Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experiences of Discrimination Among Youth with HIV/AIDS in Ibadan, Nigeria

Nigerian youth currently bear a disproportionate burden of the HIV epidemic. This paper presents findings on the occurrence of HIV-related discrimination among youth with HIV accessing care in Ibadan, Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted and information on history of discrimination experienced by 170 youth with HIV was obtained. About 80% of respondents had disclosed their HIV status. The majority had informed their spouses (66.3%), mothers (47.1%), fathers (39.1%) and siblings (37.7%). Sixteen (11.5%) respondents [15 (93.8%) females and one (6.2%) male] had suffered discrimination since disclosure of their status. Of these, 25.0% respondents were sent out of their matrimonial homes by their husbands, 25.0% were abandoned by their spouses and 12.5% indicated their fiancé broke up their relationship. A higher proportion of females (12.9%) than males (4.3%) had suffered discrimination. In addition, a significant proportion of respondents who were separated/divorced (73.3%) had been victims of discrimination compared with those who were widowed (10.5%) or single (5.9%) (P<0.05). The study confirmed that young people living with HIV/AIDS, especially women experience extreme forms of discrimination. More efforts aimed at addressing HIV/AIDS-related discrimination are required especially as it is a known barrier to HIV prevention and treatment efforts.
A near atomic structure of the active human apoptosome

In response to cell death signals, an active apoptosome is assembled from Apaf-1 and procaspase-9 (pc-9). Here we report a near atomic structure of the active human apoptosome determined by cryo-electron microscopy. The resulting model gives insights into cytochrome c binding, nucleotide exchange and conformational changes that drive assembly. During activation an acentric disk is formed on the central hub of the apoptosome. This disk contains four Apaf-1/pc-9 CARD pairs arranged in a shallow spiral with the fourth pc-9 CARD at lower occupancy. On average, Apaf-1 CARDs recruit 3 to 5 pc-9 molecules to the apoptosome and one catalytic domain may be parked on the hub, when an odd number of zymogens are bound. This suggests a stoichiometry of one or at most, two pc-9 dimers per active apoptosome. Thus, our structure provides a molecular framework to understand the role of the apoptosome in programmed cell death and disease. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.17755. 001
Generalised Hash Teams for Join and Group-by

We propose a new class of algorithms that can be used to speed up the execution of multi-way join queries or of queries that involve one or more joins and a group-by. These new evaluation techniques allow to perform several hash-based operations (join and grouping) in one pass without repartitioning intermediate results. These techniques work particularly well for joining hierarchical structures, e.g., for evaluating functional join chains along key/foreign-key relationships. The idea is to generalize the concept of hash teams as proposed by Graefe et.al [GBC98] by indirectly partitioning the input data. Indirect partitioning means to partition the input data on an attribute that is not directly needed for the next hash-based operation, and it involves the construction of bitmaps to approximate the partitioning for the attribute that is needed in the next hash-based operation. Our performance experiments show that such generalized hash teams perform significantly better than conventional strategies for many common classes of decision support queries.
The predictors of survival in Chinese amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients

Abstract Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease, so it is important to explore the survival factors for ALS. Our aim was to evaluate the predictors of survival in Chinese ALS patients. A total of 1049 sporadic ALS patients were enrolled. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to compare survival time. Cox proportional hazards function and the hazard ratio were used to identify adjusted prognostic predictors. Results showed that the mean age of onset was 52.6 ± 12.0 years. During follow-up, 155 patients (14.8%) were lost and 378 patients were deceased. Median survival was 33 months for the deceased patients. In the adjusted Cox proportional hazard model, age of onset, diagnosis delay, rate of disease progression, and non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) treatment had an effect on survival in ALS. In conclusion, our study provides information on survival factors for Chinese ALS patients. Although the onset age of Chinese ALS patients is earlier than that of Caucasian patients, survival factors, including the age of onset, diagnostic delay, rate of disease progression, and NIPPV treatment, are similar.
Uncovering the volatile nature of tropical coastal marine ecosystems in a changing world

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), in particular dimethyl sulphide (DMS) and isoprene, have fundamental ecological, physiological and climatic roles. Our current understanding of these roles is almost exclusively established from terrestrial or oceanic environments but signifies a potentially major, but largely unknown, role for BVOCs in tropical coastal marine ecosystems. The tropical coast is a transition zone between the land and ocean, characterized by highly productive and biodiverse coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves, which house primary producers that are amongst the greatest emitters of BVOCs on the planet. Here, we synthesize our existing understanding of BVOC emissions to produce a novel conceptual framework of the tropical marine coast as a continuum from DMS‐dominated reef producers to isoprene‐dominated mangroves. We use existing and previously unpublished data to consider how current environmental conditions shape BVOC production across the tropical coastal continuum, and in turn how BVOCs can regulate environmental stress tolerance or species interactions via infochemical networks. We use this as a framework to discuss how existing predictions of future tropical coastal BVOC emissions, and the roles they play, are effectively restricted to present day ‘baseline’ trends of BVOC production across species and environmental conditions; as such, there remains a critical need to focus research efforts on BVOC responses to rapidly accelerating anthropogenic impacts at local and regional scales. We highlight the complete lack of current knowledge required to understand the future ecological functioning of these important systems, and to predict whether feedback mechanisms are likely to regulate or exacerbate current climate change scenarios through environmentally and ecologically mediated changes to BVOC budgets at the ecosystem level.
Pharmacological Characterization of 2NTX-99 [4-Methoxy-N1-(4-trans-nitrooxycyclohexyl)-N3-(3-pyridinylmethyl)-1,3-benzenedicarboxamide], a Potential Antiatherothrombotic Agent with Antithromboxane and Nitric Oxide Donor Activity in Platelet and Vascular Preparations

Thromboxane (TX) A2, prostacyclin (PGI2), and nitric oxide (NO) regulate platelet function and interaction with the vessel wall. Inhibition of TXA2, implemented synthesis of PGI2, and supply of exogenous NO may afford therapeutic benefit. 2NTX-99 [4-methoxy-N1-(4-trans-nitrooxycyclohexyl)-N3-(3-pyridinylmethyl)-1,3-benzenedicarboxamide], a new chemical entity related to picotamide, showed antithromboxane activity and NO donor properties. 2NTX-99 relaxed rabbit aortic rings precontracted with norepinephrine or U46619 (9,11-dideoxy-9α,11α-methanoepoxy-prosta-5Z,13E-dien-1-oic acid; EC50, 7.9 and 17.1 μM, respectively), an effect abolished by 10 μM 1H-(1,2,4)oxadiazolo(4,3-a)quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ). 2NTX-99 inhibited arachidonic acid (AA)-induced washed platelet aggregation (EC50, 9.8 μM) and TXB2 formation (-71% at 10 μM), and its potency increased in the presence of aortic rings (EC50, 1.4 μM). In whole rabbit aorta incubated with homologous platelets, AA caused contraction and TXA2 formation, reduced by 2NTX-99 (10-40 μM): contraction, -28 and -47%, TXA2 formation, -37 and -75.4%, respectively, with concomitant increase in PGI2. 2NTX-99 (20-40 μM) inhibited U46619-induced aggregation in rabbit platelet-rich plasma (PRP) (-74 ± 6.7 and -96 ± 2.4%, respectively) and inhibited collagen-induced aggregation in human PRP (-48.2 ± 10 and -79.2 ± 6%), whereas ozagrel was ineffective. In human embryonic kidney 293 cells transfected with the TXA2 receptor isophorm α receptor, 2NTX-99 did not compete with the ligand, [3H]SQ29,548 ([3H][1S-[1α,2β(5Z),3β,4α]]-7-[3-[[2-(phenylamino)-carbonyl]hydrazino]methyl]-7-oxabicyclo[2,2,1]-hept-2-yl]-5-heptanoic acid), or prevent inositol phosphate accumulation. After oral administration (50-250 mg/kg), 2NTX-99 inhibited TXA2 production in rat clotting blood (-71 and -91%); at 250 mg/kg, an area under the curve, 0 to 16 h, of 149.5 h/μg/ml and a t1/2 of 6 h were calculated, with a Cmax value of 31.8 ± 8.2 μg/ml. An excellent correlation between plasma concentrations and TXA2 inhibition occurs. 2NTX-99 controls platelet function and vessel wall interaction by multifactorial mechanisms and possesses therapeutic potential.
Robust blind deconvolution for fluorescence microscopy using GEM algorithm

Fluorescence microscopies have been used as an essential tool in biomedical research, because of better signal to noise ratio compared to other microscopies. Among the various kinds of fluorescence microscopies, wide field fluorescence microscopy (WFFM) and confocal fluorescence microscopy are generally most widely used. While confocal microscopy image has higher clarity than WFFM, it is not suitable for live cells because of a number of major drawbacks such as photo-bleaching and low image acquisition speed. The purpose of this paper is to obtain clearer live cell images by restoring degraded WFFM image. Many studies have been carried out for the purpose of obtaining clearer live cell images by restoring degraded WFFM images, while most of them are not based on regularized MLE (Maximum likelihood estimator) which restores the image by maximizing Poisson likelihood. However, the MLE method is not robust to noise because of ill posed problems. Actually, Gaussian as well as Poisson noise exists in the WFFM image. There are some approaches to improve noise robustness, but these methods cannot guarantee the convergence of likelihood. The purpose of this paper is to obtain clearer live cell images by restoring degraded WFFM images utilizing a robust deconvolution method for WFFM using generalized expectation maximization (GEM) algorithm that guarantees the convergence of a regularized likelihood. Moreover, we actualized a blind deconvolution that can restore the images and estimate point spread function (PSF) simultaneously, while most other researches assume that the PSF is previously known. We performed the proposed algorithm on fluorescent bead and cell images. Our results show that the proposed method restores more accurately than existing methods.
Possible evidence for an inverted temperature–density relation in the intergalactic medium from the flux distribution of the Lyα forest

We compare the improved measurement of the Lya forest flux probability distribution at 1.7 < z < 3.2 presented by Kim et al. to a large set of hydrodynamical simulations of the Lya forest with different cosmological parameters and thermal histories. The simulations are in good agreement with the observational data if the temperature-density relation for the low-density intergalactic medium (IGM), T = T 0 Δ γ-1 , is either close to isothermal or inverted (y < 1). Our results suggest that the voids in the IGM may be significantly hotter and the thermal state of the low-density IGM may be substantially more complex than is usually assumed at these redshifts. We discuss radiative transfer effects which alter the spectral shape of ionizing radiation during the epoch of He II reionization as a possible physical mechanism for achieving an inverted temperature-density relation at z ≃ 3.
urrent diagnosis and treatment of polymyalgia rheumatica

The diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) have changed substantially in recent years. Rather than a single disease entity, PMR has emerged as a syndrome produced by a variety of conditions. The diagnostic criteria that have been used for several decades are inadequate. These facts support a new and broader pathological concept, polymyalgic syndrome, and a standardized diagnostic and therapeutic approach designed to rule out diseases with misleading presentations and to identify the limited number of patients with polymyalgic syndrome who have PMR. Criteria for both iagnostic criteria lucocorticoid therapy MR-DAS polymyalgic syndrome and PMR were developed recently but remain to be validated. These criteria are discussed, as well as the suggested diagnostic approach and treatment strategy. In contrast, studies on pathophysiological models, inflammatory mechanisms, and genetic factors are not considered herein, as they were conducted in heterogeneous populations of patients who did not meet the new criteria. Current data indicate that polymyalgic syndrome is a mode of onset of inflammatory joint disease in years ed by individuals older than 50
Plasticity in the Visual System is Associated with Prosthesis Use in Phantom Limb Pain

The experience of strong phantom limb pain (PLP) in arm amputees was previously shown to be associated with structural neural plasticity in parts of the cortex that belong to dorsal and ventral visual streams. It has been speculated that this plasticity results from the extensive use of a functional prosthesis which is associated with increased visual feedback to control the artificial hand. To test this hypothesis, we reanalyzed data of cortical volumes of 21 upper limb amputees and tested the association between the amount of use of the hand prosthesis and cortical volume plasticity. On the behavioral level, we found no relation between PLP and the amount of prosthesis use for the whole patient group. However, by subdividing the patient group into patients with strong PLP and those with low to medium PLP, stronger pain was significantly associated with less prosthesis use whereas the group with low PLP did not show such an association. Most plasticity of cortical volume was identified within the dorsal stream. The more the patients that suffered from strong PLP used their prosthesis, the smaller was the volume of their posterior parietal cortex. Our data indicate a relationship between prosthesis use and cortical plasticity of the visual stream. This plasticity might present a brain adaptation process to new movement and coordination patterns needed to guide an artificial hand.
The Hamburg/ESO R-process Enhanced Star survey (HERES). I. Project description, and discovery of two stars with strong enhancements of neutron-capture elements

We report on a dedicated effort to identify and study metal-poor stars strongly enhanced in r-process elements ((r/Fe) > 1 dex; hereafter r-II stars), the Hamburg/ESO R-process Enhanced Star survey (HERES). Moderate-resolution (∼ 2A ) follow-up spectroscopy has been obtained for metal-poor giant candidates selected from the Hamburg/ESO objective-prism sur- vey (HES) as well as the HK survey to identify sharp-lined stars with (Fe/H) < −2.5 dex. For several hundred confirmed metal- poor giants brighter than B ∼ 16.5 mag (most of them from the HES), "snapshot" spectra (R ∼ 20 000; S /N ∼ 30 per pixel) are being obtained with VLT/UVES, with the main aim of finding the 2−3% r-II stars expected to be among them. These are studied in detail by means of higher resolution and higher S /N spectra. In this paper we describe a pilot study based on a set of 35 stars, including 23 from the HK survey, eight from the HES, and four comparison stars. We discovered two new r-II stars, CS 29497−004 ((Eu/Fe) = 1.64 ± 0.22) and CS 29491−069 ((Eu/Fe) = 1.08 ± 0.23). A first abundance analysis of CS 29497−004 yields that its abundances of Ba to Dy are on average enhanced by 1.5 dex with respect to iron and the Sun and match a scaled solar r-process pattern well, while Th is underabundant relative to that pattern by 0.3 dex, which we attribute to radioactive decay. That is, CS 29497−004 seems not to belong to the class of r-process enhanced stars displaying an "actinide boost", like CS 31082−001 (Hill et al. 2002), or CS 30306−132 (Honda et al. 2004b). The abundance pattern agrees well with predictions of the phenomenological model of Qian & Wasserburg.
Differential short palate, lung, and nasal epithelial clone 1 suppression in eosinophilic and noneosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps: implications for pathogenesis and treatment

Purpose of review Short palate, lung, and nasal epithelial clone 1 (SPLUNC1) is an epithelium-secreted protein that is involved in innate immunity. A protective role for SPLUNC1 in lower respiratory inflammation and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) has recently been recognized. Recent findings An impaired epithelial immune barrier has been proposed to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of CRS. Recent research has demonstrated that SPLUNC1 is profoundly reduced in polyp tissues of CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) compared with control tissues. Studies investigating the differential expression of SPLUNC1 in eosinophilic and noneosinophilic CRSwNP have been published. Nasal SPLUNC1 expression was inhibited by Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-13) but was stimulated by toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists and glucocorticoids. Decreased SPLUNC1 expression in the sinus mucosa is associated with positive Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterial colonization and poor surgical outcomes in CRS patients. Summary These studies identify the role of SPLUNC1 in sinonasal innate immunity and the pathogenesis of CRS. Defective expression of SPLUNC1 in CRSwNP patients may lead to insufficient maintenance of the epithelial barrier function and enhanced bacterial colonization. The use of SPLUNC1 as a therapeutic target for CRSwNP remains to be determined.
A Test of the ARCC© Model Improves Implementation of Evidence‐Based Practice, Healthcare Culture, and Patient Outcomes

BACKGROUND Although several models of evidence-based practice (EBP) exist, there is a paucity of studies that have been conducted to evaluate their implementation in healthcare settings. AIM The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the Advancing Research and Clinical practice through close Collaboration (ARCC) Model on organizational culture, clinicians' EBP beliefs and EBP implementation, and patient outcomes at one healthcare system in the western United States. DESIGN A pre-test, post-test longitudinal pre-experimental study was conducted with follow-up immediately following full implementation of the ARCC Model. SETTING AND SAMPLE The study was conducted at a 341-bed acute care hospital in the western region of the United States. The sample consisted of 58 interprofessional healthcare professionals. METHODS The ARCC Model was implemented in a sequential format over 12 months with the key strategy of preparing a critical mass of EBP mentors for the healthcare system. Healthcare professionals' EBP beliefs, EBP implementation, and organizational culture were measured with valid and reliable instruments. Patient outcomes were collected in aggregate from the hospital's medical records. RESULTS Findings indicated significant increases in clinicians' EBP beliefs and EBP implementation along with positive movement toward an organizational EBP culture. Study findings also indicated substantial improvements in several patient outcomes. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION Implementation of the ARCC Model in healthcare systems can enhance clinicians' beliefs and implementation of evidence-based care, improve patient outcomes, and move organizational culture toward EBP.
Comparison of neuroprotective effects of extract and fractions from Agarum clathratum against experimentally induced transient cerebral ischemic damage

Abstract Contexts: Agarum clathratum (Laminariaceae), a typical brown algae, has been identified by National Plant Quarantine Service in Korea. The extract of A. clathratum has antioxidant activities. Objective: We investigated the neuroprotective effects of crude-extract, ethyl acetate (EA)-, n-butanol (BU)-, dichloromethane (DCM)- and n-hexane (Hx)-fractions from A. clathratum on ischemic damage in the gerbil hippocampal CA1 region (CA1) after 5 min of transient cerebral ischemia. Materials and methods: Agarum clathratum was collected in Kangwon province (South Korea) and treated with 95% ethanol. The ethanol extract was suspended in distilled water and subjected to a series of partitions with EA, BU, DCM and Hx. Each of extract and fraction was orally administered with 50 mg/kg once a day for one week before ischemia--reperfusion (I-R). Result: In the crude-extract-, EA- and BU-fraction-treated ischemia groups, we found strong neuroprotection in the CA1 – about 80–89% of CA1 pyramidal neurons survived. However, in the DCM- and Hx-fraction-treated ischemia groups, we did not find any significant neuroprotection. In addition, we observed changes in astrocytes and microglia in the ischemic CA1. In the crude-extract, EA- and BU-fraction-treated ischemia groups, the distribution pattern and activity of the glial cells were similar to that found in the sham group. Discussion: Repeated supplements of crude-extract, EA- and BU-fractions of A. clathratum could protect neurons from I-R injury in the hippocampal CA1 induced by transient cerebral ischemia via decrease of glial activation.
Inhalational anaesthesia with low fresh gas flow

During the inhalation of anaesthesia use of low fresh gas flow (0.35-1 L/min) has some important advantages. There are three areas of benefit: pulmonary - anaesthesia with low fresh gas flow improves the dynamics of inhaled anaesthesia gas, increases mucociliary clearance, maintains body temperature and reduces water loss. Economic - reduction of anaesthesia gas consumption resulting in significant savings of > 75% and Ecological - reduction in nitrous oxide consumption, which is an important ozone-depleting and heat-trapping greenhouse gas that is emitted. Nevertheless, anaesthesia with high fresh gas flows of 2-6 L/min is still performed, a technique in which rebreathing is practically negligible. This special article describes the clinical use of conventional plenum vaporizers, connected to the fresh gas supply to easily perform low (1 L/min), minimal (0.5 L/min) or metabolic flow anaesthesia (0.35 L/min) with conventional Primus Draeger® anaesthesia machines in routine clinical practice.
Abnormal Olfaction in Parkinson's Disease Is Related to Faster Disease Progression

Introduction. A possible association between olfactory dysfunction and Parkinson's disease (PD) severity has been a topic of contention for the past 40 years. Conflicting reports may be partially explained by procedural differences in olfactory assessment and motor symptom evaluation. Methods. One hundred and sixty-six nondemented PD patients performed the Brief-Smell Identification Test and test scores below the estimated 20th percentile as a function of sex, age, and education (i.e., 80% specificity) were considered demographically abnormal. Patients underwent motor examination after 12 h without antiparkinsonian medication. Results. Eighty-two percent of PD patients had abnormal olfaction. Abnormal performance on the Brief-Smell Identification Test was associated with higher disease severity (i.e., Hoehn and Yahr, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-III, Freezing of Gait questionnaire, and levodopa equivalent dose), even when disease duration was taken into account. Conclusions. Abnormal olfaction in PD is associated with increased severity and faster disease progression.