Profiles of Cortisol, Triiodothyronine, Thyroxine and Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio as Stress Indicators in Swamp Buffaloes 15 Days Post-Transportation

Transportation may cause stress that affects livestock\u27s health. This research was conducted to observe the effect of transportation on the profiles of blood cortisol, triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4) and neutrophil/lymphocyte (N/L) ratio as stress indicators during 15 days post-transportation. Four females swamp buffaloes, 2-yr-old were used in this research. The animals were transported using an open truck, along 15 kilometers distance for 2 h. During acclimatization, the animals were fed grass twice a day and access to water ad libitum. Blood was collected at the time of arrival and everyday for 15 d post-transportation. Cortisol, T3 and T4were analyzed using Radioimmunoassay (RIA) method. Blood smears were also prepared and stained with Giemsa for leukocyte differential counts. Results showed a significant relation (P<0.05) between transport and an increase in cortisol and T4 level on day-1 post-transportation compared to the normal levels. The level of T3 was also increased on day-3 post-transportation. Total leukocyte counts were 8.91-18.83×10³/μL. Neutrophil, eosinophil, monocyte, and lymphocyte counts were 4.87-10.41×10³/μL, 0.66-1.75×10³/μL, 0.11-0.58×10³/μL, and 2.98-6.21×10³/μL, respectively. N/L ratio was 1.23-3.49 with >1.5 in average throughout the period of the research. It is concluded that transportation causes stress and therefore changes metabolic process

Courses of Malignant Pheochromocytoma

Survival of patients with metastatic pheochromocytoma that have exceeded 30 years without therapy to reduce tumors have been reported. We reviewed the records of 38 patients with malignant pheochromocytoma who had received 131 I-metaiodiobenzylguanidine ( 131 I-MIBG) treatments between 1981 and 1996 to evaluate longevity. Survival from diagnosis to last follow-up exceeded 5 years in 21 of 38 (55%) and ≥10 years in 50%. In 17 of 21, the interval from diagnosis to 131 I-MIBG therapy was greater than 5 years. Survival following 131 I-MIBG was ≥5 years in 12 of 17 and ≥10 years in 7 of 17 patients despite continued evidence of excessive circulating catecholamines. Objective responses to 131 I-MIBG therapy were seen in about 30% and were usually of a few years, duration, but one individual exhibited marked reductions in volume and function of tumors that have persisted for 21 years. No feature, including a remission of >5 years following surgical excision, was found to predict prolonged survival. In summary, many patients with malignant pheochromocytoma will follow a course extending over many years. The role of 131 I-MIBG therapy in longevity is uncertain, but this radiopharmaceutical reduces evidence of tumors in some patients. Criteria for selecting patients who will benefit from treatment remain to be determined.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73567/1/annals.1353.053.pd

Profiles of Cortisol, Triiodothyronine, Thyroxine and Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio as Stress Indicators in Swamp Buffaloes 15 Days Post-Transportation

Transportation may cause stress that affects livestock’s health. This research was conducted to observe the effect of transportation on the profiles of blood cortisol, triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4) and neutrophil/lymphocyte (N/L) ratio as stress indicators during 15 days post-transportation. Four females swamp buffaloes, 2-yr-old were used in this research. The animals were transported using an open truck, along 15 kilometers distance for 2 h. During acclimatization, the animals were fed grass twice a day and access to water ad libitum. Blood was collected at the time of arrival and everyday for 15 d post-transportation. Cortisol, T3 and T4were analyzed using Radioimmunoassay (RIA) method. Blood smears were also prepared and stained with Giemsa for leukocyte differential counts. Results showed a significant relation (P<0.05) between transport and an increase in cortisol and T4 level on day-1 post-transportation compared to the normal levels. The level of T3 was also increased on day-3 post-transportation. Total leukocyte counts were 8.91-18.83×10³/μL. Neutrophil, eosinophil, monocyte, and lymphocyte counts were 4.87-10.41×10³/μL, 0.66-1.75×10³/μL, 0.11-0.58×10³/μL, and 2.98-6.21×10³/μL, respectively. N/L ratio was 1.23-3.49 with >1.5 in average throughout the period of the research. It is concluded that transportation causes stress and therefore changes metabolic process.

Beating ratio 0.5 for weighted oblivious matching problems

ESA 2016 is organized in collaboration with the European Association for Theoretical Computer Science (EATCS) and is a part of ALGO 2016We prove the first non-trivial performance ratios strictly above 0.5 for weighted versions of the oblivious matching problem. Even for the unweighted version, since Aronson, Dyer, Frieze, and Suen first proved a non-trivial ratio above 0.5 in the mid-1990s, during the next twenty years several attempts have been made to improve this ratio, until Chan, Chen, Wu and Zhao successfully achieved a significant ratio of 0.523 very recently (SODA 2014). To the best of our knowledge, our work is the first in the literature that considers the node-weighted and edge-weighted versions of the problem in arbitrary graphs (as opposed to bipartite graphs). (1) For arbitrary node weights, we prove that a weighted version of the Ranking algorithm has ratio strictly above 0.5. We have discovered a new structural property of the ranking algorithm: if a node has two unmatched neighbors at the end of algorithm, then it will still be matched even when its rank is demoted to the bottom. This property allows us to form LP constraints for both the node-weighted and the unweighted oblivious matching problems. As a result, we prove that the ratio for the node-weighted case is at least 0.501512. Interestingly via the structural property, we can also improve slightly the ratio for the unweighted case to 0.526823 (from the previous best 0.523166 in SODA 2014). (2) For a bounded number of distinct edge weights, we show that ratio strictly above 0.5 can be achieved by partitioning edges carefully according to the weights, and running the (unweighted) Ranking algorithm on each part. Our analysis is based on a new primal-dual framework known as matching coverage, in which dual feasibility is bypassed. Instead, only dual constraints corresponding to edges in an optimal matching are satisfied. Using this framework we also design and analyze an algorithm for the edge-weighted online bipartite matching problem with free disposal. We prove that for the case of bounded online degrees, the ratio is strictly above 0.5.published_or_final_versio

Evaluating Positron Emission Tomography Use in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Background: Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results?Medicare database, a substantial increase was found in the use of positron emission tomography (PET) scans after 2004 in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients. The reason for the increased utilization of the PET scan was not clear based on available the data. Therefore, the indications for and outcomes of PET scans performed at an academic institution were evaluated. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed of DTC patients who underwent surgery at the University of Michigan Health System from 2006 to 2011. After identifying patients who underwent a PET scan, indications, rate of positive PET scans, and impact on management were evaluated. For positive scans, the location of disease was characterized, and presence of disease on other imaging was determined. Results: Of the 585 patients in the cohort, 111 (19%) patients had 200 PET scans performed for evaluation of DTC. Indications for PET scan included: elevated thyroglobulin and negative radioiodine scan in 52 scans (26.0%), thyroglobulin antibodies in 13 scans (6.5%), rising thyroglobulin in 18 scans (9.0%), evaluation of abnormality on other imaging in 22 scans (11.0%), evaluation of extent of disease in 33 scans (16.5%), follow-up of previous scan in 57 scans (28.5%), other indications in two scans (1.0%), and unclear indications in three scans (1.5%). The PET scan was positive in 124 studies (62.0%); positivity was identified in the thyroid bed on 25 scans, cervical or mediastinal lymph nodes on 105 scans, lung on 28 scans, bone on four scans, and other areas on 14 scans. Therapy following PET scan was surgery in 66 cases (33.0%), chemotherapy or radiation in 23 cases (11.5%), observation in 110 cases (55.0%), and palliative care in one case (0.5%). Disease was identifiable on other imaging in 66% of cases. PET scan results changed management in 59 cases (29.5%). Conclusions: In this academic medical center, the PET scan was utilized in 19% of patients. Indications for the PET scan included conventional indications, such as elevated thyroglobulin with noniodine avid disease, and more controversial uses, such as evaluation of extent of disease or abnormalities on other imaging tests. PET scan results changed management in about 30% of cases.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140264/1/thy.2015.0062.pd

Diagnosis of acquired generalized lipodystrophy in a single patient with T-cell lymphoma and no exposure to Metreleptin

Abstract Background Metreleptin, a recombinant methionyl -human -leptin, was approved to treat patients with generalized lipodystrophy (GL) in February 2014. However, leptin therapy has been associated with the development of lymphoma. We present a unique case of a patient with prior history of T cell lymphoma in remission, who was diagnosed with Acquired Generalized Lipodystrophy (AGL) during the following year after a clinical remission of her lymphoma without receiving leptin therapy. Case presentation A 33-year-old woman with a diagnosis of stage IV subcutaneous panniculitis like T-cell lymphoma in 2011, underwent chemotherapy. Shortly after completion therapy, she had a relapse and required more chemotherapy with complete response, followed by allogenic stem cell transplant on June 28, 2012. Since that time, she has been on observation with no evidence of disease recurrence. Subsequent to the treatment, she was found to have high triglycerides, loss of fat tissue from her entire body and diagnosis of diabetes. Constellation of these findings led to the diagnosis of AGL in 2013. Her leptin level was low at 3.4 ng/mL (182 pmol/mL). She is currently not receiving any treatment with Metreleptin for her AGL. Conclusions Causal association between exogenous leptin therapy and T-cell lymphoma still remains unclear. We hereby present a case of a young woman who was diagnosed with AGL after going into remission from T-cell lymphoma and who has never been treated with Metreleptin. Steroid therapy and chemotherapy might have masked the diagnosis of AGL in this patient. We believe that patients can develop these 2 conditions independent of each other.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148289/1/40842_2019_Article_76.pd

Classification on imbalanced data sets, taking advantage of errors to improve performance

Classification methods usually exhibit a poor performance when they are applied on imbalanced data sets. In order to overcome this problem, some algorithms have been proposed in the last decade. Most of them generate synthetic instances in order to balance data sets, regardless the classification algorithm. These methods work reasonably well in most cases; however, they tend to cause over-fitting. In this paper, we propose a method to face the imbalance problem. Our approach, which is very simple to implement, works in two phases; the first one detects instances that are difficult to predict correctly for classification methods. These instances are then categorized into “noisy” and “secure”, where the former refers to those instances whose most of their nearest neighbors belong to the opposite class. The second phase of our method, consists in generating a number of synthetic instances for each one of those that are difficult to predict correctly. After applying our method to data sets, the AUC area of classifiers is improved dramatically. We compare our method with others of the state-of-the-art, using more than 10 data sets

Reducing industrial dust pollution by Ash tree Fraxinus excelsior in urban green belt

Heavy metal pollutionis one of the largest problems in the Environment and human being. In industrial and urban areas trees can give better quantifications for pollutant concentrations and atmospheric deposition than non-biological samples. In order to know ability of Fraxinus excelsior­ (Ash tree) to reduce the concentrations of heavy metals and compared with the concentration of these pollutants in falling dust urban green belt. The results showed that the concentration of Iron, Manganese, Zinc, Lead, and Cadmium in falling dust respectively were the highest to the lowest. The distance from the highway in the concentration of pollutants in leaves and bark of the Ash tree showed significant results. Also, the effect of pollutant in the leaf of this plant was higher than that of bark, except for Cobalt. Concentrations of Zinc, Cobalt, and Nickel, increased with increasing distance from the road due to multi-directional winds and the presence of other contaminants. The Pearson correlation analysis between heavy metals found in the falling dust and Ash tree showed that the input and controlling factors of these elements in the Ash tree are probably the same as the dust. The results showed that the Fraxinus excelsior leaf with the amount of accumulation index of 1607 mg/kg has more ability to simultaneously absorb different metals. As a result, since this green belt surrounds Yazd urban area, it is hoped that a significant amount of heavy metals will be absorbed by these trees

A Data-Driven Model with Hysteresis Compensation for I2RIS Robot

Retinal microsurgery is a high-precision surgery performed on an exceedingly delicate tissue. It now requires extensively trained and highly skilled surgeons. Given the restricted range of instrument motion in the confined intraocular space, and also potentially restricting instrument contact with the sclera, snake-like robots may prove to be a promising technology to provide surgeons with greater flexibility, dexterity, space access, and positioning accuracy during retinal procedures requiring high precision and advantageous tooltip approach angles, such as retinal vein cannulation and epiretinal membrane peeling. Kinematics modeling of these robots is an essential step toward accurate position control, however, as opposed to conventional manipulators, modeling of these robots does not follow a straightforward method due to their complex mechanical structure and actuation mechanisms. Especially, in wire-driven snake-like robots, the hysteresis problem due to the wire tension condition can have a significant impact on the positioning accuracy of these robots. In this paper, we proposed an experimental kinematics model with a hysteresis compensation algorithm using the probabilistic Gaussian mixture models (GMM) Gaussian mixture regression (GMR) approach. Experimental results on the two-degree-of-freedom (DOF) integrated robotic intraocular snake (I2RIS) show that the proposed model provides 0.4 deg accuracy, which is an overall 60% and 70% of improvement for yaw and pitch degrees of freedom, respectively, compared to a previous model of this robot

Long-term symptoms and function after war-related lower limb amputation: A national cross-sectional study

Objective: The aim of this study was to document long-term symptoms and functional results following war-related knee disarticulation, trans-femoral amputation, and hip disarticulation. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in a 7-day recreational camp in Iran. One thousand patients with unilateral hip disarticulation, trans-femoral amputation and knee disarticulation due to war-related injuries were invited to undergo a thorough physical examination. Among the invited persons, 58.7 (587 subjects) responded to our invitations. A complete examination related to phantom pain, phantom sensation, stump pain, back pain, and sound limb joints pain with a self-constructed questionnaire was performed. In addition, Amputee Mobility Predictor (AMP) instrument with a prosthesis was completed to assess the function of patients. Results: The mean duration of time since amputation was 22 years. The most common symptoms reported by participants were phantom sensation (82), back pain (69), and phantom pain (63). In addition, total scores of AMP with a prosthesis in persons with knee disarticulation and trans-femoral amputations were 20.8 and 28, respectively. The knee disarticulation was associated with higher scores of AMP with a prosthesis compared to transfemoral amputation (p < 0.01). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that patients with lower limb amputation suffer from significant clinical and functional problems. The findings may be useful to adopt new strategies in planning rehabilitation programs to improve quality of life and health status of patients with war-related lower limb amputation. Level of Evidence: This study was conducted in level of evidence IV. © 201