Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In vivo real-time intraocular pressure variations during LASIK flap creation.

PURPOSE To monitor and compare in vivo real-time intraocular pressure (IOP) in rabbit eyes undergoing LASIK flap creation using microkeratome and femtosecond laser. METHODS Thirteen rabbit eyes in each group underwent LASIK flap creation using a microkeratome and a femtosecond laser. In vivo real-time IOP profile was measured using a 30-gauge needle with an IOP catheter sensor inserted into the anterior chamber from the limbus during surgery. RESULTS In vivo real-time IOP monitoring was achieved in all cases, showing IOP variations during different phases of LASIK flap creation from docking of the instrument, start of surgery to the end of procedure, and monitoring the post-LASIK stabilization. IOP fluctuations were significantly lower in corneal flaps made with the femtosecond laser than with the microkeratome during globe suction (81.78+/-10.55 vs. 122.51+/-16.95 mm Hg), cutting (62.25+/-3.28 vs. 141.02+/-20.46 mm Hg), and suction (41.40+/-2.99 vs. 89.30+/-12.15). In contrast, femtosecond laser requires double the time (19+/-2 vs. 10+/-2 seconds for globe suction and 19+/-2 vs. 9+/-2 seconds for cutting) for completion of the procedure. CONCLUSIONS The authors describe an accurate and reliable setup to measure and record in vivo real-time changes in IOP measurement from the anterior chamber during laser surgery. Femtosecond laser flap creation exerts less extreme IOP fluctuations with improved chamber stability but requires more procedure time than does microkeratome.
Nucleotide sequence of cDNA clones of the murine myb proto‐oncogene.

We have isolated cDNA clones of murine c‐myb mRNA which contain approximately 2.8 kb of the 3.9‐kb mRNA sequence. Nucleotide sequencing has shown that these clones extend both 5′ and 3′ to sequences homologous to the v‐myb oncogenes of avian myeloblastosis virus and avian leukemia virus E26. The sequence contains an open reading frame of 1944 nucleotides, and could encode a protein which is both highly homologous, and of similar size (71 kd), to the chicken c‐myb protein. Examination of the deduced amino acid sequence of the murine c‐myb protein revealed the presence of a 3‐fold tandem repeat of 52 residues near the N terminus of the protein, and has enabled prediction of some of the likely structural features of the protein. These include a high alpha‐helix content, a basic region toward the N terminus of the protein and an overall globular configuration. The arrangement of genomic c‐myb sequences, detected using the cDNA clones as probes, was compared with the reported structure of rearranged c‐myb in certain tumour cells. This comparison suggested that the rearranged c‐myb gene may encode a protein which, like the v‐myb protein, lacks the N‐terminal region of c‐myb.
Trends in infant nutrition in Saudi Arabia: compliance with WHO recommendations

Background and Objective: The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months of life. Our objective was to evaluate trends in infant nutrition in Saudi Arabia and the degree of compliance with WHO recommendations. Subjects and Methods: A nationwide nutritional survey of a sample of Saudi households was selected by the multistage probability sampling procedure. A validated questionnaire was administered to mothers of chil--dren less than 3 years of age. Results: Of 5339 children in the sample, 4889 received breast milk at birth indicating a prevalence of initia--tion of 91.6%. Initiation of breastfeeding was delayed beyond 6 hours after birth in 28.1% of the infants. Bottle feeding was introduced by 1 month of age to 2174/4260 (51.4%) and to 3831/4260 (90%) by 6 months of age. The majority of infants 3870/4787 (80.8%) were introduced to "solid foods" between 4 to 6 months of age and whole milk feedings were given to 40% of children younger than 12 months of age. Conclusions: The current practice of feeding of Saudi infants is very far from compliance with even the most conservative WHO recommendations of exclusive breastfeeding for 4 to 6 months. The high prevalence of breastfeeding initiation at birth indicates the willingness of Saudi mothers to breastfeed. However, early intro--duction of complementary feedings reduced the period of exclusive breastfeeding. Research in infant nutrition should be a public health priority to improve the rate of breastfeeding and to minimize other inappropriate practices.
[The studies on osteoblasts' mineralization and attachment affected by enamel matrix proteins].

OBJECTIVE Investigate the effects of enamel matrix proteins(EMPs) on the mineralization and attachment of osteoblasts, to explore the possible mechanism of alveolar bone regeneration induced by enamel matrix proteins(EMPs). METHODS MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts were cultured in vitro and EMPs was added to medium in several concentrations. Cell's mineralizing ability was detected by Von-Kossa stain and attachment ability was detected by counting cells number. RESULTS The results manifested that EMPs promote more mineral nodules formation (P<0.01). But MC3T3-E1 cells' attachment ability was not improved (P>0.05). CONCLUSION EMPs enhanced the mineralizing function of osteoblasts, had no effects on implanting on root surface of osteoblasts, which may play an important role in the regeneration of alveolar bone.
The Need Of Total Quality In Public Administration

In this work I have approached elements related to need of total quality in public administration field. I explained the total quality concept and total quality management concept as a strategy for continuous improvement of quality in public administration field. We have also shown the importance of organizational culture to develop and implement total quality management. Throughout my paper I have presented and expressed the need of quality in the public administration area, starting from these considerations: the incidence in the economy, limited resources, reaffirming the democratic values, the legitimacy of the public area and the citizens’ pressure. The total quality management supposes a continuous improvement of public services and processes as well as the creation of a management system focused on quality, which adds value to the customer citizen’s perception by creativity and participation of the entire staff in this effort.
Comparison of 7- and 14-day first-line therapies including levofloxacin in patients with Helicobacter pylori positive non-ulcer dyspepsia.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Because of the increasing resistance to clarithromycin and metronidazole, the most frequently used antibiotics in the first-line therapy of Helicobacter pylori eradication, new therapeutic alternatives are needed. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of 7- and 14-day triple therapy including lansoprazole, levofloxacin and amoxicillin for Helicobacter pylori eradication as a first-line therapy. METHODS Ninety-one non-ulcer dyspeptic patients infected with Helicobacter pylori as diagnosed by both histology and a rapid urease test were included in this study. Patients were randomized to receive either 7- (Group 1; 51 patients) or 14-day (Group 2; 40 patients) therapy with lansoprazole (30 mg b.i.d.), plus levofloxacin (500 mg o.i.d.) and amoxicillin (1000 mg b.i.d.) and they were followed for six weeks. Eradication was assessed by 14C-urea breath test four weeks after completing the treatment protocols. RESULTS In Group 1, 41 patients completed the treatment and the eradication rate was 34.15%. In group 2, 36 patients completed the treatment and the eradication rate was 72.2% (p= 0.001 vs group 1). CONCLUSIONS Triple therapy with lansoprazole, levofloxacin and amoxicillin for 14 days was effective for Helicobacter pylori eradication, but 7-day therapy with the same protocol had a lower and unacceptable cure rate and should not be used.
SPECT image classification based on NMSE feature correlation weighting and SVM

This paper shows a new computer aided diagnosis (CAD) technique for the early Alzheimer's disease (AD) based on single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) image feature selection and a statistical learning theory (SLT) classifier. Conventional evaluation of SPECT is time consuming, subjective and prone to error because images often rely on manual reorientation, visual reading of tomographic slices and semiquantitative analysis of certain regions of interest (ROIs). The study proposed is carried out in order to find the ROIs and the most discriminant image parameters with the aim of reducing the dimensionality of the input space, thus improving the accuracy of the system. This innovative method consists of voxel-based Normalized Mean Square Error (NMSE) feature extraction, a t-test with feature correlation weighting for feature selection and support vector machine (SVM) for image classification. Among all the features evaluated, coronal standard deviation and sagittal correlation parameters are found to be the most effective ones for reducing the dimensionality of the input space and improving the diagnosis accuracy when a linear kernel SVM is used. The proposed method yields an up to 98% classification accuracy, thus outperforming recent developed methods for early AD diagnosis including the 78.5% accuracy of the classical baseline voxel-as-features (VAF) approach.
The small GTP‐binding protein Rho1 is a multifunctional protein that regulates actin localization, cell polarity, and septum formation in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

The small GTP‐binding protein Rho has been shown to regulate the formation of the actin cytoskeleton in animal cells. We have previously isolated two rho genes, rho1+ and rho2+ , from the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe in order to investigate the function of Rho using genetic techniques. In this paper, we report the cellular function of Rho1.
Enhancement of hematopoietic response of mice by intraperitoneal administration of a beta-glucan, SSG, obtained from Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.

Effects of intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of SSG, a (1----3)-beta-D-glucan obtained from the culture filtrate of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum IFO 9395, on hematopoietic responses of mice were investigated. Numbers of spleen and peripheral leukocytes increased 7 d after administration of SSG (250 micrograms/mouse). The percentages of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) in both spleen and peripheral blood increased markedly. The numbers of macrophage progenitor cells also increased in both spleens and femurs of the mice administered SSG. Furthermore, levels of colony-stimulating activity (CSA) in sera were elevated, and two peaks were observed (at 6 h and on day 7 after administration). Elevated CSAs were also observed in the cultures of peritoneal cells taken from mice 3 or 6 h after administration of SSG. These results may suggest that i.p. administration of SSG into mice enhanced the production of colony-stimulating factors (CSFs), and then increased the numbers of both spleen and peripheral blood leukocytes.
Pretransplant Human Herpesvirus 6 Infection of Patients with Acute Liver Failure Is a Risk Factor for Posttransplant Human Herpesvirus 6 Infection of the Liver

Background. Acute liver failure (ALF) is a significant cause of liver transplantation. We have previously reported that human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) was found in most livers of patients with ALF of unknown origin ending up with liver transplantation. In this study, we investigated the posttransplant HHV-6 infection of the liver graft in these patients. Methods. Thirty-two patients transplanted due to ALF were included in this retrospective study. Twelve of the 15 patients with unknown cause and four of 17 patients with a known cause of ALF had HHV-6 antigens in the explanted liver. Altogether, 18 patients had some pretransplant evidence of HHV-6. After transplantation, the patients were frequently monitored for the viruses, and biopsy histology was performed in every case of graft dysfunction. HHV-6 was demonstrated in liver tissue by immunohistochemistry. Results. During the follow-up of 6 months, hepatic HHV-6 infection was demonstrated in 9 of the 18 patients, at a mean 19 days (6–38 days) after transplantation. All patients with posttransplant HHV-6 showed graft dysfunction. In biopsy histology, seven out of these nine patients demonstrated viral infection, one of them also having CMV antigens in the liver. None of those patients without evidence of pretransplant HHV-6 showed HHV-6 in the posttransplant biopsies. Posttransplant HHV-6 was not treated and the virus had no effect on 1-year patient or graft survivals. Conclusion. Pretransplant hepatic HHV-6 infection of patients with ALF is a risk factor for posttransplant HHV-6 infection and liver dysfunction, but has no effect on 1-year graft or patient survival.
Use of CA-125 to define progression of ovarian cancer in patients with persistently elevated levels.

PURPOSE To determine an accurate definition for progression of ovarian cancer in patients with a persistently elevated serum CA-125. PATIENTS AND METHODS A retrospective analysis was performed on 300 patients with epithelial ovarian carcinoma with at least one measurement of CA-125. The date of progression according to clinical or radiologic criteria was ascertained in the 88 patients with persistently elevated CA-125 levels (> 23 U/mL). This was compared with the date of progression according to CA-125, defined as the date on which the CA-125 level first increased to >or= twice its nadir level, confirmed by a second sample also >or= twice the nadir. RESULTS Eighty of the 88 patients had evidence of progression by both standard and CA-125 criteria, giving a sensitivity of 94%. In six of these patients, no sample was taken to confirm CA-125 doubling. In 13 patients, CA-125 doubling occurred after the date of clinical progression. Only one patient had a false-positive prediction of progression according to CA-125; the patient died as a result of a myocardial infarct before evidence of clinical progression. CONCLUSION In patients whose CA-125 level decreases to normal after chemotherapy, a doubling from the upper limit of normal has been shown to predict progression. In those with persistently elevated levels, doubling of CA-125 from its nadir level has now been shown to accurately define progression. If confirmed, these CA-125 criteria should be used as additional end points in clinical trials.
Centromere Targeting Element within the Histone Fold Domain of Cid

ABSTRACT Centromeres require specialized nucleosomes; however, the mechanism of localization is unknown. Drosophila sp. centromeric nucleosomes contain the Cid H3-like protein. We have devised a strategy for identifying elements within Cid responsible for its localization to centromeres. By expressing Cid from divergent Drosophila species fused to green fluorescent protein in Drosophila melanogaster cells, we found that D. bipectinata Cid fails to localize to centromeres. Cid chimeras consisting of the D. bipectinata histone fold domain (HFD) replaced with segments from D. melanogaster identified loop I of the HFD as being critical for targeting to centromeres. Conversely, substitution of D. bipectinata loop I into D. melanogaster abolished centromeric targeting. In either case, loop I was the only segment capable of conferring targeting. Within loop I, we identified residues that are critical for targeting. Most mutations of conserved residues abolished targeting, and length reductions were deleterious. Taken together with the fact that H3 loop I makes numerous contacts with DNA and with the adaptive evolution of Cid, our results point to the importance of DNA specificity for targeting. We suggest that the process of deposition of (Cid.H4)2 tetramers allows for discriminating contacts to be made between loop I and DNA, providing the specificity needed for targeting.
Are Our Publications Failing the Inspection?: A Review of the Publications in Rectal Cancer Surgery Between 2002 and 2012

BACKGROUND: Quality of publications is considered a subjective measurement, and more weight is placed on prospective studies, especially randomized clinical trials and meta-analyses. OBJECTIVE: This study describes the type of publications and evaluates the quality of randomized clinical trials and review articles using an objective measurement. DATA SOURCES: Medline (PubMed) is the data source for this work. STUDY SELECTION: We used the terms “rectal neoplasms/surgery” and the filters “10 years,” “humans,” and “English. ” MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We measured compliance with checklist items. Randomized clinical trials were reviewed using the Consolidates Standards of Reporting Trials statement; systematic reviews/meta-analyses were reviewed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement. RESULTS: A total of 3603 articles were identified: 20.8% were case report/series, 20.5% were retrospective cohorts, 14.0% were reviews or meta-analyses, 16.4% were prospective cohorts, 14.0% were other types of articles (comments, letters, or editorials), 5.5% were clinical trials (phase I/II), 4.2% were randomized clinical trials, and 4.4% were cross-sectional studies. We reviewed 108 randomized clinical trials; the maximum score possible was 74.0, the average score was 44.6 (range, 20.0-64.0), 4 (3.7%) were graded as “excellent,” 21 (19.4%) were “good,” 44 (40.7%) were “deficient,” and 39 (36.1%) were graded as “fail. ” The predictors of higher scores for randomized clinical trials were year of publication after 2007 (p = 0.00), higher impact factor (p = 0.03), and declared funding (p = 0.01). Twenty-nine meta-analyses were reviewed; the average score was 19.64 (range, 12.0-25.0); 5 articles (17.2%) were graded as “excellent,” 12 (41.4%) were “good,” 10 (34.5%) were “deficient,” and 2 (6.9%) were “fail. ” LIMITATIONS: Only 1 electronic database was used, so we lacked a validated score. In addition, the search terms did not include “colorectal. ” CONCLUSIONS: A total of 20.8% of the articles published were case reports and 25.0% of the articles were prospective or clinical trials. Although randomized clinical trials and systematic reviews provide the highest level of evidence, publications with missing data limit replication of the study and affect the generalizability of results to other populations. To improve the quality of our publications, authors, reviewers, and journal editors should consider the endorsement of standardize checklists.
Working in Hot Conditions—A Study of Electrical Utility Workers in the Northern Territory of Australia

Environmental conditions of Australia's Northern Territory are seasonally conducive to excessive body heat storage by outdoor workers. For electrical utility workers who periodically work at height, in confined space, and in proximity to live power sources, the impact of the climate may be considered a hazardous condition. Therefore, this study examined the physiological and fluid balance responses of 20 power network workers (31.5 years; 86.0 kg; 1.71 m; BMI 29.5) throughout work shifts in the Northern and Southern regions of the Northern Territory, Australia. Twenty male heat-acclimatized power network workers provided written informed consent to be monitored during maintenance of electrical infrastructure that included replacing power pole components and transformer and substation repairs in the Northern (n = 13) and Southern regions (n = 7) of the Northern Territory (mean wet-bulb globe temperatures of 32.0°C and 28.7°C, respectively). An ingestible telemetry pill provided measurement of gastrointestinal temperature (Tgi), that when combined with heart rate values, provided physiological strain index (PSI). Urine specific gravity, sweat rate, and level of dehydration were also determined. The Tgi values of this study were within the ISO9886 limit for monitored, heat-acclimatized workers, with a peak of 38.4°C. Mean PSI was 2.6, which represents overall low strain, with periods of moderate strain. Urinary analysis indicated that workers were dehydrated prior to and following the work shift, however the mean sweat rate of 0.44 L.h−1 was matched by fluid consumption of 0.42 L.h−1 to limit body mass loss to 0.1% during the shift. This study demonstrates that heat acclimatized electrical utility workers adhere to ISO9886 requirements when undertaking self-paced activity in hot conditions.
Network-based relevant feature identification and early detection of impending faults

As more electronic sensors for control units are added into next generation vehicles, and linked to communication infrastructure, greater amount of operational data has become unprecedentedly available close to real time. The ability to extract patterns in such real-time massive operational data to detect, isolate, predict, and mitigate faults is the key to enhance vehicle ownership experiences. In this paper, we present a Network Predictive Analytics (NPA) methodology for individualized, evidence-based, preventive vehicle health management. We leverage a recent novel measure called the Maximal Information Coefficient (MIC) - a method that computes an information-theoretic score for quantifying the association strength between two time-series, regardless of the type of relationship. Built upon MIC, we develop an automated method to extract fault-specific relevant features from Association Feature Networks by clustering and ranking dynamic feature relations. By monitoring identified features, our novel rate-based spectral Early Warning Signal (EWS-rate) signals further detects impending faults prior to their repairs. We study the effectiveness of our methodology over a set of data collected from real vehicles. The result shows the proposed Network Predictive Analytics (NPA) methodology can provide significant lead time in early detection of impending faults with high accuracy.
Oxygen sensing in hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction: using new tools to answer an age‐old question

Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) becomes activated in response to alveolar hypoxia and, although the characteristics of HPV have been well described, the underlying mechanism of O2 sensing which initiates the HPV response has not been fully established. Mitochondria have long been considered as a putative site of oxygen sensing because they consume O2 and therefore represent the intracellular site with the lowest oxygen tension. However, two opposing theories have emerged regarding mitochondria‐dependent O2 sensing during hypoxia. One model suggests that there is a decrease in mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels during the transition from normoxia to hypoxia, resulting in the shift in cytosolic redox to a more reduced state. An alternative model proposes that hypoxia paradoxically increases mitochondrial ROS signalling in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle. Experimental resolution of the question of whether the mitochondrial ROS levels increase or decrease during hypoxia has been problematic owing to the technical limitations of the tools used to assess oxidant stress as well as the pharmacological agents used to inhibit the mitochondrial electron transport chain. However, recent developments in genetic techniques and redox‐sensitive probes may allow us eventually to reach a consensus concerning the O2 sensing mechanism underlying HPV.