Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical Validation of 18F-AZD4694, an Amyloid-β–Specific PET Radioligand

Pioneered with the invention of 11C-Pittsburgh compound B, amyloid-β imaging using PET has facilitated research in Alzheimer disease (AD). This imaging approach has promise for diagnostic purposes and evaluation of disease-modifying therapies. Broad clinical use requires an 18F-labeled amyloid-β radioligand with high specific and low nonspecific binding. The aim of the present PET study was to examine the radioligand 18F-AZD4694 in human subjects. Methods: Six control subjects and 10 clinically diagnosed AD patients underwent PET examination with 18F-AZD4694 and a structural MRI scan. Of these, 4 controls and 4 patients underwent a second PET examination for test–retest analysis. Arterial sampling was done to derive a metabolite-corrected plasma input function for traditional compartment modeling. Besides, several simplified quantitative approaches were applied, including the reference Logan approach and simple ratio methods. Results: After intravenous injection of 18F-AZD4694, radioactivity appeared rapidly in brain. In patients, radioactivity was high in regions expected to contain amyloid-β, whereas in controls, radioactivity was low and homogenously distributed. Binding in cerebellum, a reference region, was low and similar between the groups. Specific binding was reversible and peaked at about 27 min after injection in regions with high radioactivity. The time–activity curves could be described using the 2-tissue-compartment model. Distribution volume ratio estimates obtained using compartment models and simplified methods were highly correlated. Standardized uptake value ratios calculated at late times and distribution volume ratios estimated with the reference Logan approach were, in gray matter, significantly lower in control subjects (1.08 [11%] and 1.01 [6%], respectively) than in AD patients (2.15 [24%] and 1.62 [18%], respectively). Among noninvasive methods, the lowest test–retest variability was found with reference Logan, varying between 4% and 6% across brain regions. Conclusion: Noninvasive quantitative approaches provide valid estimates of amyloid-β binding. Because of the radioisotope (18F) used for labeling, the radioligand has potential for wide clinical application. 18F-AZD4694 satisfies the requirements for a promising amyloid-β radioligand both for diagnostic use and for evaluation of disease-modifying therapies in AD.
Resultado en el tratamiento quirúrgico de la inestabilidad atlantoaxoidea

Summary Background: Instability of the cervical spine is defined as an increase in flexibility farther than the physiological limits of one vertebra over another in some of its axes, conditioning symptoms for the patient. Traumatic, degenerative, metabolic and neoplastic causes have all been identified. Methods: A retrospective, longitudinal, observational and descriptive study was carried out on patients surgically intervened specifically for atlantoaxial instability from January 1993 to May 2002, with a minimum follow-up of 5 years. Results: Eleven patients were evaluated. Ages ranged from 25 to 75 years (average age 56 years) with a female predominance. Etiology was iatrogenic in six cases, and there were four cases of rheumatoid arthritis and one case due to post-trauma. In all cases, fixation was accomplished with occipitocervical arthrodesis with posterior arch resection. Predominant preoperative neurologic deficit according to Ranawat was grade II and postoperatively was grade I. Conclusions: The average age of patients in our series was discreetly lower in regard to what has been reported in the literature. Female predominance was in accordance with previous publications. Eight of 11 patients showed improvement as in other series. A higher impact was observed in patients between 30 and 64 years of age. The occupational activity with the highest frequency was homemaker, and the neurologic deficit according to Ranawat showed improvement in 72% of the patients.
A social marketing approach to promoting healthful eating and physical activity in low-income and ethnically diverse schools

Objective: To evaluate the short-term outcome of the social marketing approach used in Project FIT, we developed a school- and community-based programme for promoting healthful eating and physical activity in kindergarten to 5th-grade children and their parents. Design: A 2-year quasi-experiment for children and two cross-sectional surveys for parents. Setting: We included low-income, urban and ethnically diverse elementary schools and neighbourhoods in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. Method: Students in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades were surveyed in four intervention schools (four time points, N with at least one time point measurement = 664) and two control schools (N = 195). Parents of intervention students were surveyed at baseline (N = 286) and follow-up (N = 215). Key dependent variables included self-reported healthful eating and physical activity. Key independent variables included awareness, knowledge, motivation and attitudes towards Project FIT. Analysis: We analysed generalised linear mixed models and generalised estimation equation (GEE) models for the student surveys and mean difference tests and logistic regressions for the parent surveys. Results: The proportion of students who were aware of Project FIT increased over time. GEE models showed that selected key dependent variables were significantly associated with self-reported healthful eating and physical activity. Parents were more aware of Project FIT at follow-up compared to the baseline survey, and their attitudes were significantly associated with increased healthful eating (vegetables, fruits and whole grains). Conclusion: The social marketing approach utilised in Project FIT contributed to increasing awareness and achieving behavioural goals of healthful eating and physical activity.
Initial Clinical Comparison of 18F-Florbetapir and 18F-FDG PET in Patients with Alzheimer Disease and Controls

The purpose of this study was to determine how clinical interpretations of the 18F-amyloid tracer florbetapir compares diagnostically with 18F-FDG PET when evaluating patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) and controls. Methods: Nineteen patients with a clinical diagnosis of AD and 21 elderly controls were evaluated with both 18F-florbetapir and 18F-FDG PET scans. Scans were interpreted together by 2 expert readers masked to any case information and were assessed for tracer binding patterns consistent with AD. The criteria for interpreting the 18F-florbetapir scan as positive for AD was the presence of binding in the cortical regions relative to the cerebellum. 18F-FDG PET scans were interpreted as positive if they displayed the classic pattern of hypometabolism in the temporoparietal regions. Scans were interpreted as either positive or negative for AD. In addition, a relative scoring system was used to assess the degree of either hypometabolism or amyloid binding in specified regions. The metabolism and amyloid binding scores for each region were compared across subjects. An overall ratio was calculated on the basis of values in regions expected to be affected by AD and those not expected to be affected. The metabolic ratio and amyloid ratio were then correlated with the mini-mental status examination (MMSE) score. Results: The sensitivity and specificity, compared with the clinical diagnosis of AD or controls, for the 18F-florbetapir scans were 95% and 95%, respectively, and for the 18F-FDG scans 89% and 86%, respectively. When a comparison with MMSE scores was made, 18F-FDG significantly correlated with MMSE when both controls and AD patients were included (r = 0.79, P < 0.0001) and in AD patients alone (r = 0.70, P = 0.001). The 18F-florbetapir scores significantly correlated with MMSE scores only when both controls and AD patients were included (r = 0.62, P < 0.001) but not in the AD group alone (r = 0.12, P = 0.66). Conclusion: Overall, both scans performed well in detecting AD in patients with known clinical AD. Both scans correlated well with cognitive status as determined by MMSE when the entire cohort of controls and AD patients was evaluated. However, only the 18F-FDG scans correlated with cognitive status when AD patients were evaluated separately.
Entropy based unsupervised Feature Selection in digital mammogram image using rough set theory

Feature Selection (FS) is a process, which attempts to select features, which are more informative. In the supervised FS methods various feature subsets are evaluated using an evaluation function or metric to select only those features, which are related to the decision classes of the data under consideration. However, for many data mining applications, decision class labels are often unknown or incomplete, thus indicating the significance of unsupervised FS. However, in unsupervised learning, decision class labels are not provided. The problem is that not all features are important. Some of the features may be redundant, and others may be irrelevant and noisy. In this paper, a novel unsupervised FS in mammogram image, using rough set-based entropy measures, is proposed. A typical mammogram image processing system generally consists of mammogram image acquisition, pre-processing of image, segmentation, features extracted from the segmented mammogram image. The proposed method is used to select features from data set, the method is compared with the existing rough set-based supervised FS methods and classification performance of both methods are recorded and demonstrates the efficiency of the method.
Impact of Proxy-Reported Data on the Relationship Between Income and Severity of Functional Impairment Among Impaired Elderly

This cross-sectional study examined whether the relationship between income and severity of functional impairment in basic activities of daily living was influenced by source of data (self vs. proxy respondent). The relationship was examined in a national sample of community-resident functionally impaired elderly with 29% of data provided by proxy respondents (n = 3,649). The data source was the 1982 National Long-Term Care Survey (NLTCS). The analysis was carried out among self-respondents, among elderly who had proxy respondents, and in the combined data set. Multivariate results provided strong support for the conclusion that data provided by proxy respondents did not bias the relationship under investigation in this study sample. Results of the study are only generalizable to community-resident functionally impaired elderly and as reflected by the NLTCS definition of functional impairment. Implications of this analysis for use of proxy respondents in the elderly population are discussed.
Two-Part Pterional Craniotomy

Introduction: The standard approach for pterional craniotomy involves one or two burr holes and a single bone piece encompassing the frontal, temporal and sphenoid bones. Drilling down of the sphenoid creates a defect that requires repair. We have used a two-part pterional craniotomy that avoids the need for drilling and document the modification of the standard technique here. Methods: Two burr holes are placed, one behind the key point over the frontal fossa as well as one on the temporal fossa. A frontal temporal sphenoidal bone flap is created by cutting the bone back in a V-shape around the sphenoid wing. Extradural dissection is then done to expose the lateral part of the sphenoid wing down to the dural fold lateral to the superior orbital fissure, as well as separating the dura from the floors of the anterior and middle cranial fossa. A foot plate attachment on the drill is used to create a secondary bone piece which encompasses that portion of the greater sphenoid wing that is drilled away in the standard approach. Reconstruction is done connecting the two pieces back together with titanium plates and screws yielding a good cosmetic result.
Disease activity and outcome in juvenile idiopathic arthritis - a longitudinal cohort study in the Nordic countries

Artikkel 1 og 3 er publisert og kan legges ut i Munin, hvis rettighetshaverne gir tilsagn. Artikkel 2 er ikke enna publisert, men akseptert for publikasjon i Annals of Rheumatic Diseases (ARD), rettighetene er overfort ARD, og den kan ikke publiseres uten eventuelt samtykke fra ARD
Inspiratory crackles—early and late

Nath, A. R. and Capel, L. H. (1974). Thorax, 29, 223-227. Inspiratory crackles early and late. Inspiratory crackles were recorded simultaneously with the inspiratory flow rate in patients with airways obstruction and in those with a restrictive defect. Early inspiratory crackles were associated with severe airways obstruction and late inspiratory crackles with a restrictive defect.
Local anesthetic administration for awake direct laryngoscopy. Are glossopharyngeal nerve blocks superior

BACKGROUND: Glossopharyngeal nerve (GPN) blocks may provide reliable analgesia for awake direct laryngoscopy, although this has not been evaluated prospectively. This study was designed to determine if GPN blocks provide a superior route of local anesthetic administration for awake direct laryngoscopy as measured by hemodynamic, gag, and subjective pain responses. METHODS: A prospective, randomized, single-blinded, crossover design was used. All participants (n = 11) were anesthesiologists. Three routes of local anesthetic administration were evaluated: 2 min of 2% viscous lidocaine swish and gargle (SG SG and SG anterior tonsillar pillar method). Five minutes after the local anesthetic was administered, laryngoscopy was performed and sustained for 20 s. Noninvasive hemodynamic measurements and serum lidocaine concentrations were determined. Visual analogue scale scores and a poststudy questionnaire were used to assess participants' ability to tolerate local anesthetic administration and laryngoscopy and their choice for use in clinical practice. RESULTS: No significant hemodynamic changes were observed, although there was a modest increase (< 15%) in heart rate in the S&G/block group in the first minute after laryngoscopy. Serum lidocaine concentrations were higher (P < 0.05) in the S&G/block group at 5 and 10 min (0.5 +/- 0.1 and 1.0 +/- 0.2 microgram/ml) compared with the S&G group. Participants' visual analogue scale scores, which assessed their ability to tolerate laryngoscopy, showed that S&G (5.4 +/- 0.9) resulted in more discomfort (P < 0.05) than either S&G/spray (3.5 +/- 0.9) or S&G/block (3.3 +/- 0.7). The laryngoscopist's visual analogue scale scores, which assessed the ease of visualization, revealed a trend (P < 0.08) toward less coughing and gagging with S&G/spray (1.8 +/- 0.9) compared with S&G (4.0 +/- 1.3) and S&G/block (3.7 +/- 1.1). Oropharyngeal discomfort lasting 24 h or more was reported by 91% of participants after S&G/block, whereas no participant reported oropharyngeal discomfort after S&G or S&G/spray. Significantly more participants (73%) indicated their preference for using S&G/spray in future clinical practice compared with S&G (P < 0.01) and S&G/block (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Glossopharyngeal nerve blocks do not provide a superior route of local anesthetic administration for awake direct laryngoscopy. Two minutes of 2% viscous lidocaine S&G followed by 10% lidocaine spray was the anesthetic route preferred by participants and laryngoscopists.
Early PET/CT Scan Is More Effective Than RECIST in Predicting Outcome of Patients with Liver Metastases from Colorectal Cancer Treated with Preoperative Chemotherapy Plus Bevacizumab

Markers predictive of treatment effect might be useful to improve the treatment of patients with metastatic solid tumors. Particularly, early changes in tumor metabolism measured by PET/CT with 18F-FDG could predict the efficacy of treatment better than standard dimensional Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) response. Methods: We performed PET/CT evaluation before and after 1 cycle of treatment in patients with resectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer, within a phase 2 trial of preoperative FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab. For each lesion, the maximum standardized uptake value (SUV) and the total lesion glycolysis (TLG) were determined. On the basis of previous studies, a ≤ −50% change from baseline was used as a threshold for significant metabolic response for maximum SUV and, exploratively, for TLG. Standard RECIST response was assessed with CT after 3 mo of treatment. Pathologic response was assessed in patients undergoing resection. The association between metabolic and CT/RECIST and pathologic response was tested with the McNemar test; the ability to predict progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was tested with the Log-rank test and a multivariable Cox model. Results: Thirty-three patients were analyzed. After treatment, there was a notable decrease of all the parameters measured by PET/CT. Early metabolic PET/CT response (either SUV- or TLG-based) had a stronger, independent and statistically significant predictive value for PFS and OS than both CT/RECIST and pathologic response at multivariate analysis, although with different degrees of statistical significance. The predictive value of CT/RECIST response was not significant at multivariate analysis. Conclusion: PET/CT response was significantly predictive of long-term outcomes during preoperative treatment of patients with liver metastases from colorectal cancer, and its predictive ability was higher than that of CT/RECIST response after 3 mo of treatment. Such findings need to be confirmed by larger prospective trials.
Postchemotherapy and Tumor-Selective Targeting with the La-Specific DAB4 Monoclonal Antibody Relates to Apoptotic Cell Clearance

Early identification of tumor responses to treatment is crucial for devising more effective and safer cancer treatments. No widely applicable, noninvasive method currently exists for specifically detecting tumor cell death after cytotoxic treatment and thus for predicting treatment outcomes. Methods: We have further characterized the targeting of the murine monoclonal antibody DAB4 specifically to dead tumor cells in vitro, in vivo, and in clinical samples. We found that sustained DAB4 binding to treated cells was closely associated with markers of intrinsic apoptosis and DNA double-strand break formation. In a competition binding assay, DAB4 bound EL4 murine thymic lymphoma cells in preference to the normal counterpart of murine thymocytes. Defective in vivo clearance of apoptotic cells augmented in vivo accumulation of DAB4 in tumors particularly after chemotherapy but was unchanged in normal tissues. Tumor targeting of DAB4 was selective for syngeneic murine tumors and for human tumor xenografts of prostate cancer (PC-3) and pancreatic cancer (Panc-1) before and more so after chemotherapy. Furthermore, DAB4 was shown to bind to dead primary acute lymphoblastic leukemic blasts cultured with cytotoxic drugs and dead epithelial cancer cells isolated from peripheral blood of small cell lung carcinoma patients given chemotherapy. Conclusion: Collectively, these results further demonstrate the selectivity of DAB4 for chemotherapy-induced dead tumor cells. This postchemotherapy selectivity is related to a relative increase in the availability of DAB4-binding targets in tumor tissue rather than in normal tissues. The in vitro findings were translated in vivo to human xenograft models and to ex vivo analyses of clinical samples, providing further evidence of the potential of DAB4 as a marker of tumor cell death after DNA-damaging cytotoxic treatment that could be harnessed as a predictive marker of treatment responses.
Electric-Acoustic Stimulation of the Auditory System

Various devices have been developed to overcome the widespread phenomenon of different degrees of hearing deficits between mild and profound hearing loss. Basically, we differentiate between acoustic stimulation (hearing aids), restricted to cases with a partially functioning cochlear receptor, and electrical stimulation (cochlear implants), stimulating the auditory nerve directly in cases with profound or total hearing loss. For the first time, animal data have been collected that indicate the possibility of nearly interference-free use of both stimulation types simultaneously. In addition, we have gathered the first clinical patient experience, which confirms the encouraging results. Future implications for patients with severe high-frequency hearing loss are discussed.
Breastfeeding and Postpartum Amenorrhea in Rural Guatemala

The association between breastfeeding patterns and resumption of postpartum menstruation was examined in rural Guatemalan women from the INCAP longitudinal study (1969-1977). It was distinguished among women who experienced infant mortality before menses resumed, women who weaned before menses resumed, and women who had return of menses while still breastfeeding. Weaning and infant mortality before menses resumes are significant risk factors for resumption of postpartum menstruation. Among those women whose menses resumed while still nursing or who remained amenorrheic and nursing at lose to follow-up or the end of the study, low number of nursing bouts per 24-hr day and the early introduction of supplements to the child were significant risk factors for the return of postpartum menstruation.
Multimodality and Molecular Imaging of Matrix Metalloproteinase Activation in Calcific Aortic Valve Disease

Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is the most common cause of aortic stenosis. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are upregulated in CAVD and contribute to valvular remodeling and calcification. We investigated the feasibility and correlates of MMP-targeted molecular imaging for detection of valvular biology in CAVD. Methods: Apolipoprotein E–deficient (apoE−/−) mice were fed a Western diet (WD) for 3, 6, and 9 mo (n = 108) to induce CAVD. Wild-type mice served as the control group (n = 24). The development of CAVD was tracked with CT, echocardiography, MMP-targeted small-animal SPECT imaging using 99mTc-RP805, and histologic analysis. Results: Key features of CAVD—leaflet thickening and valvular calcification—were noted after 6 mo of WD and were more pronounced after 9 mo. These findings were associated with a significant reduction in aortic valve leaflet separation and a significant increase in transaortic valve flow velocity. On in vivo SPECT/CT images, MMP signal in the aortic valve area was significantly higher at 6 mo in WD mice than in control mice and decreased thereafter. The specificity of the signal was demonstrated by blocking, using an excess of nonlabeled precursor. Similar to MMP signal, MMP activity as determined by in situ zymography and valvular inflammation by CD68 staining were maximal at 6 mo. In vivo 99mTc-RP805 uptake correlated significantly with MMP activity (R2 = 0.94, P < 0.05) and CD68 expression (R2 = 0.98, P < 0.01) in CAVD. Conclusion: MMP-targeted imaging detected valvular inflammation and remodeling in a murine model of CAVD. If this ability is confirmed in humans, the technique may provide a tool for tracking the effect of emerging medical therapeutic interventions and for predicting outcome in CAVD.
Neuro-fuzzy-based hand-off and opportunistic spectrum access for cognitive cooperative network

This paper investigates neuro-fuzzy (NF)-based opportunistic spectrum access and spectrum hand-off (HO) for a cognitive cooperative network (CCN). The main aim is to increase the average throughput of the CCN. Secondary users (SUs) in the CCN are scheduled using α-proportional scheduling. The NF α-based algorithm enables each SU to determine the most appropriate channel for its data transmission. SUs keep their transmission power below the interference temperature through power control and do not interfere with the normal operation of primary radio network (PRN). If the quality of service (QoS) of the SU is not obtained, a HO occurs. Mamdani-adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (M-ANFIS) is used to construct spectrum access and HO controllers. The proposed algorithm is compared with the existing algorithms. Performance evaluations clearly reveal that the outage probability is reduced and average throughput of the CCN is increased.