Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Uncontrolled hypertension by the 2014 evidence-based guideline: results from NHANES 2011–2012

Objectives: To look at the prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension in the population using various hypertension guidelines [Seventh Joint National Committee (JNC 7), European Society of Hypertension (ESH)/European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and Canadian Hypertension Education Program (CHEP)] and to assess the predictors of being reclassified to controlled hypertension based on the 2014 evidence-based guideline (2014 EBG) in comparison to JNC 7. Methods: Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 2011–2012, the prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension in the population was ascertained using different guidelines, including 2014 EBG, JNC 7, ESH/ESC and CHEP. Prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension was further examined based on subgroups by age, sex, race and presence of chronic kidney disease or diabetes. Predictors to be reclassified to controlled hypertension by the 2014 EBG were assessed using multivariable logistic regression. Results: Prevalence of uncontrolled hypertension was 12.8% by the 2014 EBG in comparison to 16.6% by JNC 7, 13.6% by ESH/ESC and 15.6% by CHEP (P < 0.001). As per JNC 7, 23.0% of those with uncontrolled hypertension were reclassified to controlled hypertension by the 2014 EBG. Those most likely to be reclassified to controlled hypertension were older, females and those with diabetes. Conclusion: On the basis of the updated 2014 evidence-based high blood pressure guideline, the percentage of the US population labeled as suffering from uncontrolled hypertension has changed from 16.6 to 12.8%. It is important to note that this change is a reflection of the modified blood pressure targets and not a change in the actual levels of blood pressure control in the population. The greatest impact of reclassification is on elderly, females and those with diabetes.
Independent Neural Computation of Value from Other People's Confidence

Expectation of reward can be shaped by the observation of actions and expressions of other people in one's environment. A person's apparent confidence in the likely reward of an action, for instance, makes qualities of their evidence, not observed directly, socially accessible. This strategy is computationally distinguished from associative learning methods that rely on direct observation, by its use of inference from indirect evidence. In twenty-three healthy human subjects, we isolated effects of first-hand experience, other people's choices, and the mediating effect of their confidence, on decision-making and neural correlates of value within ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). Value derived from first-hand experience and other people's choices (regardless of confidence) were indiscriminately represented across vmPFC. However, value computed from agent choices weighted by their associated confidence was represented with specificity for ventromedial area 10. This pattern corresponds to shifts of connectivity and overlapping cognitive processes along a posterior-anterior vmPFC axis. Task behavior and self-reported self-reliance for decision-making in other social contexts correlated. The tendency to conform in other social contexts corresponded to increased activation in cortical regions previously shown to respond to social conflict in proportion to subsequent conformity (Campbell-Meiklejohn et al., 2010). The tendency to self-monitor predicted a selectively enhanced response to accordance with others in the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ). The findings anatomically decompose vmPFC value representations according to computational requirements and provide biological insight into the social transmission of preference and reassurance gained from the confidence of others. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Decades of research have provided evidence that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) signals the satisfaction we expect from imminent actions. However, we have a surprisingly modest understanding of the organization of value across this substantial and varied region. This study finds that using cues of the reliability of other peoples' knowledge to enhance expectation of personal success generates value correlates that are anatomically distinct from those concurrently computed from direct, personal experience. This suggests that representation of decision values in vmPFC is suborganized according to the underlying computation, consistent with what we know about the anatomical heterogeneity of the region. These results also provide insight into the observational learning process by which someone else's confidence can sway and reassure our choices.
The Integration of Planning into Scheduling with OMP

This paper describes features of the O MP problem solver that integrates planning features in a constraint based schedul ing framework. The rationale for this integration is to express problems going beyond the vision of scheduling as a set of resource productions and consumptions but for also being able to express several kind of causal relations between and behi nd them. This work describes some steps in the direction of uniformly managing planning as a special case of task scheduling in a constraint-based environment.
AXENIC PROMASTIGOTE FORMS OF LEISHMANIA (VIANNIA) LAINSONI AS AN ALTERNATIVE SOURCE FOR LEISHMANIA ANTIGEN PRODUCTION

The present study demonstrates that axenic cultures of Leishmania (Viannia) lainsoni produce larger cell masses in NNN-LIT medium, as well as higher amounts of total proteins in cell extracts, than Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis. Antigenicity of L. (V.)lainsoni whole promastigotes is similar to that of L. (L.) amazonensis, as demonstrated by an indirect immunofluorescence diagnostic test using sera from human patients and dogs infected with visceral leishmaniasis. Infectivity of the L. (V.)lainsoni strain used in the present work was demonstrated by the detection by transmission-electron microscopy of tissue amastigotes in skin lesion samples from an experimentally infected hamster. Incubation of lesion fragments in NNN-LIT medium allowed us to obtain promastigote forms, which could be cultivated successfully in vitro. Isoenzyme analysis of such promastigotes confirmed the parasite strain as L. (V.) lainsoni, as compared to other Leishmania reference strains. Our data indicate that L. (V.) lainsoni is a useful alternative source for antigen production as well for use in assays that depend on large cell volumes of Leishmania spp. parasites.
The Predatory Bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus Aspartyl-tRNA Synthetase Recognizes tRNAAsn as a Substrate

The predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus preys on other Gram-negative bacteria and was predicted to be an asparagine auxotroph. However, despite encoding asparaginyl-tRNA synthetase and glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase, B. bacteriovorus also contains the amidotransferase GatCAB. Deinococcus radiodurans, and Thermus thermophilus also encode both of these aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases with GatCAB. Both also code for a second aspartyl-tRNA synthetase and use the additional aspartyl-tRNA synthetase with GatCAB to synthesize asparagine on tRNAAsn. Unlike those two bacteria, B. bacteriovorus encodes only one aspartyl-tRNA synthetase. Here we demonstrate the lone B. bacteriovorus aspartyl-tRNA synthetase catalyzes aspartyl-tRNAAsn formation that GatCAB can then amidate to asparaginyl-tRNAAsn. This non-discriminating aspartyl-tRNA synthetase with GatCAB thus provides B. bacteriovorus a second route for Asn-tRNAAsn formation with the asparagine synthesized in a tRNA-dependent manner. Thus, in contrast to a previous prediction, B. bacteriovorus codes for a biosynthetic route for asparagine. Analysis of bacterial genomes suggests a significant number of other bacteria may also code for both routes for Asn-tRNAAsn synthesis with only a limited number encoding a second aspartyl-tRNA synthetase.
Make and Buy: Outsourcing, Vertical Integration, and Cost Reduction

Globalization reshaped supply chains and the boundaries of firms in favor of outsourcing. Now, even vertically integrated firms procure substantially from external suppliers. To study procurement and the structure of firms in this reshaped economy, we analyze a model in which integration grants a downstream customer the option to source internally. Integration is advantageous because it allows the customer to avoid paying markups sometimes, but disadvantageous because it discourages investments in cost reduction by independent suppliers. The investment-discouragement effect more likely outweighs the markup-avoidance effect if the upstream market is more competitive, as is so in a more global economy. (JEL D21, D24, D25, G31, L14, L22, L24)
Molecular Analysis of Fluoroquinolone-resistant Salmonella Paratyphi A Isolate, India

Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi A is increasingly a cause of enteric fever. Sequence analysis of an Indian isolate showed a unique strain with high-level resistance to ciprofloxacin associated with double mutations in the DNA gyrase subunit gyrA (Ser83→Phe and Asp87→Gly) and a mutation in topoisomerase IV subunit parC (Ser80→Arg).
Preoperative Dual-Phase Parathyroid Imaging With Tc-99m-Sestamibi: Accuracy and Reproducibility of the Pinhole Collimator With and Without Oblique Images

Background: Previously, we have found that the additional use of a pinhole collimator in parathyroid scintigraphy resulted in a decrease in the number of incorrect side localizations and an increase in reproducibility compared with that of using a parallel-hole collimator alone. Purpose: The aim was to investigate whether the addition of anterior oblique views to parathyroid scintigraphy (PS) with a pinhole collimator could further enhance the diagnostic ability and reproducibility. The level of preoperative parathyroid hormone (PTH) as a potential predictor of the usefulness of the supplementary views was also studied. Method and Material: Forty-seven patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (HPT) underwent dual-phase PS using a combined protocol with parallel-hole and pinhole collimators. The pinhole collimator was used in the anterior as well as right and left anterior oblique positions. Thyroid pertechnetate scans were undertaken in the same positions. Two observers assessed the images independently. Results: By adding oblique views, the gain in correct side localization occurred in all cases but one was seen in patients with rapid washout. The level of PTH could not predict these patients. The observer agreement on correct side localizations rose significantly from 81% to 94%. Conclusion: The addition of oblique views to the imaging protocol using the pinhole collimator for parathyroid and thyroid scintigraphy in primary HPT results in an increase in observer agreement and the number of correct side localizations in patients with rapid washout of MIBI. The preoperative level of PTH cannot, however, predict these patients.
Are the Incidences of Cardiac Events During Noncardiac Surgery in Japan the Same as in the United States and Europe?

In Japan, an ever-present problem in the preoperative evaluation of patients with ischemic heart disease is that although such evaluations are based on Western data, these data serve as the basis for determining perioperative risk in Japanese patients. To remedy this problem, the Cardiac Ischemia and Anesthesia Research Committee was formed in 1997 and has conducted studies of perioperative complications in noncardiac surgery in Japan. In two retrospective studies in 1997, the proportions of patients with ischemic heart disease were 3.9% and 3.1%, approximately one tenth the rates reported in Europe and the United States. The incidences of perioperative cardiac complications in patients with ischemic heart disease were 16.4% and 13.2%, not widely divergent from rates reported in Europe and the United States. To investigate the baseline characteristics involved in perioperative complications, we conducted a prospective study of 237 patients classified as having intermediate risk for perioperative cardiac complications according to the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Guidelines for Perioperative Cardiovascular Evaluation for Noncardiac Surgery. We found that the prominent factor in intraoperative cardiac complications was the presence of hypertension (odds ratio = 2.911). Factors contributing to postoperative cardiac complications included those reflecting coronary lesion severity and cardiac dysfunction (history of heart failure; odds ratio = 6.884, coronary risk index grade; odds ratio = 2.884, and a history of intervention; odds ratio = 4.774).
Congenital toxoplasmosis, later relapses and treatment

biology and immunology laboratories and performed at low cost. Similar requirements must be met before cytokine measurements can become routine diagnostic tests. This may happen in the near future. Automated IL-6 determinations are already available although in limited use so far. The other important issue is sequential specimen collection. Studies must be conducted if more is to be learned about the kinetics of key cytokines in the course of neonatal septicaemia, especially in the first 24 h after birth in cases of early-onset sepsis. For real-life situations, results of IL-6 and TNFa determinations from specimens collected from infants with suspected sepsis should be available to the clinician regardless of the hour. If this is not the case, even a more slowly rising marker, such as C-reactive protein, which can be determined on serial specimens over the first 24-h period with results made available to the clinician in real time, is better than a marker to be determined on weekdays during office hours. A third consideration is the specificity. Silveira and Procianoy did not find any difference in the IL-6 and TNF-a levels between confirmed and suspected septicaemia, and findings in other studies have been similar in this respect. This suggests that cases which on clinical grounds are suspected as neonatal septicaemia but remain blood culture negative are, in terms of host response, equally severe as those with a positive blood culture. On the other hand, one might sarcastically note that a good clinical eye for observing and diagnosing such cases is as good as the latest and most sophisticated laboratory assays. More seriously, the cytokine determinations, while sensitive enough, do not really seem to add much specificity to the diagnostic work-up. Therefore, while some help from the laboratory in the form of rapid cytokine determinations is likely to become available in the near future, the paediatrician on duty will still have to rely much on his/her clinical skills in the diagnosis and initiation of therapy for suspected arly onset neonatal septicaemia.
Federal Reserve Bank of New York Staff Reports Imperfectly Credible Disinflation under Endogenous Time-Dependent Pricing

The real effects of an imperfectly credible disinflation depend critically on the extent of price rigidity. In this paper, we examine how credibility affects the outcome of a disinflation in a model with endogenous time-dependent pricing rules. Both the endogenous initial degree of price rigidity and changes in the duration of price spells during disinflation play an important role in explaining the effects of imperfect credibility. We initially consider the costs of disinflation when the degree of credibility is fixed, and then allow agents to use Bayes’ rule to update beliefs about the “type” of monetary authority that they face. In both cases, the interaction between the endogeneity of timedependent rules and imperfect credibility increases the output costs of disinflation. The pattern of the output response is more realistic in the case with learning.
Studies on the morphology and life-cycle of Diplostomum (Diplostomum) gasterostei (Strigeida: Trematoda)

One of a large number of Lymnaea peregra (Mull.) from a pond near Glasgow was found to be infested with Cercaria diplostomi gasterostei. C. d. gastrostei has been found to penetrate Gasterosteus aculeatus and develop into a diplostomulum in the retina of the eyes. Large numbers of G. aculeatus from the pond have been found with Diplostomulum gasterostei occurring in the retina. Infested heads of fish were fed to domestic ducklings and pigeons, and adult stages of a worm considered to be a new species and named D. gasterostei were obtained. Morphological details of the cercaria, diplostomulum and the adult worm are described. The author wishes to thank Dr C. A. Hopkins for reading and criticising the manuscript, Dr D. A. Erasmus and Dr G. Rees for valuable suggestions. My thanks are due also to the technical staff of the Department who assisted me in the collection of snails and fishes, and to Mr Francis Deen who did the sectioning of the specimens. This work was in part supported by a grant from Shell Oil Company (London).
Activation of P2X7 Promotes Cerebral Edema and Neurological Injury after Traumatic Brain Injury in Mice

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Cerebral edema, the abnormal accumulation of fluid within the brain parenchyma, contributes to elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) and is a common life-threatening neurological complication following TBI. Unfortunately, neurosurgical approaches to alleviate increased ICP remain controversial and medical therapies are lacking due in part to the absence of viable drug targets. In the present study, genetic inhibition (P2X7−/− mice) of the purinergic P2x7 receptor attenuated the expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and reduced cerebral edema following controlled cortical impact, as compared to wild-type mice. Similarly, brilliant blue G (BBG), a clinically non-toxic P2X7 inhibitor, inhibited IL-1β expression, limited edemic development, and improved neurobehavioral outcomes after TBI. The beneficial effects of BBG followed either prophylactic administration via the drinking water for one week prior to injury or via an intravenous bolus administration up to four hours after TBI, suggesting a clinically-implementable therapeutic window. Notably, P2X7 localized within astrocytic end feet and administration of BBG decreased the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a reactive astrocyte marker, and attenuated the expression of aquaporin-4 (AQP4), an astrocytic water channel that promotes cellular edema. Together, these data implicate P2X7 as a novel therapeutic target to prevent secondary neurological injury after TBI, a finding that warrants further investigation.
A Pilot Study of Mindfulness Meditation for Pediatric Chronic Pain

Despite advances in psychological interventions for pediatric chronic pain, there has been little research examining mindfulness meditation for these conditions. This study presents data from a pilot clinical trial of a six-week manualized mindfulness meditation intervention offered to 20 adolescents aged 13–17 years. Measures of pain intensity, functional disability, depression and parent worry about their child’s pain were obtained at baseline and post-treatment. Results indicated no significant changes in pain or depression, however functional disability and frequency of pain functioning complaints improved with small effect sizes. Parents’ worry about child’s pain significantly decreased with a large effect size. Participants rated intervention components positively and most teens suggested that the number of sessions be increased. Three case examples illustrate mindfulness meditation effects and precautions. Mindfulness meditation shows promise as a feasible and acceptable intervention for youth with chronic pain. Future research should optimize intervention components and determine treatment efficacy.
Drug resistance during indinavir therapy is caused by mutations in the protease gene and in its Gag substrate cleavage sites

Two different responses to the therapy were observed in a group of patients receiving the protease inhibitor indinavir. In one, suppression of virus replication occurred and has persisted for 90 weeks (bDNA, < 500 human immunodeficiency virus type 1 [HIV-1] RNA copies/ml). In the second group, a rebound in virus levels in plasma followed the initial sharp decline observed at the start of therapy. This was associated with the emergence of drug-resistant variants. Sequence analysis of the protease gene during the course of therapy revealed that in this second group there was a sequential acquisition of protease mutations at amino acids 46, 82, 54, 71, 89, and 90. In the six patients in this group, there was also an identical mutation in the gag p7/p1 gag protease cleavage site. In three of the patients, this change was seen as early as 6 to 10 weeks after the start of therapy. In one patient, a second mutation occurred at the gag p1/p6 cleavage site, but it appeared 18 weeks after the time of appearance of the p7/p1 mutation. Recombinant HIV-1 variants containing two or three mutations in the protease gene were constructed either with mutations at the p7/p1 cleavage site or with wild-type (WT) gag sequences. When recombinant HIV-1-containing protease mutations at 46 and 82 was grown in MT2 cells, there was a 68% reduction in its rate of replication compared to the WT virus. Introduction of an additional mutation at the gag p7/p1 protease cleavage site compensated for the partially defective protease gene. Similarly, rates of replication of viruses with mutations M46L/I, I54V, and V82A in protease were enhanced both in the presence and in the absence of Indinavir when combined with mutations in the gag p7/p1 and the gag p1/p6 cleavage sites. Optimal rates of virus replication require protease cleavage of precursor polyproteins. A mutation in the cleavage site that enhanced the availability of a protein that was rate limiting for virus maturation would confer on that virus a significant growth advantage and may explain the uniform emergence of viruses with alterations at the p7/p1 cleavage site. This is the first report of the emergence of mutations in the gag p7/p1 protease cleavage sites in patients receiving protease therapy and identifies this change as an important determinant of HIV-1 resistance to protease inhibitors in patient populations.
Obesity and Overweight in Relation to Mortality in Men With and Without Type 2 Diabetes/Impaired Glucose Tolerance

In studies of apparently healthy individuals, overweight and obesity, typically assessed using BMI, have been consistently associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and select cancers (1–4). However, extrapolating these results to individuals with type 2 diabetes is complex and perhaps inappropriate. Studies of the influence of obesity and overweight on mortality risk in individuals with type 2 diabetes reveal highly inconsistent findings. With all-cause mortality, obesity shows inverse (5,6), positive (7–10), null (11–16), and “J-” or “U-” shaped (17–19) associations; similarly discrepant results are apparent with coronary heart disease (CHD) (10,12,20,21). This discordance may be at least partially explained by methodological limitations in some studies, such as a modest sample size, a differential categorization of weight across studies, a tendency not to separate diabetes into its two main subtypes, and a failure to adjust for potentially important mediating and confounding variables. Using an extended follow-up of a U.K. prospective cohort study, we addressed this paucity of evidence and methodological shortcomings. In the Whitehall Study, data were collected on 19,019 male government employees aged 40–69 years when examined between 1967 and 1970, representing a 74% response (22). Height and weight were measured using standard protocols, and BMI was computed (weight [kg]/height2 [m2]) and categorized according to current guidelines (23): normal weight …