Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
TNF-alpha antagonist therapy improves insulin sensitivity in non-diabetic ankylosing spondylitis patients.

OBJECTIVES Since insulin resistance can promote endothelial dysfunction, and anti-TNF-α treatment improves endothelial function in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients, in the present study we sought to assess whether an infusion of the anti-TNF-α monoclonal antibody-infliximab may improve insulin sensitivity in non-diabetic AS patients. METHODS We assessed a series of 30 non-diabetic patients with AS attending hospital outpatient clinics who fulfilled the modified New York diagnostic criteria for AS. In all cases, the drug was given as an intravenous infusion in a saline solution over 120 minutes. Fasting blood samples were taken for determination of plasma glucose and serum insulin levels immediately before (time 0) and after infliximab infusion (time 120). RESULTS At the time of the study only 8 (26.7%) of the 30 patients fulfilled definitions for insulin resistance as HOMA index was in most cases less than 2.29. Nevertheless, a statistically significant reduction in the HOMA values was observed when results found at time 0 (mean±SD: 1.72±1.22) were compared with those observed immediately after infliximab infusion (1.18±0.94) (p<0.001). The reduction in HOMA values was more important in those patients with the higher values of HOMA before infliximab infusion. Also, a significant improvement of insulin sensitivity was observed in most patients when QUICKI values before (0.37±0.04) and after infusion (0.39±0.04) were compared (p=0.004). CONCLUSIONS The present study shows that non-diabetic patients with AS on treatment with infliximab experience a rapid improvement of insulin sensitivity following administration of this drug.
A Comparative Study of Construction Techniques of t-Error Correction/All Unidirectional Error Detection Codes

The theory and application of (t-EC-AUED) codes was presented and among the methods proposed in literature, the most efficient was chosen and a software was written for encoding and decoding of the codes. Comparison and evaluation of the construction techniques were carried out. A t-Error Correction (EC)/All Unidirectional Error Detection (AUED) codes are constructed by appending a single check symbol to a linear t-EC code to achieve the AUED property.
Can preoperative psychological defensive strategies, mood and type of lower urinary tract reconstruction predict psychosocial adjustment after cystectomy in patients with bladder cancer?

OBJECTIVES To assess if there is relationship between: (i) preoperative psychological defensive strategies, mood and type of lower urinary tract reconstruction, and (ii) psychosocial adaptation after radical cystectomy for bladder cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Fifty-seven consecutive patients (44 men and 13 women, mean age 62 years, range 34-81) undergoing radical cystectomy (ileal conduit urinary diversion in 17, continent cutaneous diversion in 22 and orthotopic bladder replacement in 18) were assessed preoperatively using the meta-contrast technique (MCT), a projective test to reveal individual defensive strategies. From the results the patients were classified as hypothetical 'at risk' or 'no risk' patients for postoperative psychosocial complications. An 'at risk' patient was designated as one who showed neurotic defensive strategies in coping with threats, i.e. primitive, immature or regressive strategies or even lack of defence in connection with pronounced anxiety. All patients completed a questionnaire and were interviewed; 10 questions dealt with mood, five reflecting anxiety and five the depressive states. The questionnaire and the interview were repeated 3 and 12 months, and 5 years after surgery. RESULTS The remembered difficulties during the first month after discharge from hospital differed between the 'risk' and 'no risk' groups after 1 and 5 years. On a visual analogue scale (VAS) the 'risk' patients had very low scores (less difficulty) or very high, while the 'no risk' patients had intermediate scores. VAS score were also higher, although not significantly so, in patients using primitive defence strategies. The psychosocial situation did not differ between the groups in the first year, but at 5 years there were differences in self-esteem and interpersonal contact-seeking. High depression scores before surgery were associated with high VAS scores at 3 months when recalling the first month after discharge, but the anxiety score was not predictive. Men with orthotopic bladder replacement adapted less well throughout the 5 year follow-up. Elderly patients with stereotypy (the commonest defensive strategy at these ages) adapted relatively well to ileal conduit diversion. About 20% of patients had difficulty in accepting the postoperative situation, regardless of urinary diversion modes. CONCLUSION The combination of defensive strategies assessed using the MCT and selected on hypothetical grounds was less discriminatory than expected for those at risk of postoperative psychosocial problems. However, those with primitive strategies apparently had a long-term risk of poor adaptation. The search for an optimal instrument for the identification of patients at risk is warranted. In this study, patients with a 'wet' stoma did not seem to fare less well than those with a continent reconstruction.
Evaluating Research on the Safety of Medical Therapies: The Responsibility of Journals to the Health of the Public.

Each year JAMA receives many manuscripts that report a relationship between use of a drug, device, or vaccine and adverse outcomes, as well as manuscripts that refute previously reported relationships. Some of the criteria these reports must meet to be considered for publication include that the results must be determined likely to be valid following internal evaluation and external peer review; the findings must be considered novel or consistent with a previously reported biologically plausible relationship; and the issue the study addresses must be important, including assessment of factors such as the prevalence of use of the product, severity of the adverse events, and potential implications for public health. JAMA has recently published several reports suggesting an association between use of a drug or device and adverse
Feasibility and pilot efficacy results from the multisite Cognitive Remediation in the Schizophrenia Trials Network (CRSTN) randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND The true benefit of pharmacologic intervention to improve cognition in schizophrenia may not be evident without regular cognitive enrichment. Clinical trials assessing the neurocognitive effects of new medications may require engagement in cognitive remediation exercises to stimulate the benefit potential. However, the feasibility of large-scale multisite studies using cognitive remediation at clinical trials sites has not been established. METHOD 53 adult patients with DSM-IV schizophrenia from 9 university-affiliated sites were randomized to a cognitive remediation condition that included the Posit Science Brain Fitness auditory training program with weekly Neuropsychological and Educational Approach to Remediation (NEAR) "bridging groups" or a control condition of computer games and weekly healthy lifestyles groups. Patients were expected to complete 3 to 5 one-hour sessions weekly for 40 sessions or 12 weeks, whichever came first. The primary outcomes were feasibility results as measured by rate of enrollment, retention, and completion rate of primary outcome measures. The study was conducted from July 2009 through January 2010. RESULTS During a 3-month enrollment period, 53 (of a projected 54) patients were enrolled, and 41 (77%) met criteria for study completion. Thirty-one patients completed all 40 sessions, and all patients completed all primary outcome measures. Preliminary efficacy results indicated that, after 20 sessions, patients in the cognitive remediation condition demonstrated mean MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery composite score improvements that were 3.7 (95% CI, 0.05-7.34) T-score points greater than in patients in the computer-games control group (F(1,46) = 4.16, P = . 047). At the end of treatment, a trend favoring cognitive remediation was not statistically significant (F(1,47) = 2.26, P = . 14). CONCLUSION Multisite clinical trials of cognitive remediation using the Posit Science Brain Fitness auditory training program with the NEAR method of weekly bridging groups at traditional clinical sites appear to be feasible. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00930150.
A Master Key to Assess Stroke Consequences Across Species: The Adhesive Removal Test

1.1 History of the adhesive removal test Long-term consequences of stroke are often dramatically disabling for daily living but also costly for public health. Stroke research is therefore a priority for most industrialized countries. Therefore and paradoxically, the current situation is disappointing for the patients but stimulating for the researchers who have to figure out new therapies and assess their efficiency. The major initial problem to solve for clinicians when a stroke occurs is to rapidly distinguish between ischemia and hemorrhage to decide for the reperfusion of the brain or for the bleeding stop. Therefore, the first step of stroke treatment takes place within a very short-term and tiny time window (even if it was recently extended to 4 hours for thrombolysis). Next steps of the treatments are directed to avoid another stroke and to promote rehabilitation. For this latter, unfortunately, the treatments are scarce and although many different options have been tested (kinesiotherapy, speech therapy etc.), the situation is still unsatisfactory. News fields of research tried to find out new therapies aimed at improving neurogenesis, implanting stem cells or grafts, or stimulating trophic and growth factors, but in vain, transfer from animal to human is still disappointing. Another way to deal with treatment of stroke is to assess what happens in those patients who recover spontaneously. Indeed, around 33% of stroke patients spontaneously recover after stroke but the mechanisms involved in the recovery, not elucidated till now, could be interesting to promote. To assess these mechanisms, it is of a major importance to be able to measure longterm functional deficits in animal models of stroke, which is by the way a strong recommendation from the STAIR Roundtables (STAIR, 1999; STAIRIII, 2001). According to the brain structures infracted, stroke induces many different symptoms affecting physiological, sensori-motor, and/or cognitive functions. In experimental studies, it is possible to induce different models of stroke and to assess with many different ways their consequences. However, given the extraordinary spontaneous recovery displayed by animals, especially rodents, it is not always possible to highlight long-term deficits. Indeed, small brain lesions induce deficits that either cannot be detected by global behavioral tests or only for a short term period after stroke (limb placing test, neurological score). That is the reason why news tests have been designed to assess functional recovery in animals. Among the various behavioral tests developed so far, the adhesive removal test and all its variations (sticky-tape test, bilateral asymmetry test) have been proved to be one of the most efficient to highlight tiny long term sensori-motor deficits. Originally brought back from bedside to
Survey on Community Detection and Strength Analysis Methods

-The continuous interest in the social network area plays important role in the fast development of this field. The new ways of obtaining and storing data facilitate deeper analysis of the entire network and also helps to understand behaviour of extracted communities (social groups) and single individuals as well. One of the most attractive research areas is the analysis of communities in the dynamic network over time. There are many approaches for detecting communities sequentially from successive snapshots by considering both the current and past information. However, these methods cannot provide us with much past or successive information related to the detected communities. With the proper knowledge and methods for dynamic analysis, one can try to predict the future of communities, and then it is possible to manage it accurately in order to accomplish or change this predicted future according to particular needs. Such capacity would be a powerful means for the human resource managers, personnel recruitment, marketing, etc. With the latter aim, this paper presents an overview of methods used for tracking the community strength in dynamic network.
Fingerprint pore matching method using polar histogram

Pores on the fingerprints have proven to be useful features for fingerprint recognition and successfully used in Automatic Fingerprint Recognition Systems (AFRS). Several methods for pore matching have been reported and these methods employ minutiae or ridge information. This paper presents a pore matching method using relative locations between extracted pore centers. The proposed pore matching method first generates a descriptor for each pore using polar histogram and establishes the correspondences between the pores from the reference image and the target image. Then, RANSAC (RANdom SAmple Consensus) algorithm is used to refine the correspondences and calculates the final matching score. A series of experiments show that fingerprint recognition could be achieved using only relative locations between the pores.
Human Object Extraction Using Nonextensive Fuzzy Entropy and Chaos Differential Evolution

Human object extraction from infrared image has broad applications, and has become an active research area in image processing community. Combined with chaos differential evolution (CDE) algorithm and morphological operators, a novel infrared human target extraction method is proposed based on nonextensive fuzzy entropy. Firstly, the image was transformed into a fuzzy domain by fuzzy membership function, and the image nonextensive fuzzy entropy was constructed. Then, the image was segmented by thresholding based on the maximum entropy principle and the pseudoadditivity rule of nonextensive entropy. In order to reduce the search time of optimal threshold selection, the CDE algorithm was presented. Finally, the object was extracted using morphological operators to denoise, fill cavity on the threshold segmented image. Experimental results show that the proposed method is efficient and requires less computation time.
Student research highlight staggered synthetic aperture radar

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is an active microwave remote sensing technique that can provide high-resolution images independent of sunlight illumination. Moreover, because clouds, fog, and precipitation do not have a signifcant effect on microwaves, all-weather imaging is possible. Because of the coherent reception of the radar echoes, an effective long “synthetic” antenna can be generated by signal processing and exploited to achieve high resolution in the fight (or azimuth) direction. These peculiarities make SAR attractive for the systematic observation of dynamic processes on Earth's surface [1].
Breathing new life into pediatric advanced life support training*.

744 www.ccmjournal. org March 2014 • Volume 42 • Number 3 13. Rello J, Sole-Violan J, Sa-Borges M, et al: Pneumonia caused by oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus treated with glycopeptides. Crit Care Med 2005; 33:1983–1987 14. Orhan-Sungur M, Akça O: Ventilator-associated pneumonia by multidrug-resistant bacteria: Pathogen-specific risks versus care-related risks. J Crit Care 2007; 22:26–27 15. Medina J, Formento C, Pontet J, et al: Prospective study of risk factors for ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by Acinetobacter species. J Crit Care 2007; 22:18–26 16. Akça O, Koltka K, Uzel S, et al: Risk factors for early-onset, ventilator-associated pneumonia in critical care patients: Selected multiresistant versus nonresistant bacteria. Anesthesiology 2000; 93:638–645 17. Drakulovic MB, Torres A, Bauer TT, et al: Supine body position as a risk factor for nosocomial pneumonia in mechanically ventilated patients: A randomised trial. Lancet 1999; 354:1851–1858 18. Kostadima E, Kaditis AG, Alexopoulos EI, et al: Early gastrostomy reduces the rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia in stroke or head injury patients. Eur Respir J 2005; 26:106–111 19. Institute for Healthcare Improvement: Implement the Ventilator Bundle, 2005. Available at: http://www.ihi. org/knowledge/Pages/ Changes/ImplementtheVentilatorBundle.aspx. Accessed December 16, 2013 20. Blot S, Koulenti D, Dimopoulos G, et al; the EU-VAP Study Investigators: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Mortality for Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia in Middle-Aged, Old, and Very Old Critically Ill Patients. Crit Care Med 2014; 42:601–609 21. Koulenti D, Lisboa T, Brun-Buisson C, et al; EU-VAP/CAP Study Group: Spectrum of practice in the diagnosis of nosocomial pneumonia in patients requiring mechanical ventilation in European intensive care units. Crit Care Med 2009; 37:2360–2368 22. Cheng JW, Nayar M: A review of heart failure management in the elderly population. Am J Geriatr Pharmacother 2009; 7:233–249 23. Tejerina E, Frutos-Vivar F, Restrepo MI, et al; International Mechanical Ventilation Study Group: Incidence, risk factors, and outcome of ventilator-associated pneumonia. J Crit Care 2006; 21:56–65 24. Rammaert B, Ader F, Nseir S: [Ventilator-associated pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]. Rev Mal Respir 2007; 24:1285–1298
Linking physician burnout and patient outcomes: Exploring the dyadic relationship between physicians and patients

Background: Although patient outcomes of hospital stays have been widely explored, particularly patient satisfaction, there is a dearth of research linking health care provider burnout and patient outcomes at a dyadic level. In this article, we develop and test a model to explain the relationship between dimensions of burnout and patient outcomes, including patient satisfaction and recovery time. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to explore the relationship between physician burnout and patient satisfaction and the time required to regain normal functioning after hospital discharge. Methods: This study was based upon a survey of 178 matched pairs of patients and physicians. The patients were people who had been hospitalized within the previous year. Results: We found support for the notion that the depersonalization dimension of physician burnout was associated with patient outcomes of lower satisfaction and longer post discharge recovery time (after controlling for severity of illness and other demographic factors). Implications for Practice: The findings suggest that physician burnout has an impact on patient outcomes. Although this is a preliminary study, it suggests that organizations that take proactive steps to reduce burnout through system wide intervention programs will see greater benefits in terms of patient satisfaction and recovery.
Clinical, Cognitive, and Neurophysiologic Correlates of Short-Term Treatment with Carbamazepine, Oxcarbazepine, and Levetiracetam in Healthy Volunteers

BACKGROUND The adverse effects of the antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) originally developed are well known, while those of the newer AEDs remain unclear. OBJECTIVE To investigate clinical, cognitive, and neurophysiologic effects of carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, and levetiracetam in healthy volunteers. METHODS A double-blind crossover study was conducted in 10 volunteers. Eight-day treatment with carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine, levetiracetam, or placebo was administered in random order. Drug doses were titrated gradually to the daily target doses on day 7: carbamazepine 800 mg, oxcarbazepine 1200 mg, and levetiracetam 1500 mg. At baseline and at the end of each treatment period, participants underwent cognitive and neurophysiologic assessment. A washout period of 14 days between treatment periods was conducted. RESULTS More adverse events were self-reported with carbamazepine (63%) than the other treatments (oxcarbazepine 12%, levetiracetam 20%, placebo 5%; p < 0.001 between the 4 groups). Carbamazepine induced the greatest motor slowing (p = 0.002), followed by oxcarbazepine (p = 0.01). Levetiracetam left baseline motor speed unchanged. All AEDs increased attention span from baseline values as shown on the Stroop test. Quantitative electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis showed that carbamazepine significantly increased the delta–theta power and reduced the frequency of alpha rhythm; oxcarbazepine induced smaller changes than carbamazepine. Levetiracetam did not change any EEG measurements. On color visually evoked potential (VEP) tests, carbamazepine induced a constant slowing of P1 latency, while oxcarbazepine induced changes only after the blue–black pattern. All color VEP measures for volunteers receiving levetiracetam were almost unchanged. CONCLUSIONS After short-term treatment in healthy volunteers, carbamazepine induced major clinical and neurophysiologic changes. Oxcarbazepine was better tolerated than carbamazepine. Levetiracetam interfered least with clinical and neurophysiologic test results.
Transfersomes for transdermal drug delivery

Transfersomes® (Idea AG) are a form of elastic or deformable vesicle, which were first introduced in the early 1990s. Elasticity is generated by incorporation of an edge activator in the lipid bilayer structure. The original composition of these vesicles was soya phosphatidyl choline incorporating sodium cholate and a small concentration of ethanol. Transfersomes are applied in a non-occluded method to the skin and have been shown to permeate through the stratum corneum lipid lamellar regions as a result of the hydration or osmotic force in the skin. They have been used as drug carriers for a range of small molecules, peptides, proteins and vaccines, both in vitro and in vivo. It has been claimed by Idea AG that intact Transfersomes penetrate through the stratum corneum and the underlying viable skin into the blood circulation. However, this has not been substantiated by other research groups who have extensively probed the mechanism of penetration and interaction of elastic vesicles in the skin. Structural changes in the stratum corneum have been identified, and intact elastic vesicles visualised within the stratum corneum lipid lamellar regions, but no intact vesicles have been ascertained in the viable tissues. Using the principle of incorporating an edge-activator agent into a bilayer structure, a number of other elastic vesicle compositions have been evaluated. This review describes the research into the development and evaluation of Transfersomes and elastic vesicles as topical and transdermal delivery systems.
HPV genotypes detected in the oropharyngeal mucosa of HIV-infected men who have sex with men in Northern Italy

SUMMARY The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiological profile of HPV oropharyngeal infections in HIV-infected men who have sex with men. A total of 135 subjects were enrolled at the L. Sacco University Hospital (Milan, Italy) to evaluate their HPV oropharyngeal infection status at baseline and at a follow-up visit at least 12 months later. HPV DNA was detected from oropharyngeal swabs using an in-house nested PCR that amplifies a segment of the L1 gene. The PCR products were then sequenced and genotyped. A greater percentage of high-risk genotypes was identified compared to low-risk genotypes (13·7% vs. 6·9%, P < 0·05), and two uncommon alpha-HPV genotypes were detected, i.e. HPV-102 and HPV-114. HPV infection prevalence was 24·4% and the cumulative incidence was 24·1%. During the follow-up period, one case of HPV infection (HPV-33) persisted, while the overall rate of infection clearance was 58·3%. HPV oropharyngeal infection was widespread in the cohort examined, and most of the infections were transient and cleared within 12 months. These results may help to clarify the role of HPV in the oropharynx and may also improve our understanding of the need to implement preventive strategies in at-risk populations.