Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and safety of daptomycin for the treatment of infectious disease: a meta-analysis based on randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVES A systematic review and meta-analysis based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of the efficacy and safety of daptomycin versus comparators. METHODS Electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and clinical registered trials) were searched to identify RCTs that assessed the efficacy and safety of daptomycin versus therapy with comparators. Two reviewers independently applied selection criteria, performed a quality assessment and extracted the data. The I(2) statistic was calculated for heterogeneity, and a random-effects or fixed-effects model was used for estimates of risk ratio (RR). The primary outcome assessed was clinical treatment success among the intention-to-treat (ITT) population. RESULTS Thirteen trials fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Daptomycin was as efficacious as comparator regimens among the ITT population (RR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.93-1.03) but had a lower efficacy among the clinically evaluable (CE) population (RR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.93-1.00). Subgroup analyses according to the quality of the trial, the type of antibiotic and the type of infection did not alter the outcomes. No significant difference was identified for all-cause mortality between the daptomycin and comparator groups (RR = 1.17, 95% CI 0.76-1.79) but daptomycin therapy did reduce the duration of treatment. Daptomycin caused a significantly lower incidence of renal impairment, nausea and headache but caused a reversible increase in creatine phosphokinase (CPK). Subgroup analysis indicated that daptomycin was significantly associated with a higher incidence of CPK elevation and fewer renal impairments among the population with a mean age ≤60 years and a dose of daptomycin ≥6 mg/kg/24 h. CONCLUSIONS Daptomycin showed efficacy similar to the comparator regimens among the ITT population but lower efficacy among the CE population. Fewer adverse effects in total, but more CPK elevation effects, were observed in patients treated with daptomycin.
Sloppiness in Spontaneously Active Neuronal Networks

Various plasticity mechanisms, including experience-dependent, spontaneous, as well as homeostatic ones, continuously remodel neural circuits. Yet, despite fluctuations in the properties of single neurons and synapses, the behavior and function of neuronal assemblies are generally found to be very stable over time. This raises the important question of how plasticity is coordinated across the network. To address this, we investigated the stability of network activity in cultured rat hippocampal neurons recorded with high-density multielectrode arrays over several days. We used parametric models to characterize multineuron activity patterns and analyzed their sensitivity to changes. We found that the models exhibited sloppiness, a property where the model behavior is insensitive to changes in many parameter combinations, but very sensitive to a few. The activity of neurons with sloppy parameters showed faster and larger fluctuations than the activity of a small subset of neurons associated with sensitive parameters. Furthermore, parameter sensitivity was highly correlated with firing rates. Finally, we tested our observations from cell cultures on an in vivo recording from monkey visual cortex and we confirm that spontaneous cortical activity also shows hallmarks of sloppy behavior and firing rate dependence. Our findings suggest that a small subnetwork of highly active and stable neurons supports group stability, and that this endows neuronal networks with the flexibility to continuously remodel without compromising stability and function.
Protestant Work Ethic Endorsement and Social Justice Values in Developing and Developed Societies

Taking Weber's Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism thesis as the point of departure, this paper compares work ethic endorsement patterns and social justice correlates in a developing society, Jamaica, and a developed society, New Zealand. A condensed version of Mirels and Garrett's Protestant work ethic scale and related demographic and social values-related measures were administered at Jamaican and New Zealand universities. High and low Protestant ethic (PE) clusters were isolated, within each culture, among comparable samples of undergraduate social science students, and multiple analysis of variance applied to test effects of culture, Protestant religious affiliation and related “social justice values” variables (welfare state support, redistribution, intergenerational equity, free enterprise, social distance from the disadvantaged, social Darwinism). Results suggest there are significant cultural differences between high and low PE scorers on key justice-related societal values often seen as being associated with the Protestant work ethic. Possible reasons for the differences are advanced in light of Jamaican and New Zealand social and political conditions.
The Influence of Ethanolic Extract of Brazilian Green Propolis Gel on Hygiene and Oral Microbiota in Patients after Mandible Fractures

Maintenance of proper oral hygiene by dental plaque elimination is one of the most important factors affecting the healing process in postoperative oral wounds. Propolis is a substance produced by bees. Ethanolic extract of propolis has bactericidal, fungicidal, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative properties. Moreover, it can scavenge free radicals. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the efficacy of a gel containing 3% of ethanolic extract of Brazilian green propolis (EEP-B) when used for maintaining oral hygiene in patients with postoperative oral mucosal wounds. The hygiene was assessed using API, OHI, and SBI followed by microbiological examinations. The patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 consisted of those who used a gel containing EEP-B for oral hygiene, and group 2 consisted of those who used a gel without EEP-B. Although improved oral hygiene was noted in both groups, the improvement was markedly greater in the group using gel containing EEP-B. Summing up the results of microbiological examinations, EEP-B has beneficial effect on mouth microflora in postoperative period. Propolis preparations used for oral hygiene allow eliminating microorganisms of pathogenic character and physiological flora microorganisms considered as being opportunistic, with no harmful influence on physiological microflora in oral ecosystem.
Understanding Retinol Metabolism: Structure and Function of Retinol Dehydrogenases*

Retinoids (vitamin A derivatives) have dual functions in physiology. 11-cisRetinal serves as the universal chromophore of the visual pigments in the eye, and the hormonal retinoids, mainly all-transand 9-cis-retinoic acid (RA),2 regulate the expression of target genes via activation of two classes of nuclear retinoid receptors, the retinoic acid receptors (RARs), and the retinoid X receptors (RXRs) (1). The dietary sources of retinoids are the proforms of the vitamin, mainly esterified retinol, or the ultimate precursors for retinoids, various carotenoids. Thus, the biosynthesis of active forms of retinoids is of crucial importance for many physiological processes, including embryonic development, reproduction, postnatal growth, differentiation and maintenance of various epithelia, immune responses, and vision (2–4). During fasting conditions the common precursor of the active retinoids, all-trans-retinol (vitamin A), is transported in plasma in a 1:1 complex with retinol-binding protein (RBP) (5). Retinol, in the form of retinyl esters, can also be transported to target cells using the common lipoproteins in plasma (6). Following uptake by target cells, retinol is converted, through several enzymatic steps, into its active derivatives (Fig. 1). Retinol is oxidized once to generate retinal and twice to generate RA. For the generation of the 9-cisor 11-cis-retinoids, an isomerization reaction takes place prior to the first oxidation (7). The enzymes for most of these activities have been identified. To date some 20 different enzymes displaying all-transor -cis-retinol dehydrogenase (RDH) activities have been isolated and partially characterized by standard biochemical methods (Table 1). However, whether all of these enzymes truly function as retinol dehydrogenases in vivo remains to be determined. To this end it will be of great importance to analyze the enzymatic characteristics of the identified RDHs in intact cells, isolated organs, and in animal models. Here we discuss current knowledge regarding the biological roles, and structurefunction relationships of RDHs, focusing on the microsomal members of the short chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) family.
Comfortably Uncomfortable: A Study of Undergraduate Students’ Responses to Working in a Creative Learning Environment

This article, which draws on a study of undergraduate students’ perceptions of working in a creative learning environment, is underpinned by the idea that everyone has the potential to be creative. Empirical data was obtained from semi-structured interviews with students in Year 3 BA in Education Studies, their reflective sketchbooks, and notes from observations undertaken in the campus-based Visual Arts Centre studio. The findings support the view that students benefit from having access to creative opportunities which involve self-examination and risk-taking in a supportive, collaborative space. The evidence suggests there is a need for lecturers to discuss and share creative pedagogical strategies designed to support student learning in different settings.
Determination of lignin content in Norway spruce foliage using NIR spectroscopy and hyperspectral data

Contents of biochemical compounds such as chlorophyll, nitrogen, cellulose or lignin in foliage can be used as indicators of the actual tree physiological status and the tree previsible damage. Imaging spectroscopy has been often applied for estimation of relations between foliage spectral and biochemical properties of chlorophyll or nitrogen contents ([4], [10], [15]). But it can also be used for the estimation of other important biochemical compounds in foliage such as lignin and cellulose ([6]; [12]), tannin [14] or polyphenolic compounds [13].
Serotype Distribution and Antibiotic Susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae Strains Carried by Children Infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Abstract Background We studied the serotype distribution and antibiotic susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates carried by children infected with HIV in Jakarta, Indonesia. Methods Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from 90 HIV infected children aged 4 to 144 months. S. pneumoniae was identified by conventional and molecular methods. Serotyping was performed with sequential multiplex PCR and antibiotic susceptibility with the disk diffusion method. Results We identified S. pneumoniae carriage in 41 children (46%). Serotype 19F was most common among 42 cultured strains (19%) followed by 19A and 6A/B (10% each), and 23F (7%). Most isolates were susceptible to chloramphenicol (86%), followed by clindamycin (79%), erythromycin (76%), tetracycline (43%), and sulphamethoxazole/trimethoprim (41%). Resistance to penicillin was most common with only 33% of strains being susceptible. Strains of serotypes targeted by the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate polysaccharide vaccine (PCV13) were more likely to be multidrug resistant (13 of 25 or 52%) compared to non-PCV13 serotype isolates (3 of 17 or 18%; Fisher exact test p = 0.05). Conclusion Our study provides insight into the epidemiology of pneumococcal carriage in young HIV patients in Indonesia. These findings may facilitate potential preventive strategies that target invasive pneumococcal disease in Indonesia.
Statin Therapy Decreases the Risk of Osteonecrosis in Patients Receiving Steroids

Osteonecrosis is a devastating complication of systemic steroid use. Prolonged steroid use produces a hyperlipidemic state in most patients and puts them at risk for osteoporosis and osteonecrosis. The fat content within the femoral head increases, resulting in increased intracortical pressure that may lead to sinusoidal collapse and osteonecrosis. Statins are lipid-clearing agents that dramatically reduce lipid levels in blood and tissues. Statins are widely used to prevent cardiovascular disease and have been shown to reduce the adverse effects of steroids on lipid metabolism. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the use of statin drugs affects later development of osteonecrosis in patients receiving steroids. The records of 284 patients who were taking statin drugs at the time they were started on high dose steroids were examined to determine whether osteonecrosis had developed. The patients remained on statin drugs during the entire time of steroid exposure. Magnetic resonance imaging scans were used to verify the osteonecrosis unless it was visible by radiograph. After an average of 7.5 years (minimum followup, 5 years), only three patients (1%) from the group had osteonecrosis develop. This 1% incidence is much less than the 3% to 20% incidence usually reported for patients receiving high-dose steroids. Statins may offer some protection against having osteonecrosis develop when steroid treatment is necessary.
Sensitivity of Photosynthesis in a C4 Plant, Maize, to Heat Stress

Our objective was to determine the sensitivity of components of the photosynthetic apparatus of maize (Zea mays), a C4 plant, to high temperature stress. Net photosynthesis (Pn) was inhibited at leaf temperatures above 38°C, and the inhibition was much more severe when the temperature was increased rapidly rather than gradually. Transpiration rate increased progressively with leaf temperature, indicating that inhibition was not associated with stomatal closure. Nonphotochemical fluorescence quenching (qN) increased at leaf temperatures above 30°C, indicating increased thylakoid energization even at temperatures that did not inhibit Pn. Compared with CO2 assimilation, the maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (F v/F m) was relatively insensitive to leaf temperatures up to 45°C. The activation state of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase decreased marginally at leaf temperatures above 40°C, and the activity of pyruvate phosphate dikinase was insensitive to temperature up to 45°C. The activation state of Rubisco decreased at temperatures exceeding 32.5°C, with nearly complete inactivation at 45°C. Levels of 3-phosphoglyceric acid and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate decreased and increased, respectively, as leaf temperature increased, consistent with the decrease in Rubisco activation. When leaf temperature was increased gradually, Rubisco activation acclimated in a similar manner as Pn, and acclimation was associated with the expression of a new activase polypeptide. Rates of Pn calculated solely from the kinetics of Rubisco were remarkably similar to measured rates if the calculation included adjustment for temperature effects on Rubisco activation. We conclude that inactivation of Rubisco was the primary constraint on the rate of Pn of maize leaves as leaf temperature increased above 30°C.
VINE—A NUMERICAL CODE FOR SIMULATING ASTROPHYSICAL SYSTEMS USING PARTICLES. I. DESCRIPTION OF THE PHYSICS AND THE NUMERICAL METHODS

We present a numerical code for simulating the evolution of astrophysical systems using particles to represent the underlying fluid flow. The code is written in Fortran 95 and is designed to be versatile, flexible, and extensible, with modular options that can be selected either at the time the code is compiled or at run time through a text input file. We include a number of general purpose modules describing a variety of physical processes commonly required in the astrophysical community and we expect that the effort required to integrate additional or alternate modules into the code will be small. In its simplest form the code can evolve the dynamical trajectories of a set of particles in two or three dimensions using a module which implements either a Leapfrog or Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg integrator, selected by the user at compile time. The user may choose to allow the integrator to evolve the system using individual time steps for each particle or with a single, global time step for all. Particles may interact gravitationally as N-body particles, and all or any subset may also interact hydrodynamically, using the smoothed particle hydrodynamic (SPH) method by selecting the SPH module. A third particle species can be included with a module to model massive point particles which may accrete nearby SPH or N-body particles. Such particles may be used to model, e.g., stars in a molecular cloud. Free boundary conditions are implemented by default, and a module may be selected to include periodic boundary conditions. We use a binary “Press” tree to organize particles for rapid access in gravity and SPH calculations. Modules implementing an interface with special purpose “GRAPE” hardware may also be selected to accelerate the gravity calculations. If available, forces obtained from the GRAPE coprocessors may be transparently substituted for those obtained from the tree, or both tree and GRAPE may be used as a combination GRAPE/tree code. The code may be run without modification on single processors or in parallel using OpenMP compiler directives on large-scale, shared memory parallel machines. We present simulations of several test problems, including a merger simulation of two elliptical galaxies with 800,000 particles. In comparison to the Gadget-2 code of Springel, the gravitational force calculation, which is the most costly part of any simulation including self-gravity, is ∼4.6–4.9 times faster with VINE when tested on different snapshots of the elliptical galaxy merger simulation when run on an Itanium 2 processor in an SGI Altix. A full simulation of the same setup with eight processors is a factor of 2.91 faster with VINE. The code is available to the public under the terms of the Gnu General Public License.
Visual hallucinations in posterior cortical atrophy.

BACKGROUND Visual hallucinations have been reported to occur in up to 25% of patients who meet the criteria for posterior cortical atrophy (PCA). It is not known, however, whether patients who meet the criteria for PCA and have hallucinations are different from those who meet the criteria and do not have hallucinations. OBJECTIVE To compare the clinical and imaging features of patients with PCA with and without well-formed visual hallucinations. DESIGN Case-control study. SETTING Tertiary care medical center. PATIENTS Fifty-nine patients fulfilling the criteria for PCA were retrospectively identified and divided into 2 groups based on the presence (n = 13) or absence (n = 46) of visual hallucinations. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Statistically significant clinical differences and imaging differences using voxel-based morphometry between the 2 groups. RESULTS In patients with PCA and hallucinations, parkinsonism and rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder occurred more frequently, as did myoclonic jerks (P<.001 for both). Voxel-based morphometry showed greater atrophy in a network of structures, including the primary visual cortex, lentiform nuclei, thalamus, basal forebrain, and midbrain, in patients with hallucinations. CONCLUSIONS Hallucinations in patients with PCA are associated with parkinsonism, rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, and myoclonic jerks. The voxel-based morphometry results suggest that hallucinations in PCA cannot be exclusively attributed to atrophy of the posterior association cortices and may involve a circuit of thalamocortical connections.
Self-Regulated Learning Strategies (SRLS) and academic achievement in pre-university EFL learners

The present study tried to investigate and find the relationship between the two variables of the research that is, the use of SRL strategies and students' academic achievement. The subjects under study were a group of male (40) and female (42) pre- university students randomly selected from two schools in Tehran, Iran. The instruments used to gather data were a translated version of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) translated by Navidi (2003) and an academic achievement test. In order to describe data collected from administering the above- mentioned instruments statistical procedures such as mean, standard deviation, correlation coefficient, as well as an independent t-test were used. The findings of the present study revealed that there is a strong relationship (r = .80) between the use of SRL strategies and students' academic achievement which is consistent with the findings of studies conducted before. However, considering the difference between male and females concerning the use of different components of SRL strategies, the findings of this study showed that there is a difference between male and females as to the use of SRL strategies. Females outperformed males in both academic achievement and the use of SRL strategies.
Mechanisms Regulating Renin Release in Dogs with Thoracic Caval Constriction

In dogs with chronic thoracic caval constriction, renal denervation was followed by a fall in plasma renin activity from an average of 82.1 ± 1.5 (SE) ng angiotensin/ml of plasma over a 9-day control period to 40.8 ± 2.3 ng/ml for a 13-day period after denervation (P < 0.001); normal value was 4.7 ± 0.7 ng/ml. There was no detectable effect of renal denervation on the marked sodium retention. Thus the renal nerves contributed to the high plasma renin activity during caval constriction, but renal innervation was not essential for hypersecretion of renin. In a second group of dogs with caval constriction, the nonfiltering kidney model with a nonfunctional macula densa was produced, and renin secretion was measured before and after papaverine infusion into the left renal artery. Papaverine decreased renin secretion from 1090 ± 185 ng angiotensin/min to 497 ± 140 ng/min (P < 0.005). This initial rate of renin secretion of 1090 ng/min was higher than that from a nonfiltering left kidney of 190 ± 50 ng/min in otherwise normal dogs (P < 0.001). In a third series of dogs with caval constriction but with filtering kidneys, papaverine produced a similar decrease in renin secretion and an associated increase in sodium excretion. Since papaverine dilated the renal arterioles and the macula densa was nonfunctional in dogs with a nonfiltering kidney, these data support the concept that an intrarenal vascular receptor mediates the elevation in renin secretion in this model with chronic ascites. The striking decrease in renin secretion in response to intrarenal propranolol in dogs with either a filtering or a nonfiltering kidney indicates that a beta receptor is also involved.