Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Burden of Selected Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases and Their Risk Factors in Malawi: Nationwide STEPS Survey

Background Chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are becoming significant causes of morbidity and mortality, particularly in sub-Saharan African countries, although local, high-quality data to inform evidence-based policies are lacking. Objectives To determine the magnitude of NCDs and their risk factors in Malawi. Methods Using the WHO STEPwise approach to chronic disease risk factor surveillance, a population-based, nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted between July and September 2009 on participants aged 25–64 years. Socio-demographic and behaviour risk factors were collected in Step 1. Physical anthropometric measurements and blood pressure were documented in Step 2. Blood cholesterol and fasting blood glucose were measured in Step 3. Results and Conclusion A total of 5,206 adults (67% females) were surveyed. Tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking and raised blood pressure (BP) were more frequent in males than females, 25% vs 3%, 30% vs 4% and 37% vs 29%. Overweight, physical inactivity and raised cholesterol were more common in females than males, 28% vs 16%, 13% vs 6% and 11% vs 6%. Tobacco smoking was more common in rural than urban areas 11% vs 7%, and overweight and physical inactivity more common in urban than rural areas 39% vs 22% and 24% vs 9%, all with p<0.05. Overall (both sexes) prevalence of tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, overweight and physical inactivity was 14%, 17%, 22%, 10% and prevalence of raised BP, fasting blood sugar and cholesterol was 33%, 6% and 9% respectively. These data could be useful in the formulation and advocacy of NCD policy and action plan in Malawi.
Vaginal misoprostol prior to insertion of an intrauterine device: an RCT.

BACKGROUND Misoprostol is an agent that may ripen the cervix in nonpregnant women. Here, we investigate whether vaginal misoprostol administered prior to intrauterine device (IUD) insertion reduces the number of failed insertions, insertion-related complications and pain during insertion. METHODS We conducted a double-blinded, multicenter randomized controlled trial among patients requesting an IUD. Nulli- and multi-parous women were included, and both copper-containing and levonorgestrel-releasing IUDs were used. Participants were allocated to either 400 μg misoprostol or placebo (administered 3h prior to IUD insertion). The primary outcome measure was failed insertion. Secondary outcome measures were insertion-related complications, pain, difficulty of insertion and side-effects. RESULTS Two hundred and seventy participants were randomized. After drop out for various reasons (mainly no show), 199 participants had an IUD inserted; 102 received misoprostol and 97 received placebo. Only three insertions failed; two in the misoprostol group and one in the placebo group [P = 0.59, relative risk (RR) 1.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.2-20.6]. The overall incidence of insertion-related complications was 21.8% in the misoprostol versus 19.1% in the placebo group (mainly vasovagal-like reactions) and did not differ between groups (P = 0.65, RR 1.1, 95% CI 0.7-2.0). No difference in pain scores between groups was found. Side-effects were more common in the misoprostol group (P = 0.05, RR 1.3, 95% CI 1.0-1.7). CONCLUSION The study showed no benefit for use of misoprostol prior to IUD insertion. However, there is a tendency of possible harm regarding side-effects. Therefore, we would not recommend standard pretreatment with misoprostol. The trial was registered in the European Clinical Trials Database EudraCT 2006-006897-60.
Splicing therapeutics in SMN 2 and APOB

Splicing therapeutics are defined as the deliberate modification of RNA splicing to achieve therapeutic goals. Various techniques for splicing therapeutics have been described, and most of these involve the use of antisense oligonucleotide-based compounds that target key elements in the pre-mRNA to control splicing in the nucleus. In this review, recent developments in splicing therapeutics for the treatment of two specific diseases are described: correcting the alternative splicing of survival of motor neuron (SMN)2 pre-mRNA to compensate for the defective SMN1 gene in spinal muscular atrophy, and re-engineering the splicing of apolipoprotein B pre-mRNA to lower circulating cholesterol levels.
International Journal of Nanomedicine Dovepress Synthesis and Characterization of Silver/montmorillonite/ Chitosan Bionanocomposites by Chemical Reduction Method and Their Antibacterial Activity

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of a small size were successfully synthesized using the wet chemical reduction method into the lamellar space layer of montmorillonite/ chitosan (MMT/Cts) as an organomodified mineral solid support in the absence of any heat treatment. AgNO 3 , MMT, Cts, and NaBH 4 were used as the silver precursor, the solid support , the natural polymeric stabilizer, and the chemical reduction agent, respectively. MMT was suspended in aqueous AgNO 3 /Cts solution. The interlamellar space limits were changed (d-spacing = 1.24–1.54 nm); therefore, AgNPs formed on the interlayer and external surface of MMT/Cts with d-average = 6.28–9.84 nm diameter. Characterizations were done using different methods, ie, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Silver/montmorillonite/chitosan bionanocomposite (Ag/MMT/Cts BNC) systems were examined. The antibacterial activity of AgNPs in MMT/Cts was investigated against Gram-positive bacteria, ie, Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus and Gram-negative bacteria, ie, Escherichia coli, E. coli O157:H7, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by the disc diffusion method using Mueller Hinton agar at different sizes of AgNPs. All of the synthesized Ag/MMT/Cts BNCs were found to have high antibacterial activity. These results show that Ag/MMT/Cts BNCs can be useful in different biological research and biomedical applications, including surgical devices and drug delivery vehicles.
The Pneumonia Severity Index as a Predictor of In-Hospital Mortality in Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Objective To determine whether the pneumonia severity index (PSI) can predict in-hospital mortality for AECOPD patients and compare its usefulness with the CURB65 and BAP65 indexes to predict mortality. Methods Demographics, clinical signs and symptoms, comorbidities, and laboratory and radiographic findings of hospitalized AECOPD patients were obtained. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to identify the risk factors for in-hospital mortality. The PSI, CURB65 and BAP65 scores were calculated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to identify the PSI, CURB65 and BAP65 scores that could discriminate between non-survivors and survivors. To control for the confounding factor of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) regarding the mortality of AECOPD, subgroup analysis was performed when excluded patients who had met the criteria of IMV but who had not received the cure of IMV according to their wishes. Results During the in-hospital period, 73 patients died and 679 patients recovered. Age, PaO2<60 mmHg, pH < 7.35, PaCO2≥50 mmHg, nursing home residency, congestive heart failure, liver disease, sodium<130 mmol/L, lower FEV1% and altered mental status were risk factors for in-hospital mortality. The areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) of the PSI for death were 0.847 (95% CI: 0.799-0.895). The cut-off value was 116.5 with a sensitivity of 82.2% and a specificity of 77.6%. However, the AUCs of the CURB65 and BAP65 for death were only 0.744 (95% CI: 0.680-0.809) and 0.665 (95% CI: 0.594-0.736), respectively. Subgroup analysis also showed that the PSI score could predict the mortality of AECOPD patients with an AUC = 0.857 (95% CI: 0.802-0.913), with exclusion of the patients who met the criteria of IMV but who did not receive the cure of IMV. Conclusion The PSI score may be used to predict in-hospital mortality for hospitalized AECOPD patients, with a prognostic capacity superior to CURB65 and BAP65.
Immunodiagnosis of Ehrlichia canis Infection with Recombinant Proteins

ABSTRACT Ehrlichia canis causes a potentially fatal rickettsial disease of dogs that requires rapid and accurate diagnosis in order to initiate appropriate therapy leading to a favorable prognosis. We recently reported the cloning of two immunoreactive E. canis proteins, P28 and P140, that were applicable for serodiagnosis of the disease. In the present study we cloned a new immunoreactive E. canis surface protein gene of 1,170 bp, which encodes a protein with a predicted molecular mass of 42.6 kDa (P43). The P43 gene was not detected in E. chaffeensis DNA by Southern blot, and antisera against recombinant P43 (rP43) did not react with E. chaffeensis as detected by indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) assay. Forty-two dogs exhibiting signs and/or hematologic abnormalities associated with canine ehrlichiosis were tested by IFA assay and by recombinant Western immunoblot. Among the 22 samples that were IFA positive for E. canis, 100% reacted with rP43, 96% reacted with rP28, and 96% reacted with rP140. The specificity of the recombinant proteins compared to the IFAs was 96% for rP28, 88% for P43 and 63% for P140. The results of this study demonstrate that the rP43 and rP28 are sensitive and reliable serodiagnostic antigens for E. canis infections.
From Endoplasmic Reticulum to Mitochondria: Absence of the Arabidopsis ATP Antiporter Endoplasmic Reticulum Adenylate Transporter1 Perturbs Photorespiration[W]

This work examines the Arabidopsis endoplasmic reticulum ATP/ADP antiporter ER-ANT1, finding that mutants lacking ER-ANT1 have increased reactive oxygen, decreased mitochondrial glycine-decarboxylase activity, and alterations in photorespiration, providing an intriguing link between the endoplasmic reticulum and other organelles. The carrier Endoplasmic Reticulum Adenylate Transporter1 (ER-ANT1) resides in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane and acts as an ATP/ADP antiporter. Mutant plants lacking ER-ANT1 exhibit a dwarf phenotype and their seeds contain reduced protein and lipid contents. In this study, we describe a further surprising metabolic peculiarity of the er-ant1 mutants. Interestingly, Gly levels in leaves are immensely enhanced (26×) when compared with that of wild-type plants. Gly accumulation is caused by significantly decreased mitochondrial glycine decarboxylase (GDC) activity. Reduced GDC activity in mutant plants was attributed to oxidative posttranslational protein modification induced by elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). GDC activity is crucial for photorespiration; accordingly, morphological and physiological defects in er-ant1 plants were nearly completely abolished by application of high environmental CO2 concentrations. The latter observation demonstrates that the absence of ER-ANT1 activity mainly affects photorespiration (maybe solely GDC), whereas basic cellular metabolism remains largely unchanged. Since ER-ANT1 homologs are restricted to higher plants, it is tempting to speculate that this carrier fulfils a plant-specific function directly or indirectly controlling cellular ROS production. The observation that ER-ANT1 activity is associated with cellular ROS levels reveals an unexpected and critical physiological connection between the ER and other organelles in plants.
Stellar Angular Diameters of Late-Type Giants and Supergiants Measured with the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer

We have measured the angular diameters of 50 F, G, K, and M giant and supergiant stars using the Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer at wavelengths between 649 and 850 nm and using three baselines with lengths up to 37.5 m. Uniform-disk diameters, obtained from fits to the visibility amplitude, were transformed to limb-darkened diameters through the use of limb-darkening coefficients for plane-parallel stellar atmosphere models. These limb-darkened diameters are compared with those measured with the Mark III optical interferometer and with those computed by the infrared flux method. Sources of random and systematic error in the observations are discussed.
Macrosegregation of ternary Al–4·5wt-%Cu–1·0wt-%Mg alloy in horizontal direct chill casting: implementation of non-equilibrium microsegregation model

Abstract An extended and modified continuum mixture model for macrosegregation in solidifying alloys is applied to the case of horizontal direct chill casting (HDC) of a ternary Al–4·5Cu–1·0Mg (wt-%) alloy. A thermodynamic closure model for a Al–Cu–Mg alloy is coupled with an extended mixture continuum model to obtain steady state macrosegregation fields for the different casting parameters (e.g. casting speed, inlet superheat and inlet plenum position) in this study. Macrosegregation calculations were performed assuming that the solid forms a rigid and stationary network in all parts of the mushy zone. A microsegregation non-equilibrium model is used to calculate phase fraction compositions and phase distributions. The Cu exhibits more segregation compared to the previous study of a binary Al–Cu alloy, while Mg has a similar segregation profile in all cases but less pronounced. The phase compositions show that Cu is mostly distributed in secondary and ternary phases, while Mg is uniformly configured in the primary (Al) and ternary phase (Al2CuMg). The primary Al phase is dominant (over 90%) in all cases, with highest peaks in depleted regions below the centreline of slab, except in the case where the inlet plenum is positioned on the bottom of the refractory plate due to a different flow pattern.
Dense Cranial Electroacupuncture Stimulation for Major Depressive Disorder—A Single-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Study

Background Previous studies suggest that electroacupuncture possesses therapeutic benefits for depressive disorders. The purpose of this study was to determine whether dense cranial electroacupuncture stimulation (DCEAS) could enhance the antidepressant efficacy in the early phase of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods In this single-blind, randomized, controlled study, patients with MDD were randomly assigned to 9-session DCEAS or noninvasive electroacupuncture (n-EA) control procedure in combination with fluoxetine (FLX) for 3 weeks. Clinical outcomes were measured using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17), Clinical Global Impression-severity (CGI-S), and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) as well as the response and remission rates. Results Seventy-three patients were randomly assigned to n-EA (n = 35) and DCEAS (n = 38), of whom 34 in n-EA and 36 in DCEAS group were analyzed. DCEAS-treated patients displayed a significantly greater reduction from baseline in HAMD-17 scores at Day 3 through Day 21 and in SDS scores at Day 3 and Day 21 compared to patients receiving n-EA. DCEAS intervention also produced a higher rate of clinically significant response compared to n-EA procedure (19.4% (7/36) vs. 8.8% (3/34)). The incidence of adverse events was similar in the two groups. Conclusions DCEAS is a safe and effective intervention that augments the antidepressant efficacy. It can be considered as an additional therapy in the early phase of SSRI treatment of depressed patients. Trial Registration Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN88008690
Motor-Driven (Passive) Cycling: A Potential Physical Inactivity Countermeasure?

UNLABELLED We have previously shown that motor-driven (passive) stationary cycling elevates energy expenditure (EE). PURPOSE This study aimed to quantify how acute passive cycling affects glucose and insulin responses to an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and basic cognition compared with sitting and moderate-intensity active cycling. METHODS Twenty-four physically inactive healthy males completed three trials in randomized order involving 30-min conditions of sitting, passive cycling, and moderate-intensity cycling. During each condition, EE was measured, and participants performed cognitive tests. After each condition, a 2-h OGTT was performed. RESULTS EE was significantly higher during the cycling conditions compared with sitting (1.36 ± 0.58 and 6.50 ± 1.73 kcal·min greater than sitting for passive and moderate-intensity, respectively). A significant correlation was found between body fat percentage and postsitting OGTT 2-h postplasma glucose (r = 0.30, P < 0.05); thus, participants were divided into lean (n = 11) and nonlean (n = 13) groups. In the nonlean group, compared with sitting, passive cycling lowered 2-h postplasma glucose (7.7 ± 1.3 vs 6.9 ± 1.6 mmol·L, respectively, P < 0.05), and the Matsuda whole-body insulin sensitivity index (WBISI) was higher (2.74 ± 0.86 vs 3.36 ± 1.08, P < 0.05). In addition, passive and moderate-intensity cycling had similar beneficial effects on 2-h postplasma glucose and WBISI. Cognitive performance did not significantly differ between the sitting and passive cycling conditions. CONCLUSIONS Two-hour postplasma glucose was lower and WBISI after acute passive cycling was higher in nonlean participants. Given that and the increase in EE without changes in cognitive performance, we propose passive cycling as a promising intervention to counteract some of the deleterious effects of prolonged sitting in the workplace.
Glucocorticoid-cholinergic interactions in the dorsal striatum in memory consolidation of inhibitory avoidance training

Extensive evidence indicates that glucocorticoid hormones act in a variety of brain regions to enhance the consolidation of memory of emotionally motivated training experiences. We previously reported that corticosterone, the major glucocorticoid in the rat, administered into the dorsal striatum immediately after inhibitory avoidance training dose-dependently enhances memory consolidation of this training. There is also abundant evidence that the intrinsic cholinergic system of the dorsal striatum is importantly involved in memory consolidation of inhibitory avoidance training. However, it is presently unknown whether these two neuromodulatory systems interact within the dorsal striatum in the formation of long-term memory. To address this issue, we first investigated in male Wistar rats whether the muscarinic receptor agonist oxotremorine administered into the dorsal striatum immediately after inhibitory avoidance training enhances 48 h retention of the training. Subsequently, we examined whether an attenuation of glucocorticoid signaling by either a systemic administration of the corticosterone-synthesis inhibitor metyrapone or an intra-striatal infusion of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist RU 38486 would block the memory enhancement induced by oxotremorine. Our findings indicate that oxotremorine dose-dependently enhanced 48 h retention latencies, but that the administration of either metyrapone or RU 38486 prevented the memory-enhancing effect of oxotremorine. In the last experiment, corticosterone was infused into the dorsal striatum together with the muscarinic receptor antagonist scopolamine immediately after inhibitory avoidance training. Scopolamine blocked the enhancing effect of corticosterone on 48 h retention performance. These findings indicate that there are mutual interactions between glucocorticoids and the striatal cholinergic system in enhancing the consolidation of memory of inhibitory avoidance training.
Blood Transfusion Practice before and after Implementation of Type and Screen Protocol in Emergency Department of a University Affiliated Hospital in Iran

Background. Blood transfusion is the cornerstone of therapy for many serious and common diseases. This study was performed to assess blood transfusion practice before and after implementation of type and screen protocol in emergency department of a university affiliated hospital in Iran, 2012-2013. Methods. An audit was studied before and after the implementation of type and screen protocol. The number of blood transfusions, time interval between blood order and transfusion, cross-match to transfusion ratio (C/T ratio), and transfusion index (TI) were checked. C/T ratio was used as a measure of the efficiency of blood ordering practice. We compared our results before and after implementation of type and screen protocol. Results. In present study after implementation of type and screen protocol, the time interval between requesting blood transfusion and transfusion of blood has decreased significantly (P < 0.001). The number of blood transfusions required by actual patients increased significantly from 1/2 to 2 (P < 0.001). The average cross-match to transfusion (C/T) ratio got near 1.13 from 1.41 and TI got near 0.91 from 0.58 (P < 0.001). Conclusion. The implementation of T&S protocol has been proven to be safe, efficient, and beneficial to the transfusion practice of our hospital from the current study.
Awareness of Partner ’ s Eye Gaze in Situated Referential Grounding : An Empirical Study

In situated dialogue, although artificial agents and their human partners are co-present in a shared environment, their representations of the environment are significantly different. When a shared basis is missing, referential grounding between partners becomes more challenging. Our hypothesis is that in such a situation, non-verbal modalities such as eye gaze play an important role in coordinating the referential process. To validate this hypothesis, we designed an experiment to simulate different representations of the shared environment. Our studies have shown that, when one partner pays attention to the other partner’s naturally occurred eye gaze during interaction, referential grounding becomes more efficient. However this improvement is more significant under the situation where partners have matched representations of the shared environment compared to the situation with mismatched representations. This paper describes our experimental findings and discusses their potential implications.
The NICT translation system for IWSLT 2012

This paper describes NICT’s participation in the IWSLT 2012 evaluation campaign for the TED speech translation RussianEnglish shared-task. Our approach was based on a phrasebased statistical machine translation system that was augmented by using transliteration mining techniques. The basic premise behind our approach was to try to use sub-word-level alignments to guide the word-level alignment process used to learn the phrase-table. We did this by first mining a corpus of Russian-English transliterations pairs and cognates from a set of interlanguage link titles from Wikipedia. This corpus was then used to build a manyto-many nonparametric Bayesian bilingual alignment model that could be used to identify the occurrence of transliterations and cognates in the training corpus itself. Alignment counts for these mined pairs were increased in the training corpus to increase the likelihood that these pairs would align in training. Our experiments on the test sets from the 2010 and 2011 shared tasks, showed that an improvement in BLEU score can be gained in translation performance by encouraging the alignment of cognates and transliterations during word alignment.