Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unique microbiology of chronically unstable canal wall down tympanomastoid cavities: considerations for surgical revision.

OBJECTIVE To review the microbiology of open tympanomastoid cavities in patients who underwent revision surgery due to chronic instability. METHODS This paper describes a retrospective chart review of surgical revision cases of chronically unstable open mastoid cavities. Patient records from 2000 to 2010 were reviewed for the type of organism cultured, antimicrobial resistance and the presence of cholesteatoma. RESULTS In total, 121 revision surgical procedures were performed on 101 patients. Seventy-nine procedures involved culture specimen processing, 37 of which were positive. The most commonly cultured organism was Staphylococcus aureus, which was more than twice as common as any other pathogen. The presence of cholesteatoma had no impact on the likelihood of a positive culture or polymicrobial culture. Antimicrobial-resistant pathogens were uncommon. CONCLUSION A positive culture was not an overwhelmingly common characteristic of unstable tympanomastoid cavities. Furthermore, antimicrobial resistance did not appear to play an essential role in leading patients towards revision open mastoid surgery.
Homocysteine and ADMA--emerging risk factors for cardiovascular disease?

During the past decade, an increasing body of evidence strongly indicates that elevated plasma total homocysteine (Hcy) as well as asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) concentrations act independently to increase the risk of atherosclerotic and thromboembolic disease (1–4, 27, 28). Moreover, there may also be a pathophysiological link between the two. In this issue of Blood Pressure, Wocial et al. (5) report that high levels of Hcy are associated with an increased left ventricular mass and an augmented adrenergic activity in hypertensive patients. Based on their results they argue that a coexistence of high Hcy levels, left ventricular hypertrophy and increased adrenergic activity should increase the risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. However, in their study, results showed that there were only weak correlations between plasma Hcy and blood pressure as well as plasma catecholamines. Further, the increased levels of Hcy were not directly related to left ventricular mass index. The results are thoughtful and interesting and they illustrate that in spite of the increasing available data on Hcy in patients at high cardiovascular risk, the biological background and rationale is not easily explained.
Alcohol use predicts elevation in inflammatory marker soluble CD14 in men living with HIV

ABSTRACT Independently, HIV infection and heavy alcohol use increase microbial translocation (MT) of gut products into systemic circulation. MT and consequent immune response have been linked to chronic inflammation and a host of negative health outcomes in individuals living with HIV. However, previous research has not systematically investigated the immune correlates of heavy drinking specifically within the HIV-positive population. This pilot study investigated MT and immune activation as a function of alcohol use in 21 HIV-positive men who met NIAAA criteria for heavy drinking. Participants averaged 46.7 ± 8.5 (mean ± standard deviation) years of age, 12.2 ± 9.2 years since HIV diagnosis, 337 ± 158 CD4 nadir, and 643 ± 245 current CD4 count. All participants were virologically suppressed on antiretroviral therapy. Data on alcohol use and immune function were collected at baseline and three-month follow-up. Plasma concentrations of markers of MT and immune activation (lipopolysaccharide (LPS), soluble CD14 (sCD14), endotoxin core antibody immunoglobulin M (EndoCAb)) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Generalized estimating equation models tested alcohol use variables as predictors of LPS, sCD14, and EndoCAb levels. Greater quantity and frequency of drinking significantly predicted higher sCD14 levels (p’s < .01). Conversely, longer duration of abstinence from alcohol significantly predicted lower sCD14 levels (p < .001). These results remained significant after controlling for age, HIV duration, smoking status, current CD4 count, CD4 nadir, and antiretroviral drug type. In addition, participants with ≥50% relative reduction in drinks per week showed a significant decrease (p < .05) in sCD14 from baseline to three-month follow-up. This pilot study provides preliminary evidence that heavy drinking may increase a key inflammatory marker in HIV-infected individuals with suppressed infection.
Simultaneous acquisition of ECG, BCG, and blood pressure from chick embryos in the egg.

The applicability of the audiocartridge system to simultaneous measurements of the ballistic movements from multiple points of the egg was examined in late chick embryos. Despite direct contact between the cartridges and the egg, minute movements of the egg attributable to cardiac contractions of the embryo (ballistocardiogram, BCG) could be simultaneously detected from at least three points. The results showed that the amplitude of BCG waves was dependent on the site of detection, indicating that the BCG was a directional wave. The cartridge system for BCG measurement was incorporated in the electrocardiography and arterial catheterization to acquire simultaneously electrocardiogram (ECG), BCG, and blood pressure from the embryo confined in the egg. Isochronal comparison of these waves indicated that the ballistic movements of the embryo might be caused not only by the ventricular contraction but also by the atrial excitation, i.e., the BCG comprised waves appearing in the ventricular presystolic, contraction, and ejection periods. For wide changes in the heart rate, the approximate isometric ventricular contraction period remained almost constant.
Fatigue Influence Factors and Coping Strategies among Cancer Patients’ Spouses: A Quantitative Study in China

The objective of this study aimed to: 1) identify how demographic variables, coping style, and psychological symptoms affect fatigue in Cancer Patients’ Spouses, and 2) explore the relationship between fatigue and coping style in cancer patients’ spouses. The methods used in this study include cross-sectional study design. 314 cancer patients’ spouses were recruited from the northeast part of China. Participants completed a socio-demographic form, Symptom Checklist-90, Trait Coping Style Questionnaire, and Fatigue Scale-14. Multiple linear stepwise regression analyses were used to test fatigue affect factors. Summarily, t he demographics information show that the majority of the participants were middle age, most of whom (64%) age range 41-60. Cancer type include lung (30.3%), colorectal (13.7%), stomach (12.4%), breast (27.4%), etc. Significant predictors for fatigue are financial burden (β = -0.30, P < 0.001), current poor health (β = -0.22, P < 0.001), care-giving time (β = 0.12, P = 0.031), age (β = 0.12, P = 0.042), obsessive-compulsive (β = 0.34, P = 0.014) , somatization (β = 0.37, P = 0.004), hostility (β = -0.25, P = 0.005), negative coping (β = 0.25, P < 0.001), positive coping (β = -0.14, P = 0.005), and positive coping is the predictor for lower fatigue (β = 0.20, P = 0.008). The conclusion of this study is that the fatigue experienced by cancer patients’ spouses is related to factors such as demographic variables, coping style, and psychological health; positive coping may be a mediator between mental fatigue and psychological symptoms. [N A J Med Sci. 2017;10(2):45-52. DOI: 10.7156/najms.2017. 1002045]
Recording ethnicity in primary care: assessing the methods and impact.

### The importance of ethnicity recording in the UK The reduction of ethnic health inequalities has been a priority for government health policy in the UK since the introduction of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act in 2000.1 This Act places a duty on all public bodies to consider the race-equality implications in all of the policies that shape their operations. The UK is one of the few European countries that officially recognises the need for ethnicity data to support service-monitoring purposes and places no restrictions on the collection of such data; this is in contrast to France and Germany, for example, where restrictions on collecting such data do exist.2 For general practice this means developing robust counts of ethnicity at practice level and using the data to monitor access and service utilisation. This is particularly important in urban areas, which tend to be most ethnically diverse and where population mobility is greatest. At the local level, one of the primary purposes of collecting ethnic-category data about patients is to establish whether services are meeting the needs of different ethnic groups in the community and to assist future planning of service provision. In addition, reductions in the disparity in health service utilisation and outcomes by different ethnic groups can be used as a key service quality marker in any health system.3 To date, ethnicity recording at the general practice level in the UK has been low.2,4 To bolster data quality and recording levels in primary care, the NHS has introduced financially incentivised targets for ethnicity recording in general practice through the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF); however, this is limited to new registrations.5 ### Defining and categorising ethnicity The legal definition of ‘ethnic group’, as adopted by the House of Lords, states that a long, shared history and common cultural tradition are essential characteristics. In addition, a common …
Openness to Experience, Intellect, and Cognitive Ability

An instrument designed to separate 2 midlevel traits within each of the Big Five (the Big Five Aspect Scales [BFAS]) was used to clarify the relation of personality to cognitive ability. The BFAS measures Openness to Experience and Intellect as separate (although related) traits, and refers to the broader Big Five trait as Openness/Intellect. In 2 samples (N = 125 and 189), Intellect was independently associated with general intelligence (g) and with verbal and nonverbal intelligence about equally. Openness was independently associated only with verbal intelligence. Implications of these findings are discussed for the empirical and conceptual relations of intelligence to personality and for the mechanisms potentially underlying both Openness/Intellect and cognitive ability.
SELF-DIFFUSION IN SILICON : SIMILARITY BETWEEN THE PROPERTIES OF NATIVE POINT DEFECTS

Ant Ural,* P. B. Griffin, and J. D. Plummer Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 (Received 7 June 1999) Self-diffusion measurements in silicon are extended to the range 800–900 ±C by monitoring 30Si diffusion in isotopically enriched structures. Comparing P, Sb, and self-diffusion under nonequilibrium conditions, we determine that the interstitial-mediated fraction of self-diffusion is confined between 0.50 and 0.62 in the temperature range of 800–1100 ±C. This allows activation enthalpies of 4.68 and 4.86 eV to be determined for the interstitial and vacancy mechanisms, respectively. Both mechanisms are also found to exhibit large activation entropies. This result is in contrast to values extracted from metal diffusion experiments.
Helicobacter pylori infection transmitted sexually via oral-genital contact: a hypothetical model

Objectives: To postulate that Helicobacter pylori infection may be transmitted sexually, using the human female vagina as a reservoir for transmission. Methods: A literature search was performed using Medline, Embase, Biological Abstracts, and Currents Contents (January 1983 to August 2000). Relevant keywords were used and additional manual searches were made using the reference lists from the selected articles to retrieve other papers relevant to the topic. Conclusions:Helicobacter pylori infection could be transmitted sexually with the vagina acting as a potential temporary/permanent reservoir given the right environmental conditions.
Regulation of the Human Inosine Monophosphate Dehydrogenase Type I Gene

Catalysis of guanine nucleotide formation from IMP in the de novo purine synthetic pathway is carried out by two isoforms of the enzyme inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) that are catalytically indistinguishable but are encoded by separate genes. In order to assess the potential for cell type-specific expression of IMPDH activity, we have characterized the IMPDH type I gene and identified three major RNA transcripts that are differentially expressed from three different promoters. A 4.0-kilobase pair (kb) mRNA containing 1.3 kb of 5′-untranslated region is expressed in activated peripheral blood lymphocytes and to a far lesser extent in cultured tumor cell lines. The P1 promoter that regulates the transcription of this mRNA has a high degree of sequence identity to an Alu repetitive sequence. A transcript of 2.7 kb is found in a subset of the tumor cell lines examined, whereas a 2.5-kb mRNA species is universally expressed and is the prevalent mRNA in most cell lines and tissues. The relative strengths of the three promoter regions and the effects of variable extents of 5′-flanking sequence on the P3 promoter differ in Jurkat T, as compared with Raji B lymphoid cell lines, demonstrating a complex cell type-specific transcriptional regulation of IMPDH type I gene expression.
British Guideline on the Management of Asthma

These guidelines have been replaced by British Guideline on the Management of Asthma. A national clinical guideline. Superseded By 2012 Revision Of 2008 Guideline: British Guideline on the Management of Asthma. Thorax 2008 May; 63(Suppl 4): 1–121.
Platelet Indices in Pregnant Women in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract: Pregnancy is associated with several changes in platelet count and platelet indices arising from increased platelet consumption in the uteroplacental circulation and haemodilution. Reports have shown that the platelet count (PLT) and the plateletcrit (PCT) decrease, while the mean platelet volume (MPV) and the platelet distribution width (PDW) increase with gestational age. These physiologic changes should be noted while interpreting the results of platelet parameters as they are helpful in the early detection of states of super-imposed platelet consumption like pre-eclampsia, ectopic pregnancy, preterm labour and the HELLP syndrome. This study was aimed at deriving normal platelet parameters in pregnancy in Port Harcourt using the haematology auto analyser, PCE 210 (N) ERMA. The mean platelet count for the pregnant women was 212.74 ± 63.28 x 109/L; the mean MPV 9.99 ±1.94fL; the mean PCT was 0.21 ± 0.05% and PDW was 12.68 ± 1.91fL. Our study also confirmed the concept of platelet consumption in pregnancy.
The Exit Mechanism of Venture Capital in China

The vitality of the venture capital is circulating financial flows,the core issue is the soundness of exit mechanism.Only the exit can lead the venture capital to re-flowing;then venture capitalists can put money into the next project,the venture capital can begin to flow in the next cycle.Therefore,the exit mechanism is a healthy development of venture capital industry and achieved success.
MMP 14 Comparison of Flexural Strength of Acrylic Resin Processed by Conventional Processing and Injection Molding after Using Denture

The purpose of this study was to compare the flexural strength between heat polymerized acrylic resin by compression technique and IvoBase hybrid with injection technique before immersion, and after immersion with different denture cleansing solutions. Sixty four rectangular samples (64 mm×10 mm×3.3 mm) were prepared and divided into 8 groups; heat and IvoBase before immersion (HB and IB), heat and IvoBase after immersion in tap water (HT and IT), Polident (HP and IP), vinegar 5% concentration diluted with tap water 1:6 (HV and IV). The flexural strength (S) was measured using a 3-point bending test. The independent sample t-test demonstrated that the flexural strength of IvoBase hybrid was significant higher than that of heat polymerized acrylic resin. Furthermore, One-way ANOVA analysis showed that Polident denture cleanser significantly decreased the flexural strength of heat polymerized acrylic resin and IvoBase hybrid after immersion for 180 days use.
A Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Trial Comparing Bupivacaine with Ropivacaine for Labor Analgesia

Background A meta-analysis of studies comparing high doses of bupivacaine with ropivacaine for labor pain found a higher incidence of forceps deliveries, motor block, and poorer neonatal outcome with bupivacaine. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a difference in these outcomes when a low concentration of patient-controlled epidural bupivacaine combined with fentanyl is compared with ropivacaine combined with fentanyl. Methods This was a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial, including term, nulliparous women undergoing induction of labor. For the initiation of analgesia, patients were randomized to receive either 15 ml bupivacaine, 0.1%, or 15 ml ropivacaine, 0.1%, each with 5 &mgr;g/ml fentanyl. Analgesia was maintained with patient-controlled analgesia with either local anesthetic, 0.08%, with 2 &mgr;g/ml fentanyl. The primary outcome was the incidence of operative delivery. We also examined other obstetric, neonatal, and analgesic outcomes. Results There was no difference in the incidence of operative delivery between the two groups (148 of 276 bupivacaine recipients vs. 135 of 279 ropivacaine recipients;P = 0.25) or any obstetric or neonatal outcome. The incidence of motor block was significantly increased in the bupivacaine group compared with the ropivacaine group at 6 h (47 of 93 vs. 29 of 93, respectively;P = 0.006) and 10 h (29 of 47 vs. 16 of 41, respectively;P = 0.03) after injection. Satisfaction with mobility was higher with ropivacaine than with bupivacaine (mean ± SD: 76 ± 23 vs. 72 ± 23, respectively;P = 0.013). Satisfaction for analgesia at delivery was higher for bupivacaine than for ropivacaine (mean ± SD: 71 ± 25 vs. 66 ± 26, respectively;P = 0.037). Conclusions There was no difference in the incidence of operative delivery or neonatal outcome among nulliparous patients who received low concentrations of bupivacaine or ropivacaine for labor analgesia.
Differential Activation of Influenza A Virus Endonuclease Activity Is Dependent on Multiple Sequence Differences between the Virion RNA and cRNA Promoters

ABSTRACT Influenza virus endonuclease activity was studied in vitro with model virion RNA (vRNA) and cRNA molecules. We show that endonuclease activity can be partially rescued by transplanting vRNA-like promoter features into the model cRNA promoter. This study defines three distinctive features within the vRNA promoter—absent in the cRNA promoter—that are required for endonuclease cleavage.
Docking study and free energy simulation of the complex between p53 DNA‐binding domain and azurin

Molecular interaction between p53 tumor suppressor and the copper protein azurin (AZ) has been demonstrated to enhance p53 stability and hence antitumoral function, opening new perspectives in cancer treatment. While some experimental work has provided evidence for AZ binding to p53, no crystal structure for the p53–AZ complex was solved thus far. In this work the association between AZ and the p53 DNA‐binding domain (DBD) was investigated by computational methods. Using a combination of rigid‐body protein docking, experimental mutagenesis information, and cluster analysis 10 main p53 DBD–AZ binding modes were generated. The resulting structures were further characterized by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and free energy calculations. We found that the highest scored docking conformation for the p53 DBD–AZ complex also yielded the most favorable free energy value. This best three‐dimensional model for the complex was validated by using a computational mutagenesis strategy. In this structure AZ binds to the flexible L1 and s7–s8 loops of the p53 DBD and stabilizes them through protein–protein tight packing interactions, resulting in high degree of both surface matching and electrostatic complementarity. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Anti HCV seroprevalence among the voluntary blood donors in Thailand

Abstract Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is an increasing problem, affecting large numbers of the population in both the developed and the developing parts of the world. It is generally accepted as a significant public health problem with major associated morbidities and mortalities, in particular hepatocellular carcinoma. One of several strategies for prevention of HCV transmission is screening for anti HCV serology among donated blood in the blood bank. However, screening for HCV infection varies considerably throughout the world; differences between resource-poor and resource-rich countries are particularly pronounced. This is a particular problem in the developing countries in Asia where HCV infection has high prevalence, this is especially the case among the underprivileged populations and those countries are usually less able to afford routine HCV serological screening in blood bank. In Thailand, HCV infection is an important infectious disease. However, screening for anti HCV serology is performed in only a few large blood banks. The purpose of this study is to summarize the prevalence of Anti HCV seropositivity among the voluntary blood donors in the previous reports in Thailand. This review identified 5 reports in the literature reporting data in 39,633 documented voluntary donors. In all there were 541 cases with Anti HCV seropositivity. The summative percentage for Anti HCV seropositive was 1.37%. This rate is similar to the high levels reported previously from many other Asian countries, implying the importance of HCV infection in Asia. Thorough donor screening to eliminate high-risk donors is recommended to improve blood transfusion services in Thailand and other developing countries and screening for Anti HCV serology should be set as the national strategies covering all blood banks.
The Speed of Recognition of Personally Familiar Faces

Despite the generally accepted notion that humans are very good and fast at recognising familiar individuals from their faces, the actual speed with which this fundamental brain function can be achieved remains largely unknown. Here, two groups of participants were required to respond by finger-lift when presented with either a photograph of a personally familiar face (classmate), or an unfamiliar one. This speeded manual go/no-go categorisation task revealed that personally familiar faces could be categorised as early as 380 ms after presentation, about 80 ms faster than unfamiliar faces. When response times were averaged across all 8 stimulus presentations, we found that minimum RTs for both familiar and unfamiliar face decisions were substantially lower (310 ms and 370 ms). Analyses confirmed that stimulus repetition enhanced the speed with which faces were categorised, irrespective of familiarity, and that repetition did not affect the observed benefit in RTS for familiar over unfamiliar faces. These data, representing the elapsed time from stimulus onset to motor output, put constraints on the time course of familiar face recognition in the human brain, which can be tracked more precisely by high temporal resolution electrophysiological measures.