Defined Time Range Research Articles

Superficial myofibroblastoma of the lower female genital tract: case report and literature review

Introduction: Superficial myofibroblastoma of the lower female genital tract is a benign mesenchymal tumor preferentially located in the vagina, but may also arise in the cervix and vulva. This article provides a comprehensive review of the literature as well as describes a case report to help correlate presentation with management. Methods: We conducted an extensive literature review without a defined time range and across three databases (Pubmed/Ovid, Embase, and Web of Science). Inclusion criteria specified all peer-reviewed publications of myofibroblastoma in the lower female genital tract in the English language. Results: Six hundred and seventy-three articles were identified, with 15 articles being included in the review based on eligibility criteria. There were 12 case reports, 3 case series, with a total of 56 cases from 53 patients. Age ranges were 23-80years (mean=55). Most gross examinations were described as polypoid or nodular in appearance, measuring 2 mm to 120mm (mean=39). All cases were clinically managed with either local excision or incidentally identified after a hysterectomy. There are no published recommendations for an optimal follow-up interval. Conclusion: The diagnosis of mesenchymal tumors in the female genital tract is challenging. Expression of Vimentin, Progesterone, Estrogen, Desmin, and CD34 is noted in the majority of SMGFT tumors while testing for CD99 and bcl-22 may assist in identification of challenging cases. Understanding the variety in presentation and immunohistochemical markers of superficial myofibroblastoma is significant as it may change surgical approach and follow-up to tumors of the lower female genital tract.

Simultaneous optical detection of human serum albumin and transferrin in body fluids.

A nanocurcumin (NCur)-VO2+ ensemble-based optical nanoprobe is proposed for monitoring of human serum albumin (HSA) and transferrin (TF) in biofluids of serum and urine. The determination strategy of HSA and TF is based on the decrease of the absorbance/color intensity of NCur in the presence of VO2+ due to the formation of NCur-VO2+ ensemble. This leads to aggregation of the NCur and the color change of solution from orange to pale pink. Upon addition of HSA or TF, release of VO2+ from NCur-VO2+ ensemble occurs due to their stronger binding affinities to VO2+ in competition with the NCur. This leads to deaggregation of the NCur and recovery of the decreased absorption/color intensity within a defined time range. The absorption changes atλ = 455 and the color of NCur solution can be monitored spectrophotometrically or visually by a smartphone camera, respectively. Under optimal conditions, the analytical signals increase linearly in the ranges 50-200nM (LOD = 11nM) and 20-140nM (LOD = 8nM) for HSA and TF, respectively. The difference in the different affinities between the HSA and the TF for binding to VO2+ produces the unique time profiles of each protein. Therefore, the simultaneous determination of HSA and TF is provided by using the least-square support-vector machine (LS-SVM) model. The good recoveries and small errors of predicted values suggest that the nanoprobe is capable to resolve binary mixtures of HSA and TF. The method was applied tothe simultaneous determination of HSA and TF in serum and urine samples. Graphical abstract.

Method for converting CWEEDs weather files to EPW format for multiyear simulation of building thermal dynamics

This paper outlines a method in converting Historical CWEEDs (Canadian Weather Energy and Engineering Datasets) stored in WY3 format into individual weather files in EPW format so it could be used for Building Energy Simulation (BES). The method outlined is independent of the programming language used, however, a sample MATLAB script is presented to illustrate its feasibility. Highlights of the methodology are as follow:•Key feature in weather converters created under this methodology is the ability to divide multiyear weather data stored in WY3 format (with. wy3 extension) into individual years in EPW format (Standard mode)•And provide ability to extract weather data within a defined time range

Blood Pharmacokinetics Imaging by Noninvasive Heart Fluorescence Tomography and Application to Kidney Glomerular Filtration Rate Assessment.

In mouse pharmacokinetic (PK) studies, current standard methods often require large numbers of animals to support collection of blood samples serially over a defined time range. We have developed and validated a noninvasive fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) heart imaging approach for blood PK quantification that uses small numbers of mice and has the advantage of repeated, longitudinal live imaging. This method was validated using a variety of near infrared (NIR) fluorescent-labeled molecules, ranging in size from 1.3 to 150 kDa, that were assessed by microplate blood assays as well as by noninvasive FMT 4000 imaging. Excellent agreement in kinetic profiles and calculated PK metrics was seen for the two methods, establishing the robustness of this noninvasive optical imaging approach. FMT heart imaging was further assessed in the challenging application of inulin-based glomerular filtration rate (GFR) measurement. After a single bolus injection of an NIR fluorescent-labeled inulin probe in small cohorts of mice (n = 5 per group), 2-minute heart scans (at 2, 6, 15, 30, and 45 minutes) were performed by FMT imaging. GFR was calculated using two-compartment PK modeling, determining an average rate of 240 ± 21 μl/min in normal mice, in agreement with published mouse GFR ranges. Validation of GFR assessment in unilaterally nephrectomized mice and cyclosporin A-treated mice both measured ∼50% decreases in GFR. Imaging results correlated well with ex vivo plasma microplate assays for inulin blood kinetics, and the decreases in GFR were accompanied by increases in plasma creatinine and blood urea nitrogen.

Autoimmune/autoinflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants: what is it and why the controversy?

Autoimmune/autoinflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA) is a group of autoimmune diseases with possible adjuvant-associated causes, such as siliconosis, macrophagic myofasciitis syndrome, Gulf War syndrome, sick building syndrome, and postvaccination autoimmune phenomena. Over time, an international registry with over 500 patients has been established for this conglomeration of rare syndromes. In spite of this, the very existence of ASIA has been debated at times and the diagnostic criteria have come under criticism. The cause-effect relationship between adjuvants and autoimmune phenomenon is difficult to prove due to lack of precisely defined time range between exposure and disease and also due to numerous exposures to adjuvants a person may have in his or her lifetime. The current article attempts at reviewing the clinical features, diagnostic criteria, and evidence for/against the existence of the disease.

SeMiner: A Flexible Sequence Miner Method to Forecast Solar Time Series

X-rays emitted by the Sun can damage electronic devices of spaceships, satellites, positioning systems and electricity distribution grids. Thus, the forecasting of solar X-rays is needed to warn organizations and mitigate undesirable effects. Traditional mining classification methods categorize observations into labels, and we aim to extend this approach to predict future X-ray levels. Therefore, we developed the “SeMiner” method, which allows the prediction of future events. “SeMiner” processes X-rays into sequences employing a new algorithm called “Series-to-Sequence” (SS). It employs a sliding window approach configured by a specialist. Then, the sequences are submitted to a classifier to generate a model that predicts X-ray levels. An optimized version of “SS” was also developed using parallelization techniques and Graphical Processing Units, in order to speed up the entire forecasting process. The obtained results indicate that “SeMiner” is well-suited to predict solar X-rays and solar flares within the defined time range. It reached more than 90% of accuracy for a 2-day forecast, and more than 80% of True Positive (TPR) and True Negative (TNR) rates predicting X-ray levels. It also reached an accuracy of 72.7%, with a TPR of 70.9% and TNR of 79.7% when predicting solar flares. Moreover, the optimized version of “SS” proved to be 4.36 faster than its initial version.

Feeding behaviour in dairy cows with and without the influence of clinical diseases or subclinical disorders

Abstract. The objective of this study was to describe and compare circadian pattern of feed intake and feeding behaviour in healthy and diseased dairy cows. Test animals (n=138) were separated into two groups according to their health status. Health and management data were used to exclude cows with clinical or subclinical diseases. Fifteen cows of the test herd complied with the defined criteria and formed the reference group »healthy«. The behaviour of the remaining 123 cows was compared with the reference group. Both groups were used to analyse the feed intake and feeding behaviour on a daily base and in the course of 24 h. During a defined time range from day 28 post-partum to day 56 post-partum behavioural differences within these groups were analysed. There were no significant differences in daily feed intake (40.7 vs. 41.9 kg fresh matter per day, P=0.42). However, feeding behaviour pattern differed between the two groups (daily feeder visits, daily feeding time, number of daily feeder visit, number of daily meals, meal duration, feeding time within a meal, feeder visits per meal). For example, average feeder visit was shorter in the group with subclinical/ clinical health disorders than in the reference group (7.2 vs. 8.1 min, P=0.024). Differences in circadian feeding behaviour could be detected by analysing the feed intake and feeding time over the course of the day. Linear regression analyses showed strong correlations between feeding time and feed intake on hourly base (R² = 0.8) and on daily base (R² = 0.7).

Calibration by the gradient ratio-standard addition method in flow injection flame atomic absorption spectrometry

A calibration method has been developed which is realised in the flow injection analysis (FIA) by the gradient technique. According to this method two transient peaks, one for a sample and the other for a sample with standard addition, are recorded and compared point by point in the entire defined time range. The analytical result is estimated on the basis of information gained about the local analyte concentrations in the sample zone. The method allows the results to be reliable when both the non-linear calibration dependence and the interference effect occur. As an example, calcium in synthetic samples containing silicon, phosphate, aluminium, vanadium and titanium, and also in iron ore sample, were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). It has been proved, that the method can be effective in overcoming even extremely strong interferences, providing analytical results with average accuracy equal to ca. 5% and with precision 2–3 times inferior to that obtained by conventional FI calibration.