Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spinal Range of Motion, Muscle Endurance, and Back Pain and Function at Least 20 Years After Fusion or Brace Treatment for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Case-Control Study

Study Design. A consecutive series of patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), treated between 1968 and 1977 before 21 years of age with either distraction and fusion using Harrington rods (ST, n = 156; 145 females and 11 males) or with brace (BT, n = 127; 122 females and 5 males), were followed at least 20 years after completion of the treatment. Objectives. To determine the long-term outcome in terms of spinal mobility and muscle strength and its possible correlations to present back pain and function in patients surgically or brace treated for AIS. Summary of Background Data. Few reports on long-term outcome on these variables have previously been presented for this group of patients. Methods. A total of 135 (87%) of ST and 102 (80%) of BT patients underwent a complete examination by two unbiased observers incl. evaluation of lumbar muscle endurance and spinal mobility, curve size (Cobb method), validated questionnaires in terms of general and disease-specific quality of life aspects, as well as present back function and pain. An age- and sex-matched control group of 100 persons was randomly selected and subjected to the same examinations. Results. For both ST and BT groups, lumbar spinal motion as well as muscle endurance were significantly decreased compared with controls. For ST patients, better lumbar extensor and flexor muscle endurance or lumbar spinal mobility correlated with a better physical function. The length of fusion into the lumbar spine correlated inversely with lumbar range of motion, but the finger-floor distance was not affected. BT patients with reduced lumbar spinal mobility experienced lumbar back pain more often than controls. Conclusions. For both brace treated and surgically treated AIS patients, spinal mobility and muscle endurance were reduced more than 20 years after completed treatment. The physical function was not severely restricted.
The effect of breast support on the kinematics of the breast during the running gait cycle

Abstract Although breast pain has been related to vertical breast displacement and velocity, the influence of breast support on multi-planar breast kinematics and breast comfort has yet to be ascertained. The aims of this study were to investigate multi-planar breast displacement, velocity, and acceleration with and without breast support during running and to establish the correlation with breast comfort. Fifteen females ran at 2.8 m · s−1 in no bra, an everyday bra, and a sports bra. Three-dimensional coordinates of breast and body markers were tracked during ten gait cycles and following each trial the participants rated their breast comfort. Relative breast displacement was calculated and derived for velocity and acceleration. Vertical breast displacement, velocity, and acceleration peaked at, before, and after mid-stance, respectively. The patterns of displacement and velocity trajectories were unaffected by increasing breast support, though the magnitudes were significantly reduced. The magnitude and trajectory of breast acceleration was unaffected by increasing breast support and showed no correlation with comfort. Breast velocity displayed the strongest relationship to comfort (r = 0.61). Considerable mediolateral and anteroposterior breast kinematics were identified, suggesting that future studies and bra design may benefit from three-dimensional analysis. In conclusion, improvements in breast support may be defined by reductions in breast velocity and displacement.
Physicians' experience with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome as a factor in patients' survival.

BACKGROUND Previous studies have found that patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) who are admitted to hospitals that admit many such patients have lower mortality rates than patients in hospitals with less experience with AIDS. We examined the relation between physicians' experience with AIDS and the survival of their patients with AIDS. METHODS We studied 403 adult male patients enrolled in a staff-model health maintenance organization in whom first AIDS-defining illnesses were diagnosed from 1984 through mid-1994; we determined that these illnesses met the 1987 case definition of the Centers for Disease Control. We defined three levels of experience for the patients' 125 primary care physicians according to their experience with AIDS during residency training and the cumulative number of patients with AIDS they had cared for in their practices. RESULTS The median survival of the patients of physicians with the least experience in the management of AIDS was 14 months, as compared with 26 months for the patients of physicians with the most experience (P<0.001). Controlling for the severity of illness and the year of diagnosis, we found that the patients cared for by physicians with the most experience had a 31 percent lower risk of death than the patients cared for by physicians with the least experience (P<0.02). Among 244 patients with an AIDS-defining illness diagnosed from 1989 through 1994, after adjustment for the CD4+ cell count and the severity of illness, the risk of death was 44 percent lower for patients of the most experienced physicians than for patients of the least experienced (P<0.02). CONCLUSIONS The experience of primary care physicians in the management of AIDS is significantly associated with survival among their patients.
B0 mapping with multi‐channel RF coils at high field

Mapping the static magnetic field via the phase evolution over gradient echo scans acquired at two or more echo times is an established method. A number of possibilities exist, however, for combining phase data from multi‐channel coils, denoising and thresholding field maps for high field applications. Three methods for combining phase images when no body/volume coil is available are tested: (i) Hermitian product, (ii) phase‐matching over channels, and (iii) a new approach based on calculating separate field maps for each channel. The separate channel method is shown to yield field maps with higher signal‐to‐noise ratio than the Hermitian product and phase‐matching methods and fewer unwrapping errors at low signal‐to‐noise ratio. Separate channel combination also allows unreliable voxels to be identified via the standard deviation over channels, which is found to be the most effective means of denoising field maps. Tests were performed using multichannel coils with between 8 and 32 channels at 3 T, 4 T, and 7 T. For application in the correction of distortions in echo‐planar images, a formulation is proposed for reducing the local gradient of field maps to eliminate signal pile‐up or swapping artifacts. Field maps calculated using these techniques, implemented in a freely available MATLAB toolbox, provide the basis for an effective correction for echo‐planar imaging distortions at high fields. Magn Reson Med, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Does the Caste of the Firm Owner Play a Role in Access to Finance for Small Enterprises? Evidence from India

This study examines whether caste affiliation influences the ability to obtain credit from institutional sources. We employ Fourth All India Census of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises 2006–2007 data to empirically verify this relationship. We conduct an econometric analysis of loan outcomes by the caste affiliation of the firm owner and observe that firms owned by socially disadvantaged groups have a lower probability of obtaining formal credit even after controlling for differences in creditworthiness and other factors. Our results also show that discrimination by formal credit institutions extends to the amount of the loan sanctioned. These results thus suggest that affirmative action programs in India have not had much impact on credit market access for socially marginalized entrepreneurs, and policymakers should address this concern by introducing special programs and regulatory incentives to encourage banks and others to increase their lending toward these disadvantaged groups.
The evidence of radiation effects in embryos and fetuses exposed to Chernobyl fallout and the question of dose response

Current legal frameworks for radiation exposure limits are based on the risk models of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). In Publication 90 (2003), ICRP presents a safe (threshold) dose range of up to 100 mSv for radiogenic effects resulting from in utero exposure and bases this conclusion on the findings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, a variety of observations of congenital malformations, fetal loss, stillbirths and infant deaths, as well as of Down's syndrome and other health defects in children after the Chernobyl accident exposures suggest that the A-bomb survivor data are incomplete. The Chernobyl findings are generally marginalized or even denied because of the low values of the estimated human exposures and the inconsistency of the results with the accepted risk models. One explanation for the observations is that physical dosimetric models have underestimated the effective exposure. This possibility is supported by biological dosimetry in the contaminated regions. The assumptions about effects after in utero exposure by incorporated radionuclides need to be revised.
Preoperative bevacizumab does not significantly increase postoperative complication rates in patients undergoing hepatic surgery for colorectal cancer liver metastases.

PURPOSE Although bevacizumab (BV) increases survival rates when used with chemotherapy (CTX) in patients who have metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC), an increase in wound complications has been observed in patients who undergo surgery while receiving BV. We therefore evaluated whether neoadjuvant BV is associated with an increase in postoperative complications in patients undergoing surgery for CRC liver metastases. PATIENTS AND METHODS Two subgroups of patients who received neoadjuvant CTX + BV (n = 81) or CTX alone (n = 44) were identified from a database of patients who underwent surgery for CRC liver metastases. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association of patient and tumor characteristics, neoadjuvant therapy, and operative factors with postoperative complications. RESULTS Postoperative complications developed in 40 patients (49%) who received CTX + BV and 19 patients (43%) who received CTX. The median time from BV discontinuation to surgery was 58 days (range, 31 to 117 days). No significant associations were identified between BV use and timing of BV discontinuation and postoperative complications. On multivariate analysis, lower serum albumin and concomitant surgical procedures were associated with an increased risk of developing any complication (P = .035 and .023, respectively), and lower serum albumin was associated with hepatobiliary complications (P = .016). CONCLUSION Neither the use of BV nor timing of BV administration was associated with an increase in complication rates. These data suggest that the combination of BV with neoadjuvant CTX in patients who have CRC liver metastases does not increase surgical complications. To determine the optimal timing of surgery in patients receiving neoadjuvant BV, confirmatory prospective studies are required.
Protein kinase C delta (PKCδ) splice variant modulates senescence via hTERT in adipose-derived stem cells.

BACKGROUND Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSC) were isolated and characterized from lean and obese subjects. We previously reported that distinct differences were observed in differentiating lean and obese preadipocytes. Protein kinase C delta (PKCδ) is alternatively spliced and has important roles in apoptosis. PKCδI promotes apoptosis and PKCδVIII promotes survival. Our previous data indicated an increase in the survival kinase, PKCδVIII in ADSC derived from an obese donor. We also determined that obese adipocytes were resistant to apoptosis. Here, we determine the relationship between a survival kinase PKCδVIII and hTERT expression in adipose derived stem cells from a lean and obese subject. METHODS We evaluated the telomerase activity and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression in lean and obese ADSC. The lean and obese ADSC were purchased as cryopreserved cells from ZenBio™ (Research Triangle Park, NC, USA). Analyses were performed using PRISM™ software and analyzed using two-tailed Student's t-test. RESULTS We observed an increase in telomerase in differentiating obese ADSC using western blot analysis. We determined the levels of hTERT splice variants. hTERT α+/β+ splice variant was increased after transfected of PKCδVIII. We next determined whether PKCδVIII over-expression affected the levels of telomerase. The results indicate an increase in telomerase with PKCδVIII over-expression. CONCLUSIONS Over-expression of PKCδVIII in lean ADSC substantially increased expression of hTERT and telomerase. The decreased senescence seen in obese ADSC may in part be attributed to PKCδVIII. Obese ADSC undergo lower senescence and may have increased growth potential. These results propose a larger epigenetic modification in obese ADSC compared to lean ADSC.
Prevention and treatment of diabetic foot ulcers

The rising prevalence of diabetes estimated at 3.6 million people in the UK represents a major public health and socioeconomic burden to our National Health Service. Diabetes and its associated complications are of a growing concern. Diabetes-related foot complications have been identified as the single most common cause of morbidity among diabetic patients. The complicating factor of underlying peripheral vascular disease renders the majority of diabetic foot ulcers asymptomatic until latter evidence of non-healing ulcers become evident. Therefore, preventative strategies including annual diabetic foot screening and diabetic foot care interventions facilitated through a multidisciplinary team have been implemented to enable early identification of diabetic patients at high risk of diabetic foot complications. The National Diabetes Foot Care Audit reported significant variability and deficiencies of care throughout England and Wales, with emphasis on change in the structure of healthcare provision and commissioning, improvement of patient education and availability of healthcare access, and emphasis on preventative strategies to reduce morbidities and mortality of this debilitating disease. This review article aims to summarise major risk factors contributing to the development of diabetic foot ulcers. It also considers the key evidence-based strategies towards preventing diabetic foot ulcer. We discuss tools used in risk stratification and classifications of foot ulcer.
A 95-dBA DR Digital Audio Class-D Amplifier Using a Calibrated Digital-to-Pulse Converter

A digital class-D amplifier (CDA) converts an audio digital stream into sound directly and power-efficiently. It first encodes the pulse-code-modulated audio input into a digital pulse-width-modulated (PWM) signal. It needs a digital-to-pulse converter (DPC) to translate this digital PWM signal into a series of analog binary pulses accurately. We report a 5-3 segmented DPC that includes both a counter and a delay line for pulse width conversion. The timing skews along the delay line are detected using a zero-crossing detection scheme and corrected in the digital domain. This calibration can operate continuously in the background. A digital CDA prototype was fabricated using a 65-nm CMOS technology. It includes the aforementioned PWM modulator and DPC. It also integrated an open-loop switching driver to deliver the DPC’s output to a speaker. This digital CDA consumes <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$875~ {\mu }\text {W}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> under a 1-V supply when the input is zero and no output power is transferred to the external load. It can deliver 13.3 mW to a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$32~ {\Omega }$ </tex-math></inline-formula> resistive load in the H-bridge topology with 89% power efficiency. For a 1-kHz sine-wave input, it achieves 95 dBA dynamic range, 93.6 dBA peak SNR, 86.4 dBA peak SNDR, and 0.006% THD at -2-dBFS input level. The core area of the chip is <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ {0.87\times 0.5\,\,\text {mm}^{2}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>.
Natural Killer Cells for Therapy of Leukemia

Clinical application of natural killer (NK) cells against leukemia is an area of intense investigation. In human leukocyte antigen-mismatched allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantations (HSCT), alloreactive NK cells exert powerful anti-leukemic activity in preventing relapse in the absence of graft-versus-host disease, particularly in acute myeloid leukemia patients. Adoptive transfer of donor NK cells post-HSCT or in non-transplant scenarios may be superior to the currently widely used unmanipulated donor lymphocyte infusion. This concept could be further improved through transfusion of activated NK cells. Significant progress has been made in good manufacturing practice (GMP)-compliant large-scale production of stimulated effectors. However, inherent limitations remain. These include differing yields and compositions of the end-product due to donor variability and inefficient means for cryopreservation. Moreover, the impact of the various novel activation strategies on NK cell biology and in vivo behavior are barely understood. In contrast, reproduction of the third-party NK-92 drug from a cryostored GMP-compliant master cell bank is straightforward and efficient. Safety for the application of this highly cytotoxic cell line was demonstrated in first clinical trials. This novel ‘off-the-shelf' product could become a treatment option for a broad patient population. For specific tumor targeting chimeric-antigen-receptor-engineered NK-92 cells have been designed.
Electromyographic findings in different forms of infantile and juvenile proximal spinal muscular atrophy

Quantitative electromyography (EMG) was performed in 223 infantile and juvenile cases of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which were classified into 3 groups: (A) form la, Werdnig‐Hoffmann disease; (B) forms lb and II, intermediate forms; and (C) form III, Kugelberg‐Welander disease. The groups differed in the occurrence of spontaneous activity; only groups A and B showed spontaneous rhythmic firing of motor units, whereas in long‐standing cases, pseudomyotonic volleys appeared. The parameters of individual motor unit potentials (MUPs) differed in the different forms of the disease. Group A showed, in addition to long potentials of high amplitude, some short and low amplitude potentials, and the histograms of amplitudes and durations were bimodal. In the long‐standing cases, the values of these parameters were shifted to longer durations and higher amplitudes of motor unit potentials. However, in long‐standing cases of the benign group C, the short, low potentials appeared as well as socalled linked potentials. In the very early stage of the disease, the children who were found to be suffering from chronic forms of SMA—both malignant (form lb and II or benign group C)—had an EMG record that was slightly different from that of acute form la. Their EMG record shows more so‐called “spinal” signs, particularly in the benign group C (Kugelberg‐Welander disease). These increasing features of chronic anterior horn cell involvement followed a pattern of reinnervation and hypertrophy of muscle fibers. These phenomena were particularly seen in the benign group C. These findings indicate that in the early stage of SMA, the EMG not only has diagnostic, but also prognostic, value.
Telemedicine compared with standard care in type 2 diabetes mellitus: A randomized trial in an outpatient clinic

Introduction Good metabolic control is important in type 2 diabetes mellitus to improve quality of life, work ability and life expectancy, and the use of telemedicine has proved efficient as an add-on to the usual treatment. However, few studies in type 2 diabetes patients have directly compared telemedicine with conventional outpatient treatment, and we wanted to evaluate whether telemedicine, compared with standard care, provides equivalent clinical outcomes. Methods Forty patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus allocated from October 2011–July 2012 were randomized to either treatment at home by video conferences only or standard outpatient treatment. Primary outcomes were HbA1c and blood glucose levels and secondary outcomes were 24-hour blood pressure, cholesterol levels and albuminuria. The video-telephone was a broadband solution installed and serviced by the Danish Telephone Company (TDC). Results The improvements in the two treatments, given as changes in percentage of telemedicine vs standard, showed significant differences in HbA1c (−15 vs −11%), mean blood glucose (−18 vs −13%) and in cholesterol (−7 vs −6%). No differences in LDL (−4 vs −6%), weight (−1 vs 2%), diastolic diurnal blood pressure (−1 vs −7%), and systolic diurnal blood pressure (0 vs −1%) were found. Nine consultations were missed in the standard outpatient group and none in the telemedicine group. Conclusions In the direct comparison of home video consultations vs standard outpatient treatment in type 2 diabetes mellitus, telemedicine was a safe and available option with favourable outcomes after six months treatment.
Inhibition of secretory phospholipase A2 activity attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in a mouse model

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the hypothesis that LY374388, an inhibitor of secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) activity, may exert a protective effect on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury in male C57BL/6J mice. Intratracheal administration of LPS increased histopathological changes in lung tissue, lung wet to dry ratios, and the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid levels of neutrophil numbers, sPLA2 activity, leukotriene B4, and thromboxane B2. However, a simultaneous intraperitoneal treatment with LY374388 significantly attenuated these LPS-induced changes. Thus, inhibition of sPLA2 activity significantly attenuated the acute lung injury induced by LPS. sPLA2 played an important role in the pathogenesis of LPS-induced acute lung injury in mice.
Mesh conforming electro-thermal co-analysis with application to PCB power integrity

Modern design of Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) applies electric IR drop analysis in order to optimize the supply voltage margins for the ICs mounted on the board. The IR drop however is affected by the heat generation in the PCB due to the temperature dependency of the material conductivities. Both the electric power dissipation inside the IC's and the Joule losses in the copper contribute to the heat generation. The electric problem is coupled with the thermal problem and is to be solved in a co-analysis setup to obtain thermal aware IR drop values. This paper presents an electro-thermal co-analysis technology targeting PCB designers responsible for Power Integrity (PI). We deploy a finite element discretization technique to solve the coupled electro-thermal steady-state equations simultaneously. Our solution combines H(div) Whitney face elements with mesh conformity. That is, the mesh used in the electric domain is reused in the thermal domain preserving all geometrical details in both domains. The exchange of electric data (power loss) and thermal data (temperature) at the mesh level speeds up the design process and increases the accuracy of the simulations. The electro-thermal co-simulation technique is validated using a via test board and applied for a real DDR4 board to demonstrate the significance of thermal aware IR drop.