Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Posterior-only Stabilization for Traumatic Thoracolumbar Burst Fractures

Background No consensus exists for the management of unstable thoracolumbar (TL) burst fractures. Surgical options include anterior, lateral, or posterior stabilization (or a combination), depending on the fracture. The potential benefits of anterior reconstruction come with increased operative time and associated morbidity. A posterior-only approach can offer stable correction without increased operative risks but may result in loss of kyphotic correction over time. Purpose To determine whether posterior-only stabilization is a viable treatment option for patients with traumatic TL fractures as opposed to anterior and combined approaches. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of adult patients with TL burst fractures who underwent posterior-only surgical intervention from 2005 to 2015. Operations were performed at two levels above and below the fractured segment using pedicle screw-rod fixation constructs with autograft and allograft. All patients received TL bracing for at least three months. Patients lost to followup were excluded. Results Sixty-four consecutive patients with posterior-only stabilization were identified, with 18 lost to followup. Of the remaining 46 patients, 93% (n=43) were male and 7% (n=3) were female, with a mean age of 36.8 years. All patients were followed for 12 months. The mean time until the removal of the brace was 3.54 months. No patients required additional surgical intervention for spinal stabilization. Three patients experienced postoperative complications, all of which were related to infection. Conclusions Our data indicate that posterior-only stabilization for traumatic TL burst fractures is a durable and effective option in select patients. The approach offers surgical intervention with a decreased perioperative risk as well as reduced morbidity and mortality, with a minimal increase in the risk of kyphotic deformity. Further prospective studies are necessary to validate these findings clinically.
The community dimensions of union renewal: racialized and caring relations in personal support services

Union renewal research calls for moving beyond broad terms, like community unionism, to specify how social relations of work shape renewal for different workers, sectors and contexts. Analysis of interviews with union officials and union members in publicly funded, in-home personal support reveal two community dimensions: both caring and racialized relations between workers and service recipients. Scholarship on care workers emphasizes empathy and coalition with service recipients as a key aspect of union renewal, yet says little about racialized tensions. Studies of domestic workers emphasize organizing in response to racialization, but provide little insight into caring social relations at work. This article develops arguments that both positive and negative worker–recipient relations shape union organizing and representation in the service sector by specifying the ways in which racialization contributes to this dynamic. It suggests that anti-racist organizing at work, alongside coalition building and collective bargaining, are important renewal strategies for this sector.
Cost-Effectiveness of a Biopsy-Based 8-Protein Prostate Cancer Prognostic Assay to Optimize Treatment Decision Making in Gleason 3 + 3 and 3 + 4 Early Stage Prostate Cancer.

BACKGROUND Many patients with Gleason 3 + 3 and 3 + 4 early stage prostate cancer receive invasive treatment but likely derive little or no benefit. A novel 8-protein prognostic assay generates a risk score at time of biopsy that is predictive of prostate cancer aggressiveness and can inform treatment decisions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of using the assay to inform treatment decisions compared with usual care. PATIENTS AND METHODS We developed a simulation model to estimate quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) and cost outcomes for the 8-protein assay and usual care strategies. Risk classification outcomes, treatment distributions, costs, health state utilities, and mortality rates were derived from the assay's validation study and the peer-reviewed literature. Outcomes included incremental QALYs, costs, and cost-effectiveness ratios. We conducted one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses to evaluate the most influential inputs and to explore joint uncertainty in outcomes, respectively. RESULTS The 8-protein assay strategy resulted in 0.04 more QALY and $700 less in costs compared with usual care (and thus was "dominant"). The cost-effectiveness of the assay strategy was most sensitive to the assay cost, the active surveillance health state utility, and the proportion of low-risk patients receiving active surveillance (vs. treatment) in usual care. In the probabilistic sensitivity analyses, the assay strategy decreased cost and increased QALYs in 86.9% and 58.3% of simulations, respectively. CONCLUSION Assuming that ongoing prospective studies support the results of retrospective validation studies, the 8-protein prognostic assay strategy for prostate cancer is likely to be a cost-effective alternative to usual guideline-based care in biopsy Gleason 3 + 3 and 3 + 4 early stage prostate cancer.
Frailty was related with fracture: A systematic review

A. Background: The World Health Organization suggested that frailty is a critical indicator influencing successful aging. Previous studies have indicated a high correlation between frailty and bone fracture in older adults. However, few studies have investigated the correlation between the various stages of frailty with bone fracture risk. B. Purpose: This study investigated the correlation between frailty and bone fracture in older adults. In addition, the correlation between various frailty criteria and the bone fracture was examined. C. Method: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted. According to the research purpose, publications were retrieved from the databases of PubMed, Ovid, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library by using the following keywords: frailty or frail, and bone fracture. The start date of the publication timespan was not limited; the end date was set as October 10, 2016. The title and abstract content of the publications were screened. The inclusion criteria were: (a) prospective study, and (b) relative risk and 95% confidence level. Publication quality was evaluated according to the risk of bias, consistency, and the precision of survival estimates in order to examine the strength of evidence of the correlation suggested between frailty and bone fracture in the various publications. D. Results: This study collected 6 papers that analyze the correlation of stages of frailty (non-frail, pre-frail, and frail) with a bone fracture. Literature analysis revealed that compared with non-frail older adults, frail older adults had the highest bone fracture risk, followed by pre-frail older adults. Notably, an analysis of secondary groups determined that for females, adults with hip bone fractures, and adults aged 65 years and above, frail adults attained the highest fracture risk, followed by pre-frail adults. In addition, the literature analysis also revealed that regardless of how frailty was categorize using different criteria, frail adults still showed the highest risk for fracture, followed by pre-frail adults. E. Conclusion: Frailty is a critical topic in geriatric assessment. The research findings can serve as a reference for case evaluations examining the correlation between frailty and bone fracture, formulating care strategies, and for evaluating care cases related to frailty.
Dose-Response Relationship Between Training Load and Changes in Aerobic Fitness in Professional Youth Soccer Players.

PURPOSE To compare the dose-response relationship between traditional arbitrary speed thresholds versus an individualized approach, with changes in aerobic fitness in professional youth soccer players. METHODS A total of 14 youth soccer players completed a 1500-m time trial to estimate maximal aerobic speed (MAS, km·h-1) at the start and at the end of a 6-week period. Training load was monitored on a daily basis during this study. External load measures were total distance covered and total acceleration and deceleration distance >2 m·s-2. Arbitrary high-speed running measures were meters covered and time spent at >17 km·h-1 (m > high-speed distance, t > high-speed distance) and 21 km·h-1 (m > very-high-speed distance, t > very-high-speed distance). Individualized high-speed running measures were meters covered and time spent at >MAS km·h-1 (m > MAS, t > MAS) and 30% anaerobic speed reserve (m > 30ASR, t > 30ASR). In addition, internal load measures were also collected: heart rate exertion and rating of perceived exertion. Linear regression analysis was used to establish the dose-response relationship between mean weekly training load and changes in aerobic fitness. RESULTS Very large associations were found between t > MAS and changes in aerobic fitness (R2 = .59). Large associations were found for t > 30ASR (R2 = .38) and m > MAS (R2 = .25). Unclear associations were found for all other variables. CONCLUSION An individualized approach to monitoring training load, in particular t > MAS, may be a more appropriate method than using traditional arbitrary speed thresholds when monitoring the dose-response relationship between training load and changes in aerobic fitness.
Polymorphisms in the F Pocket of HLA–B27 Subtypes Strongly Affect Assembly, Chaperone Interactions, and Heavy‐Chain Misfolding

HLA–B27 is associated with the inflammatory spondyloarthritides (SpA), although subtypes HLA–B*27:06 and HLA–B*27:09 are not. These subtypes differ from the HLA–B*27:05 disease‐associated allele primarily at residues 114 and 116 of the heavy chain, part of the F pocket of the antigen‐binding groove. Dimerization of HLA–B27 during assembly has been implicated in disease onset. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that influence differences in dimerization between disease‐associated and non–disease‐associated HLA–B27 alleles.
Decision criteria for replacement of fillings: a retrospective study

The exchange of restorations goes along with the loss of healthy tooth structure. Therefore, it is important to investigate helpful decision criteria for the replacement of fillings. Five hundred forty‐four filling replacements were evaluated retrospectively. Thereby, different clinical parameters were correlated with the clinical finding of caries directly after removal of the existing filling. The parameters checked for correlations were amalgam and composite, age, and size of the filling, morphology, condition of the filling, type of caries, oral hygiene, anamnesis of the respective tooth, and the decisive factor to replace the restoration. Statistical evaluation was performed by chi‐squared‐test (P < 0,05) and by regression analysis (Power: 80%). A percentage of 69.8% of all cavities showed softened dentin if exploring with the probe after the removal of the restoration, 7.6% were stainable with caries detector, and 22.6% of the cavities were caries free. Significant indicators for a carious lesion were high age of restoration, imperfections at the margin of the filling, a positive pain sensation in correlation with composite fillings, and multi‐surface amalgam fillings. On suspicion of caries, the following decision criteria should encourage the dentist to remove a filling: High age of the filling, imperfections at the margin of the filling, especially fillings with marginal cracks, visible secondary caries, a positive pain sensation in composite filled teeth, and multi‐surface amalgam fillings. Filling removals only performed due to the patient's desire for removal should be critically regarded, as most of these fillings are caries free.
Symmetric dimeric adamantanes for exploring the structure of two viroporins: influenza virus M2 and hepatitis C virus p7

Background Adamantane-based compounds have been identified to interfere with the ion-channel activity of viroporins and thereby inhibit viral infection. To better understand the difference in the inhibition mechanism of viroporins, we synthesized symmetric dimeric adamantane analogs of various alkyl-spacer lengths. Methods Symmetric dimeric adamantane derivatives were synthesized where two amantadine or rimantadine molecules were linked by various alkyl-spacers. The inhibitory activity of the compounds was studied on two viroporins: the influenza virus M2 protein, expressed in Xenopus oocytes, using the two-electrode voltage-clamp technique, and the hepatitis C virus (HCV) p7 channels for five different genotypes (1a, 1b, 2a, 3a, and 4a) expressed in HEK293 cells using whole-cell patch-clamp recording techniques. Results Upon testing on M2 protein, dimeric compounds showed significantly lower inhibitory activity relative to the monomeric amantadine. The lack of channel blockage of the dimeric amantadine and rimantadine analogs against M2 wild type and M2-S31N mutant was consistent with previously proposed drug-binding mechanisms and further confirmed that the pore-binding model is the pharmacologically relevant drug-binding model. On the other hand, these dimers showed similar potency to their respective monomeric analogs when tested on p7 protein in HCV genotypes 1a, 1b, and 4a while being 700-fold and 150-fold more potent than amantadine in genotypes 2a and 3a, respectively. An amino group appears to be important for inhibiting the ion-channel activity of p7 protein in genotype 2a, while its importance was minimal in all other genotypes. Conclusion Symmetric dimeric adamantanes can be considered a prospective class of p7 inhibitors that are able to address the differences in adamantane sensitivity among the various genotypes of HCV.
THE RESPONSE OF VEGETATION DISTRIBUTION, ECOSYSTEM PRODUCTIVITY, AND FIRE IN CALIFORNIA TO FUTURE CLIMATE SCENARIOS

The objective of this study was to dynamically simulate the response of vegetation distribution, carbon, and fire to three scenarios of future climate change for California using the MAPSSCENTURY (MC1) dynamic general vegetation model. Under all three scenarios, Alpine/Subalpine Forest cover declined with increased growing season length and warmth, and increases in the productivity of evergreen hardwoods with increased temperature led to the displacement of Evergreen Conifer Forest by Mixed Evergreen Forest. The simulated responses to changes in precipitation were complex, involving not only the effect on vegetation productivity, but also changes in tree-grass competition mediated by fire. Grassland expanded, largely at the expense of Woodland and Shrubland, even under the relatively cool and moist PCM-A2 climate scenario where increased woody plant production was offset by increased wildfire. Increases in net primary productivity (NPP) under the PCM-A2 climate scenario contributed to a simulated carbon sink of about 321 teragrams (353.8 million tons) for California by the end of the century. Declines in net primary productivity (NPP) under the two warmer and drier GFDL climate scenarios, most evident under the GFDL-A2 scenario, contributed to a net loss of carbon ranging from about 76 to 129 Tg (83.8 to 142.2 million tons) by the end of the century. Total annual area burned in California increased under all three scenarios, ranging from 9%– 15% above the historical norm by the end of the century. Regional variation in the simulated changes in area burned was largely a product of changes in vegetation productivity and shifts in the relative dominance of woody plants and grasses. Annual biomass consumption by fire by the end of the century was about 18% greater than the historical norm under the more productive PCM-A2 scenario. Under the warmer and drier GFDL scenarios, simulated biomass consumption was also greater than normal for the first few decades of the century as droughtstressed woodlands and shrublands burned and were converted to grassland. After this transitional period, lower than normal NPP produced less fuel, and biomass consumed was at, or below, the historical norm by the end of the century under the GFDL scenarios. Considerable uncertainty exists with respect to regional-scale impacts of global warming on the natural ecosystem of California. Much of this uncertainty resides in the differences among different GCM climate scenarios and assumed trajectories of future greenhouse gas emissions as illustrated in this study. In addition, ecosystem models and their response to projected climate change can always be improved through careful testing and enhancement of model processes. The direct effects of increasing CO2 on ecosystem productivity and water use, and assumptions regarding fire suppression and the availability of ignition sources, were identified as sources of uncertainty to be addressed through further model testing and development.
Assessing Security and Performances of Consensus algorithms for Permissioned Blockchains

Blockchain is a novel technology that is rising a lot of interest in the industrial and re- search sectors because its properties of decentralisation, immutability and data integrity. Initially, the underlying consensus mechanism has been designed for permissionless block- chain on trustless network model through the proof-of-work, i.e. a mathematical challenge which requires high computational power. This solution suffers of poor performances, hence alternative consensus algorithms as the proof-of-stake have been proposed. Conversely, for permissioned blockchain, where participants are known and authenti- cated, variants of distributed consensus algorithms have been employed. However, most of them comes out without formal expression of security analysis and trust assumptions because the absence of an established knowledge. Therefore the lack of adequate analysis on these algorithms hinders any cautious evaluation of their effectiveness in a real-world setting where systems are deployed over trustless networks, i.e. Internet .
Why Does Fast Loan Growth Predict Poor Performance for Banks

From 1973 to 2014, the common stock of U.S. banks with loan growth in the top quartile of banks over a three-year period significantly underperforms the common stock of banks with loan growth in the bottom quartile over the next three years. The benchmark-adjusted cumulative difference in performance over three years exceeds twelve percentage points. The high growth banks also have significantly higher crash risk over the three-year period. This poor performance is explained by fast loan growth as asset growth separate from loan growth is not followed by poor performance. These banks reserve less for loan losses when their loans grow quickly than other banks. Subsequently, they have a lower return on assets and increase their loan loss reserves. The poorer performance of the fast growing banks is not explained by merger activity and loan growth through mergers is not accompanied by the same poor loan performance. The evidence is consistent with fast-growing banks, analysts, and investors failing to properly appreciate the extent to which the fast loan growth results from making riskier loans and failing to charge for these risks correctly.
Costs and benefits of neurosurgical intervention for infant hydrocephalus in sub-Saharan Africa.

OBJECT Evidence from the CURE Children's Hospital of Uganda (CCHU) suggests that treatment for hydrocephalus in infants can be effective and sustainable in a developing country. This model has not been broadly supported or implemented due in part to the absence of data on the economic burden of disease or any assessment of the cost and benefit of treatment. The authors used economic modeling to estimate the annual cost and benefit of treating hydrocephalus in infants at CCHU. These results were then extrapolated to the potential economic impact of treating all cases of hydrocephalus in infants in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). METHODS The authors conducted a retrospective review of all children initially treated for hydrocephalus at CCHU via endoscopic third ventriculostomy or shunt placement in 2005. A combination of data and explicit assumptions was used to determine the number of times each procedure was performed, the cost of performing each procedure, the number of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted with neurosurgical intervention, and the economic benefit of the treatment. For CCHU and SSA, the cost per DALY averted and the benefit-cost ratio of 1 year's treatment of hydrocephalus in infants were determined. RESULTS In 2005, 297 patients (median age 4 months) were treated at CCHU. The total cost of neurosurgical intervention was $350,410, and the cost per DALY averted ranged from $59 to $126. The CCHU's economic benefit to Uganda was estimated to be between $3.1 million and $5.2 million using a human capital approach and $4.6 million-$188 million using a value of a statistical life (VSL) approach. The total economic benefit of treating the conservatively estimated 82,000 annual cases of hydrocephalus in infants in SSA ranged from $930 million to $1.6 billion using a human capital approach and $1.4 billion-$56 billion using a VSL approach. The minimum benefit-cost ratio of treating hydrocephalus in infants was estimated to be 7:1. CONCLUSIONS Untreated hydrocephalus in infants exacts an enormous price from SSA. The results of this study suggest that neurosurgical intervention has a cost/DALY averted comparable to other surgical interventions that have been evaluated, as well as a favorable benefit-cost ratio. The prevention and treatment of hydrocephalus in SSA should be recognized as a major public health priority.
Effect of Simvastatin on Cisplatin-induced Nephrotoxicity in Male Rats

Statins have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that are not directly related to their cholesterol-lowering activity. This study aimed to investigate the effect of simvastatin on the extent of tissue damage in cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. Simvastatin was orally given to rats in different doses (1, 2 and 4 mg/kg), 1 h prior to cisplatin injection (5 mg/kg, i.p.). All animals were decapitated 5 days after cisplatin administration. Blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, K and Na levels were measured. The kidney samples used for the measurement of malondialdehyde and glutathione levels or were processed for histopathological studies. Simvastatin at 1 mg/kg caused a significant decrease in serum Na and a significant increase in serum K. Simvastatin at 2 mg/kg significantly increased serum Na, and at 4 mg/kg significantly prevented decrease of GSH levels by cisplatin and significantly decreased serum Na levels. The morphological changes induced by cisplatin treatment were prevented only by 4 mg/kg dose of simvastatin. Thus, simvastatin at 4 mg/kg dose is beneficial in cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats via prevention of lipid peroxidation, inflammation and endothelial function impairment.