Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The influence of refractory ceramic fibres on pulmonary morphology, redox and immune system in rats

Refractory ceramic fibres (RCF) were studied in male SPRD rats by both in vivo long term sequential and in vitro methods. RCF was administered by single intratracheal instillation and the lungs were examined at the end of months 1, 3 and 6 after exposure. In addition, the direct toxicity of the fibres was examined in a primary culture of alveolar macrophages (AM) and in pneumocytes type II (T2). Pulmonary morphological changes, a number of parameters of the redox system, such as activity of extracellular Cu,Zn/superoxide dismutase (EC‐SOD), total glutathione content of the lungs (GSH) and immunoglobulins in bronchoalveolar lavage (IgA, IgG, IgM) and in the blood were measured. The composition of the original RCF and the elemental content of the lung tissue were compared by energy dispersive x‐ray analysis (EDXA) before and after exposure. Macrophage alveolitis became confluent and moderate fibrosis developed by the end of month 3, and after 6 months of exposure the intensity decreased to the level of the first month. The RCF did not significantly influence the activity of EC‐SOD or the total glutathione content of the lungs. Although aluminium and silicon could be demonstrated by EDXA in the lung tissue at the end of month 3, these elements were no longer detectable by the end of month 6. The RCF decreased IgA significantly in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). The main components of RCF induced pulmonary alterations, whereas no significant change could be detected in EC‐SOD and GSH. Injuries caused by direct toxicity could be observed in the cell membranes only at the highest concentration. On the basis of these results RCF can be determined as moderately toxic fibres. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Face-Specific Processing in the Human Fusiform Gyrus

The perception of faces is sometimes regarded as a specialized task involving discrete brain regions. In an attempt to identi$ face-specific cortex, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure activation evoked by faces presented in a continuously changing montage of common objects or in a similar montage of nonobjects. Bilateral regions of the posterior fusiform gyrus were activated by faces viewed among nonobjects, but when viewed among objects, faces activated only a focal right fusiform region. To determine whether this focal activation would occur for another category of familiar stimuli, subjects viewed flowers presented among nonobjects and objects. While flowers among nonobjects evoked bilateral fusiform activation, flowers among objects evoked no activation. These results demonstrate that both faces and flowers activate large and partially overlapping regions of inferior extrastriate cortex. A smaller region, located primarily in the right lateral fusiform gyrus, is activated specifically by faces.
Effectiveness and meaningful use of paediatric surgical safety checklists and their implementation strategies: a systematic review with narrative synthesis

Objective To examine the effectiveness and meaningful use of paediatric surgical safety checklists (SSCs) and their implementation strategies through a systematic review with narrative synthesis. Summary background data Since the launch of the WHO SSC, checklists have been integrated into surgical systems worldwide. Information is sparse on how SSCs have been integrated into the paediatric surgical environment. Methods A broad search strategy was created using Pubmed, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Central, Web of Science, Science Citation Index and Conference Proceedings Citation Index. Abstracts and full texts were screened independently, in duplicate for inclusion. Extracted study characteristic and outcomes generated themes explored through subgroup analyses and idea webbing. Results 1826 of 1921 studies were excluded after title and abstract review (kappa 0.77) and 47 after full-text review (kappa 0.86). 20 studies were of sufficient quality for narrative synthesis. Clinical outcomes were not affected by SSC introduction in studies without implementation strategies. A comprehensive SSC implementation strategy in developing countries demonstrated improved outcomes in high-risk surgeries. Narrative synthesis suggests that meaningful compliance is inconsistently measured and rarely achieved. Strategies involving feedback improved compliance. Stakeholder-developed implementation strategies, including team-based education, achieved greater acceptance. Three studies suggest that parental involvement in the SSC is valued by parents, nurses and physicians and may improve patient safety. Conclusions A SSC implementation strategy focused on paediatric patients and their families can achieve high acceptability and good compliance. SSCs’ role in improving measures of paediatric surgical outcome is not well established, but they may be effective when used within a comprehensive implementation strategy especially for high-risk patients in low-resource settings.
Forgiveness, Health, and Problematic Drinking among College Students in Southern Appalachia

Evidence is growing regarding the salutary relationships between spirituality and health, including alcohol problems, yet little is known about spirituality and health in the context thereof. Cross-sectional associations between forgiveness and health were examined among college student problematic drinkers (n = 126; ♀ = 60%; M age = 22) in Southern Appalachia. Controlling for demographic variables (including religiosity), dimensions of forgiveness accounted for 7—33 percent of the variance in the health-related variables in a salutary fashion. Forgiveness of Self appears to be the most important dimension of forgiveness measured, yet the most difficult to develop.
Momentum Life Cycle around the World and Beyond

The momentum life cycle (MLC) hypothesis first proposed by Lee and Swaminathan (2000) applies also to global markets. Early-stage strategies significantly outperform the late-stage and conventional strategies in most countries. Individualism culture is positively associated with late-stage but unrelated to early-stage momentum profitability, suggesting that early- and late-stage momentums are driven by different underlying mechanisms. Consistent with Stein’s (2009) model that arbitrageurs could amplify mispricing, we find that late-stage momentum profits are more pronounced in countries with lower limits to arbitrage. Furthermore, we find that the MLC also applies to exchange traded funds in the United States.
Comorbidities in patients with all‐positive symptoms on sinonasal outcomes test quality‐of‐life instrument

The Sinonasal Outcomes Test‐20 (SNOT‐20) is a validated tool to assess treatment outcomes in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). In the clinic, we observed that patients who responded with a positive score on all 20 items of the SNOT‐20 questionnaire (pan‐positive patients) often did not have evidence of CRS upon workup. Many of these patients had other underlying diseases contributing to their complaints.
Are Small for Gestational Age Infants at Higher Risk for Intracranial Lesions?

The association of small for gestational age (SGA) and central nervous system (CNS) abnormalities is controversial. Some reports suggest that SGA infants are at higher risk, whereas other data indicate that growth retardation may have a protective effect on the CNS. We compared the cranial ultrasound results of 197 SGA infants with 197 appropriate for gestational age (AGA) neonates, matched for gestation and gender, to determine if growth retardation is associated with a difference in ultrasound detectable CNS abnormalities. Infants with external dysmorphology or toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex (TORCH) infections were excluded. We found 51 (26%) intracranial abnormalities in the SGA infants compared with 41 (21%) in the AGA controls (difference not significant). The most common lesions were hemorrhagic or ischemic, and the incidence was similar for both groups, 43 (22%) for SGA and 35 (18%) for AGA infants. The type and severity of hemorrhagic or ischemic lesions was also the same. Ventriculomegaly, not associated with hemorrhage, and structural lesions were also comparable, nine (5%) in the SGA and six (3%) in the AGA infants. We conclude that SGA infants without external dysmorphology or TORCH infections are not at increased risk for CNS abnormalities detectable by cranial ultrasound.
Factors associated with young adults delaying and foregoing driving licences

There is growing interest in the decline in young adults’ licence-acquisition rates in a number of industrialised counties. While it is unclear whether this phenomenon is still ongoing or licenceacquisition has stabilised, across a wide set of OECD countries the current rates are well below the historic peaks of a decade or two ago (Delbosc & Currie 2013a, ifmo 2013, Kuhnimhof et al. 2012, Tefft et al. 2013, Grimsrud and El-Geneidy 2013).
Topology Review and Derivation Methodology of Single-Phase Transformerless Photovoltaic Inverters for Leakage Current Suppression

Single-phase voltage source transformerless inverters have been developed for many years and have been successful commercial applications in the distributed photovoltaic (PV) grid-connected systems. Moreover, many advanced industrial topologies and recent innovations have been published in the last few years. The objective of this paper is to classify and review these recent contributions to establish the present state of the art and trends of the transformerless inverters. This can provide a comprehensive and insightful overview of this technology. First, the generation mechanism of leakage current is investigated to divide the transformerless inverters into asymmetrical inductor-based and symmetrical inductor-based groups. Then, the concepts of dc-based and ac-based decoupling networks are proposed to not only cover the published symmetrical inductor-based topologies but also offer an innovative strategy to derive advanced inverters. Furthermore, the transformation principle between the dc-based and ac-based topologies is explored to make a clear picture on the general law and framework for the recent advances and future trend in this area. Finally, a family of clamped highly efficient and reliable inverter concept transformerless inverters is derived and tested to offer some excellent candidates for next-generation high-efficiency and cost-effective PV grid-tie inverters.
The relationship between multiple myeloma and occupational exposure to six chlorinated solvents

Objectives Few studies have examined whether exposure to chlorinated solvents is associated with multiple myeloma. We evaluated associations between multiple myeloma and occupational exposure to six chlorinated solvents: 1,1,1-trichloroethane, trichloroethylene (TCE), methylene chloride (DCM), perchloroethylene, carbon tetrachloride and chloroform. Methods In-person interviews obtained occupational histories and information on jobs with likely solvent exposure. We assigned exposure metrics of probability, frequency, intensity and confidence using job-exposure matrices modified by job-specific questionnaire information. We used logistic regression to estimate ORs and 95% CIs for associations between multiple myeloma and ever exposure to each, and any, chlorinated solvent and analysed whether associations varied by duration and cumulative exposure. We also considered all occupations that were given the lowest confidence scores as unexposed and repeated all analyses. Results Risk of multiple myeloma was elevated for subjects ever exposed to 1,1,1-trichloroethane (OR (95% CI): 1.8 (1.1 to 2.9)). Ever exposure to TCE or DCM also entailed elevated, but not statistically significant, risks of multiple myeloma; these became statistically significant when occupations with low confidence scores were considered unexposed (TCE: 1.7 (1.0 to 2.7); DCM: 2.0 (1.2 to 3.2)). Increasing cumulative exposure to perchloroethylene was also associated with increasing multiple myeloma risk. We observed non-significantly increased multiple myeloma risks with exposure to chloroform; however, few subjects were exposed. Conclusions Evidence from this relatively large case-control study suggests that exposures to certain chlorinated solvents may be associated with increased incidence of multiple myeloma; however, the study is limited by relatively low participation (52%) among controls.
Ligand-Dependent Induction of Noninflammatory Dendritic Cells by Anergic Invariant NKT Cells Minimizes Autoimmune Inflammation1

Stimulated by an agonistic ligand, α-galactosylceramide (αGalCer), invariant NKT (iNKT) cells are capable of both eliciting antitumor responses and suppressing autoimmunity, while they become anergic after an initial phase of activation. It is unknown how iNKT cells act as either activators or regulators in different settings of cellular immunity. We examined effects of αGalCer administration on autoimmune inflammation and characterized phenotypes and functional status of iNKT cells and dendritic cells in αGalCer-treated NOD mice. Although iNKT cells became and remained anergic after the initial exposure to their ligand, anergic iNKT cells induce noninflammatory DCs in response to αGalCer restimulation, whereas activated iNKT cells induce immunogenic maturation of DCs in a small time window after the priming. Induction of noninflammatory DCs results in the activation and expansion of islet-specific T cells with diminished proinflammatory cytokine production. The noninflammatory DCs function at inflammation sites in an Ag-specific fashion, and the persistence of noninflammatory DCs critically inhibits autoimmune pathogenesis in NOD mice. Anergic differentiation is a regulatory event that enables iNKT cells to transform from promoters to suppressors, down-regulating the ongoing inflammatory responses, similar to other regulatory T cells, through a ligand-dependent mechanism.
Gelsolin as therapeutic target in Alzheimer's disease

Importance of the field: Fibrillar amyloid beta-protein (Aβ) is a major component of amyloid plaques in the brains of individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, a comprehensive explanation of the mechanisms leading to brain amyloidosis is still pending. Previous studies have identified the anti-amyloidogenic role of gelsolin in AD. Gelsolin can reduce amyloid burden by acting as an inhibitor of Aβ fibrillization, and as an antioxidant and anti-apoptotic protein. Areas covered in this review: Recent evidence indicates reduced brain gelsolin levels in AD. Therefore, a better understanding of the roles of gelsolin in AD pathology, particularly those related with cognition, is required. What the reader will gain: Most of the information reviewed here relates to experimental studies. However, gelsolin may progress from the present evidence to preclinical and clinical applications. In addition, a greater insight into the environmental factors contributing to abnormally reduced gelsolin function in AD brains may become crucial for the development of much needed disease-modifying strategies. Take home message: Because, the efficacy of available medicines is still poor, there is an urgent need for novel AD treatments. In this sense, gelsolin could play an important role.
Benefits and risks of more intensive blood pressure lowering in hypertensive patients of the HOT study with different risk profiles: does a J-shaped curve exist in smokers?

Background The Hypertension Optimal Treatment (HOT) Study investigated 18 790 hypertensives randomized to three diastolic blood pressure (DBP) targets (⩽ 90, ⩽ 85, ⩽ 80 mmHg) for 3.8 years and found marked, significant reductions in cardiovascular events and mortality the lower the target DBP in the subset of diabetics. We investigated whether the benefits of intensive DBP lowering could be extended to other subgroups, and whether there are hypertensives in whom the risk of aggressive DBP lowering may outnumber the benefits. Methods and results The 18 790 patients were stratified as: medium/high–very high global cardiovascular risk; men/women; older/younger; current smokers/non-smokers; higher/lower serum cholesterol; higher/lower serum creatinine; with/without diabetes; with/without ischaemic heart disease (IHD). Comparisons were made between the less aggressive target group (DBP < 90 mmHg) and the two more aggressive target groups together (⩽ 85 and ⩽ 80 mmHg). A Cox proportional hazards model was used to calculate treatment–subgroup interactions and relative risks (RR) with 95% confidence intervals. Benefits were greatest in diabetics (RR 0.53 for cardiovascular events, and 0.67 for cardiovascular death), whereas in smokers more intensive DBP lowering was associated with increased risk of all types of cardiovascular event (RR 1.71–2.67; P = 0.01–0.001), except myocardial infarction. After excluding smokers, intensive DBP lowering was associated with significant reductions in cardiovascular events in diabetics (−49%), high–very high risk patients (−23%), IHD patients (−32%), patients with lower creatinine (−18%), women (−33%) and older patients (−23%). Conclusions Although subanalyses have only a descriptive value, it appears reasonable to recommend intensive antihypertensive treatment to hypertensives with diabetes, IHD and high global cardiovascular risk. In smokers, treatment intensification should be associated with the greatest efforts to induce smoking cessation.
The origins of the Ulster unionist party, 1885–6

The years 1885–6 were years of political confusion in Great Britain and Ireland. No less than four governments were in office from the spring of 1885 to the summer of 1886. Gladstone's government, beset by ministerial quarrels, fell on 9 June 1885, and was succeeded by the caretaker government of Lord Salisbury. The general election of December prolonged this political instability. The liberals were returned but with a majority of only two over the other parties. Salisbury remained in power until 27 January 1886 when he was defeated in the house. Gladstone, already a convert to some form of home rule for Ireland, formed a cabinet and drew up two bills, the Government of Ireland Bill and the Land Purchase (Ireland) Bill. The former was introduced on 8 April and exactly two months later was defeated owing to the desertion of ninety-three liberal members. In the subsequent general election the conservatives and liberal unionists routed the Gladstonian forces.
Fugacity and activity analysis of the bioaccumulation and environmental risks of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5)

As part of an initiative to evaluate commercial chemicals for their effects on human and environmental health, Canada recently evaluated decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5; CAS no. 541‐02‐06), a high–volume production chemical used in many personal care products. The evaluation illustrated the challenges encountered in environmental risk assessments and the need for the development of better tools to increase the weight of evidence in environmental risk assessments. The present study presents a new risk analysis method that applies thermodynamic principles of fugacity and activity to express the results of field monitoring and laboratory bioaccumulation and toxicity studies in a comprehensive risk analysis that can support risk assessments. Fugacity and activity ratios of D5 derived from bioaccumulation measures indicate that D5 does not biomagnify in food webs, likely because of biotransformation. The fugacity and activity analysis further demonstrates that reported no‐observed‐effect concentrations of D5 normally cannot occur in the environment. Observed fugacities and activities in the environment are, without exception, far below those corresponding with no observed effects, in many cases by several orders of magnitude. This analysis supports the conclusion of the Canadian Board of Review and the Minister of the Environment that D5 does not pose a danger to the environment. The present study further illustrates some of the limitations of a persistence‐bioaccumulation‐toxicity–type criteria‐based risk assessment approach and discusses the merits of the fugacity and activity approach to increase the weight of evidence and consistency in environmental risk assessments of commercial chemicals. Environ Toxicol Chem 2015;34:2723–2731. © 2015 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.
Race, Relationship and Renal Diagnoses After Living Kidney Donation

Background In response to recent studies, a better understanding of the risks of renal complications among African American and biologically related living kidney donors is needed. Methods We examined a database linking U.S. registry identifiers for living kidney donors (1987-2007) to billing claims from a private health insurer (2000-2007 claims) to identify renal condition diagnoses categorized by International Classification of Diseases 9th Revision coding. Cox regression with left and right censoring was used to estimate cumulative incidence of diagnoses after donation and associations (adjusted hazards ratios, aHR) with donor traits. Results Among 4650 living donors, 13.1% were African American and 76.3% were white; 76.1% were first-degree relatives of their recipient. By 7 years post-donation, after adjustment for age and sex, greater proportions of African American compared with white donors had renal condition diagnoses: chronic kidney disease (12.6% vs 5.6%; aHR, 2.32; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.48-3.62), proteinuria (5.7% vs 2.6%; aHR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.32-3.89), nephrotic syndrome (1.3% vs 0.1%; aHR, 15.7; 95% CI, 2.97-83.0), and any renal condition (14.9% vs 9.0%; aHR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.23-2.41). Although first-degree biological relationship to the recipient was not associated with renal risk, associations of African American race persisted for these conditions and included unspecified renal failure and reported disorders of kidney dysfunction after adjustment for biological donor-recipient relationship. Conclusions African Americans more commonly develop renal conditions after living kidney donation, independent of donor-recipient relationship. Continued research is needed to improve risk stratification for renal outcomes among African American living donors.
Diagnosis of hypertensive end-stage renal disease: effect of patient's race.

The authors conducted a simulation study to examine whether the race of a patient with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) influences the diagnosis of underlying kidney disease made by the nephrologist. The hypothesis was that ESRD may be more readily ascribed to hypertension in blacks than in whites. Nephrologists practicing in Maryland during 1991 were sent written case histories based on the presentation of seven patients with ESRD. For each case history, the patient's race was randomly assigned to be "black" or "white. " The nephrologist's diagnosis of underlying renal disease was recorded as "hypertensive" or "other. " Analysis of 197 case histories from 58 physicians (81% of those eligible) was performed using logistic regression. The distribution of underlying causes of ESRD in the case histories was similar to national statistics: hypertensive ESRD, 34%; diabetic ESRD, 30%; glomerulonephritis, 11%; other, 16%; unknown, 10%. Case histories that identified the patient's race as black were more likely (odds ratio = 1.97; 95% confidence interval 1.05-3.68) to result in a diagnosis of hypertensive ESRD than case histories in which the patient's race was said to be white, after adjustment for case history. Analyses that accounted for the physicians' individual tendencies to diagnose hypertensive ESRD yielded similar results. These findings suggest that black ESRD patients may be more likely to be labeled as having hypertensive kidney disease than white ESRD patients with similar clinical histories. Using race as a criterion to establish diagnoses of kidney disease may obscure the interpretation of incidence statistics, affect the management of individual patients, and hinder epidemiologic studies of risk factors for kidney failure. Definition of clear diagnostic criteria for the underlying cause of kidney failure is highly desirable.