Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Efficacy of Urinary Catheters Impregnated With Antiseptics in an In Vitro Urinary Tract Model

Abstract Objectives: To evaluate the long-term efficacy of urinary Foley catheters (latex and silicone) impregnated with (1) chlorhexidine and silver sulfadiazine (CXS) and (2) chlorhexidine, silver sulfadiazine, and triclosan (CXST) in inhibiting extra-luminal bacterial adherence and to compare their efficacy with that of silver hydrogel latex (SH) and nitrofurazone-treated silicone (NF) catheters. Design: The antimicrobial spectrum of these catheters was evaluated using a zone of inhibition assay. A novel in vitro urinary tract model was developed to study the potential in vivo efficacy of antimicrobial catheters in preventing extraluminal bacterial colonization. The “meatus” was inoculated daily with Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans. The “bladder” portion of the model was cultured daily to determine bacterial growth. Results: Both CXS and CXST catheters had a broader antimicrobial spectrum than SH and NF catheters. In the in vitro model, CXST latex and silicone catheters exhibited significantly better efficacy (3 to 25 days) against uropathogens, compared with CXS (1 to 14 days) and control (0 to 5 days) catheters (P = .01). CXST latex catheters exhibited significantly longer protection against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, compared with SH catheters (P = .01). CXST silicone catheters resisted colonization with Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis for a significantly longer period (23 to 24 days) than did NF catheters (9 to 11 days) (P = .01). Conclusion: Catheters impregnated with synergistic combinations of chlorhexidine, silver sulfadiazine, and triclosan exhibited broad-spectrum, long-term resistance against microbial colonization on their outer surfaces (Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2003;24:506-513)
Low-dose tacrolimus ameliorates liver inflammation and fibrosis in steroid refractory autoimmune hepatitis.

AIM To determine the efficacy of tacrolimus on clinical status, histopathological status and biochemical markers in patients with steroid refractory autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). METHODS Retrospectively, clinical parameters, biochemistry and histology were obtained from patient records. RESULTS Nine patients [8 females/1 male, median age 32 (range 16-64) years] were identified to have received tacrolimus for a median duration of 18 (12-37) mo. Before initiation of tacrolimus treatment the patients were maintained on a prednisolone dose of 20 mg daily (range 20-80 mg/d), which was tapered to 7.5 (5-12.5) mg/d (P=0.004). Alanine aminotransferase and immunoglobulin-G concentrations decreased from 154 (100-475) to 47(22-61) U/L (P=0.007), and from 16 (10-30.2) to 14.5 (8.4-20) g/L (P=0.032), respectively. All patients showed improvement of the liver inflammatory activity, as determined by the Ishak score (P=0.016), while the degree of fibrosis tended to decrease (P=0.049). CONCLUSION The use of low dose tacrolimus can lead to biochemical and histologic improvement of inflammation with no progression of the stage of fibrosis in patients with steroid refractory AIH. Low dose tacrolimus therapy also allows substantial reduction of prednisone dose.
Psychosocial Factors and Prediction of Headaches in College Adults

The current study evaluated psychosocial variables that may contribute to the experience of headache in college adults. One hundred ninety‐nine participants, 103 women and 96 men, completed head pain logs for 4 weeks after completing measures assessing psychosocial variables. Multiple regression analyses indicated that level of emotional functioning, perception of stress, and gender were predictive of future headache frequency, intensity, and duration. Family history and health habits did not predict headache activity. These findings are consistent with research investigating psychosocial variables and headache activity.
Multiuser MIMO Downlink Beamforming Based on Group Maximum SINR Filtering with Per Stream Power Allocation

We propose an algorithm which iteratively computes the transmit-receive beamforming filters and the power allocation matrix to solve the multiuser multi-input multi-output (MIMO) downlink beamforming problem under signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio (SINR) constraints. The transmitter is a multi-antenna base-station broadcasting to users. Each user has multiple antennas at the receiver. The beamforming filter is a group maximum SINR filter which exploits intra-group cooperation, and the power allocated to each data stream is adjusted to enhance performance. Simulation results verify the superiority of the proposed algorithm over previous works.
Colorectal cancer incidence and screening in US Medicaid patients with and without HIV infection

Non-AIDS defining malignancies, particularly colorectal cancer (CRC), may be more prevalent among persons living with HIV (PLWH). Further, PLWH may be less likely to receive CRC screening (CRCS). We studied the epidemiology of CRC and CRCS patterns in PLWH and HIV-uninfected persons in a large US Medicaid population. We performed a matched cohort study examining CRC incidence in 2006 and CRCS between 1999 and 2007. Study participants were continuously enrolled in the Medicaid programs of California, Florida, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. All PLWH enrollees were matched to five randomly sampled HIV-uninfected enrollees on 5-year age group, gender, and state. Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) for incident CRC (adjusted for comorbidity index) and the presence of CRCS (adjusted for comorbidity index and years in the data-set) among PLWH compared to HIV-uninfected enrollees were calculated. PLWH were not more likely to be diagnosed with CRC after adjusting for comorbidity index (unadjusted OR: 1.73, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.37–2.19; AOR 1.29; 95% CI: 0.98–1.70). While CRCS rates were low overall, PLWH were more likely to have received CRCS in unadjusted analyses (35.8% vs. 33.7%; OR 1.10, 95% CI: 1.07–1.13). This relationship was reversed after adjusting for comorbidity index and years in the data-set (AOR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.77–0.83). Limitations of the study include a focus on the Medicaid population, an inability to detect fecal occult blood tests (FOBT), and having half of patients between 50 and 55 years of age. In conclusion, PLWH were not more likely to be diagnosed with CRC, but in adjusted analyses, were less likely to have received CRCS. As we showed a low rate of CRCS overall in this Medicaid population, researchers, clinicians, and policy-makers should improve access to and uptake of CRCS among all Medicaid patients, and particularly among PLWH.
The Benefits of Retail Therapy: Making Purchase Decisions Reduces Residual Sadness

People often shop when feeling sad, but whether and why shopping reduces residual (lingering) sadness remains an open question. Sadness is strongly associated with a sense that situational forces control the outcomes in one’s life, and thus we theorized that the choices inherent in shopping may restore personal control over one’s environment and reduce residual sadness. Three experiments provided support for our hypothesis. Making shopping choices helped to alleviate sadness whether they were hypothetical (Experiment 1) or real (Experiment 2). In addition, all experiments found support for the underlying mechanism of personal control restoration. Notably, the benefits of restored personal control over one’s environment do not generalize to anger (Experiments 2 and 3), because anger is associated with a sense that other people (rather than situational forces) are likely to cause negative outcomes, and these appraisals are not ameliorated by restoring personal control over one’s environment.
Hiam El-Sagha, a cementary of the Qumran type, Judaean desert

Res.d'A. P. Bar-Adon avait repere un cimetiere, au Nord de Murabba `at, examine par les auteurs. Parmi la vingtaine de tombes, deux ont ete fouillees, et leurs ossement analyses. La parente avec les cimetieres de Qumrân et de Ain el-Ghuweir est a retenir. Il peut s'agir de tombes de nomades anciens, mais aussi de groupes proches des Esseniens
Characterization of Cleaved Plasma Protein S with a Monoclonal Antibody-based Assay

Summary A monoclonal antibody (mAb 5A5G2) recognized cleaved plasma protein S (PS) but not uncleaved PS. Interestingly, mAb 5A5G2 did not recognize thrombin-cleaved recombinant PS. Microsequencing of cleaved plasma PS showed a Q-S-T-N amino-terminal sequence, inferring cleavage after the Arg 60 residue. The mAb epitope was located within the sequence encompassing residues 61 to 73, i. e. the carboxyterminal part of the thrombin-sensitive region (TSR). We used this mAb to develop an ELISA assay to quantify in vivo cleaved PS. In plasma from 10 normal subjects, about 10% of PS was cleaved (7.1% to 15.4%), with a more than 2-fold increase in the corresponding sera. We found increased levels of cleaved PS in 8 patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and decreased levels in 22 patients on long-term oral anticoagulant therapy, whereas cleaved PS levels were similar in 8 hemophiliacs and the 10 normal subjects. Cleaved PS levels did not correlate with prothrombin fragment 1+2 levels released after cleavage by FXa in any of the groups, suggesting that circulating FXa is not the main factor involved in the production of cleaved PS in vivo.
Tort Reform and Accidental Deaths

Theory suggests that tort reform could have two possible impacts on accidents. Reforms could increase accidents as tortfeasors internalize less of the cost of externalities and have less incentive to reduce the risk of accidents. Alternatively, tort reforms could decrease accidents as lower expected liability costs result in lower prices, enabling consumers to buy more risk‐reducing products such as medicines, safety equipment, and medical services, and could result in consumers increasing precautions to avoid accidents. We test these effects by examining the relationship between tort reform and non‐motor‐vehicle accidental death rates using panel data techniques. We find that noneconomic damage caps, a higher evidence standard for punitive damages, product liability reform, and prejudgment interest reform are associated with fewer accidental deaths, while reforms to the collateral source rule are associated with increased deaths. Overall, the tort reforms in the states between 1981 and 2000 are associated with an estimated 24,000 fewer accidental deaths.
Efficient large-context dependency parsing and correction with distributional lexical resources. (Analyse syntaxique probabiliste en de'pendances : approches efficaces à large contexte avec ressources lexicales distributionnelles)

This thesis explores ways to improve the accuracy and coverage of efficient statistical dependency parsing. We employ transition-based parsing with models learned using Support Vector Machines (Cortes and Vapnik, 1995), and our experiments are carried out on French. Transition-based parsing is very fast due to the computational efficiency of its underlying algorithms, which are based on a local optimization of attachment decisions. Our first research thread is thus to increase the syntactic context used. From the arc-eager transition system (Nivre, 2008) we propose a variant that simultaneously considers multiple candidate governors for right-directed attachments. We also test parse correction, inspired by Hall and Novak (2005), which revises each attachment in a parse by considering multiple alternative governors in the local syntactic neighborhood. We find that multiple-candidate approaches slightly improve parsing accuracy overall as well as for prepositional phrase attachment and coordination, two linguistic phenomena that exhibit high syntactic ambiguity. Our second research thread explores semi-supervised approaches for improving parsing accuracy and coverage. We test self-training within the journalistic domain as well as for adaptation to the medical domain, using a two-stage parsing approach based on that of McClosky et al. (2006). We then turn to lexical modeling over a large corpus: we model generalized lexical classes to reduce data sparseness, and prepositional phrase attachment preference to improve disambiguation. We find that semi-supervised approaches can sometimes improve parsing accuracy and coverage, without increasing time complexity.
Beyond the Pleasure Principle

While Freud did not explicitly make this claim, one may regard Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920) as the first, still somewhat tentative resolution of the troubling theoretical problem he had raised in the paper on narcissism (see above, pp. 545-62). The Ego and the Id, published three years later, was his second, definitive response. He now replaced the pairing of driveslibidinal and egoistic-that had served him for more than a decade of psychoanalvtic theorizing and that he had called into question not long before the World War, with a new, more dramatic pair of contestants: life against death. Aggression, to which Freud had earlier devoted a measure of attention that he now deemed inadequate, became from 1920 on the equal adversary of Eros. As critics have not failed to note, Beyond the Pleasure Principle is more remote from Freud's clinical experience than earlier theoretical papers. Freud does adduce some "case material," including veterans suffering from war neuroses, and that famous "fort-da" game that his eighteen-month-old grandson, Ernst Halberstadt-his daughter Sophie's eldest-played wbile his observant grandfather was watching. But for the rest, as Freud frankly noted, there is a good deal of conjecture in this little, path-breaking book: "What follows," Freud writes after giving his concrete instances of the "compulsion to repeat," is "speculation, often far-fetched speculation. " But he thought such speculation unavoidable in the uncharted terrain he was now entering. (In the selections that follow, much of this material, especially about speculative biology, has been omitted.) The essay is a difficult text, but as the first statement of the new "structural" theory of the mind, it is indispensable to an understanding of fundamental shifts in psychoanalytic thinking. Freud's preoccupation with death, marked in Beyond the Pleasure Principle and much of his later writing, has invited the suggestion that his thinking was colored darkly by the death of his charming and attractive daughter Sophie in January 1920, during the great influenza epidemic that claimed so many victims across Europe and the United States. Indeed, Fritz Wittels, an early associate of the Vienna psychoanalytic circle, said so explicitly in his biography of Freud (the first), of which he sent an advance copy to his subject in late 1923. Freud acknowledged that Wittels's argument was plausible enough. But he vigorously denied that he had developed his theory of the death drive as a consequence of grieving for his Sophie: the chronology was against it. He had in fact virtually completed Beyond the Pleasure Principle in 1919, and circulated the manuscript among a few intimates, while Sophie was still flourishing and enjoying perfect health. The essay must be read not as an exercise in autobiography, but as a turning point in theory.
Hyperpolarization induces a rise in intracellular sodium concentration in dopamine cells of the substantia nigra pars compacta

We investigated the effect of changes in membrane‐voltage on intracellular sodium concentration ([Na+]i) of dopamine‐sensitive neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta in a slice preparation of rat mesencephalon. Whole‐cell patch‐clamp techniques were combined with microfluorometric measurements of [Na+]i using the Na+‐sensitive probe, sodium‐binding benzofuran isophthalate (SBFI). Hyperpolarization of spontaneously
Recurrent Vasculopathic Skin Lesions Associated with Homozygous Protein C Deficiency

Abstract: Symptomatic protein C deficiency is a rare condition. Vasculopathy associated with hypercoagulable state in protein C deficiency has also been reported rarely. We described a boy who was diagnosed as having homozygous protein C deficiency during the neonatal period, when he developed purpura fulminans. At 7 years of age, he developed recurrent, painful, nonscarring, purpuric skin lesions. Histopathologic skin findings were compatible with those of vasculopathy. The histopathologic characteristics of these vasculopathic lesions and the pathogenetic mechanisms of their association with protein C deficiency are discussed.
Executive Functioning and Judgment-of-Learning versus Feeling-of-Knowing in Older Adults

Feeling-of-knowing (FOK) accuracy and judgment-of-learning (JOL) accuracy were compared on separate, identical, episodic-memory tasks. The results indicated that these two measures were not correlated, suggesting that they do not tap the same metacognitive ability. We also looked at whether FOK and JOL accuracies were related differently to higher order executive functioning. In order to take advantage of within-subject variability in cognitive performance, older adults were selected as participants. They were administered the standard neuropsychological tests used to assess executive functioning. A correlational analysis clearly showed that only FOK accuracy was correlated with the executive measures, suggesting that executive control is not equally implicated in FOK and JOL.
Association between Dental Health and Osteoporosis: A Study in South Indian Postmenopausal Women

Aim: This study aims to objectively assess the dentition status in South Indian postmenopausal women and compare the dental health of osteoporotic participants with nonosteoporotic individuals. Materials and Methods: A total of 150 consecutive ambulatory South Indian postmenopausal women (>50 years of age) were assessed for their dental health using an internationally validated scoring system. Bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed using a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scanner. Results: About 39% of the participants were found to have osteoporosis and 23% had osteopenia at any site. More than half of them (57%) had poor dental health, and the predominant problems were cavities (43.5%) and loss of teeth (75%). Among 112 women who had tooth loss, the mean tooth loss was 4.8. The mean tooth loss among patients with normal BMD was 1.09 ± 1.2, in osteopenia was 2.1 ± 2, and in osteoporosis was 5.4 ± 2.8 (P < 0.01). The odds of having osteoporosis among the patients with three or more tooth loss were found to be 4.2 (95% confidence interval = 2.4–7.3). Conclusion: Postmenopausal women with osteoporosis had significantly higher number of tooth loss. Tooth loss may thus be used as a surrogate marker to predict osteoporosis.
Autonomic dysfunction in 3414 Parkinson's disease patients enrolled in the German Network on Parkinson's disease (KNP e.V.): the effect of ageing

We analysed non‐motor symptoms (NMS) related to autonomic dysfunction in 3414 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) enrolled in the multicentre registry of the German Competence Network on PD. Orthostatic hypotension (>20 mmHg systolic or >10 mmHg diastolic) was reported for 10% of women and 11% of men, urinary incontinence for 22% of women and 21% of men, sexual dysfunction for 8% of women and 30% of men (50% of whom reported erectile dysfunction) and sleep disturbances for 43% of women and 35% of men. Autonomic symptoms occurred in a frequency similar to severe disabling dyskinesia which was reported for 16% of women and 11% of men. A logistic regression analyses with age, sex and disease duration as covariates revealed a significant correlation of orthostatic hypotension and urinary incontinence with age and disease duration whilst sexual dysfunction was related to age only. These observations suggests that the effects of the PD process and ageing contribute to non‐levodopa responsive NMS. Sleep disturbances were more common in women and a correlation was found with disease duration only supporting the notion that sleep is specifically affected in PD.
Metazoan parasite species richness in Neotropical fishes: hotspots and the geography of biodiversity

SUMMARY Although research on parasite biodiversity has intensified recently, there are signs that parasites remain an underestimated component of total biodiversity in many regions of the planet. To identify geographical hotspots of parasite diversity, we performed qualitative and quantitative analyses of the parasite-host associations in fishes from Latin America and the Caribbean, a region that includes known hotspots of plant and animal biodiversity. The database included 10 904 metazoan parasite-host associations involving 1660 fish species. The number of host species with at least 1 parasite record was less than 10% of the total known fish species in the majority of countries. Associations involving adult endoparasites in actinopterygian fish hosts dominated the database. Across the whole region, no significant difference in parasite species richness was detected between marine and freshwater fishes. As a rule, host body size and study effort (number of studies per fish species) were good predictors of parasite species richness. Some interesting patterns emerged when we included only the regions with highest fish species biodiversity and study effort (Brasil, Mexico and the Caribbean Islands). Independently of differences in study effort or host body sizes, Mexico stands out as a hotspot of parasite diversity for freshwater fishes, as does Brasil for marine fishes. However, among 57 marine fish species common to all 3 regions, populations from the Caribbean consistently harboured more parasite species. These differences may reflect true biological patterns, or regional discrepancies in study effort and local priorities for fish parasitology research.
ERK and p38 Inhibit the Expression of 4E-BP1 Repressor of Translation through Induction of Egr-1*

4E-BP1 plays a major role in translation by inhibiting cap-dependent translation initiation. Several reports have investigated the regulation of 4E-BP1 phosphorylation, which varies along with cell differentiation and upon various stimulations, but very little is known about the regulation of its expression. In a first part, we show that the expression of 4E-BP1 protein and transcript decreases in hematopoietic cell lines cultivated in the presence of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). This decrease depends on the activation of the ERK/mitogen-activated protein kinases. 4E-BP1 expression also decreases when the p38/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway is activated by granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor but to a lesser extent than with PMA. In a second part, we examine how 4e-bp1 promoter activity is regulated. PMA and granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor induce Egr-1 expression through ERK and p38 activation, respectively. Using a dominant negative mutant of Egr, ZnEgr, we show that this transcription factor is responsible for the inhibition of 4e-bp1 promoter activity. In a third part we show that histidine decarboxylase, whose activity and expression are inversely correlated with 4E-BP1 expression, is a potential target for the translational machinery. These data (i) are the first evidence of a new role of ERK and p38 on the translational machinery and (ii) demonstrate that 4E-BP1 is a new target for Egr-1.