Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epidemiology and clinical consequences of occupational exposure to blood and other body fluids in a university hospital in Saudi Arabia

Objectives: To describe the epidemiological characteristics, clinical impact, and adequacy of post-exposure management of occupational exposure to blood and body fluids (BBFs). Methods: Retrospective chart review of individuals reporting exposure to BBFs from 2007 to 2013 at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Results: The total number of exposures reported was 326 exposures, of which 302 (92.6%) exposures were percutaneous, 21 (6.5%), mucocutaneous, and 3 (0.9%), bites. Nursing staff/students had the highest rate of exposure (149, or 45.6%), followed by physicians (57, or 17.5%). Surgeons were found to have a significantly higher risk for sharp injuries compared with other physicians (26.3%, or 15 exposures, p<0.005). Most (216, or 72.5%) percutaneous injuries were caused by hollow-bore needles. Majority of exposures (124, or 42.6%) occurred after using the needle/sharp item and before disposal. Two-thirds (219, or 67%) of exposed individuals were immune to hepatitis B at the time of exposure. With appropriate post-exposure management, none of exposed individuals seroconverted to HIV, hepatitis B or C virus infections. Conclusion: Occupational exposure to BBFs remains a concern among healthcare workers. Educational programs targeting high-risk groups entailing reinforcement of prevention and adherence to post-exposure management guidelines are needed.
Quality of life in patients with different types of functional constipation.

BACKGROUND Little information is available about the health-related quality of life (QoL) in patients with different types of chronic constipation. METHODS We used two self-administered questionnaires, the Psychological General Well-Being (PGWB) index and the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) to assess QoL and gastrointestinal symptoms in 102 consecutive patients with chronic constipation. The type of constipation was determined from transit time, electrophysiologic investigation of sphincter function, anorectal manometry, and defecography. RESULTS Overall, our patients with constipation reported low scores for general well-being (mean score, 85.5, compared with 102.9 in a healthy population). Patients with normal-transit constipation (n = 49) reported considerably lower scores in the PGWB than those with slow-transit constipation (n = 35). The symptoms increased frequency of defecation, loose stools, and urgent need for defecation were commoner in normal-transit constipation, which indicates that this group may have a relation to the irritable bowel syndrome. The overall PGWB index was strongly correlated with the total GSRS (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The general well-being of patients with chronic constipation is lower than that of a comparable normal population. Symptom severity correlates negatively with perceived quality of life.
Arterial uptake indices of low density lipoproteins after fatty streak formation in Cynomolgus monkeys.

To evaluate changes in arterial wall uptake of an atherogenic lipoprotein in early atherogenesis the uptake of labelled low density lipoprotein was measured in four segments of aorta in Cynomolgus monkeys with diet induced fatty streaks. The influx rate of low density lipoprotein was estimated from a simple kinetic model. The mean influx rate, expressed as plasma equivalents of tracer, was 69 nl.cm-2 per hour in fatty streak monkeys and 28 nl.cm-2 per hour in controls (p less than 0.001). Using additional assumptions, provisional estimates of the rates of apparent efflux were calculated. In fatty streak monkeys the mean apparent efflux rate, relative to the accumulation of tracer in the wall, did not differ significantly from the efflux rate in controls (8.7% per hour vs 7.9% per hour, p greater than 0.05). Thus intimal permeability to low density lipoprotein is increased at the fatty streak stage of lesion formation but apparent efflux may not be changed. The data fit the hypothesis that relative failure of efflux is a major cause of excess low density lipoprotein accumulation in the vessel wall in hypercholesterolaemia.
HMG CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) for dialysis patients.

BACKGROUND Cardiovascular disease accounts for more than half the number of deaths among dialysis patients. The role of HMG CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) in the treatment of dyslipidaemia in dialysis patients is unclear and their safety has not been established. OBJECTIVES To assess the benefits and harms of statins in peritoneal dialysis (PD) and haemodialysis patients (HD). SEARCH STRATEGY We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled trials (CENTRAL, in The Cochrane Library), the Cochrane Renal Group's specialised register and handsearched reference lists of textbooks, articles and scientific proceedings. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs comparing statins with placebo, no treatment or other hypolipidaemic agents in dialysis patients. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two authors independently assessed study quality and extracted data. Statistical analyses were performed using the random effects model after testing for heterogeneity. The results were expressed as mean difference (MD) for continuous outcomes and risk ratios (RR) for dichotomous outcomes with 95% confidence intervals (CI). MAIN RESULTS Fourteen studies (2086 patients) compared statins versus placebo or other lipid lowering agents. Compared to placebo, statins did not decrease all-cause mortality (10 studies, 1884 patients; RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.06) or cardiovascular mortality (9 studies, 1839 patients: RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.65 to 1.40). There was a lower incidence of nonfatal cardiovascular events with statins compared to placebo in haemodialysis patients (1 study, 1255 patients; RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.74 to 0.99). Compared with placebo, statin use was associated with a significantly lower end of treatment average total cholesterol (14 studies, 1823 patients; MD -42.61 mg/dL, 95% CI -53.38 to -31.84), LDL cholesterol (13 studies, 1801 patients; MD -43.06 mg/dL, 95% CI -53.78 to -32.35) and triglycerides (14 studies, 1823 patients: MD -24.01 mg/dL, 95% CI -47.29 to -0.72). There was similar occurrence of rhabdomyolysis and elevated liver function tests with statins in comparison to placebo. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Statins decreased cholesterol levels in dialysis patients similar to that of the general population. With the exception of one study, studies were of short duration and therefore the efficacy of statins in decreasing the mortality rate is still unclear. Statins appear to be safe in this high-risk population. Ongoing studies should provide more insight about the efficacy of statins in reducing mortality rates in dialysis patients.
High-Nutrition Biscuits to Increase Animal Protein in Diets of HIV-Infected Kenyan Women and Their Children: A Study in Progress

Background. Preliminary evidence suggests that improved nutrition early in HIV infection may delay progression to AIDS and delay the initiation or improve the effectiveness of antiretroviral drug therapy. There are few studies that evaluate food-based interventions in drug-naïve, HIV-infected women and their children. Meat provides several nutrients identified as important in maintaining immune function and lean body mass. Objective. To design supplemental meat and soybean biscuits for use in a randomized trial examining the effect of meat in the diet of drug-naïve, HIV-infected rural Kenyan women on changes in weight, lean body mass, morbidity, nutritional status, and activities of daily living of the women and growth and development of their children. Methods. We designed three supplemental biscuits: one with added dried beef, another with added soybean flour, and a wheat biscuit to serve as a control biscuit to be used in a randomized feeding intervention in drug-naïve, HIV-infected rural Kenyan women and their children. The nutritional contents of the different types of biscuit were examined and compared. Results. The three biscuits were isocaloric. Meat biscuits provided more lysine, vitamin B12, and bioavailable zinc. Soybean biscuits provided more total and absorbable iron; however, higher fiber and phytate contents may inhibit nutrient absorption. Data analysis for clinical outcomes of the trial is ongoing. Conclusions. The “biscuit model” is useful for nutrition supplementation studies because it can be provided in a blinded and randomized fashion, safely and privately in a home under directly observed consumption by a highly stigmatized population. It is well received by adults and children, and the biscuits can be produced locally with available, simple, affordable technology.
TERT promoter mutations predict worse survival in laryngeal cancer patients

1 Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Xi’an 710061, People’s Republic of China 2 Department of Otolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Xi’an 710061, People’s Republic of China 3 Center for Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Xi’an 710061, People’s Republic of China
Influence of the tilt angle of Percutaneous Aortic Prosthesis on Velocity and Shear Stress Fields

Background Due to the nature of the percutaneous prosthesis deployment process, a variation in its final position is expected. Prosthetic valve placement will define the spatial location of its effective orifice in relation to the aortic annulus. The blood flow pattern in the ascending aorta is related to the aortic remodeling process, and depends on the spatial location of the effective orifice. The hemodynamic effect of small variations in the angle of inclination of the effective orifice has not been studied in detail. Objective To implement an in vitro simulation to characterize the hydrodynamic blood flow pattern associated with small variations in the effective orifice inclination. Methods A three-dimensional aortic phantom was constructed, reproducing the anatomy of one patient submitted to percutaneous aortic valve implantation. Flow analysis was performed by use of the Particle Image Velocimetry technique. The flow pattern in the ascending aorta was characterized for six flow rate levels. In addition, six angles of inclination of the effective orifice were assessed. Results The effective orifice at the -4º and -2º angles directed the main flow towards the anterior wall of the aortic model, inducing asymmetric and high shear stress in that region. However, the effective orifice at the +3º and +5º angles mimics the physiological pattern, centralizing the main flow and promoting a symmetric distribution of shear stress. Conclusion The measurements performed suggest that small changes in the angle of inclination of the percutaneous prosthesis aid in the generation of a physiological hemodynamic pattern, and can contribute to reduce aortic remodeling.
Dynamics of mortality in protected populations

Demographic data and recent experiments verify earlier predictions that mortality has short (few percent of the life span) memory of the previous life history, may be significantly decreased, reset to its value at a much younger age, and (until certain age) eliminated. Such mortality dynamics is demonstrated to be characteristic only of evolutionary unprecedented protected populations. When conditions improve, their mortality decreases stepwise. At crossovers the rate of decrease rapidly changes. The crossovers manifest the edges of the stairs in the universal ladder of rapid mortality adjustment to changing conditions. Mortality is dominated by the established universal law which reduces it to few biologically explicit parameters and which is verified with human and fly mortality data. Specific experiments to test universality of the law for other animals, and to unravel the mechanism of stepwise life extension, are suggested.
Understanding Neural Networks via Rule Extraction

Although backpropagation neural networks generally predict better than decision trees do for pattern classification problems, they are often regarded as black boxes, i.e., their predictions are not as interpretable as those of decision trees. This paper argues that this is because there has been no proper technique that enables us to do so. With an algorithm that can extract rules, by drawing parallels with those of decision trees, we show that the predictions of a network can be explained via rules extracted from it, thereby, the network can be understood. Experiments demonstrate that rules extracted from neural networks are comparable with those of decision trees in terms of predictive accuracy, number of rules and average number of conditions for a rule; they preserve high predictive accuracy of original networks.
Fast and Accurate Image Matching with Cascade Hashing for 3D Reconstruction

Image matching is one of the most challenging stages in 3D reconstruction, which usually occupies half of computational cost and inaccurate matching may lead to failure of reconstruction. Therefore, fast and accurate image matching is very crucial for 3D reconstruction. In this paper, we proposed a Cascade Hashing strategy to speed up the image matching. In order to accelerate the image matching, the proposed Cascade Hashing method is designed to be three-layer structure: hashing lookup, hashing remapping, and hashing ranking. Each layer adopts different measures and filtering strategies, which is demonstrated to be less sensitive to noise. Extensive experiments show that image matching can be accelerated by our approach in hundreds times than brute force matching, even achieves ten times or more than Kd-tree based matching while retaining comparable accuracy.
The burden of adverse events during treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis in Namibia

Objective:Namibia faces a dual burden of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB). In 2010, HIV prevalence was 18.8%, the TB case notification rate was 634 cases per 100,000 population and the TB/HIV co-infection rate was 58%. There were 372 cases of drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) in 2009. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence, profile and outcome of adverse events (AEs) associated with treatment of DR-TB and to explore possible influences of HIV disease on the occurrence of adverse events. Methods:This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. After ethical approval, data were collected from treatment records of all patients treated for DR-TB at the study facility between January 2008 and February 2010 using a structured data collection form. Results: A total of 141 adverse events of varying severity were experienced in 90% (53/59) of patients.The TB/HIV co-infection rate was 53% (n=31). The prevalence of gastrointestinal tract adverse events (abdominal pains, constipation, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting) was 64%, tinnitus 45%, joint pain 28%and decreased hearing 25%. Abdominal pains, rash, nausea, decreased hearing and joint pain were more common in HIV infected than in HIV uninfected patients. Conclusions:Adverse events of varying severity are common during treatment of DR-TB, particularly in the intensive phase of therapy. Some adverse events were more prevalent in DR-TB patients co-infected with HIV. The study concludes that the characteristics and risk factors of serious adverse events should be further examined.
Brain morphology, dopamine, and eye-tracking abnormalities in first-episode schizophrenia. Prevalence and clinical correlates.

OBJECTIVE To characterize the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and to identify biologic markers in first-episode patients with no or little prior treatment exposure. DESIGN Prospective study of an inception cohort. SETTING Psychiatric division of an academic medical center with a suburban metropolitan catchment area. PATIENTS 70 patients in their first episode of schizophrenia (77%) or schizoaffective disorder (23%) with no (70%) or limited prior neuroleptic exposure (30%), and 50 healthy volunteer control subjects. ASSESSMENT MEASURES: Demographic and clinical evaluations of natural history and psychopathology; methylphenidate hydrochloride and apomorphine hydrochloride stimulation tests as measures of central nervous system dopamine activity; brain magnetic resonance imaging; eye-tracking examinations. RESULTS Preliminary analyses demonstrate that pathobiologic features previously identified in heterogeneous and primarily chronically ill patients are also present in subgroups during their first episode. These include psychotogenic response to methylphenidate (59%), abnormal growth hormone (GH) secretion (50%), abnormal brain morphology (31%), and eye-tracking dysfunction (51%). An association of pathobiologic variables with increased symptom severity and earlier age of onset was observed but not statistically significant. The strongest associations among biologic variables were for the following: GH secretion and psychotogenic response to methylphenidate, which may reflect increased dopamine agonist neural activity; decreased GH response to apomorphine and third-ventricle enlargement, which may represent a neuropathologic correlate of anterior pituitary abnormalities; and morphologic abnormalities of the medial temporal lobe and third ventricle were associated with normal eye tracking, suggesting that these pathobiologic features are mediated by distinct processes. CONCLUSIONS These phenomena appear to be a consequence of the disease rather than the effects of chronicity, drug treatment, or institutionalization. It remains to be determined if these biologic phenomena will remain stable over time or change with disease progression. A companion article examines the clinical significance of these findings.
“Lattice Cut” - Constructing superpixels using layer constraints

Unsupervised over-segmentation of an image into super-pixels is a common preprocessing step for image parsing algorithms. Superpixels are used as both regions of support for feature vectors and as a starting point for the final segmentation. Recent algorithms that construct superpixels that conform to a regular grid (or superpixel lattice) have used greedy solutions. In this paper we show that we can construct a globally optimal solution in either the horizontal or vertical direction using a single graph cut. The solution takes into account both edges in the image, and the coherence of the resulting superpixel regions. We show that our method outperforms existing algorithms for computing superpixel lattices. Additionally, we show that performance can be comparable or better than other contemporary segmentation algorithms which are not constrained to produce a lattice.
Human Factors : The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society

can be found at: Society Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Additional services and information for http://hfs.sagepub. com/cgi/alerts Email Alerts: http://hfs.sagepub. com/subscriptions Subscriptions: http://www.sagepub. com/journalsReprints.nav Reprints: http://www.sagepub. com/journalsPermissions.nav Permissions: http://hfs.sagepub. com/content/51/1/90.refs.html Citations:
Two pregnancy cases of uterine scar dehiscence after laparoscopic myomectomy

Uterine scar dehiscence following laparoscopic myomectomy rarely occurs but can compromise both maternal and fetal well-being in subsequent pregnancy. We here present two cases of pregnancy complicated by preterm birth that resulted from uterine scar dehiscence following laparoscopic myomectomy. First case was a nulligravida who had scar dehiscence at 26 weeks of gestation after having a laparoscopic myomectomy 3 months prior to conception. Two weeks later, we observed her fetal leg protruding through the defect. The other case was a primigravida with a history of prior cesarean delivery, whose sonography revealed myomectomy scar dehiscence at 31 weeks of gestation. Within a few hours after observing, the patient complained of abdominal pain that was aggravating as fetal leg protruded through the defect. In both cases, babies were born by emergency cesarean section. Conservative management can be one of treatment options for myomectomy scar dehiscence in preterm pregnancy. However, clinicians should always be aware of the possibility of obstetric emergencies.
The Quality of Life in Pregnant Women Conceiving Through in Vitro Fertilization

Abstract Objective The aim was to determine whether pregnant women conceiving through in vitro fertilization (IVF) differ from those conceiving spontaneously in terms of psychological well-being and the quality of life. Methods In a prospective study we included 75 women conceived after IVF and 78 who conceived spontaneously in the same time period (control group). All the women were sent a self-report questionnaire about demographic and reproductive history, health, pregnancy concerns, containing Subjective Quality of Life Scale (QLS), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWB), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Zung Self-Assessment Anxiety Scale (SAS); obstetric and newborn’s data were obtained from medical records. Response rate was 66.6% in the IVF and 83.3% in control group. Results The mean women’s age was 33.8 years in the IVF, and 32.5 years in the control group (NS). There were no significant differences between groups on the most of the outcome measures assessing psychological status. IVF mothers were just less satisfied in “friend/acquaintances” (P=0.03), a higher percentage had sexual problems prior to conception (P=0.03); the length of hospitalization during pregnancy was longer (P=0.02), and the preterm delivery rate was higher (P=0.01). Withingroup changes over gestation time indicated that IVF women, not controls, showed an increase in positive affect (P=0.04) and purpose in life (P=0.05). Conclusions IVF women are inclined to social isolation. Despite more medical problems during pregnancy, they reported improved positive emotions and purpose in life as the pregnancy progressed.
FGF‐2 enhances the mitotic and chondrogenic potentials of human adult bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) expanded with and without fibroblast growth factor (FGF) supplementation were compared with respect to their proliferation rate, ability to differentiate along the chondrogenic pathway in vitro, and their gene expression profiles. hMSCs expanded in FGF‐supplemented medium were smaller and proliferated more rapidly than hMSCs expanded in control conditions. Chondrogenic cultures made with FGF‐treated cells were larger and contain more proteoglycan than those made with control cells. Furthermore, aggregates of FGF‐treated cells lacked the collagen type I‐positive and collagen type II‐negative outer layer characteristic of aggregates of control cells. A total of 358 unique transcripts were differentially expressed in FGF‐treated hMSCs. Of these, 150 were upregulated and 208 downregulated. Seventeen percent of these genes affect proliferation. Known genes associated with cellular signaling functions comprised the largest percentage (∼20%) of differentially expressed transcripts. Eighty percent of differentially expressed extracellular matrix‐related genes were downregulated. The present findings that FGF‐2 enhances proliferation and differentiation of hMSCs adds to a growing body of evidence that cytokines modulate the differentiation potential and, perhaps, the multipotentiality of adult stem cells. With the generation of gene expression profiles of FGF‐treated and control cells we have taken the first steps in the elucidation of the molecular mechanism(s) behind these phenomena. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.