Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
RADIOISOTOPIC EVALUATION OF SALIVARY GLAND DYSFUNCTION IN SJÖGREN’S SYNDROME

The capability of the salivary glands to selectively concentrate elements of Periodic Group VII and secrete them in saliva was utilized to assess salivary gland function in 28 patients with Sjogren’s syndrome by means of radioisotopic studies following the intravenous administration of Tc99m pertechnetate. The findings were compared with those obtained in 10 normal controls.Scintiscans and direct counts over parotid glands showed lower uptake in patients than in controls. The counts were similar over both parotid glands in all controls, while there was significant difference of uptake between the two glands in many patients. Ratios of thyroid/parotid uptake were thus higher in most patients than in controls.Concentration of the isotope in saliva diminished from the 15 to the 60 minute postinjection samples in all normal controls, while it increased in all but 3 of the patients. All three had extreme xerostomia and low salivary gland uptake.Repeat studies in 5 patients revealed changing patterns of dysfunc.
STEREOTACTIC RADIOSURGERY AND FRACTIONATED STEREOTACTIC RADIOTHERAPY FOR THE TREATMENT OF NONACOUSTIC CRANIAL NERVE SCHWANNOMAS

OBJECTIVETo review outcomes after fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSR) and stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for nonacoustic cranial nerve schwannomas. METHODSWe reviewed medical records of 39 patients who received FSR or SRS for nonacoustic cranial nerve schwannomas at our institution during the period from 1996 to 2007. RESULTSTumors involved Cranial Nerves V (n = 19), III (n = 2), VI (n = 3), VII (n = 5), IX (n = 2), X (n = 5), and XII (n = 2) and the cavernous sinus (n = 1). Irradiation was performed after partial resection, biopsy, or no previous surgery in 16, 2, and 21 patients, respectively. Twenty-four patients received FSR, delivered in 1.8- to 2.0-Gy fractions to a median dose of 50.4 Gy (range, 45.0–54.0 Gy). Fifteen patients received SRS to a median dose of 12.0 Gy (range, 12–15 Gy). Mild acute toxicity occurred in 23% of the patients. The 2-year actuarial tumor control rate after FSR and SRS was 95%. The median follow-up period was 24 months. Changes in cranial nerve deficits after stereotactic irradiation were analyzed for patients with follow-up periods greater than 12 months (n = 26); cranial nerve deficits improved in 50%, were stable in 46%, and worsened in 4% of the patients. No significant difference was observed for FSR compared with SRS with regard to local control or to improvement of cranial nerve-related symptoms (P = 0.17). CONCLUSIONSRS and FSR are both well-tolerated treatments for nonacoustic cranial nerve schwannomas, providing excellent tumor control and a high likelihood of symptomatic improvement.
CELL SENESCENCE: BRILLIANT INSIGHT OR FOOLISH NOTION?

More than 40 years ago, Hayflick and Moorhead (1961) reported that human fibroblasts in culture exhibit a limited proliferative capacity. It was a surprising finding because the dogma of that time, based on the work of Alexis Carrel and colleagues, was that cells in culture have the potential for unlimited proliferation (Carrel & Ebling, 1921). Leonard Hayflick hypothesized that his and Moorhead’s finding has gerontologic significance. His view of the significance is summarized in the following two quotations from Hayflick’s writings.
PITUITARY HORMONAL LOSS AND RECOVERY AFTER TRANSSPHENOIDAL ADENOMA REMOVAL

OBJECTIVETranssphenoidal adenomectomy carries the possibility of new pituitary failure and recovery. Herein, we present rates and determinants of postoperative hormonal status. METHODSAll consecutive patients who underwent endonasal transsphenoidal adenoma removal over an 8-year period were analyzed. Those with previous sellar radiotherapy were excluded. Pre- and postoperative hormonal status (at least 3 mo after surgery) were determined and correlated with clinical parameters using a multivariate statistical model. RESULTSOf 444 patients (median age 45 years, 75% macroadenoma, 19% with multiple operations), 9 had preoperative panhypopituitarism. Of the remaining 435 patients, new hypopituitarism occurred in 5.5% of patients (anterior loss in 5%; permanent diabetes insipidus in 2.1%; including 2 patients who had total hypophysectomy). Of 346 patients with preoperative hormonal dysfunction, 170 (49%) had improved function. “Stalk compression” hyperprolactinemia resolved in 73% of 133 patients; recovery of at least 1 other anterior axis (excluding isolated hypogonadism associated with “stalk compression” hyperprolactinemia) occurred in 24% of 209 patients. Multivariate analysis showed that new hypopituitarism was most strongly associated with larger tumor diameter (P = 0.04). Of 223 patients with an endocrine-inactive adenoma, new hypopituitarism was seen in 0, 7.2, and 13.6% of patients with tumor diameters of <20, 20 to 29, and ≥30 mm, respectively (P = 0.005). Multivariate analysis revealed that resolution of hypopituitarism was related to younger age (39 versus 52 years, P < 0.0001), absence of an intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak and, in patients with an endocrine-inactive adenoma, absence of systemic hypertension (24% versus 6%, P = 0.009). CONCLUSIONAfter transsphenoidal adenomectomy, new unplanned hypopituitarism occurs in approximately 5% of patients, whereas improved hormonal function occurs in 50% of patients. The likelihood of new hormonal loss or recovery appears to depend on several factors. New hypopituitarism occurs most commonly in patients with tumors larger than 20 mm in size, whereas hormonal recovery is most likely to occur in younger, nonhypertensive patients and those without an intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak.
The French Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome Registry

Objective To analyze the main clinical features, genetic mutations, and outcomes of patients of the French Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome (CCHS) Registry. Design A country-wide cohort established throughout a long-term multicenter effort. Patients Seventy French patients with CCHS (29 male patients and 41 female patients) Methods The following items were analyzed: the most important moments of the disease course; the main clinical characteristics; associated pathologic conditions; management; clinical outcome; and genetic mutations. Results An average of four new cases of CCHS per year was observed in the last 5 years. Thus, the incidence may be estimated to be 1 per 200,000 live births in France. The median age at diagnosis was 3.5 months (range, 0.5 to 15 months) before 1995 and PHOX2B ) gene were found in 31 patients (91%). Conclusion Our four major findings are the extreme rarity of CCHS, the improved recognition over time, the lack of effect of HSCR on the mortality rate, and the high frequency of PHOX2B mutations.
Effects of multicomponent exercise training on physical functioning among institutionalized elderly

This quasiexperimental study aimed to measure the effects of 12-week multicomponent exercise training on physical functioning among institutionalized elderly. Forty-three participants (age = 70.88 ± 7.82 years) were self-assigned to an intervention (𝑛=23) or control (𝑛=20) group. Before and after training, cardiorespiratory endurance, arm curl strength, grip strength, lower limb strength, upper and lower limb flexibility, balance, and mobility were assessed. The training included aerobic, resistance, balance and flexibility exercises, performed 3 times per week. Significant increases (𝑃 0.05). The control group did not show any significant changes (𝑃>0.05) in any variables. The data suggested that 12-week multicomponent exercise training may improve physical functioning among institutionalized elderly.
Amclm: Adaptive Multi-Services Cross-Layer MAC Protocol for IEEE 802.11 Networks

In wireless networks, the radio link vulnerability attributed to effects such as noise, interference, free-space loss, shadowing and multipath fading, must be considered. MAC protocols developed for these networks do not take into account these perturbations. It was shown, in the literature, that 802.11 suffers from what is called 'the 802.11 anomaly'. This anomaly concerns two aspects: all nodes throughput, in a 802.11 network, falls to the worst one of all nodes and the bandwidth will be divided by the number of the mobile nodes of the network. In order to improve the quality of service of a BSS (Basic Service Set) and to solve 802.11 anomaly, Cross-layer approaches are developed. These approaches are especially based on information given by the Physical layer. In this study we propose a new cross-layer scheme: AMCLM (Adaptive Multi-services Cross-Layer MAC). The goal of this protocol is to improve the Quality-of-Service (QoS) of Mobile Nodes (MNs) connected in a BSS by a temporary disassociation of the ones for which the SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) is under a defined threshold. In this way, the network's throughput is improved. Our approach aims to improve global networks QoS by unselfishness decisions of nodes. In order to show the benefit of our method, a performance evaluation of this protocol has been made. We have built the discrete Markov Chain associated to the behavior of AMCLM protocol to analyze the throughput of mobile nodes connected to the BSS.
Preclinical progress and first translational steps for a liposomal chemotherapy protocol against adrenocortical carcinoma.

Systemic therapy of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is limited by heterogeneous tumor response and adverse effects. Recently, we demonstrated anti-tumor activity of LEDP-M (etoposide, liposomal doxorubicin, liposomal cisplatin, mitotane), a liposomal variant of EDP-M (etoposide, doxorubicin, cisplatin, mitotane). To improve the therapeutic efficacy and off-target profiles of the clinical gold standard EDP-M, we investigated liposomal EDP-M regimens in different preclinical settings and in a small number of ACC patients with very advanced disease. Short- and long-term experiments were performed on two ACC models (SW-13 and SJ-ACC3) in vivo We evaluated the anti-tumoral effects and off-target profiles of EDP-M, LEDP-M and a novel regimen L(l)EDP-M including liposomal etoposide. Furthermore, the role of plasma microRNA-210 as a therapeutic biomarker and first clinical data were assessed. Classical and liposomal protocols revealed anti-proliferative efficacy against SW-13 (EDP-M P < 0.01; LEDP-M: P < 0.001; L(l)EDP-M: P < 0.001 vs controls), whereas in SJ-ACC3, only EDP-M (P < 0.05 vs controls) was slightly effective. Long-term experiments in SW-13 demonstrated anti-tumor efficacy for all treatment schemes (EDP-M: P < 0.01, LEDP-M: P < 0.05, L(l)EDP-M P < 0.001 vs controls). The analysis of pre-defined criteria leading to study termination revealed significant differences for control (P < 0.0001) and EDP-M (P = 0.003) compared to L(l)EDP-M treatment. Raising its potential for therapy monitoring, we detected elevated levels of circulating microRNA-210 in SW-13 after LEDP-M treatment (P < 0.05). In contrast, no comparable effects were detectable for SJ-ACC3. However, overall histological evaluation demonstrated improved off-target profiles following liposomal regimens. The first clinical data indicate improved tolerability of liposomal EDP-M, thus confirming our results. In summary, liposomal EDP-M regimens represent promising treatment options to improve clinical treatment of ACC.
Web Document Filtering Technique Based on Natural Language Understanding

Web document filtering is an important aspect in information security. The traditional strategy based on simple keywords matching often leads to low accuracy of discrimination. This article proposes the method FNLU (Filtering based on Natural Language Understanding) including the algorithms for Extracting Typical Phrase, Calculating feature vector, Mining threshold vector, Objective judging and Subjective judging. The experimental result shows that the algorithms are efficient.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING FINDINGS OF SUBSEQUENT FRACTURES AFTER VERTEBROPLASTY

OBJECTIVEThe biomechanical effect of injected cement has been considered as the cause of adjacent vertebral fracture (AVF) after vertebroplasty, but the clinical evidence supporting this hypothesis is still insufficient. METHODSWe retrospectively reviewed 33 patients with subsequent fractures among 278 patients who underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty at our hospital from January 2002 to December 2005. The bone marrow edema pattern of subsequent fractures on magnetic resonance imaging was analyzed in 33 patients. In addition, the relationship between the location and distribution pattern of inserted cement and site of subsequent fractures was investigated. RESULTSAmong 33 subsequent fractures, we found 13 cranial AVFs, 7 caudal AVFs, and 13 remote fractures. The incidence rate of AVFs was 7.3% of 273 patients. Among 33 subsequent vertebral fractures, 13 were cranial AVFs (Group 1), 3 were superior, 7 were inferior, and 3 were overall (23.1%, 53.8%, and 23.1%, respectively). Of 7 caudal AVFs (Group 2), 7 were superior (100%). In 13 remote fractures (Group 3), 10 were superior, 1 was inferior, 2 were overall (76.9%, 7.7%, and 15.4%, respectively). In AVFs, bone marrow edema appeared mainly toward injected cement (P = 0.005). When injected cement made a solid mass rather than interdigitation, the occurrence rate of cranial AVFs was high (P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONBone marrow edema of AVFs appeared significantly toward the previous injected cement. This phenomenon supports the idea that the biomechanical effect of injected cement is one of the causative factors which affect the occurrence of AVF after percutaneous vertebroplasty. In particular, when injected cement forms a solid mass rather than interdigitation, the risk of cranial AVF may increase.
The role of family caregivers and inappropriate medication use in the community-dwelling older adults with dementia

Evaluation of: Thorpe JM, Thorpe CT, Kennelty KA, Gellad WF, Schulz R. The impact of family caregivers on potentially inappropriate medication use in noninstitutionalized older adults with dementia. Am. J. Geriatr. Pharmacother. 10(4), 230–241 (2012). The risk of potentially inappropriate medication (PIM), both prescription and over-the-counter use, in dementia patients is high. Informal caregivers often facilitate patients’ use of medications, but the effect of caregiver factors on PIM use has not been a focus of previous research. The aim of this study was to examine PIM use in dementia patients and caregivers, and identify caregiver risk factors for PIM use in dementia patients. The authors conducted a secondary data analysis of the baseline wave of the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer’s Caregiver’s Health study. The sample comprised 566 persons with dementia aged 65 years and older and their co-residing family caregiver. PIM was defined using the 2003 Beers criteria and was examined in both dementia .
Conhecimento e atitudes de profissionais de saúde sobre avaliação e manejo da dor neonatal

Multiple factors can have an effect on pain management in neonates, which motivated us to analyze the knowledge and attitudes held by doctors, nurses and nursing assistants who work in neonatal units in a hospital in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, regarding neonatal pain assessment and management. This study is descriptive and was conducted with 57 health professionals. The results of the questionnaires revealed that only one professional believed that neonates do not feel pain, and 53 professionals stated the contrary, but were not familiar with neonate pain assessment scales. Professionals indicated fentanyl and midazolam as adequate analgesics for acute pain. Umbilical catheterization, gastric probing and heel pad puncture were considered painful procedures and indications for the use of analgesia. Health professionals are knowledgeable about pain in neonates, but this knowledge is not reflected in clinical practice. It is essential for professionals to be trained regarding knowledge transfer so that neonate pain assessment and management can be implemented. doi: 10.5216/ree.v16i2. 23611.
Assessment and analysis as precursors to action

Biomarkers represent measures that can be used to enhance the assessment of dietary exposures and validate dietary intake methods and instruments. In this issue, Brantsæter et al. report on a study that explored whether selenium, iodine, mercury or arsenic may serve as a biomarker for total fish and seafood intake, in addition to the traditionally used EPA and DHA. The study indicates that blood arsenic levels as a biomarker best reflected lean fish and seafood intakes. Still on seafood, Lucas et al. present research quantifying and comparing marine food consumption among Quebecers with recent recommendations. They find that consumption of marine foods and EPA and DHA appears lower than international recommendations. However, Brantsæter et al.’s paper suggests the up-side of this finding is that their arsenic intake may be lower as a result.
USEFULNESS OF AN ULTRASONIC SCALPEL TO HARVEST AND SKELETONIZE THE SUPERFICIAL TEMPORAL ARTERY FOR EXTRACRANIAL‐INTRACRANIAL BYPASS SURGERY

OBJECTIVE A new method to harvest and skeletonize the superficial temporal artery (STA) using an ultrasonic scalpel is presented. The technique is simple and safe, and reduces bleeding. We also investigated histopathological changes in donor vessels and whether it is possible to shorten the time needed for STA harvesting using the ultrasonic scalpel. METHODS Between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2007, 31 consecutive patients underwent STA and middle cerebral artery anastomosis surgery in our hospital. All patients underwent harvesting of both the frontal and parietal branches of the STA. STA harvesting using an ultrasonic scalpel was performed in 18 of the 31 patients. We compared the time needed for STA harvesting by dividing patients into 2 groups: a non–ultrasonic scalpel group and an ultrasonic scalpel group. We also examined the histopathological changes by application of ultrasonic waves on the STA in the 6 most recent patients. RESULTS The mean time needed for STA harvesting was 84.2 ± 14.1 minutes for the non–ultrasonic scalpel group and 55.1 ± 15.2 minutes for the ultrasonic scalpel group. The ultrasonic scalpel group showed a significantly shorter harvesting time than the non–ultrasonic scalpel group (P < 0.01). No histopathological change was observed in any layers of the STA. CONCLUSION Our data suggest that STA harvesting with the ultrasonic scalpel may be useful for STA–middle cerebral artery anastomosis surgery.
SUBCUTANEOUS HEPARIN FOR PROPHYLAXIS OF VENOUS THROMBOEMBOLISM IN DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION SURGERY: EVIDENCE FROM A DECISION ANALYSIS

OBJECTIVEThe addition of subcutaneous heparin (SQH) to mechanical prophylaxis for venous thromboembolism (VTE) involves a balance between the benefit of greater protection from VTE and the added risk of intracranial hemorrhage. There is evidence that the hemorrhage risk outweighs the benefits for patients undergoing craniotomy. We investigated the safety of SQH in patients undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. METHODSA retrospective analysis was performed of all patients with movement disorders (n = 254) undergoing DBS surgery at our institution from 2003 to 2007. Before September 2005, none of the patients undergoing DBS received SQH (non-SQH group) (n = 121). Thereafter, all patients were administered SQH perioperatively (SQH group) (n = 133). All patients wore graduated compression stockings and pneumatic compression boots postoperatively in bed. A postoperative brain magnetic resonance imaging scan was obtained on the day of surgery. RESULTSFive (3.8%) of 133 SQH patients and 1 (0.8%) of 121 non-SQH patients developed asymptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. None of the SQH patients developed clinically significant VTE, whereas 3 (2.5%) non-SQH patients developed VTE (1 deep venous thrombosis, 2 pulmonary embolisms). Using a decision-analysis model, we have shown that the use of SQH plus mechanical prophylaxis together yielded outcomes at least as good as mechanical prophylaxis alone. CONCLUSIONOur findings suggest that SQH for VTE prophylaxis in patients with movement disorders undergoing DBS surgery is safe. SQH protects against VTE in this patient population and merits further investigation.
A Document Rectification Approach Dealing with both Perspective Distortion and Warping Based on Text Flow Curve Fitting

In this paper, we propose a coordinate transform model and document rectification process for book dewarping. This model can handle both perspective distortion and book surface warping problems. The main idea is to find the boundary of a region, which is a rectangle on a flat surface before warping and using the correspondence between the warped boundary and the original rectangle sides to map each pixel in the warped region into the rectangle. On a book page, two text lines and the left and right boundaries of a text region form a rectangle before warping. Therefore, we detect two text flow curves and text region boundaries on the left and right sides on a warped image and use the two curves and two line segments to do the transformation. The experimental results illustrate the effectiveness of our proposed book dewarping approach.
Treprostinil for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a severely disabling disorder characterized by sustained elevations of pulmonary arterial pressure, ultimately leading to right-heart failure and death. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) usually occurs in the absence of an evident cause (idiopathic PAH) or may be associated with connective tissue disease, HIV infection, congenital heart disease, chronic liver disease or result from the use of toxic agents and anorexigens. Objective/method: Intravenous epoprostenol has been widely used in patients with PAH, leading to long-term clinical benefits and improved survival. Epoprostenol has to be delivered through a permanently implanted Intravenous catheter. This may expose patients to potentially life-threatening complications. Thus, more stable compounds and alternative modes of prostacyclin delivery have been sought. Conclusion: Treprostinil sodium is a stable prostacyclin analogue, sharing pharmacologic actions similar to epoprostenol with comparable haemodynamic effects. Treprostinil is chemically stable at room temperature and has a long half-life (2 – 4 h), making this drug suitable for subcutaneous administration, with practical benefits in avoiding the risk of line infection and thrombosis, and cardiovascular reactions due to abrupt drug discontinuation.