Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimation of average diagnosis and treatment costs of hepatitis C

Aim The objective of this study was to estimate the average cost of diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C among patients based on their treatment regime, during the one course of treatment and six-month after stopping that. Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality worldwide and a major public health problem. Patients and methods All data for this cross-sectional study were collected from medical records of 200 patients with hepatitis C, who referred to a private gastroenterology clinic between years 2005 through 2009. Information related to the 200 patients was extracted from their medical records and finally, 77 patients of them, who their treatment was not interfering with any other disease entered in this study. Therefore diagnosis and treatment costs of these patients were calculated. Attributable costs were reported as purchasing power parity dollars (PPP$). Results Mean costs of diagnosis and treatment in one course of treatment and six month after that with standard interferon plus ribavirin (INF-RBV) exceeds 3,850 PPP$ and for patients who treated with peg-interferon plus ribavirin (PEG-RIBV) was 16,494 PPP$. Also in both types of treatment, medication cost was found to be a dominant cost component. Conclusion Hepatitis C represents a very important and potentially costly disease to managed care organizations. Patients with this disease require expensive drug therapies and consume significant health care resources.
Treatment of catheter-related bacteraemia with an antibiotic lock protocol: effect of bacterial pathogen.

BACKGROUND The standard therapy of dialysis catheter-related bacteraemia involves both systemic antibiotics and catheter replacement. We reported recently that instillation of an antibiotic lock (highly concentrated antibiotic solution) into the catheter lumen after dialysis sessions, in conjunction with systemic antibiotics, can successfully treat many episodes of catheter-related bacteraemia without requiring catheter removal. The present study evaluated whether the likelihood of achieving a cure with this protocol depends on the type of pathogen. METHODS This was a historically controlled interventional study of an antibiotic lock protocol for the treatment of catheter-related bacteraemia. We analysed prospectively the likelihood of clinical cure (fever resolution and negative surveillance cultures) with an antibiotic lock protocol among patients with dialysis catheter-related bacteraemia. In addition, infection-free catheter survival was evaluated for up to 150 days, and compared with that observed among patients managed with routine catheter replacement. RESULTS Overall, the antibiotic lock protocol was successful in 33 of 47 infected patients (70%) with catheter-related bacteraemia. The likelihood of a clinical cure was 87% for Gram-negative infections, 75% for Staphylococcus epidermidis infections, and only 40% for Staphylococcus aureus infections (P = 0.04). The median infection-free catheter survival with the antibiotic lock protocol was longer than that observed among patients with routine catheter replacement (154 vs 71 days, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS The clinical success of an antibiotic lock protocol in eradicating catheter-related bacteraemia while salvaging the catheter is highly dependent on the bacterial pathogen. Thus, the overall success rate in an individual dialysis programme will depend on the relative frequencies of different bacterial pathogens.
Kohlrausch relaxations: new aspects about the everlasting story

For transient, time dependent polarization processes stretched exponential functions and power laws referred to as Kohlrausch relaxations are often observed in disordered dielectrics. These relaxations can be distributed in time or frequency over more than 12 decades. Among the various existing models for an interpretation two of them based on similar mathematics but different physical grounds are repeated. In these models charges, either electrons or protons, hop between adjacent sites. The distances between the sites are distributed resulting in a distribution of relaxation times. Then two new models which emerged in the last years are discussed. (I) It is shown that the dipolar interaction between dipoles of the same kind, i.e. without a distribution of any property, can result in Kohlrausch relaxations. (II) In solid electrolytic capacitors charges can be attracted by their images in the electrode. After application of an external voltage this charge attraction leads to an external current with a power law time dependence.
Characterization And Pathogenicity Of Vibrio Spp. Contaminating Seafoods In Lagos, Nigeria.

Twenty-five seafood samples (shrimps, crabs and cuttle fish) collected from seven Fishing Companies and some local fishermen in Lagos, Nigeria, were examined for the presence of Vibrio species. A total of 44 vibrios belonging to five different species were isolated. The most predominant species was Vibrio alginolyticus (31.8%), followed by V. harveyi (27.3%), V. mimicus (22.7%), V. parahaemolyticus (11.4) and V. cholerae (6.8%). All the strains of V. mimicus, V. parahaemolyticus and V. cholerae and some strains of V. alginolyticus and V. harveyi lysed human red blood cells. None of the isolates tested elicited fluid accumulation in the experimental mice. However, histology sections showed that V. parahaemolyticus, V. cholerae, two strains of V. mimicus, one strain each of V. alginolyticus and V. harveyi caused erosion of the epithelial linings of the intestines of the experimental mice. This indicates that the organisms can cause infections in humans by invasion of the epithelial linings of the intestine.
Observations of children cutting up, cutting out and sticking down1

Abstract The process of cutting up, cutting out, and sticking down is discussed in relation to children's use of scissors in therapy. I am interested in how the observation of children working can help to trace the dynamics of the child's inner world in a way that is helpful in both understanding their distress and in aiding a growing picture of how the therapy is developing. The use of scissors, which have two blades, may suggest different internalisations of helpful or abusive parents. A discussion of Edward Scissorhands is offered to begin thinking about the destructive, creative, and decorative aspects of cutting out.
An ultrastructural and radioautographic study of early oogenesis in the toad Xenopus laevis.

SUMMARY Early oogenesis in the toad Xenopus laevis has been investigated at the ultrastructural level, with particular reference to the formation of extrachromosomal DNA. Thymidine incorporation was localized by electron microscope radioautography. In oogonia, the nucleus is irregular in outline and may contain several nucleoli. Oocytes, from premeiotic interphase to late pachytene, are found in cell nests which are estimated to consist of about 16 cells each. Adjacent oocytes within a nest are connected by intercellular bridges and develop synchronously. Each premeiotic interphase-leptotene oocyte has a round nucleus which contains one or two centrally located, spherical nucleoli. Electron-microscope radioautography showed that all nuclei in a cell nest incorporate thymidine synchronously during premeiotic S-phase. In zygotene oocytes, axial cores and synaptonemal complexes are observed in the nucleus and abut against the inner nuclear membrane in the region nearest the centre of the cell nest. The nucleolus is still moreor-less round in outline, but is asymmetrically positioned in the nucleus. It lies near the nuclear envelope on the side of the nucleus furthest away from the attachment of the chromosome ends, that is, nearest the outside of the cell nest. Each nucleolus is surrounded by a fibrillar ' halo' of nucleolus-associated chromatin into which a low level of thymidine incorporation occurs during zygotene. This is thought to represent the start of the major period of amplification of the ribosomal DNA. Pachytene is characterized by the presence of synaptonemal complexes in the nucleus. The nucleolus becomes very irregular in outline. The fibrillar area around it, which represents the extrachromosomal DNA, increases in size and thymidine is incorporated over the whole of this region. In late pachytene, many small fibrogranular bodies, the multiple nucleoli, are formed in it. The members of a cell nest become separated from one another at this time and begin to develop asynchronously. In diplotene, synaptonemal complexes are no longer observed in the nucleus. The most prominent structures in the nucleus are now the multiple nucleoli, which increase greatly in number in early diplotene. A large increase in cytoplasmic volume occurs and the oocyte grows in size.
Control of Subsonic Cavity Flows by Neural Networks - Analytical Models and Experimental Validation

Flow control is attracting an increasing attention of researchers from a wide spectrum of specialties because of its interdisciplinary nature and the associated challenges. One of the main goals of The Collaborative Center of Control Science at The Ohio State University is to bring together researchers from different disciplines to advance the science and technology of flow control. This paper approaches the control of subsonic cavity flow, a study case we have selected, from a computational intelligence point of view, and offers a solution that displays an interconnected neural architecture. The structures of identification and control, together with the experimental implementation are discussed. The model and the controller have very simple structural configurations indicating that a significant saving on computation is possible. Experimental testing of a neural emulator and of a directlysynthesized neurocontroller indicates that the emulator can accurately reproduce a reference signal measured in the cavity floor under different operating conditions. Based on preliminary results, the neurocontroller appears to be marginally effective and produces spectral peak reductions analogous to those previously observed by the authors using linearcontrol techniques. The current research will continue to improve the capability of the neural emulator and of the neurocontroller.
An assessment of the independent effects of olanzapine and risperidone exposure on the risk of hyperlipidemia in schizophrenic patients.

BACKGROUND The newer antipsychotic agents exhibit a superior safety profile compared with conventional antipsychotic agents in terms of extrapyramidal symptoms. Previous studies have suggested an association between olanzapine treatment and hyperlipidemia. We evaluated this association using a large health care database. METHODS The study was derived from the England and Wales-based General Practice Research Database, composed of 3.5 million subjects followed up between June 1, 1987, and September 24, 2000. A total of 18 309 individuals diagnosed as having schizophrenia were identified. A 6:1 matched nested case-control design was used. Conditional logistic regression was used to derive adjusted odds ratios (ORs), controlling for sex, age, and other medications and disease conditions influencing lipid levels. Antipsychotic drug exposure was defined as the receipt of at least 1 prescription for an antipsychotic medication within the 3 months before the date of diagnosis of hyperlipidemia. RESULTS There were 1268 incident cases of hyperlipidemia in the cohort, matched to 7598 control subjects. Olanzapine use was associated with nearly a 5-fold increase in the odds of developing hyperlipidemia compared with no antipsychotic exposure (OR, 4.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.44-8.85) (P<.001) and more than a 3-fold increase compared with those receiving conventional agents (OR, 3.36; 95% CI, 1.77-6.39) (P<.001). Risperidone was not associated with increased odds of hyperlipidemia compared with no antipsychotic exposure (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.60-2.11) (P =.72) or conventional antipsychotic exposure (OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.44-1.52) (P =.52). CONCLUSIONS We observed a strong association between olanzapine exposure and hyperlipidemia in schizophrenic patients. The possible metabolic consequences of olanzapine use should be given serious consideration by treating physicians.
Ovine Surgical Model of Uterine Space Restriction: Interactive Effects of Uterine Anomalies and Multifetal Gestations on Fetal and Placental Growth1

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is observed in conditions with limitations in uterine space (e.g., uterine anomalies and multifetal gestations). IUGR is associated with reduced fetal weight, organ growth, and a spectrum of adult-onset diseases. To examine the interaction of uterine anomalies and multifetal gestations, we developed a surgical uterine space restriction model with a unilateral uterine horn ligation before breeding (unilateral surgery). Placentas and fetuses were studied on Gestational Day (GD) 120 and GD 130 (term = 147 days). Unilateral surgery decreased placentome numbers in singleton and twin pregnancies (25% and 50%, respectively) but not unilateral triplets. Unilateral surgery decreased total placentome weight in twin pregnancies (decreased 24%). Fetuses categorized as uterine space restricted (unilateral twin and both groups of triplets) had 51% fewer placentomes per fetus and a 31% reduction in placentomal weight per fetus compared to the nonrestricted group (control singleton, unilateral singleton, and control twin). By GD 130, uterine space-restricted fetuses exhibited decreased weight, smaller crown-rump, abdominal girth, and thoracic girth as well as decreased fetal heart, kidney, liver, spleen, and thymus weights. Lung and brain weights were unaffected, demonstrating asymmetric IUGR. At GD 130, placental efficiency (fetal weight per total placentomal weight) was elevated in uterine space-restricted fetuses. However, fetal arterial creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and cholesterol were elevated, suggesting insufficient placental clearance. Maternal-to-fetal glucose and triglycerides ratios were elevated in the uterine space-restricted pregnancies, suggesting placental nutrient transport insufficiency. This model allows for examination of interactive effects of uterine space restriction-induced IUGR on placental adaptation and fetal organ growth.
Factors Influencing Individual Creativity in the Workplace: An Examination of Quantitative Empirical Research

Research on individual creativity within human resource development (HRD) has emerged as a body of research fairly recently. This article explores individual employee creativity by detailing identified roles of individual factors and external influences featured in HRD-related research utilizing a quantitative empirical methodology. Research examining the effect of general personality characteristics, self-perception, goal setting, feedback, leadership, role modeling, and other factors associated with individual creativity are detailed. Recommended future directions regarding research on employee creativity with particular focus on HRD-related issues are described.
Repetition Probability Effects Depend on Prior Experiences

The magnitude of repetition suppression (RS) in the Fusiform Face Area is influenced by the probability of repetitions of faces (Summerfield et al., 2008), implying that perceptual expectations affect repetition-related processes. Surprisingly, however, macaque single-cell (Kaliukhovich and Vogels, 2011) and human fMRI (Kovács et al., 2013) studies have failed to find repetition probability [P(rep)] modulations of RS with nonface stimuli in the occipitotemporal cortex, suggesting that the effect is face specific. One possible explanation of this category selectivity is that the extensive experience humans have with faces affects the neural mechanisms of RS specifically, creating P(rep) modulatory effects. To address this question, we used fMRI to test the P(rep) effects for another well trained stimulus category, upright letters of the roman alphabet as well as for unfamiliar false fonts. We observed significant RS for both stimulus sets in the Letter Form Area as well as in the caudodorsal part of the lateral occipital complex. Interestingly, the influence of P(rep) on RS was dependent on the stimulus: while we observed P(rep) modulations for the roman letters, no such effects were found for the unfamiliar false fonts in either area. Our findings suggest that P(rep) effects on RS are manifest for nonface stimuli as well, but that they depend on the experience of the subjects with the stimulus category. This shows, for the first time, that prior experience affects the influence of contextual predictive information on RS in the human occipitotemporal cortex.
Antibiotic-lock therapy and erythromycin for treatment of catheter-related Candida parapsilosis and Staphylococcus aureus infections.

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Cellular Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein-1 (cIAP1) Plays a Critical Role in β-Cell Survival under Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress

Background: How the adaptive ER stress response causes cell death remains enigmatic. Results: cIAP1 prevents ER stress-mediated apoptosis in pancreatic β-cells by acting as an E3 ligase inducing CHOP ubiquitination and degradation. Conclusion: cIAP1 is a key determinative factor for β-cell survival under ER stress. Significance: The findings provide a new insight into the mechanistic determination of cell fate following ER stress response. Lipotoxicity in pancreatic β-cells, arising from excess free fatty acid-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response, has been recognized as a key pathogenic factor causing loss of β-cell mass and contributing to type 2 diabetes. However, how the adaptive ER stress response causes cell death remains enigmatic. We report herein a critical role of cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein-1 (cIAP1) in controlling β-cell survival under ER stress. While both palmitate and palmitoleate induced an overt ER stress response, lipotoxicity was only observed in β-cells exposed to palmitate but not palmitoleate. Interestingly, cells treated with palmitoleate exerted a sustainable level of cIAP1, whereas the protein quickly degraded following palmitate treatment. Enforced overexpression of cIAP1 prevented palmitate-induced cell death. In contrast, siRNA-mediated knockdown of cIAP1 in β-cells or knock-out of cIap1 in mouse embryonic fibroblasts not only increased palmitate-induced apoptosis, but also committed cells to death in response to the nontoxic palmitoleate treatment. Of importance, we found that cIAP1 functions as an E3 ubiquitin ligase promoting ubiquitination and degradation of C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), a key mediator of ER stress-induced cell death. These findings define a novel mechanism for β-cell survival under ER stress and help to identify targets for therapeutic intervention against lipotoxicity in β-cells.
Glucuronidation of thyroid hormone in rat liver: effects of in vivo treatment with microsomal enzyme inducers and in vitro assay conditions.

We investigated the effects of in vivo treatment with different microsomal enzyme inducers, including clofibrate (CLOF), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), 3-methylcholanthrene (MC), 3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl (TCB), and 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-p-dioxin, as well as of in vitro addition of the detergent Brij 56 on the glucuronidation of T4, T3, and rT3 by UDP-glucuronyltransferase (UGT) activities of rat liver microsomes. The results were compared with measurements of UGT activities for bilirubin, p-nitrophenol (PNP), and androsterone. In general, glucuronidation rates were 5-fold or more higher with rT3 than with T4 or T3 as substrate. In liver microsomes from untreated rats, T4 UGT activity was stimulated by Brij 56 to a maximum of about 2-fold at 0.025% detergent. Treatment of Wistar rats for 4 days with CLOF (200 mg/kg BW.day) resulted in significant increases in UGT activities for T4 (to 154%), rT3 (to 155%), and bilirubin (to 194%), in particular if assayed in the presence of 0.025% Brij 56, but had little effect on the UGT activities for T3, PNP, and androsterone. The CLOF-induced increases in T4 and rT3 UGT activities were not observed in Gunn rats, which have a complete lack of bilirubin UGT activity and greatly impaired PNP UGT activity. Treatment of Wistar rats with a single injection of MC (50 mg/kg BW), TCB (50 mg/kg BW), or 2,3,7,8-tetrachloro-p-dioxin (6.25 micrograms/kg BW) resulted, after 4 days, in 6.3- to 7.3-fold increases in T4 UGT activity and 15.1- to 16.7-fold increases in rT3 UGT activity if determined in the absence of Brij 56, whereas T4 UGT activity was only increased by 33-68% when assayed in the presence of Brij 56. T3 glucuronidation was not affected (with Brij 56) or was increased by only 33-68% (without Brij 56) after treatment with these MC-type inducers. PNP UGT activity was induced 3.6- to 4.3-fold, whereas bilirubin and androsterone UGT activities were changed little by these treatments. Similar findings regarding T4, rT3, PNP, and bilirubin UGT activities were obtained after chronic treatment of WAG rats with HCB, another MC-type inducer. However, WAG rats lack androsterone UGT and show low T3 UGT activity, which was increased about 2.3-fold by HCB treatment. On the basis of these and previous findings it is concluded that at least three UGT isoenzymes are involved in the glucuronidation of thyroid hormone. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)