Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
3D segmentation of prostate ultrasound images using wavelet transform

The current definitive diagnosis of prostate cancer is transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided biopsy. However, the current procedure is limited by using 2D biopsy tools to target 3D biopsy locations. This paper presents a new method for automatic segmentation of the prostate in three-dimensional transrectal ultrasound images, by extracting texture features and by statistically matching geometrical shape of the prostate. A set of Wavelet-based support vector machines (WSVMs) are located and trained at different regions of the prostate surface. The WSVMs capture texture priors of ultrasound images for classification of the prostate and non-prostate tissues in different zones around the prostate boundary. In the segmentation procedure, these W-SVMs are trained in three sagittal, coronal, and transverse planes. The pre-trained W-SVMs are employed to tentatively label each voxel around the surface of the model as a prostate or non-prostate voxel by the texture matching. The labeled voxels in three planes after post-processing is overlaid on a prostate probability model. The probability prostate model is created using 10 segmented prostate data. Consequently, each voxel has four labels: sagittal, coronal, and transverse planes and one probability label. By defining a weight function for each labeling in each region, each voxel is labeled as a prostate or non-prostate voxel. Experimental results by using real patient data show the good performance of the proposed model in segmenting the prostate from ultrasound images.
The effect of high molecular hyaluronic acid on bone formation in human fetal osteoblasts

The main goal for the treatment of periodontal diseases is the regeneration of lost periodontal ligament, cementum, and bone. Clinical and histological researches suggest that it is possible to restore periodontal structures (Becker et al., 1988; Pontoriero et al., 1988; Schanllhorn and McClain, 1988; Bowers et al. 1985). Normal healing of bone is characterized by the integrated actions of different cells, and its processes are divided into broad sequential phases of inflammation, proliferation, migration of osteogenic cells, and production and remodeling of trabecular bones (Branemark et al., 1964; Amsel et al., 1969; Patt and Maloney 1975; Watanabe et al., 1992; Furusawa 1993). Recent in vivo and in vitro studies have suggested that various autocrine and paracrine growth factors present in serum play important roles in the wound healing of various tissues, including bone (Mustoe et al., 1987; Bab et al., 1988; Brown et al., 1988). These growth factors appear to stimulate the early phases of wound healing, cell differentiation, and increased primary matrix production, rather than remodeling and maturation processes (Mustoe et al., 1987; Brown et al. 1988). The cells used in this study have the ability to differentiate into mature osteoblasts expressing the normal osteoblast phenotype. At the restrictive temperatures, cell division is slowed, differentiation is increased, and a more mature osteoblast phenotype is produced. The cells provide a homogenous, rapidly proliferating model system for studying normal human osteoblast differentiation, osteoblast physiology, growth factor, and other cytokine effects on osteoblast function and differentiation. Current bone and cartilage repair strategies utilize autogenous or allogeneic grafts, which are limited by donor site pain, morbidity, availability, or risk of disease transmission. Tissue engineering approaches for bone and cartilage repair rely on the ability of growth and morphogenetic factors to exert host cell chemotaxis, proliferation, differentiation, and new tissue formation at the site of injury or defect when delivered in a suitable carrier (Kim et al., 2002).
Analysis of the POLDER polarization measurements performed over cloud covers

The POLDER instrument is designed to provide wide field of view bidimensional images in polarized light. During campaigns of the airborne version of the instrument, images of homogeneous cloud fields were acquired in polarized bands centered at 450 and 850 nm. The polarization of these images is analyzed. The bidirectional polarization distribution function measured in the 850 nm band is shown to make evident the liquid phase of the cloud droplets, by the large characteristic polarization of the cloudbows detected in backward scattering directions. The sensitivity of this feature to cloud parameters is discussed. On the contrary, for observation directions at about 90/spl deg/-100/spl deg/ from the Sun, the cloud polarization is negligible. In these directions, the polarized light observed in the 450 nm band is characteristic of the molecular scattering about the cloud, which allows the cloud top altitude to be derived. The feasibility of the method is analyzed and is tested on cloud pictures acquired at different altitudes above cloud fields. >
Rethinking ADHD and LD in DSM-5: Proposed Changes in Diagnostic Criteria

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is currently undergoing revision that will lead to a fifth edition (DSM-5) in 2013. This article first provides a brief synopsis of the DSM-5 administrative structure, procedures, and guiding principles to enhance understanding of how changes are made in the DSM. The next two sections (on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and learning disorders, respectively) highlight the major concerns and controversies surrounding the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for these two disorders and provide a rationale for the proposed changes to the criteria, along with a commentary on the empirical evidence on which the proposed changes were based.
Predictors of neurotic symptom severity among female drug users in Glasgow, Scotland

Aims: The prevalence and predictors of neurotic symptom severity among 266 female drug users recruited from three services in Glasgow, Scotland, is described. Methods: The Revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R) measured current neurotic symptoms. Questions on abuse and eating disorders were adapted from the Female European Addiction Severity Index. Findings: In their lifetime, 71% (184/260) had been emotionally abused, 65% (168/260) physically abused and 50% (129/259) sexually abused. In addition, 85% (227/266) met threshold for a neurotic disorder (CIS-R ≥ 12) and 71% (188/266) reported a severity of current neurotic symptoms likely to need treatment (CIS-R ≥ 18). Stepwise multiple logistic regression found that ever suffering from bulimia, anorexia and/or binge eating (OR 4.10, 95% CI 1.76–9.58), adult emotional abuse (OR 2.98, 95% CI 1.57–5.65), being prescribed psychiatric medication in the last 30 days (OR 2.95, 95% CI 1.18–7.38), and 12-month dependence on illicit tranquillizers (OR 2.51, 95% CI 1.29–4.89) were associated with CIS-R ≥ 18. Results were compared for participants attending each of the three services. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate the multiple and complex needs of female drug users that may require medical, mental health and drug use treatment.
The effect of caffeine on high-intensity, intermittent exercise to exhaustion

Caffeine has been propoited to increase endurance exercise time to exhaustion. However, the effects of caffeine on high-intensity, intermittent exercise to exhaustion have not been widely studied. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect o f caffeine on intermittent, high intensity exercise to exhaustion in individuals with minimal daily dietary caffeine consumption. Seven male participants, age 26 ± 2 years, body mass 77 ± 11 kg, and 47 ± 7 ml/kg/miru performed a high-intensity exercise bout under both caffeine and placebo conditions administered in a counterbalanced, double blind fashion. Participants cycled at 120% of peak power output for 60 seconds followed by 120 seconds o f recovery at 50 Watts. Work/rest cycles continued until voluntary exhaustion. Blood samples were taken immediately prior to administering caffeine or placebo beverages, one hour post absorption, and immediately following the conclusion of the exercise test No significant difference in time to exhaustion was found between caffeine and placebo trials (12.5 ± 5.9 vs 12.3 ± 6.6 min), nor did peak blood lactate concentration differ between trials (11.3 ± l.O vs 11.6 ± 1.9 mM). These results suggest that caffeine treatment provides no significant improvement in performance time during intermittent, high-intensity exercise to exhaustion.
Bosentan treatment of digital ulcers related to autoimmune disorders

Endothelin 1, a powerful endogenous vasoconstrictor and mitogen, may be causal to pulmonary hypertension. Evidence also suggests that endothelin (ET) may have a fundamental role in scleroderma pathogenesis, including pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a leading cause of death in patients with scleroderma. The development of a new class of drug, ET receptor antagonists, provides an improved outlook for patients with scleroderma and related diseases. Increasing vigilance toward early detection of PAH in scleroderma and a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis and treatment may improve the clinical outcome for these patients. We describe the efficacy and safety of bosentan, an orally active dual ET‐receptor antagonist, in patients with digital ulcers. Bosentan increases exercise capacity and improves hemodynamics in patients with pulmonary hypertension, suggesting that ET has an important role in pulmonary hypertension but in our experience also for refractory skin ulcers. Drug Dev Res 72:750–755, 2011. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Near infrared sensing and associated landmark detection for face recognition

We present a new system of near-infrared capture that aims to eliminate ambient light effects. We design this sensor to be integrated into the mobile platform Verification d’identite Numerique Securise Itinerante (VINSI). One of the originalities of this sensor is that we can acquire two images at the same time: one in infrared and the other in visible light. We develop a novel method for landmark detection of sufficiently low complexity, so that it can be implemented on our mobile platform. We test this method on three different near-infrared face databases, and we observe stability in the precision of localization over these databases associated to performance comparable to the state of the art.
Life on the Number Line: Routes to Understanding Fraction Magnitude for Students With Difficulties Learning Mathematics

Magnitude understanding is critical for students to develop a deep understanding of fractions and more advanced mathematics curriculum. The research reports in this special issue underscore magnitude understanding for fractions and emphasize number lines as both an assessment and an instructional tool. In this commentary, we discuss how number lines broaden the concept of fractions for students who are tied to the more general part–whole representations of area models. We also discuss how number lines, compared to other representations, are a superior and more mathematically correct way to explain fraction concepts.
First-Grade Cognitive Predictors of Writing Disabilities in Grades 2 Through 4 Elementary School Students

The primary aim of this study was determining Grade 1 cognitive predictors of students at risk for writing disabilities in Grades 2 through 4. Applying cognitive measures selected to align with theoretical and empirical models of writing, tasks were administered to Grade 1 students assessing fine-motor, linguistic, and executive functions: 84 at risk (bottom quartile for age-base expectations) and 54 typically developing. A model with individual predictors was compared to a previously developed latent trait model to determine the relative predictive worth of each approach. Data analysis primarily involved stepwise logistic regression. Results revealed that the individual measures of orthographic choice, working memory, inhibitory control, visual memory recognition, and planning all were significant predictors of at risk status in Grades 2 through 4. The latent trait model also fared well but did not account for the same amount of variance as any of the individual measurement models for any of the grades. The findings lay the foundation for an empirically based approach to cognitive assessment in Grade 1 for identifying potential at-risk students in later elementary grades and suggest potential underlying neurocognitive abilities that could be employed with educational interventions for students with later-emerging writing disabilities.
Cancer phytotherapeutics: role for flavonoids at the cellular level

Dietary foods and fruits possess an array of flavonoids with unique chemical structure and diverse bioactivities relevant to cancer. Numerous epidemiological studies have validated the inverse relation between the consumption of flavonoids and the risk of cancer. Flavonoids possess cancer blocking and suppressing effects. Flavonoids modulate various CYPs involved in carcinogen activation and scavenging reactive species formed from carcinogens by CYP‐mediated reactions. They induce biosynthesis of several CYPs. They are involved in the regulation of enzymes of phase‐II responsible for xenobiotic biotransformation and colon microflora. Since cytochromes P450, P‐gp and phase‐II enzymes are involved in the metabolism of drugs and in the processes of chemical carcinogenesis, interactions of flavonoids with these systems hold great promise for their therapeutic potential. The role of flavonoids also includes the inhibition of activation of pro‐carcinogens, inhibition of proliferation of cancer cells, selective death of cancer cells by apoptosis, inhibition of metastasis and angiogenesis, activation of immune response against cancer cells, modulation of the inflammatory cascade and the modulation of drug resistance. This has greatly extended the goal of cancer therapy from eradicating the affected cells to control of the cancer phenotype. Phytotherapy is being used in combination with other therapies as phytonutrients have been shown to work by nutrient synergy. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Situación de Staphylococcus aureus resistente a meticilina en el Hospital de Navarra (2000-2002)

Background. The aim of the present paper was to determine the prevalence and characteristics shown by isolations of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, isolated in our Microbiology Service. Methods. Retrospective study, covering the years 2000, 2001 and 2002. Analysis was made of the origin of the infection (nosocomial or non-nosocomial), the unit of origin in the event of nosocomial origin, anatomical localisation of the sample, and pattern of antibiotic sensitivity. Results. The isolations of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus accounted for 7.88% of the Staphylococcus aureus isolated. Less than half of the strains (44.87%) had a nosocomial origin and were most often isolated in the exudates of wounds. With respect to the pattern of resistance, there was some 50% of resistance to erythromycin, some 43.60% to clindamycine and some 21.79% to mupirocin. Conclusions. The prevalence and resistance pattern in vitro of the isolations of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus in our hospital are lower than that published in other areas of Spain.A
A Comparison of the ancient use of ginseng in traditional Chinese medicine with modern pharmacological experiments and clinical trials

Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer is a well‐known medicinal herb native to China and Korea, and has been used as a herbal remedy in eastern Asia for thousands of years. However, there is different evidence of ginseng efficacy between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), modern pharmacological experiments and clinical trials. In TCM, ginseng is a highly valued herb and has been applied to a variety of pathological conditions and illnesses such as hypodynamia, anorexia, shortness of breath, palpitation, insomnia, impotence, hemorrhage and diabetes. Modern pharmacological experiments have proved that ginseng possesses multiple constituents (ginsenosides, polysaccharides, peptides, polyacetylenic alcohols, etc.) and actions (central nervous system effects, neuroprotective effect, immunomodulation, anticancer, etc.), ginsenosides as the active ingredients, especially, having antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antiapoptotic and immunostimulant properties. Recently, ginseng has been studied in a number of randomized controlled trials investigating its effect mainly on physical and psychomotor performance, cognitive function, immunomodulation, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular risk factors, quality of life, as well as adverse effects. Equivocal results have been demonstrated for many of these indications. Because of the poor quality of most clinical trials on ginseng, reliable clinical data in humans are still lacking. Therefore, a broader understanding of medical knowledge and reasoning on ginseng is necessary. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparison of experimentally-induced wounds in rabbits treated with different sources of platelet-rich plasma

Over the years, autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been used to great advantage in the healing of acute and chronic wounds. However, it is impossible to use in some situations so alternative PRPs need to be considered, such as homologous or heterologous PRPs. In order to evaluate the effects of PRP in the form of autologous, heterologous and homologous gels on in vivo cutaneous wound healing, 18 animals divided into three groups of six, were used for the study, with another six animals used as PRP donors. For the heterologous group an adult, mixed breed dog was used to obtain the PRP. The wounds were induced using an 8 mm punch. The left side was treated with NaCl 0.9%® (A) and a PRP gel was applied (GA = autologous; GHE = heterologous and GHO = homologous) on the right side (B). The wounds were evaluated for a period of 17 days. On the 17th day biopsies were taken for histopathological assessment of the wounds. The percentage of contraction was evident in side B (treated), which was confirmed in the microscopic analysis of the histological sections. Thus, it was concluded that PRP, regardless of the source, improves and accelerates the healing process, demonstrating its therapeutic potential on cutaneous lesions and its use in patients with impaired wound healing.
MITK global tractography

Fiber tracking algorithms yield valuable information for neurosurgery as well as automated diagnostic approaches. However, they have not yet arrived in the daily clinical practice. In this paper we present an open source integration of the global tractography algorithm proposed by Reisert et.al.1 into the open source Medical Imaging Interaction Toolkit (MITK) developed and maintained by the Division of Medical and Biological Informatics at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). The integration of this algorithm into a standardized and open development environment like MITK enriches accessibility of tractography algorithms for the science community and is an important step towards bringing neuronal tractography closer to a clinical application. The MITK diffusion imaging application, downloadable from www.mitk. org, combines all the steps necessary for a successful tractography: preprocessing, reconstruction of the images, the actual tracking, live monitoring of intermediate results, postprocessing and visualization of the final tracking results. This paper presents typical tracking results and demonstrates the steps for pre- and post-processing of the images.
ESC Guidelines for the management of grown-up congenital heart disease (new version 2010).

Guidelines summarize and evaluate all currently available evidence on a particular issue with the aim of assisting physicians in selecting the best management strategies for an individual patient, suffering from a given condition, taking into account the impact on outcome, as well as the risk–benefit ratio of particular diagnostic or therapeutic means. Guidelines are no substitutes for textbooks, and their legal implications have been discussed previously. Guidelines and recommendations should help physicians to make decisions in their daily practice. However, the ultimate judgement regarding the care of an individual patient must be made by his/her responsible physician(s). A large number of Guidelines have been issued in recent years by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) as well as by other societies and organizations. Because of the impact on clinical practice, quality criteria for the development of guidelines have been established in order to make all decisions transparent to the user. The recommendations for formulating and issuing ESC Guidelines can be found on the ESC Web Site (http://www.escardio.org/guidelines/rules). Members of this Task Force were selected by the ESC to represent all physicians involved with the medical care of patients in this pathology. In brief, experts in the field are selected and undertake a comprehensive review of the published evidence for management and/or prevention of a given condition. A critical evaluation of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures is performed, including assessment of the risk–benefit ratio. Estimates of expected health outcomes for larger populations are included, where data exist. The level of evidence and the strength of recommendation of particular treatment options are weighed and graded according to pre-defined scales, as outlined in Tables 1 and 2 . View this table: Table 1 Classes of recommendations View this table: Table 2 Levels of evidence The experts of the writing and reviewing panels have provided disclosure statements of all relationships they may have which …
Preliminary assessment of midazolam, fentanyl and fluanisone combination for the sedation of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

This study was undertaken to assess the suitability of fentanyl/fluanisone (‘Hypnorm’, VetaPharma; 0.315 mg/mL of fentanyl citrate and 10 mg/mL of fluanisone) alone or combined with midazolam in rhesus macaques. Fifteen rhesus macaques requiring sedation for veterinary procedures received an intramuscular (IM) dose range of Hypnorm from 0.01 mL/kg to 0.3 mL/kg either alone or combined with 0.5 mg/kg of midazolam. To reverse the sedation, flumazenil in combination with either naloxone, buprenorphine or butorphanol was administered intravenously (IV) or IM. Rhesus macaques were successfully sedated with 0.1 mL/kg of Hypnorm and 0.5 mg/kg of midazolam, and sedation was partially reversed by the administration of flumazenil and either naloxone or buprenorphine. However the primates remained slightly sedated and were only released into their home cage several hours post recovery. Butorphanol failed to induce recovery and caused marked respiratory depression. The neuroleptanalgesic combination, Hypnorm and midazolam, effectively immobilized rhesus macaques and was reversible with a combination of flumazenil and either naloxone or buprenorphine.