâmetros normais do teste de fenol vermelho na populacao brasileira, e comparar entre diferentes racas, idade e sexo. METODOS: Foram avaliados, com o teste de fenol vermelho, 280 individuos (560 olhos) da raca branca e 280 individuos (560 olhos) da raca nao branca, que foram divididos de acordo com a idade e o sexo. Foram excluidos individuos com qualquer doenca ocular, usuarios de lente de contato e que usavam medicacao ocular. RESULTADOS: Dos 1.120 olhos avaliados, o resultado medio foi de 19,77±7,90 mm. CONCLUSAO: O resultado medio encontrado foi um valor intermediario entre as duas populacoes previamente estudadas (japonesa e norte-americana).
Probable Interaction Between Warfarin and Divalproex Sodium

Objective: A potential interaction between warfarin and divalproex sodium is described. Case Summary: A 65-year-old Arabic-speaking Egyptian woman chronically anticoagulated with warfarin for atrial fibrillation and a history of stroke presented to the anticoagulation clinic with an elevated international normalized ratio (INR) of 3.2. This was an increase of 1.4 over her previous INR of 1.8 only 9 days prior. Discussion with the patient’s daughter revealed the addition of divalproex sodium (a derivative of valproic acid) 250 mg twice daily to the patient’s medication regimen 6 days prior. Other contributing factors that could cause an elevated INR were ruled out. The patient’s total weekly dose (TWD) of warfarin was decreased from 22.5 mg to 20 mg, and the patient was instructed to return for a repeat INR in 1 week. On the day the patient was due to return for a repeat INR, she was admitted to the hospital and her INR was 2.2 on admission. Based on medication reconciliation information, the patient had decreased her warfarin TWD as instructed and had self-discontinued the divalproex sodium due to intolerable fatigue. During this time, the patient received no additional divalproex sodium. She was instructed to resume her previous TWD of warfarin of 22.5 mg on discharge and subsequently had a therapeutic INR (2.6) 11 days later. Discussion: Warfarin and divalproex sodium are commonly prescribed agents with few case reports to describe their interaction. Primary literature supports a multifactorial mechanism, including CYP450 metabolism inhibition and protein-binding displacement, both of which can result in an elevated INR. Use of the Drug Interaction Probability Scale indicated a probable interaction between warfarin and divalproex sodium. Conclusions: Patients receiving concurrent warfarin and divalproex sodium therapy should be monitored closely for changes in INR values as the combination may increase the INR and put the patient at increased risk for bleeding.
Drug repurposing a reality: from computers to the clinic

Modern drug discovery has reached a roadblock, suffering a diminished pipeline with escalating costs, development times and safety concerns coupled to a very low chance of success [1–3]. As seren dipitous discoveries dwindle, there is a need for a shift from traditional drug discovery to the concept of drug repositioning, where currently approved drugs are repurposed for new indications. The technology to evaluate or re-evaluate new diseases, targets, pathways and functions continues to evolve so that research-led repositioning rather than random screening is now a viable strategic model for rapid drug development. Indeed, the number of repositioning publications is growing rapidly with the promise of reduced drug development costs and timelines. Using drug repositioning, pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions have achieved a number of successes, and the rate of new indication approval is growing every year [4]. A major advantage of utilizing approved drugs, given their previously successful clinical trials, is the potential for fast entry into Phase II trials for new indications. Therefore, the benefits of increased success rate and decreased costs, resources and development time make drug repurposing an ideal process to kick start productivity in drug development.
Interethnic variation in lipid profiles: implications for underidentification of African–Americans at risk for metabolic disorders

Interethnic differences exist in the distribution of serum lipids, with African–Americans (AAs) generally having a healthier lipid profile than other US ethnic groups. Similar lipid distributions are observed among other African-ancestry groups with distinct lifestyle characteristics, suggesting the importance of inherited factors. Despite healthier serum lipids, AAs experience a disproportionate burden of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. As evidence of a different relationship between serum lipids and disease exists, the characterization of metabolic risk using lipid concentration (as in metabolic syndrome criteria) may lead to the underidentification of AAs at risk. Given the disproportionately high rate of metabolic disorders in AAs, understanding interethnic differences in the association between serum lipids and disease should be a research priority, as better appreciation of these differences will enhance knowledge of disease etiology, improve intervention targeting and may lead to mechanisms to ameliorate debilitating health disparities in the USA and globally.
Role of endoscopic ultrasound in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is the fourth most common cause of cancer deaths in Western societies. It is an aggressive tumor with an overall 5-year survival rate of less than 5%. Surgical resection offers the only possibility of cure and long-term survival for patients suffering from PC; however, unfortunately, fewer than 20% of patients suffering from PC have disease that is amendable to surgical resection. Therefore, it is important to accurately diagnose and stage these patients to enable optimal treatment of their disease. The imaging modalities involved in the diagnosis and staging of PC include multidetector CT scanning, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography and MRI. The roles and relative importance of these imaging modalities have changed over the last few decades and continue to change owing to the rapid technological advances in medical imaging, but these investigations continue to be complementary. EUS was first introduced in the mid-1980s in Japan and Germany and has quickly gained acceptance. Its widespread use in the last decade has revolutionized the management of pancreatic disease as it simultaneously provides primary diagnostic and staging information, as well as enabling tissue biopsy. This article discusses the potential benefits and drawbacks of EUS in the primary diagnosis, staging and assessment of resectability, and EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration in PC. Difficult diagnostic scenarios and pitfalls are also discussed. A suggested management algorithm for patients with suspected PC is also presented.
A review on the efficacy in humans of four popular herbs used for the treatment of diabetes

Research into the efficacy of herbs for glucose control in patients with diabetes is still lacking. Although numerous scientific studies have been performed on laboratory animals with positive results, the studies on humans remains in its infancy and often show inconsistent outcomes. Therefore, a review of the current published literature on the efficacy in humans of four popular herbs to “treat” diabetes: Gymnema sylvestre, fenugreek, bitter melon, and cinnamon, was deemed appropriate (see table 6 for images). Current evidence weakly supports the use of these specific herbs in the treatment of diabetes. The Natural Standard Database grades herbs based on the significant findings from well designed scientific clinical trials, with additional support from animal studies. Results, were for the most part, inconsistent, mostly due to the use of unstandardized methodologies and the small numbers in the sample populations. Further studies are needed to gauge the efficacy of each herb on a much larger population before one can support their use with complete confidence.
Research through design fiction: narrative in real and imaginary abstracts

This paper reflects on the uses of prototypes in "Research through Design" and considers "Design Fiction" as a technique for exploring the potential value of new design work. It begins with an analysis of Research through Design abstracts in the ACM digital library and identifies an emerging language and structure of papers in this emerging field. The abstracts: frame a problem space, introduce a study, often involving the deployment of a prototype, and conclude with considerations, reflections and discussion. This format is then pastiched in a series of design fictions written for a project investigating new and emerging forms of reproduction in Art. The fictions take the form of "imaginary abstracts" which summarize findings of papers that have not been written about prototypes that do not exist. It is argued that framing concept designs as fictional studies can provide a space for research focused critique and development.
Prebiotics for irritable bowel syndrome

Evaluation of: Silk DBA, Davis A, Vulevic J, Tzortzis G, Gibson GR. Clinical trial: the effects of a trans-galactooligosaccharide on faecal microbiota and symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome. Aliment. Pharmacol. Ther. 29, 508–518 (2009). While a variety of probiotic preparations have been quite extensively studied in the short-term treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), little is known regarding the efficacy of prebiotics – the nondigestible but fermentable foods that promote the growth of one or a number of species of beneficial commensal flora in the human colon – in IBS. In this study, a specially designed prebiotic, a trans-galactooligosaccharide, was studied in two doses, 3.5 and 7 g, in a single-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 4-weeks duration in Rome II-positive IBS patients. The researchers found that the prebiotic altered the fecal flora, increasing the numbers of Bifidobacteria in a dose-dependent manner and also improved, but in a less predictable manner, individual IBS symptoms, such as flatulence and bloating, as well as impacting on a composite score of the subjects’ global assessment of relief and quality of life. This study indicates that prebiotics, either on their own or in combination with a probiotic, deserve further study in IBS.
Percutaneous ablation for small hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma is increasingly detected at small size, usually 5 cm or smaller in diameter. For small hepatocellular carcinoma, percutaneous ablation is a potentially curative treatment. Ethanol injection is able to achieve a complete response of 70–80% and a 5-year survival of 40–60% in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma of 3 cm or less. Radiofrequency ablation has emerged as the more powerful alternative method. Randomized controlled trials show that radiofrequency ablation offers a higher complete response at fewer treatment sessions and better survival compared with ethanol injection. Microwave ablation has been demonstrated to be equivalent to radiofrequency ablation in both local efficacy and long-term outcome. Laser ablation is mainly applied in clinical settings in Europe. Nowadays, percutaneous ablation is commonly accepted as the best option for patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma who are not candidates for surgical resection or liver transplantation. However, whether it can compete with surgery as the first-line treatment has long been debated. There are some retrospective studies and only a few randomized controlled trials to compare the two modalities. The currently available data are not robust enough to draw a solid conclusion. This review article provides an overview of the current status of percutaneous ablation in management of small hepatocellular carcinoma and also focuses on comparison with surgical resection.