Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long-Lasting Insecticide Net Ownership, Access and Use in Southwest Ethiopia: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: A large proportion of the Ethiopian population (approximately 68%) lives in malaria risk areas. Millions of long-lasting insecticide treated nets (LLINs) have been distributed as part of the malaria prevention and control strategy in the country. This study assessed the ownership, access and use of LLNs in the malaria endemic southwest Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in southwest Ethiopia during October–November 2015, including 836 households from sixteen villages around Gilgel-Gibe dam area. Indicators of ownership, access and use of LLINs were derived following the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) guidelines. Factors associated with failure for both LLIN access and use were analysed at household level using a multivariate logistic regression model. Results: The proportion of households with at least one LLIN was 82.7% (95% CI: 80.0, 85.1). However, only 68.9% (95% CI: 65.6, 71.9) had enough LLINs to cover all family members (with ≥one LLIN for every two persons). While 75.3% (95% CI: 68.4, 83.0) of the population was estimated to have accessed to LLINs, only 63.8% (95% CI: 62.3, 65.2) reported to have used a LLIN the previous night. The intra-household gap (i.e., households owning at least one LLIN, but unable to cover all family members) and the behavioral gap (i.e., household members who did not sleep under a LLIN despite having access to one) were 16.8% and 10.5%, respectively. Age, marital status and education of household heads, as well as household size and cooking using firewood were associated with the access to enough LLINs within households. Decreased access to LLINs at households was the main determinant for not achieving ≥80% household members sleeping under a LLIN the previous night. Other associated factors were household size and education level of household head. Conclusions: LLIN coverage levels in study villages remain below national targets of 100% for ownership and 80% for use. The access to enough LLINs within the households is the main restriction of LLIN use in the study area.
Heat shock (stress) proteins and gamma delta T lymphocytes in oral lichen planus.

OBJECTIVE Heat shock proteins (Hsps), a highly conserved class of protective cellular proteins that are produced under various conditions of environmental challenge, have been implicated as the antigenic stimulus in autoimmune diseases. Because lichen planus (LP) appears to be an autoimmune or hyperimmune condition (mediated by T cells), Hsps may have a role in the pathogenesis of this disease. We believe that if keratinocyte Hsps are antigenic targets of a cellular immune response, upregulation of these proteins should be demonstrable in tissue sections. STUDY DESIGN Immunohistochemistry was used to evaluate expression of several families of Hsps in oral lichen planus tissues. The number and distribution of gamma delta T cells, a subset of T lymphocytes with an immune surveillance function that may contribute to autoimmunity, were also evaluated. Monoclonal antibodies to Hsps 27, 60, 70, 90, gamma delta receptor, and CD3 (pan-T lymphocyte marker) were incubated with frozen sections of LP (n = 22) and normal oral mucosa (n = 17) followed by an avidin-biotin-peroxidase labeling method. Antibodies to bacterial Hsps (GroEL and DnaK) were used as negative controls, and antibody to constitutive eukaryotic Hsp (Hsc70) was used as a positive control. RESULTS In six cases of LP, basal keratinocytes stained intensely for Hsp27, whereas controls showed only slight staining. Otherwise LP and normal tissues showed comparable positive staining of upper level keratinocytes with anti-Hsp27. Subjective increases in antibody staining were noted for Hsp60 in LP, which was due in part to staining of infiltrating lymphocytes and in part to keratinocyte expression. Normal tissues showed weak basal cell antibody staining for Hsp60. Hsp70 staining was observed at a less intense level in LP than in controls. Except for more intense basement membrane staining with anti-Hsp90 antibody in gingiva and palate, no differences in the occurrence of this protein were found. Absolute numbers of gamma delta T cells were increased in LP when compared with those in control specimens (n = 10 vs n = 1, respectively, per high-power field). However, gamma delta T cells represented less than 1% of the CD3+ lymphocytes. CONCLUSIONS It was concluded that normal oral mucosa expresses Hsps 27, 60, 70, and 90 and contains few gamma delta T cells. Although the expression of Hsps was altered in LP, the differences demonstrated were slight and were therefore inconclusive. The Hsps expressed in LP could have contributed to the persistence or chronicity of the disease, or they could have simply reflected cellular injury.
Comparative Effectiveness of Second Vasoactive Agents in Septic Shock Refractory to Norepinephrine

Objective: We aim to identify the appropriate vasoactive agent in patients with septic shock who are refractory to optimal doses of norepinephrine. Methods: In this retrospective observational cohort study over a 4-year period, patients who received norepinephrine within 24 hours of ICU admission and a second agent within 48 hours were enrolled. Results: Among 2640 patients screened, 234 patients were enrolled, aged 60.8 ± 17.8 years, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IV 98.3 ± 27.5, 81.6% mechanically ventilated, and 65.8% in-hospital mortality. Within 96 hours, 2.8 ± 1.0 vasoactive agents were administered. Fifty, 50, 66, and 68 patients received dobutamine, dopamine, phenylephrine, and vasopressin as the second agent, with crude in-hospital mortality 40.0%, 66.0%, 74.2%, and 76.5%, respectively, P < . 001. Survival analysis showed a statistically significant difference in survival time by second vasoactive agent, P < . 001. After adjusting for confounding variables, dobutamine showed significant decreased odds ratio (OR) for mortality compared to vasopressin: OR 0.34 (95% confidence interval 0.14-0.84, P = .04). The relative risk of dying was 55.8% lower in patients receiving dobutamine versus vasopressin, P < . 01. Conclusion: Dobutamine is associated with decreased mortality compared to other second vasoactive agents in septic shock when norepinephrine is not sufficient. A prospective randomized trial examining the outcome impact of the second vasoactive agent is needed.
Clinical Decision Support Systems: A Review on Knowledge Representation and Inference Under Uncertainties

This paper provides a literature review in clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) with a focus on the way knowledge bases are constructed, and how inference mechanisms and group decision making methods are used in CDSSs. Particular attention is paid to the uncertainty handling capability of the commonly used knowledge representation and inference schemes. The definition of what constitute good CDSSs and how they can be evaluated and validated are also considered. Some future research directions for handling uncertainties in CDSSs are proposed.
Degradation of magnetic properties of non-oriented silicon iron sheets due to different cutting technologies

The magnetic properties of non-oriented silicon iron alloys are strongly influenced by the cutting technology. Medium quality electrical steel M800-65A samples were cut through mechanical punching, laser, water jet and electro erosion technologies and were characterized with an industrial Single Strip Tester at the peak magnetic polarizations Jp of 0.5, 1 and 1.5 T, in the frequency range starting from 10 Hz to 200 Hz. The influence of the cutting technology on the energy losses and magnetic permeability was investigated.
Baseline characteristics of the 3096 patients recruited into the ‘Triple Antiplatelets for Reducing Dependency after Ischemic Stroke’ trial

Background The risk of recurrence following ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack is highest immediately after the event. Antiplatelet agents are effective in reducing the risk of recurrence and two agents are superior to one in the early phase after ictus. Design The triple antiplatelets for reducing dependency after ischemic stroke trial was an international multicenter prospective randomized open-label blinded-endpoint trial that assessed the safety and efficacy of short-term intensive antiplatelet therapy with three agents (combined aspirin, clopidogrel and dipyridamole) as compared with guideline treatment in acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack. The primary outcome was stroke recurrence and its severity, measured using the modified Rankin Scale at 90 days. Secondary outcomes included recurrent vascular events, functional measures (cognition, disability, mood, quality of life), and safety (bleeding, death, serious adverse events). Data are number (%) or mean (standard deviation, SD). Results Recruitment ran from April 2009 to March 2016; 3096 patients were recruited from 106 sites in four countries (Denmark 1.6%, Georgia 2.7%, New Zealand 0.2%, UK 95.4%). Randomization characteristics included: age 69.0 (10.1) years; male 1945 (62.8%); time onset to randomization 29.4 (11.9) h; stroke severity (National Institutes for Health Stroke Scale) 2.8 (3.6); blood pressure 143.5 (18.2)/79.5 (11.4) mmHg; IS 2143 (69.2%), transient ischemic attack 953 (30.8%). Conclusion Triple antiplatelets for reducing dependency after ischemic stroke was a large trial of intensive/triple antiplatelet therapy in acute ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack, and included participants from four predominantly Caucasian countries who were representative of patients in many western stroke services.
Comparative Effectiveness of Rituximab and Other Initial Treatment Choices for Multiple Sclerosis

Importance Comparative real-world effectiveness studies of initial disease-modifying treatment (DMT) choices for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) that include rituximab are lacking. Objective To assess the effectiveness and drug discontinuation rates of rituximab among patients with newly diagnosed RRMS compared with injectable DMTs, dimethyl fumarate, fingolimod, or natalizumab. Design, Setting, and Patients This retrospective cohort study used prospectively collected data to examine specialized care of 2 Swedish county–based community samples of patients with RRMS. Patients with RRMS who received diagnoses from January 1, 2012, to October 31, 2015, who resided in Stockholm or Västerbotten Counties were identified from a Swedish multiple sclerosis registry. Main Outcomes and Measures All reasons for drug discontinuation of initial treatment choice (main outcome) and specific reasons for switching (secondary outcomes) were analyzed with multivariable Cox regression, including propensity scores. Results Among 494 patients (median [interquartile range] age, 34.4 [27.4-43.4] years; 158 men [32.0%]), 215 received an injectable DMT (43.5%); 86 (17.4%), dimethyl fumarate; 17 (3.4%), fingolimod; 50 (10.1%), natalizumab; 120 (24.3%), rituximab; and 6 (1.2%), other DMT. Regional preferences were pronounced, with 42 of 52 (81%) and 78 of 442 (18%) receiving rituximab in Västerbotten and Stockholm, respectively. The annual discontinuation rate for rituximab, injectable DMTs, dimethyl fumarate, fingolimod, and natalizumab were 0.03, 0.53, 0.32, 0.38, and 0.29, respectively. Continued disease activity was the main reason for discontinuation of injectable DMTs, dimethyl fumarate, and fingolimod; positive John Cunningham virus serology results were the main reason for discontinuation of natalizumab. Rate of clinical relapses and/or neuroradiologic disease activity were significantly lower for rituximab compared with injectable DMTs and dimethyl fumarate, with a tendency for lower relapse rates also compared with natalizumab and fingolimod. The annual discontinuation rate of initial treatment choice was significantly lower in Västerbotten compared with Stockholm (0.09 and 0.37, respectively). Conclusions and Relevance Rituximab was superior to all other DMT in terms of drug discontinuation and displayed better clinical efficacy compared with injectable DMTs and dimethyl fumarate with borderline significance compared with natalizumab and fingolimod. The county where rituximab constituted the main initial treatment choice displayed better outcomes in most measured variables. Collectively, our findings suggest that rituximab performs better than other commonly used DMTs in patients with newly diagnosed RRMS.
CD151-α3β1 integrin complexes suppress ovarian tumor growth by repressing slug-mediated EMT and canonical Wnt signaling

Human ovarian cancer is diagnosed in the late, metastatic stages but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We report a surprising functional link between CD151-α3β1 integrin complexes and the malignancy of serous-type ovarian cancer. Analyses of clinical specimens indicate that CD151 expression is significantly reduced or diminished in 90% of metastatic lesions, while it remains detectable in 58% of primary tumors. These observations suggest a putative tumor-suppressing role of CD151 in ovarian cancer. Indeed, our analyses show that knocking down CD151 or α3 integrin enhances tumor cell proliferation, growth and ascites production in nude mice. These changes are accompanied by impaired cell-cell contacts and aberrant expression of E-cadherin, Mucin 5AC and fibronectin, largely reminiscent of an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like change. Importantly, Slug, a master regulator of EMT, is markedly elevated. Knocking down Slug partially restores CD151-α3β1 integrin complex-dependent suppression of cell proliferation. Moreover, disruption of these adhesion protein complexes is accompanied by a concomitant activation of canonical Wnt signaling, including elevated levels of β-catenin and Axin-2 as well as resistance to the inhibition in β-catenin-dependent transcriptional complexes. Together, our study demonstrates that CD151-α3β1 integrin complexes regulate ovarian tumor growth by repressing Slug-mediated EMT and Wnt signaling.
Dietary Polyamine Intake and Polyamines Measured in Urine

Dietary polyamines have recently been associated with increased risk of pre-malignant colorectal lesions. Because polyamines are synthesized in cells and taken up from dietary sources, development of a biomarker of exposure is challenging. Excess polyamines are primarily excreted in the urine. This pilot study seeks to identify dietary correlates of excreted urinary polyamines as putative biomarkers of exposure. Dietary polyamines/other nutrients were estimated from a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and correlated with urinary levels of acetylated polyamines in 36 men using 24-h urine samples. Polyamines, abundant in cheese and citrus, were highly positively correlated with urinary N8-acetylspermidine (correlation coefficient; r = 0.37, P = 0.03), but this correlation was attenuated after adjustment for total energy intake (r = 0.07, P = 0.68). Dietary energy intake itself was positively correlated with urinary total acetylated polyamine output (r = .40, P = 0.02). In energy-adjusted analyses, folic acid and folate from food were associated with urinary N1,N12-diacetylspermine (r = 0.34, P = 0.05 and r = −0.39, P = 0.02, respectively). Red meat negatively correlated with total urinary acetylated polyamines (r = −0.42, P = 0.01). Our findings suggest that energy, folate, folic acid, saturated fat, and red meat intake, as opposed to FFQ-estimated dietary polyamines, are correlated with urinary polyamines.
The impact of screening on short-term outcome after surgery for colorectal cancer.

AIM To investigate the influence of a screening program on the short-term outcome of patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer. METHODS Between April 2010 and December 2012 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer via the screening program (n = 80) were compared with patients diagnosed elsewhere (n = 106). Only patients of ≥ 50 and ≤ 69 years of age diagnosed outside the program were selected as controls. The clinical variables included age, sex, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) status, Charlson index, preoperative hemoglobin and serum albumin levels, surgical approach, tumor location and stage, perioperative transfusion and postoperative morbidity. A multivariate analysis was used to identify variables independently associated with outcome. RESULTS There were no significant differences with regard to age, sex and ASA status. Preoperative hemoglobin (14.1 ± 1.6 g/dl vs 12.3 ± 2.3 g/dl; p < 0.001) and serum albumin (4.45 ± 0.26 g/dl vs 4.0 ± 0.6 g/dl; p < 0.001) levels were significantly higher in the screening group. The overall morbidity was significantly lower in the screening group (38.8% vs 63.2; p < 0.001) and mainly related to a higher rate of Clavien-Dindo grade II complications in controls. There were no differences with regard to wound infection, postoperative ileus, anastomotic leakage or reoperations. The median length of hospital stay was shorter in the screening group (6 vs 9 days; p = 0.003). Multivariate analysis showed that diagnosis outside the screening program, type of surgical procedure, open surgery and Charlson index were independent risk factors for postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS The diagnosis of colorectal cancer via the screening program is associated with a lower rate of postoperative minor complications and a shorter hospital stay.
Long‐term results of the phase II trial of the oral mTOR inhibitor everolimus (RAD001) in relapsed or refractory Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia

Everolimus is an oral raptor mTOR inhibitor and has shown activity in patients with Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM). This study examines a large cohort of patients with relapsed/refractory WM with long‐term follow up for survival. Patients were eligible if they had measurable disease, a platelet count >75,000 × 106/L, an absolute neutrophil count >1,000 × 106/L. Patients received everolimus 10 mg PO daily and were evaluated monthly. A success was defined as a complete or partial response (PR); minor responses (MR) were recorded and considered to be of clinical benefit. Sixty patients were enrolled and treated. The overall response rate (ORR) was 50% (all PR); the clinical benefit rate including MR or better was 73% (95% CI: 60–84%) with 23% MR. The median time to response for patients who achieved PR was 2 months (range, 1–26). The median duration of response has not been reached and median progression‐free survival (PFS) was 21 months. Grade 3 or higher toxicities (at least possibly related to everolimus) were observed in 67% of patients. The most common grade 3 or 4 toxicities were anemia (27%), leukopenia (22%), and thrombocytopenia (20%). Other nonhematological toxicities were diarrhea (5%), fatigue (8%), stomatitis (8%) and pulmonary toxicity (5%). Everolimus has a high single‐agent activity of 73% including MR, with a progression free survival of 21 months, indicating that this agent is active in relapsed/refractory WM. Am. J. Hematol. 89:237–242, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc
Effects of Saffron on Cognition, Anxiety, and Depression in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVES Cognitive decline, depression, and anxiety are among the major concerns in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Crocus sativus L. (saffron) seems to be a promising candidate for treatment of these conditions. DESIGN In this 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, men and women with on-pump CABG, who had Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) score >70 and age <70 years, received either saffron capsules (15 mg/twice daily) or placebo. Patients were excluded if they had history of treatment with saffron or acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, comorbid neuropsychiatric disorders, serious medical conditions other than cardiovascular diseases, and hypersensitivity to herbal compounds. The primary outcome was defined as the difference in mean total score changes for WMS-Revised from the baseline to week 12 between the saffron and placebo groups. Secondary outcomes included difference in mean score changes from baseline to endpoint between the two treatment groups for Mini Mental Status Examination and subscales of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale ( www.irct.ir ; IRCT201408071556N63). RESULTS No significant difference was detected in primary or secondary outcomes between the saffron and placebo groups. Also, no significant time × treatment interaction effect was found for any of the scales. CONCLUSIONS The results of this trial do not support the hypothesis of potential benefits of saffron in treatment of CABG-related neuropsychiatric conditions.
Effect of potassium hydroxide activation in the desulfurization process of activated carbon prepared by sewage sludge and corn straw

ABSTRACT Series sludge straw–based activated carbons were prepared by sewage sludge and corn straw with potassium hydroxide (KOH) activation, and the desulfurization performance of activated carbons was studied. To obtain the best desulfurization performance, the optimum ratio between the raw materials and the activator was investigated. The results showed that when the mass ratio of sewage sludge, corn straw, and KOH was 3:7:2, the activated carbon obtained the best breakthrough and saturation sulfur sorption capacities, which were 12.38 and 5.74 times, respectively, those of samples prepared by the nonactivated raw materials. The appropriate KOH could improve the microporosity and alkaline groups, meanwhile reducing the lactone groups, which were all beneficial to desulfurization performance. The chemical adsorption process of desulfurization can be simplified to four main steps, and the main desulfurization products are elemental sulfur and sulfate. Implications: Sewage sludge (SS) and corn straw (CS) both have great production and wide distribution and are readily available in China. Much attention has been paid on how to deal with them effectively. Based on the environment protection idea of waste treatment with waste and resource recycling, low-cost adsorbents were prepared by these processes. The proposed method can be expanded to the municipal solid waste recycling programs and renewable energy plan. Thus, proceeding with the study of preparing activated carbon by SS and straw as a carbon-based dry desulfurization agent could obtain huge social, economic, and environmental benefits.
Regularized Trace Ratio Discriminant Analysis with Patch Distribution Feature for human gait recognition

We propose a new dimension reduction algorithm in combination with the Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) based Patch Distribution Feature for human gait recognition. Instead of representing each average silhouette image as its gray-level feature, we first extract local patch features at every pixel of the average silhouette image and train a GMM to describe the distribution of the patches in each image. A Universal Background Model (UBM) is first trained with local patch features from all gallery images, then every gallery or probe image is represented by the distribution parameters (referred to as Patch Distribution Features (PDF)) of the image-specific GMM adapted from the UBM. To cope with the high dimension of the PDF feature, the Regularized Trace Ratio Discriminant Analysis (RTRDA) is developed to find the most discriminant subspaces for gait recognition. Experiments on USF humanID database show that RTRDA significantly outperforms the existing algorithms and achieves the best recognition results among all the previous works on USF humanID database in terms of average rank-1 recognition rate.