Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Persistent and recurrent neovascularization after laser photocoagulation for subfoveal choroidal neovascularization of age-related macular degeneration. Macular Photocoagulation Study Group.

OBJECTIVE To determine the incidence and visual impact of and risk factors for persistent and recurrent neovascularization after laser photocoagulation of subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in patients with age-related macular degeneration. DESIGN, PATIENTS, AND METHODS The records of 189 eyes in the Subfoveal New CNV Study and 100 eyes in the Subfoveal Recurrent CNV Study assigned to laser photocoagulation were examined. Persistent CNV (detected within 6 weeks of treatment) and recurrent CNV (detected after 6 weeks) were defined angiographically by fluorescein leakage from the periphery of the treatment scar. Incidence was estimated using survival analysis methods. RESULTS In both studies, persistent CNV was observed in approximately 13% of the eyes, and recurrent CNV was estimated to have developed by 3 years in an additional 35% of the eyes. In the New CNV Study, by 3 years, 36% of the eyes with persistent CNV had lost 6 or more lines of visual acuity as had 19% of the eyes with recurrent CNV and 27% of the eyes without persistence or recurrence. The presence of neovascular maculopathy in the fellow eye was associated with an increased risk for persistence or recurrence in the study eye. In the New CNV Study, partial coverage of the lesion with heavy laser treatment and/or runoff was associated with increased risk for persistence; less extensive natural scarring of the lesion at study entry was associated with increased risk for recurrence. CONCLUSIONS Close to half of the eyes treated for subfoveal CNV have persistent or recurrent CNV within 3 years. There is a strong association between neovascular maculopathy in the fellow eye and the inability of laser photocoagulation to permanently obliterate signs of CNV from the study eye. Within these two studies, there was little additional damage to visual function resulting from persistent or recurrent neovascularization. There appears to be no reason to deviate from the protocol goal of covering the entire neovascular complex when treating eyes with subfoveal CNV.
[Physical activity--new paths and choices in the recommendations for adults].

Recommendations for physical activity have been prepared by Professional Associations for Physical Activity and approved by the Swedish Society of Medicine in 2011. All adults are recommended regular aerobic and muscle strengthening physical activity. Lowest recommended dose (intensity x time) of aerobic physical activity is 150 minutes at moderate or 75 minutes at high intensity per week. More health benefits are achieved if the dose is higher than the lowest recommended dose. Longer periods of sedentary behavior should be avoided. Elderly are also recommended balance training. The benefits of physical activity outweigh the risks. The Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare recommends that the healthcare system offer counselling with the adjunct of exercise on prescription or a pedometer to persons with insufficient physical activity, i.e. less than the lowest recommended dose in the current recommendations for physical activity.
High‐dose‐rate brachytherapy as part of a multidisciplinary treatment of nasopharyngeal lymphoepithelioma in childhood

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma in childhood is rare. Radiochemotherapy is considered the standard treatment and yields increased survival and local control rates. In this article, the authors report on the results from the multidisciplinary treatment of pediatric patients who had nasopharyngeal lymphoepithelioma with radiochemotherapy, including high‐dose‐rate brachytherapy of the primary tumor site.
A new reduced complexity ML detection scheme for MIMO systems

For multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, the optimum maximum likelihood (ML) detection requires tremendous complexity as the number of antennas or modulation level increases. This paper proposes a new algorithm which attains the ML performance with significantly reduced complexity. Based on the minimum mean square error (MMSE) criterion, the proposed scheme reduces the search space by excluding unreliable candidate symbols in data streams. Utilizing the probability metric which evaluates the reliability with the normalized likelihood functions of each symbol candidate, near optimal ML detection is made possible. Also we derive the performance analysis which supports the validity of our proposed method. A threshold parameter is introduced to balance a tradeoff between complexity and performance. Besides, we propose an efficient way of generating the log likelihood ratio (LLR) values which can be used for coded systems. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme achieves almost the same performance as the ML detection at a bit error rate (BER) of 10-4 with 28% and 15% of real multiplications compared to the conventional QR decomposition with M-algorithm (QRD-M) in 4-QAM and 16- QAM, respectively. Also we confirm that the proposed scheme achieves the near-optimal performance for all ranges of code rates with much reduced complexity. For instance, our scheme exhibits 74% and 46% multiplication reduction in 4-QAM and 16-QAM, respectively, compared to the sphere decoding based soft-output scheme with rate-1/2 convolutional code.
Influenza B Virus Requires BM2 Protein for Replication

ABSTRACT The BM2 protein of influenza B virus functions as an ion channel, which is suggested to be important for virus uncoating in endosomes of virus-infected cells. Because direct support for this function is lacking, whether BM2 plays an essential role in the viral life cycle remains unknown. We therefore attempted to generate BM2 knockout viruses by reverse genetics. Mutant viruses possessing M segments with the mutated initiation codon of BM2 protein at the stop-start pentanucleotide were viable and still expressed BM2. The introduction of multiple stop codons and a one-nucleotide deletion downstream of the stop-start pentanucleotide, in addition to disablement of the BM2 initiation codon, failed to generate viable mutant viruses, but the mutant M segments still expressed proteins that reacted with the BM2 peptide antiserum. To completely abolish BM2 expression, we generated a mutant M gene whose BM2 open reading frame was deleted. Although this mutant was not able to replicate in normal MDCK cells, it did replicate in a cell line that we established which constitutively expresses BM2. Furthermore, a virus possessing the mutant M gene lacking the BM2 open reading frame and a mutant NA gene containing the BM2 open reading frame instead of the NA open reading frame underwent multiple cycles of replication in MDCK cells, with exogenous sialidase used to supplement the deleted viral sialidase activity. These findings demonstrate that the BM2 protein is essential for influenza B virus replication.
Rheological aspects of sickle cell disease.

Rheological determinants of pathophysiology of sickle cell disease are analyzed. Basic concepts of blood viscosity and its relationship to cell-cell, cell-protein, and cell-vessel interaction are presented. Viscosity alterations in sickle cell disease are attributed primarily to increased internal viscosity and membrane rigidity of the deoxygenated sickle cell and oxygenated irreversibly sickled cell which interact with capillaries of critical diameter to initiate microvascular occlusion. A critical pO 2 of 70 mm of mercury for initial reduction of sickle cell deformability was found. Alterations of microvascular blood flow in sickle cell disease are graphically shown by dynamic microcinematography which demonstrates the abnormal rheology of the sickle cell in a model capillary bed. Entrapment of rigid sickle cells at capillary junctions, reversible sickle cell capillary blockade and microvascular occlusion, and rheologic concomitants are demonstrated.
Recombinant Soluble P-Selectin Glycoprotein Ligand-Ig (rPSGL-Ig) Attenuates Infarct Size and Myeloperoxidase Activity in a Canine Model of Ischemia-Reperfusion

Summary The role of P-selectin in the process of reperfusion injury was evaluated using a recombinant soluble P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-Ig (rPSGL-Ig) in a canine coronary artery balloon occlusion model. rPSGL-Ig (1 mg/kg) or saline was given as an intravenous bolus 15 min before balloon deflation. Balloon occlusion time was 90 min followed by either 120 min or 7 days reperfusion. Infarct size was significantly reduced in the treatment group when expressed either as percentage of the area at risk or as absolute infarct size. Histological analysis showed that extensive myocardial injury and neutrophil infiltration were reduced by rPSGL-Ig. Myeloperoxidase activity (MPO) was significantly reduced in the risk area in the rPSGL-Ig group. Left ventricular ejection fraction was significantly less impaired during the first 24 h after reperfusion in the rPSGL-Ig group, although there was no difference by 7-day follow-up. Thus, administration of rPSGL-Ig decreases myocardial injury and inflammatory response for at least 7 days after reperfusion of ischemic myocardium.
Bayesian Estimation and Modeling: Editorial to the Second Special Issue on Bayesian Data Analysis

This editorial accompanies the second special issue on Bayesian data analysis published in this journal. The emphases of this issue are on Bayesian estimation and modeling. In this editorial, we outline the basics of current Bayesian estimation techniques and some notable developments in the statistical literature, as well as adaptations and extensions by psychological researchers to better tailor to the modeling applications in psychology. We end with a discussion on future outlooks of Bayesian data analysis in psychology.
The need for systems integration in health care.

ROGRESS IN PATIENT SAFETY AND QUALITY HAS BEEN slow, despite increasing recognition of risk across the health care system. Efforts to reduce harm to patients or to improve quality of care often focus on a single, local intervention or a collection of local interventions, usually seeking to improve a single care process. Although valuable, this approach is incremental, resulting inmodest,thoughneeded,improvements.Mostqualityimprovement efforts miss a larger opportunity to improve and redesign the fabric of health care. It appears that a systemsintegration approach that incorporates the fundamental building blocks of health care, from equipment and technologytoclinicalinsightandworkflowprocesses,isneeded
Diffusion-weighted MR imaging in normal human brains in various age groups.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Few studies have concerned the absolute apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in the normal human brain and the effect of aging on diffusion. Therefore, our purpose was to determine whether the average ADC (ADC(av)) values in the various regions of the brain differ with age, sex, or hemisphere and to establish reference values of the absolute ADC(av) for further studies. METHODS Subjects (40 men and 40 women) were chosen from a healthy population; age groups were 20-34, 35-49, and 50-64 years and 65 years or older (n = 20 each). All subjects were examined with MR imaging, including conventional and diffusion-weighted imaging in three orthogonal directions with two b values (0 and 1000 s/mm(2)) at 1.5 T. Bilateral ADC(av) values were determined in 36 regions of interest encompassing the entire brain. RESULTS ADC(av) values were highest in the cortical gray matter ([0.89 +/- 0.04] x 10(-3) mm(2)/s; range, 0.78-1.09 x 10(-3)), lower in the deep gray matter ([0.75 +/- 0.03] x 10(-3) mm(2)/s; range, 0.64-0.83 x 10(-3)), and lowest in the white matter ([0.70 +/- 0.03] x 10(-3) mm(2)/s; range, 0.62-0.79 x 10(-3)). The ADC(av) values did not significantly change with aging, except for an increase in the lateral ventricles. No difference was observed between women and men or between the hemispheres. CONCLUSION The data reported herein are representative, and the ADC(av) values can be used for reference in future studies and in clinical settings.
Modèle Neuronal de Recherche d'Information Augmenté par une Ressource Sémantique

De nombreux travaux en recherche d'information (RI) ont montre l'apport de la semantique des mots pour ameliorer l'appariement de document-requete. D'une part, la semantique symbolique derivee de ressources externes permet de representer des entites et leurs relations explicites. D'autre part, la semantique distributionnelle inferee des corpus permet de representer les relations semantiques implicites d'un corpus. Dans cet article, nous proposons de combiner ces deux types de representations semantiques. Ainsi, nous presentons un modele neuronal pour la RI ad-hoc qui exploite les representations semantiques latentes des documents et des requetes en beneficiant des concepts et des relations exprimes au sein d'une ressource externe. Les evaluations sur deux jeux de donnees prouvent l'efficacite de notre modele par rapport aux modeles neuronaux profonds d'appariement de l'etat de l'art. ABSTRACT. In information retrieval task, the words semantic has been recognized as significant mean to improve the document-query matching. First, the symbolic semantics extracted from external resources allows to represent entities and their explicit relations. Second, the distributed semantics inferred from the corpus allows to exploit the implicit relations hidden in a corpus. In this paper, we introduce a neural model that leverages the latent semantic representations of documents and queries by taking advantage of the concepts and relations expressed within an external resource. Experimental results obtained on two datasets indicate our model effectiveness in comparison with state-of-the-art deep neural retrieval models.
Pathogenesis of osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a very common disorder affecting millions of post-menopausal women and men of various ages. Although the disease is manifested by painful fractures of the spine, hip or radius, the underlying pathogenesis is complex and multifactorial. One of the strongest predictors of future osteoporotic fractures is low bone mineral density. The determinants of adult bone density include the rate of bone acquisition during adolescence and the absolute loss of bone during the six decades of adult life. Recent studies have clarified how bone mass is acquired during the early teen years in both boys and girls. Genetic factors play an enormous role in defining the height of acquisition of bone mass; however, these factors also interact with environmental and hormonal determinants. Many more studies have focused on adult bone loss. Disorders in bone remodelling result in an imbalance in bone turnover, favouring resorption over formation. Systemic factors such as oestrogen deprivation and parathyroid hormone strongly activate remodelling and can, in several circumstances, lead to imbalances in the remodelling cycle. The molecular cues that couple bone formation to resorption have recently been elucidated, and those factors may themselves become therapeutic targets for future treatment regimens to prevent osteoporosis and its resultant fractures.
TIC y objetos de aprendizaje

El proyecto de investigacion “TIC y Objetos de Aprendizaje en ambientes multidisciplinarios de investigacion y ensenanza de la ingenieria” esta aprobado y financiado por la Secretaria de Ciencia y Tecnica de la Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco (UNPSJB). Se inicio en Enero de 2014 y su fecha de finalizacion es en Diciembre de 2016. La investigacion se desarola en Facultad de Ingenieria (Sede Trelew) de la UNPSJB.
Revision tibiotalar arthrodesis.

BACKGROUND Contemporary recommendations for primary and revision ankle arthrodesis favor internal compression techniques involving the use of screw and/or plate fixation. While tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis with internal fixation may be a suitable method of salvage for the treatment of a failed tibiotalar arthrodesis in selected patients, ring external fixation has been reported as an alternative. We reviewed our experience with revision tibiotalar arthrodesis, with a focus on ring external fixation. METHODS Forty-five consecutive patients underwent revision tibiotalar arthrodesis with use of repeat internal fixation (eleven patients), ring external fixation (twenty-two patients), or tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis (twelve patients). Union rates were assessed radiographically, and functional outcome was determined with use of preoperative and postoperative American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society ankle-hindfoot scores. RESULTS All forty-five patients were available for follow-up at an average of 50.3 months. The average ankle-hindfoot score improved from 31.1 points preoperatively to 65.8 points at the time of the most recent follow-up. At the time of the most recent follow-up, the union rate was 88.9% (forty of forty-five). Fusion was achieved with revision tibiotalar arthrodesis in thirty-six (80%) of forty-five patients, including eight of the eleven patients in the repeat internal fixation group, nineteen of the twenty-two patients in the ring external fixation group, and nine of the twelve patients in the tibiotalocalcaneal arthrodesis group. Re-revision led to union in four of five patients. The overall union rate for ring external fixation, including revision and re-revision tibiotalar arthrodeses, was 84.6% (twenty-two of twenty-six). The five patients with persistent nonunion following revision ankle arthrodesis opted for transtibial amputation. CONCLUSIONS Revision tibiotalar arthrodesis leads to satisfactory limb salvage in a majority of patients. Ring external fixation may facilitate clinically acceptable limb salvage in complex cases when methods of internal fixation are limited or even contraindicated.
Differential modulation of ethanol-induced sedation and hypnosis by metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonists in C57BL/6J mice.

BACKGROUND Emerging evidence implicates metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) function in the neurobiological effects of ethanol. The recent development of subtype specific mGluR antagonists has made it possible to examine the roles of specific mGluRs in biochemical and behavioral responses to ethanol. The purpose of the present study was to determine if mGluRs modulate the acute sedative-hypnotic properties of ethanol in mice. METHODS C57BL/6J mice were tested for locomotor activity (sedation) and duration of loss of the righting reflex (hypnosis) following acute systemic administration of ethanol alone or in combination with the mGluR5-selective antagonist, 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)pyridine (MPEP), the mGluR1-selective antagonist, 7-(hydroxyimino)cyclopropa[b]chromen-1a-carboxylate ethyl ester (CPCCOEt), or the mGluR2/3-selective antagonist (2S)-2-Amino-2-[(1S,2S)-2-carboxycycloprop-1-yl]-3-(xanth-9-yl) propanoic acid (LY341495)). RESULTS MPEP (10 and 30 mg/kg) significantly enhanced both the sedative and hypnotic effects of ethanol, while LY341495 (10 and 30 mg/kg) significantly reduced the sedative-hypnotic effects of ethanol. CPCCOEt had no effect at any concentration tested. Further loss of righting reflex experiments revealed that LY341495 (30 mg/kg) significantly reduced hypnosis induced by the gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) positive modulators, pentobarbital (50 mg/kg) and midazolam (60 mg/kg), and the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, ketamine (150 mg/kg), while MPEP (30 mg/kg) only significantly enhanced the hypnotic properties of ketamine (150 mg/kg). CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that specific subtypes of the metabotropic glutamate receptor differentially modulate the sedative-hypnotic properties of ethanol through separate mechanisms of action, potentially involving GABA(A) and NMDA receptors.
Bispecific Antibody Pretargeting of Radionuclides for Immuno–Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography and Immuno–Positron Emission Tomography Molecular Imaging: An Update

Molecular imaging is intended to localize disease based on distinct molecular/functional characteristics. Much of today's interest in molecular imaging is attributed to the increased acceptance and role of 18F-flurodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) imaging in a variety of tumors. The clinical acceptance of 18F-FDG has stimulated research for other positron emission tomography (PET) agents with improved specificity to aid in tumor detection and assessment. In this regard, a number of highly specific antibodies have been described for different cancers. Although scintigraphic imaging with antibodies in the past was helpful in patient management, most antibody-based imaging products have not been able to compete successfully with the sensitivity afforded by 18F-FDG-PET, especially when used in combination with computed tomography. Recently, however, significant advances have been made in reengineering antibodies to improve their targeting properties. Herein, we describe progress being made in using a bispecific antibody pretargeting method for immuno–single-photon emission computed tomography and immunoPET applications, as contrasted to directly radiolabeled antibodies. This approach not only significantly enhances tumor/nontumor ratios but also provides high signal intensity in the tumor, making it possible to visualize micrometastases of colonic cancer as small as 0.1 to 0.2 mm in diameter using an anti–carcinoembryonic antigen bispecific antibody, whereas FDG failed to localize these lesions in a nude mouse model. Early detection of micrometastatic non–Hodgkin's lymphoma is also possible using an anti-CD20–based bispecific antibody pretargeting procedure. Thus, this bispecific antibody pretargeting procedure may contribute to tumor detection and could also contribute to the detection of other diseases having distinct antigen targets and suitably specific antibodies.
Integration of Smart user Interfaces in the Navigation System of Powered Wheelchairs

This paper presents a navigation system that extends the use of Electric Powered Wheelchairs (EPWs) to people with upper limbs impairments that prevent them the control of a traditional joystick-driven EPW. To achieve this aim, an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) system and a Brain Computer Interface (BCI) have been introduced to enable the user to asynchronously perform and send the control commands to the navigation module, according to her/his limited residual capabilities. Moreover, a shared-control algorithm has been developed to translate the user’s guidance wishes into directions of motion that maximize the security and minimize the physical and cognitive effort for the user. A preliminary analysis of the proposed navigation system showed satisfactory results in terms of security and fulfillment of the user wishes.