Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Treatment Variations in Cerebral Venous Thrombosis: An International Survey

patients in last 5 years. Ninety-two percent considered heparin the standard therapy for CVT and 87% did not regard intracranial hemorrhage a contraindication for commencing heparin therapy ( fig. 1 ). Sixty-four percent reported using UFH and 36% LMWH. Eight percent of the respondents prescribed prophylactic AED in all patients and 21% only in patients with focal cerebral lesions. The remaining 71% never prescribed prophylactic AED. With regard to long-term antithrombotic therapy, 81% stated that they prescribe oral anticoagulants in all patients, unless there is an absolute contraindication. The duration of treatment varied: 13% usually treat for 3 months, 64% for 6 months and 20% for 1 year. Regarding more invasive therapies, 43% had used endovascular thrombolysis, the majority in less than 5 patients ( fig. 2 ). Eighty-four percent used rt-PA and the remainder urokinase. When asked if they would consider decompressive craniectomy in a patient with impending cerebral herniation due to focal cerebral lesions, 93% responded positively, 43% had actually used this treatment. Compared to other physicians, neurologists were more inclined to treat a patient with decompressive craniectomy (96 vs. 79%, OR 6.7, p = 0.03) and more frequently prescribed oral anticoagulation during the chronic phase (84 vs. 57%, OR 4.4, p = 0.02). On the other hand, neurologists were much less likely to prescribe prophylactic AED (21 vs. 77%, OR 0.08, p ! 0.001). Introduction A variety of therapies are available to treat cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT), but evidence supporting the efficacy of most therapies is scarce. Heparin is considered the primary therapy [1] , but there is no consensus whether to use unfractionated heparin (UFH) or low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH). The ‘European Federation of Neurological Societies’ (EFNS) guideline recommends LMWH because of practical advantages and based upon data from randomized trials in leg-vein thrombosis [2] . In the ‘International Study on Cerebral Vein and Dural Sinus Thrombosis’ (ISCVT), however, UFH was used in the majority of patients [3] . Endovascular thrombolysis is generally reserved for severe cases, but no randomized trials have been performed [4] . The use of prophylactic anti-epileptic drugs (AED) in CVT is controversial [5, 6] . We hypothesized that considerable variations in treatment for CVT may exist among physicians. The aim of the present study is to determine how physicians worldwide treat CVT, using an online survey that was distributed among physicians with an interest in CVT.
Estimating risk of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis accounting for the competing risk of death

Abstract Background Risk of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS) is strongly associated with the duration of peritoneal dialysis (PD), such that patients who have been on PD for some time may consider elective transfer to haemodialysis to mitigate the risk of EPS. There is a need to determine this risk to better inform clinical decision making, but previous studies have not allowed for the competing risk of death. Methods This study included new adult PD patients in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ; 1990–2010) or Scotland (2000–08) followed until 2012. Age, time on PD, primary renal disease, gender, data set and diabetic status were evaluated as predictors at the start of PD, then at 3 and 5 years after starting PD using flexible parametric competing risks models. Results In 17 396 patients (16 162 ANZ, 1234 Scotland), EPS was observed in 99 (0.57%) patients, less frequently in ANZ patients (n = 65; 0.4%) than in Scottish patients (n = 34; 2.8%). The estimated risk of EPS was much lower when the competing risk of death was taken into account (1 Kaplan–Meier = 0.0126, cumulative incidence function = 0.0054). Strong predictors of EPS included age, primary renal disease and time on PD. The risk of EPS was reasonably discriminated at the start of PD (C-statistic = 0.74–0.79) and this improved at 3 and 5 years after starting PD (C-statistic = 0.81–0.92). Conclusions EPS risk estimates are lower when calculated using competing risk of death analyses. A patient’s estimated risk of EPS is country-specific and can be predicted using age, primary renal disease and duration of PD.
Exceptional Disparity in Australian Agamid Lizards is a Possible Result of Arrival into Vacant Niche

Australia provides abundant examples of continental‐scale evolutionary radiations. The collision of two continental shelves around 30 Ma facilitated an influx of squamates and the subsequent squamate radiations resulted in high taxonomic diversity. The morphological disparity seen in these major squamate groups, however, remains underexplored. Here, we examine the major cranial proportions of over 1,000 specimens using 2D linear measurements to explicitly quantify the morphological disparity of Australian agamid lizards (Amphibolurinae) and compare it to that of agamid, acrodont, and iguanian clades from other parts of the world. Our results indicate the Australian Amphibolurinae have exceptionally high cranial disparity, and we suggest that this is linked to the relaxed selective environment that greeted the founders of Amphibolurinae when they first arrived in Australia. Anat Rec, 302:1536–1543, 2019. © 2019 American Association for Anatomy
Peripheral Oxidative Stress Markers in Patients with Bipolar Disorder during Euthymia and Siblings.

AIMS Oxidative stress is increased during the acute phases of bipolar disorder (BD). Our aim here was to analyze oxidative stress biomarkers in patients with BD during euthymia and their siblings. METHOD Cross-sectional study perfomed in euthymic patients with BD-I (n=48), unaffected siblings (n=23) and genetically unrelated healthy controls (n=21). Protein carbonyl content (PCC), total anti-oxidant capacity (TRAP), lipid peroxidation (TBARS) and uric acid were measured as biomarkers of oxidative stress in blood. RESULTS The anti-oxidant capacity (TRAP) was lower (p<0.001) in patients with BD compared to their siblings and controls, whereas no differences were observed in PCC, TBARS or uric acid. In patients, the concentrations of TRAP and TBARS were positively associated with the dose of valproic acid (p<0.05 and p<0.001, respectively). The concentrations of these biomarkers were not significantly associated with any of socio-demographic and clinical variables. CONCLUSIONS A selective reduction in anti-oxidant capacity is present in BD during euthymia state, whereas other markers of oxidative stress are unaltered during euthymia. Siblings did not show any alterations in oxidative stress biomarkers. Oxidative stress might represent a state-dependent marker in BD. The association between treatment with valproic acid and oxidative stress markers in euthymia deserves further studies.
The Association Between Different Patterns of Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment and All-Cause Mortality Among Cancer Patients

Background: Cancer patients receiving Western medical treatment, frequently seek Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to alleviate adverse effects and prolong survival. Objective: This study evaluated the association between the use of TCM and cancer survival rate. Research into the effect of TCM on patient survival is limited, this analysis focused on 3 patterns of TCM use. Methods: Three retrospective cohorts with different patterns of TCM use were selected from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan and analyzed. Patients with newly diagnosed cancer between 1997 and 2012 were classified into groups of prediagnosis, postdiagnosis, and continuous TCM use associated with awareness of cancer diagnosis. All demographic and clinical data were analyzed. Results: After propensity score matching, longevity of the postdiagnosis and continuous TCM user was significantly longer than the non-TCM user. The adjusted hazard ratios of death in postdiagnosis and continuous TCM use groups (0.59 and 0.61, respectively) were lower than the non-TCM use group. Conclusion: The analysis suggests that cancer patients using TCM in conjunction with Western medical treatment exhibited a higher survival rate than patients not using TCM treatment.
Dynamic 11C-PiB PET Shows Cerebrospinal Fluid Flow Alterations in Alzheimer Disease and Multiple Sclerosis

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) plays an important role in solute clearance and maintenance of brain homeostasis. 11C-Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) PET was recently proposed as a tool for detection of CSF clearance alterations in Alzheimer disease. The current study investigates the magnitude of 11C-PiB PET signal in the lateral ventricles of an independent group of Alzheimer and mild cognitive impairment subjects. We have also evaluated multiple sclerosis as a model of disease with CSF clearance alterations without amyloid-β tissue accumulation. Methods: A set of 11 Alzheimer and 12 mild cognitive impairment subjects and a set of 20 multiple sclerosis subjects with matched controls underwent MRI and dynamic 11C-PiB PET. Lateral ventricle regions of interest were generated manually from MRI data. PET data were analyzed using cerebellum or a supervised reference region for the Alzheimer and multiple sclerosis data sets, respectively. The magnitude of 11C-PiB signal in the lateral ventricles was calculated as area under the curve from 35 to 80 min and SUV ratio (SUVR) from 50 to 70 min. Compartmental modeling analysis was performed on a separate data set containing 11 Alzheimer and matched control subjects; this analysis included an arterial input function, to further understand the kinetics of the lateral ventricular 11C-PiB signal. Results: ANOVA revealed significant group differences in lateral ventricular SUVR across the Alzheimer, mild cognitive impairment, and healthy control groups (P = 0.004). Pairwise comparisons revealed significantly lower lateral ventricular SUVR in Alzheimer subjects than in healthy controls (P < 0.001) or mild cognitive impairment subjects (P = 0.029). Lateral ventricular SUVR was significantly lower in multiple sclerosis subjects than in healthy controls (P = 0.008). Compartmental modeling analysis revealed significantly lower uptake rates of 11C-PiB signal from blood (P = 0.005) and brain tissue (P = 0.004) to the lateral ventricles and significantly lower 11C-PiB signal clearance out of the lateral ventricles (P = 0.002) in Alzheimer subjects than in healthy controls. Conclusion: These results indicate that dynamic 11C-PiB PET can be used to observe pathologic changes in CSF dynamics. We have replicated previous work demonstrating CSF clearance deficits in Alzheimer disease associated with amyloid-β deposits and have extended the observations to include ventricular CSF clearance deficits in mild cognitive impairment and multiple sclerosis.
A motor learning therapeutic intervention for a child with cerebral palsy through a social assistive robot

Abstract Background: Children with cerebral palsy have difficulty to sit, stand, walk, run and jump independently. Therapy is an important factor in improving these aspects, and if applied in early intervention treatments, when the child is growing, it could have many benefits. These therapies require intensive and extended sessions, which in turn demand dedication and effort. New strategies that provide interesting and motivating interventions are often incorporated to improve the participation and performance of the children in the therapies. Therapies using social assistive robots can be alternative and complementary methods to promote the participation and motivation of children with cerebral palsy. Methods: The objective of this work is to validate the effectiveness of a 16-session physical therapy program to improve the participation and fulfillment of therapeutic objectives on an 8 year-old boy with dyskinetic cerebral palsy for motor learning to walk using a social assistive robot. The therapy program was carried out through a methodological proposal that uses SMART objectives (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed), Goal-Directed Therapy (GDT) and its evaluation through Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS). Results: A NAO robot was used as a social assistive robot to support a physical therapy for a child with cerebral palsy. In this work, it was observed that the motivation generated by the interaction with the social assistive robot facilitated the persistence in the walking and the fulfillment of the objectives. Conclusion: Using humanoid robots as social assistive robots may benefit therapeutic processes on children with motor disabilities. The methodology developed provides a formal way to achieve objectives in therapeutic processes for children with cerebral palsy. Implications for rehabilitation It requires researchers to conduct more studies to validate the potential of the use of social robots in therapeutic interventions that promote development in children with motor disabilities, such as cerebral palsy. Promoting the use of new technologies in therapeutic processes such as humanoid robots allows us to create new strategies to know the impact of this technology in the area of rehabilitation. The use of formal methodologies focused on the patient, along with multidisciplinary teams, could increase the possibilities of using social robots to improve cognitive and motor outcomes in children with cerebral palsy. The formulation of SMART objectives and their quantification through the GAS scale can be used as recommendations to improve the formulation of goals in therapeutic interventions for children with cerebral palsy.
Pseudotumours, cobalt and clinical outcome in small head metal-on-metal versus conventional metal-on-polyethylene total hip arthroplasty

Background: Metal-on-metal total hip arthroplasty (MoM THA) is associated with the formation of pseudotumours. Studies mainly concern pseudotumour formation in large head MoM THA. We performed a long-term follow-up study, comparing pseudotumour incidence in small head metal-on-metal (SHMoM) THA with conventional metal-on-polyethylene (MoP) THA. Predisposing factors to pseudotumour formation were assessed. Methods: From a previous randomised controlled trial comparing SHMoM (28 mm) cemented THA with conventional MoP cemented THA, patients were screened using a standardised CT protocol for the presence of pseudotumours. Serum cobalt levels and functional outcome were assessed. Results: 56 patients (33 MoP and 23 MoM) were recruited after mean follow-up of 13.4 years (SD 0.5). The incidence of pseudotumours was 1 (5%) in the SHMoM THA cohort and 3 (9%) in the MoP THA cohort. Prosthesis survival was 96% for both SHMoM and MoP THAs. Serum cobalt levels did not exceed acceptable clinical values (<5 µg/L) whereas no differences in cobalt levels were detected at follow-up between both groups. Oxford and Harris Hip Scores were good and did not differ between SHMoM and MoP THA. Conclusions: This long-term follow-up study shows a low incidence of pseudotumour formation and good functional outcome in cemented head-taper matched SHMoM and MoP THA.
Cochlear implantation in children with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder: long-term outcomes.

BACKGROUND Best practices concerning the audiological management of the child diagnosed with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) have not been definitively defined nor fully understood. One reason is that previous studies have demonstrated conflicting findings regarding the outcomes of cochlear implantation for children with ANSD. Thus, the question remains whether children with ANSD are able to achieve similar outcomes following cochlear implantation as those children with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL). PURPOSE To assess speech perception outcomes for children with cochlear implants who have a diagnosis of ANSD as well as their age-matched peers who have sensorineural hearing loss. RESEARCH DESIGN Retrospective study STUDY SAMPLE Thirty-five subject pairs (n = 70) ranging in age at implant activation from to 10 to 121 mo (mean 39.2 mo) were included in this retrospective study. Subjects were matched on variables including age at initial implant activation and months of implant use at postoperative test point. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Speech recognition scores for monosyllabic and multisyllabic stimuli were compared across the subject groups. For those not developmentally and/or linguistically ready for completion of open-set speech recognition testing with recorded stimuli, GASP (Glendonald Auditory Screening Procedure) word recognition and/or questionnaire data using either the LittlEARS or Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale were compared across the groups. Statistical analysis using a repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) evaluated the effects of etiology (ANSD or SNHL) on postoperative outcomes. RESULTS The results of this study demonstrate that children with ANSD can clearly benefit from cochlear implantation and that their long-term outcomes are similar to matched peers with SNHL on measures of speech recognition. There were no significant differences across the ANSD and SNHL groups on any of the tested measures. CONCLUSION Cochlear implantation is a viable treatment option for children with a diagnosis of ANSD who are not making auditory progress with hearing aids that have been fit using the Desired Sensation Level method (DSL v5.0). Expected outcomes of cochlear implantation for children with ANSD, excluding children with cochlear nerve deficiency, are no different than for children with non-ANSD SNHL. These results are important for counseling families on the expected outcomes and realistic expectations following cochlear implantation for children with ANSD who demonstrate no evidence of cochlear nerve deficiency.
Tonsillectomy and Incidence of Oropharyngeal Cancers

Background: Rising incidence of oropharyngeal cancers in numerous countries since the 1970s has been attributed to increased oral human papillomavirus (HPV) exposure. However, the contribution of coincidental declines in the surgical removal of the tonsils (tonsillectomy) is unknown. We quantified the association of tonsillectomy with risk of tonsillar, other oropharyngeal, and other head and neck cancers and the contribution of declines in tonsillectomies to cancer incidence trends. Methods: We conducted a nation-wide cohort study in Sweden (1970–2009). Tonsillectomies (N = 225,718) were identified through national patient registers, which were linked with the cancer register. Cancer incidence in the tonsillectomy cohort was compared with Sweden's general population through standardized incidence ratios (SIR). Results: Tonsillectomies were associated with reduced risk of tonsil cancers [SIRs 1+ years post-tonsillectomy = 0.31; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.08–0.79 and 5+ years post-tonsillectomy = 0.17; 95% CI, 0.02–0.62], but unrelated to other oropharyngeal or other head and neck cancers (SIRs 1+ years post-tonsillectomy = 1.61; 95% CI, 0.77–2.95 and 0.92; 95% CI, 0.64–1.27, respectively). The cumulative incidence of tonsillectomy declined significantly (40%–50%) during 1970–2009. However, tonsil cancer incidence significantly increased during 1970–2009 both without and with corrections for declines in tonsillectomies (relative risks per 5-year periods = 1.23, P < 0.001 and 1.20, P < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions: The reduced tonsil cancer risk with tonsillectomy reflects the removal of most of the relevant tissue. The absence of associations with other head and neck cancers indicates that tonsillectomy may not impact carcinogenesis at other sites. Impact: The significant increases in oropharyngeal cancer incidence since the 1970s in Sweden appear independent of declines in tonsillectomies, reinforcing increased oral HPV exposure as the likely cause. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(6); 944–50. ©2016 AACR.
Characteristics, Biological Properties and Analytical Methods of Piperine: A Review

Abstract Piperine (PIP) is a natural alkaloid isolated from Piper longum L. that presents antioxidant, anticonvulsant, antimicrobial, neuroprotective, larvicidal, antiparasitic, anticancer effect and other pharmacological properties. However, the low aqueous solubility is the main barrier to its development from the laboratory to the clinic as a drug. Several strategies have been used to overcome this obstacle, like the incorporation of PIP into different drug delivery systems turned out to be highly efficient. In addition, several methods for the quantitative and qualitative analysis of PIP in various raw materials, including biological fluids (plasma, urine, metabolites, brain), plants and drug delivery systems, were investigated. Most recently high-performance liquid chromatography was used together with several detectors for this purpose. Therefore, this review presents a summary of characteristics chemical and biological properties of PIP as well as several techniques and analytical methods to optimize the analytical signal, increase sensitivity, selectivity and reduce the effects of interference for this drug.
Removal of Artifacts from EEG Signals: A Review

Electroencephalogram (EEG) plays an important role in identifying brain activity and behavior. However, the recorded electrical activity always be contaminated with artifacts and then affect the analysis of EEG signal. Hence, it is essential to develop methods to effectively detect and extract the clean EEG data during encephalogram recordings. Several methods have been proposed to remove artifacts, but the research on artifact removal continues to be an open problem. This paper tends to review the current artifact removal of various contaminations. We first discuss the characteristics of EEG data and the types of different artifacts. Then, a general overview of the state-of-the-art methods and their detail analysis are presented. Lastly, a comparative analysis is provided for choosing a suitable methods according to particular application.
Letter by Poullis regarding article, "anatomic properties of myocardial bridge predisposing to myocardial infarction".

To the Editor: Ishikawa et al1 provide important data on the correlation between myocardial bridges and the predisposition to myocardial infarction. They confirm the 2 everyday findings of coronary artery surgeons: First, that intramyocardial epicardial coronary artery segments, whether in the left anterior descending territory or the obtuse marginal territory, are rarely involved in the atherosclerotic process, and second, that atherosclerotic lesions always seem to be proximal to the muscle bridge. The findings by Ishikawa et al1 raise a number of interesting points that were not answered in their report, however. Patients with a history of …
Extracting the mechanisms and kinetic models of complex reactions from atomistic simulation data

Determining reaction mechanisms and kinetic models, which can be used for chemical reaction engineering and design, from atomistic simulation is highly challenging. In this study, we develop a novel methodology to solve this problem. Our approach has three components: (1) a procedure for precisely identifying chemical species and elementary reactions and statistically calculating the reaction rate constants; (2) a reduction method to simplify the complex reaction network into a skeletal network which can be used directly for kinetic modeling; and (3) a deterministic method for validating the derived full and skeletal kinetic models. The methodology is demonstrated by analyzing simulation data of hydrogen combustion. The full reaction network comprises 69 species and 256 reactions, which is reduced into a skeletal network of 9 species and 30 reactions. The kinetic models of both the full and skeletal networks represent the simulation data well. In addition, the essential elementary reactions and their rate constants agree favorably with those obtained experimentally. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.