Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modified Lung Ultrasound Score for Assessing and Monitoring Pulmonary Aeration

Abstract Purpose Lung Ultrasound Score (LUSS) is a useful tool for lung aeration assessment but presents two theoretical limitations. First, standard LUSS is based on longitudinal scan and detection of number/coalescence of B lines. In the longitudinal scan pleura visualization is limited by intercostal space width. Moreover, coalescence of B lines to define severe loss of aeration is not suitable for non-homogeneous lung pathologies where focal coalescence is possible. We therefore compared longitudinal vs. transversal scan and also cLUSS (standard coalescence-based LUSS) vs. qLUSS (quantitative LUSS based on % of involved pleura). Materials and methods 38 ICU patients were examined in 12 thoracic areas in longitudinal and transversal scan. B lines (number, coalescence), subpleural consolidations (SP), pleural length and pleural involvement (> or ≤ 50 %) were assessed. cLUSS and qLUSS were computed in longitudinal and transversal scan. Results Transversal scan visualized wider (3.9 [IQR 3.8 – 3.9] vs 2.0 [1.6 – 2.5] cm, p < 0.0001) and more constant (variance 0.02 vs 0.34 cm, p < 0.0001) pleural length, more B lines (70 vs 59 % of scans, p < 0.0001), coalescence (39 vs 28 %, p < 0.0001) and SP (22 vs 14 %, p < 0.0001) compared to longitudinal scan. Pleural involvement > 50 % was observed in 17 % and coalescence in 33 % of cases. Focal coalescence accounted for 52 % of cases of coalescence. qLUSS-transv generated a different distribution of aeration scores compared to cLUSS-long (p < 0.0001). Conclusion In unselected ICU patients, variability of pleural length in longitudinal scans is high and focal coalescence is frequent. Transversal scan and quantification of pleural involvement are simple measures to overcome these limitations of LUSS.
Assessing the degree of nativeness and parkinson's condition using Gaussian processes and deep rectifier neural networks

The Interspeech 2015 Computational Paralinguistics Challenge includes two regression learning tasks, namely the Parkinson’s Condition Sub-Challenge and the Degree of Nativeness SubChallenge. We evaluated two state-of-the-art machine learning methods on the tasks, namely Deep Neural Networks (DNN) and Gaussian Processes Regression (GPR). We also experiented with various classifier combination and feature selection methods. For the Degree of Nativeness sub-challenge we obtained a far better Spearman correlation value than the one presented in the baseline paper. As regards the Parkinson’s Condition SubChallenge, we showed that both DNN and GPR are competitive with the baseline SVM, and that the results can be improved further by combining the classifiers. However, we obtained by far the best results when we applied a speaker clustering method to identify the files that belong to the same speaker. Index Terms :C omputational Paralinguistics, Challenge, Parkinson’s Condition, Degree of Nativeness, Deep Neural Networks, Gaussian Processes
PET/CT detection of unexpected gastrointestinal foci of 18F-FDG uptake: incidence, localization patterns, and clinical significance.

UNLABELLED Precise PET/CT localization of focal (18)F-FDG uptake in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) may exclude malignancy in sites of physiologic activity but may also induce false-negative reports for malignant or premalignant lesions. The purpose of the present study was to retrospectively evaluate the nature and significance of unexpected focal (18)F-FDG uptake localized by PET/CT within the GIT. METHODS The files of 4,390 patients referred for (18)F-FDG PET/CT were retrospectively reviewed. The incidence of studies showing unexpected focal uptake of (18)F-FDG localized by PET/CT to the GIT was determined. The position of these foci along the GIT and their intensity were recorded. The etiology of the findings was confirmed histologically or by long-term follow-up. RESULTS Unexpected focal (18)F-FDG uptake in the GIT was found in 58 patients (1.3%). Follow-up data were available for 34 of these patients, including 4 with sites in the stomach, 2 in the small bowel, and 28 in the colon. GIT-related disease was confirmed in 24 patients (71%). There were 11 malignant tumors, 9 premalignant lesions, and 4 benign processes including 2 benign polyps, 1 case of active gastritis, and 1 abscess of the sigmoid. Ten patients (29%) had no further evidence of GIT abnormality, and the suggestive sites were considered to be physiologic uptake. Maximal standardized uptake value was 17.3 +/- 10.2 in malignant lesions, 14.0 +/- 10.5 in premalignant lesions, 18.0 +/- 12.1 in benign lesions, and 11.1 +/- 7.4 in foci of physiologic (18)F-FDG uptake in the GIT, with no statistically significant difference among the 4 subgroups. CONCLUSION Incidental focal (18)F-FDG uptake localized by PET/CT within the GIT is of clinical significance in most patients. These findings should be followed up with appropriate invasive procedures guided by hybrid imaging results.
HIV-infektsioon Eestis

HIV-infektsiooni diagnostikat Eestis alustati 1987. aastal. Infektsiooni kulu voib jaotada epideemiaeelseks ja epideemiaperioodiks. Kuni 2000. aastani oli Eesti HIV-infektsiooni vaikse esinemissagedusega riik. 2000. aastast olukord muutus seoses nakkuse epideemilise levikuga noorte sustivate narkomaanide hulgas. 2005. aastaks on kokku avastatud ule 4500 HIV-positiivse isiku. Nakkus on valjumas narkomaanide ringist, sageneb heteroseksuaalsete nakatumisjuhtude arv, probleemiks on muutunud HIV-positiivsed rasedad. Artiklis on antud ulevaade HIV-infektsiooni levimusest Eestis aastatel 1987–2004 Tallinna Merimetsa Haigla (2001. aastast alates AS Laane-Tallinna Keskhaigla nakkuskeskus) ja HIV-nakkuse referentslaboratooriumi andmete alusel. Eesti Arst 2005; 84 (4): 244-248
Cervical auscultation as an adjunct to the clinical swallow examination: A comparison with fibre-optic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing

Abstract This prospective, single-blinded study investigated the validity and reliability of cervical auscultation (CA) under two conditions; (1) CA-only, using isolated swallow-sound clips, and (2) CSE + CA, using extra clinical swallow examination (CSE) information such as patient case history, oromotor assessment, and the same swallow-sound clips as condition one. The two CA conditions were compared against a fibre-optic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) reference test. Each CA condition consisted of 18 swallows samples compiled from 12 adult patients consecutively referred to the FEES clinic. Patients’ swallow sounds were simultaneously recorded during FEES via a Littmann E3200 electronic stethoscope. These 18 swallow samples were sent to 13 experienced dysphagia clinicians recruited from the UK and Australia who were blinded to the FEES results. Samples were rated in terms of (1) if dysphagic, (2) if the patient was safe on consistency trialled, and (3) dysphagia severity. Sensitivity measures ranged from 83–95%, specificity measures from 50–92% across the conditions. Intra-rater agreement ranged from 69–97% total agreement. Inter-rater reliability for dysphagia severity showed substantial agreement (rs = 0.68 and 0.74). Results show good rater reliability for CA-trained speech-language pathologists. Sensitivity and specificity for both CA conditions in this study are comparable to and often better than other well-established CSE components.
(Q)SARS: gatekeepers against risk on chemicals?

ECOSAR and DEREKfW predictions for the (eco)toxicological effects of circa 70 substances were compared with experimental data for risk assessment purposes. These and other (quantitative) structure–activity relationships ((Q)SARs) programs will play an important role in future chemical policies, such as in the European Union and The Netherlands, to reduce animal testing and costs and to speed up the number of risk assessments for hazardous chemicals. The two programs, ECOSAR and DEREKfW, were selected because they are easy to use and transparent in their predictions. They predict to which chemical class a substance belongs and also predict some (eco)toxicological properties. ECOSAR categorised 87% of the chemicals correctly in chemical classes. With regard to predicting ecotoxicity, criteria were drawn up for the reliability of the QSARs provided by ECOSAR. Application of these criteria had the result that half of the regression lines from ECOSAR were considered unreliable beforehand. It turned out, however, that the “unreliable” regression lines predicted similar accurately as the “reliable” lines, although much less chemicals were available for validating the “unreliable” QSARs. The overall accurate prediction of toxicity by ECOSAR was 67%. DEREKfW categorised 90% of the chemicals correctly in chemical classes, while 10% of the structural fragments needed a more detailed description. The accuracy of prediction was around 60% for sensitisation, 75% for genotoxicity and carcinogenicity for a limited number of chemicals. Irritation and reproductive toxicity were predicted poorly. Finally, it should be stressed that regulators and industries need to agree on the acceptability criteria relating to false negative and false positive (Q)SAR predictions. This to prevent unnecessary animal testing when regulators do not sufficiently rely on (Q)SAR predictions or to prevent too much faith in (Q)SAR predictions which will then may cause an insufficient protection of man and the environment. Therefore, if the regulatory trend is that (Q)SARs have to be applied more and more systematically in the risk assessment process, their validity and the available tools have to be explored further.
The influence of long-term treatment with psychotropic drugs on cytochrome P450: the involvement of different mechanisms

This paper emphasises that besides the direct action of psychotropic drugs on cytochrome P450 (CYP) (i.e., the binding of the parent drug to the enzyme) indirect mechanisms of CYP–psychotropic interactions, namely the formation of CYP-reactive metabolite complexes and their influence on enzyme regulation, are also very important. The described interactions that are time-, drug- and CYP isoform-dependent may overlap during long-term treatment. The final result of the overlapping depends on the dosage and time interval after the last administration of a drug, which determines the concentration of the parent drug and its metabolites in the environment of the enzyme. These interactions may occur not only in the liver, but also in the brain, and may change the activity of CYP towards the metabolism of drugs, sex steroids, neurosteroids and amine neurotransmitters. The role of the CNS in the regulation of CYP by psychotropics and the significance of CYP–psychotropic interactions for pharmacological and clinical profiling of these drugs is discussed. In addition, different experimental approaches for studying CNS-acting drugs are compared.
Evaluation of 111In-DTPA-folate as a receptor-targeted diagnostic agent for ovarian cancer: initial clinical results.

UNLABELLED The cell-membrane folate receptor is a potential molecular target for tumor-selective drug delivery, including radiolabeled folate-chelate conjugates for diagnostic imaging. We report here the initial clinical study of such an agent, (111)In-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)-folate, evaluated for diagnosis of ovarian malignancy. METHODS Thirty-five women were enrolled in a phase I/II clinical study, with 33 completing the surgical follow-up required by the study protocol for definition of disease status. Patients either had a pathologically proven malignancy or were scheduled for surgery for suspected new ovarian cancer (n = 26), recurrent ovarian cancer (n = 5), or endometrial cancer (n = 2). (111)In-DTPA-folate was administered as an intravenous bolus, and whole-body images were obtained at 30 min, 4 h, and (for the first 19 patients) 24 h after injection; SPECT also was done at the delayed imaging times. For 19 of the patients, unlabeled free folic acid was injected before administration of (111)In-DTPA-folate to also assess the impact of folate loading on tracer biodistribution. Masked and unmasked readings of the images by 2 nuclear medicine physicians were compared with the pathologic findings after surgery. RESULTS Among 33 patients who had surgical intervention, 14 had new or recurrent malignant tumors. All of 7 newly diagnosed ovarian carcinomas were identified by both masked readers (sensitivity, 100%). The sensitivity for detection of 7 recurrent malignancies was 38% for masked readings and 85% for unmasked readings, indicating that correlation with anatomic imaging studies (CT) was highly important in diagnosis of these lesions. Eighteen of the studied patients were found to have benign masses; for this limited population, the specificity of (111)In-DTPA-folate scintigraphy was 76% and 82% for the masked and unmasked analyses, respectively. CONCLUSION (111)In-DTPA-folate is safe, and possibly effective, for scintigraphy differentiating between malignant and benign ovarian masses.
Genome-Wide Analysis of p53 under Hypoxic Conditions

ABSTRACT Hypoxia is an important nongenotoxic stress that modulates the tumor suppressor activity of p53 during malignant progression. In this study, we investigated how genotoxic and nongenotoxic stresses regulate p53 association with chromatin, p53 transcriptional activity, and p53-dependent apoptosis. We found that genotoxic and nongenotoxic stresses result in the accumulation and binding of the p53 tumor suppressor protein to the same cognate binding sites in chromatin. However, it is the stress that determines whether downstream signaling is mediated by association with transcriptional coactivators. In contrast to p53 induced by DNA-damaging agents, hypoxia-induced p53 has primarily transrepression activity. Using extensive microarray analysis, we identified families of repressed targets of p53 that are involved in cell signaling, DNA repair, cell cycle control, and differentiation. Following our previous study on the contribution of residues 25 and 26 to p53-dependent hypoxia-induced apoptosis, we found that residues 25-26 and 53-54 and the polyproline- and DNA-binding regions are also required for both gene repression and the induction of apoptosis by p53 during hypoxia. This study defines a new role for residues 53 and 54 of p53 in regulating transrepression and demonstrates that 25-26 and 53-54 work in the same pathway to induce apoptosis through gene repression.
Quantification of OH and HO2 radicals during the low-temperature oxidation of hydrocarbons by Fluorescence Assay by Gas Expansion technique

Significance The design of internal combustion engines relies on a good understanding of the kinetic mechanism of the autoignition of hydrocarbons. •OH and •HO2 radicals are known to be the key species governing all stages of the development of ignition. A direct measurement of these radicals under low-temperature oxidation conditions has been achieved by coupling the fluorescence assay by gas expansion technique, an experimental technique designed for the quantification of these radicals in the free atmosphere, to a jet-stirred reactor, an experimental device designed for the study of low-temperature combustion chemistry. •OH and •HO2 radicals are known to be the key species in the development of ignition. A direct measurement of these radicals under low-temperature oxidation conditions (T = 550–1,000 K) has been achieved by coupling a technique named fluorescence assay by gas expansion, an experimental technique designed for the quantification of these radicals in the free atmosphere, to a jet-stirred reactor, an experimental device designed for the study of low-temperature combustion chemistry. Calibration allows conversion of relative fluorescence signals to absolute mole fractions. Such radical mole fraction profiles will serve as a benchmark for testing chemical models developed to improve the understanding of combustion processes.
Homogenization and Assessment of Observed Near-Surface Wind Speed Trends over Spain and Portugal, 1961–2011*

Near-surfacewindspeedtrendsrecordedat67land-basedstationsacrossSpainandPortugalfor1961–2011, alsofocusingonthe1979–2008subperiod,wereanalyzed.Windspeedseriesweresubjectedtoqualitycontrol, reconstruction, and homogenization using a novel procedure that incorporated the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research Mesoscale Model (MM5)-simulated seriesasreference.Theresultantseriesshowaslightdownwardtrendforboth1961–2011(20.016ms 21 decade 21 ) and 1979–2008 (20.010ms 21 decade 21 ). However, differences between seasons with declining values in winter and spring, and increasing trends in summer and autumn, were observed. Even though wind stilling affected 77.8% of the stations in winter and 66.7% in spring, only roughly 40% of the declining trends were statistically significant at the p , 0.10 level. On the contrary, increasing trends appeared in 51.9% of the stationsinsummerand57.4%inautumn,withalsoaround40%ofthepositivetrendsstatisticallysignificantat the p , 0.10 level. In this article, the authors also investigated (i) the possible impact of three atmospheric indices on the observed trends and (ii) the role played by the urbanization growth in the observed decline. An accurate homogenization and assessment of the long-term trends of wind speed is crucial for many fields such as wind energy (e.g., power generation) and agriculture–hydrology (e.g., evaporative demand).
Optimal permutation and spacing for unbiased random, counter, and instruction address buses

The coupling power between adjacent bus wires of nanometer CMOS digital design as well as noise has become an important issue. Thus, it is important to design buses that dissipate less power without sacrificing performance. In this paper, we address this problem for a set of special buses types by simultaneously optimizing wire permutation and spacing. In detail we developed solutions for buses that transmit: (a) unbiased random signals; (b) counter sequences; and (c) processor instruction addresses. Unlike other techniques, our approach solves the permutation and spacing problem optimally. That is, we simultaneously determine wire order and wire spaces. For our experiments, we used instruction address bus traces obtained from 12 SPEC2000 benchmark programs. Compared to a bus layout where the additional wire space is equally distributed, our algorithms can save energy up to 77% for the best case, and 70% on average with only 17 /spl middot/ d/sub min/ additional width, respectively. Compared to encoding approaches, our techniques do not introduce any significant delay to the signals. Hence, the presented approaches are able to reduce power dissipation without notable performance degradation.
Carrier Index Differential Chaos Shift Keying Modulation

A new carrier index differential chaos shift keying (DCSK) modulation method combining index modulation (IM) with multicarrier DCSK (MC-DCSK) is proposed. Two schemes employing two different index selectors and detectors to implement IM and demodulation are introduced. The new designed index selectors are one-to-one mappings between the index symbols and the carrier activation patterns, which can avoid the disaster caused by the previous designed selectors. Analytical bit error rate expressions of the two systems are derived over the additive white Gaussian noise as well as multipath Rayleigh fading channels. Simulation results verify the superiority of one scheme in energy efficiency and another scheme in spectral efficiency, respectively, compared with MC-DCSK.
Ultra-wideband (UWB) Badpass Filters: Full Passband and with Notch-band Implemented

This paper presents a brief review and some recent works on ultra-wideband (UWB) bandpass filters (BPFs) for microwave UWB radio system (from 3.1 to 10.6 GHz). The design considerations and requirements for such filters are described. A recently developed full UWB BPF filter, which employed a novel broadside-coupled microstrip-to-coplanar waveguide structure, is presented. An UWB BPF filter with implemented notch-band is also presented for the purpose of avoiding the interference between the UWB and existing radio systems. Measured results are provided to show the excellent filter performance.
Live-attenuated bacteria as a cancer vaccine vector

In the emerging field of active and specific cancer immunotherapy, strategies using live-attenuated bacterial vectors have matured in terms of academic and industrial development. Different bacterial species can be genetically engineered to deliver antigen to APCs with strong adjuvant effects due to their microbial origin. Proteic or DNA-encoding antigen delivery routes and natural bacterial tropisms might differ among species, permitting different applications. After many academic efforts to resolve safety and efficacy issues, some firms have recently engaged clinical trials with live Listeria or Salmonella spp. We describe here the main technological advances that allowed bacteria to become one of the most promising vectors in cancer immunotherapy.
Differential regulation of TP73 isoforms by 1α,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 and survivin in human colon and breast carcinomas

We evaluate whether 1,25(OH)2D3 downregulates TP73 variants in colon and breast carcinomas, the role of survivin in this context, and the significance of this network in the clinic. Tumor cells were treated/untreated with 1,25(OH)2D3 and transiently transfected with survivin. Levels of survivin and TP73 variants were evaluated by quantitative RT‐PCR and Western blotting. In 75 colon and 60 breast cancer patients, the expressions of survivin and TP73 isoforms were determined. Tumor characteristics were examined in each patient. Survivin protein levels were also evaluated in a subgroup of patients and cell lines. Decrease in survivin and TAp73 transcripts and protein and ΔNp73 mRNA was detected after 1,25(OH)2D3 treatment. Ectopic survivin expression led to an increase in the TAp73, ΔNp73, ΔEx2p73, and ΔEx2‐3p73 transcripts. In cancer patients, direct correlations were observed between TP73 variants and survivin levels. 1,25(OH)2D3 negatively regulate survivin and TP73 variants in colon and breast cancer cells. Positive regulation of TP73 isoforms by survivin may exist, which reinforces the possibility that the downregulation of TP73 forms by 1,25(OH)2D3 is survivin‐dependent. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.