Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changing incidence and outcomes following dialysis-requiring acute kidney injury among critically ill adults: a population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND Dialysis-requiring acute kidney injury (AKI) is common among critically ill patients, but little is known about trends in the incidence and outcomes of this condition over time. STUDY DESIGN Population-based cohort study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS All adult patients admitted to an intensive care unit in Ontario, Canada, 1996 to 2010. PREDICTOR Year and era (1996-2000, 2001-2005, and 2006-2010) of cohort entry. OUTCOMES Mortality and dialysis dependence, each evaluated at 90 and 365 days after initiation of dialysis therapy for AKI. MEASUREMENTS The annual incidence proportion of dialysis-requiring AKI was evaluated and patients with this condition were characterized by era. Associations between era and the outcomes of interest were evaluated with Cox proportional hazards (for time to death) and logistic regression (for dialysis dependence), with adjustment for relevant demographic and clinical variables. RESULTS The annual incidence of dialysis-requiring AKI among critically ill patients increased from 0.8% in 1996 to 3.0% in 2010 (P for trend < 0.001). 90-day mortality declined from 50% in 1996 to 2000 to 45% in 2006 to 2010 (adjusted HR, 0.83 [95% CI, 0.79-0.87] compared to 1996-2000). Dialysis dependence among surviving patients at 90 days was marginally lower in 2006 to 2010 (25.1%) compared to 1996 to 2000 (27.2%), but after adjustment for confounding factors, was not significantly different (adjusted OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.80-1.03). LIMITATIONS Unmeasured confounding by factors that may have changed in patients with dialysis-requiring AKI during the different eras; data set does not allow for mechanistic explanation for the findings; and lack of access to laboratory investigations after hospital discharge. CONCLUSIONS The incidence proportion of dialysis-requiring AKI among critically ill patients increased by almost 4-fold between 1996 and 2010. This was accompanied by a significant decline in mortality, but the risk of long-term dialysis dependence continues to affect a substantial minority of surviving patients with no clear evidence of improvement over time.
Who Knows Who Cares for Me

One fundamental measure of a liberal democracy concerns its guarantee of civil and health liberties to prisoners. The study examines the Israeli legislation regarding prisoners’ human rights and access to health services, and analyzes the reasons for the gap between the regulations and their de facto implementation. The main findings include the following: (a) A significant gap exists between the Israeli Prison Service formal regulations for prisoners’ civil and health rights and their actual implementation, and (b) the Israeli Prison Service and the Israeli legislation lack a pragmatic instrument aimed at the protection and preservation of Israeli inmates’ fundamental human rights.
Parents’ Perspective of Quality of Life of Retinoblastoma Survivors

Health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) in retinoblastoma survivors was assessed using parent proxy report of PedsQLTM 4.0 generic core scale. One hundred twenty‐two parents of retinoblastoma survivors filled the questionnaire satisfactorily. This was compared with parent‐reported HRQOL of 50 siblings. The median age of survivors was 98 (range, 60–247) months and male:female ratio was 2:1. The overall parent‐reported HRQOL was significantly worse in survivors as compared to controls (74.4 ± 8.5 vs. 85.1 ± 4.6, P < 0.001). All health domains were significantly affected when compared with controls. None of the baseline and treatment‐related factors predicted HRQOL.
The Impact of Inferential Beliefs on Product Evaluations

Though most observers acknowledge that consumers make inferences among product attributes, the influence of such inferences on product evaluation is much less clear. Study respondents evaluated products for which information on one of two attributes was systematically omitted. A general model is built to estimate the directional effect of inferences on product evaluation. The effect of inferences to a missing attribute is statistically significant and in the expected direction. In one case, the marginal value of the remaining attribute (price) reverses in sign because of an inference. Thus, inferences are theoretically important and a potentially troublesome issue in the modeling and measurement of consumer choice processes.
Effect of carboxymethylcellulose and a hyaluronate-carboxymethylcellulose membrane on healing of intestinal anastomoses in horses.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of sodium carboxymethylcellulose (SCMC) or a hyaluronate-carboxymethylcellulose membrane (HA membrane) on healing of the small intestine in horses. ANIMALS 18 healthy adult horses. PROCEDURE Midline celiotomy and 2 jejunal resection-and-anastomosis surgeries were performed. In treated horses, SCMC (n = 6) or a HA membrane (6) was applied to the jejunum to cover the anastomosis. There were 6 untreated control horses. Horses were euthanatized 10 days after surgery. For each horse, 1 anastomosis was used for histologic examination, and the second was used to determine intestinal bursting strength. Intestinal bursting tension, serosal granulation tissue, serosal fibrin deposition, and width of the fibrous seal at the anastomosis were compared among groups. RESULTS 3 control horses had adhesions associated with the anastomosis, but none of the treated horses had adhesions associated with the anastomosis. Mean thickness of fibrin deposited on the serosal surfaces for the SCMC and HA-membrane groups was significantly less than that for control horses. Mean thickness of serosal granulation tissue, width of fibrous seal between inverted musculature, inflammatory cell infiltrate scores, and bursting tension did not differ significantly among groups. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Use of SCMC or application of a HA membrane to small intestinal anastomoses in horses resulted in fewer adhesions and decreased fibrin deposition, and it did not adversely affect anastomotic healing. In horses at increased risk for intra-abdominal adhesions, SCMC or application of HA membranes may decrease the frequency of adhesions without adversely affecting healing of small intestinal anastomoses.
Sensing of antibodies secreted by microfluidically trapped cells via extraordinary optical transmission through nanohole arrays

This work presents a multi-component chip that: (i) traps settling cells into poly(dimethyl siloxane) microwells; and (ii) senses the binding of antibodies to antigen immobilized onto a gold surface via the surface plasmon resonance shifts of milled nanohole arrays. We have previously detected the 17/9 antibodies secreted by ∼200 hybridoma cells/trap. This work demonstrates our system's current capabilities and limitations via a follow-up experiment using a reduced ∼5–20 hybridoma cells/trap density.
An Investigation of the Factors Affecting Land Use Changing of Agricultural Lands (Case Study: Rural Areas of Rasht Town- Iran)

Purpose: Now a day uncontrolled land use changing is one of the major challenges in agricultural section in Iran. Hence a big part of agricultural lands turned out of production cycle. Rasht County as one of prepared agricultural areas of Iran faces the same challenges. The main objective of this investigation was to recognize effective factors affecting land use changing in that area and to propose some proper solutions. Methodology: The study method was analytical and descriptive method which analyzed economic, social, and natural variables as effective factors on land use changing. In this study, 50 villages out of 294 ones in Rasht township which were located in both highlands and lowlands and experienced the largest land use changing during last decade were chosen on the basis of cluster sampling method. In every village some families were selected randomly on the basis of Morgan table hence 150 families were summarizing total population. Findings: Rasht Township has begun in recent years, especially from 1990. According to the satellite data, from 2003 to 2013, 35042 hectares of agricultural lands which were of the most prepared agricultural lands, and also 4832 hectares of forests and pastures have been changed. Effective factors on land use changing reviewed by economic variables framework (such as expensive agricultural inputs, low market price of agricultural productions, etc.), natural (such as topography, physical and biological degradation of soil, etc.) were analyzed. According to the results, the land use changing problem in this township is mostly affected by economic factors therefore when we recognized these factors we can provide suitable solutions. Research Limitation: The most important limitation in this study was the lack of detailed information and statistics of the amount of land use changing have done by the governmental organizations in Rasht County. Practical implications: No overall study of agricultural and forests land use changing in Rasht township was conducted using satellite data and analyzing effective factors like this study during recent decades. Original/Value: Innovation of this paper is that in recent decades by processing satellite images in two time periods and as well as analysis of the factors affecting the agricultural and forest land in the city of Rasht, comprehensive research has been done
Cognitive dysfunction in body dysmorphic disorder: new implications for nosological systems and neurobiological models

Introduction Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a debilitating disorder, characterized by obsessions and compulsions relating specifically to perceived appearance, and which has been newly classified within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders grouping. Until now, little research has been conducted into the cognitive profile of this disorder. Methods Participants with BDD (n=12) and participants without BDD (n=16) were tested using a computerized neurocognitive battery investigating attentional set-shifting (Intra/Extra Dimensional Set Shift Task), decision-making (Cambridge Gamble Task), motor response-inhibition (Stop-Signal Reaction Time Task), and affective processing (Affective Go-No Go Task). The groups were matched for age, IQ, and education. Results In comparison to controls, patients with BDD showed significantly impaired attentional set-shifting, abnormal decision-making, impaired response inhibition, and greater omission and commission errors on the emotional processing task. Conclusion Despite the modest sample size, our results showed that individuals with BDD performed poorly compared to healthy controls on tests of cognitive flexibility, reward and motor impulsivity, and affective processing. Results from separate studies in OCD patients suggest similar cognitive dysfunction. Therefore, these findings are consistent with the reclassification of BDD alongside OCD. These data also hint at additional areas of decision-making abnormalities that might contribute specifically to the psychopathology of BDD.
Efficacy and safety of simeprevir and sofosbuvir with and without ribavirin in subjects with recurrent genotype 1 hepatitis C postorthotopic liver transplant: the randomized GALAXY study

This prospective, randomized, phase 2 study in subjects with recurrent hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 postorthotopic liver transplant evaluated once‐daily simeprevir 150 mg + sofosbuvir 400 mg, with and without ribavirin 1000 mg. Primary endpoint was proportion of subjects with week 12 sustained virologic response (SVR12). Thirty‐three subjects without cirrhosis were randomized 1:1:1 into three arms (stratified by genotype/subtype and Q80K): Arm 1, simeprevir + sofosbuvir + ribavirin, 12 weeks; Arm 2, simeprevir + sofosbuvir, 12 weeks; Arm 3, simeprevir + sofosbuvir, 24 weeks; 13 additional subjects (two with cirrhosis, 11 without cirrhosis) entered Arm 3. All 46 subjects received at least one dose of study drug; median age, 60 years; 73.9% male; 80.4% White; 71.7% genotype/subtype 1a [12 (36.4%) of these had Q80K]; median 4.5 years post‐transplant. Among randomized subjects, SVR12 was achieved by 81.8% in Arm 1, 100% in Arm 2, and 93.9% in Arm 3; two subjects did not achieve SVR12: one viral relapse (follow‐up week 4; Arm 1) and one missing follow‐up week 12 data. In total, five subjects had a serious adverse event, considered unrelated to treatment per investigator. Simeprevir exposure was increased relative to the nontransplant setting, but not considered clinically relevant. Simeprevir + sofosbuvir treatment, with or without ribavirin, was efficacious and well tolerated (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02165189).
Treatment Adherence and Health Outcomes in MSM with HIV/AIDS: Patients Enrolled in “One-Stop” and Standard Care Clinics in Wuhan China

Background Conducted in Wuhan China, this study examined follow-up and health markers in HIV patients receiving care in two treatment settings. Participants, all men who have sex with men, were followed for18–24 months. Method Patients in a “one-stop” service (ACC; N = 89) vs those in standard care clinics (CDC; N = 243) were compared on HIV treatment and retention in care outcomes. Results Among patients with CD4 cell count ≦350 cells/µL, the proportion receiving cART did not differ across clinic groups. The ACC was favored across five other indicators: proportion receiving tests for CD4 cell count at the six-month interval (98.2% vs. 79.4%, 95% CI 13.3–24.3, p = 0.000), proportion with HIV suppression for patients receiving cART for 6 months (86.5% vs. 57.1%, 95% CI 14.1–44.7, p = 0.000), proportion with CD4 cell recovery for patients receiving cART for 12 months (55.8% vs. 22.2%, 95% CI 18.5–48.6, p = 0.000), median time from HIV confirmation to first test for CD4 cell count (7 days, 95% CI 4–8 vs. 10 days, 95% CI 9–12, log-rank p = 0.000) and median time from first CD4 cell count ≦350 cells/µL to cART initiation (26 days, 95% CI 16–37 vs. 41.5 days, 95% CI 35–46, log-rank p = 0.031). Clinic groups did not differ on any biomedical indicator at baseline, and no baseline biomedical or demographic variables remained significant in the multivariate analysis. Nonetheless, post-hoc analyses suggest the possibility of self-selection bias. Conclusions Study findings lend preliminary support to a one-stop patient-centered care model that may be useful across various HIV care settings.
Rose-Colored Answers: Neuropsychological Deficits and Patient-Reported Outcomes after Stroke

Patient-reported, subjective outcomes are promoted as a standard for ethical, valid studies in many neurological disorders. Such outcomes are considered potentially more sensitive and specific to important therapeutic effects, and may be more linked to disability and disease-related life losses than conventional assessments of impairment (e.g. ability to walk, performance on language tests, serological or radiological indices). Self-report is invaluable to identify social and emotional consequences of brain injury: depression, changes in intimate and family relationships, social role and community participation losses. However, common stroke-related neuropsychological deficits are likely to confound subjective stroke outcome measures. The scientific community focused on stroke-related health outcomes may arrive at significantly underestimated patient reports of stroke-related disability, caused by a failure to adjust for the effect on self-report of spatial neglect, deficits of magnitude estimation, pathologic alteration of self-awareness, and alteration in distributed cortical systems supporting emotional semantics and abstraction.
Dynamic equations x(Δm)(t) = f(t, x(t)) on time scales

Abstract In this paper we prove the existence of solutions and Carathéodory’s type solutions of the dynamic Cauchy problem x(Δm)(t)=f(t,x(t)), t∈T,x(0)=0,xΔ(0)=η1,…,x(Δ(m-1))(0)=ηm-1, η1,…ηm-1∈E, $$\matrix{\hfill {x^{(\Delta m)} (t)} & { = f(t,x(t)),\;\;\;\;\;t \in T,} \hfill \cr \hfill {x(0)} & { = 0,} \hfill \cr \hfill {x^\Delta (0)} & { = \eta _1 , \ldots ,x^{(\Delta (m - 1))} (0) = \eta _{m - 1} ,\;\;\;\;\eta _1 , \ldots \eta _{m - 1} \in E,} \hfill \cr } $$ where x(Δm) denotes a mth order Δ - derivative, T denotes an unbounded time scale (nonempty closed subset of R such that there exists a sequence (an) in T and an → ∞), E — a Banach space and f is a continuous function or satisfies Carathéodory’s conditions and some conditions expressed in terms of measures of noncompactness. The Sadovskii fixed point theorem and Ambrosetti’s lemma are used to prove the main result. As dynamic equations are an unification of differential and difference equations our result is also valid for differential and difference equations. The results presented in this paper are new not only for Banach valued functions but also for real valued functions.
A model of glomerular ultrafiltration in the rat.

DEEN, W. M. , C. R. ROBERTSON, AND B. M. BRENNER. A model of glomerular ultrajltration in the rat. Am. J. Physiol. 223(5) : 1178-l 183. 1972. -A mathematical model has been developed to investigate the influence of a number of physiological variables on the net driving pressure for ultrafiltration (PuF) in the rat glomerulus. The model was used to predict osmotic pressure differences as functions of distance along a glomerular capillary for a wide range of glomerular capillary plasma flow rates, membrane hydraulic permeabilities (k), and axial pressure drops; and these pressure profiles are consistent with recently reported experimental findings. When filtration pressure equilibrium is achieved, results obtained with the model indicate that estimates of PUF at the beginning and end of the glomerular capillary bed cannot be used to infer the correct magnitudes of the mean value of PUF or k in the normal rat. The results also indicate that changes in single-nephron glomerular filtration rate will vary in proportion to changes in plasma flow rate when filtration pressure equilibrium occurs.
Teaching urban youth about controversial issues: Pathways to becoming active and informed citizens

Although American schools are required to meet civic education goals of preparing students to become active and informed citizens, high-quality civic opportunities (e.g. service learning and volunteering) are consistently less available to youth of color who are typically enrolled in schools located in high-poverty communities. The purpose of this study is to evaluate efficacy of the Word Generation program to improve students’ self-reported civic engagement (N = 5798) in the context of a randomized trial that was conducted in several middle schools located in a West Coast metropolitan area of the United States. Word Generation is a cross-content literacy program that instructs students to learn academic words, which are embedded in brief passages covering a different controversial issue each week. Participants completed survey items on how often they helped their friends, community, and school, as well as voting interest. Results provide support for the primary research question – participation in the Word Generation program has a significant impact on students’ self-reported civic engagement, but not for voting interest. These results suggest that students’ opportunities to debate on social issues are crucial to envisioning oneself as an active participant in civic affairs.
Inward rectifier potassium currents in mammalian skeletal muscle fibres

This paper provides a comprehensive electrophysiological characterization of the external [K+] dependence and inward rectifying properties of Kir channels in fast skeletal muscle fibres of adult mice. Two isoforms of inward rectifier K channels (IKir2.1 and IKir2.2) are expressed in both the surface and the transverse tubular system (TTS) membranes of these fibres. Optical measurements demonstrate that Kir currents (IKir) affect the membrane potential changes in the TTS membranes, and result in a reduction in luminal [K+]. A model of the muscle fibre assuming that functional Kir channels are equally distributed between the surface and TTS membranes accounts for both the electrophysiological and the optical data. Model simulations demonstrate that the more than 70% of IKir arises from the TTS membranes. [K+] increases in the lumen of the TTS resulting from the activation of K delayed rectifier channels (Kv) lead to drastic enhancements of IKir, and to right‐shifts in their reversal potential. These changes are predicted by the model.
Human Coronavirus HKU1 Infection of Primary Human Type II Alveolar Epithelial Cells: Cytopathic Effects and Innate Immune Response

Because they are the natural target for respiratory pathogens, primary human respiratory epithelial cells provide the ideal in vitro system for isolation and study of human respiratory viruses, which display a high degree of cell, tissue, and host specificity. Human coronavirus HKU1, first discovered in 2005, has a worldwide prevalence and is associated with both upper and lower respiratory tract disease in both children and adults. Research on HCoV-HKU1 has been difficult because of its inability to be cultured on continuous cell lines and only recently it was isolated from clinical specimens using primary human, ciliated airway epithelial cells. Here we demonstrate that HCoV-HKU1 can infect and be serially propagated in primary human alveolar type II cells at the air-liquid interface. We were not able to infect alveolar type I-like cells or alveolar macrophages. Type II alveolar cells infected with HCoV-HKU1 demonstrated formation of large syncytium. At 72 hours post inoculation, HCoV-HKU1 infection of type II cells induced increased levels of mRNAs encoding IL29,CXCL10, CCL5, and IL-6 with no significant increases in the levels of IFNβ. These studies demonstrate that type II cells are a target cell for HCoV-HKU1 infection in the lower respiratory tract, that type II alveolar cells are immune-competent in response to infection exhibiting a type III interferon and proinflammatory chemokine response, and that cell to cell spread may be a major factor for spread of infection. Furthermore, these studies demonstrate that human alveolar cells can be used to isolate and study novel human respiratory viruses that cause lower respiratory tract disease.
Protein-Bound Uremic Toxin Profiling as a Tool to Optimize Hemodialysis

Aim We studied various hemodialysis strategies for the removal of protein-bound solutes, which are associated with cardiovascular damage. Methods This study included 10 patients on standard (3x4h/week) high-flux hemodialysis. Blood was collected at the dialyzer inlet and outlet at several time points during a midweek session. Total and free concentration of several protein-bound solutes was determined as well as urea concentration. Per solute, a two-compartment kinetic model was fitted to the measured concentrations, estimating plasmatic volume (V1), total distribution volume (Vtot) and intercompartment clearance (K21). This calibrated model was then used to calculate which hemodialysis strategy offers optimal removal. Our own in vivo data, with the strategy variables entered into the mathematical simulations, was then validated against independent data from two other clinical studies. Results Dialyzer clearance K, V1 and Vtot correlated inversely with percentage of protein binding. All Ks were different from each other. Of all protein-bound solutes, K21was 2.7–5.3 times lower than that of urea. Longer and/or more frequent dialysis that processed the same amount of blood per week as standard 3x4h dialysis at 300mL/min blood flow showed no difference in removal of strongly bound solutes. However, longer and/or more frequent dialysis strategies that processed more blood per week than standard dialysis were markedly more adequate. These conclusions were successfully validated. Conclusion When blood and dialysate flow per unit of time and type of hemodialyzer are kept the same, increasing the amount of processed blood per week by increasing frequency and/or duration of the sessions distinctly increases removal.