Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neuroradiologic Applications with Routine C-arm Flat Panel Detector CT: Evaluation of Patient Dose Measurements

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Since the introduction of flat panel detector–equipped C-arms, the use of flat panel detector CT (FPCT) in the neuroradiologic angiography suite has become more frequent. This examination implicates its own specific radiation exposure. We used the CT dose index (CTDI) concept and adapted it to the special FPCT geometry to provide a consistent comparison with multisection head CT (cCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Exposure data obtained for routine scanning during a period of 1 year were used to assess a specific dose of a total of 217 rotational scans performed in 105 patients. One hundred seventy-two scans were 3D digital subtraction angiography (DSA) scans. There were 45 scans that were performed to achieve high-quality, soft-tissue resolution. Dose measurements in cylindrical polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) phantoms were used to determine the CTDI value and to compare it with the reference values for cCT. In addition, the dose-area product (DAP) was registered and correlated with the CTDI and corresponding dose-length product (DLP) values. Exposure data and dose values were compared with cCT. RESULTS: Mean-weighted CTDI value of 3D-DSA was approximately 9 mGy per scan. High-quality, soft-tissue resolution FPCT scans, comparable with cCT, revealed a mean dose value of 75 mGy (reference value for cCT, CTDIw ∼ 60 mGy). CONCLUSION: The high-speed scans used for 3D-DSA revealed a significantly lower CTDIw and DLP compared with clinical CT. The high-quality FPCT protocol resulted in a higher dose and should therefore be limited to acute cases, when patient transfer to a CT scanner is considered to be a disadvantage for patient management.
Potential for a fifth generation PET scanner for oncology

Four generations of PET scanners have emerged since the first clinical PET system. In this paper we predict the achievable performance of a fifth generation PET scanner, defined as a fully 3D system with no septa, an axial FOV approaching 30 cm with a spatial resolution mainly dictated by the positron physics. The predictions are based on the HIREZ (CPS/Siemens) performance plus current insights in detector technology, electronics and image reconstruction. The HIREZ system uses LSO scintillators, providing fast timing, good energy resolution, high spatial resolution and high system live time. LSO is an excellent candidate for a TOF detector with a proven 400 ps time resolution for detector blocks in coincidence. We have considered and integrated improvements that can be made to the key components necessary to the design of a fifth generation PET scanner. The spatial resolution can be improved by using a finer detector grid. The time window can be reduced. Packing fraction can be increased. The axial extension can be increased, giving more solid angle coverage and therefore better NEC. Based on the predicted gains in reduced randoms, dead time and TOF advantages, we have made initial simulations of the NEC for different axial field of views. An axial extension of /spl sim/32 cm with ECAT EXACT ring geometry gives at least four times higher NEC count rate than for a 16 cm axial FOV system. This will be combined with the improved image quality due to higher spatial sampling and TOF.
A Succinct Survey of Informative Perspective on Financial Analysts

From Katherine Schipper’s (1991) perspective, analysts’ job is only providin’ buy-hold-sale recommendations and generate analysis research report to gauche general analysts, gauche and unwary users or weakling investors. Based on her explanation, analysis research report includes one important information is earning expectation. Analysts engage decision process through evaluatin’, assessin’ and analyizin’ information from various sources, including earnings and other financial and non-financial information from SEC filings (e.g. form 10K, 8K etc), corporate proxy statements and annual, semi-annual and quarterly financial reports; industry environment, competitor environment and macroeconomic conditions such as interest rate and the government related rules and regulations; corporate conference calls, corporate press release, corporate news in different media devices, other management conversions. Some large investment banks would even provide qualitative research reports describing industry prospects such as a juxtaposition of different companies within an industry, market share distribution. It is instructive here to succinctly disintegratively consider four overarching (and progressively more inclusive) perspectives as to the roles of financial analysts and the financial and non financial information pronging on their properties. On the reverse, many weakling investors art diffident, denonair and flinch to invest into corporations without full disclosure of corporate accounts. The main contribution for financial analysts is making capital market efficiency.
Overdiagnosis of asthma in obese and nonobese adults

Background: It is unclear whether asthma is overdiagnosed in developed countries, particularly among obese individuals, who may be more likely than nonobese people to experience dyspnea. Methods: We conducted a longitudinal study involving nonobese (body mass index 20–25) and obese (body mass index ≥ 30) individuals with asthma that had been diagnosed by a physician. Participants were recruited from 8 Canadian cities by means of random-digit dialing. A diagnosis of current asthma was excluded in those who did not have evidence of acute worsening of asthma symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction or bronchial hyperresponsiveness, despite being weaned off asthma medications. We stopped asthma medications in those in whom a diagnosis of asthma was excluded and assessed their clinical outcomes over 6 months. Results: Of 540 individuals with physician-diagnosed asthma who participated in the study, 496 (242 obese and 254 nonobese) could be conclusively assessed for a diagnosis of asthma. Asthma was ultimately excluded in 31.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 26.3%–37.9%) in the obese group and in 28.7% (95% CI 23.5%–34.6%) in the nonobese group. Overdiagnosis of asthma was no more likely to occur among obese individuals than among nonobese individuals (p = 0.46). Of those in whom asthma was excluded, 65.5% did not need to take asthma medication or seek health care services because of asthma symptoms during a 6-month follow-up period. Interpretation: About one-third of obese and nonobese individuals with physician-diagnosed asthma did not have asthma when objectively assessed. This finding suggests that, in developed countries such as Canada, asthma is overdiagnosed.
Glutamate-Mediated Blood–Brain Barrier Opening: Implications for Neuroprotection and Drug Delivery

The blood–brain barrier is a highly selective anatomical and functional interface allowing a unique environment for neuro-glia networks. Blood–brain barrier dysfunction is common in most brain disorders and is associated with disease course and delayed complications. However, the mechanisms underlying blood–brain barrier opening are poorly understood. Here we demonstrate the role of the neurotransmitter glutamate in modulating early barrier permeability in vivo. Using intravital microscopy, we show that recurrent seizures and the associated excessive glutamate release lead to increased vascular permeability in the rat cerebral cortex, through activation of NMDA receptors. NMDA receptor antagonists reduce barrier permeability in the peri-ischemic brain, whereas neuronal activation using high-intensity magnetic stimulation increases barrier permeability and facilitates drug delivery. Finally, we conducted a double-blind clinical trial in patients with malignant glial tumors, using contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging to quantitatively assess blood–brain barrier permeability. We demonstrate the safety of stimulation that efficiently increased blood–brain barrier permeability in 10 of 15 patients with malignant glial tumors. We suggest a novel mechanism for the bidirectional modulation of brain vascular permeability toward increased drug delivery and prevention of delayed complications in brain disorders. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In this study, we reveal a new mechanism that governs blood–brain barrier (BBB) function in the rat cerebral cortex, and, by using the discovered mechanism, we demonstrate bidirectional control over brain endothelial permeability. Obviously, the clinical potential of manipulating BBB permeability for neuroprotection and drug delivery is immense, as we show in preclinical and proof-of-concept clinical studies. This study addresses an unmet need to induce transient BBB opening for drug delivery in patients with malignant brain tumors and effectively facilitate BBB closure in neurological disorders.
Right atrial pressure and ANP release during prolonged exercise in a hot environment.

To investigate the relationship between right atrial pressure (RAP) and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) release during prolonged exercise in a hot environment (30 degrees C, 20% relative humidity), we studied with a Swan-Ganz catheter five male volunteers exercising on a cycle ergometer at 60% of peak aerobic power for 50 min. The ANP level increased from 14 +/- 3 (SE) to 69 +/- 10 pg/ml (P < 0.001) during the first 10 min of exercise as RAP rose from 4.3 +/- 0.8 to 6.9 +/- 1.1 mmHg (P < 0.001). The 10-min ANP level was significantly correlated with RAP (r = 0.88, P < 0.05) but not with heart rate, pulmonary arterial blood temperature, plasma norepinephrine, or plasma epinephrine. The 10-min RAP value was inversely correlated with blood volume (r = -0.98, P < 0.01) and also with stroke volume (r = -0.96, P < 0.01). In the next 20 min of exercise, ANP continued to increase to 101 +/- 12 pg/ml (P < 0.02 vs. 10 min) and remained at this level until 50 min of exercise, whereas RAP decreased and reached a level not significantly different from baseline at 50 min (5.7 +/- 1.0 mmHg; P < 0.01 vs. 10 min). This dissociation of ANP and RAP may have been related to the significant increases from the 10-min values of heart rate, blood temperature, norepinephrine (all P < 0.01), and epinephrine (P < 0.02) during the same period. These results suggest that ANP release is primarily controlled by atrial distension at the onset of exercise but that other stimulators may be involved thereafter. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
[The in vitro antitumor effectiveness of murine lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells induced by recombinant IL-2].

We have studied the in vitro antitumor effectiveness of murine lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells induced by recombinant IL-2 (rIL-2). LAK cells were generated by placing 5 X 10(7) fresh C 57 BL/6 splenocytes (erythrocytes were lysed osmotically) in 10-cm (diameter) dishes (Falcon) containing 10 ml of complete medium (CM). The CM consisted of RPMI 1640 with 0.1 mM non-essential amino acids, 1 microM sodium pyruvate, 5 X 10(-5)M 2-mercaptoethanol, 50 micrograms/ml gentamicin sulfate, 0.03% glutamine, 10% heat-inactivated fetal calf serum (FCS) and 10 units/ml of rIL-2 (TGP-3, provided by TAKEDA Chemical Industries, Ltd). The dishes were incubated horizontally at 37 degrees C in a 5% CO2 atmosphere for 72-96 hr. The LAK cells were then harvested, washed three times, and resuspended in RPMI 1640 with 5% heat-inactivated FCS for the in vitro cytotoxicity assay. The antitumor cytotoxic activity of LAK cells was estimated in triplicate by 4 hr 51Cr release assays. The cytotoxic activity of LAK cells against syngeneic 203 glioma and normal syngeneic glioblasts was approximately 50% and a few %, respectively. The in vitro cytotoxicity of LAK cells against syngeneic EL-4 thymoma, allogeneic YAC-1 lymphoma and P-815 mastocytoma was 72%, 87% and 43%, respectively. Thus LAK cells have apparent tumor specificity in vitro and are easily generated. Fresh splenocytes of CBA/J mice were markedly lytic for natural killer (NK)-sensitive YAC-1 cells, but not for 203-glioma cells or NK-resistant P-815 cells. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
User-Oriented Image Quality Assessment of ZY-3 Satellite Imagery

For the purpose of evaluating the image quality of ZY-3 (Ziyuan-3) satellite imagery and from the perspective of data users in various professions, this paper proposed a user-oriented quality assessment to assess the panchromatic and multispectral images of ZY-3, which included the assessment of its image statistical characteristics, image visual effect, and interpretability. In order to better understand the quality level of the ZY-3 image product and the scope of its applications, a comparison of image quality factors was conducted between ZY-3 image and SPOT-5 image due to the close similarity between their functionalities. As far as the ZY-3 image was concerned, features of its gray-scale statistics showed the advantage in its wider data range, higher standard deviation, and a better histogram presenting in image. The analysis of texture from the two images also revealed better performance of the ZY-3 image than that of SPOT-5 with respect to homogeneity (HOM), contrast (CON), entropy (ENT), and angular second moment (ASM). Moreover, the result of visual effect assessment also confirmed the good performance of ZY-3 data. An evaluation of the interpretability was conducted by using the National Imagery Interpretability Rating Scale (NIIRS). According to the relationship between NIIRS and mapping scale, the suitable mapping scales of the images from both ZY-3 and SPOT-5 were estimated from the viewpoint of image quality. As our survey shows, ZY-3 image products are marked by good gray scale characteristics and texture effect. According to its moderate NIIRS rating and result of mapping scale estimation, its maximum mapping scale potential is about 1:16 000.
Exploring the factors that influence Generation Y students’ attitudes towards university websites

In South Africa, an increasing number of Generation Y students register at higher education institutions on an annual basis. This rising number, coupled with university websites being a primary source of information and a basis for creating institutional impressions that can affect the attitudes and behavioural intentions of students, highlights the importance of understanding the factors that influence Generation Y students? attitudes towards university websites. As such, the purpose of this study was to determine the influence of ease of use, usefulness and playfulness on Generation Y students? attitudes towards university websites within the South African context. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from a convenience sample of 319 Generation Y students registered at two higher education institution campuses in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and multivariate regression analysis. The findings indicate that the ease of use, usefulness and playfulness of university websites have a significant positive influence on Generation Y students? attitudes towards university websites. Universities can use the findings of this study to improve the effectiveness of their websites in an attempt to positively influence Generation Y students? attitudes towards the sites.
GOVERNANCE OF HEALTHCARE SYSTEM: FRAMEWORKS FOR GENDER MAINSTREAMING INTO PUBLIC HEALTH

The governance of health system is a very important aspect to consider ensuring the equitable distribution of healthcare services to the population. The governance of health system is based on the equitable provision of resources, designing of appropriate strategies to improve the health conditions and people well-being, by adhering to proper, adequate rules and procedural guidelines for measuring its actions. This paper presents the gender-based governance frameworks designed by several health organizations to measure the performance of a health system. These governance frameworks were adopted from the annual reports of International health organizations and analyzed through the perspective of gender. There is a need to measure the governance of a health system within the particular framework. In this light, to regulate the structure of governance, the government is responsible to assure the provision of health services both in the public and private sectors. Unfortunately, the process of planning and financing health care services lacks accountability. Thus, to ensure a gender balanced structure of governance in the health system, there is a need to integrate the gender perspective on all levels of health system starting from the policy to its implementation. Article DOI: https://dx.doi. org/10.20319/lijhls.2017. 32.118127 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, PO Box 1866, Mountain View, CA 94042, USA.
Red Blood Cell Distribution Width Is an Independent Predictor of Mortality in Patients With Gram-Negative Bacteremia

ABSTRACT Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) is known to be a predictor of severe morbidity and mortality in some chronic diseases such as congestive heart failure. However, to our knowledge, little is known about RDW as a predictor of mortality in patients with Gram-negative bacteremia, a major nosocomial cause of intra-abdominal infections, urinary tract infections, and primary bacteremia. Therefore, we investigated whether RDW is an independent predictor of mortality in patients with Gram-negative bacteremia. Clinical characteristics, laboratory parameters, and outcomes of 161 patients with Gram-negative bacteremia from November 2010 to March 2011 diagnosed at Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea, were retrospectively analyzed. The main outcome measure was 28-day all-cause mortality. The 28-day mortality rate was significantly higher in the increased RDW group compared with the normal RDW group (P < 0.001). According to multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis, RDW levels at the onset of bacteremia (per 1% increase, P = 0.036), the Charlson index (per 1-point increase, P < 0.001), and the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (per 1-point increase, P = 0.001) were independent risk factors for 28-day mortality. Moreover, the nonsurvivor group had significantly higher RDW levels 72 h after the onset of bacteremia than did the survivor group (P = 0.001). In addition, the area under the curve of RDW at the onset of bacteremia, the 72-h RDW, and the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score for 28-day mortality were 0.764 (P = 0.001), 0.802 (P < 0.001), and 0.703 (P = 0.008), respectively. Red blood cell distribution width at the onset of bacteremia was an independent predictor of mortality in patients with Gram-negative bacteremia. Also, 72-h RDW could be a predictor for all-cause mortality in patients with Gram-negative bacteremia.
Adherence–resistance relationships for protease and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors explained by virological fitness

Objective:To compare the prevalence of resistance by adherence level in patients treated with non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) or protease inhibitors (PI). Also to examine the mechanism of differential class-specific adherence–resistance relationships, focusing on the patient-derived capacity of wild-type and drug-resistant recombinant variants to replicate in vitro in the presence of variable drug levels. Methods:Participants received unannounced pill count measures to assess adherence, viral load monitoring, and genotypic resistance testing. The replicative capacity of drug-susceptible and drug-resistant recombinants was determined using a single-cycle recombinant phenotypic susceptibility assay. Drug exposure was estimated using population-averaged pharmacological measurements adjusted by participant-specific levels of adherence. Results:In the NNRTI-treated group, 69% had resistance at 0–48% adherence compared to 13% at 95–100% (P = 0.01). PI resistance was less common than NNRTI resistance at 0–48% adherence (69% versus 23%; P = 0.01). In multivariate analysis, the odds for PI resistance increased (P = 0.03) while the odds for NNRTI resistance decreased (P = 0.04) with improving adherence. Individuals with drug-resistant variants were more likely to have levels of drug exposure where the resistant variant was more fit than the drug-susceptible variant in vitro, while those with drug-susceptible virus were more likely to have levels of drug exposure where the drug-susceptible virus was more fit than the drug-resistant variant (P = 0.005). Conclusions:NNRTI resistance was more common than PI resistance at low levels of adherence. Class-specific adherence–resistance relationships are associated with the relative replicative capacity of drug-resistant versus wild-type variants to replicate in the presence of clinically relevant drug levels.
Interpretation of items in the AUDIT questionnaire.

AIMS To test for the possibility that tertiary students misinterpret certain items on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). METHODS Responses to alternative question wordings were compared with responses to standard items. RESULTS Alterations to items 5 and 9, so that consequences of drinking epitomized in these items were more specifically defined, resulted in markedly different response distributions to the item, but the total AUDIT score was not changed. CONCLUSIONS Caution is necessary before using individual AUDIT items as measures of consequences in population surveys, and the possibility of false positives in total scores should be borne in mind.
RNA-mediated epigenetic modifications of an endogenous gene targeted by a viral vector

Nucleotide-sequence-specific interactions mediated by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) can induce gene silencing. Gene silencing through transcriptional repression can be induced by dsRNA targeted to a gene promoter. However, until recently, no plant has been produced that harbors an endogenous gene that remains silenced in the absence of promoter-targeting dsRNA. We have reported for the first time that transcriptional gene silencing can be induced by targeting dsRNA to the endogenous gene promoters in petunia and tomato plants, using a Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV)-based vector and that the induced gene silencing is heritable. Efficient silencing depended on the function of the 2b protein encoded in the vector, which facilitates epigenetic modifications through the transport of short interfering RNA (siRNA) to the nucleus. Here we show that gene silencing that is mediated by targeting dsRNA to a gene promoter via the CMV vector can be as strong as co-suppression in terms of both the extent of mRNA decrease and phenotypic changes. We also show that the expression of genes involved in RNA-directed DNA methylation and in demethylation are upregulated and downregulated, respectively, in Arabidopsis plants infected with CMV. Thus, along with the function of the 2b protein, that transports siRNA to the nucleus, the promoter-targeted silencing system using the CMV vector has some property that facilitates heritable epigenetic changes on endogenous genes, enabling the production of a novel class of modified plants that do not have a transgene.