Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Socioeconomic and occupational risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis: a nationwide study based on hospitalizations in Sweden.

OBJECTIVE To investigate possible associations between socioeconomic status, occupation, and hospitalization for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS A nationwide database was constructed by linking the Swedish Census to the Hospital Discharge Register in order to obtain data on all first hospitalizations for RA in Sweden during the study period 1964 to 2004. Standardized incidence ratios (SIR) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated by socioeconomic status (education level) and occupation for men and women aged 30 years and older. Three cohorts were defined based on occupational titles recorded in Swedish census data in 1960, 1970, and 1980. RESULTS A total of 13,820 male and 14,509 female hospitalizations for RA were identified during the study period. Men and women with an education level > 12 years had significantly decreased SIR. Among men, significantly increased SIR were present in all 3 cohorts among farmers, miners and quarry workers, electrical workers, other construction workers, and engine and motor operators. Among women, assistant nurses and religious, juridical, and other social-science-related workers had significantly increased SIR in all 3 cohorts. CONCLUSION Socioeconomic status and occupation sometimes carry a significantly increased risk of hospitalization for RA. Future studies could investigate specific agents in the occupations for which increased risks are identified.
Detecting the significance of changes in performance on the Stroop Color-Word Test, Rey's Verbal Learning Test, and the Letter Digit Substitution Test: The regression-based change approach

Serial neuropsychological assessment is often conducted to monitor changes in the cognitive abilities of individuals over time. Because practice effects occur and the reliability of test scores is less than perfect, it is difficult to judge whether varying test results should be attributed to chance trends or to real changes in underlying cognitive abilities. In a large sample of adults (age range, 49–81 years), we evaluated the influence of age, gender, and education on test–retest changes in performance after 3 years on Rey's Verbal Learning Test (VLT), the Stroop Color-Word Test (SCWT), and the Letter Digit Substitution Test (LDST). A new statistical method was applied to assess the significance of changes in test performance (i.e., the regression-based change method). The results showed that test–retest changes differed as a function of age for the VLT Total recall 1–3, VLT Total recall 1–5, VLT Delayed recall, and LDST measures. An age × gender interaction was found for the SCWT Interference change score, suggesting that the age-related decline in executive functioning after 3 years was more pronounced for males than for females. A normative change table with appropriate corrections for the relevant independent variables was established. (JINS, 2008, 14, 71–80.)
Infective endocarditis in octogenarians

Objective To describe the characteristics of infective endocarditis (IE) in octogenarians and assess their prognosis. Methods Patients with definite IE hospitalised at a referral centre between July 2008 and July 2013 were prospectively included. A total of 454 patients were divided into three groups: 230 patients under 65 years old, 173 patients between 65 and 80 years old, and 51 patients over 80 years old. The main end point was 1-year mortality. Results One-year mortality was higher in the ≥80 years old group (37.3%) than in the <65 years old group (13%; p<0.001) and the 65–80 years old group (19.7%; p=0.009). Enterococci and Streptococcus gallolyticus were the more frequent micro-organisms. Embolism under antibiotic therapy (n=11 (21.6%), p=0.03) and renal failure (n=23 (51%), p=0.004) were more frequent in the ≥80 years old group. Among the ≥80 years old group, 38 patients had theoretical indication for surgery. Mortality was low (6.3%) in the 16 operated patients, but very high (72.7%) in the 22 patients not operated. Even if octogenarians were less often operated, their survival after surgery was excellent like younger patients (93.7%, 89.9% and 90.4%, respectively), whereas the absence of surgery was associated with very poor prognosis. Conclusions IE in octogenarians is a different disease, with Enterococci as the most frequent micro-organisms and with higher mortality than younger patients. ESC recommendations for surgery are less implemented than in younger patients, yielding dramatic mortality in patients not operated despite a theoretical indication for surgery, while operated patients have an excellent prognosis. These results suggest that surgery is underused in octogenarians.
Effectiveness of Controlled Breathing Techniques on Anxiety and Depression in Hospitalized Patients With COPD: A Randomized Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND: Anxiety and depression are prevalent comorbidities in patients with COPD. Breathing techniques can improve anxiety and depression in patients hospitalized for COPD exacerbation. METHODS: We conducted a randomized clinical study with 46 male subjects, 67–86 years old, hospitalized with acute COPD exacerbation. Subjects were randomly and equally divided into a control group and a controlled breathing intervention group. We measured baseline and post-intervention dyspnea, anxiety and depression, quality of life (with the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire and the European Quality of Life questionnaire), maximum inspiratory and expiratory pressure, hand-grip strength, and sleep quality. The cohort had high dyspnea and low overall quality of life. RESULTS: Controlled breathing techniques significantly improved dyspnea, anxiety, and mobility. All the measured variables improved in the intervention group. The control group had poorer values in all the variables after the hospitalization period. CONCLUSIONS: Controlled breathing exercises improve anxiety and depression in patients hospitalized for COPD exacerbation. (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01826682)
Cognitive deficits in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder – electroencephalography correlates

Background Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is associated with cognitive dysfunction. Although there are several studies focused on the neurobiology of OCD, little is known about the biological correlates of the cognitive deficit linked to this disorder. The aim of our study was to examine the association between cognitive impairment and current source density markers in patients with OCD. Methods Resting-state eyes-closed electroencephalography (EEG) data were recorded in 20 patients with OCD and 15 healthy controls who were involved in the study. Cortical EEG sources were estimated by standardized low-resolution electromagnetic tomography in seven frequency bands: delta (1.5–6 Hz), theta (6.5–8 Hz), alpha-1 (8.5–10 Hz), alpha-2 (10.5–12 Hz), beta-1 (12.5–18 Hz), beta-2 (18.5–21 Hz), and beta-3 (21.5–30 Hz). Cognitive performance was measured by the Trail-Making Test (versions A and B), Stroop CW Test, and D2 Test. Results Frontal delta and theta EEG sources showed significantly higher activity in the whole group of patients with OCD (N=20) than in control subjects (N=15). Subsequent analysis revealed that this excess of low-frequency activity was present only in the subgroup of eleven patients with cognitive impairment (based on the performance in the Trail-Making Test – A). The subgroup of patients with normal cognitive functions (N=9) did not differ in cortical EEG sources from healthy controls. Conclusion The present results suggest that frontal low-frequency cortical sources of resting-state EEG rhythms can distinguish groups of cognitively impaired and cognitively intact patients with OCD. Based on our results, future studies should consider whether the present methodological approach provides clinically useful information for the revelation of cognitive impairment in patients with OCD.
THE ROLE OF EARLY VITRECTOMY IN THE TREATMENT OF FUNGAL ENDOGENOUS ENDOPHTHALMITIS.

PURPOSE To review the therapeutic role of vitrectomy in fungal endogenous endophthalmitis. METHODS Six cases were identified as fungal endogenous endophthalmitis through positive cultures or clinical presentation. RESULTS All six cases had fungal endogenous endophthalmitis risk factors; average diagnostic delay was 7.5 days; all cases were managed with vitrectomy, intravitreal antifungals, and systemic antifungals within 24 hours of fungal endogenous endophthalmitis diagnosis. Visual acuity of 20/200 or better was achieved by 5 of 6 eyes, with 4 of those eyes achieving 20/40 or better. CONCLUSION An early vitrectomy in high-risk patients may improve visual outcomes and aid in diagnosis.
Delegation of Regulation

We develop a model to discuss a government’s incentives to delegate to bureaucrats the regulation of an industry. The industry consists of a polluting firm with private information about its production technology. Implementing a transfer-based regulation policy requires the government to make use of a bureaucracy; this has a bureaucratic cost, as the bureaucracy diverts a fraction of the transfer. The government faces a trade-off in its delegation decision: bureaucrats have knowledge of the firms in the industry that the government does not have, but at the same time, they have other preferences than the government, so-called bureaucratic drift. We study how the bureaucratic drift and the bureaucratic cost interact to affect the incentives to delegate. Furthermore, we discuss how partial delegation, i.e., delegation followed by laws and regulations that restrict bureaucratic discretion, increases the scope of delegation. We characterize the optimal delegation rule and show that, in equilibrium, three different regimes can arise that differ in the extent of bureaucratic discretion. Our analysis has implications for when and how a government should delegate its regulation of industry. We find that bureaucratic discretion reduces with bureaucratic drift but that, because of the nature of the regulation problem, the effect of increased uncertainty about the firm’s technology on the bureaucratic discretion depends on how that uncertainty is reduced.
Analysis of neutralizing epitopes on foot-and-mouth disease virus

For the investigation of the antigenic determinant structure of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against complete virus were characterized by Western blot (immunoblot), enzyme immunoassay, and competition experiments with a synthetic peptide, isolated coat protein VP1, and viral particles as antigens. Two of the four MAbs reacted with each of these antigens, while the other two MAbs recognized only complete viral particles and reacted only very poorly with the peptide. The four MAbs showed different neutralization patterns with a panel of 11 different FMDV strains. cDNA-derived VP1 protein sequences of the different strains were compared to find correlations between the primary structure of the protein and the ability of virus to be neutralized. Based on this analysis, it appears that the first two MAbs recognized overlapping sequential epitopes in the known antigenic site represented by the peptide, whereas the two other MAbs recognized conformational epitopes. These conclusions were supported and extended by structural analyses of FMDV mutants resistant to neutralization by an MAb specific for a conformational epitope. These results demonstrate that no amino acid exchanges had occurred in the primary antigenic site of VP1 but instead in the other coat proteins VP2 and VP3, which by themselves do not induce neutralizing antibodies.
Putative cis-Acting Stem-Loops in the 5′ Untranslated Region of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Can Substitute for Their Mouse Hepatitis Virus Counterparts

ABSTRACT Consensus covariation-based secondary structural models for the 5′ 140 nucleotides of the 5′ untranslated regions (5′UTRs) from mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SCoV) were developed and predicted three major helical stem-loop structures, designated stem-loop 1 (SL1), SL2, and SL4. The SCoV 5′UTR was predicted to contain a fourth stem-loop, named SL3, in which the leader transcriptional regulatory sequence (TRS) is folded into a hairpin loop. cDNAs corresponding to MHV/SCoV chimeric genomes were constructed by replacing the complete MHV 5′UTR with the corresponding SCoV sequence and by separately replacing MHV 5′UTR putative SL1, putative SL2, TRS, and putative SL4 with the corresponding SCoV sequences. Chimeric genomes were transcribed in vitro, and viruses were recovered after electroporation into permissive cells. Genomes in which the MHV 5′UTR SL1, SL2, and SL4 were individually replaced by their SCoV counterparts were viable. Chimeras containing the complete SCoV 5′UTR or the predicted SCoV SL3 were not viable. A chimera containing the SCoV 5′UTR in which the SCoV TRS was replaced with the MHV TRS was also not viable. The chimera containing the entire SCoV 5′UTR failed to direct the synthesis of any virus-specific RNA. Replacing the SCoV TRS with the MHV TRS in the MHV/5′UTR SCoV chimera permitted the synthesis of minus-sense genome-sized RNA but did not support the production of positive- or minus-sense subgenomic RNA7. A similar phenotype was obtained with the MHV/SCoV SL3 chimera. These results suggest a role for the TRS in the replication of minus-sense genomic RNA in addition to its known function in subgenomic RNA synthesis.
Genetic and pharmacological investigation of α4-containing GABAA receptors in conditioned behaviours influenced by cocaine

α4-subunit containing GABAA receptors (α4-GABAARs) are often found co-assembled with δ-subunits in extrasynaptic locations on nucleus accumbens (NAc) medium spiny neurons (MSNs), were they mediate a tonic form of inhibition thought to control the excitability of the neuron. This thesis combines genetic and pharmacological techniques to explore the role of α4-GABAARs in locomotor and reward-conditioned behaviours. Activation of α4-GABAARs by systemic or intra-accumbal administration of THIP, a GABAAR agonist with a preference for δ-subunits, was able to reduce cocainepotentiated locomotor activity in wildtype but not GABAAR α4-subunit knockout mice. Similarly, the ability of repeated cocaine to induce behavioural sensitisation was unaffected in GABAAR α4-subunit knockout mice, but systemic THIP was able to reduce the sensitised increase in locomotor activity in wildtype but not knockout mice. α4-GABAARs are also able to modulate behavioural responses to reward-conditioned stimuli and their enhancement by cocaine. Deletion of GABAAR α4-subunits from dopamine D1-expressing neurons facilitated cocaine-CPP, and activation of α4- GABAARs on NAc D1-MSNs was able to attenuate cocaine-enhancement of cocaine CPP. Conversely, deletion of GABAAR α4-subunits from dopamine D2-expressing neurons increased CRf responding, and activation of α4-GABAARs on NAc D2-MSNs was able to attenuate cocaine-potentiation of CRf responding. These data also indicate that there is a dissociation in the NAc MSNs mediating cocaine-CPP and CRf responding. This may be explained by the different glutamatergic inputs needed to provide information about conditioned cues important for these behaviours. The data presented within this thesis indicate that α4-GABAAR-mediated inhibition of D1- and D2-expressing neurons plays an important physiological role in controlling behavioural responses to conditioned cues. Furthermore, NAc α4βδ GABAARs may provide a potential therapeutic target by which to limit the enhancement of locomotor and conditioned-behaviours by cocaine.
Lessons Learned from 25 Years of Research at the MADE Site

Field studies at well‐instrumented research sites have provided extensive data sets and important insights essential for development and testing of transport theories and mathematical models. This paper provides an overview of over 25 years of research and lessons learned at one of such field research sites on the Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi, commonly known as the Macrodispersion Experiment (MADE) site. Since the mid‐1980s, field data from the MADE site have been used extensively by researchers around the world to explore complex contaminant transport phenomena in highly heterogeneous porous media. Results from field investigations and modeling analyses suggested that connected networks of small‐scale preferential flow paths and relative flow barriers exert dominant control on solute transport processes. The classical advection‐dispersion model was shown to inadequately represent plume‐scale transport, while the dual‐domain mass transfer model was found to reproduce the primary observed plume characteristics. The MADE site has served as a valuable natural observatory for contaminant transport studies where new observations have led to better understanding and improved models have sprung out analysis of new data.
Left atrial minimum volume and reservoir function as correlates of left ventricular diastolic function: impact of left ventricular systolic function

Objective Left atrial (LA) maximum volume (LAVmax) is an indicator of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function. However, LAVmax is also influenced by systolic events, whereas the LA minimum volume (LAVmin) is directly exposed to LV pressure. The authors hypothesised that LAVmin may be a better correlate of LV diastolic function than LAVmax. Design Cross-sectional. Setting University hospital. Patients 357 participants from a community-based cohort study. Methods LA volumes and reservoir function, measured as total LA emptying volume (LAEV) and LA emptying fraction (LAEF), were assessed by real-time three-dimensional echocardiography. LV diastolic function was assessed by trans-mitral early (E) and late (A) Doppler velocities and mitral early diastolic velocity by tissue-Doppler (e'). LV systolic function was assessed by LV ejection fraction (LVEF) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) by speckle-tracking. Results LAVmin significantly increased with worsening diastolic dysfunction (p<0.001), whereas the increase in LAVmax was less pronounced (p=0.07). LAEV and LAEF decreased with worsening diastolic dysfunction (both p<0.001). In linear regressions, LAVmin and LAVmax were significant predictors of E/e', with higher parameter estimates for LAVmin. In multivariate models, LAVmin resulted strongly associated with E/e' (β=0.45, p<0.001), whereas LAVmax was not (β=−0.16, p=0.08). LA reservoir function was better associated with GLS than LVEF. In multivariate analyses, GLS was significantly associated with LAVmax (β=−0.15, p=0.002), LAEV (β=−0.37, p<0.001) and LAEF (β=−0.28, p<0.001) but not with LAVmin. Conclusions LAVmin is a better correlate of LV diastolic function than LAVmax. The impact of LV longitudinal systolic function on LA reservoir function might explain the weaker relation between LAVmax and LV diastolic function.
Modeling multi-step relevance propagation for expert finding

An expert finding system allows a user to type a simple text query and retrieve names and contact information of individuals that possess the expertise expressed in the query. This paper proposes a novel approach to expert finding in large enterprises or intranets by modeling candidate experts (persons), web documents and various relations among them with so-called expertise graphs. As distinct from the state of-the-art approaches estimating personal expertise through one-step propagation of relevance probability from documents to the related candidates, our methods are based on the principle of multi-step relevance propagation in topic specific expertise graphs. We model the process of expert finding by probabilistic random walks of three kinds: finite, infinite and absorbing. Experiments on TREC Enterprise Track data originating from two large organizations show that our methods using multi-step relevance propagation improve over the baseline one-step propagation based method in almost all cases.
Contact structures on elliptic 3-manifolds

We show that an oriented elliptic 3-manifold admits a universally tight positive contact structure if and only if the corresponding group of deck transformations on S 3 (after possibly conjugating by an isometry) preserves the standard contact structure. We also relate universally tight contact structures on 3-manifolds covered by S 3 to the isomorphism SO(4) = (SU(2) ◊ SU(2))/±1. The main tool used is equivariant framings of 3-manifolds. A contact structure on a 3-dimensional manifold M is a smooth, totally non- integrable tangent plane field, i.e., a tangent plane field locally of the form = ker( ) for a 1-form such that ^ d is everywhere non-degenerate. We shall assume that M is oriented. We say is positive if the orientation on M agrees with that induced by the volume form ^ d . Observe that the orientation of ^d does not depend on the sign of , and is thus determined by (even though = ker( ) only locally). A central role in understanding 3-dimensional manifolds has been played by co- dimension one structures - surfaces, foliations and laminations - in these manifolds. Without additional conditions such structures always exist, and are of not much consequence. However, the presence of essential co-dimension one structures - incompressible surfaces, taut foliations and essential laminations, leads to deep
[Factors that influence outpatient service user satisfaction in a low-income population: a population-based study].

AIM To measure the prevalence of overall satisfaction with the previous medical consultation and their associated factors, among adults aged 20 years or more, in a city located in southern Brazil. METHODS A cross-sectional population-based study was performed in Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil, from July to December 2009. Systematic sampling was used with a probability proportional to the size of each of the 121 census tracts in the area studied. Overall satisfaction with the previous consultation was evaluated with a standardized questionnaire. Crude analysis was performed using the chi-square test, while the adjusted analysis used Poisson regression with robust variance. Results were expressed as prevalence ratios. RESULTS Among the 3,700 eligible individuals, 3,391 answered the survey. Of those, 64.8% (1677) reported having had their previous medical consultation in the three months prior to the interview. Regarding the overall satisfaction with the previous consultation, 63.7% reported being satisfied and 23.2% were very satisfied. Adjusted analysis showed that those who went to private/health plan-affiliated services were 1.15 times more likely to be satisfied than those going to public services. Easy consultation booking and being well treated by receptionist and physician were directly related with a higher level of satisfaction. The length of time waiting was inversely associated with satisfaction both in the crude and adjusted analyses. CONCLUSION The present study revealed a high prevalence of satisfaction with medical consultations and a significant positive association between satisfaction and the location of consultation (health plan-affiliated or private services).
Dynamics of photogenerated holes in surface modified α-Fe2O3 photoanodes for solar water splitting

This paper addresses the origin of the decrease in the external electrical bias required for water photoelectrolysis with hematite photoanodes, observed following surface treatments of such electrodes. We consider two alternative surface modifications: a cobalt oxo/hydroxo-based (CoOx) overlayer, reported previously to function as an efficient water oxidation electrocatalyst, and a Ga2O3 overlayer, reported to passivate hematite surface states. Transient absorption studies of these composite electrodes under applied bias showed that the cathodic shift of the photocurrent onset observed after each of the surface modifications is accompanied by a similar cathodic shift of the appearance of long-lived hematite photoholes, due to a retardation of electron/hole recombination. The origin of the slower electron/hole recombination is assigned primarily to enhanced electron depletion in the Fe2O3 for a given applied bias.