Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The challenge of modeling Decision support systems for medical problems using Fuzzy Cognitive Maps: An overview

The difficult and challenging problem of Medical Diagnosis using Decision Support Systems (DSS) is addressed from a system's point of view. The novel approach of Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs) as a computational modelling method has been used to tackle problem of DSS for medical problems. The FCM approach is used to address the Medical Decision Analysis and compare it with Decision Trees algorithms. Two medical problems, the bladder tumor grading and Radiotherapy are analyzed and studied using the proposed FCM approach. Simulation results been obtained previously are presented and discussed. The important contributions that have been made by using FCM in a number of medical applications are briefly discussed and future research directions are provided for the clinical use of the FCM methodology.
Effect of Intraperitoneal Administration of Heparin on Advanced Glycation End-Products in Capd

Objective To evaluate the effect of intraperitoneal (IP) administration of heparin on clearance of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and peritoneal dialysis efficiency. Design Sequential self-controlled intervention study. Setting University hospital, Department of Nephrology. Patients and Methods Pyrraline, urea, and creatinine levels in plasma and dialysate, along with AGE-derived fluorescence intensity (excitation, 370 nm; emission, 440 nm) in dialysate were measured 0, 30, and 60 days after IP administration of heparin in 11 patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Pyrraline levels were determined by ELISA. Results Heparin induced a significant decrease in plasma pyrraline levels; the values on days 0, 30, and 60 were 162.0 ± 89.8 μmol/L, 101.1 ± 32.1 mmol/L (p < 0.01), and 94.0 ± 19.8 μmol/L (p < 0.001), respectively. Heparin also induced a tendency of increased dialysate pyrraline levels and a significant increase in AGE-derived fluorescence intensity in the dialysate. The values for the latter on days 0, 30, and 60 were 51.0 ± 9.3 AU (arbitrary units/ mg of collagen), 73.5 ± 16.0 AU (p < 0.001), and 65.6 ± 15.5 AU (p < 0.01), respectively. Furthermore, heparin administration resulted in a significant (p < 0.01) increase in the dialysate/plasma ratio of urea (means 0.80, 0.90, and 0.94 on days 0, 30, and 60, respectively). Conclusion These results suggest that a beneficial effect of IP administration of heparin is in part due to its action on AGE kinetics, supporting a potential preventive strategy for peritoneal membrane distortion in CAPD.
Approximate Image Quality Measure in Low-Dimensional Domain Based on Random Projection

Image Quality Measure (IQM) is used to automatically measure the degree of image artifacts such as blocking, ringing and blurring effects. It is calculated traditionally in the image spatial domain. In this paper, we present a new method of transforming an image into a low-dimensional domain based on random projection, so we can efficiently obtain the compatible IQM. From the transformed domain, we can calculate the Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) and apply fuzzy logic to generate a Low-Dimensional Quality Index (LDQI). Experimental results show that the LDQI can approximate the IQM in the image spatial domain. We observe that the LDQI is suited for measuring the compression blur due to its relatively low distortion. The relative error is about 0.15 as the compression blur increases.
Collaborative care for adults with congenital heart disease.

The number of adults who have survived with congenital heart disease is increasing rapidly. Although prevalence studies have not been performed, estimates of expected numbers of people reaching adulthood with congenital heart disease (CHD) can now be made because birth prevalence has been studied and mortality rates have begun to stabilize. Birth prevalence for all forms of congenital heart disease detected in the first year of life is estimated at 8.1 per thousand live births on the basis of data from the Centers for Disease Control1; estimates for disease of sufficient severity to result in a catheterization, surgery, or death in the first year of life are 2.3 per thousand, using population-based data derived from the Pediatric Cardiac Care Consortium.2 In 1990, the National Center for Health Statistics reported the number of US live births to be 4 158 212.3 Age-specific mortality data were obtained from the complete life table for the US population4 and from population-based death rates during hospital admission using data from 6 states in 1992. Estimates of numbers of individuals reaching adulthood born in 1990 with congenital heart disease of sufficient severity to be diagnosed or treated during the first year of life are shown in the Figure. Disregarding all patients born before 1990 and those not diagnosed in the first year and assuming stable mortality in early adulthood, by 2020, nearly 760 000 individuals will have CHD, with 200 000 in the more severe subgroup. Number of children born after 1990 with congenital heart disease estimated to reach adulthood. □ indicates diagnosed in the first year of life; ⋄, undergoing catheterization or surgery in the first year of life. This striking increase in the estimated number of patients with congenital heart disease who will require competent care within the …
Highlights on role of antibiotics in periodontics

Periodontal treatment aims at restoring a micro biota compatible with periodontal health. Scaling and root planing can be classified as 'THE GOLD STANDARD” of periodontal care and has been demonstrated to be successful in order to maintain periodontal health for more than 20 years. Whereas periodontal antibiotic therapy aims to reinforce mechanical periodontal treatment and to support host defense system in overcoming the infection by killing sub gingival pathogens that remains after conventional mechanical periodontal therapy. A number of key elements need to be considered such as the anti-biofilm strategies, drug resistance in biofilm, various routes of antibiotic administration, its efficacy, sequencing of antibiotics while administering antibiotics for periodontitis. Pencillin was the first antibiotic systemically administered; historical background of antibiotics is reviewed here. Earlier choice was based exclusively on empiric evidence but with time tetracycline, metronidazole and beta lactams are among the most widely used agents for treating periodontal condition. This review henceforth attempts to describe the rationale of antibiotics in periodontal therapy. There is also a collection of data from scientific papers clinically relevant to the periodontitis providing description of nature of biofilms in general, oral biofilms in particular as well as approaches to their control, behavior of antibiotics in oral biofilm, potential of systemic and locally applied antibiotic therapy to control the periodontopathic microbiota.
N-Acylethanolamines Are Metabolized by Lipoxygenase and Amidohydrolase in Competing Pathways during Cottonseed Imbibition1

Saturated and unsaturated N-acylethanolamines (NAEs) occur in desiccated seeds primarily as 16C and 18C species withN-palmitoylethanolamine andN-linoleoylethanolamine (NAE 18:2) being most abundant. Here, we examined the metabolic fate of NAEs in vitro and in vivo in imbibed cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) seeds. When synthetic [1-14C]N-palmitoylethanolamine was used as a substrate, free fatty acids (FFA) were produced by extracts of imbibed cottonseeds. When synthetic [1-14C]NAE 18:2 was used as a substrate, FFA and an additional lipid product(s) were formed. On the basis of polarity, we presumed that the unidentified lipid was a product of the lipoxygenase (LOX) pathway and that inclusion of the characteristic LOX inhibitors nordihydroguaiaretic acid and eicosatetraynoic acid reduced its formation in vitro and in vivo. The conversion of NAE 18:2 in imbibed cottonseed extracts to 12-oxo-13-hydroxy-N-(9Z)-octadecanoylethanolamine was confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, indicating the presence of 13-LOX and 13-allene oxide synthase, which metabolized NAE 18:2. Cell fractionation studies showed that the NAE amidohydrolase, responsible for FFA production, was associated mostly with microsomes, whereas LOX, responsible for NAE 18:2-oxylipin production, was distributed in cytosol-enriched fractions and microsomes. The highest activity toward NAE by amidohydrolase was observed 4 to 8 h after imbibition and by LOX 8 h after imbibition. Our results collectively indicate that two pathways exist for NAE metabolism during seed imbibition: one to hydrolyze NAEs in a manner similar to the inactivation of endocannabinoid mediators in animal systems and the other to form novel NAE-derived oxylipins. The rapid depletion of NAEs by these pathways continues to point to a role for NAE metabolites in seed germination.
Advanced Semisupervised SVM Approaches to Classification of Hyperspectral Data

In this paper, we propose two novel semisupervised algorithms based on Support Vector Machine (SVM) for classifi- cation of hyperspectral data. In greater detail, we present: i) a Progressive Semisupervised SVM (PS 3 VM) developed in the dual formulation of the optimization problem related to the learning of the classifier; ii) a Low Density Separation algorithm devel- oped in the primal formulation of the optimization problem. Ex- perimental results carried out on real hyperspectral data confirm the effectiveness and the reliability of both the proposed ap- proaches. I. INTRODUCTION One of the major challenging problems in remote sensing data classification consists in the analysis of hyperspectral im- ages. Given the complexity of such classification process, usu- ally supervised techniques are preferred to unsupervised tech- niques. Nevertheless, a critical issue in supervised classifica- tion of hyperspectral images is the definition of a proper train- ing set for the learning of the classification algorithm. In this context, two main problems should be addressed relating to: i) the quantity of the available training patterns; ii) the quality of the available training samples. As regards the first issue, in most applications the number of available training samples is not sufficient for a proper learning of the classifier, since gath- ering reliable prior information is often too expensive both in terms of economic costs and time. Moreover, if the number of training samples is relatively small compared to the number of features, the problem of the curse of dimensionality arises. Concerning the quality of training data, there are two important issues to consider in relation to hyperspectral images, which affect the accuracy of the classification process: i) training samples are usually taken from the same area and hence violate the required assumption of independence; ii) physical factors related to both ground and atmospheric conditions affect the stationarity of the spectral signature in the spatial domain of the
Les architectures parallèles sur puce. Synthèse des architectures multitâches pour les systèmes embarqués

Embedded systems are today pervasives and need more and more important computation efficiency. Embedded electronic devices overrun our daily life and million of applications and digital functions are permanently around us. In the future, we will see the utilization boom of these services, which will need very highly performing computing architectures under integration and energy consumption constraints. A solution that can be efficiently exploited in embedded systems consists in multiplying the number of computing resources on the same die. These are multiprocessor architectures. They offer the possibility to execute multiple tasks in parallel onto several computing resources and to eventually favour concurrent execution of multiple applications. This article is a survey on existing solutions.
A new alkaloid AM-2282 OF Streptomyces origin. Taxonomy, fermentation, isolation and preliminary characterization.

AM-2282, a new alkaloid has been isolated from cultures of Streptomyces sp. AM-2282 by solvent extraction and silica gel chromatography. The compound exhibits a strong absorption maximum at 292 nm and shows antimicrobial activity against fungi and yeast. The LD50 of its hydrochloride (i.p. in mice) is 6.6 mg/kg. The molecular formula of AM-2282 has been determined as C28H26N4O3. The producing strain, AM-2282 was classified as a new species and the name, Streptomyces staurosporeus AWAYA, TAKAHASHI and OMURA, nov. sp. is proposed.
Indian Hedgehog Signaling Regulates Transcription and Expression of Collagen Type X via Runx2/Smads Interactions*

Background: Ihh is required for chondrocyte differentiation with redundant functions on multiple differentiation steps. Results: Ihh induces collagen type X expression and promotes its transcription through Gli1/2 cooperating with Runx2/Smads on a specific promoter region. Conclusion: Ihh signaling plays an important role in Col X expression and mineralization. Significance: This is the first detailed description of the molecular mechanism by which Ihh signaling controls late chondrocyte differentiation. Indian hedgehog (Ihh) is essential for chondrocyte differentiation and endochondral ossification and acts with parathyroid hormone-related peptide in a negative feedback loop to regulate early chondrocyte differentiation and entry to hypertrophic differentiation. Independent of this function, we and others recently reported independent Ihh functions to promote chondrocyte hypertrophy and matrix mineralization in vivo and in vitro. However, the molecular mechanisms for these actions and their functional significance are still unknown. We recently discovered that Ihh overexpression in chondrocytes stimulated the expression of late chondrocyte differentiation markers and induced matrix mineralization. Focusing on collagen type X (Col10α1) expression and transcription, we observed that hedgehog downstream transcription factors GLI-Krüppel family members (Gli) 1/2 increased COL10A1 promoter activity and identified a novel Gli1/2 response element in the 250-bp basic promoter. In addition, we found that Ihh induced Runx2 expression in chondrocytes without up-regulating other modulators of chondrocyte maturation such as Mef2c, Foxa2, and Foxa3. Runx2 promoted Col10α1 expression in cooperation with Ihh. Further analyses using promoter assays, immunofluorescence, and binding assays showed the interaction of Gli1/2 in a complex with Runx2/Smads induces chondrocyte differentiation. Finally, we could demonstrate that Ihh promotes in vitro matrix mineralization using similar molecular mechanisms. Our data provide an in vitro mechanism for Ihh signaling to positively regulate Col10α1 transcription. Thus, Ihh signaling could be an important player for not only early chondrocyte differentiation but maturation and calcification of chondrocytes.
Role of Oxidative Stress in the Clinical Outcome of Patients with Multiple Blunt Trauma

OBJECTIVE: This prospective study evaluated serum total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS) and oxidative stress index (OSI), along with the Revised Trauma Score (RTS) and Injury Severity Score (ISS), as predictors of clinical outcome in the early post-traumatic period in patients with multiple blunt trauma (MBT). METHODS: The study included 52 patients admitted to the emergency department with MBT and 40 age-and sex-matched healthy control subjects. RESULTS: The overall MBT patient mortality was 32.7% (17/52). There was no significant association between age and mortality in MBT patients, but there was a negative correlation between mortality and RTS, and a positive correlation between mortality and ISS. TOS levels were significantly higher in nonsurvivors compared with survivors. There was no correlation between TAS or OSI and survival. ISS and RTS showed positive and negative correlations with TOS level, respectively, but neither was significantly related to TAS or OSI. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that TOS, as an early oxidative stress biomarker, may be an objective alternative criterion to the ISS and RTS for managing patients with MBT during the early period following traumatic injury.
Depresión, ansiedad y conducta disocial adolescente en relación a los estilos de socialización parental

Las psicopatologias internalizantes y externalizantes mas comunes en la adolescencia son la depresion, la ansiedad y la conducta disocial. Diversos estudios senalan que hay una serie de elementos hereditarios y ambientales que contribuyen a su gestacion, desarrollo y mantenimiento o disminucion de los sintomas. Por otro lado, los estilos de socializacion que los padres ejercen sobre sus hijos adolescentes son determinantes para el desarrollo de una adecuada salud mental, ya que estos proporcionan las condiciones fundamentales para el desarrollo de la autonomia y configuracion de la identidad. La presente investigacion relaciona estos dos aspectos, los estilos de socializacion parental con la psicopatologia internalizante y externalizante mas frecuente en los adolescentes, considerando que el estilo autoritario, autorizativo, indulgente y negligente de los padres son variables que estan vinculadas a la depresion, ansiedad y conducta disocial de sus hijos adolescentes. Los participantes en el estudio fueron 895 adolescentes vascos de la provincia de Vizcaya de ambos sexos, con edades comprendidas entre los 13 y los 19 anos. Se utilizaron cuatro instrumentos para la medicion de las variables, la Escala de Evaluacion de la Depresion (EED), la Escala de Ansiedad Infantil (AI), el Cuestionario de Conductas Antisociales-Delictivas (A-D) y la Escala de Estilos de Socializacion Parental en la Adolescencia (ESPA-29), todos ellos elaborados y/o adaptados para la poblacion espanola. Los resultados arrojados a partir de los analisis de la T de Student y el Analisis de Varianza (ANOVA) indican que el estilo de socializacion parental mas vinculado a la depresion, ansiedad y conducta disocial adolescente es el autoritario, sin embargo, no se encontraron diferencias significativas entre los niveles de ansiedad que presentaban los adolescentes con estilos de socializacion materno autoritario y autorizativo. Estos hallazgos coinciden con la mayoria de estudios anglosajones que senalan que el estilo de socializacion parental mas perjudicial para los hijos es el autoritario, pero difieren en cuanto a que el estilo de socializacion parental mas sano es el autoritativo. Para la poblacion estudiada, el estilo de socializacion parental menos vinculado a la depresion, ansiedad y conducta disocial adolescente es el indulgente.
Barriers and Facilitators to Online Portal Use Among Patients and Caregivers in a Safety Net Health Care System: A Qualitative Study

Background Patient portals have the potential to support self-management for chronic diseases and improve health outcomes. With the rapid rise in adoption of patient portals spurred by meaningful use incentives among safety net health systems (a health system or hospital providing a significant level of care to low-income, uninsured, and vulnerable populations), it is important to understand the readiness and willingness of patients and caregivers in safety net settings to access their personal health records online. Objective To explore patient and caregiver perspectives on online patient portal use before its implementation at San Francisco General Hospital, a safety net hospital. Methods We conducted 16 in-depth interviews with chronic disease patients and caregivers who expressed interest in using the Internet to manage their health. Discussions focused on health care experiences, technology use, and interest in using an online portal to manage health tasks. We used open coding to categorize all the barriers and facilitators to portal use, followed by a second round of coding that compared the categories to previously published findings. In secondary analyses, we also examined specific barriers among 2 subgroups: those with limited health literacy and caregivers. Results We interviewed 11 patients and 5 caregivers. Patients were predominantly male (82%, 9/11) and African American (45%, 5/11). All patients had been diagnosed with diabetes and the majority had limited health literacy (73%, 8/11). The majority of caregivers were female (80%, 4/5), African American (60%, 3/5), caregivers of individuals with diabetes (60%, 3/5), and had adequate health literacy (60%, 3/5). A total of 88% (14/16) of participants reported interest in using the portal after viewing a prototype. Major perceived barriers included security concerns, lack of technical skills/interest, and preference for in-person communication. Facilitators to portal use included convenience, health monitoring, and improvements in patient-provider communication. Participants with limited health literacy discussed more fundamental barriers to portal use, including challenges with reading and typing, personal experience with online security breaches/viruses, and distrust of potential security measures. Caregivers expressed high interest in portal use to support their roles in interpreting health information, advocating for quality care, and managing health behaviors and medical care. Conclusions Despite concerns about security, difficulty understanding medical information, and satisfaction with current communication processes, respondents generally expressed enthusiasm about portal use. Our findings suggest a strong need for training and support to assist vulnerable patients with portal registration and use, particularly those with limited health literacy. Efforts to encourage portal use among vulnerable patients should directly address health literacy and security/privacy issues and support access for caregivers.
Reply: FAIM3:PLAC8 Ratio Compared with Existing Biomarkers for Diagnosis of Severe Community-acquired Pneumonia: Comparing Apples to Oranges?

procalcitonin in differentiating “CAP” from “no-CAP. ” However, the threshold value of procalcitonin (0.159 ng/ml) used by the authors in their study is different and lower than the previously reported values (2), which would increase the falsepositive rates and hence reduce the specificity of a test (3). Further, in routine clinical practice, a clinician’s dilemma for correctly diagnosing CAP arises only in the presence of an abnormal chest radiograph, along with incongruous clinical features of CAP; a normal chest radiograph makes the diagnosis of CAP unlikely (4, 5). Also, in severe CAP requiring admission to the intensive care unit, the likelihood of a normal chest radiograph is even bleaker. Thus, we believe that the true predictive power of this novel genomic marker to correctly identify severe CAP would have been more apt if the no-CAP group had included patients with abnormal chest radiograph resulting from other conditions such as pulmonary edema, atelectasis, lung contusions, diffuse alveolar hemorrhage, and others. Despite performing better than protein biomarkers, the negative and positive predictive values of the FAIM3:PLAC8 ratio were 80 and 77.2%, respectively, making it neither a good rule-in nor rule-out test in the diagnosis of severe CAP in the intensive care unit. n