Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Endovaginal ultrasound to exclude endometrial cancer and other endometrial abnormalities.

CONTEXT Postmenopausal vaginal bleeding is a common clinical problem. Endovaginal ultrasound (EVUS) is a noninvasive diagnostic test that may help determine which women should undergo endometrial biopsy. OBJECTIVE To determine the accuracy of EVUS in detecting endometrial disease in postmenopausal women with vaginal bleeding according to hormone replacement use. DATA SOURCES Literature search of English-language and non-English-language articles published from 1966 through November 1996 using MEDLINE and by a manual search of bibliographies of published articles. STUDY SELECTION Studies were included if they prospectively collected EVUS measurements of endometrial thickness prior to obtaining endometrial tissue for histologic evaluation in postmenopausal women with vaginal bleeding. Of 85 studies that included data on EVUS and endometrial histology, 35 were included in the meta-analysis and included 5892 women. DATA EXTRACTION Articles were reviewed and independently selected and abstracted by 2 reviewers. Disagreement was resolved by consensus. DATA SYNTHESIS The overall summary mean weighted estimates of sensitivity and specificity were calculated for thresholds of endometrial thickness from 3 to 10 mm. Using a 5-mm threshold to define abnormal endometrial thickening, 96% (95% confidence interval [CI], 94%-98%) of women with cancer had an abnormal EVUS result, whereas 92% (95% CI, 90%-93%) of women with endometrial disease (cancer, polyp, or atypical hyperplasia) had an abnormal result. This did not vary by hormone replacement use. However, the number of women with normal histology who had an abnormal EVUS result did vary by hormone replacement use. In women who were not using hormone replacement therapy, 593 (8%) with normal histological findings had an abnormal EVUS result (specificity, 92%; 95% CI, 90%-94%), whereas 1544 (23%) using hormone replacement therapy had an abnormal EVUS result (specificity, 77%; 95% CI, 75%-79%). For a postmenopausal woman with vaginal bleeding with a 10% pretest probability of endometrial cancer, her probability of cancer is 1% following a normal EVUS result. CONCLUSION Endovaginal ultrasound has a high sensitivity for detecting endometrial cancer and other endometrial disease and can reliably identify postmenopausal women with vaginal bleeding who are highly unlikely to have significant endometrial disease so that endometrial sampling may be unnecessary.
Trade Policies and Welfare in a Harris-Todaro Economy

In many developing countries rising unemployment is often attributed to increases in foreign imports, triggered by declining foreign prices of imports. To correct the chronic unemployment problem, some developing countries chose an import substitution strategy by shutting off imports, whereas others adopted an outward-oriented policy by promoting exports. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was favored by Mexico but opposed by organized labor in this country because it was feared that NAFTA may increase unemployment in the U.S. Which of these policies is more effective in reducing unemployment and raising domestic income? Protection has been ardently supported as a practical cure for unemployment in Chile and Argentina and many other LDCs in Latin America. ' Similarly, India adopted import substitution strategies behind high protection and a considerable bias against exports [1]. The literature has also justified the use of tariffs for small countries under uncertainty and unemployment [10; 9]. But in general, protection distorts the trade pattern and magnify the extent of the Leontief Paradox by limiting imports of capital intensive products into these developing countries that suffer from high labor unemployment [7]. In the literature there have been two types of models that analyze trade problems in the presence of unemployment. The generalized unemployment models have been developed by Brecher [5; 6] and Batra and Seth [3]. 2 In these models, wage rigidity is ubiquitous and unemployment exists in all sectors, and they are appropriate to analyze the impact of trade policies on unemployment in developed economies. The Harris-Todaro (HT hereafter) model [13], on the other hand, assumes sector-specific wage rigidity and permits unemployment only in the urban sector. Thus, the HT model is appropriate for investigating the impacts of trade policies of LDCs that suffer
Comparative evaluation of chlorhexidine, grape seed extract, riboflavin/chitosan modification on microtensile bond strength of composite resin to dentin after polymerase chain reaction thermocycling: An in vitro study

Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of chlorhexidine (CHX), grape seed extract (GSE), riboflavin/chitosan modification on microtensile bond strength (μTBS) of composite resin to dentin after polymerase chain reaction (PCR) thermocycling. Materials and Methods: Forty extracted human molars were used and a flat surface was then prepared by removing the occlusal one-third. The teeth were randomly assigned into four groups - Group I in which self-etch adhesive (Adper Easy One) was applied and Groups II, III, IV were pretreated with 2% CHX, 6.5% GSE, and 1% riboflavin/chitosan, respectively, before the application of self-etch adhesive. Composite build-ups were constructed, and PCR thermocycling (5000 cycles) was performed. The μTBS was evaluated using the universal testing machine. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's test. Results: The mean μTBS values for Group I (control), Group II (CHX), Group III (GSE), and Group IV (riboflavin/chitosan modification) were 30.81, 43.15, 38.79, and 35.07 MPa, respectively. Conclusion: Pretreatment with CHX and GSE leads to a significant increase in μTBS of composite resin to dentin.
Circadian Food Anticipation Persists in Capsaicin Deafferented Rats

The feeding-entrained circadian oscillator (FEO) organizes locomotor activity and other variables to anticipate daily timed meals. Whether the biological substrate for the FEO is in the central nervous system or in the periphery, there must be communication between the gut and the brain to result in a behavioral output. To investigate potential neural routes of communication, rats with suprachiasmatic lesions were given systemic capsaicin (total dose: 100 mg/kg, ip) to produce visceral deafferentation. Deafferentation was confirmed using the phenyl-p-benzoquinone stretch test and the corneal irritation test. A 3-h meal was made available at the same time each day while wheel running was recorded for several weeks. Results indicated that rats with capsaicin lesions were somewhat more active overall and during nonanticipation times, but the onset time and the amount of anticipatory wheel running did not differ from vehicle-treated controls. In addition, reentrainment following a phase delay of mealtime and the persistence of anticipatory activity during food deprivation were similar between the groups. Since capsaicin deafferentation and subdiaphragmatic vagotomy do not prevent food-anticipatory activity, it is likely that communication between the gut and the brain is accomplished via a humoral route.
Expression of cell adhesion molecules in the salivary and lacrimal glands of Sjogren's syndrome

We attempted to determine whether cell adhesion molecules, including vascular cell adhesion molecule‐1 (VCAM‐1), intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1), and E‐selectin (endothelial‐leukocyte adhesion molecule‐1; ELAM‐1), are involved in the lymphoid cell infiltration of the salivary and lacrimal glands in Sjogren's syndrome (SS) patients.
Spirituality, distress, depression, anxiety, and quality of life in patients with advanced cancer.

OBJECTIVE To study the influence of spiritual well being (Sp WB) on symptoms of distress, depression, and other dimensions of quality of life in advanced cancer patients receiving palliative care. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was cross-sectional in nature. Fifty patients with advanced cancer from a hospice were assessed with the following instruments: the visual analog scale for pain (VAP), M.D. Anderson symptom inventory (MDASI), Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), Functional assessment of cancer therapy-Palliative Care (FACT-pal), and Functional assessment of chronic illness therapy-spiritual well-being (FACIT-sp). We studied the correlations between spirituality and other variables on these scales. RESULTS Depression and anxiety were negatively correlated with spiritual well-being (Sp WB). Sp WB was significantly correlated with fatigue (r = -0.423, P = 0.002), symptom distress (r = -0.717, P < 0.001), memory disturbance (r = -0.520, P < 0.001), loss of appetite (r = -0.399, P = 0.004), drowsiness (r = -0.400, P = 0.004), dry mouth (r = -0.381, P = 0.006), and sadness (r = -0.720, P < 0.001). Sp WB was positively correlated with all the other aspects of QOL measures. Predictors such as palliative care well-being (t = 2.840, P = 0.008), distress (t = -2.582, P = 0.015), sadness (t = -2.765, P = 0.010), mood (t = 2.440, P = 0.021), and enjoyment in life (t = -3.586, P = 0.001) were significantly correlated with Sp WB, after regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that spiritual well being is an important component of the quality of life of advanced cancer patients, and is closely related to the physical and psychological symptoms of distress. It should be addressed appropriately and adequately in palliative care settings.
Does the overvaluation of shape and weight predict initial symptom severity or treatment outcome among patients with binge eating disorder?

OBJECTIVE To examine whether overvaluation of shape and weight is associated with initial symptom severity or treatment outcome among patients with binge eating disorder (BED). METHOD Patients with BED (n = 116) completed assessments at baseline and treatment termination, including the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) and self-report measures of eating-related cognitions and behaviors, depression, and self-esteem. Clinical overvaluation was determined by EDE. RESULTS The clinical overvaluation group demonstrated significantly higher pre-treatment scores on measures of depression, behavioral and cognitive aspects of binge eating, and eating-related psychopathology, and lower self-esteem scores than individuals without overvaluation. At treatment termination, patients with overvaluation continued to display elevated scores on measures of binge eating severity at a trend level. DISCUSSION Overvaluation of shape and weight was associated with symptom severity in patients with BED, but additional research is needed to determine whether this construct holds clinically useful predictive validity for treatment outcome.
The profile of renal function over time in a cohort of pediatric heart transplant recipients

Abstract: To assess the burden over time of renal dysfunction in pediatric heart transplant patients using an objective measure on an annual basis for serial comparison. GFR was measured at regular interval by nuclear medicine scintigraphy. Results were analyzed in relation to age, time post‐transplantation, gender, and average calcineurin‐inhibitor dose for the first two months post‐transplantation. Results were compared with cGFR using the Schwartz equation. A total of 91 patients (56 males) transplanted between 1990 and 2004 underwent 373 GFR measurements. Median age at transplantation was 3.3 yr (birth – 17.8). Median first GFR at 0.7 yr (0.1–4.1) post‐transplant was normal (94 mL/kg/1.73 m2). Freedom from at least mild renal insufficiency was 84% and 33% at one and five years post‐transplant. Females had better renal function early post‐transplant (GFR 105 mL/min/1.73 m2) but an increased probability of an abnormal GFR over time. Higher calcineurin inhibitor dose in the first two months post‐transplantation was associated with an increasing probability of an abnormal GFR over time. The cGFR overestimated the measured GFR by 33 ± 26 mL/kg/1.73 m2. Renal insufficiency is an important morbidity after pediatric transplantation with the majority of patients experiencing at least mild renal dysfunction. Calculated GFR significantly underestimates the burden of renal insufficiency in this patient population.
Cell‐cycle aspects of growth and maturation of mammalian oocytes

In this review, recent data concerning growth and maturation of nonmammalian and mammalian female germ cells are compiled with regard to the increased understanding of somatic cells mitotic cycles, from yeast to human tissues. These data allow us to conclude that growing oocytes of nonvertebrates, lower vertebrates, and mammals resemble somatic cells in the G1 phase of the mitotic cycle in their metabolic and cell cycle behavior. Transcriptional and translational activity of growing oocytes and G1 somatic cells is not compatible with the activation of maturation promoting factor (MPF), with chromatin condensation or with nuclear membrane disintegration. Growing oocytes, even when they are in the dictyate stage of the first meiotic division, promptly inactivate MPF introduced into their cytoplasm by fusion or microinjection, just as do somatic interphase cells.
Estrogen action on the bone mass of postmenopausal women is dependent on body mass and initial bone density.

Recent evidence suggests that estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) may be effective in preventing bone loss even in late postmenopausal women. We analyzed the role of age and other factors as determinants of ERT action on vertebral bone density (VBD) in 73 consecutive Caucasian postmenopausal women treated for 1 yr or longer. A group of 44 women who received calcium supplements only were analyzed as controls. VBD was measured every 6 months by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, and yearly rates of change were calculated by linear regression for each subject. VBD increased in the estrogen-treated group (+17.32 +/- 2.84 mg/cm2.yr; 2.42 +/- 0.37%/yr) and did not significantly change in untreated subjects (-4.08 +/- 3.68 mg/cm2/yr; -0.60 +/- 0.58%/yr). Women older than 60 yr experienced greater, although not significant, increments compared to younger subjects (+3.23 +/- 4.03% vs. +1.42 +/- 3.00%/yr), as did women more than 10 yr postmenopausal compared to patients within 10 yr after the menopause (+3.38 +/- 4.11% vs. +1.19 +/- 2.70%/yr). Rates of VBD change were positively correlated with age (r = 0.29; P = 0.014), years since menopause (r = 0.33; P = 0.005), and body mass index (BMI; r = 0.35; P = 0.003) and negatively with estimated initial VBD (r = -0.23; P = 0.05). However, only the relationships between bone density changes and BMI (r = 0.33; P < 0.01) and estimated initial VBD (r = -0.26; P < 0.05) held in a partial correlation analysis. BMI and estimated initial VBD were the only significant predictive factors for response to ERT (r2 = 21%) in a multivariate regression model. Therefore, the response to ERT depends mostly on BMI and initial VBD. Women with large body frames and those with lower initial VBD respond better to estrogen than slender women with higher bone mass.
Neurotolerability of gadobenate dimeglumine in a rat model of focal brain ischemia: EEG evaluation.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES The neurologic pathologies for which contrast-enhanced MRI is indicated are often accompanied by a disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which allows the contrast agent to come into contact with the nervous tissue. Thus, assessment of the neurologic safety for a new contrast agent is of crucial importance. The objective of this study was to assess the neurotolerability of the new MRI contrast agent gadobenate dimeglumine using EEG in the presence of focal lesions of the BBB. METHODS Lesions of the BBB were obtained inducing a photochemical ischemia in rats. Gadobenate dimeglumine was intravenously administered at 4.0 mmol/kg. An EEG was recorded during sleep/awake behavior and was analyzed for pathologic tracing and for changes in spectral content in terms of total power and frequency index. The presence of the BBB lesions was verified using high-performance liquid chromatography measurement of the gadobenate ion content in the brain. RESULTS Gadobenate dimeglumine did not have any epileptogenic effect in ischemic rats. However, it caused a transitory shift of the EEG power spectrum toward the 0.5 to 9 Hz frequency bands of the lesioned hemisphere during quiet wake. In the lesioned cortex, higher levels of gadobenate ion were found until 3 hours after administration. CONCLUSIONS In experimental conditions of focal brain ischemia associated with BBB lesions, gadobenate dimeglumine was well tolerated up to doses even 10 times higher than the maximum clinical dose (0.3 mmol/kg) intended for brain imaging procedures.
Biodegradation of a magnesium alloy implant in the intercondylar femoral notch showed an appropriate response to the synovial membrane in a rabbit model in vivo

Degradable magnesium alloys are promising biomaterials for orthopedic applications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential effects on both the synovial membrane (synovialis) and the synovial fluid (synovia) of the degradation products of a MgYREZr-pin implanted in the intercondylar femoral notch in a rabbit model. Thirty-six animals were randomized into two groups (MgYREZr or Ti6Al4V alloy) of 18 animals each. Each group was then divided into three subgroups with implantation periods of 1, 4, and 12 weeks, with six animals in each subgroup. The initial inflammatory reaction caused by the surgical trauma declined after 12 weeks of implantation, and elucidated a progressive recovery of the synovial membrane. Compared with control Ti6Al4V pins, there were no significant differences between the groups. However, after 12 weeks, recovery of the synovial membrane was more advanced in the titanium group, in which 92% showed no signs of synovitis, than in the magnesium group. A cytotoxicity test with L929 cells and human osteoblasts (HOB) was also conducted, according to EN ISO 10993-5/12, and no toxic leachable products were observed after 24 h of incubation. In conclusion, the MgYREZr alloy seems to be a suitable material for intra-articular degradable implants.
Case-control study of an outbreak of clinical disease attributable to Salmonella menhaden infection in eight dairy herds.

OBJECTIVE To identify risk factors associated with Salmonella menhaden associated disease in adult dairy cows during an outbreak in California. DESIGN Case-control study. SAMPLE POPULATION 8 case dairies that had > or = 1 adult animal that had clinical signs of salmonellosis and from which S menhaden was isolated and 22 control dairies, 16 of which were matched on the basis of herd size and county and 6 of which were matched on the basis of herd size, county, and breed (Jersey). PROCEDURE A questionnaire was developed and reviewed with the herdsman or owner of each dairy. Primary areas of concern were herd management, disease characteristics, and feed-related information. RESULTS Use of 1 particular feed mill and feeding animal fat were significant risk factors for clinical disease attributable to S menhaden infection. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Feed should not be overlooked as a potential source of Salmonella organisms in dairy herds.
Measurement of 3D-velocity by high-frame-rate optical mouse sensors to extrapolate 3D position captured by a low-frame-rate stereo camera

The frame rate of existing stereo cameras is not enough to track quick hand or finger actions. It also requires lots of computational cost to find correspondence between stereo images to compute distance. The recently commercialized 3D position sensors such as TOF cameras or Leap Motion needs strong illumination to ensure sufficient optical energy for the high frame rate sensing. To overcome these problems, this paper proposes to use a pair of optical-mouse-sensors as a stereo image sensor to measure 3D-velocity and use it to extrapolate 3D position measured by a low-frame-rate stereo camera. It is shown that quick hand actions are tracked under ordinary in-door lighting condition. As 2D velocities are computed inside the optical-mouse-sensors, computation and communication costs are drastically reduced.
On lossy transform compression of ECG signals with reference to deformation of their parameter values

Electrocardiogram (ECG) signals are the most prominent biomedical signal type used in clinical medicine. Their compression is important and widely researched in the medical informatics community. In the previous literature compression efficacy has been investigated only in the context of how much known or developed methods reduced the storage required by compressed forms of original ECG signals. Sometimes statistical signal evaluations based on, for example, root mean square error were studied. In previous research we developed a refined method for signal compression and tested it jointly with several known techniques for other biomedical signals. Our method of so-called successive approximation quantization used with wavelets was one of the most successful in those tests. In this paper, we studied to what extent these lossy compression methods altered values of medical parameters (medical information) computed from signals. Since the methods are lossy, some information is lost due to the compression when a high enough compression ratio is reached. We found that ECG signals sampled at 400 Hz could be compressed to one fourth of their original storage space, but the values of their medical parameters changed less than 5% due to compression, which indicates reliable results.
Purification and partial characterization of the multicomponent dextranase complex of Streptococcus sobrinus and cloning of the dextranase gene

The presence of proteases in culture supernatant fluids and on the cell surface of Streptococcus sobrinus and the aggregation of multicomponent enzyme complexes make the isolation and characterization of cell surface proteins difficult. We report a simple purification procedure for dextranase and the cloning of the dextranase structural gene. S. sobrinus culture supernatant fluids were precipitated with 70% ammonium sulfate, and the precipitate was dialyzed against sodium acetate buffer and loaded onto a hemoglobin-Sepharose 4B column connected to a blue dextran-agarose column at 4 degrees C. After being washed with low concentrations of salt, the dextranase and the dextran-binding proteins were eluted with 5 M KI and further purified by gel filtration. Two dextranases (molecular weights, 175,000 and 160,000) were purified and partially characterized. The structural gene for the dextranase of S. sobrinus 6715 strain UAB66, serotype g, was cloned into the cosmid vector, pHC79. Clones were selected for expression of dextranase activity by detection of zones of enzyme-mediated hydrolysis of a blue dextran substrate incorporated into minimal medium agar plates. Release of dextranase was achieved by induction of thermoinducible, excision-defective Escherichia coli K-12 lysogens containing recombinant cosmid molecules of S. sobrinus DNA. Recombinant cosmid molecules were repackaged simultaneously into infectious lambdoid particles. Recombinant clones expressing dextranase activity which varied in size from the high-molecular-weight protein produced by S. sobrinus (i.e., 175,000) to lower-molecular-weight forms expressed by S. sobrinus have been identified and partially characterized.