Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tendinopathy of the Achilles Tendon: Volume Assessed by Automated Contour Detection in Submillimeter Isotropic 3-Dimensional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Data Sets Recorded at a Field Strength of 3 T

Objective This prospective study assesses volume changes of the Achilles tendon in case of chronic tendinopathy (TEN), using an automated contour detection algorithm in submillimeter isotropic 3-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging data sets, recorded at 3 T. Methods Forty-one subjects (median age, 40 years; range, 19–68 years) were included in this prospective study and underwent nonenhanced magnetic resonance imaging of both Achilles tendons at 3 T, deploying a T2-weighted 3-dimensional Fast-Spin-Echo sequence with submillimeter resolution of 0.8 mm. Of the 41 subjects, 13 were classified as patients with TEN and 28 were healthy volunteers and served as control group. Of the 13 patients, 10 had unilateral TEN and 3 had bilateral TEN. Achilles tendons were automatically segmented in the T2-weighted magnetic resonance data sets for the evaluation of the tendon volume (0–3 cm proximal to the cranial border of the calcaneal bone). The total volume (length, 3 cm) was divided in 3 subvolumes of 1 cm length, named volume (0–1 cm), volume (1–2 cm), and volume (2–3 cm). Minimum and maximum tendon cross-sectional area within the total volume was processed. A standardized pain questionnaire was obtained from all patients. Results The automated contour detection algorithm worked reliably in all cases. The TEN group showed a significantly increased tendon volume compared to the control group (mean volume, 2.94 vs 2.43 mm3; P < 0.05). The difference was most obvious concerning volume (2–3 cm) (P < 0.0001). Evaluation of clinical severity revealed a moderate correlation between VISA-score and tendon volume (2–3 cm) as well as the maximum/minimum tendon area (&rgr; = −0.44, &rgr; = −0.48, and &rgr; = −0.41). In case of unilateral TEN, the symptomatic side showed an increased tendon volume (2–3 cm) and increased minimum area (P < 0.05). Conclusions Tendon volume and size are adequate surrogate parameters to differentiate patients with chronic TEN from healthy subjects, and may discriminate symptomatic TEN from asymptomatic “silent” TEN in patients with unilateral symptoms.
Clinical Characteristics of Pediatric Patients with Ocular Toxocariasis in China

Objective: The aim of the study was to analyze the clinical characteristics of pediatric patients with ocular toxocariasis. Methods: Ocular toxocariasis was diagnosed and treated in 46 children from Shanghai and surrounding provinces. The diagnosis of ocular toxocariasis was confirmed immunologically by performing an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on serum and/or intraocular fluid. All pediatric patients and their guardians completed a questionnaire concerning their cases and living habits. Results: The mean age of onset was 6 ± 3 years. Most children (85%) resided in rural areas, and 91% of the children had contact with adult dogs or puppies. At the first visit, visual acuity (VA) was <20/200 in 36 cases, and we detected peripheral granuloma in 36 patients. In our study, the most common signs were vitritis, vitreous strands, and tractional retinal detachment. The Optomap 200Tx device detected granuloma with an 85% sensitivity, which is much higher than that of other techniques. We treated 40 cases (87%) with topical corticosteroids, while 28 patients (61%) were treated with systemic corticosteroids. Only 18 children (39%) required surgical intervention. All patients were examined and treated by the same ophthalmologists. Conclusions: Preschool children in China are more often affected by toxocariasis compared with other age groups. The most common signs included unilateral granuloma and ocular inflammation. In our study, clinical manifestations were severe and complicated. At the first visit, VA was <20/200 in most patients. Ocular toxocariasis was diagnosed on the basis of clinical signs and symptoms; the diagnosis was confirmed by immunological testing. Techniques using the Optomap 200Tx device can facilitate the early detection and lead to better visual prognosis.
Sexual content of advertisements and the smoking process in adolescents.

STUDY OBJECTIVE s: To analyze the perception of sexual content (PSC) of tobacco advertisements and its potential impact on the process of smoking in adolescents. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS, AND SETTING A questionnaire was administered to 1,186 adolescents at the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases in Mexico City to determine the PSC. In addition, age, gender, susceptibility, receptivity, parental smoking and education, anxiety, depressive symptoms, school category, and grade were determined. INTERVENTIONS AND MEASUREMENTS The images of two advertisements were projected in color onto a screen. One of the images had unquestionable sexual content. The impact of the images was evaluated at the same time in the questionnaire. RESULTS Forty-one percent of participants were nonsmokers (25% nonsusceptible and 16% susceptible), whereas 59% were smokers (47% experimenters and 12% established). Sixty-six percent were receptive to promotions of the tobacco companies. Seventy-two percent perceived sexual contents in the advertisements. A logistic regression model showed that receptivity (odds ratio [OR], 2.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3 to 3.4), minimal PSC (OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.7 to 4.0), and high PSC (OR, 4.4; 95% CI, 2.4 to 8.0) were significantly associated with the status of smokers, whether experimenters or established. The strongest association was found with established smokers. Further analysis showed that male gender was significantly associated with high levels of PSC. CONCLUSIONS These results show that a high percentage of adolescents perceived sexual content in the tobacco advertisement, which, independent of the subject's receptivity, plays a role in the process of smoking, especially in male adolescents.
Methods of Measurement in epidemiology: sedentary Behaviour.

BACKGROUND Research examining sedentary behaviour as a potentially independent risk factor for chronic disease morbidity and mortality has expanded rapidly in recent years. METHODS We present a narrative overview of the sedentary behaviour measurement literature. Subjective and objective methods of measuring sedentary behaviour suitable for use in population-based research with children and adults are examined. The validity and reliability of each method is considered, gaps in the literature specific to each method identified and potential future directions discussed. RESULTS To date, subjective approaches to sedentary behaviour measurement, e.g. questionnaires, have focused predominantly on TV viewing or other screen-based behaviours. Typically, such measures demonstrate moderate reliability but slight to moderate validity. Accelerometry is increasingly being used for sedentary behaviour assessments; this approach overcomes some of the limitations of subjective methods, but detection of specific postures and postural changes by this method is somewhat limited. Instruments developed specifically for the assessment of body posture have demonstrated good reliability and validity in the limited research conducted to date. Miniaturization of monitoring devices, interoperability between measurement and communication technologies and advanced analytical approaches are potential avenues for future developments in this field. CONCLUSIONS High-quality measurement is essential in all elements of sedentary behaviour epidemiology, from determining associations with health outcomes to the development and evaluation of behaviour change interventions. Sedentary behaviour measurement remains relatively under-developed, although new instruments, both objective and subjective, show considerable promise and warrant further testing.
The impact of hospital and urban wastewaters on the bacteriological contamination of the water resources in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

ABSTRACT Although the United Nations General Assembly recognized in 2010 the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential to the full enjoyment of life and all other human rights, the contamination of water supplies with faecal pathogens is still a major and unsolved problem in many parts of the world. In this study, faecal indicator bacteria (FIB), including Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Enterococcus (ENT), were quantified over the period of June/July 2014 and June/July 2015 to assess the quality of hospital effluents (n = 3: H1, H2 and H3) and of rivers receiving wastewaters from the city of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. The water and sediment samples from the river-receiving systems were collected in, upstream and downstream of the hospital outlet pipe (HOP) discharge. The analysis of E. coli and ENT in water and sediment suspension was performed using the cultural membrane filter method. The FIB characterization was performed for general E. coli, Enterococcus faecalis(E. faecalis) and human-specific Bacteroides by PCR using specific primers. The results revealed very high FIB concentration in the hospital effluent waters, with E. coli reaching the values of 4.2 × 105, 16.1 × 105 and 5.9 × 105 CFU 100 mL−1, for the hospital effluents from H1, H2, and H3, respectively; and Enterococcus reaching the values of 2.3 × 104, 10.9 × 104 and 4.1 × 104 CFU 100 mL−1, respectively. Interestingly, the FIB levels in the water and sediment samples from river-receiving systems are spatially and temporally highly variable and present in some samples with higher values than the hospital effluents. The PCR assays for human-specific Bacteroides HF183/HF134 further indicate that more than 98% of bacteria were from human origin. The results of this research therefore confirm the hypothesis of our previous studies, indicating that in developing countries (e.g., Democratic Republic of Congo and South India), the hospital effluent waters can be a significant source of the deterioration of the bacteriological quality for urban rivers. The approach used in this investigation can be further used to decipher the pollution of water resources by human faecal contamination. The results of this research will help to better understand the microbiological pollution problems in river-receiving systems and will guide municipality decisions on improving the urban water quality.
Experimental assessment of FIRO- and GARO-based noise sources for digital TRNG designs on FPGAs

The quality of TRNG designs mainly depends on the grade of the noise source from which the entropy will be harvested to extract randomness. Especially for purely digital noise sources suitable for FPGA implementations the use of Ring Oscillators is suggested in many scientific publications. Standard Ring Oscillator based noise sources however have earned some criticism regarding the amount of entropy generated. On this account different enhancements have been proposed, with Fibonacci Ring Oscillators (FIROs) and Galois Ring Oscillators (GAROs) being prominent examples, which under some circumstances are able to sustain a chaotic oscillation suitable for entropy extraction. This paper deals with the assessment of fully constrained FIRO and GARO noise source designs for a specific target FPGA. Due to the restrictive placement of ring elements the assessment yielded new criteria for choosing proper FIRO/GARO feedback configurations and an enhanced sampling method for entropy extraction has been derived.
Adverse effects of short‐acting beta‐agonists: Potential impact when anti‐inflammatory therapy is inadequate

Background: Short‐acting beta‐agonists (SABAs) are associated with reduced lung function and increased bronchial hyper‐responsiveness. Earlier studies have failed to show that these changes are clinically important when SABAs are taken regularly in modest doses. However, some patients use SABAs to excess, especially with deteriorating asthma. Our aim was to establish whether adverse effects of SABAs are greater at higher than normal doses and after withdrawing inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) therapy.
Hyposmotic stress causes ATP release and stimulates Na,K‐ATPase activity in porcine lens

Purinergic receptors in lens epithelium suggest lens function can be altered by chemical signals from aqueous humor or the lens itself. Here we show release of ATP by intact porcine lenses exposed to hyposmotic solution (200 mOsm). 18α‐glycyrrhetinic acid (AGA) added together with probenecid eliminated the ATP increase. N‐ethylmaleimide (200 µM), an exocytotic inhibitor, had no significant effect on ATP increase. Lenses exposed to hyposmotic solution displayed a ∼400% increase of propidium iodide (PI) entry into the epithelium. The increased ability of PI (MW 668) to enter the epithelium suggests possible opening of connexin and/or pannexin hemichannels. This is consistent with detection of connexin 43, connexin 50, and pannexin 1 in the epithelium and the ability of AGA + probenecid to prevent ATP release. Na,K‐ATPase activity doubled in the epithelium of lenses exposed to hyposmotic solution. The increase of Na,K‐ATPase activity did not occur when apyrase was used to prevent extracellular ATP accumulation or when AGA + probenecid prevented ATP release. The increase of Na,K‐ATPase activity was inhibited by the purinergic P2 antagonist reactive blue‐2 and pertussis toxin, a G‐protein inhibitor, but not by the P2X antagonist PPADS. Hyposmotic solution activated Src family kinase (SFK) in the epithelium, judged by Western blot. The SFK inhibitor PP2 abolished both SFK activation and the Na,K‐ATPase activity increase. In summary, hyposmotic shock‐induced ATP release is sufficient to activate a purinergic receptor‐ and SFK‐dependent mechanism that stimulates Na,K‐ATPase activity. The responses might signify an autoregulatory loop initiated by mechanical stress or osmotic swelling. J. Cell. Physiol. 227: 1428–1437, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Prevalence of neutralizing antibodies to common respiratory viruses in intravenous immunoglobulin and in healthy donors in southern China.

BACKGROUND Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a leading cause of death among children under the age of 5. However, there are no effective drugs for most of these severe viral infections. Passive immunotherapy with convalescent plasma or hyperimmune intravenous immunoglobulin (H-IVIG) is a potential therapeutic option for serious viral infections. It is important to find a suitable source of convalescent plasma and of H-IVIG containing high titer neutralizing antibodies (NAbs). METHODS Sera from 96 healthy adult donors in southern China and commercially available IVIG were analyzed for the titers of NAb to several most common respiratory viruses including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), seasonal influenza A (InfA), enterovirus 71 (EV71), coxsackievirus A16 (CA16), adenovirus type 3 (Ad3) and a recent epidemic adenovirus type 55 (Ad55) by microneutralization test. RESULTS A high proportion of samples from healthy adult donors were positive for NAbs (>16) to all the viruses except Ad55. A different proportion of these samples had high NAb titers (>512) for InfA (25%), Ad3 (17.71%), RSV (9.38%), EV71 (1.04%), CA16 (3.13%), and Ad55 (4.17%). Commercially available IVIG had high NAb titers to InfA and Ad3 (>1,000) and lower NAb titers to RSV [320], EV71 [160], and CA16 [160]. Strikingly, IVIG also had a high NAb titer to Ad55 (>1,000). CONCLUSIONS Convalescent plasma could be screened from healthy blood volunteers to establish blood banks and to prepare specific H-IVIG for treating severe ARIs caused by common respiratory viruses.
Methodological Application for the Evaluation Impact Factor of High-Rise Building Development Projects

This study systemized various influence factors to be expected in tall building development projects into four upper categories, 12 evaluation areas, and 36 evaluation items by putting together previous studies and major cases. Based on the evaluation areas of influence factors in tall building development projects, the study focused on a measuring technique for more objective and clearer evaluations, applied an analysis methodology to the evaluation areas, and proposed its application plans to the field. Going through the process, an evaluator can assess the concerned evaluation areas systematically at the stage of planning a tall building development project. The study also provided implications for the operation of the evaluation system by reflecting the variability of a certain place, time and project rather than the overall mean accuracy obtained by the subject of such systematic evaluation.
Cryptorchidism According to Maternal Gestational Smoking

Background: It has been suggested that maternal smoking during pregnancy is a risk factor for low sperm counts and testicular cancer in the offspring. Cryptorchidism is associated with both of these disorders and might share causal mechanisms. Methods: We used prospective information on prenatal exposures and obstetric information on the birth of 5716 boys, collected from 1984 to 1987. During the 16–19 years of follow-up, 270 cases of cryptorchidism were diagnosed, and 185 of these boys underwent orchiopexy. Results: Compared with nonsmokers, the adjusted risk ratio for being diagnosed with cryptorchidism was 1.1 (95% confidence interval = 0.8–1.6) if the mothers smoked 10–19 cigarettes/day and 2.3 (1.1–5.0) if they smoked ≥20 cigarettes/day. The risk ratios for orchiopexy were 1.4 (0.9–2.1) and 1.8 (0.6–5.0), respectively. Conclusion: An excess risk of cryptorchidism was observed among sons of mothers who smoked 10 cigarettes or more per day during pregnancy. In recognition of the limited power of this study, the findings should be replicated in larger cohorts.
Path Selection for Message Passing in a Circuit-Switched Multicomputer

This paper considers the problem of selectingcontention-freeorminimum-contentionpaths for a set of communicating tasks that have been mapped onto nodes in a multicomputer. Contention-free path selection results in guaranteed minimum communication delays for all messages sent along the selected paths? this is a particularly important in real-time applications. Minimum-contention path selection can achieve the same result if a small number of partitioned time intervals is used. However, both path selection problems can be shown to be NP-hard. Thus, a heuristic solution is proposed for general point-to-point interconnection networks. The quality of our solution is investigated by simulation on binaryn-cube and torus interconnection networks, and it is shown that our method performs significantly better than alternative methods in the literature
The Production of Recombinant Infectious DI-Particles of a Murine Coronavirus in the Absence of Helper Virus

Abstract We have studied the production and release of infectious DI-particles in vaccinia-T7-polymerase recombinant virus-infected L cells that were transfected with five different plasmids expressing the synthetic DI RNA MIDI-HD and the four structural proteins (M, N, S, and E) of the murine coronavirus MHV-A59. The DI cDNA contains the hepatitis delta ribozyme sequences to generate in the transfected cells a defined 3′ end. In EM studies of transfected cells virus-like particles (VLP) were observed in vesicles. Release of the particles into the medium was studied by immunoprecipitations of proteins released into the culture supernatant. Particle release was independent of S or N, but required M and E. Coexpression of E and M was sufficient for particle release. Coexpression of the structural proteins and the MIDI-HD RNA resulted in the production and release of infectious DI-particles. Infectivity of the DI-particles was determined by adding helper virus MHV-A59 to the medium containing the VLPs and using this mixture to infect new L cells. Intracellular RNA of several subsequent undiluted passages was isolated to detect the MIDI-HD RNA. Passage of the MIDI-HD RNA was dependent on the expression of the structural proteins of MHV-A59 in the transfected cells. In the absence of either E or M, MIDI-HD RNA could not be passaged to fresh L cells. We have thus developed a system in which we can produce coronavirus-like particles and an assay to test their infectivity.
An Inclusion Membrane Protein from Chlamydia trachomatis Enters the MHC Class I Pathway and Stimulates a CD8+ T Cell Response 1

During its developmental cycle, the intracellular bacterial pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis remains confined within a protective vacuole known as an inclusion. Nevertheless, CD8+ T cells that recognize Chlamydia Ags in the context of MHC class I molecules are primed during infection. MHC class I-restricted presentation of these Ags suggests that these proteins or domains from them have access to the host cell cytoplasm. Chlamydia products with access to the host cell cytoplasm define a subset of molecules uniquely positioned to interface with the intracellular environment during the pathogen’s developmental cycle. In addition to their use as candidate Ags for stimulating CD8+ T cells, these proteins represent novel candidates for therapeutic intervention of infection. In this study, we use C. trachomatis-specific murine T cells and an expression-cloning strategy to show that CT442 from Chlamydia is targeted by CD8+ T cells. CT442, also known as CrpA, is a 15-kDa protein of undefined function that has previously been shown to be associated with the Chlamydia inclusion membrane. We show that: 1) CD8+ T cells specific for an H-2Db-restricted epitope from CrpA are elicited at a significant level (∼4% of splenic CD8+ T cells) in mice in response to infection; 2) the response to this epitope correlates with clearance of the organism from infected mice; and 3) immunization with recombinant vaccinia virus expressing CrpA elicits partial protective immunity to subsequent i.v. challenge with C. trachomatis.
İSTANBUL MENKUL KIYMETLER BORSASI'NDA İŞLEM HACMİ VE GETİRİ VOLATİLİTESİ TRADE VOLUME AND RETURN VOLATILITY IN ISTANBUL STOCK EXCHANGE

This paper examines the relationship between trade volume and Istanbul Stock Exchange composite index (ISE-100) return volatility for the period 1990-2008 by including the trade volume and the day of the week effect in to the GARCH, EGARCH and TGARCH models. The findings indicate the presence of the day of the week effect and leverage effect on return volatility. The estimation results of the GARCH and TGARCH models show that the effect of trade volume on return volatility is significant in the statistical sense but not positive. These findings provide strong evidence against the validity of Sequential Arrival Information and Mixed Distribution hypothesis in ISE.
Determinants and Outcome of Metabolic Acidosis in Diarrheal Children Under 5 Years of Age in an Urban Critical Care Ward in Bangladesh

We evaluated the independent determinants and outcome of metabolic acidosis in diarrheal children. Children under 5 years of age admitted with diarrhea and severe respiratory distress in the critical care ward at Dhaka Hospital of icddr,b (International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh) from April 2010 to April 2014 who had their reports of arterial blood gas analyses were enrolled in the study. We compared clinical and laboratory characteristics between the study children with (cases = 74) and without metabolic acidosis (controls = 65). Metabolic acidosis was defined if pH < 7.35 and HCO3 < 22 mmol/L in ABG. Cases had higher mortality (53% vs 29%, P = .01) compared to controls. After adjustment of potential confounders, for instance, hypokalemia and dehydration, the cases were independently associated with severe sepsis and raised serum creatinine (for both P < .05). Thus, early identification of these features of metabolic acidosis in diarrheal children may help clinicians to have prompt management that may further help reduce mortality in such children especially in resource-limited settings.