Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preoperative Computed Tomography Findings Predict Surgical Resectability of Thymoma

Introduction: The aim of the study was to identify preoperative computed tomography (CT) imaging characteristics that correlated with surgical resectability. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the CT scans of 133 patients who underwent surgical resection for thymoma at our institution between July 21, 1997, and September 22, 2010. Imaging characteristics recorded included tumor size, attenuation, contact of mediastinal vessels, tumor morphology, infiltration of surrounding fat, changes in the adjacent lung parenchyma, lymphadenopathy, and pleural involvement. Results: The study group included 66 men and 67 women, aged 23–88 years (mean 58.8 years). Eighty patients (60.2%) were Masaoka stage I or II and 53 (39.8%) were Masaoka stage III or IV. Twenty-three patients (17.3%) had an incomplete surgical resection. Of these, 15 patients had microscopic residual disease (11.2%) and eight had gross residual disease (6.0%). The preoperative CT characteristics that correlated with an incomplete surgical resection included a lobulated tumor contour (p = 0.016), greater than or equal 50% abutment of the circumference of an adjacent vessel (p < 0.001), thoracic lymphadenopathy (p = 0.029), adjacent lung changes (p = 0.005) and pleural nodularity (p = 0.001). Tumor size was larger in the incompletely versus completely resected groups, with mean values of 9.7 and 6.9 cm (p value 0.013). On multivariate analysis, only degree of abutment of adjacent vessels and pleural nodularity were independent predictors of incomplete resection. Conclusions: Preoperative CT findings can predict the likelihood of successful surgical resection and could help to identify patients who might benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
Psychiatric disorders among disaster bereaved: an interview study of individuals directly or not directly exposed to the 2004 tsunami

Background: Few studies have explored the long‐term mental health consequences of disaster losses in bereaved, either exposed to the disaster themselves or not. This study examined the prevalence and predictors of mental disorders and psychological distress in bereaved individuals either directly or not directly exposed to the 2004 tsunami disaster. Method: A cross‐sectional study of 111 bereaved Norwegians (32 directly and 79 not directly exposed) was conducted 2 years postdisaster. We used a face‐to‐face structured clinical interview to diagnose current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression (major depressive disorder, MDD) and a self‐report scale to measure prolonged grief disorder (PGD). Results: The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was twice as high among individuals directly exposed to the disaster compared to individuals who were not directly exposed (46.9 vs. 22.8 per 100). The prevalence of disorders among the directly exposed was PTSD (34.4%), MDD (25%), and PGD (23.3%), whereas the prevalence among the not directly exposed was PGD (14.3%), MDD (10.1%), and PTSD (5.2%). The co‐occurrence of disorders was higher among the directly exposed (21.9 vs. 5.2%). Low education and loss of a child predicted PGD, whereas direct exposure to the disaster predicted PTSD. All three disorders were independently associated with functional impairment. Conclusions: The dual burden of direct trauma and loss can inflict a complex set of long‐term reactions and mental health problems in bereaved individuals. The relationship between PGD and impaired functioning actualizes the incorporation of PGD in future diagnostic manuals of psychiatric disorders. Depression and Anxiety, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Risk Perception Paradox—Implications for Governance and Communication of Natural Hazards

This article reviews the main insights from selected literature on risk perception, particularly in connection with natural hazards. It includes numerous case studies on perception and social behavior dealing with floods, droughts, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, wild fires, and landslides. The review reveals that personal experience of a natural hazard and trust—or lack of trust—in authorities and experts have the most substantial impact on risk perception. Cultural and individual factors such as media coverage, age, gender, education, income, social status, and others do not play such an important role but act as mediators or amplifiers of the main causal connections between experience, trust, perception, and preparedness to take protective actions. When analyzing the factors of experience and trust on risk perception and on the likeliness of individuals to take preparedness action, the review found that a risk perception paradox exists in that it is assumed that high risk perception will lead to personal preparedness and, in the next step, to risk mitigation behavior. However, this is not necessarily true. In fact, the opposite can occur if individuals with high risk perception still choose not to personally prepare themselves in the face of a natural hazard. Therefore, based on the results of the review, this article offers three explanations suggesting why this paradox might occur. These findings have implications for future risk governance and communication as well as for the willingness of individuals to invest in risk preparedness or risk mitigation actions.
A Practical Guide from the International Thymic Malignancy Interest Group (ITMIG) Regarding the Radiographic Assessment of Treatment Response of Thymic Epithelial Tumors Using Modified RECIST Criteria

Measuring tumor response to chemotherapy is important for both clinical decision-making and for multi-institutional studies. Thymoma tends to spread along the pleura: a challenge for accurate tumor measurement. Inaccurate and inconsistent tumor measurements often compromise results from clinical trials that are dependent on identifying response rate and progression-free survival. In this article, we sought to provide a practical guide on how to measure thymoma by the International Thymic Malignancy Interest Group’s recommendations for standard outcome measures. The aim of this article is to clarify this measuring technique, lead to consistency between institutions, and minimize intra- and interobserver variability.
The pathology of the painful heel

The mythological derivation of the term 'Achilles Heel' is such as to denote a localized point of vulnerability. The tendon which bears the name of Achilles has maintained that reputation, and is the site of perhaps the most persistent and annoying lesion known to modern athletes. Successful management of the painful lesions of this area demands accurate diagnosis and an awareness of the anatomical and pathological factors involved.
Anger problems across the anxiety disorders: findings from a population‐based study

Background: Previous research examining anger problems among the anxiety disorders has been limited by the use of nonrepresentative samples, univariate analyses, as well as low sample size. The current study examined the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder (PD), social anxiety disorder, specific phobia (SP), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and anger experience and expression. We hypothesized that greater anger experience and expression would be associated with all anxiety disorders, but that it would be most consistently associated with PTSD and PD diagnoses, and that these relationships would remain significant after controlling for demographics (i.e. age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, and income) and comorbid disorders. Methods: Participants included 5,692 (54% female) adults from the National Comorbidity Survey—Replication, a large, nationally representative survey. Results: Our data suggest that there are unique relationships between multiple anxiety disorders and various indices of anger experience and expression that are not better accounted for by psychiatric comorbidity. Contrary to predictions, PTSD and PD were not consistently associated with anger experience and expression. Conclusions: Overall, these findings lend support to the emerging literature demonstrating a potentially important relationship between anxiety disorders and anger problems. Depression and Anxiety, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Neighborhood Deprivation and Lung Cancer Incidence and Mortality: A Multilevel Analysis from Sweden

Background: Neighborhood deprivation has been implicated in lung cancer but no study has simultaneously analyzed the potential effect of neighborhood deprivation on both lung cancer incidence and mortality, after adjusting for individual-level socioeconomic factors, and comorbidities. The aim of this study was to analyze whether there is an association between neighborhood deprivation and incidence and mortality rates of lung cancer, beyond individual-level characteristics. Design: The incident and mortality cases of lung cancer were determined in the entire Swedish population aged over 50 (3.2 million individuals) between 2000 and 2010. Multilevel logistic regression was used in the analysis with individual-level characteristics (age, marital status, family income, education, immigration status, urban/rural status, mobility, and comorbidities) at the first level and level of neighborhood deprivation at the second level. A neighborhood deprivation index, constructed from the variables education, income, unemployment, and welfare assistance, was used to assess the level of neighborhood deprivation. Results: There was a strong association between level of neighborhood deprivation and incidence and mortality of lung cancer. In the fully adjusted model, the odds of lung cancer were 1.27 and 1.32, respectively, in the most deprived neighborhood. The between-neighborhood variance (i.e., the random intercept) was over 1.96 times the standard error in all models, indicating that there were significant differences in incidence and mortality rates of lung cancer between neighborhoods. Conclusions: Results suggest that neighborhood deprivation is associated with incident and mortality cases of lung cancer in Sweden, independently of individual-level characteristics.
Prognostic Impact of KRAS Mutation Subtypes in 677 Patients with Metastatic Lung Adenocarcinomas

Background: We previously demonstrated that patients with metastatic KRAS mutant lung cancers have a shorter survival compared with patients with KRAS wild-type cancers. Recent reports have suggested different clinical outcomes and distinct activated signaling pathways depending on KRAS mutation subtype. To better understand the impact of KRAS mutation subtype, we analyzed data from 677 patients with KRAS mutant metastatic lung cancer. Methods: We reviewed all patients with metastatic or recurrent lung cancers found to have KRAS mutations over a 6-year time period. We evaluated the associations among KRAS mutation type, clinical factors, and overall survival in univariate and multivariate analyses. Any significant findings were validated in an external multi-institution patient dataset. Results: Among 677 patients with KRAS mutant lung cancers (53 at codon 13, 624 at codon 12), there was no difference in overall survival for patients when comparing KRAS transition versus transversion mutations (p = 0.99), smoking status (p = 0.33), or when comparing specific amino acid substitutions (p = 0.20). In our dataset, patients with KRAS codon 13 mutant tumors (n = 53) had shorter overall survival compared with patients with codon 12 mutant tumors (n = 624) (1.1 versus 1.3 years, respectively; p = 0.009), and the findings were confirmed in a multivariate Cox model controlling for age, sex, and smoking status (hazard ratio: 1.52, 95% confidence interval: 1.11–2.08; p = 0.008). In an independent validation set of tumors from 682 patients with stage IV KRAS mutant lung cancers, there was no difference in survival between patients with KRAS codon 13 versus codon 12 mutations (1.0 versus 1.1 years, respectively; p = 0.41). Conclusions: Among individuals with KRAS mutant metastatic lung cancers treated with conventional therapy, there are no apparent differences in outcome based on KRAS mutation subtype.
Múltiples Complicaciones tras Endoprótesis Aórtica

Los aneurismas de aorta abdominal causan del 1 al 3% de todas las muertes de hombres entre 65 y 85 anos en paises desarrollados. Generalmente son asintomaticos y su evolucion natural son a la rotura, momento en que suelen diagnosticarse. La incidencia del aneurisma de aorta abdominal ha aumentado en los ultimos 20 anos, en parte debido al envejecimiento de la poblacion y al tabaco y la hipertension como causas predisponentes mas frecuentes. La mayor parte de los aneurismas asintomaticos diagnosticados casualmente no necesitan cirugia correctora ya que es el diametro del aneurisma el mayor predictor del riesgo de ruptura y este aumenta exponencialmente por encima de los 5 cm. La intervencion quirurgica clasica presenta indices de morbilidad entre 15 y 30%.
Functional impairment in adults with past posttraumatic stress disorder: findings from primary care

Background: Although many patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experience a reduction in posttraumatic symptoms over time, little is currently known about the extent of their residual functional impairment. This study examines functional impairment in primary care patients with a history of PTSD as compared to patients with current PTSD, and those who never developed PTSD following exposure to trauma. Methods: The sample consisted of 321 trauma‐exposed low‐income, predominantly Hispanic adults attending a large urban primary care practice. PTSD was assessed with the Lifetime Composite International Diagnostic Interview and other psychiatric disorders with the SCID‐I. Physical and mental health‐related quality of life was assessed with the Medical Outcome Health Survey (SF‐12), and functional impairment with items from the Sheehan Disability Scale and Social Adjustment Scale Self‐Report. Results: Logistic regression analyses controlling for gender, psychiatric comorbidity, and interpersonal traumas showed that although patients with past PTSD function significantly better than patients with current PTSD, they experience persisting deficits in mental health‐related quality of life compared to trauma‐exposed patients who never developed PTSD. Overall, results revealed a continuum of severity in psychiatric comorbidity, functioning, and quality of life, with current PTSD associated with the most impairment, never having met criteria for PTSD with the least impairment, and history of PTSD falling in between. Conclusions: In this primary care sample, adults with a history of past PTSD but no current PTSD continued to report enduring functional deficits, suggesting a need for ongoing clinical attention. Depression and Anxiety, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Severity of Supply Chain Disruptions: Design Characteristics and Mitigation Capabilities

Supply chain disruptions and the associated operational and financial risks represent the most pressing concern facing firms that compete in today's global marketplace. Extant research has not only confirmed the costly nature of supply chain disruptions but has also contributed relevant insights on such related issues as supply chain risks, vulnerability, resilience, and continuity. In this conceptual note, we focus on a relatively unexplored issue, asking and answering the question of how and why one supply chain disruption would be more severe than another. In doing so, we argue, de facto, that supply chain disruptions are unavoidable and, as a consequence, that all supply chains are inherently risky. Employing a multiple-method, multiple-source empirical research design, we derive novel insights, presented as six propositions that relate the severity of supply chain disruptions (i) to the three supply chain design characteristics of density, complexity, and node criticality and (ii) to the two supply chain mitigation capabilities of recovery and warning. These findings not only augment existing knowledge related to supply chain risk, vulnerability, resilience, and business continuity planning but also call into question the wisdom of pursuing such practices as supply base reduction, global sourcing, and sourcing from supply clusters.
Simultaneous monitoring of the drug release and antitumor effect of a novel drug delivery system-MWCNTs/DOX/TC

Abstract Monitoring drug release and therapeutic efficacy is crucial for developing drug delivery systems. Our preliminary study demonstrated that, as compared with pristine multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), transactivator of transcription (TAT)-chitosan functionalized MWCNTs (MWCNTs-TC) were a more promising candidate for drug delivery in cancer therapy. In the present study, a MWCNTs/TC-based drug delivery system was developed for an anticancer drug, doxorubicin (DOX). The drug loading and in vitro release profiles, cellular uptake and cytotoxicity were assessed. More importantly, the in vivo drug release and antitumor effect of MWCNTs/DOX/TC were evaluated by noninvasive fluorescence and bioluminescence imaging. It was demonstrated that MWCNTs/DOX/TC can be efficiently taken up by BEL-7402 hepatoma cells. The release of DOX from MWCNTs/DOX/TC was faster under lower pH condition, which was beneficial for intrcellular drug release. The in vivo release process of DOX and antitumor effect in animal model were monitored simultaneously by noninvasive fluorescence and luminescence imaging, which demonstrated the application potential of MWCNTs/DOX/TC for cancer therapy.
VAMP2–NRG1 Fusion Gene is a Novel Oncogenic Driver of Non–Small-Cell Lung Adenocarcinoma

Introduction: Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) has been discovered as the tail moiety of fusion genes with several distinct partner head genes in lung cancers. These fusion genes activate ERBB2/ERBB3 receptor-mediated cell signaling and thereby function as oncogenic drivers. Methods: We have carried out whole-transcriptome sequencing of 100 non–small-cell lung carcinoma tumors and isolated a novel fusion gene consisting of vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP2) and NRG1. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and genomic DNA analysis were used to demonstrate interchromosomal translocation. Immunoblotting and soft agar assays were used to examine stimulating activity of the fusion gene through ERBB2/ERBB3 signaling pathway. Results: The most highly expressed splice variant of VAMP2–NRG1 fusion gene was shown to be membrane bound and display EGF-like domain of NRG1 extracellularly. VAMP2–NRG1 promotes anchorage-independent colony formation of H1568 lung adenocarcinoma cells. Ectopic expression of the fusion gene stimulates phosphorylation of ERBB2 and ERBB3 as well as downstream targets, AKT and ERK, confirming activation of the signaling pathway. Conclusion: VAMP2–NRG1 is a novel oncogenic fusion gene representing a new addition to the list of NRG1 fusion genes, which together may form an important diagnostic and clinical category of lung adenocarcinoma cases.
Collaborative Virtual Environments : Exploring the Link between Collaborative Behaviors and Team Performance

Increasingly, organizational work is conducted by virtual teams interacting across boundaries of space and time. Despite advances in collaborative technologies, members of virtual teams often find the experience challenging and a far cry from physically “being there. ” In response, immersive and interactive three-dimensional collaborative virtual environments (3D CVEs) are emerging and purported to address the shortcoming of earlier technologies. How teams will interact and ultimately perform in a 3D environment remains to be seen. In this study, drawing from group and communication theories, we explore the link between collaborative behaviors and the performance of virtual teams working in a 3D CVE. We report on the results of a controlled experiment consisting of 39 virtual teams of 91 individuals. Through cluster analysis, we identify distinct patterns of collaborative behaviors associated with differential levels of performance. Our findings provide a deeper understanding of how the unique spatial and visual characteristics of 3D CVEs may transform virtual work. Subject Areas: Cluster Analysis, Collaborative Technologies, Mediated Communication, Virtual Teams, and 3D Collaborative Virtual Environments.
Safety and Immunogenicity of MAGE-A3 Cancer Immunotherapeutic with or without Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients with Resected Stage IB to III MAGE-A3-Positive Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Introduction: To assess the safety and immunogenicity of MAGE-A3 immunotherapeutic in patients with stage IB–III MAGE-A3-positive non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were or were not undergoing standard cisplatin/vinorelbine chemotherapy. Methods: This open, prospective, multicenter, parallel-group phase I study (NCT00455572) enrolled patients with resected (cohorts 1–3) or unresectable (cohort 4) MAGE-A3-positive NSCLC. MAGE-A3 immunotherapeutic (300 &mgr;g recombinant MAGE-A3 formulated with AS15) was administered (eight doses, 3 weeks apart) concurrent with (cohort 1), after (cohort 2), or without (cohort 3) standard-adjuvant chemotherapy, or after standard radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy (cohort 4). Results: Sixty-seven patients received greater than or equal to 1 dose of MAGE-A3 immunotherapeutic. Grade 3/4 adverse events (AEs) were reported for 16 out of 19 (84%), 2 out of 18 (11%), 5 out of 18 (28%), and 1 out of 12 (8%) patients in cohorts 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Many grade 3/4 AEs in cohort 1 (e.g., neutropenia) were typical of chemotherapy. Six patients, including three in cohort 1, reported study treatment–related grade 3/4 AEs (injection-site reactions or musculoskeletal/back pain, which resolved within 5 days). One patient (in cohort 4) died, but this and the other serious adverse events were not study treatment related. MAGE-A3-specific antibody responses to immunotherapy were induced in all patients evaluated in all cohorts. MAGE-A3-specific CD4+ T-cell responses to immunotherapy were detected in 4 out of 11 (36%), 4 out of 15 (27%), 2 out of 8 (25%), and 5 out of 6 (83%) evaluated patients in cohorts 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively; and CD8+ T-cell responses were only detected in four patients. Conclusion: In resected and unresectable NSCLC patients and irrespective of whether standard chemotherapy was concurrent or not, MAGE-A3 immunotherapeutic is well tolerated and induces MAGE-A3-specific immune responses.