Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Superimposed Electrical Stimulation: Assessment of Voluntary Activation and Perceived Discomfort in Healthy, Moderately Active Older and Younger Women and Men

Miller M, Flansbjer U-B, Downham D, Lexell J: Superimposed electrical stimulation: assessment of voluntary activation and perceived discomfort in healthy, moderately active older and younger women and men. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2006;85:945–950. Objective:An inability of the nervous system to fully activate the muscle is one factor that can contribute to age-related muscle weakness. Superimposed electrical stimulation can be used to determine voluntary muscle activation (VA). The aim of this study was to assess VA of the quadriceps muscle in healthy older and younger subjects. Design:Electrical stimulation causes moderate discomfort in younger subjects, but no study has assessed discomfort in older subjects. The quadriceps muscle in 20 moderately active older subjects (mean age, 75 yrs) and 12 younger subjects (mean age, 25 yrs) was stimulated during two maximal voluntary contractions using a 100-Hz pulse train. A visual analog scale for pain (VAS–pain) was used to evaluate discomfort. Results:Ability to activate the quadriceps muscle was generally very high, and there was no significant difference between the older (mean, 0.96) and younger (mean, 0.98) subjects. Discomfort did not differ between the older (mean VAS–pain score, 41 mm) and younger (mean VAS–pain score, 37 mm) subjects. Conclusions:Our results indicate that healthy, moderately active older subjects have the ability to almost complete VA of the quadriceps muscle and that discomfort during electrical stimulation is generally moderate.
Possible Impact of Wide-scale Vaccination Against Serogroup B Neisseria Meningitidis on Gonorrhea Incidence Rates in One Region of Quebec, Canada

Abstract Background Owing to a persistent increase of serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) invasive infections in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (SLSJ) region of the province of Quebec (Canada) since 2006, a wide-scale vaccination campaign of individuals aged 6 months to 20 years was conducted between May and December 2014 using the 4-component protein-based meningococcus serogroup B vaccine (4CMenB). Components of this vaccine have shown to potentially cross-react with Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng). The study objective was to assess the impact of the vaccination campaign on Ng incidence rate (IR). Methods Ng cases notified to public health authorities during prevaccination period (January 2006 to June 2014) and postvaccination period (July 2014 to June 2017) were analyzed. The impact of this mass campaign was estimated by a Poisson regression model, including the year (11 July–June categories), age (14–20 vs. 21 years and older), and the intervention (0 by default and 1 in those 14–20 years in the period of July 2014 to June 2017). Results Overall vaccine coverage was 82% in the target group. A total of 231 Ng cases were reported among persons 14 years and older (IR: 8.4/100,000 person-years) of the SLSJ region from January 2006 to June 2017. A decrease in the Ng number of cases and IR among individuals 14–20 years was observed during the post-vaccination period whereas it increased in those 21 years and older (figure). Estimate of vaccination impact was an Ng risk reduction of 59% (95% CI: −22% to 84%; P = 0.1). During the same period, Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) infections increased among persons of both age groups in the SLSJ region. Conclusion Although the estimate of the impact of the campaign was not statistically significant, possibly due to limited size of the study population and the low incidence of the disease, it is congruent with results of a case–control study in New Zealand showing an OMV-MeNZB vaccine effectiveness of 31%. A higher effectiveness of 4CMenB is a plausible hypothesis as three additional proteins also found in Ng are included in the vaccine used in the SLSJ region. The results of this ecologic study suggest cross-protection of 4CMenB vaccine against Ng infections. Further studies on this topic are warranted. Figure. Ng and Ct infections per quarter and by age group, SLSJ, January 2006 to June 2017. Disclosures P. De Wals, GlaxoSmithKline: Grant Investigator and Scientific Advisor, Grant recipient and travel expenses. Pfizer: Grant Investigator and Scientific Advisor, Grant recipient and travel expenses. Sanofi-Pasteur: Grant Investigator and Scientific Advisor, Grant recipient and travel expenses. Novartis: Grant Investigator and Scientific Advisor, Grant recipient and travel expenses.
Vascular smooth muscle cell cytotoxicity and sustained inhibition of neointimal formation by fibroblast growth factor 2-saporin fusion protein.

Basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF2) is an important mediator of smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation following arterial injury that results in neointimal growth. The present study was designed to explore the effects of recombinant FGF2 linked to the ribosome-inactivating protein saporin-6 (rFGF2-SAP) on vascular SMC cytotoxicity and neointimal formation following arterial injury. Cultured rat aortic SMCs were exposed to various concentrations of rFGF2-SAP, FGF2, and saporin-6 (SAP). Incubation with rFGF2-SAP resulted in a decreased number of SMCs beginning at a concentration of 10(-9) mol/L. Significant cytotoxicity was observed with as little as a 30-minute exposure of SMCs to rFGF2-SAP. To evaluate the ability of rFGF2-SAP in an in vivo model to reduce neointimal formation, Sprague-Dawley rats underwent carotid artery balloon denudation and received an intravenous bolus of vehicle or 5, 10, 15, or 20 micrograms/kg rFGF2-SAP on 0, 3, 6, and 9 days after injury. Rats were euthanized at 14 days, and carotid arteries were analyzed by computerized morphometry. The threshold dose for a significant reduction in neointimal area by rFGF2-SAP was 15 micrograms/kg (47% reduction in neointima). When dosing was extended to include days 16, 19, and 22, the neointima was reduced 33% at 28 days (P = .048). rFGF2-SAP reduced neointima without associated medial thinning or arterial wall dilatation. To determine if rFGF2-SAP directly targets SMCs in vivo, rats underwent carotid injury and received either 15 micrograms/kg rFGF2-SAP or vehicle on day 0 and at 72 hours, with euthanasia at 78 hours after balloon denudation. Medial SMC number was reduced 46% in the rFGF2-SAP group. Tissue sections from arteries 3 days after balloon injury demonstrated rFGF2-SAP binding to medial SMCs and adventitial cells. Staining for fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 revealed a high level of expression in ballooned arteries 3 and 14 days after injury. Taken together, these results provide a molecular and cellular basis for the observed specificity. Prolonged delivery of rFGF2-SAP can affect the natural history of arterial repair after injury.
Probabilistic switching and convergence rate in consensus problems

We consider the convergence problem of consensus seeking agents and the effect of probabilistic switching on the convergence rate. Using a probabilistic setting, we develop a framework to study the convergence rate for different classes of graph topologies, including Small World networks. We show that by making the effective diameter of the underlying graph small, probabilistic switching can be helpful in the design of fast consensus algorithms.
Adult feeding and lifetime reproductive success in the parasitoid Aphytis melinus

The diet of adult females of the parasitoid Aphytis melinus DeBach (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) includes host insects and sugar‐rich foods such as nectar and honeydew. We compared the contributions of host feeding to longevity and fecundity in A. melinus females in the presence and in the absence of honey meals. First, we assessed the longevity of females that were not allowed to oviposit. While the longevity of females fed honey was significantly increased by host feeding (median ages were 30.5 days for host‐fed females and 17 days for females not allowed to host feed), the lifespan of parasitoids not fed honey did not exceed 3 days for any individual and there was no effect of host feeding on longevity in this group. In the second set of experiments, we assessed the fecundity and longevity of females allowed to oviposit. We conducted two experiments, one in which honey was continuously available, and one in which honey was not available. In both experiments, daily observations were made of females that were either allowed to host feed or manually prevented from host feeding. In the presence of honey, host feeding significantly increased both fecundity and longevity, and in the absence of honey, parasitoids died within 2 days and host feeding had no significant effect on either fecundity or longevity. The lifetime fecundity of females fed honey but not hosts exceeded the initial egg complement by 60% on average. Approximately one host per day was used for host feeding whether honey was supplied or not, and each host‐feeding meal contributed approximately 3.9 eggs to the lifetime fecundity of honey‐fed females. In the last experiment, we compared the rate of egg resorption over a 36‐h period in A. melinus females that were deprived of hosts and either fed honey or starved. While no egg resorption was detected in honey‐fed females over this time period, starved females resorbed approximately 9 eggs. Thus, the availability of a sugar‐rich food interacts strongly with host feeding in influencing longevity and fecundity and has a strong direct effect on egg resorption.
Solving the Staff's Problem or Meeting the Patients’ Needs: Staff Members’ Reasoning about Choice of Action in Challenging Situations in Psychiatric Inpatient Care

Coercion in challenging situations is often seen as a necessary component of psychiatric care. This study aims to describe staff members’ reasoning about their choice of action in challenging situations in inpatient psychiatric care. Focus group interviews with 26 staff members were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The results provide an overview of the integrated structure of participants’ reasoning and suggest that staff members’ reasoning about choice of action can be described as a matter of either solving the staff's problems or meeting the patients’ needs. These results can be of use in further research, educational interventions, and staff development activities.
A Reconfigurable Parallel Prefix Ling Adder with modified Enhanced Flagged Binary logic

This paper presents a Reconfigurable Parallel Prefix Ling Adder. The proposed design can be partitioned to perform as one 16 bit, two 8 bit and four 4 bit adders. We also propose a new architecture for Enhanced Flagged Binary Adder (EFBA) designs which reduces the delay of operation considerably. The new adders are, therefore, modifications of conventional Reconfigurable Carry Lookahead Adder (CLA) - EFBA arrangements. We estimate a reduction of 6.8% in the delay in the critical path with respect to traditional implementation of CLA-EFBA logic. The proposed architectures are compared with the previous architectures in literature and are shown to perform better.
Neuromuscular Changes Associated with Valgus Unloader Braces in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis

INTRODUCTION Valgus knee braces are effective at decreasing pain and improving function in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) [1]. The braces are designed to decrease loading in the medial knee compartment but previous studies are unclear if this truly occurs. Alternatively, changes in the neuromuscular system might account for the benefits of bracing. An earlier study with a small sample demonstrated a decrease in muscle coactivation in early stance for patients with knee OA with brace application [2]. The purpose of the current study is to examine the effects of 6 months of valgus brace on muscle activation patterns in patients with moderate knee OA.
RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW OF LUCENTIS “TREAT AND EXTEND” PATTERNS AND OUTCOMES IN AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION

Purpose: To assess patterns and outcomes of a “Treat and Extend” dosing regimen of ranibizumab in patients with age-related macular degeneration. Methods: Three hundred and thirty two treatment-naive age-related macular degeneration patients starting therapy with ranibizumab between January 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012, at the Ivey Eye Institute were reviewed, and 79 met inclusion criteria. Patients on Treat and Extend dosing regimen underwent an induction phase with monthly injections and then moved onto an extension phase. Change in visual acuity and central retinal thickness during the induction and extension phases were recorded. Results: During the induction phase, patients had a significant gain in vision and decrease in central retinal thickness (+8.4 letters, P < 0.001 and −81.3 &mgr;m, P < 0.001). During the extension phase, patients did not have significant change in vision (−0.5 letters, P = 0.81) and did not have significant change in central retinal thickness (−11.5 &mgr;m, P = 0.17). The average extension interval between treatments was 47.7 days, with patients receiving an average of 8.6 injections per year. Cost analysis showed it cost US $16,659 to treat 1 patient in the first year on Treat and Extend dosing regimen compared with US $20,614 on monthly dosing. Conclusion: Treat and Extend dosing regimen allows similar visual outcomes to monthly dosing, while reducing the total number of injections, visits, and overall cost.
Cystic solitary fibrous tumor of the orbit.

sion. On examination, his visual acuity was light perception OD and 20/40 OS. Examination of the right eye revealed eyelid edema, conjunctival congestion, and a 1-mm hypopyon with fibrinous exudates in the anterior chamber, with no view of the ocular fundus. Results from examination of the left eye were unremarkable. Intraocular pressure was 10 mm Hg OU. He underwent urgent pars plana vitrectomy with injection of intravitreous vancomycin hydrochloride and amikacin sulfate and also received intravenous vancomycin, clindamycin phosphate, and cefotaxime sodium. Vitreous, anterior chamber, and blood cultures grew GBS. A complete blood cell count showed pancytopenia with toxic granulation. Diagnostic inpatient workup including echocardiography revealed no focus of infection. Bone marrow biopsy revealed the diagnosis of precursor T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Figure). The patient continued to receive parenteral cefotaxime for bacteremia and had systemic chemotherapy initiated by the oncology service, with repeat intravitreous tap and injection of vancomycin 3 days later. Results from the repeat cultures were negative. His visual acuity remained light perception OD 10 days after surgery.
Gene expression and benefit of chemotherapy in women with node-negative, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.

PURPOSE The 21-gene recurrence score (RS) assay quantifies the likelihood of distant recurrence in women with estrogen receptor-positive, lymph node-negative breast cancer treated with adjuvant tamoxifen. The relationship between the RS and chemotherapy benefit is not known. METHODS The RS was measured in tumors from the tamoxifen-treated and tamoxifen plus chemotherapy-treated patients in the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B20 trial. Cox proportional hazards models were utilized to test for interaction between chemotherapy treatment and the RS. RESULTS A total of 651 patients were assessable (227 randomly assigned to tamoxifen and 424 randomly assigned to tamoxifen plus chemotherapy). The test for interaction between chemotherapy treatment and RS was statistically significant (P = .038). Patients with high-RS (> or = 31) tumors (ie, high risk of recurrence) had a large benefit from chemotherapy (relative risk, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.13 to 0.53; absolute decrease in 10-year distant recurrence rate: mean, 27.6%; SE, 8.0%). Patients with low-RS (< 18) tumors derived minimal, if any, benefit from chemotherapy treatment (relative risk, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.46 to 3.78; absolute decrease in distant recurrence rate at 10 years: mean, -1.1%; SE, 2.2%). Patients with intermediate-RS tumors did not appear to have a large benefit, but the uncertainty in the estimate can not exclude a clinically important benefit. CONCLUSION The RS assay not only quantifies the likelihood of breast cancer recurrence in women with node-negative, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, but also predicts the magnitude of chemotherapy benefit.
Constructing Piecewise Polynomial Lyapunov Functions Over Arbitrary Convex Polytopes Using Handelman Basis

We introduce a new algorithm to check the local stability and compute the region of attraction of isolated equilibria of nonlinear systems with polynomial vector fields. First, we consider an arbitrary convex polytope that contains the equilibrium in its interior. Then, we decompose the polytope into several convex sub-polytopes with a common vertex at the equilibrium. Then, by using Handelman’s theorem, we derive a new set of affine equality and inequality feasibility conditions -solvable by linear programmingon each subpolytope. The solution to this feasibility problem yields a piecewise polynomial Lyapunov function on the entire polytope. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first effort that utilizes Handelman’s theorem to construct piecewise polynomial Lyapunov functions on sub-divided arbitrary polytopes. In a computational complexity analysis, we show that for large number of states and large degrees of the Lyapunov function, the complexity of the proposed feasibility problem is less than the complexity of the semi-definite programs associated with Sum-of-Squares and Polya’s algorithms. Using different types of convex polytopes, we assess the accuracy of the algorithm in estimating the region of attraction of the equilibrium point of reverse-time Van Der Pol oscillator.
Myocardial damage after continuous aerobic and anaerobic exercise in rats

Background: Regular physical activity is highly recommended in preventive, curative, and rehabilitative programs in order to promote health, especially cardiovascular health. However, physical activity can also cause sudden death. In athletes, sudden death may occur during sport competitions, with myocardial infarction as the most common etiology. It is suspected that continuous training without any rest-day play a role in cardiac muscle damage and sudden death during competition. Our study was aimed to learn about cardiac muscle adaptation on continuous aerobic and anaerobic physical activity without any rest-day. Methods: The specimens in our study were cardiac muscle tissue obtained from rats that had performed aerobic and anaerobic physical activity on treadmill for 1, 3, 7, and 10 days without any rest-day. Blood gas analysis and hematological assessment were used as parameters of systemic adaptation to hypoxia during physical activity. Moreover, histopathology of cardiac muscle tissue was performed as parameter for cardiac muscle damage. Results: The results showed that aerobic and anaerobic physical activity caused a systemic hypoxic condition and triggered adaptation responses. Cardiac muscle damage occurred on the 10th day in both treatment groups, with more severe damage observed in the group with anaerobic physical activity. The tissue protein level in the anaerobic group increased progressively on the 10th day. Conclusion: Physical activity may result in hypoxia and systemic adaptation. Aerobic and anaerobic physical activities performed for 10 days without any rest-day may cause cardiac muscle damage. (Med J Indones. 2013;22:209-14. doi: 10.13181/mji.v22i4.601) Keywords: Cardiac muscle, cardiac muscle damage, histopathology, physical activity
Broadband piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers based on dual resonance modes

Piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (PMUTs) have the potential for broad bandwidth, thus enabling high resolution imaging. However, previous PMUTs had fractional bandwidths of only ~50% or smaller because of the thick multilayer PMUT structure. Here, we demonstrate broadband PZT PMUTs that achieve a 97% fractional bandwidth by utilizing a thinner structure excited at two adjacent mechanical vibration modes. PMUTs were fabricated and characterized in the mechanical, electrical and acoustic domains, and a 30 μm × 200 μm ribbon PMUT demonstrates a large displacement sensitivity of 500 nm/V in air and pressure response of 0.3 kPa/V in fluid, equivalent to 13.6 kPa/V average pressure on the PMUT surface, measured 1.4 mm away from the PMUT.
Background of increased flow resistance and vascular reactivity in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The hindquarters of a spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) and a matched normotensive control rat (NCR) were perfused at a constant rate of flow with oxygenated plasma substitute in 15 paired experiments. As is the case in the entire systemic vascular bed (Folkow et al. 1969), flow resistance was raised even during maximal dilatation in SHR (p<0.001), almost in proportion to their raised blood pressure. Graded noradrenaline (NA) infusions showed identical NA “thresholds”, while SHR displayed a steeper curve, relating log NA dose to resistance response (p<0.001) and a greater maximal contractile strength of the resistance vessels (p<0.001). These characteristics of the resistance curves for SHR and NCR were compared with those mathematically deduced for two hypothetical vessels, identical except for the presence in one of them of a 30 per cent increase of its media thickness encroaching upon its lumen even at complete relaxation. In all essential points the relationships between the two sets of curves were the same while no other type of vascular change, structural or functional, could alone reproduce all the characteristics of the SHR curve. The results therefore suggest the presence of an increased contractile wall mass in the systemic resistance vessels of SHR encroaching upon their lumina even during maximal dilatation. Without necessitating any increased smooth muscle activity the haemodynamic effects of the proposed structural change can largely alone account for the raised resistance and increased vascular “reactivity” in SHR.
HCV RNA in serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cells after successful interferon therapy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Although hepatitis C virus (HCV) is considered essentially hepatotropic, recent studies suggest that it can also infect peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Interferon (IFN) seems to suppress hepatic virus expression, so the continued presence of the virus in PBMC might explain why interferon often fails to induce a long-term response. We investigated whether clearance of plasma viraemia after IFN treatment was associated with clearance of viral RNA from PBMC. METHODOLOGY Fifty patients with histologically proven chronic hepatitis C were treated with IFN plus ribavirin for 48 weeks; they all achieved clearance of HCV RNA from serum. Six months later, PBMC and serum were examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Patients with undetectable plasma HCV RNA after the six-month follow-up were classified as sustained responders (SR), patients who cleared the virus from their serum but with HCV RNA reappearance during follow-up were classified as relapse responders (RR). RESULTS Twenty six percent of the SVR patients had detectable level of HCV RNA in PBMC. All of RR patients had detectable HCV RNA in PBMC. Concerning the comparison of HCV RNA quantization in serum and PBMC at the end of therapy there was a strong correlation between HCV RNA level in serum and PBMC. Comparing the previous histopathological results with HCV RNA levels in serum and PBMC, there was a significant elevation of both serum and PBMC HCV RNA levels in patients with histological activity index (HAI) Grade 3 compared to those in serum and PBMC of patients with HAI grade 1. CONCLUSION PBMC infected with HCV can serve as a virus reservoir. In addition, lack of detection of viraemia at the end of treatment alone does not indicate absence of circulating virus and patients are likely to be at great risk of hepatitis C recurrence.