Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unusual Association of Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Cases Reported at Tertiary Care Center

Case series Patients: Female, 10 • Female, 15 Final Diagnosis: Secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis Symptoms: Arthralgia • CNS manifestations • fever • pancytopenia • rash Medication: — Clinical Procedure: — Specialty: Hematology Objective: Rare co-existence of disease or pathology Background: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) in the background of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is rare. Inability to discriminate between these two entities may be fatal for the patient. Here we report two cases of SLE with secondary HLH, one of which manifested HLH as the initial presentation, and the significance of HLH’s timely diagnosis. Case Report: We describe two cases of SLE secondarily affected by HLH, which were diagnosed by various laboratory parameters and detection of profoundly reduced NK cell activity by using flow cytometry. Both our cases on investigation showed hyperferritinemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hypofibrinogenemia, and marked reduction or complete absence of NK cell activity. Conclusions: Association of secondary HLH with SLE is rare, and when it occurs, differentiating it from lupus flare requires a high degree of suspicion and awareness of this association. Both have overlapping clinical features, but HLH is characterized by hyperferritinemia, hypofibrinogenemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and a decrease in erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and NK cell activity unlike SLE. Therefore, early diagnosis of HLH in the background of SLE facilitates timely selection of an appropriate treatment modality to prevent fatal complications.
Comparison of direct-plating and enrichment methods for isolation of Vibrio cholerae from diarrhea patients

A direct-plating method on thiosulfate citrate bile salts sucrose agar (DIR-TCBS) in conjunction with enrichment in alkaline peptone water (APW) incubated for both 6 h and 24 h followed by subculture onto TCBS (APW6h-TCBS and APW24h-TCBS, respectively) was performed on 16,034 rectal swab samples for isolating Vibrio cholerae. A total of 2,932 (18.3%) rectal swab samples were positive for V. cholerae O1 biotype El Tor, with the Ogawa serotype constituting 99.2% of the isolates. There were no significant differences in V. cholerae O1 isolation rates between the three culture systems nor between the combinations of any two systems. However, direct plating plus enrichment demonstrated a significantly higher V. cholerae O1 isolation rate than DIR-TCBS alone (P < 0.02). Conversely, enrichment procedure, alone or in combination with DIR-TCBS, yielded significantly more (P < 0.0001) V. cholerae non-O1 isolates than DIR-TCBS alone. The length of incubation time of the enrichment broth, 6 h, offers no significant advantages over 24 h for the isolation of V. cholerae O1 and non-O1. A 24-h enrichment broth incubation period has the practical advantage of being easy to integrate into a normal laboratory workday, whereas 6-h broth enrichment, although more commonly recommended, requires that arrangements be made for after-hours subculture.
Ex-Dividend Day Pricing in Portugal: Recent Evidence

Our study assesses the ex-dividend stock price behavior in the Portuguese stock exchange, between 2004 and 2017. The most striking captivating characteristic of this period is the fact that, from 2012 onwards, dividends and capital gains taxes were the same for private investors. This allowed us to conduct an analysis of the impact of these tax changes on ex-dividend price formation. Using panel data regression methods, we analyzed a sample of 262 observations from 23 listed firms. For our full sample period, we find, as expected, a positive relationship between the dividend yield and ex-dividend price change, i.e., the ex-day price fall is related to the gross dividend amount. At first, when testing for a tax explanation in the formation of ex-dividend prices, our results were not robust enough to support the hypothesis. Nonetheless, after splitting the sample into the period before and after the 2012 tax change and comparing both subsamples, we find evidence that points towards the presence of a tax effect. We find no evidence supporting market microstructure arguments in ex-dividend price behavior. We tested our first subsample (before the tax changes) for clientele effects, and the observed results were insignificant.
Characteristics of Pathogenic Escherichia coli Associated with Diarrhea in Children under Five Years in Northwestern Ethiopia

Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) are the leading cause of infectious diarrhea and pose a significant global, regional, and national burden of disease. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of six DEC pathotypes in children with diarrhea and determine their antibiotic resistance patterns. Samples from 107 diarrheagenic children were collected and processed for Escherichia coli (E. coli). Single-plex PCR was used to detect target virulence genes as well as characterize and categorize DEC pathotypes. Antibiotic resistance patterns were determined by the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method. E. coli was detected in 79 diarrheal stool samples, accounting for 73.8% of the samples collected. Additionally, 49.4% (39 out of 79) of the isolates harbored various typical virulence factors. Results revealed six pathotypes of virulence: enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) (53.8%), enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) (12.8%), enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) (10.3%), Heteropathotypes (7.8%), Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) (7.7% each). The isolates exhibited high antibiotic resistance against trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (82.1%), amoxicillin (79.5%), ampicillin (74.4%), gentamicin (69.2%), and streptomycin (64.1%). An overall occurrence of 84.6% of multiple-drug resistance was observed in the isolates, with resistance ranging from three to four antibiotic classes. Our findings revealed a high level of pathogenic E. coli that were highly resistant to multiple categories of antibiotics among children in the Awi zone. These findings highlight the potential role of pathogenic E. coli in childhood diarrhea in tropical low-resource settings and underscore the need for continued research on the characteristics of pathogenic and antibiotic-resistant strains.
Strengthening micro-entrepreneurs in Indonesia through technical marketing strategies

Global competition is currently affecting every business or organization. Entrepreneurship has grown to prominence in the field of study due to its capacity to dynamize the economy with the help of technological skills and access to funding for the business performance of micro-entrepreneurs. The purpose of this study is to test and determine the impact of entrepreneurial orientation, and market orientation on technical marketing strategy and business performance in Indonesia. Respondents in this study are owners or partners of micro-businesses located in the Regional Coordinating Board II and III, East Java Province, Indonesia. The findings of this study show that while micro-entrepreneurs recognize the need for technology marketing strategies, the assumption of competitive advantage highlights the need to develop plans that can differentiate our company from competitors. Furthermore, research contributions related to the importance of technical marketing strategies to the performance of a company can be achieved by paying attention to the results of decision-making, having a wide network to introduce products, and the results owned are very useful for business development so far.
Anatomical correlation of a well-functioning access graft for haemodialysis.

BACKGROUND While it is widely accepted that vascular access (VA) haemodynamic surveillance should be performed, its real benefit has not yet been established. In addition, controversy still reigns over pre-emptive angioplasty of detected significant VA stenosis. This pilot study was designed to question the rationale of our decision-making process in VA management. METHODS All 12 adult patients at our centre, dialyzed through a PTFE graft for over 3 months and meeting the clinical and haemodynamic criteria of a well-functioning VA [dynamic venous pressure (DVP) <150 mmHg and VA flow (Qa) measurement >800 ml/min], were prospectively selected. The selected patients underwent a baseline diagnostic angiogram at consent. No patient was submitted to endovascular intervention, including those with stenosis. Close clinical and haemodynamic follow-up monitoring were maintained over the next 6 months, using monthly Qa measurement through a haematocrit dilution (optodilutional) technique to record any access morbidity. RESULTS The baseline diagnostic angiogram of the 12 patients revealed at the venous anastomosis: (i) stenosis reducing >75% of the access lumen in three cases; (ii) stenosis of 50-75% in two cases; (iii) stenosis of 25-50% in four cases and (iv) no stenosis in three cases. One patient with stenosis >75% and another with stenosis between 25 and 50% had graft thromboses during the follow-up period. Neither graft thrombosis could have been predicted from the previous month's Qa evaluation. All four patients with a stenosis >50% and who did not thrombose had a normal Qa at the end of the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that the presence of what we call a significant stenosis does not necessarily correlate with measured Qa and might not be associated with early thrombosis deserving immediate intervention. Further studies are needed to clarify the best surveillance protocol and the role of pre-emptive intervention in significant stenosis.
GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors regulate depression-like behavior and are critical for the rapid antidepressant actions of ketamine

A single, low dose of the NMDA receptor antagonist ketamine produces rapid antidepressant actions in treatment-resistant depressed patients. Understanding the cellular mechanisms underlying this will lead to new therapies for treating major depression. NMDARs are heteromultimeric complexes formed through association of two GluN1 and two GluN2 subunits. We show that in vivo deletion of GluN2B, only from principal cortical neurons, mimics and occludes ketamine's actions on depression-like behavior and excitatory synaptic transmission. Furthermore, ketamine-induced increases in mTOR activation and synaptic protein synthesis were mimicked and occluded in 2BΔCtx mice. We show here that cortical GluN2B-containing NMDARs are uniquely activated by ambient glutamate to regulate levels of excitatory synaptic transmission. Together these data predict a novel cellular mechanism that explains ketamine's rapid antidepressant actions. In this model, basal glutamatergic neurotransmission sensed by cortical GluN2B-containing NMDARs regulates excitatory synaptic strength in PFC determining basal levels of depression-like behavior. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.03581. 001
Evolutionary Model Type Selection for Global Surrogate Modeling

Due to the scale and computational complexity of currently used simulation codes, global surrogate (metamodels) models have become indispensable tools for exploring and understanding the design space. Due to their compact formulation they are cheap to evaluate and thus readily facilitate visualization, design space exploration, rapid prototyping, and sensitivity analysis. They can also be used as accurate building blocks in design packages or larger simulation environments. Consequently, there is great interest in techniques that facilitate the construction of such approximation models while minimizing the computational cost and maximizing model accuracy. Many surrogate model types exist (Support Vector Machines, Kriging, Neural Networks, etc.) but no type is optimal in all circumstances. Nor is there any hard theory available that can help make this choice. In this paper we present an automatic approach to the model type selection problem. We describe an adaptive global surrogate modeling environment with adaptive sampling, driven by speciated evolution. Different model types are evolved cooperatively using a Genetic Algorithm (heterogeneous evolution) and compete to approximate the iteratively selected data. In this way the optimal model type and complexity for a given data set or simulation code can be dynamically determined. Its utility and performance is demonstrated on a number of problems where it outperforms traditional sequential execution of each model type.
Exercise‐Induced Bronchoconstriction

Statidardized exercise challenge tests, symptom scores and whole‐blood eosinophil and basophil counts were made before and during the pollen season in 32 children suffering from hay fever (n= 16) or hay fever and asthma (n= 16). All participants developed rhinitis symptoms during the season. The hay fever group showed in addition a significant seasonal increase in cough score (but in no other asthma symptom) and in circulating eosinophils (P < 0.01); mean exercise‐induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) did not change despite a slight increase in a few subjects. The asthma group showed seasonal increases in EIB (P < 0.001), asthma symptom score (P < 0.002), and total eosinophil count (P < 0.001) The increase in the latter was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that in the hay fever group. The relative basophil count remained unchanged in both groups. In conclusion, the hay fever group and the asthma group could be clearly distinguished with respect to EIB during natural pollen exposure. The significantly higher increases in EIB and circulating eosinophils observed in the asthma group might possibly be due to greater pollen antigen sensitivity in the asthmatics.
Avoiding Pitfalls of Internal Controls: Validation of Reference Genes for Analysis by qRT-PCR and Western Blot throughout Rat Retinal Development

Background Housekeeping genes have been commonly used as reference to normalize gene expression and protein content data because of its presumed constitutive expression. In this paper, we challenge the consensual idea that housekeeping genes are reliable controls for expression studies in the retina through the investigation of a panel of reference genes potentially suitable for analysis of different stages of retinal development. Methodology/Principal Findings We applied statistical tools on combinations of retinal developmental stages to assess the most stable internal controls for quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). The stability of expression of seven putative reference genes (Actb, B2m, Gapdh, Hprt1, Mapk1, Ppia and Rn18s) was analyzed using geNorm, BestKeeper and Normfinder software. In addition, several housekeeping genes were tested as loading controls for Western blot in the same sample panel, using Image J. Overall, for qRT-PCR the combination of Gapdh and Mapk1 showed the highest stability for most experimental sets. Actb was downregulated in more mature stages, while Rn18s and Hprt1 showed the highest variability. We normalized the expression of cyclin D1 using various reference genes and demonstrated that spurious results may result from blind selection of internal controls. For Western blot significant variation could be seen among four putative internal controls (β-actin, cyclophilin b, α-tubulin and lamin A/C), while MAPK1 was stably expressed. Conclusion Putative housekeeping genes exhibit significant variation in both mRNA and protein content during retinal development. Our results showed that distinct combinations of internal controls fit for each experimental set in the case of qRT-PCR and that MAPK1 is a reliable loading control for Western blot. The results indicate that biased study outcomes may follow the use of reference genes without prior validation for qRT-PCR and Western blot.
Wage Flexibility in Turbulent Times: A Practitioner's Guide, with an Application to Poland

This paper reviews several methods to measure wage flexibility, and their suitability for evaluating the extent of such flexibility during times of structural change, when wage distributions and wage curves can be particularly volatile. The paper uses nonparametric estimation to capture possible nonlinearities in the wage curve and relaxes the assumption of a stable wage distribution over time by linking the shape of the wage change distribution to macroeconomic variables. The proposed methodology is applied to Polish micro data. The estimates confirm that wages are less elastic in a high-unemployment/lowwage environment. Based on a comparison of actual and counterfactual wage distributions, the effects of nominal wage rigidities on real wages, and thus, on the labor market and the real economy, were limited until 1998, but have been quite significant thereafter.
HIV infection, antiretroviral therapy initiation and longitudinal changes in biomarkers of organ function.

BACKGROUND HIV is associated with end-organ diseases of aging via unclear mechanisms. Longitudinally assessing how HIV infection and ART initiation affect biomarkers of end organ function/disease could clarify these mechanisms. We investigated longitudinal changes in clinical biomarkers following 1) HIV infection and 2) ART initiation with evidence of viral suppression. METHODS COHORT Veterans Aging COHORT Study Virtual COHORT (VACS VC). VACS VC is a longitudinal cohort of HIV infected (HIV+) and race-ethnicity, sex, age, and clinical site-matched uninfected Veterans enrolled in the same calendar year. INCLUSION CRITERIA a negative and successively positive (>six months) HIV antibody test. We used Wilcoxon signedrank tests to analyze 1) the effect of HIV infection on lipids, renal, hepatic and hematologic/cardiovascular biomarkers and 2)whether ART initiation with HIV-1 RNA<500 cpm reverts any changes back to pre-HIV levels. RESULTS 422 Veterans had at least 1 biomarker measurement available prior to HIV infection and prior to ART initiation. 297 had at least 1 biomarker measurement available prior to HIV infection and after ART initiation with evidence of viral suppression. Mean age prior to HIV infection was 43 years. HIV infection was associated with reduction in total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, serum albumin, ALT, platelet count, hemoglobin and elevation of FIB-4 score and triglycerides. These changes occurred without significant changes in BMI. ART initiation (with HIV-1 RNA<500cpm) did not reverse alteration in triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, hemoglobin, or FIB-4 to pre-HIV infection levels. CONCLUSIONS HIV infection is associated with longitudinal changes in serum levels of several biomarkers of end-organ function/disease and mortality. Multiple biomarkers (triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, hemoglobin, and FIB-4 ) remain altered from levels prior to HIV infection levels even following inititiation of ART and evidence of viral suppression. These results give insights into underlying mechanisms of increased risk for aging-related chronic diseases in the context of HIV infection.
How action selection can be embodied: intracranial gamma band recording shows response competition during the Eriksen flankers test

Recent findings in monkeys suggest that action selection is based on a competition between various action options that are automatically planned by the motor system. Here we discuss data from intracranial EEG recordings in human premotor cortex (PMC) during a bimanual version of the Eriksen flankers test that suggest that the same principles apply to human action decisions. Recording sites in the dorsal PMC show an early but undifferentiated activation, a delayed response that depends on the experimental conditions and, finally, a movement related activation during action execution. Additionally, we found that the medial part of the PMC show a significant increase in response for ipsilateral trials, suggesting a role in inhibiting the wrong response. The ventral PMC seems to be involved in action execution, rather than action selection. Together these findings suggest that the human PMC is part of a network that specifies, selects, and executes actions.
Evaluating Yield Gap and Yield Improvement Potential in the Dairy Sector of Pakistan

A survey data of 600 dairy farms obtained from the largest dairy cluster in Pakistan’s Punjab was used to provide new evidence on the yield gap and yield improvement potential of dairy farms producing milk and meat. The yield gap was estimated by the frontier-based input distance function analysis. The results indicated that a large yield gap exists in the sample where an average dairy farm has a yield improvement potential of 55 percent. By closing the gap, an average dairy farm can increase yearly production of fat-corrected milk (FCM) by 120,036 kg and non-milking herd for meat by 25 heads. The evidence also shows that small farms (< 25 herd-size) are technically more efficient than those of medium (26 ≤ herd-size ≤ 50) and large farms (> 50 herd-size). The study finds clear evidence of an efficiency boost for keeping a higher share of non-milking to milking herd, a greater proportion of exotic cows to local breeds, and a higher farm-gate price of milk, which can all trigger efficiency gains. Policymakers hence have room to provide adequate intervention strategies that can help in enhancing efficiency.
HIV risk behaviors among outpatients with severe mental illness in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

We conducted the first study to examine rates of sexual activity, sexual risk behaviors, sexual protective behaviors, injection drug use (IDU), needle sharing, and knowledge about HIV/AIDS among outpatients with severe mental illness (SMI) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Using a measure with demonstrated reliability, we found that 42% of 98 patients engaged in vaginal or anal sex within the past three months. Comorbid substance use disorder was significantly associated with sexual activity. Only 22% of sexually active patients used condoms consistently, despite having better HIV knowledge than those who were sexually abstinent. Overall, 45% of patients reported not engaging in any HIV protective behaviors. There were no reports of drug injection. Adults with SMI in Brazil are in need of efficacious HIV prevention programs and policies that can sustain these programs within mental health treatment settings.
Genomic Relationships and Speciation Times of Human, Chimpanzee, and Gorilla Inferred from a Coalescent Hidden Markov Model

The genealogical relationship of human, chimpanzee, and gorilla varies along the genome. We develop a hidden Markov model (HMM) that incorporates this variation and relate the model parameters to population genetics quantities such as speciation times and ancestral population sizes. Our HMM is an analytically tractable approximation to the coalescent process with recombination, and in simulations we see no apparent bias in the HMM estimates. We apply the HMM to four autosomal contiguous human–chimp–gorilla–orangutan alignments comprising a total of 1.9 million base pairs. We find a very recent speciation time of human–chimp (4.1 ± 0.4 million years), and fairly large ancestral effective population sizes (65,000 ± 30,000 for the human–chimp ancestor and 45,000 ± 10,000 for the human–chimp–gorilla ancestor). Furthermore, around 50% of the human genome coalesces with chimpanzee after speciation with gorilla. We also consider 250,000 base pairs of X-chromosome alignments and find an effective population size much smaller than 75% of the autosomal effective population sizes. Finally, we find that the rate of transitions between different genealogies correlates well with the region-wide present-day human recombination rate, but does not correlate with the fine-scale recombination rates and recombination hot spots, suggesting that the latter are evolutionarily transient.