Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Study of IEEE 802.15.6 Association Protocols

A body area network is a network of small and portable devices around human bodies. It enables a number of interesting applications including elderly healthcare and chronic diseases monitoring. Since body area networks are used to collect sensitive information, they require proper security protections. IEEE Std 802.15. 6 is a standard for body area networks, it also provides mechanisms for strong security. In this paper, security association protocols proposed in the standard are reviewed. First of all, several security flaws are found. In addition, we also get some interesting findings from the standpoint of performance and usability.
Liver Transplantation in an Adult With Sclerosing Cholangitis due to Multisystem Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis

Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare hematopoietic disorder characterized by proliferation of CD1a+ dendritic cells. An association between LCH and sclerosing cholangitis (SC) has rarely been reported in adults with only four cases of liver transplantation for LCH associated SC in the literature (1). We have recently managed such a patient with SC secondary to LCH who eventually required liver transplantation, and feel the case adds to the evidence that liver transplantation can be efficacious in treating some rare diseases, such as LCH, and that posttransplant immunosuppression can prevent recurrence. Furthermore, it highlights the ethical implications of using valuable organs when evidence for transplant is scarce.
Structure and evolution of the horizontal septum in vertebrates

Although the horizontal septum (HS) has been identified as playing a role in fish biomechanics and in path finding of cells during zebrafish development, its morphology is poorly known. However, it is generally regarded as an evolutionarily conserved structure. To test this idea, we applied a novel combination of techniques to analyse the HS of 35 species from all major gnathostome clades in which is visualized its collagen fibre architecture. Results show that the HS is a conserved trait only with respect to the presence of caudolateral [= epicentral] and craniolateral [= posterior oblique] collagen fibre tracts, but differs remarkably with respect to the specifications of these tracts. Our data revealed several evolutionary changes within vertebrates. In the gnathostome ancestor, the two tracts are represented by evenly distributed epicentral fibres (ECFs) and posterior oblique fibres (POFs). ECFs are condensed to distinct epicentral tendons (ECTs) in the actinopteran ancestor. POFs independently evolved to distinct posterior oblique tendons (POTs) at least two times within teleosts. Within basal teleostomes, POFs as well as ECFs or ECTs were lost two times independently. POTs were lost at least three times independently within teleosts. This view of a homoplastic HS remains stable regardless of the competing phylogenies used for analysis. Our data make problematic any generalization of biomechanical models on fish swimming that include the HS. They indicate that the pathfinding role of the HS in zebrafish may be extended to gnathostome fishes, but not to agnathans, sarcopterygian fishes and tetrapods.
Neurotoxicity after spinal anaesthesia induced by serial intrathecal injections of magnesium sulphate  An experimental study in a rat model

We have previously demonstrated in a rat model that the lumbar intrathecal injection of 0.02 ml 6.3% magnesium sulphate, a concentration iso‐osmolar with rat plasma, produces a state of spinal anaesthesia and general sedation which reversed completely after 6 h, without evidence of neurotoxicity, immediately or during the week thereafter. Using the same model and five groups of six animals in each, we administered the same volume and concentration of magnesium sulphate and compared its clinical effects with those of 0.02 ml 12.6% magnesium sulphate, 0.02 ml 2% lignocaine and 0.02 ml 0.9% sodium chloride solution, given as a series of 15 injections on alternate days for a period of 1 month. The animals were then killed and their spinal cords and meninges examined histologically. No significant differences were noted in the times of onset, durations of sensory and motor blockade and the times to full recovery throughout the entire period of 1 month’s observation in the animals receiving intrathecal 6.3% magnesium sulphate. In the group receiving 12.6% magnesium sulphate, the time of onset of sensory and motor blockade was shorter and the duration of both parameters was significantly longer than in the former group. Full clinical recovery and resumption of normal eating and drinking took place in both groups throughout the entire series of 15 successive intrathecal injections. Identical, mild, uniform histopathological changes in the spinal cord were seen in all the five groups, including the group in which only the intrathecal catheter was implanted. The complete recovery and benign consequences of repeated intrathecal injections of iso‐osmolar magnesium sulphate in a rat model indicate a lack of neurotoxicity and provide an impetus for further trials in larger animal species, before initial clinical trials of this substance, given intrathecally, in humans.
Medical radiation exposure in children with inflammatory bowel disease estimates high cumulative doses

Background: Children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) undergo imaging using ionizing radiation and may be exposed to high cumulative radiation. We hypothesized that children with IBD have high exposure to radiation from medical imaging. Methods: An Institutional Review Board (IRB)‐approved retrospective chart review from 2002–2008 was performed on all patients with IBD. Radiographic studies performed were recorded and exposure for each study was estimated. Results: A total of 117 children with IBD (86 Crohn's disease [CD], 31 ulcerative colitis [UC]) were evaluated. The median current exposure was 15.1 mSv in CD and 7.2 mSv in UC (P = 0.005). Computed tomography (CT) scan and small bowel follow‐through (SBFT) were responsible for 43% and 36% of all radiation exposures, respectively. The rate of radiation was higher in CD compared to UC (4.3 versus 2.2 mSv/yr). In CD, the rate of exposure was highest in the first 3 years of diagnosis (8.2 mSv/yr), and no different between the 3–5 year follow‐up and 5+ year follow‐up groups (3.8 versus 4.3 mSv/yr). Using the annual dose rate in those followed for more than 3 years, an estimated 47 out of 78 (60%) children (40 CD, 7 UC) would exceed 50 mSv by 35 years of age. Conclusions: Radiation exposure from medical imaging is high in a subset of children diagnosed with IBD. Estimation of radiation exposure at age 35 suggests a significant portion of children with IBD will have high radiation exposure in their lifetime. Nonionizing imaging such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound should be offered to children with IBD as an alternative to current imaging that employs radiation. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2011
Subbreakdown drain leakage current in MOSFET

Significant drain leakage current can be detected at drain voltages much lower than the breakdown voltage. This subbreakdown leakage can dominate the drain leakage current at zero VGin thin-oxide MOSFET's. The mechanism is shown to be band-to-band tunneling in Si in the drain/gate overlap region. In order to limit the leakage current to 0.1 pA/µm, the oxide field in the gate-to-drain overlap region must be limited to 2.2 MV/cm. This may set another constraint for oxide thickness or power supply voltage.
Location of the placenta or the umbilical cord insertion site in the lowest uterine segment is associated with low maternal blood pressure

Please cite this paper as: Hasegawa J, Sekizawa A, Farina A, Nakamura M, Matsuoka R, Ichizuka K, Okai T. Location of the placenta or the umbilical cord insertion site in the lowest uterine segment is associated with low maternal blood pressure. BJOG 2011;118:1464–1469.
A fuzzy logic approach for highly dependable medical wearable systems

A new methodology for fault detection on wearable medical devices is proposed. The main strategy relies on correctly classifying the captured physiological signals, in order to distinguish whether the actual cause is a wearer health abnormality or a system functional flaw. Data fusion techniques, namely fuzzy logic, are employed to process the captured data, like the electrocardiogram and blood pressure, to increase the trust levels with which diagnostics are made. Concerning the wearer condition, additional information is provided after classifying the set of signals into normal or abnormal (e.g. arrhythmia, chest angina, and stroke). As for the monitoring system, once an abnormal situation is detected in its operation or in the sensors, a set of tests is run to check if actually the wearer shows a degradation of his health condition or if the system is reporting erroneous values.
Reliability effects on MOS transistors due to hot-carrier injection

The high drain-effect transistor characteristic observed after hot-carrier injection and trapping in the oxide has been found to be due to the uneven trapped-carrier distribution near the drain, which causes the threshold voltage to vary as a function of drain voltage. A discussion of the role and effects of both electron and hole injection is presented. The nonlinear distribution of carriers trapped in the gate oxide is described. One result is that the nonuniform surface band bending causes the subthreshold leakage to be an exponential function of the drain voltage. The combined increase in threshold voltage, subthreshold leakage, and a decrease in subthreshold slope will translate into slower circuit speed and higher standby power dissipation [37] in CMOS circuits. An experimental model of the mean time to failure, for NMOS devices fabricated with two different source-drain diffusions, is also presented. For the first time, the model has been extended to include the channel-length dependence. The model assumes a reliability criterion of less than a 10-mV threshold-voltage shift in 100 000 h of operation. Experimental results and subsequent calculations show that for 350-Å gate-oxide devices at 5.0 V operation, 2.5 µm is the minimum electrical channel-length device which can be fabricated using a traditional source-drain process. Conversely, submicrometer electrical channel-length devices can be fabricated using an arsenic-phosphorous "graded" source-drain process, even at 5.5-V operation.
Evaluating the effectiveness of tourist advertising to improve the competitiveness of destinations

This study focuses on the evaluation of the tourist destination advertising effectiveness. The destination advertising response DAR model was used to analyze data on the effectiveness of destination promotional campaigns on visitor expenditure, in six trip facets: destination, accommodations, attractions, restaurants, events, and shopping. Independent sample t-tests were conducted to identify any differences in total destination spending among the groups of those visitors influenced for each trip facet. A multiple regression analysis was performed to discriminate the performance of the travel facets expenditures in the estimation of total expenditures. Significant results indicate that the “destination,” “accommodations,” and “restaurants” facets directly influence the total expenditures. Self-planners had the highest variance, explaining in total visitor expenditure compared to the regression analysis results of the other two groups (i.e. travel agencies and online travel agencies). The study also explores how destinations can improve their competitiveness on tourist advertising by using technologies.
Do psychological factors influence recovery from complex regional pain syndrome type 1? A prospective study

Abstract Previous studies have shown that the outcomes of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) vary significantly between patients, but few studies have identified prognostic indicators. The aim of this study was to determine whether psychological factors are associated with recovery from recently onset CRPS amongst patients followed prospectively for 1 year. Sixty-six patients with CRPS (type 1) were recruited within 12 weeks of symptom onset and assessed immediately and at 6 and 12 months, during which time they received treatment as usual. At each assessment, the following were measured: signs and symptoms of CRPS, pain, disability, depression, anxiety, stress, pain-related fear, pain catastrophising, laterality task performance, body perception disturbance, and perceived ownership of the limb. Mixed-effects models for repeated measures were conducted to identify baseline variables associated with CRPS severity, pain, and disability over the 12 months. Results showed that scores for all 3 outcome variables improved over the study period. Males and those with lower levels of baseline pain and disability experienced the lowest CRPS severity scores over 12 months. Those with lower baseline anxiety and disability had the lowest pain intensity over the study period, and those with lower baseline pain and pain-related fear experienced the least disability over the 12 months. This suggests that anxiety, pain-related fear, and disability are associated with poorer outcomes in CRPS and could be considered as target variables for early treatment. The findings support the theory that CRPS represents an aberrant protective response to perceived threat of tissue injury.
Morphological changes in distant muscle fibers following thermal injury in Wistar rats.

PURPOSE Thermal injury causes catabolic processes as the body attempts to repair the damaged area. This study evaluated the effects of a scald injury on the morphology of muscle fibers belonging to a muscle distant from the lesion. METHODS Thirty Wistar rats were divided into control (C) and scalded (S) groups. Group S was scalded over 45% of the body surface, standardized by body weight. Rats in both groups were euthanized at four, seven and 14 days following the injury. The middle portions of the medial gastrocnemius muscles were sectioned, stained with hematoxylin and eosin and Picrosirius, and submitted to histological analysis. RESULTS Control group sections exhibited equidistantly distributed polygonal muscle fibers with peripheral nuclei, characteristic of normal muscle. The injured group sections did not consistently show these characteristics; many fibers in these sections exhibited a rounded contour, variable stain intensities, and greater interfiber distances. A substantially increased amount of connective tissue was also observed on the injured group sections. CONCLUSION This experimental model found a morphological change in muscle distant from the site of thermal injury covering 45% of the body surface.
Traumatic encephalopathy: review and provisional research diagnostic criteria.

OBJECTIVES To determine the frequency of neurobehavioral signs and symptoms reported in every published case of traumatic encephalopathy with a view toward the development of clinical diagnostic criteria with predictive validity. INTRODUCTION Cases of persistent or progressive neurological or neurobehavioral change following exposure to one or more head injuries have been reported since 1928. This condition is often referred to as traumatic encephalopathy (TE). To date, however, no diagnostic criteria have been advanced or accepted for the clinical diagnosis of TE. Provisional research diagnostic criteria are required not only for meaningful diagnosis but also to facilitate research to determine the epidemiology, etiology, course, prognosis, imaging and biomarkers, neuropathological features and potentially effective treatments of TE. METHODS All 436 published cases of TE in all languages were reviewed. All symptoms and signs reported in these cases were classified and enumerated. RESULTS Ninety-seven cases met inclusion criteria based on sufficient documentation of the history and neurobehavioral examination. Provisional research diagnostic criteria for clinically probable and clinically possible TE were developed based on the most frequently reported clinical features. CONCLUSION The provisional diagnostic criteria for TE presented here are the first published criteria for this condition based upon a systematic analysis of its clinical characteristics. This is the first a step toward scientifically derived consensus criteria, which are essential to accelerate progress in the investigation of this important condition.
Variant firing patterns in rat hippocampal pyramidal cells modulated by extracellular potassium.

1. The distribution of distinctive firing modes within the population of CA1 pyramidal cells and their modulation by the extracellular concentration of potassium ([K+]o) were investigated with intracellular recordings in rat hippocampal slices. 2. Pyramidal cells were injected with long (> 250 ms) and brief (3-5 ms) positive current pulses of increasing intensity. In normal [K+]o (3.5 mM), most cells (38 of 46 cells; 83%) were regular spiking neurons (generating accommodating trains of independent action potentials during long depolarizations and a single spike in response to brief stimuli). The remaining pyramidal cells (8 of 46; 17%) displayed differential tendencies to generate stereotyped clusters of action potentials, or bursts, according to which they were grouped into three subsets of endogenous bursters: grade I, bursting only when stimulated with long depolarizing current pulses (6 of 46; 13%); grade II, bursting also in response to brief stimulation (1 of 46; 2%); grade III, bursting also spontaneously even in absence of synaptic transmission (1 of 46; 2%). 3. Raising [K+]o from 3.5 to 7.5 mM (high [K+]o) significantly reduced resting membrane potential and input impedance but did not change the threshold potential for eliciting an action potential. 4. Raising [K+]o to 7.5 mM reversibly converted many regular spiking cells to bursters. Likewise, the burst tendency of normally bursting pyramidal cells increased to a higher grade in high [K+]o. Consequently, the fraction of bursters in high [K+]o (17 of 41 cells; 42%) was approximately 2.5-fold higher than in normal [K+]o and their differential distribution was shifted toward higher grades of bursting. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Intracellular signalling cascades regulating innate immune responses to Mycobacteria: branching out from Toll‐like receptors

Toll‐like receptors (TLRs) recognize Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) or Mtb components and initiate mononuclear phagocyte responses that influence both innate and adaptive immunity. Recent studies have revealed the intracellular signalling cascades involved in the TLR‐initiated immune response to mycobacterial infection. Although both TLR2 and TLR4 have been implicated in host interactions with Mtb, the relationship between specific mycobacterial molecules and various signal transduction pathways is not well understood. This review will discuss recent studies indicating critical roles for mycobacteria and mycobacterial components in regulation of mitogen‐activated protein kinases and related signal transduction pathways that govern the outcome of infection and antibacterial defence. To better understand the roles of infection‐induced signalling cascades in molecular pathogenesis, future studies are needed to clarify mechanisms that integrate the multiple signalling pathways that are activated by engagement of TLRs by both individual mycobacterial molecules and whole mycobacteria. These efforts will allow for the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic modalities for tuberculosis that targets the intracellular signalling pathways permitting the replication of this nefarious pathogen.
Is the Type of Medicare Insurance Associated With Colorectal Cancer Screening Prevalence and Selection of Screening Strategy?

Background:Medicare managed care (MMC) plans may be better positioned to deliver preventive services than fee-for-service (FFS) insurers. We assessed whether beneficiaries in MMC plans were more likely than those in traditional FFS insurance to receive colorectal cancer (CRC) screening and whether type of insurance was associated with use of specific screening strategies. Methods:We studied 10,173 respondents to the 2000 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey representing 24,394,204 US Medicare beneficiaries. We identified 4 CRC screening strategies: (1) interval-appropriate screening, (2) fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) within the past 2 years, (3) colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy within the past 5 years, and (4) primary invasive screening (interval-appropriate colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy without FOBT). Using a propensity score model to adjust for the nonrandom selection of insurance based on sociodemographic characteristics and other respondent-reported “care-seeking” variables, we compared the adjusted percentage of MMC and FFS beneficiaries screened using each CRC screening strategy. Results:In this sample, 21.6% of Medicare beneficiaries were continuously enrolled in MMC, 61.3% had FFS with supplemental insurance, and 17.1% had FFS coverage alone. Just over 51% of beneficiaries received interval-appropriate CRC screening. Interval-appropriate CRC screening was reported by 54.7% in FFS with supplemental insurance, 52.9% in MMC, and 36.3. % in the FFS group without supplemental insurance (P < 0.001). Use of the FOBT strategy was more common in MMC compared with FFS with or without supplemental insurance. Adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics and care-seeking propensity had a sizable impact on differences in screening prevalence, but did not substantially alter the conclusions. Conclusions:In 2000, the type of Medicare insurance was associated with differences in the prevalence of interval-appropriate CRC screening with lower prevalence among FFS beneficiaries who lacked supplemental insurance. Although managed care did not produce more CRC screening than supplemental insurance, managed care plans seem to have encouraged FOBT testing over other strategies.
α‐Fetoprotein impairs activation of natural killer cells by inhibiting the function of dendritic cells

α‐Fetoprotein (AFP) is a tumour‐associated antigen in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The biological properties of AFP have been identified in its regulatory effects on immune responses of T cells and B cells. However, AFP effects on natural killer (NK) cells are still unclear. In this study, we examined the immunoregulation of AFP on NK activity. The cytolytic activity against K562 cells and Huh7 cells of NK cells co‐cultured with AFP‐treated dendritic cells (DCs) (AFP‐DCs) was lower than that with albumin‐treated DCs (Alb‐DCs). Direct addition of AFP to NK cells did not alter the cytolytic activity of NK cells. Adding AFP inhibited the interleukin (IL)‐12 production of DCs after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) [Toll‐like receptor (TLR)‐4 ligand], or Poly(I:C) (TLR‐3 ligand), but not IL‐18 production. The mRNAs of IL‐12p35 and IL‐12p40 were significantly inhibited in AFP‐DCs compared with Alb‐DCs, but those of TLR‐4 or TLR‐3 were not. Transwell experiments revealed that soluble factors derived from DCs played roles in inhibition of the ability of activating NK cells by AFP‐DCs. Adding the neutralizing antibody of IL‐12 to NK cells co‐cultured with Alb‐DCs resulted in a decrease of cytolytic activity to the levels of NK cells co‐cultured with AFP‐DCs. Adding IL‐12 to NK cells co‐cultured with AFP‐DCs resulted in an increase of cytolytic activity to the levels of NK cells co‐cultured with Alb‐DCs. These demonstrated that the impairment of IL‐12 production from AFP‐DCs resulted in inhibition of the ability of the activation of NK cells by DCs, and thus suggests a role of AFP in HCC development.