Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
(i) Nerve compression or mechanical neuropathy: neuropathology

Compression neuropathy is a common form of nerve injury, one of the most frequent conditions seen in the hand surgeon’s daily practice, with an incidence of up to 125 per 100 000 population, and a prevalence of up to 8% for carpal tunnel syndrome alone. Nerve compression syndromes have been reported at numerous sites in both the upper and lower extremities, and may be due to either acute or chronic events causing extrinsic or intraneural compression. 3}9 Normally, nerves of the upper and lower extremities are subjected to both stretch and compression, but when normal excursions are restricted or when compression forces last, irritation with subsequent fibrosis and altered microcirculation will occur, and there are particular anatomic positions where individual nerves are more vulnerable. The signs and symptoms of compression neuropathy relate to the nature of the pathogenetic mechanism responsible for each case, and ultimately to the underlying pathological changes within the nerve.
Determining the Optimal Ceftriaxone MIC for Triggering Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase Confirmatory Testing

ABSTRACT As routine testing of clinical isolates for extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production (screen plus phenotypic confirmatory testing) is no longer required by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), a number of clinical microbiology laboratories use ceftriaxone MICs as a proxy means of identifying bacteria as potential ESBL producers. Data from 1,386 clinical isolates suggest that a ceftriaxone MIC cutoff of 8 μg/ml is an excellent predictor of ESBL production, with a positive predictive value and negative predictive value approaching 100% and 99.5%, respectively.
On the Nature of Objectification: Implications of Considering People as Means to Goals

People are objectified when they are treated as a means to a goal. The most common example is when women are sexually objectified and reduced to their physical appearance, sexuality, or individual body parts. In such instances, people are used in the same way as objects and are evaluated according to their instrumentality to the others’ goals. The aim of this paper is to gain a better understanding of objectification. We will (a) outline basic principles of means-goal relations during goal pursuit, (b) review research in which people are means to goals, (c) explain objectification according to a means-goal psychology in which people serve as means to goals, and (d) explain the implications of our account for the consequences of objectification. Specifically, we argue objectification is inevitable and that the consequences of objectification, including its morality, depend on the goal to which a person serves and whether the objectified person wants to serve that goal.
Commentary: Significance of Staphylococcus epidermidis in Health Care-Associated Infections, from Contaminant to Clinically Relevant Pathogen: This Is a Wake-Up Call!

ABSTRACT Coagulase-negative staphylococci, particularly Staphylococcus epidermidis, have been recognized as an important cause of health care-associated infections. Concurrently, S. epidermidis is a common contaminant in clinical cultures, which poses a diagnostic challenge. An article in this issue of Journal of Clinical Microbiology (I. Tolo, J. C. Thomas, R. S. B. Fischer, E. L. Brown, B. M. Gray, and D. A. Robinson, J Clin Microbiol 54:1711–1719, 2015, http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JCM.03345-15) describes a rapid single nucleotide polymorphism-based assay for distinguishing between S. epidermidis isolates from hospital and nonhospital sources, which represents an important contribution to the characterization and understanding of S. epidermidis health care-associated infections.
Comparison of Pyrosequencing, Sanger Sequencing, and Melting Curve Analysis for Detection of Low-Frequency Macrolide-Resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae Quasispecies in Respiratory Specimens

ABSTRACT Macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MRMP) is emerging worldwide and has been associated with treatment failure. In this study, we used pyrosequencing to detect low-frequency MRMP quasispecies in respiratory specimens, and we compared the findings with those obtained by Sanger sequencing and SimpleProbe PCR coupled with a melting curve analysis (SimpleProbe PCR). Sanger sequencing, SimpleProbe PCR, and pyrosequencing were successfully performed for 96.7% (88/91), 96.7% (88/91), and 93.4% (85/91) of the M. pneumoniae-positive specimens, respectively. The A-to-G transition at position 2063 was the only mutation identified. Pyrosequencing identified A2063G MRMP quasispecies populations in 78.8% (67/88) of the specimens. Only 38.8% (26/67) of these specimens with the A2063G quasispecies detected by pyrosequencing were found to be A2063G quasispecies by Sanger sequencing or SimpleProbe PCR. The specimens that could be detected by SimpleProbe PCR and Sanger sequencing had higher frequencies of MRMP quasispecies (51% to 100%) than those that could not be detected by those two methods (1% to 44%). SimpleProbe PCR correctly categorized all specimens that were identified as wild type or mutant by Sanger sequencing. The clinical characteristics of the patients were not significantly different when they were grouped by the presence or absence of MRMP quasispecies, while patients with MRMP identified by Sanger sequencing more often required a switch from macrolides to an alternative M. pneumoniae-targeted therapy. The clinical significance of mutant quasispecies should be investigated further with larger patient populations and with specimens obtained before and after macrolide therapy.
Are the Conventional Commercial Yeast Identification Methods Still Helpful in the Era of New Clinical Microbiology Diagnostics? A Meta-Analysis of Their Accuracy

ABSTRACT Accurate identification of pathogenic species is important for early appropriate patient management, but growing diversity of infectious species/strains makes the identification of clinical yeasts increasingly difficult. Among conventional methods that are commercially available, the API ID32C, AuxaColor, and Vitek 2 systems are currently the most used systems in routine clinical microbiology. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate and to compare the accuracy of the three systems, in order to assess whether they are still of value for the species-level identification of medically relevant yeasts. After adopting rigorous selection criteria, we included 26 published studies involving Candida and non-Candida yeasts that were tested with the API ID32C (674 isolates), AuxaColor (1,740 isolates), and Vitek 2 (2,853 isolates) systems. The random-effects pooled identification ratios at the species level were 0.89 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 0.95) for the API ID32C system, 0.89 (95% CI, 0.83 to 0.93) for the AuxaColor system, and 0.93 (95% CI, 0.89 to 0.96) for the Vitek 2 system (P for heterogeneity, 0.255). Overall, the accuracy of studies using phenotypic analysis-based comparison methods was comparable to that of studies using molecular analysis-based comparison methods. Subanalysis of studies conducted on Candida yeasts showed that the Vitek 2 system was significantly more accurate (pooled ratio, 0.94 [95% CI, 0.85 to 0.99]) than the API ID32C system (pooled ratio, 0.84 [95% CI, 0.61 to 0.99]) and the AuxaColor system (pooled ratio, 0.76 [95% CI, 0.67 to 0.84]) with respect to uncommon species (P for heterogeneity, <0.05). Subanalysis of studies conducted on non-Candida yeasts (i.e., Cryptococcus, Rhodotorula, Saccharomyces, and Trichosporon) revealed pooled identification accuracies of ≥98% for the Vitek 2, API ID32C (excluding Cryptococcus), and AuxaColor (only Rhodotorula) systems, with significant low or null levels of heterogeneity (P > 0.05). Nonetheless, clinical microbiologists should reconsider the usefulness of these systems, particularly in light of new diagnostic tools such as matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, which allow for considerably shortened turnaround times and/or avoid the requirement for additional tests for species identity confirmation.
Gestational and Fetal Outcomes in B19 Maternal Infection: a Problem of Diagnosis

ABSTRACT Parvovirus B19 infection during pregnancy is a potential hazard to the fetus because of the virus' ability to infect fetal erythroid precursor cells and fetal tissues. Fetal complications range from transitory fetal anemia and nonimmune fetal hydrops to miscarriage and intrauterine fetal death. In the present study, 72 pregnancies complicated by parvovirus B19 infection were followed up: fetal and neonatal specimens were investigated by serological and/or virological assays to detect fetal/congenital infection, and fetuses and neonates were clinically evaluated to monitor pregnancy outcomes following maternal infection. Analysis of serological and virological maternal B19 markers of infection demonstrated that neither B19 IgM nor B19 DNA detected all maternal infections. IgM serology correctly diagnosed 94.1% of the B19 infections, while DNA testing correctly diagnosed 96.3%. The maximum sensitivity was achieved with the combined detection of both parameters. B19 vertical transmission was observed in 39% of the pregnancies, with an overall 10.2% rate of fetal deaths. The highest rates of congenital infections and B19-related fatal outcomes were observed when maternal infections occurred by the gestational week 20. B19 fetal hydrops occurred in 11.9% of the fetuses, and 28.6% resolved the hydrops with a normal neurodevelopment outcome at 1- to 5-year follow-up. In conclusion, maternal screening based on the concurrent analysis of B19 IgM and DNA should be encouraged to reliably diagnose maternal B19 infection and correctly manage pregnancies at risk.
Minimizing protocol processing in multimedia servers - implementation and evaluation of network level framing

Data servers for multimedia applications like news-on-demand represent a severe bottleneck, because a potentially very high number of users concurrently retrieve data with high data rates. In the Intermediate Storage Node Concept (INSTANCE) project, we develop a new architecture for media-on-demand servers that maximizes the number of concurrent clients a single server can support. Traditional bottlenecks, like copy operations, multiple copies of the same data element in main memory, and checksum calculation in communication protocols are avoided by applying three orthogonal techniques: network level framing (NLF), zero-copy-one-copy memory architecture, and integrated error management. In this paper, we describe how to minimize the transport level protocol processing using NLF. In particular, we look at how NLF is implemented, and we present performance measurements indicating a large performance gain. The protocol execution is minimized to about 450 cycles per packet regardless of packet size, i.e., a reduction of about 87% compared to 1 KB packets and more using larger packets. Consequently, the total server-side processing overhead is decreased by at least 50%.
From nose to brain: understanding transport capacity and transport rate of drugs

The unique relationship between nasal cavity and cranial cavity tissues in anatomy and physiology makes intranasal delivery to the brain feasible. An intranasal delivery provides some drugs with short channels to bypass the blood–brain barrier (BBB), especially for those with fairly low brain concentrations after a routine delivery, thus greatly enhancing the therapeutic effect on brain diseases. In the past two decades, a good number of encouraging outcomes have been reported in the treatment of diseases of the brain or central nervous system (CNS) through nasal administration. In spite of the significant merit of bypassing the BBB, direct nose-to-brain delivery still bears the problems of low efficiency and volume for capacity due to the limited volume of the nasal cavity, the small area ratio of olfactory mucosa to nasal mucosa and the limitations of low dose and short retention time of drug absorption. It is crucial that selective distribution and retention time of drugs or preparations on olfactory mucosa should be enhanced so as to increase the direct delivery efficiency. In this article, we first briefly review the nose-to-brain transport pathways, before detailing the impacts on them, followed by a comprehensive summary of effective methods, including formulation modification, agglutinant-mediated transport and a brain-homing, peptide-mediated delivery based on phage display screening technique, with a view to providing a theoretic reference for elevating the therapeutic effects on brain diseases.
Area-Load Based Pricing in DSM Through ANN and Heuristic Scheduling

To meet the fast growing demand of energy, in addition with increased generation, improved efficiency, stability and flexibility, smart techniques need to be adopted that are in compliance with the environment and energy conservation. In this paper, we present an autonomous demand-side energy management to encourage users to willingly modify their electricity consumption without compromising with service quality and customer satisfaction using load forecasting. The projected distributed demand side energy management (DSM) strategy gives each consumer an option to simply apply its best response strategy to current electric load and tariff in the power distribution system. Using NSGA II optimization technique on load prediction, it is obtained that an area-load based pricing method is beneficial for both electric utility and consumer. Finally, simulation results substantiate that the proposed approach can maximize load factor and reduce total energy cost as well as user's daily electricity charges.
Hyperlipidemia is associated with lower risk of poststroke mortality independent of statin use: A population-based study

Background Although statin therapy is associated with reduced stroke and mortality risk, some studies report that higher lipid levels are associated with improved outcomes following ischemic stroke. Aims We examined the association of hyperlipidemia (HLD) combined with statin therapy on all-cause mortality in stroke patients. Methods All stroke patients in the Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky region of ∼1.3 million were identified using ICD-9 discharge codes in 2005 and 2010. Stroke patients with and without HLD were categorized based on their reported statin use at baseline or discharge into three groups: no-HLD/no-statins, HLD/no-statins, and HLD/on-statins. Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the risk of mortality at 30 days, 1 year, and 3 years poststroke. Results Overall, 77% (2953) of the 3813 ischemic stroke patients were diagnosed with HLD and 72% (n = 2123) of those patients were on statin medications. The mean age was 70.0 ± 14.6 years, 56% were women, and 21% were black. In adjusted analyses, the HLD/no-statins group showed 35% (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.46–0.92), 27% (aHR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.59–0.90), and 17% (aHR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.70–0.97) reduced risk of mortality at 30 days, 1 year, and 3 years, respectively, poststroke, compared with no-HLD/no-statins group. The HLD/on-statins group showed an additional 17% significant survival benefit at 3 years poststroke compared with HLD/no-statins group. Conclusions A diagnosis of HLD in ischemic stroke patients is associated with reduced short- and long-term mortality, irrespective of statin use. Statin therapy is associated with significant, additional long-term survival benefit.
Penumbra and re-canalization acute computed tomography in ischemic stroke evaluation: PRACTISE study protocol

Rationale Multimodal imaging, including computed tomography angiography and computed tomography perfusion imaging, yields additional information on intracranial vessels and brain perfusion and can differentiate between ischemic core and penumbra which may affect patient selection for intravenous thrombolysis. Hypothesis The use of multimodal imaging will increase the number of patients receiving intravenous thrombolysis and lead to better treatment outcomes. Sample size 400 patients. Methods and design PRACTISE is a prospective, multicenter, randomized, controlled trial in which patients presenting within 4.5 h of symptom onset are randomized to either the current evidence-based imaging (NCCT alone) or additional multimodal computed tomography imaging (NCCT + computed tomography angiography + computed tomography perfusion). Clinical decisions on intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator are documented. Total imaging time in both arms and time to initiation of treatment delivery in those treated with intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator, is recorded. Follow-up will include brain imaging at 24 h to document infarct size, the presence of edema and the presence of intra-cerebral hemorrhage. Clinical evaluations include NIHSS score at baseline, 24 h and day 7 ± 2, and mRS at day 90 to define functional outcomes. Study outcomes The primary outcome is the proportion of patients receiving intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator. Secondary end-points evaluate times to decision-making, comparison of different image processing software and clinical outcomes at three months. Discussion Multimodal computed tomography is a widely available tool for patient selection for revascularization therapy, but it is currently unknown whether the use of additional imaging in all stroke patients is beneficial. The study opened for recruitment in March 2015 and will provide data on the value of multimodal imaging in treatment decisions for acute stroke.
Long-term cost-effectiveness of thrombectomy for acute ischaemic stroke in real life: An analysis based on data from the Swedish Stroke Register (Riksstroke)

Background Randomised controlled trials have demonstrated substantial clinical benefit for thrombectomy in patients with acute ischaemic stroke and proximal anterior circulation arterial occlusion. Aim We investigated the long-term cost-effectiveness of thrombectomy after thrombolysis versus thrombolysis alone using real-world outcome data on need for health care, home help and nursing home care. Methods We used real-life resource use and survival data from the Swedish Stroke Register and pooled outcomes from five randomised controlled trials published in 2015 in a newly constructed Markov cost-effectiveness model with a societal perspective. Data were stratified by age (18–64; 65–74; 75–84 years) and modified Rankin scale at three months for patients with an index ischaemic stroke in 2014 fulfilling inclusion criteria NIHSS ≥ 8 before treatment and treated with thrombolysis (n = 710). Univariate sensitivity analyses explored robustness of results. A life-time perspective and 3% discount rate were applied. Results Thrombectomy increases the health care cost per patient (+GBP 9000) mainly because of intervention costs, but the reduced burden on the social services (home help services −GBP 13,000; nursing home care −GBP 26,000) implies overall cost savings. The average patient gain was 1.0 quality-adjusted life year (QALY) with higher gains for younger age groups. Thrombectomy was a dominant strategy in the base case and all sensitivity analyses where social services were considered. Conclusion Thrombectomy has a small effect on hospital costs except for the direct intervention cost. However, thrombectomy is highly likely to lead to substantial cost savings in the social service sector, up to four times the increase in health-care costs.
Principles of Competitive Protein-Binding Assays

Introducing a new hobby for other people may inspire them to join with you. Reading, as one of mutual hobby, is considered as the very easy hobby to do. But, many people are not interested in this hobby. Why? Boring is the reason of why. However, this feel actually can deal with the book and time of you reading. Yeah, one that we will refer to break the boredom in reading is choosing principles of competitive protein binding assays as the reading material.
The incidence of pregnancy-related stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Stroke risk is increased during pregnancy, but estimates of pregnancy-related stroke incidence vary widely. Aims A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to assess the incidence of stroke during pregnancy and the puerperium. Ovid Medline, EMBASE, and ISI Web of Science were searched for studies published between 1990 and January 2017 reporting stroke incidence during pregnancy and postpartum, from defined pregnancy populations. Pooled analyses were conducted using a random effects approach and expressed as an incidence rate per 100,000 pregnancies, with 95% confidence intervals. Subgroup analyses of stroke type and timing were conducted. Summary of review Eleven studies met inclusion criteria. Variation in estimated rates was noted based on geography and study methodology. The pooled crude rate of pregnancy-related stroke was 30.0 per 100,000 pregnancies (95% confidence interval 18.8–47.9). The pooled crude rates from nonhemorrhagic stroke (arterial and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis) were 19.9 (95% confidence interval 10.7–36.9) and from hemorrhage 12.2 (95% confidence interval 6.4–23.2) per 100,000 pregnancies. For studies separately reporting cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, the rates were roughly equal between ischemic stroke (12.2, 95% confidence interval 6.7–22.2), cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (9.1, 95% confidence interval 4.3–18.9), and hemorrhage (12.2, 95% confidence interval 6.4–23.2). The crude stroke rate for antenatal/perinatal stroke was 18.3 (95% confidence interval 11.9–28.2), and for postpartum stroke was 14.7 (95% confidence interval 8.3–26.1). Conclusions Stroke affects 30.0 per 100,000 pregnancies, with ischemia, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, and hemorrhage causing roughly equal numbers and with highest risk peripartum and postpartum. Organized approaches to the management of this high-risk population, informed by existing evidence from stroke and obstetrical care are needed.
Neuroimmune Networks

Neurocmmune Networks is a compilation of short chapters written by well-known researchers in the field. The editors have been diligent in including researchers from the United States, Canada, and Europe. Each chapter includes an introduction and a description of the research with tables, figures, conclusions, and a summary. The references at the end of each chapter are particularly useful for those interested in pursuing the topic further. The book is divided into 7 major parts: (1) determinants of neuroimmunological interactions, (2) neuroimmunological mediators, (3) cellular elements of neuroimmunological communication and responses, (4) viral neuroimmunology, (5) neurology of normal and abnormal behavior, (6) neuroimmunology of host defense, (7) neuroimmunological diseases. Unfortunately, the chapters composing each part do not form a cohesive unit, nor does the title of each part accurately reflect the chapter content. For example, in the last part, on neuroimmunological diseases, only three topics are discussed antineural antibodies in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, autoimmune features of Parkinson’s disease, and neural transplantation and the immune system. Taken one chapter at a time, this book offers a sampling of the most recent research in the field but should not be considered an exhaustive account of neuroimmunologic research. In general, it is a very interesting and useful book to be read by interested neurologists, neuroimmunologists, and students.