Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[Use of glucocorticoid in treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome cases].

OBJECTIVE To explore the effect of glucocorticoid in the treatment for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). METHODS Clinical data of 70 patients with SARS admitted to Youan Hospital in Beijing during March to May, 2003 were analyzed. RESULTS (1) Sixty-three of 70 cases of SARS recovered and seven cases died, with a case-fatality ratio of 10%. (2) Average length of hospital stay was 16.9 days for the all 70 cases, and 16.8 days for the 11 cases without glucocorticoid treatment, without statistical significance (F = 1.018, P = 0.39). (3) The other 59 cases were administered with 40 mg to 640 mg of methylprednisolone daily. (4) Average hospital stay was 15 days for the 23 cases with lower dose of 40 mg to 80 mg methylprednisolone daily, 18.5 days for the 27 cases with medium dose of 120 mg to 240 mg daily, and 17.9 days for the nine cases with higher dose of 320 mg to 640 mg daily (F = 1.018, P = 0.39). CONCLUSIONS Earlier use of glucocorticoid therapy with suitable doses could alleviate their clinical symptoms, improve their clinical courses, and promote the absorbance of infiltration in their lungs on chest-X-ray films for the cases with SARS. However, current clinical data showed that glucocorticoid therapy could not shorten the length of hospitalization for the cases with SARS.
Overview of Microdialysis

The technique of microdialysis enables the monitoring of neurotransmitters and other molecules in the extracellular environment. This method has undergone several modifications and is now widely used for sampling and quantitating neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and hormones in the brain and periphery. This unit describes the principles of conventional and quantitative microdialysis as well as strategies in designing a dialysis experiment. It establishes the groundwork for the basic techniques of preparation, conduct, and analysis of dialysis experiments in rodents and subhuman primates. Although the methods described are those used for monitoring CNS function, they can be easily applied with minor modification to other organ systems.
Does Content Affect Whether Users Remember that Web Pages were Hyperlinked?

Objective: We determined whether memory for hyperlinks improved when they represented relations between the contents of the Web pages. Background: J. S. Farris (2003) found that memory for hyperlinks improved when they represented relations between the contents of the Web pages. However, Farris's (2003) participants could have used their knowledge of site content to answer questions about relations that were instantiated via the site's content and its hyperlinks. Method: In Experiment 1, users navigated a Web site and then answered questions about relations that were instantiated only via content, only via hyperlinks, and via content and hyperlinks. Unlike Farris (2003), we split the latter into two sets. One asked whether certain content elements were related, and the other asked whether certain Web pages were hyperlinked. Experiment 2 replicated Experiment 1 with one modification: The questions that were asked about relations instantiated via content and hyperlinks were changed so that each question's wrong answer was also related to the question's target. Results: Memory for hyperlinks improved when they represented relations instantiated within the content of the Web pages. This was true when (a) questions about content and hyperlinks were separated (Experiment 1) and (b) each question's wrong answer was also related to the question's target (Experiment 2). Conclusion: The accuracy of users' mental representations of local architecture depended on whether hyperlinks were related to the site's content. Application: Designers who want users to remember hyperlinks should associate those hyperlinks with content that reflects the relation between the contents on the Web pages.
Trends in health worker performance after implementing the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness strategy in Benin

Objective Training health workers to use Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) guidelines can improve care for ill children in outpatient settings in developing countries. However, even after IMCI training, important performance gaps exist. One potential reason is that the effect of training can rapidly wane. Our aim was to determine if the performance of IMCI‐trained health workers deteriorated over 3 years.
Evolution of Returns to Education in Colombia (1976-2014)

Este documento presenta estimativos de los retornos a la educacion en Colombia, basados en encuestas a hogares. Se estiman varios modelos econometricos y se hacen esfuerzos para corregir el posible sesgo de seleccion. Nuestros resultados indican que en los ultimos 40 anos, los retornos a la educacion fluctuaron en un rango bastante limitado (10,8% a 14,3%), lo cual indica una considerable estabilidad, a pesar de los cambios significativos que se dieron durante ese periodo. Tambien encontramos que existe una gran diferencia entre los retornos post-secundaria y pre-universitaria, no solo en sus niveles sino tambien en sus tendencias: los retornos a la educacion pre-universitaria han decrecido de manera continua, mientras que los retornos post-secundaria parecen haberse estabilizado alrededor del 20% desde 1995.
Comparison of four clinical tests for assessing hamstring muscle length.

Several indirect clinical tests for measuring hamstring muscle length are available, but the influence of their test procedures is not well documented. This study examined four of these tests to clarify the results relative to the testing procedures. The right limbs of 30 men were tested for: 1) passive straight leg raise (SLR) with the pelvis and opposite thigh stabilized with straps (SLR-SS); 2) passive SLR with the low back flat and, if needed, the opposite thigh slightly flexed and supported on pillows (SLR-LBF); 3) active knee extension with the hip at 90 degrees (AKE); and 4) passive knee extension with the hip at 90 degrees (PKE). A dependent t-test showed no significant differences between the angles of SLR-SS (61 degrees +/- 6.7 degrees) and SLR-LBF (62 degrees +/- 6.2 degrees). The SLR-SS and SLR-LBF angles for subjects needing pillows under the opposite thigh for the SLR-LBF test (N = 18) also were not significantly different. The knee flexion angles for the AKE (43 degrees +/- 10.2 degrees) and the PKE (31 degrees +/- 7.5 degrees) tests were significantly different (p < 0.001). Significant relationships (Pearson r) were found among the four tests (p < 0.05). The similar angles for SLR-SS and SLR-LBF and their significant relationship (r = 0.70, p < 0.001) indicated that their different testing procedures probably had a minimal influence on test results. The difference between the AKE and PKE tests suggested that the AKE test and the PKE test may represent an "initial length" and a "maximal length," respectively. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Offshore Wind Farm Layout Design Considering Optimized Power Dispatch Strategy

Offshore wind farm has drawn more and more attention recently due to its higher energy capacity and more freedom to occupy area. However, the investment is higher. In order to make a cost-effective wind farm, the wind farm layout should be optimized. The wake effect is one of the dominant factors leading to energy losses. It is expected that the optimized placement of wind turbines (WT) over a large sea area can lead to the best tradeoff between energy yields and capital investment. This paper proposes a novel way to position offshore WTs for a regular shaped wind farm. In addition to optimizing the direction of wind farm placement and the spacing between WTs, the control strategy's impact on energy yields is also discussed. Since the problem is nonconvex and lots of optimization variables are involved, an evolutionary algorithm, the particle swarm optimization algorithm, is adopted to find the solution. In order to increase the probability of finding the global optimal solution, the adaptive parameter control strategy is utilized. Simulation results are given to verify the proposed approach and comparison is made with results obtained using other methods.
The use of susceptibility-weighted imaging as an indicator of retrograde leptomeningeal venous drainage and venous congestion with dural arteriovenous fistula: diagnosis and follow-up after treatment.

BACKGROUND Retrograde leptomeningeal venous drainage (RLVD) in dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs) is associated with intracerebral hemorrhage and nonhemorrhagic neurological deficits or death. Angiographic evidence of RLVD is a definite indication for treatment, but less invasive methods of identifying RLVD are required. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of susceptibility-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (SWI) in detecting RLVD in DAVFs. METHODS We retrospectively identified 17 DAVF patients who had angiographic evidence of RLVD and received treatment. Conventional angiography and SWI were assessed at pretreatment and posttreatment time points. The presence of RLVD on SWI was defined as cortical venous hyperintensity, and the presence of venous congestion on SWI venograms was defined as increased caliber of cortical or medullary veins. RESULTS Cortical venous hyperintensity was identified in pretreatment SWI of 15 patients. Cortical venous hyperintensity was absent in early posttreatment SWI, consistent with the absence of RLVD in posttreatment angiography, in all but one of these patients. In 2 patients, cortical venous hyperintensity was identified during follow-up, indicating the recurrence of RLVD. Cortical venous hyperintensity was not identified in the pretreatment SWI of 2 patients despite angiographic evidence of RLVD. Venous congestion was identified in pretreatment SWI venograms of 11 patients and had an appearance similar to that identified from angiography. Venous congestive signs improved over the follow-up period. CONCLUSION The presence of SWI hyperintensity within the venous structure could be a useful indicator of RLVD in DAVF patients. Thus, SWI offers a noninvasive alternative to angiography for the identification of RLVD in pretreated and posttreated DAVF patients.
Wearable robotic exoskeleton for overground gait training in sub-acute and chronic hemiparetic stroke patients: preliminary results.

BACKGROUND Recovery of therapeutic or functional ambulatory capacity in post-stroke patients is a primary goal of rehabilitation. Wearable powered exoskeletons allow patients with gait dysfunctions to perform over-ground gait training, even immediately after the acute event. AIM To investigate the feasibility and the clinical effects of an over-ground walking training with a wearable powered exoskeleton in sub-acute and chronic stroke patients. DESIGN Prospective, pilot pre-post, open label, non-randomized experimental study. SETTING A single neurological rehabilitation center for inpatients and outpatients. POPULATION Twenty-three post-stroke patients were enrolled: 12 sub-acute (mean age: 43.8±13.3 years, 5 male and 7 female, 7 right hemiparesis and 5 left hemiparesis) and 11 chronic (mean age: 55.5±15.9 years, 7 male and 4 female, 4 right hemiparesis and 7 left hemiparesis) patients. METHODS Patients underwent 12 sessions (60 min/session, 3 times/week) of walking rehabilitation training using Ekso™, a wearable bionic suit that enables individuals with lower extremity disabilities and minimal forearm strength to stand up, sit down and walk over a flat hard surface with a full weight-bearing reciprocal gait. Clinical evaluations were performed at the beginning of the training period (t0), after 6 sessions (t1) and after 12 sessions (t2) and were based on the Ashworth scale, Motricity Index, Trunk Control Test, Functional Ambulation Scale, 10-Meter Walking Test, 6-Minute Walking Test, and Walking Handicap Scale. Wilcoxon's test (P<0.05) was used to detect significant changes. RESULTS Statistically significant improvements were observed at the three assessment periods for both groups in Motricity Index, Functional Ambulation Scale, 10-meter walking test, and 6-minute walking test. Sub-acute patients achieved statistically significant improvement in Trunk Control Test and Walking Handicap Scale at t0-t2. Sub-acute and chronic patient did not achieve significant improvement in Ashworth scale at t0-t2. CONCLUSIONS Twelve sessions of over-ground gait training using a powered wearable robotic exoskeleton improved ambulatory functions in sub-acute and chronic post-stroke patients. Large, randomized multicenter studies are needed to confirm these preliminary data. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT To plan a completely new individual tailored robotic rehabilitation strategy after stroke, including task-oriented over-ground gait training.
How Can a Firm Innovate When Embedded in a Cluster?—Evidence from the Automobile Industrial Cluster in China

In the era of the knowledge economy, knowledge management is increasingly important. Knowledge management ability is one of the core factors influencing enterprise competitiveness, affecting innovation performance and sustainable development. To test the impact mechanism of the knowledge management of enterprises on innovation performance, a multilevel structural equation model was established using data from the automobile industry in China, with “knowledge management” (KM) as the independent variable, the three dimensions of absorptive capacity as the mediating variables, and “innovation performance” (IP) as the dependent variable at the firm level. At the cluster level, the innovation milieu of the cluster was introduced into the model. The results show that the three dimensions of absorptive capacity all significantly mediate the relationship between knowledge management and innovation performance. The innovation milieu of the cluster had a direct cross-level effect on the innovation performance of enterprises and a positive cross-level moderated effect on the relationship between explorative learning and innovation performance. These results support the promotion of enterprise innovation ability and the creation of an innovation milieu in the automobile industry in China.
Sexual impairment and its effects on quality of life in patients with rectal cancer.

BACKGROUND The effects of rectal surgery on patients' postoperative quality of life (QOL) and sexual function has been little studied to date. The present study aims to address this issue. METHODS 519 patients who had undergone surgery for rectal cancer from January 1997 to January 2003 were included in the study. The EORTC-QLQ-C-30 questionnaire and an additional, tumor-specific module were administered prospectively multiple times over a 2-year period: before surgery, on discharge from the hospital, and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery. Comparisons were made between men and women, different age groups, and different surgical procedures: abdominoperineal resection (APR) versus anterior resection (AR). RESULTS There were significant differences between men and women on scales of function and symptoms. Women had worse scores for physical function and overall quality of life and higher values for fatigue. Sexual life was impaired in both men and women, but the impairment was significantly more severe in men, and men felt more distressed by it than women did. Physical function and overall quality of life were better in patients aged 69 and younger, while patients aged 70 and older suffered from fatigue. Younger patients had a more severe impairment of sexuality, which, over the time period of the study, led to severe emotional symptoms. Sexuality was more severely impaired in patients who had undergone APR than in those who had undergone AR. CONCLUSION These findings show that the quality of life is changed by surgery for rectal cancer and is influenced by the patient's sex and age, as well as by the particular surgical approach used.
Induction of transplantation tolerance through regulatory cells: from mice to men

Organ transplantation results in the activation of both innate and adaptive immune responses to the foreign antigens. While these responses can be limited with the use of systemic immunosuppressants, the induction of regulatory cell populations may be a novel strategy for the maintenance of specific immunological unresponsiveness that can reduce the severity of the detrimental side effects of current therapies. Our group has extensively researched different regulatory T‐cell induction protocols for use as cellular therapy in transplantation. In this review, we address the cellular and molecular mechanisms behind regulatory T‐cell suppression and their stability following induction protocols. We further discuss the use of different hematopoietically derived regulatory cell populations, including regulatory B cells, regulatory macrophages, tolerogenic dendritic cells, and myeloid‐derived suppressor cells, for the induction of transplantation tolerance in light of new clinical trials developing therapies with some of these populations.
Type-Specific Cell Line Models for Type-Specific Ovarian Cancer Research

Background Ovarian carcinomas consist of at least five distinct diseases: high-grade serous, low-grade serous, clear cell, endometrioid, and mucinous. Biomarker and molecular characterization may represent a more biologically relevant basis for grouping and treating this family of tumors, rather than site of origin. Molecular characteristics have become the new standard for clinical pathology, however development of tailored type-specific therapies is hampered by a failure of basic research to recognize that model systems used to study these diseases must also be stratified. Unrelated model systems do offer value for study of biochemical processes but specific cellular context needs to be applied to assess relevant therapeutic strategies. Methods We have focused on the identification of clear cell carcinoma cell line models. A panel of 32 “ovarian cancer” cell lines has been classified into histotypes using a combination of mutation profiles, IHC mutation-surrogates, and a validated immunohistochemical model. All cell lines were identity verified using STR analysis. Results Many described ovarian clear cell lines have characteristic mutations (including ARID1A and PIK3CA) and an overall molecular/immuno-profile typical of primary tumors. Mutations in TP53 were present in the majority of high-grade serous cell lines. Advanced genomic analysis of bona-fide clear cell carcinoma cell lines also support copy number changes in typical biomarkers such at MET and HNF1B and a lack of any recurrent expressed re-arrangements. Conclusions: As with primary ovarian tumors, mutation status of cancer genes like ARID1A and TP53 and a general immuno-profile serve well for establishing histotype of ovarian cancer cell We describe specific biomarkers and molecular features to re-classify generic “ovarian carcinoma” cell lines into type specific categories. Our data supports the use of prototype clear cell lines, such as TOV21G and JHOC-5, and questions the use of SKOV3 and A2780 as models of high-grade serous carcinoma.
Tooth brushing and cardiometabolic risk factors in adolescents: Is there an association? The CASPIAN-III study

Background: A growing body of evidence supports an association between oral health and cardiovascular diseases and diabetes in adults. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between tooth brushing frequency and cardiometabolic risk factors in adolescents. Methods: This nationwide population-based study was conducted among 5258 Iranian students, aged 10-18 years, living in urban and rural areas of 27 provinces in Iran. The association of tooth brushing frequency was assessed with anthropometric indexes and cardiometabolic risk factors after adjustment for potential confounders. Results: Higher frequency of tooth brushing was associated with lower mean levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in both genders (P < 0.0001) and lower frequency of elevated LDL-C in girls (P = 0.03). The frequency of elevated blood pressure decreased with higher tooth brushing frequency in boys (P = 0.03). After adjustment for many potential cofounders such as age, gender, anthropometric indexes, screen time, socioeconomic status, and family history of non-communicable diseases, participants who washed their teeth at least once a day had lower risk of high LDL-C and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in comparison to those who reported lower frequency of tooth brushing; some different associations were observed among girls and boys. Conclusions: Our findings suggest an independent and protective role of teeth brushing frequency for some cardiometabolic risk factors in adolescents. Increasing both the general health awareness and improving oral health should be considered in primordial and primary prevention of non-communicable diseases.
Assessment of the utility of the high-dose dexamethasone suppression test in confirming the diagnosis of Cushing disease.

OBJECTIVE To determine the utility of high-dose dexamethasone suppression (HDDS) tests to confirm the diagnosis of Cushing disease (CD). METHODS In this retrospective study, we reviewed medical records of patients who underwent either the overnight 8-mg HDDS test or the 2-day 2-mg HDDS test every 6 hours. The percentage suppression of morning serum cortisol and the percentage suppression of 24-hour urine free cortisol (UFC) were calculated. RESULTS Of 141 patients with proven CD who underwent HDDS tests, 77 (55%) underwent the overnight 8-mg HDDS test and 64 (45%) underwent the 2-day 2-mg HDDS test every 6 hours. With the overnight 8-mg HDDS test, 73 of 77 patients (95%) had greater than 50% suppression and 48 of 77 patients (62%) had greater than 80% suppression of the morning serum cortisol in comparison with the baseline value. With the 2-day 2-mg HDDS test, only 41 of 64 patients (64%) had greater than 90% suppression of 24-hour UFC. CONCLUSION We conclude that the overnight 8-mg HDDS test accurately confirmed the diagnosis of CD with a high sensitivity of 95% with use of a criterion of greater than 50% suppression; in contrast, the sensitivity was only 62% with use of a more precise cutoff of greater than 80% suppression. The 2-day 2-mg HDDS test with a criterion of greater than 90% suppression of 24-hour UFC had a sensitivity of 64%. These results confirm the limited precision of the HDDS tests.
Bile duct size after cholecystectomy: An endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatographic study

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) was performed in 43 patients before and 4–14 months after cholecystectomy. All patients had a normal common bile duct and were asymptomatic after the operation. Preoperative and postoperative films of adequate quality were available for scrutiny in 35 patients. The largest mean(s.d.) diameter of the common duct, after correcting for magnification, was 0·96(0·27) cm before cholecystectomy and 1·16(0·29) cm after surgery (P < 0·0001). Thirty‐one of the 35 patients showed increased duct size after cholecystectomy, and the difference was 1 mm or more in 26 patients. There was a positive correlation between the increase in bile duct size and the time interval after cholecystectomy. After cholecystectomy a small but significant increase in bile duct diameter is demonstrable on ERCP.